英语手抄报：Never Alone(2)

　　I started to put away my pocketbook, but I had one last call to make. I dialed the number of my church. An answering machine picked up my call. Should I leave a message? What should I say? We hadn't been attending long so I didn't know many people. Finally I just said that Mike was in the hospital and had taken a turn for the worse. Maybe they could say some prayers.

　　It seemed like forever sitting and wondering. I put my head in my hands and tried to hide my tears. Suddenly, a woman walked in and approached me.

　　"Peggy?" she asked, kneeling beside me. "I'm Lisa. I'm a social worker here at the hospital, and I also go to your church. I got a call from the pastor that you were here, so I ducked over to see if you were okay."

　　I looked up, surprised. She seemed so calm and gentle. Seemingly out of the blue, someone had found me and offered help. I wiped the tears from my cheek.

　　"If you need anything, ask someone to page me. Okay?" She put her hand on my shoulder and smiled comfortingly.

　　"Yes, thank you so much," I sniffed. Before long, I was allowed in to see Mike. He was hooked up to monitors, IVs, and was wearing an oxygen mask, but I was so happy to be with him again. "You're going to be fine," I said, stroking his arm. I hoped. I looked to the doctor at his bedside.

　　"There are multiple clots in both lungs," he said. "He's on heparin and coumadin; blood thinners. The next few days are very important."

　　I understood. Hopefully the blood clots would break up and dissolve. But if they didn't, or if they traveled to the brain, the results could be fatal. Blood clots were serious business. The doctor left, and Mike dozed off. I sat by his side, aching for something I could do to help him. I put my head against his hand and cried. Then it was time to leave for the evening. I returned home alone.

　　But as I sat there in my quiet house, eating my dinner, the phone started ringing. First, a woman from our church called; she identified herself as Sue and offered to give me rides back and forth to the hospital. She even insisted on driving three hours each way to pick up Kate at college and bring her home for the weekend. Then someone else called and said she'd stop by with a meal. I didn't even know these people! Finally, just before I went to bed, the phone rang again. It was my mom.

　　"I was trying to arrange to take a bus tomorrow," she said. "But my friend said, ‘No way!' She's going to drive me there right now. We'll get in about 2 am."

　　"She'll drive all that way in the middle of the night?" I asked, unbelieving.

　　"Yup. I'll see you soon. Just hang in there."

　　I did, thanks to the support of Lisa, Sue, and others I barely knew. Mike recovered, came home, and gradually grew stronger. And I was stronger, too. With good, caring people everywhere, ready to lend a hand, I am never really alone.