“Look at this guy coming up on my tail. Flashing his lights, beeping his horn. Like I have some place to go to get out of his way. Can’t he see the semi that I’m passing? He’ll just have to wait until I get past it and can move over safely.” Billy said to Michele.
Billy Mitchel, a slightly graying man in his early 60’s and his beautiful wife Michele were nine hours into the 17 hour trip to Delaware. Michele’s mother, Phyllis had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was going to begin treatment in the next few days.
“Why don’t you tap on the brakes and make him back off. I hate it when people get so close they can see what radio station we have it tuned too.”
“Naw, he’s probably mad enough now. No need to upset him more. He’ll most likely flip me a hand gesture when he passes me as it is. Look, there it is his finger right where I thought it would be.”
As Michele leaned forward, to get a look at the young man driving too fast for his own good, he made a sharp swerve back into the right lane clipping the left front fender of their Mercury Marquis. Billy hit the brakes at the same moment the semi hit the right rear bumper sending the car into a tail spin. The screams were deafening as they careened out of control, off the shoulder, and down the steep Pennsylvania mountainside.
“Billy, are you alright? I think my leg is broken and it’s pinned under the dashboard.” Slowly Michele’s eyes adjusted to the dark and she could make out Billy’s still silhouette slumped over the steering wheel. “Billy, Billy, please don’t die,” said Michele as she lost consciousness.
********
“Well, hello there, Mrs. Mitchel. It’s good to see you finally waking up. You’ve been out of it for most of the night,” said Nurse Hathaway.
“Where am I and what happened? Where’s my husband?”
“Don’t try to sit up just yet. You were in a very serious car accident. You broke your right leg, cracked a few ribs and have some cuts and bruises. But you’ll be alright. Mr. Mitchel is down the hall in intensive care. You’ll be able to see him in a little bit.”
“I remember now. Some guy was mad at us and swerved into our car. What happened to him? Is he okay?”
“I don’t know those details, but the police have been waiting to ask you some questions about the accident. Maybe they can fill you in. I’ll send them in if you are up to it.”
“Yes.” nodded Michele. “But I really want to see my husband.”
“In due time Mrs. Mitchel” said Nurse Hathaway as she left the room. “Detectives you can go in now. She’s awake.”
“Hello Mrs. Mitchel, I’m Detective Nash and this is Detective Ward. We’re investigating the hit and run you were involved in.” Jim Nash appeared to be the typical police detective, rumpled suit and all. Short, stocky with a full head of unruly, coal black hair carrying a pad and pencil ready to take notes. Sally Ward, a tall redhead with a shapely body reminiscent of a cheerleader, was anything but a typical detective. These two were a mismatched pair if there ever was one.
“We were able to get a pretty good description of the hit and run car from the semi driver that you had just passed. Can you tell us anything about what happened?” asked the buxom redhead.
“It’s still a little foggy, but I’ll try. We were attempting to pass the semi when this young guy came out of nowhere tailgating us and flashing his lights. My husband pulled over sooner than he should have and as the car sped past us the guy intentionally swerved into us. All I remember after that is waking up here. How’s my husband?”
“How did you know it was a young guy driving the car that hit you? Did you see him?” Asked Detective Nash.
“Yes, when he was next to us, he flipped Billy off; I leaned forward to look at him. He was in his early thirties but that’s all I can tell you about him. Other than he was angry.”
Detective Ward leaned close as she asked, “Did your husband do anything else that might have set this guy off?”
“Are you blaming my husband for this?” Michele said indignantly.
“No, not at all, just trying to get a full picture,” said the Detective. “You try to get some rest, Mrs. Mitchel, you’ll want to be strong when you see your husband.”
As the detectives were leaving, Nash commented, “Oh by the way, that semi driver called 911 and probably saved your husband’s life with his quick action. He worked for Schneider Trucking if you ever want to get a hold of him.”
********
“Where’s that call button?”
“What can I get for you Mrs. Mitchel?”
“I want to see my husband.” Said Michele somewhat irritated.
“We’re just waiting on the doctor so he can explain some things to you. He’s in the hospital and should be up in a few minutes. Try to relax a bit, okay,” said Hathaway.
It was about twenty minutes later when the doctor and nurse Hathaway came back pushing a wheelchair.
“Hi, Mrs. Mitchel, I’m Doctor Dukes. I’ve been treating your husband. He has some very intensive injuries, but it looks like he’ll pull through. It was touch and go for a while and he’s still in a guarded condition. We’re going to get you into this wheelchair and take you to see him now.”
“Oh my,,” gasped Michele as they pushed her into Billy’s room.
Her husband of 41 years lay in front of her with tubes in his nose and mouth. Monitors lined one whole side of the room. Both legs where in full casts, hanging from weights and pulleys. The whole left side of his head appeared to be missing under the loose bandages.
“Billy, are you awake? Can you hear me?”
“I’m sorry Mrs. Mitchel, but he’s in an induced coma right now. The pain would be unbearable for him if we didn’t keep him heavily sedated,” said Dukes. “Let me explain what’s going on with his injuries. He broke both legs and his back. Those should heal up with no real problems. We can’t see any spinal damage that would paralyze him, so that’s good. The biggest problem is his head wound. I’ve seen the same type of injury many times in Afghanistan caused by flying shrapnel. The left part of his skull was ripped right off from the impact.”
“Oh, my goodness! Is there damage to his brain? Will he be able to remember who I am?” Sobbed Michele.
“It doesn’t appear that his brain was damage at all. In fact, I’m really surprised by how little swelling there is. We’ve kept the side of his head open so we can keep an eye on the brain. Once I am satisfied that there are no injuries to it we’ll fit a new cadaver skull section to cover the area. We’ll attempt to do a skin graph as well, but don’t expect any hair to grow. I think he will fully recover with time. Why don’t you visit for a little while. Don’t stay too long though, you both need to rest.”
“Thank you, doctor. Can you keep me informed on his condition?”
“I’ll stop by and see you every time I check on him, Mrs. Mitchel. He’s on the top of my list. I’ll talk with you later.”
“Michele, it’s time that you went back to your room and got some rest.” said Nurse Hathaway. It’s a good thing that this happened so close to our hospital. Dr. Dukes is one of the top experts in this type of injury. Your husband’s in good hands.”
********
“Jen, I mean nurse Hathaway, is Doctor Dukes coming in today?”
“Michele, we’ve gotten to know each other pretty good in the past two weeks, please call me Jen. He should be in shortly. They’re going to bring him out of the coma today so there’ll be a couple of other people here to help him.”
“Billy I don’t know if you can hear me or not but they caught the man who did this to us. He’s a young father who was on his way home from a business trip. He hadn’t seen his two kids for three days and was in a hurry to get home to them. He thought you were taking too long to move over and was just trying to scare us a little bit. He misjudged the distance and hit us. Oh, honey, I feel so bad for him. He actually turned himself in because of his guilt. He’ll probably end up in prison because of a moment of anger. He wants to see us as soon as you’re awake. He’s out on bail and …”
“Hello Mrs. Mitchel.”
“Doctor Dukes, you startled me.”
“I’m sorry. We’re here to see if we can wake your husband. You’ll have to wait outside. It’ll probably take us a few minutes or longer. Someone will come out and get you as soon possible.”
********
“Mrs. Mitchel, he’s awake and asking for you. That’s a good sign,” said the assistant.
“Billy, it’s me. How’re you feeling?”
“Hi honey, sort of like I got hit by a bus. Boy, I sure am glad that you’re okay. I guess I’ve been out for a while?”
“A little over two weeks, baby. You’ve been in good hands with Doctor Dukes. It’s amazing what they were able to do. You need to get some rest. I’ll explain it all when you’re a little more awake. I’ll be right here by your side.”
“What were you saying earlier, about the guy that hit us?”
“You heard that?”
“Yes, I’ve been listening to you a lot lately. I just couldn’t respond back. I know that you’ve prayed over me. Both God and I heard you.” Said Billy with a smile
“I’ll tell you about the man that hit us after you get some rest.”
“Doctor Dukes, can I talk with you out in the hall for a moment please,” asked Michele.
“Sure. Let me check his head first and then we can talk.”
“What’s the prognosis? How’s he going to be in the long run?”
“His head wound looks great. I don’t see any damage to his brain. It was good that he remembered you and asked for you right away. Also good, that he heard what you were saying while he was in the coma. His broken bones and back are healing just like they should. I think that in another week he’ll be able to go home. Somebody was watching out for you both.”
“That would be the Lord. He’s good all the time. We trust Him for everything and in every circumstance. He brought us to your expertise and the great staff here at the hospital. God knows what He’s doing even when we don’t.”
“If you say so, Mrs. Mitchel. Personally, I rely on people who’ve been trained to do the job needed.”
“So do we Doctor. But we rely on God to put them in our path, just like He did you. We also know what would have happened if either one of us didn’t make it. We put our trust in Jesus years ago. What about you Doctor?”
“I don’t want to get into religion with you. Like I said, I believe in people and the education process. Actually, I think that those who believe in a God are not very well educated.”
“Well, since you opened the door. Back in our home church we have two medical doctors, a veterinarian, four high school teachers, one school administrator, and three professors at the University of Michigan. Isn’t that where you did your undergraduate work? The Bible says that a fool believes there is no God. I am not calling you a fool Doctor Dukes but give it some more thought before you call believers uneducated.”
“I’m sorry I opened that can of worms with you Mrs. Mitchel. It looks like your husband will have a good recovery.”
“That’s good to hear. In about an hour the man who hit us is coming to talk with us. Could you be here? I’m not sure how much strain my husband can take and I’d like you around just in case.”
“I’ll still be in the hospital so I’ll come up in about an hour.”
“Thank you Doctor.”
An hour later, Jake Stroder, his wife Susie and their two children met with Michele in the waiting room. Wiping the tears from his cheeks, Jake said, “I’m so sorry that I’ve caused you this grief Mrs. Mitchel. I have no excuses. I simply lost my cool and took it out on you two. Is your husband going to be okay?”
“Yes, Dr. Dukes said he should make a full recovery. I want to wait for him before we go in to see Billy.” As an afterthought she added, “Just in case he gets upset and can’t handle things with his injuries. Here he comes now. I’d leave the children out here. My husband is pretty banged up.”
“No, they need to see what my anger did. They need to see how I’m gonna handle it. I don’t want them to grow up with uncontrollable rage like I had.”
“You said ‘had’?”
“Yes, I’ve done a lot of soul searching and I’ve decided that I need help to deal with my anger.”
“Good for you. Let’s go in then.”
“Honey, this is Jake and Susie Stroder. He’s the young man that forced us off the road.”
“Mr. Mitchel, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what else to say.” Jake put his face into his hands and sob uncontrollably.”
Jake’s five year old threw his arms around his daddy’s neck and said, “Daddy, don’t cry, it will be alright. Mommy will kiss it and make it all better.”
“Jake, I don’t think mamma’s kiss will make this go away. Although, it wouldn’t hurt,” Billy said with a smile. “Ephesians 4:32 tells us that we are to forgive as Jesus forgives us. I don’t know your relationship with the Lord, but I do know mine. Jake, I forgive you for running us off the road. But I do want you to get help so it doesn’t happen again. I’ll also ask for leniency when you go to court. Your kids need you more than the State does. ”
“You forgive me? Why would you do that? I almost killed you and your wife. How could you … why would you do that?”
“Like I said, Jake, God forgave me through His Son, Jesus Christ. Even while I was His enemy He still sent His Son to forgive my sins. The least I can do is to forgive you, regardless of what you’ve done.”
“Let me get this straight. This man put you and your wife into the hospital with life threatening injuries and you forgive him just like that?” said Dr. Dukes with a snap of his fingers. “That makes no sense at all.”
“On the contrary Dr. it makes all kinds of sense, when you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He makes all the difference in the world.” said Michele.
“I guess I’ll have to give this church business a little more thought.”
“It is not about church, Dr. Dukes, it’s about a relationship with Jesus.” said Michele.
Written by Dennis Snyder. A retired pastor, author and business owner. He runs two online businesses in his retirement – Codiacen Fishing and Concerning Life Products. He is an avid fisherman and a duffer when he golfs. Dennis is happily married to his lovely wife Vicki.
Road Rage vs. Forgiveness was First published, on Amazon. on April 29, 2012
