Rescue 12 Responding, page 20
The strong Voices of Torment spoke into this young girl's ear, thinking this captive was theirs alone but, to their amazement and horror, the Angel of Light entered their domain. She pulled Depression's arms off his captive. She poured oil into the wounds in Debra's spirit that these evil demons had inflicted on her then rubbed the oil into the girl’s cracked and dry heart. Debra breathed deeply and once again looked out the bus window; this time she noticed the house with all the pretty flowers. She loved spring flowers then noticed more of the beauty that she was passing on the way to school. Debra took another deep breath as peace filled her heart and realized she could breathe again.
The angel took her sword and held it up to Debra's spiritually bound hands. Instantly, she cut the bonds that held Debra captive. She removed the cords and threw them far away. The dark voices screamed out in pain, horror filled their voices. "What are you doing?" The angel turned her back to them and continued to minister healing to Debra's beaten heart. The darkness was repelled further and further until only peace remained.
Debra dropped her gaze down to her tee shirt then with her right hand gently rubbed her belly. She didn't know why, but she had noticed recently that this simple act seemed to make her feel better, relaxed. The Angel whispered in her ear, "A part of Tommy still lives ... "
Debra looked down and stopped rubbing her stomach. Could it be? She wondered as she smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. A part of Tommy still lives. Louder, the thought penetrated her mind with the light of hope. Like so many mothers instantly know, suddenly, she knew that there was a baby within her.
"What will you do?" whispered the angel.
Debra looked at her belly and knew from deep within herself that her womb held life and a reason to live. She had never thought of the possibility of being pregnant, but now, her weight gain and nausea suddenly made sense. She looked at her right hand resting on her belly and grinned, My right hand knew more about what was happening inside me than I knew myself. She looked out the window of her bus, as it pulled up to the school and smiled, really smiled. Laughter touched her lips as her heart filled with hope. She now had a reason to live. She wanted to live. She wanted her baby to live. She walked off the bus and beside her stood a strong angel of Comfort. Debra knew she was not alone. But, she had no idea of how close Comfort was to her.
Depression ran into Adversary's chamber. "Lord, I must speak!"
Adversary turned and faced his servant. "Why do you enter here?"
Depression bowed his head and spoke, "I had a captive. She was almost to the point of sacrificing herself to you, my great Lord. I had made my bed in her mind, and she was mine."
The Adversary walked over to his puppet. His hands dug into the flesh of his worker. “But ... "
"But, an angel of Light appeared. She was strong. She comforted the girl.” He paused, “I could do nothing but watch her heal the wounds that I had inflicted on my captive. She had 'the Oil.”
"Oil! That is only given to His Warriors when they have been strengthened by prayer." The Adversary released his pawn. He spoke to one of his imps, "Go and find out who is praying for this girl." Immediately, two small bats flew out of the chamber.
Adversary returned his gaze to Depression. "Is there no door for you to enter into now? You did check that before you ran away, like a coward?"
"I did run away. I had to. The Light was consuming me. But, I did look first. All doors were shut to me. The angel told Debra something, it was horrible. Had I known, I could have used it for our purposes. But, I didn't know." Depression tried to find a way that his words could save him from the torment to come. He was afraid. It wasn't working.
The Adversary looked again at his pawn. ""What was so horrible?"
Depression whispered, "She is pregnant."
The Adversary was shocked and angered. Life was his greatest enemy because he knew that as long as there was life, there was proof of his ultimate, as well as, present defeat. His victory could only be found in Death. "You will do me no good here. You have failed and will be punished." His words took on a sarcastic tone, "my dear co-worker. Hell waits for you ... " Depression left quickly, and as he exited the dark chamber, he noticed other strong men entering. Death, himself, was present in that group.
Terri met Debra at the bus. Her face was filled with concern as she asked, "Debra, are you all right?"
Debra was surprised by Terri's question. They hardly knew each other and now Terri acting like a good friend, "Yes, I'm OK. Why did you ask?" she answered hesitantly as they turned to walk briskly toward their classrooms.
"I can't explain it, but when I woke up, I couldn't get you off my mind." Terri didn't know how or if she should tell Debra that she knew she was depressed and needed prayer. She quickly blurted out, "I prayed for you."
Debra’s face showed genuine gratefulness and a bit of confusion as she turned to look at Terri. "Well, that's real nice. Thank you." And then kept walking to class.
Terri was surprised at the response. Curiosity, as well as concern, motivated the next question, "Did it help? I'm new at this 'prayer for other people' stuff."
Debra turned to look at Terri, “You know what, I really think it did." Her mind raced as she remembered how her thoughts of suicide had suddenly left. Her grin grew as she realized that now she had a reason to live and a friend she could trust to share it with. They reached the hallway that would separate the direction the two needed to go.
Terri obviously was glad to hear that response and softly touched the shoulder of Debra. "I wanna talk with you later, OK?"
"I want you to. Come over to my place after school. I need to know how you knew..." Debra's words were full of hope. "So you really prayed for me?"
Terri nodded. Last week she didn't think she was good enough to know the “in” crowd. Now she knew she was needed and wanted. She walked to her classroom with her shoulders pulled back, and her head held high. She whispered a prayer. It formed upon her lips and raced to her God. "Thank You, Lord."
The Lamb smiled. The angels and the congregation gathered in the great throne room rejoiced. Joy and Love poured from the great throne and filled Terri's heart. She knew her whispered prayer had been heard.
Death yelled at the Adversary. "What is the problem now? I went to work with Alcohol, and we planned on taking five teenagers last night. Yet, none died. I can't believe it! I was robbed again. What are you doing up there? Sleeping?" His voice shook the room. The odor of death wrapped around the chamber.
Adversary grabbed the neck of Death, "I have had enough of you. Where is your reason? Settle down and tell me what happened."
Death pushed Alcohol before Adversary. "This wimp wasn't able to completely blind the teenager. At the last minute, the fool turned the car even though she knew she was going to take the full impact on her door. I heard the Good One ask if she would willingly die, that the others might live. The teenager became sober and chose to die. She turned the car at the last moment, and the tree struck her door."
"So, you were able to take one, then?" Adversary asked.
"No, NO! I was not able to take her! I cut her, pierced her flesh with the metal of the door. Her death was within my sight. Her artery pulsated in the night air. My presence was on her, draining her of life. Then as she began to pass out, she spoke those horrid words, so horrible I dare not mention them." Death's voice weakened.
"She asked for forgiveness." Adversary choked on the words.
Death cringed, "Yes, that is what she prayed for. I jumped off her. I didn't want to touch such a vile person. It made me sick."
"So, you don't have the stomach to fight the Strong One either? It's been so long since we have had to war with these Earth fools. They had forgotten that this was a war. One, that if they engaged, they could win." He turned and faced his co-worker. "Obviously, it has been so easy for you, that you too have forgotten that this is war. And in this war, we have no weapons that will prosper where there is prayer. That includes ... Death." Adversary went to the others in the room. They had slid quietly beside the furniture, hoping not to be noticed. "So, who prayed for these kids? Where is our gate open? Our gate of Hell remains intact against all those who would war against us in their own strength. Who has learned how to open the door, the gate? None can win against us unless they come through our gates with the weapons of our Enemy."
Slowly a weakened demon spoke to the Adversary. "It is the fruit of a great warrior. She has prayed that her daughter also become a strong prayer warrior. And this warrior shall be greater than even her mother, for she has seen us. She almost died. The Good One let her see the battle. She knows us as her enemies. She knows we are defeated in prayer. She binds us and casts us out. And, she listens for the voice of her Lord. Last week we almost killed her, and now, this week she is killing us, and destroying our plans."
Adversary choked on this revelation. "Terri, it is Terri! A child that does us so much harm?" Adversary looked at his messenger, "Who are you and why do you stand so weakened?"
"It is Terri. I came to her, to get her eyes off her Shepherd and onto all that had happened to her friends. I was reminding her of the party after the football game, and the other teenagers had been dancing and then screaming before they died…" Distraction stopped and slowly looked around this impressive office.
"Get back to what you were talking about! Why are you here? What happened?" Adversary would not become distracted.
"She saw me. I don't know how. I was simply standing in her room, blowing ideas into her head, then it was as if she could practically see me. She pointed toward me, and her voice deepened in HIS authority. Then she said, "Go in the Name of …” Well, I'll not say, but you know who. He paused, “The next thing I know is that I am scattered to the ends of the earth. I shall never forget her strength. She tore me up."
Adversary slammed his hand against the desk. "Another real warrior. One who is looking for a fight." His mind raced, "Did you hear her pray for another called - Debra?"
Distraction didn't want to answer this question, "I don't know for sure. I heard the Strong One whisper something in her ear about someone named Debra. Then she began to pray, well, honestly, sir, I didn't know what she was saying, I didn't understand her prayer. She spoke in mysteries. It was then that she became so strong. I, well, left quickly after that. I had no choice."
"She has become like a cancer to me. She is spreading her cancerous cells all through my kingdom. I can't stop its spread either." Adversary considered his newest adversary.
"What we need is a little radical surgery." Death slowly added his desire. "One that she won't survive." Death's eyes lit up.
"She won't or ... " Adversary's voice whispered, "we won't survive." He raised his hands; all those present recognized the signal and immediately left the room. The war plans for the final fight were to be drawn up. Before Death left, Adversary turned to him, "I will need your pawn. The one who thinks himself your partner, the supplier."
"Take him, I don't care. I'll find another pawn. There are always fools to bed with me. I like to rape Humans, and then the fools think it's love with a commitment. He thinks we have a deal. I'll enjoy his face when he sees his reward." Death was pleased with the anticipation of another sacrifice to Hell's Gate. One he was sure he would gain. There was no protection for this pawn.
The TV occupied the attention of the two waiting paramedics. The emergency alarm pierced the stillness. The printer spat out the paper with the information. David took one more quick sip of his coffee, as he rapidly rose from the sofa. Jonathan grabbed his shirt off the hook and buttoned it up as he rushed out the door. The response paper recorded the time, 11:30 hours.
Over the loudspeaker, the 911 dispatch declared, "Rescue 12 respond to an ‘unknown medical’ at 7827 Indiana."
"Rescue 12 responding," Jonathan spoke into the microphone in the front cab of the ambulance, as he continued to button his shirt. “Great ‘unknown medical.’ That could mean anything!”
Minutes later Rescue 12 arrived on the scene on Indiana Drive. David grabbed his jump bag and ran into the small brick house. The stench of garbage caused the two men to gag as they entered. Their eyes watered and they took shallow breaths. The house was dark. David looked for a light switch on the wall. He could find none. He slowly walked into the dark, his foot searched for sure places to walk. Few were found. Often his foot would slip on the grease and filth that covered the floor.
"I'm in here," a faint slurred voice was heard from the back of the house.
David picked up his pace. Jonathan held his flashlight out. The light was searching for someone and revealed a dirty, yellow-eyed older man. His skin looked as though it had been painted upon his thin bones. Bright red sores covered his face. Jonathan swallowed deeply and approached this elderly man. "Where are you hurting?" Jonathan's voice pierced the quiet.
"I'm not hurting anywhere, right now." The patient's voice was faint, "I called because I want to die. I want you to take me to the hospital. I don't want to die in this pit."
"What makes you think you are going to die, right now?" David asked. Curiosity, as much as anything else, prompted this question.
"I am. I know I am. The doctors won't tell me what's wrong with me. So, I don't know for sure. I've been losing weight for the last three months. Nothing I do helps. It just keeps falling off. I have no energy. I can't eat. But look at my belly. It's all swollen, especially up here on the top right side. It hurts when I push it too." The patient pushed his stomach. Suddenly he coughed.
The cough produced a green odorous mucus. The patient wiped his mouth on his dirty shirt.
"How long have you had that cough?" David inquired.
"About the same time, I started losing weight. I went to the clinic in Ruskin. They wanted me to go to the hospital. I told them I didn't want to. I didn't have any money. I just wanted some pills. They wouldn't give me anything." His voice turned angry, "They wouldn't even tell me what was wrong with me."
"Did they know?” Jonathan asked. “If you didn't go to the hospital for further tests, they may not have known."
"That's what they said. But, I know they knew. They just wanted to kill me, and I wasn't ready to die then." The patient bent his head forward, "I am ready to die now. You can take me to the hospital."
David began to feel sorry for this obviously confused old man. "What makes you think you'll die at the hospital?"
"Well, everybody I know dies at the hospital. My wife went in there last year for a cough and gas pain in her chest. They called me later and said she died of some alphabet stuff, I remember what they called it, 'CHF.' You tell me, I never heard of anybody dying of the alphabet. But, they tried to tell me she did." He bent his head forward and softly cried. "I got no one to take care of me since she died. I don't cook. I don't know how. For fifty years she cooked for me. Now, look at me. I am skin and bones. I can't live without her." He cried. It was cut short by the burst of harsh coughing.
David came to the man's side. "CHF means congestive heart failure. Your wife had a bad heart, that's why she died. It wasn't the hospital. I take people to the hospital all the time, and they don't all die. I want to help you."
"But you don't understand, I want to die, this time." His eyes met David's, they pleaded for understanding.
"OK, we'll take you to the hospital. Maybe, they can figure out what's wrong with your belly." David took one arm, Jonathan took the other arm and gently they walked the ill man a few steps to the stretcher at the front door. David and Jonathan breathed the fresh air in deeply, as they pushed the stretcher away from the house. Jonathan drove the ambulance to the hospital. David remained with the patient in the back compartment. He asked, "What is your name? Mine is David."
"Howard, Howard Reed." The medical examination continued while he patiently watched the paramedic work. The patient's heart rate was rapid, and his blood pressure was low. His arms were so thin that the veins stood up like small tree branches against the thin muscles. A syringe full of blood was collected for the hospital to examine. David started an IV fluid line in his patient's left arm. Slowly the fluid brought water and needed minerals to the patient's blood system. He then picked up the tablet to begin recording information.
"Will they let me die there?" Howard curiously asked.
"I doubt they will 'let you.' They will do all they can to keep you alive. Maybe, they can find out what is making you so sick and fix it. Wouldn't that be better?" David tried to encourage his patient.
"But, then I'll have to go home, all alone again. There is no one to help me. I want to die. Can't you understand that?" Howard was getting angry at his foolish caretaker.
David stopped his paperwork and looked up into the face of his dirty, smelly patient.
Howard reached over and touched David's gloved hand, each looking to the very heart of the other. David saw the loneliness, depression, and hunger for someone to talk to in the man's face.
David found himself whispering his thoughts out loud, at first his words surprised himself, but then he knew it was the thoughts of his patient. He reached over to touch the man's hand, and said gently, "Then what will happen? When you die, are you ready? Are you really ready to die?"
The words reached the heart of his patient. He softly cried. Finally, he knew his caretaker had heard him. He took a deep breath and squeezed David's hand, drawing strength from David. "I thought God left me too. Everybody I loved left me. There was no reason for me to believe that God hadn't too. But this morning, before I called, I thought I heard Ethyl's voice. I thought I heard her invite me home." Howard looked up into this young man's eyes. "Young man, yes, I am ready. I want to go to my real home. Ethyl is waiting for me in heaven." David didn't say anything. What could he say? He just let the man hold his hand. Some would think this old man was just confused. David wasn't too sure.
