Chapter 115

Present – Bernie and Liz – In the ambulance on the way to the hospital

I look at the preacher and plead, “Please marry us now because I don’t want Liz to have the baby without us being married.”

The preacher asks, “Elizabeth Morgan do you feel the same way?”

She swears, “Hell yes, please marry us now!”

The preacher starts, “Love is the reason we are here. In marriage we not only say I love you today, but also say I promise to love you for all of our tomorrows.”

Bernard Townshend and Elizabeth Morgan, in the days ahead of you, there will be stormy times and good times, times of conflict and times of joy. I ask you to remember this advice:

Never go to bed angry.
Let your love be stronger than your anger.
Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend than to break.
Believe the best of your beloved rather than the worst.
Confide in your partner and ask for help when you need it.
Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship.
Give your spouse the same courtesies and kindnesses you bestow on your friends.
Say “I love you” every day.

Vows...
Bernard Townshend and Elizabeth Morgan, I remind you that marriage is a precious gift, a lifelong commitment, and a challenge to love one another more completely each and every day.

Please join hands and look into each other’s eyes.”

We join hands and I look into Liz’s eyes.

The preacher continues, “Bernard Townsend, with this understanding, do you take Elizabeth Morgan to be your wedded wife to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others and to be faithful only to her, so long as you both shall live?”

I proudly say, “I do!”

Now comes Liz’s part, “Elizabeth Morgan, with this understanding, do you take Bernard Townsend to be your wedded husband, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, for better or worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others and to be faithful only to him, so long as you both shall live?”

Liz says, “I dooooo!” (She had a contraction at that moment).
The preacher continues, “May I have the rings please?”

I look at him and reply, “My best man has them.”

We hear frantic honking and the ambulance driver says, “I think your wedding party caught up with us.”

Liz says...

I say, “I don’t know how they did it but please stop and let’s get the rings from Ben.”

The ambulance stops, Jens throws open the back door and asks, “How are you doing?”

I reply, “Jens, we need the rings.”

Ben walks up hands then to Bernie and the preacher asks, “Is there any danger she will deliver the baby soon?”

The EMT replies, “No sir, I figure we have a few hours.”

The preacher looks at us and says, “We need witnesses and since the best man and maid of honor are here, I would like to finish this now.”

I agree in the middle of a contraction, “Yeeeeessss, that’s fine!”

The preacher continues, “May I have the rings please?”

Bernie hands him the rings, he holds them up and continues, “The ring, an unbroken, never-ending circle, is a symbol of committed, unending love.”

He hands my ring to Bernie and continues, “Bernard Townsend, as you place this ring on Elizabeth Morgan’s finger, repeat these words after me:
This ring, a gift for you, / symbolizes my desire / that you be my wife / from this day forward. / As this ring has no end / neither shall my love for you.”

Bernie repeats, “This ring, a gift for you, / symbolizes my desire / that you be my wife / from this day forward. / As this ring has no end / neither shall my love for you.”

The preacher continues by holding Bernie’s ring and saying, “Elizabeth Morgan, as you place this ring on Bernard Townsend’s finger, repeat these words after me:
This ring, a gift for you, / symbolizes my desire / that you be my husband / from this day forward. / As this ring has no end / neither shall my love for you.”

I repeat (thank God I don’t have a contraction), “This ring, a gift for you, / symbolizes my desire / that you be my husband / from this day forward. / As this ring has no end / neither shall my love for you.”

The preacher finishes, “Bernard Townsend and Elizabeth Morgan, you have consented together in holy matrimony before God, have pledged your vows to each other, and have exchanged rings as tokens of your love and commitment to each other. In accordance with the laws of the state of Colorado, with the authority of God’s Word, and with great joy, I now pronounce you husband and wife.

YOU MAY SEAL YOUR VOWS WITH A KISS!”

Bernie kisses me during a contraction, I accidentally bite him and as he pulls away his lip is bleeding. I apologize, “Sorry Bernie, I had another contraction.”

Ben hands him a handkerchief, Bernie wipes his lip and says, “No problem my wife.”

The Preacher finishes, “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Townsend.”

The EMT says, “Can we continue on to Denver?”

Jens says, “See you soon at the hospital.”

She slams the door and the ambulance takes off again...

Present – Thom, Ben and Jens – In the Cobra on the way to the hospital

The ambulance takes off, I look at Ben and Jennifer and hope (because driving this car was a kick in the head), “You want to follow them to the hospital?”

Ben says, “Hell yes we do! But this time you don’t need to catch the ambulance, just keep it in sight.”

We all sit in the Cobra again, with the same arrangements as before, and we’re off. Keeping up with the ambulance was no problem at all.

The Cobra attracts the attention of the highway patrol so they whip their car around and began to chase us. They pull up beside the Cobra and motion to the side of the road. I flip out my shield, then call the number on the side of their car with my phone.

The patrolman answers, “I saw your badge but I’m not sure who you are?”

I yell into the phone, “I’m a US Marshall and we’re following that ambulance to the hospital. The woman inside is giving birth.”

He asks, “Which hospital?”

I ask Jennifer, “Do you know which hospital they are headed for?”

Jennifer yells, “Swedish Medical Center.”

I tell the patrolman and he offers, “Let me give you an escort.”

He moves in front of the ambulance, turns on his siren and we really begin to fly. But this car is loafing keeping up with the ambulance and highway patrol car.

I look and Ben and ask...

Thom asks, “Just how fast can this car go?”

I reply, “I was coming down the back of Wilkerson pass outside of Colorado Springs when we hit Southpark where there’s a long stretch of straight, relatively flat road. I left a newer Z-28 Camaro eating my dust but I was too busy driving and have no idea how fast I was going.”

I noticed, “Well the speedometer is in a strange place and it goes up to 180 so it would have been nice if you would have looked at it. And I noticed that it reads backwards.”

I continue, “Yeah, that’s an oddity in this car because it’s an original 427. In the newer street versions they moved the speedometer and even put a glove box on the passenger side. The highway patrol who caught me clocked me at 137. But with the supercharger on it, I have no idea what the top speed might be.”