The Perfect Marriage (15 page)

N
ow, that the news had been confirmed, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Derrek held Denise as closely as he possibly could,
both of them shedding a river of tears, and Michelle and Wilma wiped their faces to no avail. Even little Alexis, Mackenzie’s
friend, and her parents, each of whom had just arrived a few minutes ago, were devastated. Everyone sat in total disbelief,
and Derrek wondered if his daughter was going to make it. He’d already known she was in bad shape, just from the report Dr.
Lancaster had given them earlier in the day, but now things had gotten worse. As of a half hour ago, Mackenzie had slipped
further and further toward a life-or-death situation, and Derrek knew there was a great chance they would lose her.

Derrek stroked the back of his wife’s hair and tried to gain his composure; partly for his own sense of sanity and partly
so Denise wouldn’t lose it completely.

Michelle stood up and patted tears from the corner of her eyes. “Denise and Derrek? If you don’t mind, I’d like to say a prayer
for Mackenzie.”

Wilma rose to her feet. “I think that would be wonderful.” Then she reached over and caressed Denise’s back. “Honey, why don’t
you try to stand up?”

It took a while, but Denise finally allowed Derrek to help her up from her chair. Now, all of them stood in a circle with
their eyes shut, holding hands.

“Dear heavenly Father, we come right now thanking You for keeping Mackenzie in Your loving care. We thank You for watching
over her, Father, and we ask that You would totally heal her mind and body. We know that You are a miracle worker and that
no illness is too great for You, so we humbly ask that You bring her back to perfect health. We also ask that You would please
bless this entire family. Give them comfort, Lord, and please give them the strength they need to endure this very difficult
time in their lives. Father God, we ask these and all Your many wonderful blessings in Your Son Jesus’s name. Amen.”

The room was quiet for a few seconds, but suddenly, Denise wailed loudly, broke away from Derrek’s embrace, grabbed her purse
and tore out of the family consultation room. Derrek ran behind her.

“Denise, wait!” he yelled, but she kept running so Derrek moved faster. Soon, she arrived at the elevator, and that’s when
he caught up to her. “Baby, where are you going?”

“I have to get out of here.”

“To go where?”

“I just need some air.”

The elevator doors opened, a family of four stepped off, and Denise and Derrek got on. Denise pushed the button for the main
floor, and while Derrek didn’t know what else to say to her, he wasn’t about to let her leave the hospital.

When the doors opened again, she hurried into the hallway, heading toward the exit to the parking lot. Derrek stayed close
to her, and when they both pushed through the turnstile and down the side of the building, he grabbed her arm.

“Baby, what is it?”

Denise finally stopped. “Derrek, you have no idea what I was planning to do before I heard that code called.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m so ashamed, but I couldn’t help myself. One thought led to another and the next thing I knew, I was…”

“You were what?”

“About to call Butch. Baby, I was actually going to call and ask him to bring me some coke. Here at the hospital where our
daughter is fighting for her life. Can you believe that?”

Derrek put his hands in his pockets. “Yeah…unfortunately, I do. I believe you because for hours now, it has taken everything
in me not to call Butch myself. I’ve been struggling the whole time, and that’s why I haven’t said very much. I thought it
was best just to keep quiet and try to deal with it, but it’s not working.”

“The only thing that stopped me from calling him was Mackenzie. But if I hadn’t heard the words ‘code blue,’ I’m not sure
what would have happened.”

Derrek grabbed Denise’s hand and sighed. “You know…I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. We’ve got a serious problem, and if
we don’t do something now, we’re not gonna make it. And after the way I’ve felt today, I now know that meetings won’t be enough.
What you and I need is in-patient rehab.”

Denise looked away from him.

Derrek waited a couple of seconds and gently turned her face back toward him. “Baby, are you with me?”

Denise gazed into his eyes, but he couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

“Baby, you know we have to do this. There’s no other way.”

Denise still didn’t say anything.

“I realize the thought of rehab is a very scary thing, but with God’s help, I think we’ll be fine. To be honest, you and I
have never really depended on God enough. This morning, I thought a lot about my grandparents and everything they taught me,
and that’s when I realized how wrong I’ve been about my parents. They were wrong, too, but I still should have done everything
I could to help them. I’ve made so many mistakes when it comes to my family, including the way I treated Dixon. But if it’s
the last thing I do, I’m going to try my best to make up for it. I’m going to do exactly what Dixon asked me to do at the
end of that letter he wrote me. He wanted me to forgive our parents and do whatever I could for them. So, baby, I’m asking
you…please.”

Denise stared at him a few seconds longer and then said, “Okay, yes, I’ll go. I’ll go to rehab, but when?”

“Now.”

“But what about Mac? We can’t just leave her. Not when she’s had a life-threatening setback.”

“I know. I’ve already thought about that. But, baby, we’re no good to her like this. We can’t help
her
until we help ourselves.”

Denise folded her arms against her chest. “I don’t know about this.”

“It’ll be hard leaving her, but it’s for the best. Plus, as much as I hate thinking about it, this is what Mac wants. She
placed her own life in danger, trying to save us.”

Denise hugged him with tears falling again. She did this for what seemed an eternity, but finally, she surrendered. “Okay,
I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever it takes to get well.”

I
t was tremendously hard watching her little girl lying in bed unconscious, and Denise could barely stand it. After making
their decision to enter a treatment facility, Denise and Derrek had come straight back up to the intensive care unit, and
one of the nurses had told them they could look in on Mackenzie. She had finally been stabilized, but with all the attachments,
including an IV in her arm, a breathing tube down her throat, and a monitor recording her blood pressure and heart rate, it
was still hard to be hopeful. During Denise’s time working as a nurse at this very hospital, she’d certainly seen much worse,
but somehow it was different seeing her own daughter in this situation.

Denise moved closer to the bed, and Derrek placed his arm around her waist. At least she seemed comfortable and not in any
pain.

Denise reached over the bed railing and held her hand. “Sweetie, it’s Mom. We’re here, baby.”

“We’re both here,” Derrek said, “and we love you very much.”

Denise shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath, doing all she could not to cry. “Honey, your dad and I are so sorry for
everything we’ve done. We’re sorry for all the pain we caused you, and we’re finally going to get the help we need. We’re
going to do what we should have done a long time ago, just like you wanted.”

Derrek rubbed his daughter’s leg through the blanket.

“While we’re gone, though,” Denise said, “your granny, Michelle, and Alexis’s mom are going be here watching out for you.
One of them will be here every single day, and knowing your granny, she’ll be spending the night even.”

“You’re also in one of the best hospitals in the area,” Derrek added, “so we know you’ll be well taken care of.”

Denise and Derrek turned around when they heard Mackenzie’s door opening. It was Dr. Lancaster.

He patted Derrek on the shoulder. “So, you both hangin’ in there?” he asked.

“As much as we can,” Derrek said. “And we’ve also decided to enter a twenty-eight-day program. We know this isn’t the best
time, but…”

“I understand, but not only have you made a very brave choice, you’ve made the right one. And of course, we’re going to do
all we can for Mackenzie. That I can assure you of.”

Denise and Derrek smiled and thanked Dr. Lancaster, but when Denise turned back to their daughter, she thought she’d seen
her head moving. She waited a few seconds, though, and sure enough, it happened again. Mackenzie moved her head a couple more
times and slowly opened her eyes. She blinked quite a bit and soon scanned the room.

Denise covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh, dear Lord, thank You, thank You, thank You!”

Derrek was filled with joy, as well. “Thank You, Lord, for answering our prayers.”

It was obvious that Mackenzie was still a little out of it because of how heavily sedated she was, but Denise wasn’t planning
to leave there without making sure she could hear them.

“Sweetie, if you can understand me, squeeze my hand.”

Mackenzie did as she was asked, and Denise’s heart raced. She knew Mackenzie still had a long way to go before she’d be considered
well, but Denise was just happy she could communicate on any level.

“I have something to ask you, and if your answer is yes, I want you to squeeze my hand. Can you do that?”

Mackenzie squeezed her mother’s hand again.

“Your dad and I are going away to get some help. So, is that okay with you?”

Mackenzie squeezed Denise’s hand, but this time she held it much tighter than she had the first time. Their daughter had so
much strength and wisdom to only be thirteen, and while Denise had sort of still been struggling with the idea of leaving
Mackenzie—even as much as only a few minutes ago—she now had no doubt they were doing the right thing, the same as Dr. Lancaster
had told them. She’d also had a few reservations about being locked up for four solid weeks, but again, she now knew they’d
made the right decision. They were taking responsibility for their actions and were willing to sacrifice whatever they had
to, including money, material possessions, and social status. And while her father would likely never speak to her again because
of it, she was proud of herself. She was proud of Derrek, and strangely enough, she felt better than she had in a long time.

And this, of course, was a good thing.

A
s Denise looked back at the last twelve months, it was hard to fathom all they’d been through. Thank God Mackenzie had fully
recovered, but it had only been after a number of medical setbacks and counseling sessions that she’d started to feel like
her old self again. She’d had lots of issues with her liver, but the good news was that even though she’d eventually lost
50 percent of it because of multiple surgeries, her liver was completely back intact. The liver was the only internal organ
capable of natural regeneration, so Denise was grateful that Mackenzie had benefited from that reality.

Then there was her and Derrek and their recovery process. As planned, they’d gone into treatment, but per the advice of two
different psychologists, they’d gone to separate facilities. This had made things a little harder for Denise, maybe more for
her than it had for Derrek, but she’d still agreed to follow through. The withdrawal period had been the worst part of all
due to the excessive cocaine cravings and physical sickness it had brought about, but Denise and Derrek had survived. Denise
had also finally faced her demons: the void she’d always felt in her life after learning she’d been abandoned by her biological
mother; seeing her father having the most perverted kind of sex she could think of with two women she was related to; and
then the memories of her father getting sloppy drunk and beating her mother for no reason. Through therapy, she’d come to
realize just how deeply she’d suppressed those thoughts and feelings, and she was glad to no longer be in denial about them.

Denise had also experienced another revelation the moment she’d seen Derrek again: she could never, ever love a man more than
she loved him. This truth had become so apparent to her that it was hard for her to imagine how, when Derrek had lost his
job and all their money, she’d hardly been able to stand him. She’d practically despised him and had wanted him to move out,
but now she knew her ill feelings toward him had been fueled by addiction, and that she hadn’t been thinking straight. Actually,
neither she nor Derrek had been capable of doing anything in the manner they should have, and they’d suffered great consequences
because of it. They’d lost their home and both their vehicles, and Denise’s father hadn’t spoken to either of them since that
day he’d come to the hospital. On several different occasions, Denise had tried contacting him by phone, but he’d refused
to take her calls. He’d also made it very clear through Denise’s mother that while his granddaughter would always be welcome
in
his
home, Denise and Derrek were to never set foot back there again. He’d told his wife that she could get out, too, if she didn’t
like it, but sadly, Denise knew her mother would never leave him. Her mother would willingly stay with her husband until death,
regardless of how many terrible things he said or did to her. So, Denise was happy just being able to see her when she could,
that is when her mother could sneak away for a visit.

But the blessing in all of this was that even though they’d lost everything, they still had each other and believe it or not,
life was good again. When Denise had first gone into rehab, Mr. Hunter had told her how happy he was about it and that her
job would be waiting for her when she was ready. However, when Denise had been released, she’d thanked Mr. Hunter and told
him she didn’t think returning to such a stressful job was good for her recovery, and that she was going to look for a home
health care position; preferably one that allowed her to work at various assisted-living locations. There was no doubt that
her love for working with older people hadn’t changed, but her priorities in life had done a drastic one-eighty, and she was
okay with that. It was true that she now earned only half the salary she had in previous years and so did Derrek, now that
he worked as a branch manager at a bank, but they were still much happier and more at peace with who they were as human beings.
They were free to be the kind of people they wanted to be, and they no longer had to put on airs—meaning they could live in
the condo they now rented because they no longer had the kind of credit to buy one, they could drive basic cars that hadn’t
cost a ridiculous amount of money, and they could focus more on each other than they did on status and how to maintain it.
They could also freely attend a very small Bible-based church where they were learning a lot and proudly attend Narcotics
Anonymous meetings regularly. They could do all of this and more and not have to worry about what others thought of them.

Yes, life was good—not easy by any means—but still good, and as Denise looked at her daughter sitting across the table from
them and then at her mother-in-law and father-in-law, she smiled and slipped her arm inside of Derrek’s. Derrek had picked
up his parents from the drug recovery shelter they’d been living at for two months, and the five of them were having dinner
at Wendy’s—versus dining at one of the more higher-priced restaurants Denise, Derrek, and Mackenzie had regularly eaten at
in the past. Denise was proud of Derrek for the way he’d kept his word about helping his parents, and while his mother still
seemed a bit on edge and like she was ready to break and run to the nearest drug house on a moment’s notice, Derrek’s father
was working as hard as he could, trying to complete the year-long program they were participating in.

So, yes, there they sat at a popular fast-food restaurant as happy as could be, and it was because of this that something
dawned on Denise. For years, she’d been sure that she and Derrek were the perfect couple with the perfect life, but now she
knew different. Today, she realized that sometimes less really was more, and in their case, having less of everything had
turned their lives around for the better. It had changed them in ways she’d never thought imaginable, and she was ecstatic
about it.

This was by far the happiest she’d ever been in her life, and
this
incredible blessing alone was reason to be thankful, both now and—with much prayer, faith, and commitment—forever.