The Space Within
Jason McDonald watched Caine. He saw the pain in his eyes and felt it as surely as it was his own. He had been through it himself. His wife and child had been killed five years ago when they were on vacation in Paris. A bomb had gone off from some terrorist group wanting religious freedom. The group cared little for the lives that had been lost. His wife and child had just entered the street from a nearby shop when the car exploded. They had been standing right next to the vehicle. They never had a chance or knew what hit them. He also had been hit from the blast. A large piece of glass had imbedded itself in his shoulder. No one knew or saw that he had been hurt. But a kindly old man with a cane did come and help. He removed the glass dagger and applied some herbs to his wound. He must have lost a great deal of blood, because when Jason woke up, he found himself in the hospital. He remembered asking the man if he was a doctor, but he had said no, that he was a priest. He questioned what kind of priest would use herbs to heal a wound, he had thought back then, but he never got to ask the man. After he had learned that his wife and child had been killed in the blast, Jason had become despondent. All he wanted to do was die. He blamed himself for not being there, for staying behind. Jason remembered the day the priest was there, sitting by his hospital bed.
***
"There was nothing you could have done," the priest said. "You did not know this would happen."
"What do you know about it?" Jason said bitterly.
"I know that in this life, no one can see the whole path that is set out for them. Destiny often takes a turn that we least expect."
"What are you saying? That they were destined to die that way?"
"We are all destined to die, that is the nature of the world," said the priest.
"I don't believe this. My wife and daughter are dead because of some mad bomber, not because of destiny!"
"You misunderstand. We cannot see what our destiny in life will be. The life of your wife and daughter was not yours to own. Their lives, though they may be lost, will go on. Their essence lives on. Some day you will be reunited with them."
"I'd rather be reunited with them now," Jason whispered. "I can't go on without my Lorain or my Bonnie Blue. That's what I'd call my daughter."
"You must go on. What would your wife say?"
Jason McDonald remained silent. He knew what his wife would say. They would have such conversations before. "She would tell me that I must go on and that I would never be alone."
"Your wife was a wise woman," the old priest commented.
The old man stayed with him until his injuries were sufficiently healed and until he felt that Jason could go on without his aid. It took Jason several weeks to recover from his injuries, but it took more than two years for him to let go of the death of his wife and daughter. Eventually, he moved on, telling himself every day the very words that his wife said and the words of the priest. Funny, he never asked for the man's name.
***
"It took every strength I had," he told Caine, "But I listened. I let go and I carried on. Some day you'll be able to do the same. You might not see it right now. But eventually, you will see just the memories and the pain will go away. There is hope."
Strains of music could be heard in the background. The sound of Silent Night floated through the clinic as the two men fell back into silence.
"Looks like it's that time of year again, and it's not even Thanksgiving yet."
As the two men had been talking, Jason McDonald had been carefully cleaning Caine's wounds and adding a dressing. Though the wounds appeared older than what they were, he still wanted to be certain that no infection was going to set in. As soon as he completed his task, Jason helped Caine sit up and moved him from the table to a more comfortable spot. Jason led Caine down a short hall and through a door that led to the residential portion of the building.
"I live in this portion. Don't have to worry about being late for work that way."
Caine still remained silent after hearing Jason's tale, his thoughts turning inward to reflect on the man's words. Other songs of the season could be heard as the day slowly crept into night.
"I'm going to leave you here for a few hours. Need to get back out on that road before it gets too dark. I'll be back. You get some rest and I'll check your wound when I return."
Caine settled down on the bed, resting on his right side so as not to disturb the Doctor's handiwork. He was tired. He felt the blanket being placed over him and he did not protest. It did not take long for sleep to claim him.
Jason McDonald breathed a deep sigh. He hoped that Caine would heed his words. He understood the man's pain all too clearly. The space within that had been filled with his wife and child was a gaping hole that could never be filled, or at least that's what he thought five years ago. Though the pain had lessened, there were times when that hole would make itself known to him. Today was one of those times. Volunteering to assist the highway patrol was one way to cope. Finding Caine alive had been a lucky break for him. Now all he had to do was just get through the holidays.
End of part 3.
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2000.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
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