The Power of Testimony

26 || ALL BUT NORMAL
• • •
“Good morning, Bevie. It sure is a nice day.”
The nurses always talked to Bev as they did their rounds.
As usual, the only response was the hiss of air f lowing into
her neck through the tracheotomy tube. A small black-​and-​
white television droned on from the desk across from the
bed. Russell had picked it up somewhere on his truck- driving
journeys. The nurses left it on permanently, on the doctor’s
theory that it would stimulate Bev’s brain.
“July Fourth was nice,” the nurse continued. “Kind of
hot. The fireworks were spectacular. You could see their
ref lection in the river. It was gorgeous.”
Suddenly something hit the nurse’s back and fell to the
f loor. She looked down—​a white stuffed dog rested at her
feet. She turned. Bev’s eyes were open, and her glare indicated
she was seriously annoyed. The nurse had been standing
between Bev and the television, and Bev had thrown the
dog to get her to move. The nurse gasped, dropped her tray,
and rushed from the room.
The call to the Gilvin house was triumphant, joyful, and
unexpected.
“I’m happy to tell you that Bev woke up today,” the doctor
said. “She’s going to live.”
Russell hugged Betty tightly, both of them feeling waves
of victory and relief. Betty cried. A miracle, it seemed, had
been granted as a result of the prayers of friends and family.
After three months, few people were expecting Bev to live.
The Gilvin sisters were beside themselves.