A different kind of love story
Christmas Is Coming
Major John Noel led his men on a night attack against an unseen enemy. It was a decision taken by higher ranked officers that this ploy might be what it would take to undermine some of the tactics the opposing side were deploying. John was not sure this was going to work out the way he was hoping, without casualties. Funnily enough he was the only casualty and the success rate was very high although it could not be repeated as the enemy would be on their guard against further attacks of this nature.
John and Mary first met just over two and a half years ago. Mary was a nurse and when he was wounded in Afghanistan, Mary was the nurse who attended to his needs. John had lost his right foot in an explosion and would be in hospital for some time. John had an artificial foot fitted but had problems with chaffing of the skin until a new modification came in sight. One and half years later they married.
They wanted to start a family early in their married life but John’s attendance at the Military hospital for treatment and the special exercises and walking was ongoing as well as his continued service in the army behind a desk.
It was just a matter of bad timing when Mary announced that she was pregnant and one evening they sat down after their evening meal to discuss the implications of bringing this child into the world with all the problems that John was going through and how unfair it would be on Mary. ‘Well!’ said Mary. ‘It’s too late for recriminations. You’re going to be a father come what may.’ John winced as pain wracked his leg and Mary said. ‘Let me look at that leg of yours’ ‘You worry too much’ said John. He pulled his right leg trouser up and Mary said ‘I need to get you to the hospital straight away’
John stared at the Nativity scene which came inside a record sleeve – “A Christmas Gift.” He bought it years ago and every Christmas time he opened it to display the pop-up Manger scene. ‘I can’t leave you in that condition and Christmas is coming and……..’
* * * * *
Mary gave up her nursing career when she knew she was expecting their first child. There was plenty of work to do before the baby was due, the extra shopping for nappies and other essential things.
John often felt the twinge from his foot especially when the weather became warmer and he could feel an itch from his right foot that wasn’t there which bothered him. He told Mary about these feelings and Mary used to check his fittings, artificial foot and leg, just to make sure there wasn’t anything drastic going on.
He decided to make an appointment with his doctor for his six month check-up and everything seemed okay. However, the doctor suggested that they should both go for long walks in the countryside, this he explained to John would strengthen his foot and Mary’s health would Improve and give her the strength for the forthcoming happy event.
On one of their walks they came across this field with a dilapidated barn and they bought it and built a four bed roomed cottage and named it ‘Honeysuckle Cottage.’ The wooden barn they repaired, so when it rained it didn’t leak anymore.
John couldn’t remember being invalided out of the army and he felt strange moments happening to him and he couldn’t understand or comprehend how he had obtained enough money to buy some land and build their home. His mind shrugged off the feeling and he felt happy again.
As November passed and December crept in, it brought the first of the bad weather with it and the first sprinkling of snow laid down its dusty carpet. John put down his paper and spoke. ‘Christmas is coming! And it looks like it’s going to be a rough one.’ John picked up his mug of steaming tea and sipped it carefully, trying not to burn his lips, his gaze turning towards the window and saw that the light scattering had turned into enormous flakes. ‘Look Mary, what did I tell you?’ ‘Good job you repaired the barn.’ said Mary. John gradually drank his tea down and enjoyed eating his toast and marmalade, neatly folding his newspaper to read later in the evening.
The snow stopped as suddenly as it had started and there was that creepy stillness that filled their space. You could hear birds in the distance chattering to each other and some other distant sounds that you could not put a name to. The sun decided to come out and shone a faded yellow light on the cottage as if it was a torch from an usherette in a cinema. It was just this one light pinpointing his home. It stayed on the cottage for some considerable time. Even though the sun was moving in its usual orbit, it was there.
John seemed mesmerized by that magical moment and had not placed any kind of significance on the event. Perhaps a quirk in the universe he thought, it does happen.
Mary was in the kitchen preparing his evening meal. ‘You must be tired John You shouldn’t work all day, especially with that foot of yours.’ ‘You know Mary, I just get carried away and when I see a job that I know will have to be done sooner than later, I must do it straight away.’
John and Mary ate their food in silence and John fell asleep on the sofa. Mary spoke to the cats who had not moved very far away from the fireside all that day, except probably only to do their business and then rush back indoors. John grunted ‘What’s that Mary?’ ‘I was talking to the cats.’ Mary said. ‘You won’t get much sense out of them,’ said John and immediately fell back into a deep sleep. Mary decided to leave John where he was and placed a blanket over him and she went to bed making sure that the range stayed on all night.
John awoke that Christmas day morning full of the joys of spring and leapt out of bed, dressed himself and walked into the kitchen. Mary was not there, nor were the cats. The range was not lit and it was cold. He stood in front of the mantelpiece hoping to see a note from Mary stating she had gone shopping – there was none – but of course she wouldn’t have gone shopping – it was Christmas day and all the shops would be closed.
John suddenly felt pain soaring up through his right leg. He tried to lift it, but it wouldn’t budge. He felt himself moving away from the mantelpiece and away from the cottage until it disappeared from his view altogether. He found himself facing the barn – the Nativity scene with Donkeys, Goats, Chickens and Cats, his friends and relatives and his wife Mary with a baby in her arms.
* * * * *
‘I think he’s coming round?’ he heard a voice say. John opened his eyes and on top of his bedside cabinet he saw his special record Manger scene displayed on the bedside cabinet and of course Mary with Baby Jesus in the centre. He blinked once, twice trying to get his bearings. A man in a white coat leaned over him and stuck a thermometer in his mouth, picked up his wrist and studied his watch. ‘Everything seems to be going in the right direction. It is a good job you had noticed the problem Mrs Noel! John jerked his head round and saw his wife, Mary standing there. She leaned over him and kissed him on the forehead and said ‘I have something to show you, she took a baby from one of the nurse’s who was standing in the background – he’s your son and he was born on Christmas day.’
John cried and squeezed his wife’s hand. She handed the baby to another nurse and returned to sit down by John’s bed and explained to him that he had been very ill with his wound and unfortunately they had had to amputate his right leg just below the knee. John shut his eyes very tightly. The Surgeon interrupted and remarked that had it not been for Mary’s training as a nurse, things might have turned out a lot worse. We will be fashioning a new limb for you when things have settled down and I can see no reason if your progress increases, you’ll be leaving in two months time.
Mary announced that it wasn’t just her training and knowledge as a nurse. She had help from an unseen friend and had this funny feeling, she thought it was the baby coming early and she had the extra worry when John felt unwell that day and realized later it was a message from God to take John to the hospital, and that was three days ago.
A nurse winched John’s bed up so he could see the rest of the room and his baby boy. Still holding onto Mary’s hand his thoughts were tearing around in his head, all those dreams he had visualized were part of his stress and illness and was due to his leg turning bad and when he said ‘Christmas is coming’ his next sentence was cut short for he had collapsed. He remembered now, it came flooding back to him. He spoke ‘Christmas is coming and so is my baby boy,’ he looked at the Nativity scene and added.
‘Jesus has come to save the world and he saved me’
John turned and smiled at Mary and they kissed.