Universal

Chapter 5

Judson had been taken to St. Mary's hospital in the college town of Athens, GA, about 30 minutes away. Troy hadn't left his side. Judson had lost consciousness again on the drive, but the doctor had assured Troy that there was a pulse, and it was strong. He would make it, his body just needed some rest. Troy didn't plan on leaving his boss' side until he was ready to go home. He didn't want his parents to worry about him, so he asked Patricia to go to the farm and let them know what was going on. He would have called, but the downed phone lines weren't what stopped him from doing so. The dirt floor shack that he called home didn't have indoor plumbing, let alone a telephone. Patricia had been happy to help, and rushed to Troy's home as soon as she saw the doctor's truck and the men that were loaded in the back make their way down the dirt highway. 

Patricia was young, and she knew that there was a lot that life still had to teach her. She also knew that she would never be more sure who she wanted to spend her life with than the young man attentively hovering at his boss's side. She had given up a lot of the things that her friends were able to experience in a relationship by being with Troy, but it was all worth it. Most weekends, while their friends were at the drive in or at the Legion dances, Troy was working. Sometimes she joined him on his family farm, helping with the chores, just so they could spend time together. The way she saw it, she knew exactly the man she would be getting after she married him. And she knew that she would marry him. He would work hard, and do whatever he could to provide a good life for her and their children. She couldn't have asked for a better partner to do life with than him. 

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The hospital room that they had put Judson in was cold and sterile. It gave Troy the chills as he tried to settle into sleep on the chair beside Judson's bed. Judson was still sleeping, but the doctors had told Troy not to worry. They felt that a full recovery would happen over the next few weeks. They had informed Troy that Judson would be sore and would need help moving around and lifting things, but over time he would regain all of the strength that any 31 year old man who wasn't struck by lightening would have. The doctors were blown away at the fact that the lightening hadn't killed the man, but after all of the tests and scans they had done on him, they couldn't find anything wrong besides bruising on his chest, undoubtedly from the 40 minutes of chest compressions that Troy had done. 

As Troy thought about the day's events, he drifted off to sleep, a thin hospital blanket provided by one of Judson's nurses tucked under his chin. Troy tossed and turned in the stiff chair as his subconscious mind processed all that had gone on. Over and over his mind replayed the series of events. He could hear the rain and feel it on his skin. His heart dropped every time his mind replayed the vision of Judson lying limply in the muddy rain puddle. Something sick, and eerie washed over him as the surveyed the black veining on the ground around his friend, having more time in his dream to walk around and inspect than when the catastrophe had taken place. It looked like evil had entered the man, and after washing through his body, exited in the form of sharp, liquid branches of brimstone and char. He hadn't noticed the smell when he was awake, but in his dream it overpowered him. In his dream form he lifted the neck of his shirt to cover his face and block some of the odor from entering his nose as he continued to circle the body on the ground. His mind chewed the details of the situation, over processing  until doubt set in. Was there something he could have done? If he had stayed closer to Jud instead of rushing forward to open the door, would he have been struck instead? His mind flashed to Judson's face, perfectly still. There was no life behind the eyes that now stared back at him. Troy was sure that they had been closed before, but in his dream they were opened. The fatigue and emotions of seeing the scene again, this time with so much vivid detail were too much for Troy. His dream body dropped to the ground, much like it had done before, and he began to sob. His mind stayed in that position for what felt like hours before he finally opened his eyes again. It felt like waking up. He wasn't in the hospital room, or the muddy lot outside of the diner. Instead, he found himself, kneeling in a field of wildflowers. It appeared to be a beautiful summer day. The sun was shining down on him, warm enough to blush his cheeks, but not so hot that he broke a sweat. He heard the sound of birds, and smelled the sweet nectar of honey suckle. He was confused, as he stood and wiped the tears from his cheeks. Turning in circles, he looked for something familiar. He didn't know this field. He was sure it wasn't any place in Bethlehem. Troy began to panic when a voice spoke to him. Looking at the sky, as it had sounded as if it may have been the source of the words being spoken, Troy spoke back. "Who's there?"

"Be calm." The voice said again. 

You would think, hearing voices from a cloud would make a person panic, but Troy felt a rush of calming energy. It gave him the courage to speak again to the sky. "Who are you?" He asked again. 

"I am." The voice responded. "I am...the great architect of all you survey. I am...the creator of life near, and far. I am....the one with all of the answers."

"The answers to what?" Troy called out. 

"The answers to questions you will ask at another time. For now, I have come to thank you. The greatest love of all is the willingness to give your life for a friend. It is because of your great love for mankind and the sacrifice you would have made that caused Judson to awaken from his death. You do not know it yet, but today you helped to save the world."

Just as Troy started to ask for further explanation, a beeping noise brought him back to reality. He awoke, twisted up in the hospital blanket sitting uncomfortably in the chair beside Judson's hospital bed.