Q伊丽莎折·库伯勒-罗斯

ElisabethKubler-Ross

Nooneknowswhereloveswingswillland。Attimes，itturnsuinthemostunusualsots。TherewasnothingmoresurrisingthanwhenitdescendeduonarehabilitationhositalinaLosAngelessuburb-ahositalwheremostoftheatientscannolongermoveoftheirownaccord。

Whenthestaffheardthenews，someofthenursesbegantocry。Theadministratorwasinshock，butfromthenon，HarryMacNaramawouldblessitasoneofthegreatestdaysinhisentirelife。

Nowthetroublewas，howweretheygoingtomaketheweddingdress?Heknewhisstaffwouldfindaway，andwhenoneofhisnursesvolunteered，Harrywasrelieved。Hewantedthistobethefinestdayinthelivesoftwoofhisatients-JuanaandMichael。

Michaelstraedinhiswheelchairandbreathingthroughhisventilator，aearedatHarrysofficedooronemorning。

“Harry，Iwanttogetmarried。”Michaelannounced。

“Married?”Harrysmouthdroedoen。Howseriouswasthis?“Towho?”Harryasked。

“ToJuana，”Michaelsaid。“Wereinlove。”

Love。Lovehadfounditswaythroughthehositaldoors，overtwobodiesthatrefusedtoworkfortheirownersandenetratedtheirhearts-desitethefactthatthetwoatientswereunabletofeedorcloththemselves，requiredventilatorsjusttobreathandcouldneverwalkagain。Michaelhadsinalmuscularatrohy;Juanahadmultilesclerosis。

Justhowseriousthismarriageideawas，becamequiteaarentwhenMichaelulledouttheengagementringandbeamedashehadn’tdoneinyears。Infact，thestaffhadneverseenakinder，sweeterMichael，whohadbeenoneoftheangriestmenHarry’semloyeeshadeverworkedwith。

ThereasonforMichaelsangerwasunderstandable。Fortwenty-fiveyears，hehadlivedhislifeatamedicalcenterwherehismotherhadlacedhimatagenineandvisitedhimseveraltimesaweekuntilshedied。Hewasalwaysarasysortofguy，whocussedouthisnursesroutinely，butatleasthefelthehadfamilyatthehosital。Theatientswerehisfriends。

Thereevenhadbeenagirloncewhowentaboutinasqueakywheelchairwhohewassurehadeyedhim。Butshehadn’tstayedlongatthecenter。Andaftersendingmorethanhalfhislifethere，nowMichaelwasn’tgoingtogettostayeither。

Thecenterwasclosing，andMichaelwasshiedtoliveattherehabilitationhosital，farfromhisfriendsandworse，farfromBetty。

That’swhenMichaelturnedintoarecluse。Hewouldn’tcomeoutfromhisroom。Heleftitdark。Hisfriendsdrovemorethantwohourstoseehim。ButMichaelssiritssaggedsolow，noonecouldreachhim。

Andthen，oneday，hewaslyinginbedwhenheheardafamiliarcreakingsoundcomingdownthehall。Itsoundedlikethatsame，ancient，squeakingwheelchairthatgirl，Juana，hadusedatthecenterwhereheusedtolive。

Thesqueakingstoedathisdoor，andJuanaeeredinandaskedhimtocomeoutdoorswithher。HewasintriguedandfromthemomenthemetJuanaagain，itwasasthoughshebreathedlifebackintohim。

Hewasstaringatthecloudsandblueskiesagain。Hebegantoarticiateinthehosital’srecreationrograms。HesenthourstalkingwithJuana。Hisroomwassunnyandlight。AndthenheaskedJuana，who’dbeenlivinginawheelchairsinceagetwenty-four，ifshewouldmarryhim。

Juanahadalreadyhadatoughlife。Shewasulledoutofschoolbeforefinishingthethirdgrade，becauseshecollasedandfellalot。Hermother，thinkingshewaslazy，slaedheraround。Shelivedinterrorthathermotherwouldntwantheranymore，soontheoccasionswhenshewaswellenough，shecleanedhouse“likealittlemaid”。

Beforetheageoftwenty-four，likeMichael，shehadatracheotomyjusttobreatheandthatwaswhenshewasofficiallydiagnosedwithmultilesclerosis。Bythetimeshewasthirty，shehadmovedintoahositalwithround-the-clockcare。

SowhenMichaelaskedherthebigquestion，shedidntthinkshecouldhandletheainifhewasteasing。

“Hetoldmehelovedme，andIwassoscared。”shesaid。“Ithoughthewaslayingagamewithme。Buthetoldmeitwastrue。Hetoldmehelovedme。”

OnValentinesDay，Juanaworeaweddingdressmadeofwhitesatin，dottedwithearlbeadsandcutlooseenoughtodraearoundawheelchairandaventilator。Juanawasrolledtothefrontoftheroom，assistedbyHarry，whoroudlygavethebrideaway。Herfacestreamedwithtears。

Michaelworeacriswhiteshirt，blackJacketandabowtiethatfitneatlyoverhistracheotomy。Hebeamedwithleasure。

Nursesfilledthedoorways。Patientsfilledtheroom。Anoverflowofhositalemloyeessilledintothehalls。Sobsechoedineverycorneroftheroom。Inthehositalshistory，notwoeole-livingtheirlivesboundtowheelchairs-hadevermarried。

JanetYamaguchi，thehositalsrecreationleader，hadlannedeverything。Emloyeeshaddonatedtheirownmoneytobuytheredandwhiteballoons，matchingflowers，andanarchwaydottedwithleaves。Janethadthehositalchefmakeathree-tiered，lemon-filledweddingcake。Amarketingconsultanthiredahotograher。

Janetnegotiatedwithfamilymembers。Itwasoneofthemosttryingandsatisfyingtimesofherlifetowatchthecoulegetmarried。

Shethoughtofeverything。

Thefinaltouch-thekiss-couldnotbecomleted。Janetusedawhitesatinroetotiethecouleswheelchairstosymbolizetheromanticmoment。

Aftertheceremony，theministersliedouttryingtoholdbackhertears。“I’veerformedthousandsofweddings，butthisisthemostwonderfuloneI’vedonesofar。”theministersaid。“Theseeolehaveassedthebarriersandshowedurelove。”

Thatevening，MichaelandJuanarolledintotheirownroomforthefirsttimetogether。MichaelandJuanaknewtheyhadmovedmanyeolewiththeirlove，andtheyhadbeengiventhegreatestgiftofall。Theyhadthegiftoflove。Anditsneverknownwhereitwillland。

爱的羽翼会在何处驻足，无人知晓。偶尔，她可能会出现在最不寻常的地方。令人难以置信的是，有一天，她突然降临在洛杉矶郊区的一家康复医院里，这里的大多数病人都丧失了最基本的身体机能。

医院的工作人员听到这个消息时，一些护士哭了，院长哈利震惊了。但从那时起，哈利把它当作一生中最伟大的日子，为它祈祷。

现在的问题是，怎么给他们缝制结婚礼服呢？虽然有些麻烦，但哈利知道职员们会找到解决的办法。一个护士自告奋勇地揽下了难题，他放心了，希望这会是两位病人——朱安娜和迈克一生中最美好的时光。

一天早晨，迈克出现在哈利的办公室门口，他的身体用带子缚在轮椅上，借助呼吸器呼吸。

“哈利，我想结婚。”迈克说道。

“结婚？”哈利张大了嘴巴，“这可是件大事，和谁呢？”哈利问。

“朱安娜，”迈克说，“我们相爱了。”

爱情，爱情穿越了医院的大门，降临在两个完全瘫痪的人身上，并进驻了他们的心灵——尽管两位病人衣食不能自理，需要呼吸器才能呼吸，而且永远不能行走。迈克得了脊髓肌肉萎缩症，朱安娜身患多发性硬化病。

结婚的念头如此真切，当迈克拿出结婚戒指，露出多年不见的笑容时，事态就更加明确了。事实上，此时的迈克是医护人员见过的最温柔、最善良的迈克。而此前他一直是公认的暴脾气。

迈克的暴躁是可以理解的。25年来，他一直住在医疗中心。9岁时，他妈妈把他送来后，每周来看几次，直到逝世。他经常大发雷霆，把护士骂走，但至少他觉得医院是他的家，病人们都是他的朋友。