Emily: A Young Girl's Desire to Experience Life While Facing the Uncertainty of Death

By Jeremy Wells and Emily Wells

Emily is a love story about a twelve year old girl that was dying from leukemia when she met Jeremy, a seventeen year old that would become her life anchor. This story is about how Emily decided that she wanted to experience life while facing the uncertainty of death. This story shares how Emilys mother had to challenge her personal beliefs about child abuse and permit Emily to secretly marry Jeremy before God and in her presence in a desperate attempt to save her daughters life when all other medical options seemed to fail. Emilys and Jeremys love, strength of will, marital bond and love of God kept Emily strong as she faced her impending death. Emily is a story of a blue heart and a pink heart connected by two golden wedding rings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Apr 29, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490734613

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Emily’s Family

E mily was the beautiful daughter of Martin and Carol Sims. Emily was born on June 23, 1983, to a family that was fully capable of giving her a silver-spoon existence. Emily was unique at birth. She was nearly twenty-four inches long and weighed 8.7 pounds. Emily’s father was six foot five, and her mother was five foot nine. Looking at Emily’s parents, you could quickly understand why she was a big baby at birth. Emily was born with sandy brown hair and piercing green eyes that made the observer smile as Emily looked at you with her sparkling or what seemed to be twinkling eyes. It was as if Emily’s eyes were telling you something about her. Emily was one of those babies that parents dream about. She was quiet, rarely cried, and loved to interact with her parents and environment.

Martin Sims was a cardiologist with a highly successful medical practice. Martin was slated to take over the internal medicine department of his clinic and assume the head cardiologist position at his hospital. Martin performed ten or more surgeries weekly and enjoyed a financially lucrative medical practice that could provide his family with every comfort desired. Martin’s work demands often negatively affected his family by depriving them of his presence. When Martin was home, he was often too tired to do much more than briefly play with Emily and talk with Carol. Martin regularly apologized to Carol when he was responding to another medical call in the middle of the night or an emergency surgery. Martin usually missed out on scheduled family events, including date nights with Carol. Martin left Carol at home, with her feeling lonely and sometimes outright bitter. Carol angrily asked Martin more than once what was more important; his work or his family? Carol always apologized to Martin because she knew that he had limited options and didn’t control his work schedule. His patients did.

Martin and Carol had been married for three years when Emily came into their lives. Carol often quipped that she was surprised that she became pregnant given their lack of lovemaking and intimacy. Carol felt that the phrase Slam, bang, thank you, ma’am best described her love life with her husband. Martin repeatedly promised Carol vacations and special adult time between himself and Carol. Martin’s promises were empty given the demands of his work.

Carol Sims was a registered nurse employed by the pediatrics department of a neighborhood medical center. Carol was engaged in studies to become a nurse practitioner. In Carol’s capacity as a registered nurse, she was charged with investigating and monitoring child abuse cases brought into the neighborhood medical center. Her abuse cases were the motivating reason that she wanted to move forward in her career and become a nurse practitioner. Carol loathed child abuse and sadly saw one or more sexual abuse cases yearly and even more cases of neglect or physical injury. Carol would tell her fellow nurses that she would gladly offer her services to literally execute child abusers as no amount of incarceration or treatment could remedy injuring a child in her opinion. Carol was black and white on this important issue. She was of the opinion that nothing justified injuring a child. Sadly, Carol’s work and self-imposed anger affected how she reacted to Martin and her home environment. Carol realized that part of her intimacy problem with Martin was because she consumed so much of her family time thinking and talking about her job. Neither parent was a perfect parent or lover to the other.

Grandma Amy, a retired RN, watched and cared for Emily from birth until Emily reached four years of age. Carol would get Emily up every morning at six and dress and feed her before leaving for Grandma’s house two miles away. While Emily ate her breakfast, Carol would read her a story or practice counting. Carol and Martin believed that education could happen anywhere and almost anytime. Emily expressed an acute interest in learning at an early age and always asked Carol for more stories. At two years old, it was common to see Emily with a pencil and paper in hand writing her name and every other word she could copy onto her paper. Emily wrote her alphabet letters and her numbers daily while practicing the phonetic sounds of each letter in the alphabet. Emily learned the vast majority of her early academic skills from Grandma Amy. Emily had phonics books and later phonetic readers to learn from. Grandma Amy taught Emily her phonetic sounds and, by age three, how to blend three and four letter phonetic words. Emily was reading and doing simple arithmetic by age four, thanks to Grandma Amy with the help of Emily’s parents at night and on the weekends.

When Emily was capable of safely walking without falling, Grandma Amy began taking Emily to the park to play with other children and climb on the park equipment. At age three, Emily’s favorite activity, besides learning, was climbing on the monkey bars. Carol often reminded Grandma Amy that if she took Emily to the park, Emily must have tights or leggings initially covering Emily’s diaper and later her panties. Carol was obsessed in protecting Emily from potential abusers and those she called perverts.

At Emily’s fourth birthday party, Grandma Amy announced that she was moving to a retirement community in Florida. Grandma Amy had met a man that lived in the retirement community, and he had encouraged her to move. She had given considerable thought to the idea of moving and then decided that it was her time to slow down. Grandma Amy was having greater difficulty keeping up with Emily as she grew up and became so much more active.

Both Carol and Martin were somewhat surprised at Grandma Amy’s sudden announcement. Carol said, Mom, you have never mentioned wanting to move or slow down. What’s really up with you? Grandma Amy replied, I have been without your father for the past seven years. I have all of you but no special friends. Grandma Amy looked at Carol and quietly said, I’m that kind of lonely. Martin and Carol understood but would miss Grandma Amy.

Emily was present when Grandma Amy made her announcement. While the adults talked, Emily went to her bedroom, grabbed her small suitcase, and packed two pairs of panties, two dresses, and leggings. She also put in her favorite shoes and three books. When Emily returned to the family room, Carol saw Emily’s suitcase and asked, Emily, what are you doing? Emily quickly responded, If Grandma Amy is leaving, I’m going with her. Carol understood Emily’s desire since so much of Emily’s childhood was spent with Grandma Amy. Emily began to cry as Grandma Amy left Emily’s home for the last time. As Grandma Amy reached her car, Emily cried out, Bye, Grandma.

When Emily went to bed, Martin and Carol discussed how they were going to work and take care of Emily. Martin said, I make most of the money. You should stay home with Emily. Carol replied that she was working and taking classes to become a nurse practitioner. I can’t do it either. Day care was discussed, but Carol quickly rejected Martin’s comment. Carol said, Emily will never be in day care. It is day care where some of her abuse and neglect cases had originated. When it came to Emily, Carol trusted few people.

The decision was to hire a nanny to live in their home and care for Emily. That way, Carol could monitor the nanny and Emily’s happiness. Carol wanted someone that would work with Emily on her reading and math skills. Carol interviewed seventeen potential nanny applicants and decided on a young woman that had a teaching certificate but no job. She was single and could immediately move into their guest room.

CHAPTER TWO

The Nanny

C hrissy, the nanny hired to watch and teach Emily, was twenty-two years old, plain-looking, wore horn-rimmed glasses, and talked softly. Martin commented that she looked more like a librarian than a teacher. Martin and Carol were both quite satisfied in the selection of Chrissy as Emily’s nanny.

Chrissy started out well, developing a lesson plan for Emily in reading, writing, and math. Emily already knew her phonetic sounds and was reading three- and four-letter words found in most children’s readers. Emily could also count until she was told to stop, and she could add three column numbers and subtracted two column numbers. Chrissy was quite impressed with Emily’s knowledge. Chrissy quickly discovered that Emily liked to talk and express her opinion on many subjects. Chrissy told Emily that she dressed very nicely with her pretty dresses and leggings. Chrissy then asked, Why don’t you wear pants? Emily responded that she didn’t like pants. She wore leggings and tights under her dress instead of pants. That was Mom’s rule.

Carol came home in the middle of the day when Chrissy had been with Emily for about a month. Carol was very impressed that Emily, at age four, was sitting at the coffee table and writing a story. Carol discussed Emily’s progression and was truly impressed with Chrissy’s interaction with Emily. The true test of the quality of the relationship was the positive comments received from Emily. At night, Emily talked about everything of importance in her world. Emily expressed how much she liked Chrissy as her nanny and always gave her mother a detailed report on the day’s activities.

Two months later, Emily introduced a new name into the mix. Emily said that Steve was Chrissy’s friend, and he was really nice to her. Emily showed her mother a toy necklace that Steve had bought for her. Carol asked Emily how often Steve was in her house. Emily said she wasn’t sure, but he was there for a little bit almost every day. Carol then asked Emily if she had any interaction with Steve. Emily was a little confused by the question and then said, I already told you that Steve gave me the toy necklace. I gave him a kiss on the cheek as a thank you. Steve is really nice to me. Carol began to wonder what was going on when she was at work. That night, Carol’s thoughts and fears ran through her head, and she slept little. Carol’s thoughts raced through her head that Steve may try to abuse Emily. The next day, Carol came home from work two hours early and found Emily, like before, kneeling in front of the coffee table only this time doing math problems. Above Emily sat Chrissy and Steve on the sofa together. Steve had his arm around Chrissy when Carol walked in on them. Carol was upset, but became even more upset when Emily moved her legs out from underneath the coffee table as Emily stood up to get a hug and kiss from her mother. Carol immediately observed that Emily had no leg coverings. As Emily stood up, her legs moved apart, exposing her frilly pink panties in front of Steve. Carol was livid at what she observed. Carol was certain that Steve stared at Emily as she stood up from her kneeling position on the floor. When Carol caught Steve’s stare, he quickly looked away or appeared to Carol that he was looking away.

Carol asked Chrissy to talk with her in the kitchen. Carol angrily asked why Emily had no leg coverings. Chrissy quickly explained that Emily had been playing outside, and she fell, getting her leggings dirty. Chrissy thought it would be all right to let Emily run around, emphasizing inside the house, without leg coverings. Carol reminded Chrissy that her rule was that Emily always have leg coverings—no exceptions! Carol then asked about Steve. Carol wanted to know how frequently he was in her home—and what his interaction with Emily was. Carol mentioned that she had just caught Steve staring at Emily when she stood up and showed her panties in the process. Chrissy said, Carol, you are so paranoid about child abuse that you punish Emily and deprive her of any male interaction. I’m sorry, but I have had enough. Please consider this my last day watching and teaching Emily. Carol said, Fine. I will get you your check, and you can collect your things and leave with Steve. When Carol returned to the living room, she directed Emily to go to her room and not to come back down until she had proper leg coverings. Carol looked at Emily and said, Emily, you know the rule for dresses. As always, Emily respected her mother’s directive and said, OK, Mommy.

Martin was late coming home from work that night. Carol was anxiously waiting for him and immediately began talking to him about what had happened with Chrissy. Martin, who was less concerned about things, said, I think you overreacted a little bit. I agree that this Steven person did not belong in our home. It could have been handled differently so we didn’t lose a good nanny. Carol replied, Martin, you are so naive.

Carol and Martin carefully discussed all of their options for Emily’s care. Carol expressed her concern that of the seventeen nanny applicants she interviewed, only Chrissy was qualified in Carol’s opinion. Carol and Martin came to the conclusion that Carol would take a leave of absence and directly care for Emily. That made the most sense since Martin’s income was typically ten times more than Carol’s income. The other important consideration was Carol’s desire to protect Emily as she grew up. Carol said, If Chrissy can do it, then so can I.

CHAPTER THREE

What Have I Done?

T he following morning, Carol woke up at 5:30 a.m. like she did every day she worked. Carol showered and got ready for work when she realized that work was in the other bedroom down the hall. Work was spelled Emily.

Emily was an easy child to work with. At age four, Emily would pull up her bedding and try to pull out the wrinkles in the blankets. Emily would pick out her clothes for the day and usually would put her dirty clothes in the wash basket. If she forgot, a gentle reminder from Mom got the job done. Emily typically took a bath at night, so she was ready to get dressed upon waking in the morning. Once dressed, Emily would grab an interesting book and read until her mother gave further direction for the day.

Carol knocked on Emily’s door and said, It’s time to get up, sleepyhead. Emily replied, I am up. Can’t you see me over here reading my book? Carol acknowledged Emily and said that today is park day and handed Emily two pairs of pants. Carol told Emily to choose which one to wear and handed her the two pairs of pants. One was a blue jean material, and the other was a floral print. Emily turned to Carol and said, No pants. I wear dresses only. Not to be pushed, Carol returned fire and said, Today, you are wearing pants, so get a pair on now! When you are done dressing, come down for breakfast.

Emily walked down the stairs very slowly while looking for her mother. Carol saw Emily walk into the kitchen wearing a dress and tights. Carol told Emily that she wasn’t kidding. You will wear pants today. We are going to the park, and you are not climbing on equipment in a dress. It is not safe and not young lady-like. Carol sent Emily back to her room with instructions to not come back down until she was wearing one of the two pairs of pants. Carol began calling Emily and demanding that she get down to breakfast. Emily obliged and showed up in the floral pair of pants. Carol looked at Emily and said, Thank you. After breakfast, Carol and Emily went to the park as planned.

Emily played on the park equipment and climbed the monkey bars while Carol read pertinent medical journals to keep up in her field of medicine. Emily quickly realized that her mother was reading something and was not looking directly at her. Emily made her point. Off came her floral pants, leaving Emily in her panties only. Emily liked the freedom that losing the pants gave her. Several other children were also at the park. One little girl asked Emily why she took off her pants. Emily said, I hate pants. Every couple of minutes, like clockwork, Carol would look up and check on Emily. When Carol looked up, she noticed a little girl climbing on the bars in what appeared to be her panties. Carol thought, How wrong is that? when she realized that the little girl was Emily. Carol quickly ran to Emily and said, What are you doing? Where are your pants? Emily pointed to the trash can next to the monkey bars. Carol retrieved the pants and made Emily put them on and told her to keep them on. Carol was quite angry given that two male park employees were working around the park toys and near Emily.

Emily was sent to her room when she got home. Emily said, Fine, but I am not wearing pants. I hate pants. I like dresses. When Emily got into her room, she removed her pants and put on a dress and tights. Emily then impishly smiled as she picked up both pairs of her new pants. Emily carried the pants to her bedroom window where she proceeded to throw out one pair and then the next. Once again, everything was good in Emily land.

That evening, Martin returned home and asked Carol why there were pants on the hydrangea plant and in the planter. Carol looked at Martin, puzzled, and said, I don’t know what you are talking about. Emily looked up at her father, and her twinkling eyes suggested that Emily knew something about this event. Carol went outside and found Emily’s pants. When she confronted Emily, she admitted that she sent the pants flying and again said, I don’t wear pants. I wear dresses. From that point forward, Emily wore dresses with appropriate undergarments like leggings, stockings, and tights. Carol said, OK, no more pants. Emily smiled, and her eyes twinkled so to say, Thank you, Mom.

Carol recognized that she was the focal point of Emily’s prekindergarten education. Carol took Emily to several children’s bookstores and found books that would assist Emily with her reading and math skills. Emily loved to learn and enjoyed challenging activities. Carol had Emily enrolled in the local library story time. In less than two weeks of story time, the librarian began