He Needed Me
A nurse escorted a tired, anxious young
man to the bed side of an elderly man. "Your
son is here," she whispered to the patient.
She had to repeat the words several times
before the patient's eyes opened. He was
heavily sedated because of the pain of his
heart attack and he dimly saw the young
man standing outside the oxygen tent.
He reached out his hand and the young
man tightly wrapped his fingers around it,
squeezing a message of encouragement. The
nurse brought a chair next to the bedside. All
through the night the young man sat holding
the old mans hand, and offering gentle words
of hope. The dying man said nothing as he
held tightly to his son.
As dawn approached, the patient died.
The young man placed on the bed the lifeless
hand he had been holding, and then he went
to notify the nurse.
While the nurse did what was necessary,
the young man waited. When she had fin-
ished her task, the nurse began to say words
of sympathy to the young man.
But he interrupted her. "Who was that
man?" He asked.
The startled nurse replied, "I thought he
was your father."
"No, he was not my father," he answered.
"I never saw him before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when
I took you to him?" asked the nurse.
He replied, "I also knew he needed his
son, and his son just wasn't here. When I
realized he was too sick to tell whether or not
I was his son, I knew how much he needed
me..."
A nurse escorted a tired, anxious young
man to the bed side of an elderly man. "Your
son is here," she whispered to the patient.
She had to repeat the words several times
before the patient's eyes opened. He was
heavily sedated because of the pain of his
heart attack and he dimly saw the young
man standing outside the oxygen tent.
He reached out his hand and the young
man tightly wrapped his fingers around it,
squeezing a message of encouragement. The
nurse brought a chair next to the bedside. All
through the night the young man sat holding
the old mans hand, and offering gentle words
of hope. The dying man said nothing as he
held tightly to his son.
As dawn approached, the patient died.
The young man placed on the bed the lifeless
hand he had been holding, and then he went
to notify the nurse.
While the nurse did what was necessary,
the young man waited. When she had fin-
ished her task, the nurse began to say words
of sympathy to the young man.
But he interrupted her. "Who was that
man?" He asked.
The startled nurse replied, "I thought he
was your father."
"No, he was not my father," he answered.
"I never saw him before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when
I took you to him?" asked the nurse.
He replied, "I also knew he needed his
son, and his son just wasn't here. When I
realized he was too sick to tell whether or not
I was his son, I knew how much he needed
me..."
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