Forgetting the Love

“Well, I’m happy to hear that Mrs. Polls. Your preexisting problems and the pregnancy are starting to have an adverse affect on your kidneys. It appears that one of your kidneys is not functioning properly. However, at this stage in your pregnancy, given the problems you’re having, the baby may be put at serious risk if we began treatment. The kidney could heal after the birth and once you become more stable. Also we noticed that the baby appears to be positioned for birth. We want you to have a healthy full term baby. We have to be careful on how we proceed. This means a lot of rest. Your case is not so severe where you have to be on hospital bed rest. Please rest as much as possible. Limit physical activity and try not to drive. Continue your diet, drink water and one hundred percent juice only. If you experience any pain, contact the hospital immediately.” Tasha stared at the doctor for a few minutes. The words kidneys, bed, rest, and birth swirled in her head wrecking visions of the picture perfect life she’d imagined. She couldn’t understand how this news could come when things were going so well. Oblivious to the fact that she was still in the doctor’s office, she closed her eyes and prayed.

“Mrs. Polls. Are you okay? Just lean on that love of God that you have. If God loves anyone, it has to be you.” Tasha snapped back to the doctor’s conversation unaware of the contents of the comment he made. “By the way, I did what you suggested about my wife spending too much time at church. I took my wife to her pastor. It turns out that she had been meeting with him about me! Can you believe that? She was shocked when I drove her to church and her jaw dropped when I took her to the pastor’s office. Oddly, he was laughing when I arrived. I immediately began to regret coming to him. But that feeling was quickly dismissed after he gave my wife and me a boxed wrapped like it belonged under a Christmas tree. We opened it together and inside of it was a dinner gift card. He explained that he had never seen two people who loved each other so much but were oblivious to it as we were. All we needed to do was talk to each other. After laughing and talking to him, I joined the church that day right in his office. I went to church this past Sunday. It was amazing and I think I already know what ministry I want to serve on. The tables have turned. She may have to begin dragging me out of that church from now on. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Tasha felt tears creep into her eyes but pushed them back. She couldn’t decipher the cause of them. They were either from the story she just heard or the possible danger surrounding her baby. “I told you God would work for you,” Tasha stated.

“God will work it out for your baby too. I know it.”

Tasha smiled at the thought that she helped someone else but the danger looming over her baby began to consume her. She was nervous and worried for what would be her first born. She tried to maintain her responsibilities at church, home, and work while pregnant. But despite her best efforts, there seemed to be one problem after another. She wiggled and shifted herself into the seat making sure the steering wheel didn’t press on her growing belly. Once settled, she looked up and saw her wedding photo. She remembered that day, her 21st birthday.

She immediately thought of Colossians 3:15, Let the peace of God rule in your hearts” “Thank You Lord, for my husband and this baby. I am so complete and happy in you. No fear, in Jesus name, Amen.” Just as she finished her prayer, she felt a sharp pain stemming from her lower back and spreading throughout her abdomen. She grabbed her belly with one hand and held on to the wheel with the other. She began breathing heavily and tears began to fall once again as she immediately realized what was happening. At only 30 weeks, she was going into labor.

She felt relief for only a moment and pain again. She mustered up the strength to call her husband, Tim. The phone fell out of her hand and she gripped the dashboard.

“Baby. Is that you? Tasha! Tasha! Are you okay?”

In a brief moment of confusion, she began frantically looking around the parking lot for the muffled voice of her husband, Tim. “Tim, Tim, where are you? I don’t see you.” She yelled.

“Baby, I’m not there. You just called me. Where are you? What’s the matter?”

She began to see dark spots and everything slowly became blurry. “I’m having the baby,” she said through tears. “I’m going back into the doctor’s office.” She finally managed to get out of the car and walk around to the other side of it. Then she saw a woman in blue scrubs and a man run to her as the world became completely dark.

Tasha heard a beeping noise and blinked her eyes open to see a man with his face covered hovering over her.

“She’s waking up.”

“Wonderful. Mrs. Polls, please remain calm. You have gone into early labor and we are almost done.”

Tasha blinked again. The voice that was talking to her seemed distant and wasn’t coming from the man with his face covered. The man appeared to be crying. She blinked a few more times and then she heard it. It was the sound that places every mother at calm rest and instantly brings a flood of concern for another life in one moment.

“Tasha, baby you did it. She’s here.”

“Tim? Was that her cry?”

“Yes baby. I love you.”

“Happy Birthday, little Miss Keisha! She’ll be fine in a few weeks. Now let’s rush Mrs. Polls to the other OR. Mrs. Polls we found a tumor on your stronger kidney. The baby was in front of it, covering it from the ultrasound. We have to save the other kidney and remove that tumor now!”

Tasha gained full sight just in time to see her daughter for the first time. She smiled. Her mind drifted to every prayer she prayed as she looked at the tiny baby.

“Okay, Mrs. Polls we have to take her for her check up. We will take good care of her. You have to go into surgery right away.”

“Love, I don’t want you to think about our little Keisha. You just concentrate on coming out of that operating room healthy. She’s so beautiful.” Tim’s eyes were beaming with joy. He breathed deeply, trying to hide any worry and kissed his wife.

Tasha watched as her husband kissed her daughter and waved goodbye as the nurses wheeled her to the other OR. She maintained sight of her daughter as she prayed. She thanked God of the miracle He let her be apart of and worshipped Him as she closed her eyes.