EXCERPT

Janet Nortons blue eyes snapped open and she sat up, clutching the blanket as tightly as she had pressed her hands on the seat of the car. Her long blond hair was wet with perspiration. What a terrifying dream! She recalled every detail. The squeal of the tires. Her scream. The cracking sound as her head hit the windshield. The blissful blackness. She shuddered and closed her eyes to shake off the horror of the dream. It had been four months since the car accident and yet the nightmares continued.

She glanced at the bedside clock. Six thirty. Too early to get up. Still half asleep, her thoughts returned to the accident. We were almost home after a wonderful visit with my family in Indiana when a car turned out from a filling station and pulled directly in front of us. Im thankful Brian reacted so quickly by turning the steering wheel and slamming on the brakes. Somehow we missed the other car and came to rest across the curb on the other side of the street. Im glad Brian and the children received only minor cuts and bruises. I wasnt as lucky. I was thrown forward into the windshield and suffered a concussion and other injuries. Thank you again, Lord, for watching over my children, she whispered.

She closed her eyes and vividly remembered waking up in the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia, to the startling discovery that she had been in a coma for three weeks. Her eyes filled with tears as she relived the horrible sadness she had felt when the doctor informed her that he was not able to save her unborn child--a child she had not been aware she was carrying.

Im grateful that Mom was able to come to Norfolk to care for the children while I was in the hospital. But I was so depressed after I took Mom to catch the Newport News ferry at Ocean View for her train trip home. Janet sighed and pulled the covers closer around her shoulders. I wish Mother could have stayed longer. But--I know it was hard for Dad and Susan to cope with Mothers absence and their worry about me. Susan. My little sister is growing up. I cant believe she is sixteen!

Janet sighed again, then frowned as she thought about her husband. Brian has been so loving since the accident. So far, he has kept the promises he made when I was in the hospital: no more lies--no more broken promises--no more drinking binges. I hope and pray that hell continue to keep these vows. Its the only way our marriage will work.

Brian, an engineman second class in the Navy, had been assigned temporary shore duty while Janet was in the hospital. When she was released from the hospital, he was transferred to a ship, the USS Malabar. After being in port for several weeks, the ship left on a cruise to take supplies to the Naval bases at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, or Gitmo as the sailors called it, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. They would bring back the household goods of military personnel being rotated to stateside assignments.

The sounds of little feet tiptoeing into the room and hushed childish whispers roused Janet from her memories. She kept her eyes closed and waited for the children to get closer. When she could sense them standing quietly by her bedside, she threw back the covers, yelled, Boo! and giggled at the kids startled expressions.

Mommy, you scared me! exclaimed four-year old Melody.

Me, too, echoed big brother Mickey.

Both children climbed up on the bed and snuggled next to Janet. Since the accident, they had been protective of their mother. Bewildered by her absence while she was in the hospital, they were afraid she would disappear again. Glancing once more at the clock, Janet said, Its time to get ready for school, Mickey. Have you learned your lines for the Christmas pageant?

Most of em. Were gonna practice again today. Mickey, now six, was in the first grade and excited about having a speaking part in the school play.

Janet rose, pulled on her favorite pink chenille robe, slipped her feet into pink satin mules, and headed for the kitchen. You kids get dressed, she called over her shoulder. Breakfast in ten minutes!

After seeing Mickey off to school, Janet donned an old skirt and blouse and sat down at the kitchen table to go over her budget. The extra expenses from her long hospital stay and recovery had created a financial crisis. Before the accident, she had supplemented Brians barely adequate military pay by doing some dressmaking; but there had been no sewing income during the past four months. Mail was slow in reaching her while the ship was at sea and she had not received any money from Brian this month. With Christmas only a few weeks away, Janet struggled to stretch her allotment check to cover the rent, utilities, and groceries. She wanted to save a little for a Christmas tree. She could not afford a tree last year and was determined to have one for the kids this year.

I hope Brian has saved enough during this cruise to purchase a few toys for the kids, she thought. Although he should get paid the day the ship returns, most of that payday will go for groceries and the car payment. The car! Another expense! After the accident, the station wagon gave us so many problems that Brian traded it in on a new 1949 Ford. He claimed he could make the payments out of his pay. And how he loves that car! He spends every liberty weekend washing and polishing it.

Janet threw down her pencil and wearily laid her head on her arms on the table. Discouraged, she thought of her mothers favorite expression: The Lord will provide.