The first chapter from my Christian romance novel. |
Chapter 1 She awoke with a start. Martha looked around her in total confusion. The room was filled with light and there were machines surrounding her. She could feel her own heart beating rapidly and her arms and legs felt weighed down. Where was she and how had she gotten here in the first place? How long had she been in this strange place? Everything was so unfamiliar to her and she felt oddly out of place. She looked around her in fear and felt the room spinning around her. Her head was throbbing and she ached all over. There was pain all over her body and she found it hard to bear. Martha had a feeling that her life would never be the same. Why was she so tired all of the sudden? She closed her eyes and jumped when the door suddenly opened. A strange woman walked into the room. Her hands started shaking and she shivered in fear. Who was this stranger and what did she want with her? Martha cringed in fear as the stranger moved closer to the bed. What if she wanted to hurt her? Martha could feel her heart beat speed up and she clutched her covers. The woman was dressed in a white uniform but Martha couldn’t see her nametag. Everything around her was suddenly blurry. The stranger noticed she was awake and left as quickly as she’d come. She wondered where the woman was hurrying off to. Martha looked around her again trying to come up with some clues as to where she was. The room seemed to be very sterile and the machines seemed to be high tech. Was she in a hospital? If she was who had brought her here? How long had she been unconscious? There were so many questions running around her head. She felt like it was going to burst with them. The last thing that she could remember was leaving the house with John. He had planned a romantic evening for them. It had been a nice breezy evening. They had planned to enjoy each other’s company. It would be one of their last evenings alone. There lives were about to change and they wanted some time alone. Their twin boys were due in just two months and after that they would be busy taking care of them. The doctor had warned them that the babies could come early. They had been married for almost five years and he was her soul mate. It had started out as a friendship but over time she had fallen in love with him. They had gotten even closer when her sister had finally succumbed to cancer and he had been there to comfort her through it all. John had been her lifeline and her love had grown even stronger. Their wedding day had been wonderful. She had been the happiest woman alive that day. Her father had walked her down the aisle and the look in John’s eyes when he first saw her was of pure joy. She smiled at the thought of that special day. They had been overjoyed when she was pregnant within a year. Their joy had soon turned to Sorrow when she miscarried just three months into her pregnancy. There had been two more miscarriages in the next two years. She had feared that they would never be able to have a child. The twins were their miracle babies. Her hands went to her stomach and she wondered if her babies were even still alive. She couldn’t feel them moving around inside of her. Martha feared that something terrible had happened to them. She didn’t know what she’d do if anything happened to them. Where was John at and was he all right? If only she could remember what had happened to her? She had a feeling that something very bad had happened. Martha felt a sense of dread deep inside her heart. She hated not knowing what was going on. Everything seemed like a nightmare right now. Martha just prayed that God would help her to remember soon. It was getting hard to concentrate on anything around her and she could feel her eyes drifting closed. Martha gave into the urge and was asleep in moments. Her dreams however were not that sweet. It was as if she were transported somewhere else. Martha woke up with a start when she realized that it wasn’t just a dream. She was having memories and they terrified her. Her fingers clutched the bed covers as memories continued to assail her. Martha tried to close her eyes to them but they just kept coming. It was all coming back to her now and she cringed in fear and it was getting harder to breath. She saw the other car slamming into them from behind and once again felt the impact of it. Martha was back in the car again feeling the terror all over. She saw the car run into a tree and the fire coming from the engine. The babies were very quiet after the moment of impact and she’d prayed that they would survive the trauma. She remembered clutching her stomach in pain. The pain was almost unbearable. Martha then felt something running down her leg. She gently put her hand down to see what it was. Martha was horrified to find blood on her finger. Tears quickly filled up her eyes, as she feared that her babies would surely die. They had prayed for a child for so long. It would be cruel if they were taken away so violently. Martha didn’t think that she could survive losing so much. The other miscarriages had just about torn them apart. Martha had then suddenly noticed how quiet John was being. She had become alarmed when he didn’t answer when she called his name. Martha could hear herself sobbing his name over and over and felt the overwhelming fear all over again. She then remembered looking over to find him unconscious behind the wheel. There was blood running down his face and he was deathly silent. Martha had never seen him that way and it had scared her to death. She remembered fighting the urge to scream when she saw him that first time. There had been a dull feeling deep inside her heart. The fear only intensified and turned into true terror when he didn’t respond to her touch. There was something dreadfully wrong with him. Martha knew that he would need help immediately. It was a matter of life and death. She felt her own pain intensify even more. Every moment that they didn’t have medical care was a risk to them all. She could lose all three of them and that really scared her. Martha quickly looked around her. The road was deserted and the car that had run into them had disappeared. Why had it left the scene when they obviously needed help? How could they just drive away? It was hard to imagine anyone being that cruel. Martha had no idea where they were and she looked around for a clue to their whereabouts. It took a while but she was relieved to finally notice a billboard up ahead with the name of the town they had just passed by. They were at least fifteen minutes away from home. It was getting harder to concentrate on anything around her. Martha felt the fear again and remembered reaching for her cell phone to call for help. She was relieved to be able to get a signal. It had been a miracle that she was able to use it all with the pain going through her body. It was getting worse by the minute. The pain and shock had finally got the best of her and she must have passed out after that because the next thing Martha could remember was waking up in this strange room. How much time had passed and where was her husband? Martha closed her eyes and tried to forget everything but the images refused to leave her alone. She just prayed that John and the babies were all right. Her life would never be the same if they had died after all. Martha still had a feeling of dread deep inside her heart. She opened up her eyes when the door opened again and a doctor came into the room. She recognized him right away but couldn’t find the energy to speak. It was wonderful to see a familiar face and she breathed a sigh of relief. Dr. Williams had been their family doctor for several years now. He had a sad look on his face and she saw him inject something into her Iv. Martha wanted to ask him what was going on. If only she could find the strength to even talk. There were so many questions that she had to ask him but she could only look at him in confusion. The look of reassurance on is face made her feel a little better. He assured her that the shot would help her sleep and they would have time to talk later when she was feeling better. Martha could feel it taking affect as she watched him walk around checking her machines. She just hoped that she would be able to sleep without having nightmares. Martha felt so scared and alone. It was getting harder to concentrate on anything around her. She found it hard to think clearly and Martha slowly lost conscious of everything. It was getting hard to keep her eyes open and she didn’t fight it. Martha was completely gone within a few minutes. She went to sleep thinking about John and their children. Dr. Williams stood looking down at her with a worried look on his face. He was relieved to see that she had finally fallen asleep. Martha would need her strength to get through the next few days. She had been unconscious for four days and he was relieved that she was awake now. It was a good sign that she would fully recover, physically at least. Her emotional and mental health would never be the same again. She had lost so much in such a short time. John, her husband, had died soon after his arrival at the hospital. They had been forced to do an emergency C-section on her soon after she was admitted. One of the twins had died soon after his birth and the other one was in critical condition and they just didn’t know if he was going to make it. He was eight weeks premature and there was a good chance that he wouldn’t leave the hospital alive. There were so many things against him but the doctor prayed that he would survive for the sake of his mother. He just didn’t think that she would survive if he died too. His grandparents had already been to see him several times but the doctor knew that he needed his mother’s love most of all. It would be hard to break the news to her but he also knew that it would have to happen very soon. Dr. Williams wondered if she remembered anything about the accident. The look of panic on her face was a sign that she was either close to it or had already remembered. There had been fear in her eyes when she looked up at him. He just hoped and prayed that she was ready to deal with the results. She would need so much love and support. Her parents would be notified shortly that she had finally woken up. They had been so worried and he knew that they would welcome the good news. She would definitely need them. He stood there for a few minutes longer to make sure she was breathing normally. The days and months ahead would test her faith and he just prayed that she would come out of it ok. Dr. Williams quietly tiptoed out of the room. |