Exceptional She never lost her faith. A Promise Kept by prettybluebirds      Faith Contest Winner  Artwork by VMarguarite at FanArtReview.com

I no longer had any faith in my husband Fred. Every time I counted on him to do something he failed me; always. It didn't matter if it was a big thing, or something relatively unimportant, he never came through for me. For instance, when it was my mother's birthday we made plans to take her out for dinner; Fred never showed up. He said he stopped to shoot a few games of pool and never noticed it was so late. Or, Fred was supposed to pick our son up after school and my son would have to call me to come get him. I could never count on him to do anything he promised to do. I lost any, and all, faith in my spouse. Now, Fred was asking me to have faith in his word again. He wanted to take a job in Alaska far from our home in Michigan. He promised faithfully, of course, to be back before our baby was born in February. He begged and pleaded his case till I couldn't stand hearing anymore. Finally, I agreed to let him go but informed him this was his last chance. If he failed me this time, it was over for us. "No matter what, I won't fail you this time," Fred promised. "I would rather die than not be here when our daughter is born." There were tears in his eyes as he spoke those words. I was almost convinced that he would indeed keep his word this time. I would have faith in him one more time. February came, but no husband. It appeared Fred was going to disappoint me yet again. I vowed that never again would he make me feel like this. I felt betrayed and alone as I cried myself to sleep at night. My pains started early the next day and I knew this would be the night. The labor was long and extremely difficult; something was not right. I saw the anxious looks on the doctors faces and I felt consciousness slipping away. I was too tired to fight anymore; I just wanted to let go and float away. Suddenly, I felt a strong hand grip mine and hope surged through my veins. Fred was here; he kept his word this time. "Don't' give up honey, you can do it. I'm here now. Just hang in there and, between the two of us, we can bring our daughter into this world," Fred said in a choked voice. It wasn't too much longer before I heard the cry of my daughter as she took her first breath. I smiled with relief and turned to look at my husband but no one was there. "Where did my husband go?" I asked the nearest nurse. The nurse gave me a puzzled look and replied, "Your husband? He's not here. There are only us nurses and the doctor." "That's not true, he was right here holding my hand just a minute ago," I cried. "I'm sorry, but there is no family allowed in the delivery room at any time. There was never anyone but the delivery team in here. We thought we lost you at one point; you must have been hallucinating and thought your husband was here", the doctor told me. They must be wrong, I know Fred was here; I heard his voice and I could still feel his hand holding mine. He must have gone out for a while so I could rest. He will be here in the morning. I fell into the sleep of the totally exhausted. I woke in the morning and waited joyfully to see my daughter for the first time and see her father's pride when he held her. I was so glad my husband kept his word. My faith in his love had finally proved right. At 10:00, my father-in-law came into my room and he looked awful. His eyes were all red and his hair was standing on end. "What's wrong Frank?, I asked. "I'm so sorry, my child. My son, Fred, your husband, was killed in a car wreck after leaving the airport to come to the hospital. He was killed instantly. His last thoughts were of you and the babe; I'm sure of that," my father-in-law said, with tears running down his face. I think I went into shock for a while. I remember a nurse giving me a shot of something. When I recovered enough to finally hold my daughter, I knew there was one thing I would say to her when she was old enough to understand. I would tell her how her daddy was there the night she was born. Fred told me he would rather die than not live up to my faith in him. He was there, as promised when his daughter was born. Writing Prompt Write a story about faith. Faith Contest Winner Recognized Author Notes I wrote this in a hurry as my time was short. If you spot too many errors feel free to tell me. Hugs to you all.

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