Thirty Three
Grace Cottage
Late June
A bizarre winter-like storm had pounded down on Paine Harbor for over 24 hours, bringing with it nearly a foot of snow and an incredible surge to the surf. Old timers in Paine Harbor hanging out at Portia’s Place couldn't recall a storm like this so late in the year. The fishing boats were docked and the twice-daily ferry to Prince Edward Island had ceased operations. Lightning had struck several key communications towers on the island making telephone reception spotty at best. Miraculously, the electrical grid was holding up, at least for now. Other than that, Paine Harbor was cut off from the world.
The red LED on Oliver's nightstand declared in no uncertain terms that the time was precisely 3:33 when he was awakened suddenly by a horrific scream of agony. Grabbing his eyeglasses off the table, he knocked the clock to the floor explaining why 3:33 was emblazoned in his memory. Turning instantly to Sandy's side of the bed he was shocked to find it empty.
Immediately he stood to his feet and cried out, “Sandy? What is going on? Are you okay? Where are you?” Expecting to find her in the nearby bathroom he headed that direction only to nearly trip over Sandy who he found lying prostrate on the floor. Looking down to his precious wife, he saw immediately she was bleeding. Kneeling at her side, he put his hand on her face and said, “It'll be okay, honey. I'm calling 911.”
As he stood to grab his iPhone, Sandy said softly, “No, Oliver. Wait.”
Turning back to her, Oliver said, “What is it, babe?”
“Pray.”
Immediately, Oliver knelt at her side, placed his hands on his wife's extended belly and quickly prayed in his prayer language for Jesus' intervention.
After a brief time, Sandy spoke up, “Okay, make the call.”
Oliver quickly called 911 and explained the situation. Assured that EMTs were on their way, he returned to his wife's side. “They'll be here in a few minutes. What happened?”
Sandy recalled to Oliver that when she’d awakened not feeling right soon discovering she was bleeding. Seeking to discover the severity of her bleeding, she'd attempted to get out of bed to investigate in the bathroom, only to immediately fall to the ground in agony.
“I wasn't feeling right last night, but I didn't want to say anything to you. Honey, the babies aren't due for 6 weeks. We can't lose them!” Sandy said desperately.
“I know, I know,” Oliver replied looking to encourage his wife. “God has made promises to us. He'll keep His word. You just hold on.”
The two young lovers sat next to the bed quietly awaiting the arrival of the paramedics and the ambulance, when Oliver's phone began to ring. Looking at the screen he was shocked to see the call was from Doctor Bourbon.
“It's the doctor,” he said to Sandy.
“Doc, Sandy's bleeding profusely. The paramedics are on their way.”
“I know. The 911 Operator called me. I'm putting my shoes on and will meet you at the hospital. Is Sandy running a fever?”
Oliver held his hand across her forehead that was wet with perspiration. “Yes. She seems to be warm.”
“Okay. How much blood do you think she's lost?”
Trying to access the situation, Oliver grew pale as he saw another pool of blood on the mattress. “Quite a bit, I guess.”
“Get a towel and try to staunch the bleeding and make her drink water – as much as she can get down!” Doctor Bourbon instructed.
Oliver did as instructed while hearing the sound of the siren as the ambulance made its way to Grace Cottage.
“Honey, do you hear that? Help is on the way,” he said to Sandy as optimistically as he knew how.
“Help is already here,” she replied.
“You are right.” He replied. “God, move in power right now! Fulfill your Word and keep your promises!”
In that moment both Oliver and Sandy felt the peace that nothing but an authentic encounter with the Living God could bring. Immediately the Grace's sensed deep within their spirits God was in control and all would turn out for the best. Holding hands they listened as the sirens drew near.
Oliver ran to the front door as the paramedics made their way up the sidewalk. He called out to them, “This way!”
The paramedics quickly assessed Sandy's condition, hooking her up to an IV and various monitors. They looked at one another in confusion when they heard several heartbeats on the fetal heart monitor. Oliver cleared things up when he said, “Triplets.”
“That's good, because I hear three distinct hearts. I was a little freaked out for a moment,” the chief paramedic said with a smile. “Listen, Mrs. Grace, we are going to pick you up and put you on the gurney, then we'll take you to the hospital. Doctor Bourbon will meet you there. Do you understand?”
She nodded weakly.
Speaking to Oliver he continued, “you might want to grab a few of her things.”
Oliver scurried about grabbing the bag she'd already packed, along with his cell phone charger. “Okay, I'm ready.”
“You might want to put some clothes on,” the paramedic said good-naturedly.
“Uh, yeah.” Oliver replied.
The ambulance drove carefully on the ice and snow covered streets in what seemed to the Grace's a trip which would never end. Every bump in the road or pothole would cause Sandy to cry out in pain. Oliver's heart was racing in concern. Looking at the face of the paramedic he searched for hope, only finding a man who was hard at work and fully concentrating on caring for his patient. At one rather notorious dip in the road, Sandy screamed out in agony and Oliver began to weep in fear. Seeing her husband struggle she spoke out, “Oliver! Stop it! Remember the promises! Hold on to faith!”
Paine Harbor Community Hospital
They finally pulled into the covered space reserved for ambulances at the hospital emergency room. As soon as the ambulance doors flew open, the Grace's were pleased to see Doctor Bourbon dressed in scrubs and awaiting them. The gurney was rushed into a prepared area of the Emergency Room as the expert team of nurses and ER personnel jumped in taking over for the paramedics.
“Mr. Grace,” an anonymous hospital clerk said. “Mr. Grace, I need some information from you. Could you please step out into the hall?”
“Now?”
“Please.”
Looking at Doctor Bourbon to override the clerk, the Doctor said confidently, “It'll be okay. Go on. I'm not leaving. And it'll just take a couple of minutes.”
Unsure of what to do, Oliver complied and stepped into the hallway to answer a myriad of health history, insurance, next of kin and other questions. All the while, he continuously looked at the closed door behind which his future was being decided. When the clerk finally said, “Okay, we've got what we need for now,” Oliver raced back into the room not waiting to hear her finish her sentence.
What he found shocked him to the core as he saw what he knew had to be his wife, but was barely recognizable due to her being white-as-a-ghost because of the loss of blood. His knees grew unstable as he reached out for the doorframe to stabilize him.
Seeing Oliver's response, Doctor Bourbon called out, “Oliver. Get it together, man. My hands are pretty full here and I don't need a second patient!”
Just then an aid stepped over to Oliver and guided him to a nearby chair. “Sit here, sir,” he instructed.
“What's going on Doc?” Oliver asked as he regained his composure. “Is everything going to be okay?”
No answer came immediately causing Oliver no small amount of anxiety. Finally the Doctor spoke up. “It seems,” he said adjusting his glasses, “Sandy is suffering from placenta previa.”
“Placenta what?”
“Placenta previa. This happens when the placenta detaches itself from the wall of the uterus and blocks the opening of the cervix. This isn't all that unusual, but it seems her situation is worse than most. The blood loss is evidence of the severity of her condition.”
Doctor Bourbon gave Oliver a moment to take all of this in before continuing. “Here's the bottom line, Oliver. We need to deliver these babies now by C-Section. The blood loss demands we take this action or there could be extremely serious complications for both Sandy and the babies.”
“Serious complications?”
“Yes, including in a worse care scenario, death. But we aren't going to allow that to happen. Here is what is going to happen, Oliver. Can you hear me?”
Shaking his head affirmatively, Oliver said, “Yes, please, go on.”
“Okay. Like we've discussed before, I don't want to deliver these babies here on the island. We really aren't equipped for the care of the babies – they are coming about six weeks early. So they are going to require a NICU. We need to get her to the mainland. So, we've called for an emergency medevac air ambulance. They are on the way right now and should be here in less than 30 minutes.”
“Can this wait that long?” Oliver asked urgently.
“I figure we have about a 90 minute window to get her to Bangor Regional Hospital and into emergency surgery. Don't worry, I'm going along with you,” he said soberly. “Now, let me get back to caring for Sandy. Go call your brother.”
Oliver sat for a moment taking all of this information to heart. Finally, he stood up, walked to Sandy's side and saw she was unconscious due to the blood loss. He was greatly encouraged to see the color was beginning to return to her cheeks as the blood infusion was doing its work. Feeling safe to leave her side for a moment he stepped out to the hallway, pressing “Demetrius” on his iPhone.
Deep asleep in his apartment above Portia’s Place, Demetrius was stirred to consciousness by the incessant chirping of his phone. Rubbing his eyes with one hand, he reached in the darkness in search of the source of the insidious noise that had disturbed his precious sleep.
Sitting up in bed, he was surprised to see Oliver's face on the screen. Touching the screen to accept the call, sudden fear swept through him as realized the only possible reason for Oliver to be calling him at this time of day.
“Oliver! What is it? Is Sandy okay?” he cried out by way of greeting.
“No, she's not. We are at PH Hospital and she is bleeding profusely. She's going to be taken by air ambulance to Bangor for an emergency C-Section. Can you call a bunch of people and get them praying, and then can you get over here?” Oliver said without taking a breath.
“Yes, of course. I'm on my way.” Demetrius shouted as he jumped out of bed in search for a pair of jeans, boots and a jacket. “I'll see you in a few minutes.”
Racing around his apartment gathering a few items, he was nearly out the door when an idea struck him. Returning to his bedroom he grabbed two key items with a smile and prayed, “Thank you God that you are going to protect Sandy and those little babies!” He ran down the stairs taking three steps at a time and jumped in the his red Toyota four wheel drive pickup truck and headed down Main Street towards Harbor Drive for the three minute drive to the hospital.
“Pastor Sharp!” Demetrius said abruptly when a sleepy Pastor Axel answered his phone. “We need prayer, and we need it now!” Explaining the situation as he drove, Axel assured him that he'd wake up half the town and get them covered in prayer before the sun rose over the eastern shore.
Had someone been standing on Gourmand Hill overlooking the village of Paine Harbor that early morning they'd of wondered what was happening as the lights came on in home after home over the next few minutes. Axel wasn't aware his few phone calls soon were multiplied into dozens as the faithful of Paine Harbor rose up in unified prayer for the Grace family.
The staff in the ER at Paine Harbor Hospital had never seen anything like it before. By 4:15am the ER was filled with more than 60 people who came to show support and love to the Grace's. Security ushered them into a nearby conference room as they quickly outgrew the limited seating available in the waiting room. From the conference room arose a beautiful sound of prayer, intercession and praise in spontaneous waves of Holy Spirit power and grace.
In the ER, the phone rang. The aid’s face grew ashen in color as she received the message. “Yes, I'll pass it along. Thank you. If anything can be done, please let us know immediately.” Turning to Doctor Bourbon she spoke out for all to hear, “Doctor, that was the Air Ambulance dispatch office. They've turned around. The storm is too bad and they felt they were in danger if they continued. They aren't coming, sir.”
“Get them back on the phone NOW!” Doctor Bourbon ordered.
“Yes, sir.” the aide replied as she lifted the receiver and pushed the redial button. “Hold for Doctor Bourbon,” she said as the dispatched answer the phone, putting the phone on speaker mode, she said, “Doc, I've got the dispatcher on the speaker.
“Who is this?” the doctor demanded.
“Emily Truett, sir.” came the reply.
“Great. Emily Truett. This is Doctor Bourbon, and I'm with a young woman and her husband at Paine Harbor Community Hospital. This woman's name is Sandy Grace and she is about to give birth to triplets. Do you understand me?”
Yes, sir, but...”
“Hush. I'm not done. She is six weeks away for her due date and these babies need the NICU in Bangor. She needs it within 45 minutes. Which means I simply cannot accept your refusal to come and get her. Turn that helicopter around and get it to my rooftop right now. Do you understand young woman?” he demanded.
“Sir, the flight crew says it's too dangerous and they refuse to fly.”
“Are they still in the air?”
“Yes. Doctor.”
“Can you patch me through to them?”
“Yes.”
“Then do it.”
It was at this moment Demetrius in the nearby conference room sensed there was great danger for Sandy's babies, he called out to the group gathered. “Pray for the storm to stop! We've seen it happen before! Let's ask God to do it again.”
Gathering a small group of his closest friends, he called out to them, “Follow me” as he ran out the door in search of the stairway. They followed as he ran down the hallway and up the stairs. Paine Harbor Community Hospital is a small building with only two above ground floors, so it didn't take long for these men of faith to arrive on the rooftop. Running over to the helipad, Demetrius began to pray for clear skies. Each of the men joined him in prayer seeking a miraculous intervention in the skies above them. It wasn't long before they were shouting above the noise of the raging storm asking Holy Spirit to act on behalf of Sandy and Oliver.
When the storm didn't immediately abate, doubt began to build in Demetrius and his friends. “I don't know about this, Demetrius,” said one man nervously, “this is pretty wild stuff. Are you sure this is appropriate?”
Niels was one of the men on the rooftop. Small in stature, he'd grown great in God in recent months, and suddenly he spoke up. “This ain't nothing! What kind of God do we believe in? He brought Jesus back from the dead; don't you think He can handle a little storm? We are doing exactly what we should be doing! C'mon men – cry out for a miracle.”
Andi stood in the shadows watching and interceding for the courage of each man as their faith wavered. All the while her face was filled with the light of glory as God's people put their faith into action.
Axel was in the conference room sitting quietly in prayer. Greta sat next to him. Suddenly Penelope Gourmand walked in and tapped Axel on the shoulder.
“Pastor, what do you see?” she asked. “Tell the people what you see. It'll help their faith grow. Don't hold back.”
Axel's eyes met Penelope's. Understanding was realized. He rose from his chair, taking his wife's hands in his, they walked to the front of the conference room. Looking up at her, he thought to himself, ‘how’d she know?’
“Beloved friends. I've seen a vision. Let me build your faith. We need faith to make it through this night,” he paused. “I've seen three little boys. Each healthy and strong and each will impact history for generations to come. One with a great talent for the arts. The second with an amazing intellect to unlock mysteries, and the third will go through many personal challenges but will emerge with an incredible ability to communicate God's love. And I also saw the word “Grace” over their heads. These boys I've seen are Oliver and Sandy's babies. The enemy doesn't want them born and is trying to destroy them even tonight. But that isn't going to happen. God tells us the fervent prayer of the righteous is effective and powerful. Tonight we pray in faith for God's will is to be done on earth as it is in heaven. And now is our time.”
With those words, the men and women had their faith built and the intensity of the prayers increased significantly. Many would live the rest of their lives in awe of what was about to happen.
“I'm patching them through to you now Doctor. Go ahead.” Emily Truett reported.
“This is Doctor Bourbon at Paine Harbor Hospital. Who's in charge?”
“That would be me, sir. I'm Captain Böndunum.”
“Tell me, Captain Böndunum, are you headed towards me right now?”
“No, sir, we are not.”
“And why precisely is that?”
“I determined it is too dangerous due to the storm.”
“I understand your concern, sir. You are aware of my patient?”
“I am.”
“Are you 100% certain you are making the right decision?”
“No, I am not. The weather is so unpredictable. It could change in a moment, but as it stands right now, I made the right choice.”
“I understand, Captain. Hypothetically, if you saw the weather patterns change, how quickly could you get on my roof?”
“Twenty minutes, tops.”
“Are you safe to maintain your current position?”
“I am.”
“Please do this for me, maintain it for the next ten minutes. I'll get back to you.”
“Yes, I can do that.”
“Captain, thanks. One more thing, do you believe in prayer?”
“Prayer? Yes, Doctor, I do.”
“Good, because right now several dozen people in Paine Harbor are praying for God to change the weather to enable you to get on my rooftop and back to Bangor with my patient.”
“Roger that, doctor. We will join you in prayer.”
“Excellent. I'll be in touch. Thanks Captain.”
On the rooftop the faith of the men was growing and they had shifted from making requests to God to making declarations in agreement with God's word and the prophetic promises which had been made over the Grace family.
In the conference room, Sheriff Byer was standing with his arms on the shoulders of Ricky as Ricky prayed for the heavens to open and the skies to clear.
Sarah had rushed to Grace Coffee House when she was awakened by her parents and was brewing pot after pot of coffee to take to the faithful gathered at the Hospital. All the while she prayed out loud for the air ambulance to be able to provide safe transport for Sandy.
Oliver stood at the side of his beloved Sandy longing to see her open her beautiful blue eyes. He gently swabbed his precious wife's forehead with a damp cloth in an attempt to soothe her suffering as the nurses carefully monitored her heart rate, blood pressure and as Doctor Bourbon carefully considered all of the options facing them.
In the secret place every Doctor knows too well, the place where they are aware of the gravity of their patient's situation and yet cannot communicate it out of concern for adding unneeded and unhelpful stress to an already extremely difficult place, Doc Bourbon realized the potential outcomes for the babies, and Sandy herself, was incredibly bleak unless they could somehow get to Bangor Regional Hospital. Even if they could manage to get there, the clock was working against them. “I can certainly do the C-Section, but it is the immediate care afterwards that I'm ill equipped to provide,” he thought to himself.
A different thought came to him, turning to the lead ER Doctor, he called him to his side saying quietly, “Doc, get your staff to put together everything needed to create an improvised NICU. The key word is improvise! Have them think outside the box. And do it in triplicate!”
“I'm on it,” he said as he rushed out of the room and began to give orders to his staff. Thankfully, the ER was extremely quiet this morning and the staff was largely unoccupied.
The men on the rooftop were flagging in their energy, as Andi stepped out of the shadows and approached them. “Friends. Do not grow weary. You are doing the right thing and your voices are being heard. Be of good cheer. You are empowered to do even greater things than Jesus. Press on. You are changing history.”
With that the men spoke with a certainty previously missing. Instead of passion, the prayers were filled with confidence. They'd say of this moment in the future that suddenly their prayers became easy and simple and the heavy burden was replaced with perfect peace.
Midway between Bangor and Paine Harbor
Medevac Helicopter
At the precise moment of Grace' word of encouragement, the crew on board the Medevac Helicopter shouted out in simultaneous surprise. “Look at that boys,” Captain Böndunum said with a smile. “It's like a clear sky pathway, and we are heading into it. Paine Harbor here we come. WooHoo!”
Demetrius' gaze was fixed upon the sky so intently he nearly missed the miracle. Niels nudged him and said, “Look. God answered our prayers.”
“Oh, it appears He did indeed,” Demetrius agreed. “Why am I so surprised? He promised.”
The phone rang and the aide immediately grabbed it. Listening to the voice on the other end, she smiled. “Doctor, it's for you. I'll put it on speaker.”
“Doc Bourbon here. This better be Captain Böndunum!”
“It is, indeed, sir.”
“And?”
“Our ETA at Paine Harbor Community Hospital is 12 minutes.”
“Repeat, please.”
“You heard me.”
“Yes, I did, but it sounded so good, I wanted to hear it again,” came Doc Bourbon's happy reply. “What changed your mind?”
“God did. He opened up a pathway of clear skies. You prayed, we prayed. And God answered. I've never seen anything like this. It's like a wormhole of peaceful skies; it's about 300 yards wide and 200 yards high. We are flying in a tunnel of love!” Captain Böndunum replied joyously.
“Incredible.” Turning to Oliver and a now conscious Sandy, he said to them, “Did you hear the good news?”
“We did,” Oliver replied.
“Captain, one final question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Are you related to someone named Ricky Böndunum?”
The silence made Doctor Bourbon wonder if the connection was lost. “Are you there, Captain Böndunum?” he asked.
“Ricky Böndunum. That's a name I haven't heard in a long time. Yes, I am. He's my brother's kid.”
“Captain, how much time will you need to be on the roof here in Paine Harbor?”
“Just a couple of minutes.”
“Okay. We will be on the roof awaiting your touch down in 10 minutes.” Doctor Bourbon said by way of ending the conversation.
“Roger that, Doc. But what is it about Ricky?” But as he spoke, Doctor Bourbon pushed the end button completing the call.
“Okay people,” Doc Bourbon instructed, “Let's get her moved and ready for transport to Bangor. Sandy, Oliver, God has done a great thing tonight, but we aren't done yet with needing His intervention. The folks in Bangor are the best that I know of, and they are awaiting your arrival, but we are a long way from being done with the crisis. I want your babies born with the next 40 minutes. We've got five to ten minutes until the helicopter gets here, and about a 22 minute flight. It'll take a couple of minutes to get her out of the helicopter and into the surgery. I've instructed my staff here to bring on the chopper the needed items to help get you ready for the C-Section, so we are cutting corners in the interest of saving time. But it is really tight.”
“Doc,” Oliver asked. “Are the babies in danger once we reach Bangor?”
“I have to say, yes. I don't know. But there couldn't be a better place to do this than in Bangor. It’s a teaching hospital and they have some of the finest doctors that I’ve ever worked with. But your job is two things: Trust God, then trust me. I believe we are all going to get through this!”
“We need to go,” an orderly said to Doctor Bourbon. He agreed and suddenly the gurney was being pushed rapidly through the hallways for the waiting elevator to take them to the rooftop heliport. As the elevator opened and they rushed her out to the staging area, Demetrius stepped over to his brother and put his arm around him.
“We got out first miracle with the weather, didn't we big brother?”
“Thank God,” Oliver responded with a heavy sign. “Thank God.”
It was then the sound of the helicopter could be heard in the southern sky. All eyes were fixed on the sky awaiting its arrival. Someone shouted, “There it is!” and everyone began to applaud in relief.
As the chopper landed on the roof, no time was wasted in moving Sandy on board. Two Registered Nurses as well as Doc Bourbon would travel to Bangor with Sandy and Oliver and the Air Ambulance team. As Doc Bourbon boarded the large helicopter, Captain Böndunum stepped up and introduced himself.
“You are quite convincing, Doctor.” Captain Böndunum said with a smile.
“Hehehe, there was a lot riding on getting my patient on this bird.” he replied. “You got room for one more, Captain?”
“Yes.”
Sticking his head out the doorway, he called out, “Ricky, come over here!” Ricky Böndunum was one of the men who had been on the rooftop praying for open skies. He ran over to the chopper and jumped in.
“Captain Böndunum, meet your nephew, Ricky Böndunum.” Doc Bourbon said.
“Been a long time, Ricky,” Captain Böndunum said.
“Sure has, Uncle,” Ricky replied.
“You two can catch up later, let's get this bird in the air!” Doctor Bourbon shouted.
After some final inspections, the huge helicopter headed into the sky and across the sea towards the mainland. The people who had gathered at the hospital in support of the Grace family had largely made their way up to the rooftop and were cheering in great joy as they chopper disappeared in the still dark sky.
Pastor Axel spoke up, “Listen, we’ve got a great amount of prayer support to provide! Let's meet in 15 minutes at the church building to continue. Please don't dawdle, the timing is urgent.”
Demetrius spoke up, “I just talked with Sarah and she has fresh coffee she’ll bringing to the church.”
A cheer erupted.
“C'mon, let's go!” Pastor Axel urged.
Midair over the Atlantic Ocean
Half way between Paine Harbor and Bangor
“We are losing her!” the paramedic shouted to Doctor Bourbon. “Her heart rate is dropping and her blood pressure is only 80 over 55.”
Oliver turned white as a ghost hearing this interchange. The thought of losing Sandy was simply too much to fathom. He'd seen the agony Demetrius had experienced in the loss of April last year, and wasn't willing to allow his mind to go to that dark place. “Jesus,” he interceded, “I'm standing on your Word and your promises, but I'm scared to death. I need you now.”
“We are most certainly not going to lose her, young man.” Doc Bourbon stated emphatically. “Let's focus on getting her stabilized and ready to deliver these little boys!”
Paine Harbor Community Church
The believers had gathered, sipping steaming hot coffee and eating yesterday’s pastries they were talking excitedly amongst themselves about the wonders they'd witnessed this morning. Laughter and joy filled the little church building. It was an electric moment that would be treasured and spoken of for generations to come.
Without warning, Niels spoke up in a strong voice saying, “We must pray. We aren't done. I sense Sandy is in trouble. Put down your coffee and let's seek the Lord! Now!”
Immediately a sense of sobriety and purpose fell over the crowd. Looking at one another in shock, they did precisely what they'd been instructed to do and soon the voices of the believers filled the room with hungry prayers crying out for Sandy and her babies. Prayers in English were mixed with those who preferred their native Icelandic language, and many were quietly praying in tongues but they all had one goal: The safety and health of Sandy Grace and the triplets.
Andi moved about the room softly encouraging those who grew weary, confused or even discouraged. As her hands touched the people, a stirring began to grow in the room and the prayers became increasingly fervent. Even Penelope Gourmand was weeping openly as she prayed.
San Diego, California
The home of Iris Alone
“What?” came the concerned reply as Sandy's mother Iris listened carefully to Demetrius on her phone. Once the initial crisis had passed, Demetrius realized that Iris needed to be brought up to speed on what was happening with her daughter.
“They are on the way in a medevac helicopter to Bangor where they have a state of the art NICU and where the babies can be better cared for. Oliver told me he'd text me as soon as they got settled there.” Demetrius explained, “but this is quite serious. She needs prayer and she needs it now.”
Once the initial shock subsided, Iris began to strategize. “Okay, Demetrius. Thank you so much! I'm getting a group of people to start praying right now!”
“Stay connected to Facebook, that is the easiest way for me to communicate to the most people at once.” Demetrius instructed. “But I will call you as soon as I know something, you are the Grandmother after all!”
“Thanks, I'll talk to you in a little while,” Iris said by way of conclusion as she grabbed her laptop and logged into her Facebook account, simultaneously calling her pastor to inform her of the news. Within moments hundreds of people were notified either via Facebook or text messages of the seriousness of Sandy's condition. Not unlike the opening scenes of the classic Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life; the Heavenly Places were immediately stirred with the prayers of dozens of people seeking God's intervention for the Grace family.
Bangor, Maine
The rooftop of Bangor Medical Hospital
The paramedic was busy monitoring Sandy’s vital signs when he shouted out, “I can't get a heart rhythm!”
“No you don't,” Doc Bourbon shouted to an unconscious Sandy Grace, “Get the paddles ready, we are going to shock her.”
Oliver didn't realize it, but his face was ashen and covered with tears. “This cannot be happening.” was his unspoken thought. “Jesus, we need you here now.”
Extraordinarily he felt God’s presence immediately to his side and in turning he sensed Holy Spirit was at work.
As Doc Bourbon was about to place the electrically charged paddles on her chest, a sudden distinctive sound was heard. It was the sound of Sandy's heartbeat on the monitors, strong, powerful and consistent. All eyes turned to Sandy's face as they watched in astonishment as she rapidly pinked up in a matter of seconds.
“Give me her vitals!” Doc Bourbon demanded. Seeing no response from the paramedics assisting him, for they were in utter disbelief at what they'd just witnessed, he did the assessment himself. Turning to Oliver he said, “She's fine. I cannot tell you what just happened, but she is just fine. Let's get her inside and get these babies born!” The paramedics jumped into renewed activity and within seconds the gurney was racing across the rooftop to the waiting elevator.
In the midst of the noise and chaos, Oliver heard the Voice, “She's okay, Ollie. The prayers of the believers have been heard. You've believed the promises. You've believed the prophetic words. I’m at work.” Taking the stairs to save time, he arrived just as the elevator doors opened with Sandy and the doctors.
“You're Mr. Grace?” said a nearby nurse. “Come with me. You want to be with her right? Then we've got to get you gowned up and we don't have much time.” A still stunned Oliver simply nodded and followed the nurse.
The Waiting Room
Bangor Regional Hospital
Seated in a nearby waiting room Ricky and his Uncle were speechless. The atmosphere was thick with the glory of God as the men were overwhelmed in the Presence of God. It was most certainly an unparalleled experience for both men.
“It's all about love,” Captain Böndunum said to his nephew. “That's what God’s agenda is. He just wants to express love. What we saw tonight is love. It's who He is.”
After a few moments, Ricky spoke up, “Why haven't I, or most people I know, seen love like this before? I mean, I've seen some pretty bad stuff in my life, heck, I've caused a lot of it too! It seems to me that bad stuff is the norm, and this is like a freak anomaly.”
“I know, Ricky,” he replied softly. “But over the past few years, I’ve discovered love is always nearby and awaiting to be discovered. For so many years I missed seeing love because I didn’t have the eyes to see it. I was blind to love. I missed it because my hearts was hardened, but love is there regardless. It is in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the sunshine warms our bodies and the food that gives it strength. But more than that, I’ve learned if I’m aware of my need, He is more than willing to meet it.”
Ricky considered what his uncle had said, “I think I understand, but... tonight wasn't that kind of generic love. He stepped in and changed history. There wasn’t a way for your chopper to fly, and then there was! Sandy’s heart had stopped, and then she was fine. I’m overwhelmed.”
“Ricky, don’t you think He was there all along?” Captain Böndunum asked. “But, I know you are going to ask this, so I'll answer it for you. You would ask, 'But what changed? What made it so obvious?' And here's the answer. You changed. I changed. Hundreds of others changed. And this simple change is you've begun to believe. Faith is invading our lives and it is faith which changes the world.”
Ricky felt as if his heart was going to beat out of his chest, as the reality of this truth began to permeate and shine in his inner man. Religion had always tried to force change upon him, but what was being revealed was the only way to be truly changed is simply to believe God at His word. Embracing faith is what brings this kind of transformation.
Ricky wept. His uncle joined him.
The Surgical Theater
Bangor Regional Hospital
The surgery was filled with nearly a dozen medical professionals rushing about purposefully as they prepared for the C-Section and the birth of three premature babies. Sandy's vitals continued to be strong as the anesthesiologist began her work and as the surgeon performed the cesarean procedure.
For a layman, the surgery was a frightening place filled with a confusing cacophony of noises, machines, tubes, wires, and people. Oddly enough, the air conditioning was ignoring the freak late winter storm and was blasting freezing cold air throughout the room. Oliver thought it was strange that no one seemed to notice just how cold it was as he was brought into the room by a nurse named Nancy who'd helped him get changed into a disposable green set of sterile surgical scrubs. Someone had put a Beethoven's 9th symphony on the Bluetooth speaker in the corner.
Oliver stood by his beloved life-partner, lover, best friend and the mother of his boys. Not knowing quite what to do with himself in the midst of the organized chaos of the doctors, anesthesiologist, nurses, and aides, he simply rubbed Sandy's arm in tenderness. Quietly praying and praising God for what he'd witnessed, he was awaiting the unveiling of the three little boys that he already loved without hesitation and who he would gladly give his own life for without thought or consideration. He'd secretly smuggled his iPhone into surgery and quickly texted Demetrius an update, “In surgery, all is good. Sandy strong. Pray.”
Paine Harbor Community Church
“Listen up, everyone,” Demetrius shouted. “I just got a text from Oliver. Listen – he says: 'In surgery, all is good, Sandy strong. Pray.'
As he was about to say something, he was shouted down with the sounds of the believers praising God yet again for this good word!
Interrupting the group, he said, “Hey, Oliver asked us to pray!” And pray they did.
The Surgical Theater
“I'm making the initial bikini incision,” the surgeon said.
“Oliver, are you sensitive to blood?” Doc Bourbon asked good-naturedly. Seeing his response, he suggested it might be best if he kept his attentions focused on Sandy's face. Oliver readily agreed.
“Okay, great. Now I need the peritoneum scissors,” came the demand. Receiving them, he continued, “I'm cutting through the peritoneum layer. Excellent.”
Although he was staring intently as his beautiful wife, Oliver's forehead was breaking out in a cold sweat.
A few minutes later, the surgeon said, “All is well. I'm making the incision in the uterus. Mr. Grace, you'll be meeting your sons in just a few moments.”
Oliver muttered something unintelligible, as his stomach did flips.
Addressing the team of attending student doctors, along with the specially trained neo-natal nurses, the surgeon said, “Team One, I'm ready to deliver the first baby. Are you ready to receive?”
They replied affirmatively.
“Mr. Grace, baby one is out and I'd like to offer you the opportunity to cut the umbilical cord. Are you up to it?”
Grasping the significance of this, Oliver shook himself out of his queasiness and said, “Sure.”
“Then step over by my side, let's do this. We've got two more who want my attention.”
Doc Bourbon handed Oliver the scissors and gave him quick instructions. Nodding in understanding, Oliver suddenly realized he was looking upon his firstborn son who was rapidly working himself into a frenzy.
“Is he okay?” he asked as he cut the surprisingly tough cord, and as the baby was whisked away by a team of nurse and doctors.
“Perfect.” Doc Bourbon said, “Here's comes number two.”
Oliver cut the cord and like his older brother, he was stolen away by the attending doctor. Oliver took joy in the piercing cry coming from his son as they placed him on the 'baby-warmer'.
“And last but not least, here's Grace baby three.” the surgeon said with obvious delight in his eyes.
By now, Oliver felt like a seasoned professional when it comes to cutting umbilical cords and took his time doing so he might relish the moment. A screaming baby and impatient doctors cut the moment short and without further ado, the Grace boys were successfully and somewhat miraculously brought into the world.
“Come with me,” Doctor Bourbon instructed Oliver as he stepped over to the area where baby one was being examined. Addressing the team, he asked for the APGAR score. APGAR is medical lingo for the five-fold evaluation test given to all newborns at various intervals after birth to determine initial health. Appearance, pulse, grimace, activity and respiration are measured and given a score from 0 to 2. Two is good. A total score of 10 is possible but unlikely.
“APGAR initial report at one minute. 2, 2, 1, 1, 2 – total 8.” came the reply.
Turning to team two, “APGAR?”
“1, 2, 2, 1, 1 – total 7”
“Three?”
“2, 2, 1, 2, 1” - total 8”
“Follow me,” he said to a thoroughly confused Oliver as he walked back over to Sandy. Speaking to the surgeon he asked, “How's she doing?”
“Good. All of her vitals are strong. I'm putting her uterus back in place, and will soon be sewing her up. Mr. Grace, you've got one strong woman here!” the surgeon reported.
The next few minutes were a blur for Oliver as he walked back and forth between Sandy and each baby. Given the size of the medical team in the room, it was hard for him to get in close to his sons, but he did his best to carefully study their faces, counting their fingers and toes and doing the usual first-time-dad stuff. Except for Oliver everything was done times three.
The nurse stepped over to Oliver after a few minutes and suggested he go out to get a cup of coffee. “They've got quite a bit of work to do in here, and you look like you could benefit from sitting down for awhile. Trust me, you are going to need all the rest you can get! Besides, the doctors will come out and give you an update in a few minutes.”
Oliver agreed and allowed her to guide him to the waiting room where Ricky awaited. The look on his face told the story as he greeted him. Ricky immediately jumped to his feet to embrace Oliver in celebration. As Ricky released him from his grip, Oliver felt the stress of the past several hours leave his body instantly being replaced by joy unparalleled.
Finally, Oliver spoke up. Shaking his head in near disbelief he simply stated the obvious, “I have three sons!”
Ricky broke out into raucous laughter. Looking at him in a somewhat confused manner, Oliver wondered what was so funny. “What? What'd I say?”
Paine Harbor Community Church
Having received the good news of the safe arrival of the Grace triplets into the world, the prayer warriors began to celebrate wildly in joy.
“This is a big day for my family,” Demetrius said to those present. “Heck, this is a big day for Paine Harbor! As Uncle Demetrius and spokesman for the Grace family, I want you to know how grateful we are for your friendship, support and especially tonight for your sacrificial prayers. You changed the world tonight. Your prayers altered weather patterns, calmed stress levels, and changed history. Mark this day on your heart! God has brought these three little babies into the world to change the world! Prophetically, they have a destiny on their lives that will be fulfilled. And the enemy cannot have victory! Your faith, your prayers, your presence helped to make sure their destinies are not short-changed. Thank you!”
A shout of praise erupted and once again the sound of heaven was released in their joy filled praises.
“Friends,” Demetrius laughed. “I'm hungry. Will you join me at Portia’s Place? My treat. Seriously, it is the least I can do. After we eat, we'll go to my shop for some good coffee. But I've got a hankering for some of Portia’s hash browns. Let's go.”
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