A Deal With God: The Power of One Page 2
The game ended tied 2–2. At that time they played “Golden Goal.” Basically, the girls have an extra 30 minutes to play until someone scores. If no one scores they do a shootout.
The overtime seemed to last forever. Then, a Southside player made a hand ball infraction inside their own defensive eighteen yard box. Tampa was awarded a penalty kick and they scored off of it. Tampa 3, Southside 2.
Later that afternoon they had to play in the finals. They were going up against a team from Jacksonville. Jacksonville was ranked 7th in the country. Tampa lost 4–1, but finishing 2nd out of thirty–eight teams in Division One was outstanding. Each girl received a large trophy. Deana said it was the first time she’d ever received any kind of accolade other than Honor Roll at school.
She was now sixteen and good enough to make her high school Varsity team. Even though she was only a sophomore, she started every game and played every minute. The high school team lost most of their games, but Deana earned the respect of every team she played. She had the reputation for being a fierce competitor. Her coaches to this day remember the huge effort she always gave.
As Deana approached age seventeen, the Wilsons were now approaching their upper sixties. The orphanage was down to four boys, plus Tammy and Deana. Deana was afraid the Wilsons would have to close the orphanage if it got to be too much work for them to handle. Deana took on even more responsibilities to make things easier for the Wilsons.
With the help of Mrs. Wilson, Deana was becoming an above average cook. She also had a penchant for dealing with and mentoring her foster brothers. Mr. Wilson had an amazing ability to reconcile any differences that arose among the boys. He had a natural way with children, even ones with difficult personalities. Mr. Wilson was the master of using positive rewards and incentives to motivate the kids.
Deana also seemed to have natural parenting skills, much of which she learned from the Wilsons. Being an orphan herself, she wanted to one day adopt children of her own and be an excellent mother.
Deana earned very high grades in high school and qualified for a substantial amount of grant, aid and scholarship money for college. She figured if she could handle a job working twenty to thirty hours a week and still keep her grades up, she could get thru college with very little debt when she graduated.
Deana stayed in Tampa to go to college. She attended The University of South Florida. Her grant money covered most of her tuition, dorm expenses and the school food program.
She got a job waiting tables at a local full service Italian restaurant. She went to class from 9am to 3:30, and then worked from 4:30 to 9:30. Waiting tables wasn’t exactly Deana’s passion. She’d have to lug heavy trays and clean up big messes. Nonetheless, living at the orphanage had prepared her well for this job. She was, in her own right, a very good waitress.
Unfortunately for Deana, she seldom had the free time enjoyed by most teenage girls. When she was done with work or had a day off she would study to keep her grades high so the grant and aid money would keep coming in. Despite her difficult schedule, she never complained or felt sorry for herself.
Deana graduated college April, 2011. She got her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. She got a job at a finance company that made loans to families and small businesses. Her company also did mortgage loans. Handling the mortgage loans was her preference, but she would need more experience and training to advance in her career.
On June 4th 2012, a husband and wife were scheduled to come to the office where Deana worked to fill out an application for a small home improvement loan. They called to say they were running late. They didn’t get to the office until 8:20 pm. By the time the loan was approved and the paperwork finished, it was well after 10 o’clock. Deana got in her Dodge Stratus intending to drive home to her apartment so she could enjoy a long overdue dinner.
She was driving north on Dale Mabry Highway, having just passed the Busch Boulevard overpass. A drunk driver going southbound jumped the median and went into Deana’s car head on. Deana was knocked unconscious and into a coma that would last over eleven weeks.
Late in the evening of August 21st Deana was in the intensive care unit at a Tampa hospital. Over the weeks since she’d been brought in, she’d seemed to be improving.
It was shocking to the Intensive Care Unit nurse when the machine monitoring Deana’s vital signs suddenly flat lined.
Deana felt her body floating thru a huge tunnel with a dazzling yellow light in the distance.
Deana was heartbroken, shaken and panic stricken. She screamed at the top of her lungs: “Lord please don’t take me yet. I have worked so hard to turn my life around. Please give me one more chance. I will do anything, I mean anything if you will send me back.”
“Deana Murphy,” God said, “I will send you back but there will be strict parameters.”
“You will move permanently to Dothan, Georgia.”
“A realty man named McGee will rent to you and watch out for you.”
“His niece Delores will help you find work.”
“You are to become the new matriarch of the Samuels’ family. The father Leon is a good man.”
“You are to meet the Samuels this November 4th, at Dothan Christian Church.”
“On April 20, 2020, the middle son Mark will be harmed at his school. You must prevent this. Tell no one of this deal. Do your best, you have my blessing.”
When Deana had flat lined the ICU nurse summoned the emergency room doctor and performed CPR. Within 20 seconds the doctor rushed to Deana’s bed. Deana’s vital signs returned to normal.
In a loud, firm voice Deana said the word: “DEAL!”
CHAPTER 3
LEAVING TAMPA
“Happy Birthday Miss Murphy,” the emergency room doctor said to Deana, as he was reading her chart. “Well Happy Birthday in about six more minutes.” It was 11:54pm.
“But doctor, it won’t be my birthday for two and a half more months.”
“Well, Miss Murphy, here’s the story. The night you came in was June 4th. You’ve been in a coma for over eleven weeks. In a few minutes it will be August 22nd.”
“You must be kidding.” However, as Deana looked around the intensive care ward she realized it was no joke.
“How do you pronounce your first name Miss Murphy?” The doctor asked politely.
“DEE–nuh, with only two syllables. The first ‘a’ is silent.” As Deana responded to the doctor she had been looking around for a mirror. She saw her reflection in a glass and something did not look right. “How bad and how permanent are my injuries? May I have a mirror to see my face?”
The doctor paused before replying. “Your head injuries are minor and you seem to have no brain trauma, so you should end up being fine. During your eleven week coma, your broken bones healed and our emergency room doctor and his ophthalmologist colleague Dr. Roberts did an amazing job saving your eyes. You’re very lucky, Deana. The night you came in on June 4th, glass from your windshield was embedded in your eyes. Usually when patients come into the emergency room like you did, the main objective is to stabilize you only. But in your case the doctor was afraid of permanent blindness if the glass was not removed immediately. Your vision seems fine and your eyes look beautiful. Are you seeing everything clearly Deana?”
“As long as I keep from crying, my vision seems normal. But my nose and chin look strange.”
The nurse had given Deana a mirror.
“Your chin and nose can be corrected with simple procedures. The damage to your chest can also be repaired. They do amazing things with cosmetic surgery after your kind of accident.”
Deana reached down to her breasts and started to cry. There wasn’t much left under the bandages.
“Honest Deana, the damage can be fixed. Look at it this way, the insurance company has a financial incentive to bring in the very best reconstructive specialists. If you take them to court and show permanent disfigurement to the jury, you’ll receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensa
tion. They don’t want to pay that kind of money. By making you look good they can pay you a much smaller settlement. I can have someone help you find which insurance agent to deal with. The important thing now is getting you well.”
The next day was one MRI after another. The hospital’s doctors wanted to confirm there was no brain damage. She was even given a CT scan.
Deana appeared alert, coherent, and sharp. She was, however, having trouble walking. The healing process would require extensive physical therapy. Deana thought to herself, I have to regain my strength, get three surgeries and be in Dothan by November 4th. I’m understanding the gist of strict parameters.
She asked to talk to the doctor to figure out a game plan. Dr. James was the doctor from the previous night and Deana felt comfortable talking to him.
When Dr. James came to her bedside he sought to boost Deana’s spirits, “Your dark brown hair has grown three or four inches since you first got here. It looks really flattering with your complexion and green eyes. Also, they’ve scheduled your cosmetic surgery for next Tuesday. Between now and then we need to get you walking, even if it’s with crutches.”
“Thank for the compliment, Dr. James. I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me. I’ve been doing some thinking and before we map out my rehab schedule I should let you know I’m moving to Georgia. I have to be there the 1st week of November, if not sooner. My entire future depends on this move.”
“Deana, this accident was very serious. You are going to need months, if not years, of therapy. If you can walk without a limp or without crutches by November it will be a minor miracle. But if you’re more comfortable rehabbing there, it’s your call. Would you mind if I asked you why the quick move?”
“I want to live in a small town where the pace is slower and I don’t have to drive so much. I also have someone to look out for me in Georgia. In addition, I’ve kind of been set up on a blind date.” Deana laughed lightly.
“Oh, a love interest. Your date may go better if you can walk without braces or crutches.”
“Yes sir, exactly. I’m open to any suggestions that will help me speed up my recovery. I’ll work day and night as hard as I can.”
“You have the right attitude, Deana. This next week will be critical. You need to get your muscles working before your surgeries because you’ll need some down time to recover. Get a good night’s sleep and get to the rehab center first thing in the morning. The insurance agent left a message saying he can come by tomorrow around lunchtime.”
The next day Deana was up shortly after dawn. The physical therapist put her on a machine like a treadmill. The difference was there were bars on both sides to hold on to. The problem was her arms were as weak as her legs from being immobile so long. She was getting discouraged.
The physical therapist was quick to reassure Deana. “Why don’t we do some exercises to build up your arms first? Then you can ride an exercise bike. In a few days we’ll try the treadmill again.”
By ten o’clock she was utterly exhausted. The physical therapist was amazed Deana made it through almost three hours of therapy.
Deana went back to her room. She had a friend go over to her apartment to retrieve her lap top computer. By pressing a few keys Deana quickly paid almost three months of bills. After checking her account balance online she felt a twinge of nervousness about how low she was getting on money.
She grabbed a snack, said a quick prayer and hoped everything would go well with the insurance agent.
Promptly at 12pm, a distinguished man in his late forties came to see Deana. He introduced himself and sat about ten feet away from her.
“I see you’re going to get your three surgeries next Tuesday. Are you sure you don’t want to do your nose and chin next week and your chest maybe a week or two later?”
“I have to be in Georgia by the end of October or the start of November. It’s imperative I’m up there by then. It should speed up my physical therapy to have as little down time as possible.”
“If the doctors are fine with that, we’re more than happy to oblige you. We’ll take care of anything medical you need. Also, if we can forego the attorneys, I can get you a quick cash settlement so you can have money for a new car and your moving expenses.”
Deana, being a Finance major, had a quick reply. “I’m going to be looking for a little more than moving money. Besides the ten thousand for a replacement Dodge Stratus SXT I expect fifteen thousand for lost wages and an additional ten thousand for pain and suffering. If you write a check for thirty–five thousand dollars, I won’t hire an attorney and I will sign off for you.”
“That sounds fair. Let me talk to my manager and I’ll let you know. Tomorrow is Friday. I’ll come back tomorrow afternoon and we can readdress this issue. Thank you Miss Murphy. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“Thank you,” Deana replied. She said another prayer and took a nap. At 3:30pm she woke up and buzzed the nurse. “I’m ready to go back to the rehab center.”
The nurse looked at Deana like she was crazy. “You worked out for three hours this morning. You need your rest. Tomorrow is another day.”
“If I lay in bed all day, I’ll never get better. I’ve been working out at a very slow tempo. I know I can do another half hour. Please?”
“Let me ask the doctor.” Ten minutes later the nurse was back with a wheelchair. “He said all right if you agree to take it easy.”
Deana nodded and was soon back at the rehab center. At six o’clock they asked her to leave. They could tell she had done enough for one day.
“You are going to be sore tomorrow young lady,” the floor physical therapist said. Unfortunately, he was right.
At 7am the next morning Deana was practically unable to move. She was sore in parts of her body she didn’t know she had. Nonetheless, she buzzed the nurse and asked to go back to the rehab center. She didn’t care how uncomfortable she was, she wasn’t going to lay around all day. She pushed herself hard to make progress, no matter how small the improvement.
Deana did three more hours of exercises. She went even slower than the previous day. She didn’t care. She wanted to do the treadmill by Monday, before her surgeries.
After a three hour nap, she was still exhausted. She would have slept even longer but at two o’clock the insurance agent called to say he was on his way back to her room.
“I think I have good news for you Miss Murphy. I mean at least it’s not bad news. You can replace your Stratus for about $8,500 dollars. They usually don’t give more than $10,000 for lost wages without a lot of IRS return scrutiny, and it’s tough to get $10,000 for pain and suffering because it’s so hard to gauge. My manager wanted me to offer you $25,000, but I told him I didn’t think you’d settle for less than $30,000. He okayed the $30,000. I have the check and the paperwork here in my briefcase.”
“I’ll accept the settlement, however, I think an attorney could have gotten me a lot more.”
The agent smiled at Deana. “Yes and no. Maybe you’d get $75,000 or $100,000, but an attorney typically keeps 30–40% of the settlement. Also, you wouldn’t see a dime for two to three years. Plus, think of all the time you’d spend in court. All things considered, this is better.”
Deana halfheartedly agreed. She took the check and signed the papers, realizing there was no way she could go thru a lengthy court process in Florida.
Three–thirty approached and Deana buzzed the nurse. “I have to do at least a little more, I can tell I’m getting stronger.”
Deana suffered a setback. She tried the treadmill again but her right leg buckled and she fell forward onto her hands and knees. She wanted to cry. She gathered herself, asked to be moved to the stationary bike and did the easier exercise. She did leg presses and leg curls. She did the bench press. After two hours the therapists sent her back to her room. They were afraid of Deana going too hard and hurting herself.
Saturday morning at 7am, Deana was back for more. She was sore, tired, and in a bad mood. She was, howe
ver, motivated. She did the bench press, bicep curls, leg presses, and leg curls.
As she was doing her leg exercises Dr. James came into the hospital rehab center. It was his day off and Deana was happy, yet surprised to see him. An intern was following him with a big bag of equipment.
“I have something that may help you get over the hump, Deana. This is pretty cutting edge physical therapy. It’s a generic version of an exercise they are doing at some of the Veteran Administration hospitals for the returning injured soldiers.”
The first item from the bag was installed over the treadmill Deana was having trouble with. It looked like a canopy. Straps dropped down and offered far more support than when she tried to use it with just the handrails. There were four straps. Two of the straps went between her legs and were very uncomfortable and somewhat embarrassing.
Deana did not let that stop her. She did the exercise and walked for the first time in almost twelve weeks. Deana was probably only supporting 30% of her weight but she was thrilled and optimistic she would be walking on her own soon.
Deana worked out hard thru the weekend and on Monday. She made progress every day. Her Monday workout would be her last until Saturday.
Surgery was Tuesday morning and she’d need three additional days doing nothing but resting for recovery. The surgeries went well with no glitches. It was nice having a normal feeling chest again. Even more so, it was nice not having her nose and chin sitting sideways on her face.
Saturday morning Dr. James brought the treadmill apparatus for her again. It was a big help because it was an exercise that actually simulated walking. She worked hard all weekend and took Labor Day Monday off.
On Tuesday at 7am she was back for more rehab. When she returned to her room at ten she went online to look for her replacement Stratus. A Dodge dealer two towns north had a black 2005 Stratus SXT almost identical to Deana’s white Stratus SXT. Deana’s had a few thousand less miles but that was the only difference.