Minnie Goes to Heaven (59)

(a novel continued)

While Minnie and John were buying a hot chocolate at the snack truck parked on the shoreline the woman approached them. “Hi Minnie. How are you?”

“Fine...and how are you?”

“Very well thanks.”

Minnie still didn’t know who this woman could be. 
John seemed amused. He didn’t say a word. Ordinarily Minnie would have introduced him. 
“Jesus help,” Minnie breathed.

“Ask her,” she heard in her heart.

“Okay,” Minnie looked squarely at the woman. “I know I know you, but I have no idea how.” There she had said it.

“You wouldn’t,” the woman said. “I was your nurse in the hospital. I read your chart and ran your tests every day for two weeks. I thought for sure you weren’t coming back. When you came out of it I had been transferred to another floor, but I kept up with your progress. I would sometimes drop in just to read your chart. Truthfully, your case fascinated me.”

“How so?”

“Let’s sit down over on those benches,” the woman’s husband said.

On the way to the benches they introduced each other and by the time they sat down they felt like friends. The nurse, Judy, and her husband, Rex were Bible-believing Christians from Rockwood Gospel Tabernacle in New Haven.

“Several times I saw an angel bending over you,” Judy said.

“When?” John asked.

“Usually it was during the night shift, just before morning,” Judy said.

Minnie asked her to describe him.

“He was tall and had a very kind face. He smiled a lot—a crooked smile.”

“That was Hershal,” Minnie said.

“Hershal?”

“Yes, Hershal is my ministering angel.” Minnie proceed to tell Judy all about her experience in heaven. John and Rex listen with rapt attention.

“You didn’t tell me all that,” John said.

“I didn’t remember some of it, until just now,” said Minnie.