Just as my wife\u2019s water broke, I got a call from my mother\u2019s nurse, and she told me my mom was dying. I was torn and forced to make a difficult decision.<\/p>\n
The day Debra found out she was pregnant was one of those days that I will cherish for the rest of my life. We had cried together, unable to believe that we were going to have a baby home soon, and I promised Debra I\u2019d be an amazing dad.<\/p>\n
Debra and I had waited to become parents for a long time. We were one of those miracle couples who conceived after going through tons of failed fertility treatments and doctors telling us there was no chance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be the best parents to him, darling,\u201d I told Debra one night. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to hold our baby in my arms.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, honey,\u201d she\u2019d said, smiling. I gently kissed her baby bump and promised Debra I\u2019d always be by her side.<\/p>\n
Debra had always been very anxious about the pregnancy due to the complications, and I had told her I would be there for her, so there was no need to worry.<\/p>\n
Little did I know fate would plunge me into a situation where I\u2019d have to choose between her and my mom while was in labor\u2026<\/p>\n
I still get chills when I recall that day. It started as a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, and nothing seemed wrong with the outside world. I was preparing breakfast in the kitchen because Debra wasn\u2019t feeling well that morning.<\/p>\n
I quickly assembled a breakfast plate for her, and I went to call her for breakfast. As I entered our bedroom, I saw she was leaning against the wall with one hand, clutching her baby bump and breathing heavily.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoney, are you okay?\u201d I dashed to her, worried. \u201cShould I call the doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGordon\u2026my water\u2026it\u2026it broke,\u201d she whispered heavily, and that\u2019s when I noticed the floor beneath her. It was wet. \u201cTake me to the hospital, Gordon\u2026Please!\u201d she cried.<\/p>\n
\u201cJesus!\u201d I panicked. \u201cI\u2019ll get the car started. Just hang on a sec, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n
I ran to our car, grabbing the keys from the bowl on the living room shelf. I opened the car door, then rushed back inside to help Debra.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry, honey. We\u2019ll reach the hospital in no time. Okay, we\u2019ve got this.\u201d I was comforting her as her labor pains began. I was terrified and nervous. I was praying everything would be fine.<\/p>\n
After we made it to the car and Debra got inside, I locked her door and rushed to take my seat. Then my phone rang. It was my mom\u2019s nurse, Marla, calling me. My mother had been diagnosed with a progressive cardiac condition, and due to her illness, she was confined to bed rest.<\/p>\n
Worried, I answered the phone, and Marla\u2019s voice on the other end of the line broke me from inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cGordon,\u201d she said in a weak voice. \u201cYour mom\u2026 She had a heart attack, so I took her to the hospital. The doctors say there is little hope she\u2019ll make it\u2026 Your mother is dying. I think you should be here as soon as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJesus, Jesus!\u201d I exhaled a sigh. Why was everything happening at the same time? I was ripped to shreds and didn\u2019t know what to do. On the one hand, there was Debra, who was in labor, and on the other, there was my mother.<\/p>\n
I went inside the car, tears in my eyes, and told Debra everything. I couldn\u2019t hide it from her, anyway. She saw my face and asked me what was wrong. And I blurted everything out.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom is dying, honey. She had a heart attack, and Marla\u2019s asking me to be there as soon as possible. I am so nervous. I \u2013 I don\u2019t know what to do\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHoney,\u201d Debra said. \u201cCall a taxi. I\u2019ll go by myself\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I was taken aback. \u201cNo, we can\u2019t do that!\u201d. She was drenched in sweat and moaning in pain. \u201cLook at you. It\u2019s just not\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have time, honey\u2026Ahh\u2026call the taxi now, Gordon. Your mom needs you. You are a son first, then a husband. I will manage. Your mom\u2026she\u2026\u201d Her pain was becoming worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m calling the taxi. Oh, God!\u201d<\/p>\n
Thankfully, I got a taxi soon, and I instructed the driver to take Debra to the hospital safely. My hands shook as I drove to my mother\u2019s hospital, and my tears wouldn\u2019t stop. My heart was racing, wondering about Debra\u2019s condition and if our baby would be alright.<\/p>\n
As I arrived at the hospital, I saw Marla sitting outside her ward. \u201cMarla? Where\u2019s mom? What happened?\u201d I asked her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe physicians are with her, but they are not optimistic\u2026\u201d was all she said.<\/p>\n
I sat outside the ward, praying mom would be okay.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you\u2019ll get better soon, Mom. You\u2019ll be a grandmother soon,\u201d I kept telling myself. But not long after, the doctors emerged from the emergency room with bad news.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe sincerely apologize. We couldn\u2019t save her.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mom passed away that morning due to cardiac arrest. I couldn\u2019t stop crying, and Marla tried to console me, but it was pointless. I couldn\u2019t keep my tears from falling.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, my phone\u2019s ring distracted me. \u201cYes?\u201d I said, and I could hear a sweet crying sound in the background.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoney,\u201d said Debra on the other end of the call. \u201cWe had a daughter. She\u2019s stunning. You\u2019re a father now\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
At that moment, I wasn\u2019t sure whether I should be happy or sad. \u201d That\u2019s great news honey,\u201d I managed to say. Then I told her with a heavy heart, \u201cMom\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s not, Gordon. She\u2019s with us,\u201d Debra replied softly, and I had no idea what she meant until my phone pinged with a message.<\/p>\n
Debra sent me a picture of our baby girl, and I cried even harder. Our little baby girl looked so much like her grandmother.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t she look like your mom?\u201d Debra asked.<\/p>\n
With my eyes filled with tears, I said, \u201cShe does.\u201d<\/p>\n
What can we learn from this story?<\/p>\n
Even after our loved ones leave us, a part of them stays with us. Gordon\u2019s mother passed away the morning his daughter was born. The baby was a replica of her grandma and a sign for Gordon that his mom was still with him in his baby girl\u2019s form.
\nOnly a mother\u2019s heart understands that a mother needs her children more than they need her. Debra was moaning in pain, but when she heard about Gordon\u2019s mom, she urged Gordon to put his mother first and be by his mother\u2019s side.<\/p>\n
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"