A Vow is a Vow, Part Two

Part One here.
Last Summer, Johnny and I decided we would get married in September. He'd said that no one would take better care of him than me. Two and a half years into his illness I had been caring for him day and night. He never wanted me to leave his side.

So we applied for the marriage license and set the date for Sunday, September 9th, 2007. We chose to exchange vows in Ryan and Lisa's back yard among the trees and plants that my son had planted. It was a beautiful setting to confess our love for one another and become husband and wife.

On Thursday, October 4th, we threw Johnny a surprise birthday party. It was his 67th birthday but all his friends managed to keep the surprise a secret. Johnny's eyes welled up with tears as he found the cocktail lounge at our condo was filled with many of his close friends. He celebrated in style that night, spending time talking with each person there.

Then the roller coaster ride of ALS went into overdrive on October 16th of last year when Johnny suffered a serious fall while walking behind me in Holy Cross hospital. We were in their Orthopaedic Center because I had broken my foot. Johnny had an episode of "drop-foot" that caused him to fall dead weight onto the marble floor. He was hospitalized with a broken orbit, a fractured shoulder and wrist.

We spent 32 days in Holy Cross hospital while Johnny recuperated from the fall. I stayed by his side through each of those days and nights. Through natural healing and much physical therapy he was ready to return home on November 16th. As he would become extremely anxious when I had to leave to do errands, I promised again that I would never abandon him. I will always be there for him. He was sent home with a brace for his right leg that would prevent the drop foot from recurring.

We thought we were done with the hospital for a while. We were wrong.

To be Continued...