Blake and Lana were a very loving couple. Some say they fell in love at first sight. They’d dated only 6 months before getting engaged, and waited only 6 months more to get married. Now, in their early thirties, that love was shared with two sons, ages 5 and 2, and a baby daughter, just 3 months old. Blake and Lana were the type of couple who rarely argued. When they did, they were typically quick to admit their mistakes and make up. And no matter what, whenever they started their days they always looked into each other’s eyes and said “I love you.”
August had been a pretty trying month. Their daughter Rachel had a bad case of colic, which resulted in many sleepless nights. Since Lana was still on maternity leave and Blake back at work, it was usually Lana who ended up getting up to tend to her.
One Friday, Blake came home from work excited. He had heard from his college buddy Scott from California and since Blake was flying out there for business the next week, they made plans to meet up for a round of golf. Scott had connections at one of the top courses in the country. It was an opportunity of a lifetime. Blake’s meetings weren’t until Tuesday afternoon, so by flying out Monday morning he’d be on the course by noontime.
Lana did not share Blake’s enthusiasm. “You have some nerve,” she scoffed.
Blake was taken back. “What did I do?”
“I’m exhausted!” she shouted. “We have a newborn baby who wakes me up with her screaming every three hours. We have two boys that are very demanding of my time. You have a job where they keep sending you off on business trips, and now you’re telling me you’re going to extend that trip another day just to play golf! Where are your priorities?”
“You’re my priority Hon,” replied Blake. “But I haven’t gotten to see Scott in years?”
“Go then. Have fun with Scott,” she muttered sarcastically. “I’ve got it all under control as usual. Who need sleep any way.”
The guilt was too much for Blake. He called Scott and cancelled his plans. But it still didn’t help much with Lana. The very thought that he was going to leave her with a three month old for golf and a college buddy didn’t go over well with her. Her exhaustion and post-partum depression only exacerbated the situation. That weekend their relationship was icy at best. Blake having to work late Monday to prepare for his presentation didn’t help matters much either, nor did Rachel’s 3 AM screaming that Blake somehow slept right through. When he went to kiss Lana goodbye following his 5AM wakeup, Lana simply pulled the sheet over her head and groaned. He slipped quietly out of the room and left for the airport.
It was after eight when Lana finally got up. She checked her phone and was surprised that Blake never called her like he usually did. He was probably too afraid to wake her. She did start to feel bad for not kissing him goodbye. After getting the kids bathed, dressed, and fed she went to put on some cartoons for the boys and take a much needed rest. But today there were no cartoons. Only horrific scenes from New York City where the Twin Towers had just been hit.
Lana was horrified, especially knowing that Blake was in the air right now and unreachable. The more she heard of the coverage, however, the more terrified she became. The plane had originated from Boston and was heading to California. It was the same airline Blake was taking. She ran to check his itinerary. The plane matched the description the news stations were reporting. Suddenly, the unthinkable was becoming reality.
Lana was living a nightmare. The whole room was spinning around her. She pried the boys away from the tv and put a movie on in their room. Once the door was closed she burst into tears trying to remain as silent as possible. She tried calling her Mom to talk and see if she could take the kids but she wasn’t home. She kept thinking about the weekend and the way she had reacted. Then she thought about that morning and how she didn’t even take the few seconds to kiss him goodbye. They never left each other’s sight without a goodbye kiss and an “I love you.” She never imagined that it would be the last time she would see him. “If only I had let him leave a day early he would have never been on that flight,” she thought. “This is all my fault.” She knew if she could do it over she would never let any trivial argument come between their love ever again.
As Lana sat on the floor curled in a fetal position she heard the phone rang. She stumbled across the room and answered it.
“Is this Mrs. Davis?” the caller asked.
Lana could barely mutter a word. “Y..y…y..yes,” she replied.
The commotion on the other end was so loud she could barely make out what the caller was saying. It was obvious they were watching and reacting to the same news coverage she was. All she could make out were the words, “I’m calling about your husband.”
It was confirmed. Any hope left suddenly drained from her body and she fell limp to the ground and began wailing. It took a good thirty seconds before she even realized that there was still someone on the other end of the phone.
“Mrs. Davis! Mrs. Davis! Hello!” the voice came from the receiver.
Finally, she mustered up the composure to respond back. “Thank you for calling,” she sobbed. “I sensed that was his flight.”
The caller suddenly interrupted. “No Mrs. Davis. I’m calling from Memorial Hospital. I’m a nurse. Your husband has been in a car accident. He’s sustained some significant lacerations and broken bones but he is stable. He’s been in and out of consciousness. He’s going to be OK. We need you to come down right away. Can you do that?”
Lana leapt to her feet, her spirits suddenly inflated. “Thank you thank you!” she yelled into the receiver. “I’ll be right there.”
She quickly packed the kids into the minivan and headed to the hospital, trying hard to keep within the speed limits given her precious cargo. Her Mom called along the way and agreed to meet her there to take the kids. Thirty minutes later she was in the critical care unit sitting by Blake’s bedside. His right eye was swollen shut and he had about 15 stitches running down his right cheek. His nose was bandaged up and his right arm and leg were both in casts. But at that moment he had never looked more amazing. She leaned over him and kissed his lips.
“I love you so much. I am so sorry,” she whispered.
His eyes remained shut, but his lips pursed into a slight smile. She knew he could hear her.
When he finally awoke, she filled him in on all of the details. It was difficult feeling thankful just knowing the tragedy that had just unfolded. But he couldn’t help but feel grateful for getting a second chance. He too had felt bad about the way he has left and could not wait until he got to the airport to give her a call. It only took a few seconds to reach for his cell phone, but it was just enough time to take his eyes off the road and ram into a guardrail. That’s all he remembered. His love for her may have contributed to his broken his arm, leg, and nose, but it also saved Lana from a broken heart.
As the years went by, there was not a day that went by that Blake and Lana didn’t thank the Lord for the second chance he had given them. Never again would they let petty arguments come between them. Never again would they make anything but family their number one priority. And never again would they say goodbye to a loved one, whether a child, parent or each other without saying “I love you.”