Zion's Children - Pt 40

Doctor Alexander sighed. "It's a long story, Lily."

The young nurse looked over her shoulder at Byrin, who was still fussing with the hypo sprays. "We have time."

Marc supressed the urge to tell the other doctor to hurry. "I had been stationed here for a year, when I had a romance with a young woman. There was a lot of flack from her family and friends, because of the difference in our religions. I thought we would survive despite it. I was wrong. She broke our engagement off, three weeks before we were to wed. She didn't tell me why, just said it was over. A month later, she was brough to the clinic, because she was having a miscarriage and was losing a lot of blood."

"I'm so sorry," Lily whispered.

"So was I...despite my heathen ways, we'd never been together that way. The baby wasn't mine." Marcus sighed again, this time laden with sorrow. "But I moured it's death just the same. Her family had waited too long to bring her in, and she'd lost a lot of blood. She didn't make it either. I was...in a deep dark place I never want to go to again. Miri was still in her teens, but she was already helping me at the clinic. She was a mother hen type of nurse even then. She...made sure I didn't do anything stupid, and shared the gospel with me. But it took Levi sharing his own story, that brought me to know Jesus as my savior. I hope you don't mind if I leave the telling of his story to him."

"That's fine," Lily answered.

"Suffice it to say that I was faced with the fact that I was not alone in having been dealt a bad hand. We all go through times like that. We can either come face to face with our Creator and find comfort, salvation. Or we can just survive unti next time. I decided to face my Creator. And I found an everlasting love."

"I'm speachless," whispered Lily. She could hear the peace in his voice, see it on his face. She looked down at the ill Miri. Even unconscious and in the grip of fever, Miri still had a peace about her. "I came to Christ as a child, shortly before the Flu Scare. I almost lost my mother in a shuttle accident, she was badly injured but alive. When things had settled and I was able to tell her how scared I'd been...she told me that while she'd been in pain, she wasn't afraid of dying because she knew where she was going. We talked about her faith for several days, and I eventually prayed the sinner's prayer. It felt wonderful, but reality hit hard when the Flu hit us and so many died. Including my mother. She just wasn't strong enough to deal with the injuries and the flu. At the time, I felt peace because I was certain I was going to die too and then we'd be together again. But I survived."

"Lily, surely you don't feel guilty for surviving?"

"Every single day. It's why I became a nurse...to help as many survive illness and injuries as possible." Lily wiped away a tear that had escaped. "But people still die."

"Of course they do," Marc said softly. "It's the way of life. We're born into a chaotic world. The most we can do is live our life in such a way as to lead other's to Christ."

There was a gentle throat clearing and the two looked up to see Byrin standing with a ready hypo. "I'm ready to give Miri the medicine."

Silently Lily rose to her feet and moved quickly out of his way.

Byrin stepped forward and pressed the end of the hypo to Miri's shoulder.

"How long before we know if it's working?" Lily asked.

"Unsure. Within the hour. If not, I'll draw some blood and go from there." Byrin pulled a stool close.

"I'd best get back to the rest of the ward," Lily said. "There's still people people out there and I don't think Lily would appreciate it if I neglected them."

"I'll join you shortly," Marcus said.

"Very well." Lily turned and left the lab much quieter than she'd entered.