Blog 55 A New Home and a Life Altering Event

{It finally came time to move into Mary and Bill Fisher’s home, and them moving to a three bedroom home.}

At twenty-seven years old, I bought my first (and only true indebted) home. It was a two-bedroom and Robert moved in with me. It was two doors down from my paternal Grandmother whom I loved very much. She was just as happy as us that we were moving in. The house was quite large for a two-bedroom. The first thing I did, after buying all brand new furniture and house supplies, was to have the garage floor raised even to the rest of the house, opening a doorway into the living room, and put swinging doors from the kitchen. I bought a dining table and made it into a formal dining room.

In back, a step-down den went across the back of the house with a utility room at one end, a rock fireplace in the middle, and a large party bar with a door that stepped up into the master bathroom at the other end. The kitchen was a large square room with counters, cabinets, a corner sink, and the refrigerator on two walls. The dining room door and food pantry were on the next wall and a kitchen table and double door to the living room on the last wall. We added a sun room off the far end of the den to sit in during rainstorms and for me to have coffee and read the newspaper on the weekends. It had a beautiful, large back yard and front yard. On the left side of the house was a creek, so we only had neighbors between my grandmother’s house.

It was the house that was large enough for family gatherings and, since my sister had already been hosting the gatherings, my duty as host came with the house! I loved having parties and gatherings and that’s when I learned that Robert was a great, creative designer and planner. It became the normal for us to have something every holiday, (if we did not go camping!) I was beginning to make very good money, but Robert left Presbyterian Hospital pretty soon after the move. This left us living on just my paycheck, so things got very tight.

(A weekend that I will NEVER forget)

During the first year at the house, Les had her third son, Jeffrey, Robert’s sister had her third child, and Mary, finally had her second son, Jacob. It was a great year for pregnancies and birth. But, this story is my view of what happened in the following February.

To begin with, Jacob was chosen to play the baby Jesus in the Christmas Pageant at the church two months prior. Mary was so proud! Our family was, as well. I was still working at Presbyterian when this happened. If you recall, during my high school years by myself, Mary would call or write me every three or four weeks. She became my surrogate mom, while mother was so sick. We had a special bond that is no secret to my family. Just as Bill (WOS) and I could read each other’s thoughts, even though we were seven years apart and hardly spent any time together once he graduated. It just happens.

But, in February, on a very chilly Thursday, I got a call at work from Robert that Mary could not be found and there was an emergency. (Children, this was before personal phones.) I tried calling all the numbers I had for Mary and could not reach her. When I called her work office again, a friend of Mary’s that knew me answered and she was quivering when she talked. I asked her what was happening and she said it was Jacob, but Mary had just walked in the office. I heard what sounded like Mary’s voice in the background make a gasping howl and I started tearing up. I said,”Please let me talk to Mary!”

When Mary got on the phone, she was crying heavily, which , of course, got me bawling as well! She said, “Millard, it is the baby, they have him at Mesquite Community! Something happened at the sitter’s and they think he died!”

Well, I could not speak or catch my breath. This was a dream, not really happening. I told Mary that I was coming and hung up the phone. One of the other technologists had already left and got my supervisor who made everyone leave the room but her and me. She was hugging me as I was still trying to process what was happening. She asked me if I needed someone to drive me and I declined. I needed to be by myself. Robert had called and insisted that I come get him and let him take me so I would not be alone.

Robert and I arrived at the hospital and was met by a member of our church who led me through the emergency room to the room that Jacob, Mary and Bill were. Mary had Jacob in her arms but was crying profusely. The baby had tubes all over his body. Mary said he was dead. Still crying, I leaned over her and gave her a hug. A medical person called Bill out of the room to get information. Mary looked at me and said,”Do you want to hold him?” I said yes, but was shaking so much I had to sit on the bed to hold him. Bill opened the door and told Mary that they needed her, also. She left the room.

There I was in the room alone holding my nephew’s body. I held his cold hand and just sat there. It was taking them a long time. I was getting pretty messed up, but did not want to just go out, leaving the baby alone, so I sat there holding his hand. Finally, Robert walked in and we talked,cried, and wondered why this had to happen. Mary, Bill, and the preacher came in and I handed the baby to the preacher and left the room. As we were headed to the waiting room, my mom and dad were coming in. I hugged them, pointed the way and they went in and I sat down. I was in shock, but new I had to pull myself together.

Suddenly, I realized that the older son, Jeremy was not there. The member of the church said that someone was picking him up and going to take him to the house and stay with him. I asked Robert to take me to be with Jeremy. He had to be confused as to what was going on and would feel better if a family member was there with him. When I came through the front door of the house, Jeremy was sitting on the couch with a puzzled look. When he saw me, he ran to me hugged me and asked me what was happening. I sat him down and explained what I felt I could tell him to keep him calm until his parents could talk to him.

Robert realized that people were going to be coming over and that we should straighten the house up. Ironically, the preacher walked in and ask for the vacuum cleaner and he started cleaning, too! Soon, everyone was arriving home and everything was in slow motion. It seemed to never let up. but, that night we had a snow freeze that went through the night making it very hard for family and friends to come in to Dallas. Robert and I volunteered to go to the airport to pick up Bill’s family from Colorado. It was a LONG quiet drive back to the house.

(The Aftermath Menagerie— continue on Blog 56)