Page 65 of Surrender

“Honestly, sir, I wanted to ring yours too.”

We shared a laugh that turned into a wincing pain for him. I pressed the button for a nurse, and shortly one entered.

“Welcome back, Mr. Lewis!” she said cheerfully. “You’ve had a lot of people rooting for you, sir.”

“I bet.”

“Let me check you out right quick, and I’ll page your doctor to come see you.”

He nodded. I stood and went into a corner to call Kachelle.

“Hello?”

“Baby… he’s awake.”

“He… he’s awake?”

“He is.”

I could hear her crying profusely as she relayed the message to her mother and sister. I could also hear them frantically shuffling around.

“We’re on the way up!” she said.

“Okay. The nurse is here, and the doctor is on the way.”

“Okay.”

She hung up and I took a seat in the chair next to the window. It wasn’t long before the women were bursting through the door.

“Maury!”

“Daddy!”

Their faces were covered in tears of happiness. Impatiently they waited as the doctor tended to Mr. Lewis and gave him a full account of what took place during surgery. He wanted to keep him for a few days to monitor him further before releasing him.

The moment he and the nurse left, they rushed to his side. Mrs. Lewis cupped his face and softly kissed his lips.

“You scared me half to death!”

“I’m sorry, my love.”

“I thought I lost you, Maury.”

“You know I could never leave you for too long. I’ll always come back to you.” He kissed her again. “Let me see my girls.”

Ebony was the first to go to him. They hugged and kissed as he spoke softly to her while wiping her tears. Kachelle stood back, nervously wringing her hands together. When her sister stepped back, her father motioned her to him.

Gently, he cupped her face and pulled her head to his lips to kiss her forehead.

“I’m so sorry, baby girl,” he said. “I love you so much, Kay.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

“Please forgive me for the way we’ve treated you… the way I’ve treated you. We robbed you of so many special moments on your wedding day and the days leading up to it. Even if we didn’t agree, it was important to you.” He looked over at me. “You married a hell of a man. I can tell you two genuinely love each other just from the way you speak about each other. If almost dying has taught me anything, it’s that life is too short. If you both can forgive me, I can commit to giving your marriage the respect it deserves.”

Kachelle looked back at me, and I nodded.

“All is forgiven,” she said softly. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”