Authors: Joan Early
“Wow.”
“What my mother didn’t know was that I had fallen madly in love. I pitched a fit when she wouldn’t let him call me. I threatened to run away from home, the whole nine yards. We wrote to each other for a while, but his letters stopped and I never heard from him again. I followed his career for a long time, just wondering if he had really loved me. The memory was strong. Still is. Of course, I met your father, fell in love, and that was the end of my first romance.”
Susan shook her head. “This ranks among the most amazing stories of all time. Why didn’t you tell me? I would have understood. I do understand.”
“I was sixteen years old and posing as a college student. I spent a weekend in the arms of the most adoring man in the world, next to your father, that is. That is not something you want to tell your daughter. I’ve never told anyone. Mama didn’t know the whole story, just Estelle, and since she would have been blamed, she sure wasn’t telling.”
“And he remembers, too. That’s amazing.”
“I’m surprised at that myself. My life has been rather ordinary next to his. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade my life with your father for anything in the world, but there was no one between Will and your father. I dated and dated, looking for someone who measured up, but none did until I met Ralph. Will might have been a divinity student, but he was hot to trot, so I’m sure he dated a whole troop of women before and after me. I’ve never regretted marrying your father and I couldn’t love him more than I do, but I’ll always remember that weekend.”
She looked at Susan and dropped her head. “I remember what you told your father and me about marrying Stan. I didn’t want to admit that I hadn’t waited.”
Susan recovered from deep reflection. “I waited, but if Willie had been the man in my life, I don’t know if I could have. I’m not upset about you and Rev. Cartwright. It’s quite possible that it was the most unforgettable weekend of his life as well.”
“I almost passed out when you said the name Willard Cartwright. He said his heart was broken when he learned I was only sixteen. I’ve often wondered what would have happened…well, no use wondering. I’m happy, he’s happy, and I know you and Willie will be happy. That’s why I kept insisting that you try and make the relationship work. I could well imagine how enticing that man was.”
Susan said nothing, but to her, it was a sign. She and Will were meant to be together. She was more confident than ever that he would awaken.
* * *
Susan and Tammy went to the hospital every evening, stayed late on Friday, and returned early Saturday morning. They stayed until noon, went to lunch, and then to the Galleria to shop. The telephone was ringing as they walked in the door of Susan’s apartment.
“Miss Cross! Oh, Miss Cross! He heard you!” Amy Cartwright screamed into the phone. “I knew he would. I knew you could reach him. He heard you. He looked at me and spoke. He said, ‘Mama, I thought I heard Susan.’ You brought him back to us, Miss Cross. You brought my boy back.”
Grabbing her purse and Tammy’s hand, Susan ran back to her Jeep. “I knew he would come back. I prayed harder than I’ve ever prayed for anything. I knew God would hear my prayer, and I knew Will heard my voice.”
She drove quickly but carefully, threw her keys to a parking attendant and ran into the hospital corridor. “Come on, Mom. Get ready to meet your son-in-law.”
She found Mrs. Cartwright in the hallway and ran into her arms.
“Is he awake?”
“He’s asleep now, but I want you to stay with him until he opens his eyes.” She hugged Susan hard. “He looked at me.” She wept. “He knew you were there. Thank you.” Taking Susan’s hand, she pulled her past the others and into the room.
Will’s face was turned to the wall. His eyes were closed.
“The doctor came in and checked him. He’s breathing well, and his temp and blood pressure are okay. It’s still too early to tell if he sustained any permanent injuries, but he’s awake, and that’s the best we could hope for.
“Will, darling, it’s Susan. I’m here, Will. I’m here, and I’ll never leave you.” She rested her head on the pillow close to his, stroking his fingers gently. “I love you, Will. I’ll never leave you.”
As she caressed his face, a faint sound traveled to her heart. It was the sweetest sound she had ever heard.
“Promise?”
Mrs. Cartwright, who had been praying at the foot of the bed, jerked upright. “He spoke. Willie? Can you hear me, son? I’m here next to you, and so is Susan. We’re both here, Willie. Please try and open your eyes.”
He moved about but his eyes remained closed.
“What did he say, Susan? Did you understand what he said?”
Susan answered through joyful tears. “I told him I would never leave him again. He heard me. He asked me to promise.”
Mrs. Cartwright ran out to tell the others, while Susan kept stroking his face and speaking softly in his ear. Mrs. Cartwright summoned the doctor.
“He was awake. He spoke.”
After a brief examination, the doctor smiled at the two of them. “Try and be patient, Mrs. Cartwright. Your son spent a long time in darkness. His awakening will be gradual, so don’t get upset when he drifts off, and don’t expect too much when he’s awake.”
Susan and Tammy stayed with the family until Tammy fell asleep in a chair next to Mrs. Whitehead. The next morning they prepared to visit Cedargrove Baptist Church.
“I can’t tell you how often I’ve thought of Willard Cartwright over the years. I wondered if he was happily married, if he ever thought of me. Of course, when he learned my age, he probably thought I was a shameless liar.”
“I still can’t believe all of this.”
“Just don’t tell your father. I only told him that I had met Will, and this is not the time for him to learn otherwise. You and Willie are going to marry. We’ll be family, and I don’t want anyone to be uncomfortable with that.”
“This will be our little secret, but honestly, I don’t think I can sit there in church and listen to him preach without thinking of the two of you together.”
“Why did you have to say that? Now I’ll think that way, too.” Tammy frowned.
“Don’t kid me, Mom. You would have thought it anyway. If he was anything like his son, I’m sure it was quite unforgettable.”
Her heart was light as they prepared to leave. She had slept the night before. It was her first restful night of sleep since the accident. She felt happy and refreshed.
Tammy was impressed with Cedargrove Baptist, and they both looked on with adoration as the elder Rev. Cartwright spoke from the festive pulpit.
“My heart is filled with gratitude this morning. My son is awake. I just spoke to the nurse, and they’re taking him to a private room.” He waited for the cheering to cease.
“I’m not going to make a speech this morning, but I want each of you to know that your prayers are deeply appreciated. Giving honor and thanks to God for His mercies, I thank you for your concern, and I especially want to thank a special young woman, who I hope will soon become an official part of our family. This is Miss Susan Cross and her mother, Mrs. Tammy Cross. Please stand, ladies. Some of you have met Susan before at Sealand, and I’m here to tell you that these are two very special ladies. Very special, indeed.”
After the sermon, Susan hurried to her Jeep and Tammy lagged behind.
“Hurry, Mom. I want him to be awake. I have to tell him how I feel, and I want to do it before the others arrive. What were your thoughts in there?”
“Honey, right now my feelings are indescribable. I’m elated that Willie has pulled through, and I hope and pray the two of you will marry. Angie bent my ear with her plans. Do you know she’s already ordered the material for your gown? Her cousin is having it shipped from New York.”
Tammy shook her head. “This situation really is inexplicable. I’m a very lucky woman to have known such a wonderful man and to have married one even more wonderful. I know your experience with Stan was disturbing, but I’m glad you’ve gotten past that, and I hope you and Willie have many happy years together.”
Susan walked into the hospital laden with flowers and a scrapbook she had made of each day’s news headlines. Will’s eyes were open and, though his voice was gravely, his words were sweeter than honey.
“Susan.” He reached for her hand. “You cut your hair.”
“You noticed,” she said, laughing. She carefully leaned and kissed his forehead. “I’ve been so worried. Thank God, you’re okay.”
“You made me a promise. I heard you say you’d never leave me again. Did you mean that?”
“From the bottom of my heart.”
She hugged him gently. “I love you so much. I’ll never leave you. Ever.”
* * *
Susan didn’t want to leave him that evening, but the doctors insisted. Each family member, and some of the church’s congregation, had visited to praise his recovery. His speech became slurred and Susan helped Mrs. Cartwright clear the room. Tammy went outside with Mrs. Cartwright, and Susan kissed Will again and again.
“I know you have to work tomorrow, and you’ll be tired afterwards, but—”
She placed her fingers over his lips. “I’ll be here tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that. Plan to live forever, because that’s how long it will take for me to tell you how much you mean to me.”
Tammy went home Sunday night, making Susan and Angie promise to keep her informed. Susan rushed through her Monday morning workload, smiled throughout her meeting, and left at lunchtime to visit Will. This time he was wide awake.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said when she walked into the room. “Someone was stupid enough to give me a mirror. I was shocked, especially before they shaved my face. If you can come in here for weeks and look at this wreck, you really must care.”
“I care. I almost made the biggest mistake of my life, and now God has sent you back to me. I’ve read about things like this, but I never thought it would happen to me. We were meant to be together, Will. I know that now.”
“When Auntie told me you were coming to visit our church on the first Sunday in December, I couldn’t stop smiling. I was thinking of you when I saw that truck and when I lay there, going in and out of consciousness. I thought it was such a shame that I had found you, lost you, and found you again, only to have—”
“Don’t. It was a terrible experience. You can talk about it if you need to, but let’s try and look ahead.”
“There is so much I want to remember and many things I hope to forget, but I need to talk about my feelings. I was semi-conscious for some of the time. I didn’t realize how badly I was injured, but I couldn’t feel my legs.”
She placed her fingers over his mouth. “Maybe you shouldn’t talk about it. I know it was horrible, but you’re here with me now. We’ll have plenty of time to talk about it later.”
“I fell in love with you the first time I saw you. I wanted to marry you right then and there, but things kept getting in our way. I don’t ever want to lose you. If I did…”
“I’m not leaving your side. You couldn’t push me away if you tried.”
* * *
Will became an outpatient the week of Christmas, and Susan became a regular at the Cartwright home.
“They’re all so nice,” she told Tammy on Christmas Eve. “Even Uncle Chitty. The only time I sensed tension was when Jean’s husband was there.”
“He didn’t hit on you, did he?” Tammy asked.
“No, but let’s just say I wouldn’t want to be left alone with him. Will doesn’t like him, and neither does
Rev. Cartwright. I could see it in their eyes, especially Will’s. I can see a lot more than he thinks, and I’m worried. He’s in pain and he still isn’t moving his legs. I was there for most of the day helping Mrs. Cartwright in the kitchen and watching Will and his father enjoy football on television.”
“That’s great, and you’re right to help in the kitchen. If you want to become a part of the family, don’t act like a guest. Most women will decline if you offer to help, but don’t offer. Just go in there and pitch in. That’s the first thing I noticed about the women your brothers brought home.”
“I did just that. Mrs. Cartwright kept saying I should sit down and relax. When I didn’t, she finally said it was nice to have someone in the kitchen with her. She seemed surprised that I knew my way around a kitchen.” Her heart sank. “I watched Will when he didn’t know I was looking. I saw him flinching and squirming. The doctors aren’t saying anything about his future, which probably means they don’t know.”
“Just remember what he’s already overcome. I’m sure he has both physical and emotional hurdles ahead. By the way, I told your father about me and Will’s father, and I’m so sorry I did.”
“You mean Daddy is jealous of something that happened when you were sixteen?”
“No,” Tammy grumbled. “He’s not jealous at all. He could pretend to be a little jealous. I had told him about my brief encounter with another man when we first met, and he has been teasing me ever since I told him that man is Rev. Cartwright. He thinks it’s hilarious. I might just find me someone else and leave him here to laugh at the walls.”
Susan chuckled. “Now that’s the reaction I would expect from Daddy. I want a man with the same strength and confidence.”
“You have one, honey. I know things will work out. Just stay close and let him know how much you love him.”
That was not difficult for Susan to do. She had declined Mrs. Cartwright’s invitation to spend the night with the family, but returned early Christmas morning. She felt relieved to hear bits of Will’s familiar laughter as she entered. The family room was packed, but when their eyes met, there was no one else in the world.
“You look great today.” She kissed his forehead.
“And you look great every day.” He smiled broadly. “Sit down. We can watch something else on television if you’d prefer.”
“And spoil your holiday sports fest?” She hugged Rev. Cartwright. “No, thank you. I’ll see if I can help in the kitchen.”
The day reminded her of a holiday TV special. The door remained unlocked, and guests came and went. Susan had met most of them, but when a tall, striking woman dressed in red came in with a young boy, only the sound of the sports announcer could be heard.