From the Archive

My Miracle Brother

Written by As Told to Bonnie Strappello
Illustrated by Mariano Santillan

My family was perfect–or so I thought. My sister, Brittney, is 11 months younger than I am, and she’s my best friend. Dad drives a bread truck, and Mom works at a day-care center. When they’re home they spend a lot of time with us.

Then one evening at dinner Mom told us something that changed our lives forever.

"Girls," Mom began, "Dad and I have some wonderful news."

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm going to have a baby!" Mom exclaimed.

I looked back and forth from Mom to Dad, not sure I had heard correctly.

"A baby?" I asked.

"Yes," declared Mom. "Isn't that great?"

"But why?" I asked in shock. "I already have a sister, and I don't need a brother."

"Brianna!" Dad scolded. "Don't speak to your mother that way. Apologize now!"

"I'm sorry," I said with no enthusiasm.

"I forgive you," Mom said. But I knew I had hurt her feelings.

"Babies are a gift from God, and this baby will be welcome just as the two of you were," Dad stated.

Brittney sat quietly through the whole conversation.

"Brittney, what do you think about a baby?" Mom asked.

"I'm not sure," she replied.

"Well, you'd better get used to it, because the baby is coming whether you like it or not," Dad told us.

"I can't believe this," I said to Brittney that night after we went to bed. "Why would Mom and Dad want a baby when they have us?"

"I think it might be fun," Brittney replied. "A new baby to play with and hold and feed."

"And change and baby-sit," I added. "Melissa said she hardly ever gets to hang out with her friends since her sister was born. She always has to help her mom. That's what will happen to us. I wish it could go away and not be born."

Life went on as usual, but I kept wishing there was no baby. Finally I decided, What's the use of wanting the baby to disappear? Maybe it will be fun.

Then one morning we got up and found Aunt Laura sitting in our kitchen drinking herb tea. She looked as if she had been up all night.

"Good morning, girls," she said.

"Hey, Aunt Laura," I said. "What are you doing here? Where's Mom?"

"Your mom had to go to the hospital," she explained. "Your dad called and asked me to come and stay with you."

"Is she having the baby?" Brittney asked.

"Your mom wasn't feeling well," Aunt Laura began, "so your dad called the doctor. He said to bring her to the hospital right away. Your dad just called minutes ago. Something was wrong with the baby. They couldn't hear its heartbeat. Girls, they believe that the baby died."

Chills ran through my body, and I froze. Brittney spoke up.

"Why?" she asked, teary-eyed. "Why did it die?"

"Honey," Aunt Laura explained, "we don't know why this happens. We do know that God is on our side. Maybe the baby was sick and couldn't survive."

"How's Mom?" Brittney asked. I was still too shocked to speak.

"Your mom is fine," Laura said. "The doctors had to do a procedure to remove the baby. They're keeping her overnight just to make sure everything is OK."

I turned and walked up to my room and sat on my bed. I could hear Aunt Laura calling my name, but I couldn't speak. When she came in and touched my arm, I snapped out of my daze.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

I stared at her for a moment. "It's my fault!" I cried.

"No, it's not your fault. It isn't anyone's fault."

"Yes, it is!" I was yelling. "I like our family just the way it is. I didn't want a baby. I kept telling God I wished this baby wouldn't be born, that I wanted it to go away. Now the baby is gone. It's my fault for wishing it wouldn't be born."

"No, Brianna, it doesn't work that way," Aunt Laura explained. "God wouldn't let the baby die just because you didn't want it."

"What other reason is there?" I asked.

"I don't know," Aunt Laura said, "but it's not that."

"You can't know that!"

I shouted. "There's no other explanation!" I was frantic. I buried my face in my pillow and cried.

"Brianna, listen." Aunt Laura tried consoling me.

"Go away!" I cried. Aunt Laura left, and I was alone with my tears and guilt.

Dad brought Mom home the next day. I was ashamed to face her, so I stayed in my room. Soon I heard a knock on my door, and Mom opened it.

"May I come in?" she asked.

"If you want to," I replied.

Mom sat down on my bed and took my hand.

"Aunt Laura told me what you said," she began. "Honey, there is no way you can blame yourself for what happened. Only God knows the reason, and we have to trust Him to do what's best."

"I know, Mom, but I feel terrible. I kept wishing you weren't having a baby. Then

I started thinking it might be fun. Now it's gone. I'm so sorry, Mom. Are you OK?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Mom replied. "Just tired. Why don't you come downstairs? Aunt Laura is fixing breakfast."

"All right." I got dressed and joined my family.

Life went back to normal, and no one talked about the baby. It was as if the whole thing had never happened.

A couple of months later Mom noticed that she was gaining weight.

"I don't understand," she said. "My stomach feels hard like a basketball. I'd better call the doctor."

We were off school that day, so Mom took us along on her appointment. Brittney and I sat in the waiting room reading while Mom went in to see the doctor. A few minutes later the nurse came to get us.

"Girls," she said, "would you please come with me?"

We were puzzled, but we followed the nurse into the room where my mom and the doctor were waiting for us.

"Come over here," the doctor said, handing me his stethoscope. "I want you to hear something."

I put the stethoscope to my ears, and the doctor placed the other end on my mom's stomach. As I listened, I could hear a swooshing sound.

"What is that?" I asked the doctor.

"May I hear too?" asked Brittney.

I gave her the stethoscope, and she listened.

"That's a strange sound," she said. "What is it?"

The doctor smiled. "That's the baby's heartbeat."

"The baby?" I asked. "Mom, you're expecting another baby?"

"No," the doctor said. "It's the same baby. We made a mistake. It was hiding way up in your mom's abdomen, and we couldn't hear the heartbeat until now. When we did the procedure to take the tiny baby out, believe it or not, somehow we missed it."

"You mean the baby is still there, alive?" I couldn't believe it.

"That's right!" the doctor exclaimed. "That baby has a will to live! You're going to get a new brother or sister after all."

Four months later my brother, Shawn, was born. He is the sweetest baby I've ever known, and I love him so much. I thank God every day for bringing him to us. Now our family is even more perfect than it was before, and I can't imagine life without my miracle brother.