Christmas Angels

Chapter 4

Marianne awoke to find that a nurse was fluffing her pillow and adjusting her bed clothes. Groggy and confused, she said "Josh?"

"Your husband left more than an hour ago,Hun", the nurse said apologetically. "You have been sleeping for hours. Are you hungry now? I can get you something."

"Not hungry", she mumbled, disappointed that she had been asleep when Josh was with her.

"Well, at least have a drink", the nurse said. She gently lifted Marianne's head and held a plastic cup with a bent straw to her lips. Marianne took a few sips. It was apple juice, cold and refreshing on her oxygen-parched throat.

"Thank you", she said, pushing the straw out of her mouth. "I'm fine now."

The nurse finished her ministrations, moving Marianne to a new, more comfortable position. She made a note on the chart at the end of the bed before leaving the room.

"Just buzz if you decide you would like some dinner then", she said from the doorway before she was gone.

Marianne listened to the sound of her crepe soles on the terrazzo floor receding down the hallway. She had missed Josh and now he wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Now they couldn't talk, and she longed for a chance to do so and to see him again. She loved Josh more than anything in the world. She had messed everything up. She must be sure to be awake the next time he came. Her eyes fluttered and they became so heavy. Even as these thoughts danced in her brain, she began to drift off again. In another moment, she was deep in sleep.

JANUARY, 1992

Marianne had been appalled when she discovered Josh passed out in the john with his face pressed up against the base of the toilet. They were made for each other, she thought, ashamed of what her husband had become. He had done everything that he could to end their marriage, and now, she had finally realized that she could not go on this way. Stepping carefully over his sprawled form, she showered as quickly and quietly as she could, all the while praying that he would not wake up before she left for work. There would be time enough for a confrontation tonight when she returned home. She dressed, brushed her hair, applied makeup and made a travel mug of coffee to drink on the way. The last thing she did before leaving the apartment was to write the note and stick it on the refrigerator where he would be sure to see it. She pulled on a jacket and let herself out, quietly closing the door behind her.

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Marianne was tired when she arrived home after a busy day at her office. She was dreading the show-down that must come with Josh, if he was there, and this thought had dominated her mind all day long. She was still as mad as ever, but also heart-broken, to think that their marriage had come to this. He hadn't called her, so it would not surprise her at all if he wasn't there. Putting the key in the lock, she turned it and opened the apartment door. A wonderful smell immediately enveloped her senses as she stepped inside.

"Josh?" she called, hesitantly.

"I'm in here," came his bright reply.

"What is that smell?" she said, dropping her jacket and purse on a chair before continuing along the short hallway to the kitchen. She could never have imagined the scene that greeted her. Was this possible? Josh was standing in front of the range, a flowered apron tied around his waist. His hands were clad in her quilted oven mitts. The ones that sported goose motifs on their backs. There was a curl of wavy hair hanging limply on his forehead. He looked hot and tired as he opened the oven door.