Chapter 2

The following morning, Grant arrived at the hospital, briskly making his way to Jennifer’s room. He stopped in his tracks at the sudden sight of the room empty and cleaned for later use.

“Oh no ... Please don’t tell me!” He muttered, his eyes beginning to grow misty. He hurried to the nurse’s station, not wanting to know but needing to know: had Jennifer died during the night?

“Excuse me, Nurse, the woman who was in that room,” he said, pointing to the empty space. “Is Jennifer McDermott she ... did she?” He couldn’t say the words.

The nurse, sensing the fear on his face, smiled and tapped his hand. “Mrs. McDermott has recovered enough to be moved to the general ward on the fourth floor for further care.”

“Oh, thank God!” He breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mrs. McDermott’s room, please?” He rushed to the next floor, asking, his breathing quick.

“405,” the nurse said, pointing to his left. He thanked her and hurried to her room. Entering, he paused, exhaling another sigh of relief. He noticed Ellen and smiled at her for seeing him, and he noticed Jennifer sitting semi-prone in bed.

“I went to the Intensive Care unit, and when I saw Jennifer’s room empty, I feared she’d...”

The woman looked at the stranger approaching her bed, who seemed to be acquainted with Ellen. “Mom, this is Grant Townsend. He’s the man who saved your life.”

She struggled to sit up more on her bed. “No, no, please don’t try,” Grant cautioned, respectfully removing his ball cap and going to her. He noticed the machine monitoring her vitals was gone, and the nurse was removing her IV tubing.

“Hello, Grant, I’m Jennifer McDermott. And I can say it is a pleasure to meet you!” She tried to smile.

“You look much better than the first time we met,” he smiled, gently shaking her outstretched left hand.

“You look vaguely familiar to me.” Her eyes squinted as if their focus could help her memory.

“You’d probably recognize me easier if I wore my ball cap. I drive the 1013 bus route for Metro Transit. I see you almost every day on my route walking your dog.”

“Ellen says you’ve got my Max? How is he?”

“Yes, I have Max, and he’s doing fine. Your daughter said she couldn’t take him because she lives in an apartment, so I offered to take care of him. I hope you don’t mind. Strangely, I used to have a black lab whose name was also Max.”

“Now I recognize you! You’re the only bus driver who takes the time to wave to me.” Her interest was alerted.

“I nicknamed you Doris because you remind me of the actress, Doris Day. Your facial features, blonde hairstyle, and slim figure resemble hers so much.”

“Yes, I’ve been compared to her many times,” she smiled. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for saving my life.”

“No repayment is necessary. Just live a good, long, and healthy life, that’s all I need. I lost count of the number of times I wanted to stop my bus, just to say hello to you.”

“And I wondered who this handsome bus driver was, waving to me every day. I wish you’d stopped to say hello,” she admitted, blushing slightly.

Ellen smiled, looking from one to the other at their desired but always elusive first meeting.

“I’m fortunate that you happen to be nearby to help me,” she continued.

“I was walking to the intersection because it’s the site of the car accident that killed my wife and dog three years ago yesterday.”

“That’s a very unusual coincidence. My husband, Elliot, also died in a car accident three years ago yesterday. I had stopped minutes before to say prayers at the two crosses on the fence, then started walking Max home when I was hit.”

“I was going to the crosses to remember my wife’s passing and the life we could still have if not for that stupid accident. I also wanted to make sure the crosses were still in good condition. I made the crosses and received permission from the property owner to attach them to their chain link fence.”

“Uh, oh, my God!” Jennifer gasped, covering her mouth. “The two crosses! It was you who made them? You’re the man who lost his wife in the same accident as my Elliott’s?” Her eyes grew misty at the realization and significance of their meeting.

“When I made the cross for Laura, I thought I should make one for the other family too. They had also lost a loved one in the same accident.”

“I remember the first time I saw the two crosses, one plaque was already engraved, and a note was left on the second with the blank brass plate, saying the engraving was paid for and where it could be done.”

“I said to Ellen, imagine that this man is suffering the loss of his wife like I lost my husband, yet he had the compassion and humility in his moments of grief to be thinking of others.” Her eyes blinked rapidly, but she couldn’t stop the tear that trickled down her cheek.

“Ellen suggested that shortly after Elliott died, I should get a dog for companionship. I knew the breed of dog I wanted, it had to be a black lab, and it was only natural for me to name him Max, to honour the dog killed in the accident.”

Another silent tear trickled down her cheek. “I don’t know how many times I wanted to get in contact with you to thank you for your generosity, but I never followed through with it. And now I finally get to meet you and thank you for your unbelievably heartfelt gesture.”

Then the realization struck her. “What are the odds that our spouses would die in the same accident, then, three years later to the day, the other husband saves the other wife’s life? We were only minutes apart from a meeting when I was hit! Imagine the unbelievable coincidence of us being there at the same time!”

“Maybe it was fate, and what if we were meant to meet yesterday but couldn’t because of your accident?” He questioned.

“Or if you believe in angels, maybe our spouses subconsciously willed us to be at the accident scene so we’d finally meet?” She wondered. Tingles coursed through their bodies at the thought of the unknown and their incredible coincidence.

“You can never count out the power of angels,” he agreed.

“Please, can you sit so we can talk?” She asked.

“I’d love to, too,” Grant said as he moved the empty chair next to her bed.

“Can you tell me what happened? All I remember is the sounds of the two cars colliding.”

“I was parked at Anderson’s Variety and walking to the crosses when I heard the accident. I hurried to the scene and helped the woman driver of the first car. The second vehicle in the accident was on the other side of the intersection with its rear end hung up on a snowbank.”

“I was comforting the woman driver, and the other driver was inspecting the damage to her minivan when she shrieked loudly. I asked another man to see what was wrong with her. He returned to me, saying a woman had been hit by the van, and he thought she was dead.”

“I hurried over to look, and a woman, who had called 911, went with me. I found you sprawled out on your back. “I could see where your body had landed and slid through the snow.”

“I opened one eye, and I could see that death-like stare. I’ve never seen a dead person’s eyes before and certainly didn’t like the sight. I gave you a gentle nudge to see if that motion would wake you up.”

“I listened to your heart and breathing but found nothing. I had no idea how long you had been without oxygen, but I had to do something. Then I recognized you as the woman I nicknamed Doris. I recognized you from walking your dog, and a quick look around revealed nothing about where it was.”

“I was as nervous as I could be. I’d taken several first aid courses in the past, and this was the first time I was putting them into use. I just hoped I could do everything I was taught. In the excitement of the moment, I drew a blank.”

“Then I remembered the ABC’s of first aid, tilting your head back and trying to give you mouth to mouth.”

“That was our first kiss!” Jennifer joked, and they laughed.

“The air blew back, and I couldn’t figure out why. I used my cell phone to peer into your mouth and realized you’d swallowed your tongue. Your daughter explained to me that a person doesn’t actually swallow their tongue, but sometimes, when unconscious, the throat muscles relax too much and the tongue blocks off the airway.”

“I tilted your head back further and, trying again, breathed air into your lungs. Then I started the cycle of two breaths to thirty chest compressions. I was afraid I might break your ribs, but I had to keep going. I didn’t know you already had broken ribs.”

“The other woman with me helped out too, because doing thirty compressions and the breaths are really tiring. It felt like forever waiting for the ambulance to arrive.”

“Finally you started to cough and wheeze then threw up. That, in my opinion, meant you regained your gag reflex and began breathing on your own, in my opinion.You remained unconscious, but at least you had a fighting chance to survive.”

“That’s incredible! I am lucky that you were there to help me.”

“After the paramedics attended to you and took you to the hospital, I found your blue wool cap and one mitt. I knew your dog was always with you, so I decided to look for it. I imagined how scared it must be. The policeman asked for my information for his report, and I asked him if anyone had reported seeing a black lab dog. He said no one had.”

“The other woman helped me look for your dog, and we found it hiding in the shadows near the store. It didn’t want to come to me, so I waved your cap, and once it caught your scent, eventually it came to me.”

“The poor thing was cold and wet from snow on it and shaking like a leaf in the wind. I soon noticed it was a male dog and checked him over for any injuries. The tag on his collar said his name was Max, and I remarked at once that I had the same type of dog with the same name.”

“I figured a relative of the woman would go to the hospital to see her, and I decided to take Max there for someone to take him. I was so nervous from my experience that I had to stop at a Tim Horton’s and take a while to have a coffee to warm up and calm down my nerves.”

“Mom came in with no identification on her, but one of the emergency room nurses recognized her from meeting her with me several times at the hospital. I was frantic when one of the staff came to me and said Mom had been hit by a car. Again, Mr. Townsend, I’m so very grateful that you were able to help save my mom’s life.”