Sue stood at the doorway, as she had so many times before. Her eyes focused on the women sitting in the rocking chair only ten feet away from her. She had watched this same scene before but it was never exactly the same.

The women held her small daughter in her arms with such gentleness and love. Softly singing to her as she let her fingers brush, ever so gently over the little ones head. There was such a radiant calm coming from this scene. Sue hadn' t known Linda for long. Yet she did know and understand her better then most who had watched her these past few days.

Linda kept on slowly rocking her little one as a tear slowly started to fall down her cheek. Sue knew all to well that what she was watching was such an act of love. Linda had hardly had any sleep in the past three or four days. Sue knew that Linda wasn't even conscious of what day of the week it was or even the time of day.

This had been a long journey for Linda, even though it had only been a few weeks since it' s beginning. It started out with just a flu bug. Take her home and give her lots of fluids, the doctor had said. It has to run it' s course, she'll be fine. But she hadn' t gotten any better, and Linda and her husband couldn't break the fever no matter what they tried.

For the past two weeks now, this hospital room had been Linda' s home. She and her husband hardly ever left their daughters side. Each of them trying to take turns watching their daughter while the other tried to get a few minutes sleep. Now the baby had pneumonia and had gotten a staph infection too.

Sue had known that things weren' t going well at all. She had been praying silently on her own as had all the nurses on the floor. The family had been praying so hard. Linda wondered, is God hearing me? Sue had heard Linda quietly talking to God, some times as she passed by the doorway.

The news had not been good today. The baby had gone into a coma during the night. Now, no one even thought of sleep, they were running on pure adrenaline. The doctors had run every test they could but the results were the same, she was dying, there was nothing they could do. They had put her on a respirator right after she had come in but now the time of decision had come.Only the machines were keeping her alive any more. So Linda and her husband had been faced with the decision to take her off the respirator and let her go peacefully.

What a hard choice for a parent to have to make. They made their choice and now Linda sat in the rocker with her little one waiting and wishing that there was another way. Linda' s tears were now running down her face as she clutched her daughter to her. Sue knew that it was over and her own tears started to fall.

Sue, of all the nurses on the floor understood how Linda felt at that moment. She had been there her self not so many years ago. Children are supposed to out live their parents not the other way around.

Sue knew that this was just the beginning of a very long road for Linda and her husband. She talked in her heart to her own little angel and asked him to keep an eye on Linda's baby.

Heavens such a big place and she's new up where you are. Will you take her under your wings Bryan, till she gets her own?

This is dedicated to my friend Mary Ellen' s baby daughter, Elizabeth. She went home to Jesus on January 07, 2000. She came with her Mom to choir practice every week and was always an angel.

God Bless You Elizabeth.

Please remember them in your prayers

Author - Joyce Graig

The Dove will fly you home.

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