Eighteen Wheel Christmas Story

"Bob, would you quietly, don't wake the children in the top bunk, go get my quilt and pillows from my truck? Check on the little ones too, but be quiet, ok?" Joe asked.

"Sure Joe, I'll be back in a jif."

"Joe, it hurts! Ohmygod Joe hold me!" Maria was in pain.

"Pete, do you have any of that Jack Daniels left? Could you pour a little over my hands?"

"Joe, it won't sterilize them!"

"Better than nothing, right?" Joe was really trying to do his best.

"You are right." He poured a bit on the big truckers hands, cleaning as best he could.

He did the same for his own hands.

Bob was back in a flash, snow flying off him. "Here you go boss." He handed the bedding over. The men tried their best to make Maria comfortable. She was anything but...

"Oooooh! Contraction." She screamed.

"SHIT JOE, there only two minutes apart. This is going way, way too fast. It's nothing like in the book." Pete said.

"Real world Pete. We'll make it. Anyone got a cell. Let's call 911. See if any one is coming."

"JOE. LISTEN TO ME. MOVE YOUR TRUCK BACK 10 OR 15 FEET. RIGHT NOW! BOB YOU DO THE SAME. DO IT.DO IT RIGHT THE FUCK NOW! HURRY!" Maria was yelling.

Joe jumped in the truck, started it backwards about fifteen feet. Bob moved the truck and horse trailer back too.

Just then a car flew off the ramp to the highway, and flipped end over end. It stopped right were they were just parked. It would have killed them all. Joe scrambled to the car. A man sat dazed in the driver's seat. He looked ok. The airbag probably saved his life.

He helped the man out. "Are you ok?" He asked.

"Gotta get to the hospital, gotta go."

"Are you hurt?" Joe asked.

"No, no. I'm a doctor. I'm needed at the hospital. I'm actually ok, just a bit shook up.

Did you see that? I flew threw the air, HOLY SHIT, and I'm ok!"

"Doc, I've got a woman in active labor in the horse van right now. Can you please help us?" Joe pleaded.

"Sure, let me grab my bag."

Everyone crammed into the animal trailer. The doc asked, "Everyone not directly involved, back off a little. Need some room here."

"Oh shit, OH OH, Ohmygod!! Joe hold my hand! Fuuuuck, oh damn. Doc gimme something for the pain!" She grabbed the doctor by the throat.

"What would you like?" His voice way high from her squeezing his larynx.

"Heroin!" She replied. She was serious.

"Ohmygod doc, what is that?"

Asked Joe.

"It's a leg, Sweet Jesus she's breech."

"What does that mean?"

"Baby is backwards. I'm going to try to turn the baby around. If you believe, now would be a good time to pray."

"911, Please state your emergency."

"This is Doctor Solomon. I'm out of Good Samaritan, but I'm assisting a birth off route 46,

What's the name of this place?"

"Christians Motel. All the way in the back."

"Help is on the way, how is she doing?" Asked the 911 operator.

"She's breech, I'm going to try to turn her. I might have to do an emergency C section. I pray not, we have a sceptic field. Any idea as far as time?"

Just then, the lights flickered and went out. Maria screamed.

"Joe, I'm scared. Hold me please!" Joe held her. She shivered in his arms.

"Everything's gonna be ok."

Joe prayed as he spoke. "Can you guys try to get that generator back on? One of you get flashlights from my truck, ok? They are in the door pockets and storage compartment. Please hurry!"

The doctor asked Joe to move over. He gave Joe his cellphone to light what he could. As he worked to right the baby, Joe,who rarely prayed, "Lord if it please you, trade my life for her life and the baby. I've had a wonderful life, and I'd gladly trade this gift for them Lord. Please."

"I can't turn the baby. I'm afraid ill have to do a C section.

I think it might be the safest way at this time. Pour the Jack Daniels over my hands please."

"Pour it over her stomach right there" he got a scalpel out of a fresh package. "Ok, now pray guys. I'm sure everything's gonna be ok." The doctor tried to imbue courage in them.

It was all over in five minutes.

The baby was an ugly shade of blue-ish purple, but after he started crying everyone knew it was going to be ok. Joe said a prayer of thanks and waited for death. The phone rang.

"Somebody call for an ambulance? We're outside by the truck."

"We're in the horse trailer. Can you guys get in with a gurney? She only delivered a few minutes ago." Joe said.

"Pete, I have a big favor to ask you. Could you watch over the kids while I take her to the hospital? I would so appreciate it."

"It would be our pleasure. Consider it our Christmas gift to you. In fact, we were gonna have a fight who gets to sleep in your truck! Go, get out of here"

At the hospital, there was a news crew that was there for Christmas babies. They heard the story, it got picked up by the wire services, next day they were celebrities. The good doctor was a hero, literally flying to the rescue. Joe was a hero, the news thought it was a Christmas miracle.

Joe was sitting in the waiting room, his phone rang. He didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" He said.

"I hope you remember me."

"Merry Christmas Maureen."

"Merry Christmas Joe."

"What can I do for you Maureen?"

"All these years, that's my greeting?"

"Ok Maureen, how's trix? How is your pimp? Marcus right?"

"Joe, I never stopped loving you."

"Maureen, you broke my heart. Your love for other men destroyed me completely."

"I've called you Joe for one reason, and one reason only.

I've called to beg your forgiveness. I was so wrong in every single thing I did. I fucked up beyond belief. I was...I am a worthless piece of shit. I am so sorry. I took our wonderful life and I shit on it. I am so so sorry for everything that happened. I lusted after another man, I thought he was so fantastic. He made me into his whore. I am never going to forgive myself, especially that I hurt you. I never realized that what we had was so special. All these years, all the men...What I was looking for was ... YOU!

I had the best, and I never realized it until it was too late.

The doctor says I've got 48 to 72 hours left. I doubt that. I got AIDS. Last year Marcus passed away from AIDS as well. In his last days he apologized for stealing me away from you.

But I have no one to blame but myself. We never really settled our accounts when we split.

So I have wired $657,000 into your account. I have prepaid the cremation and other fees. My ashes will be yours to do with as you wish. There will be another two and a half million dollars when it clears probate. I hope you will start a family. Maybe take care of that beautiful Spanish woman that you saved." He wondered how she knew about that.

"I never asked for any of that!"

He said.

"I know, this can never make up for what I did ...but it's all that I have left to give. I want you to have it. Please."She pleaded.

"You know I forgave you many years ago. I figured you must have a reason to leave me. That I just wasn't good enough. I hated myself for years for not killing that bastard." Joe felt terrible emotions welling up inside him.

"NO, NO, NO. YOU were the best. I was too stupid to see it. You absolutely won in the end. He had to listen to me call your name in my sleep and every time I came. It drove him completely crazy. He used to tell me, that he won, the bigger and better man. I told him I wanted to go back, but I was damaged goods. And he won me with drugs and tricks, not true love. The last two years for him were pure torture. He left me everything, he had no heir, and I took care of him near the end, I think he did love me in a warped kind of way." She was crying.

"That is so very sad. I am very sorry we never got back together, but it is what it is. I am also terribly sorry that you are dying. So now you know that I've forgiven you. What about Elvis?" He said.

"He has been here with me. He hated me for what I did to you, but somehow we got passed that and he has been taking care of me. I will die much happier now that I know you have forgiven me. I love you forever. Good bye my darling husband."

"Good bye, Maureen. God bless you and keep you." He said a silent prayer for his used-to-be wife.

They held a memorial for his former wife. His new wife and her children, his son Elvis and the preacher were the only ones there, until... Her gorgeous sister Betty showed up. Betty was racked, packed and stacked... And currently in a battle royale with her soon-to-be-ex husband Robert.

Maria was not happy at all. Anger was in her eyes.

Especially when she (Betty) begged Joe to take her in, as her husband Robert kept beating her up.

Joe looked at Maria, pleading "Alright, alright, she can stay. Just for a little while. But She will try to break your heart, just like her sister. You know me Joe!" Mary had the vision thing for sure.

Fact is, she (Betty, his ex sister in law) had her eyes on Joe for a long time. She was going to try to fuck Joe to death. Then rip his heart out. But that's another story.

But for now, Joe was happy, having a fantastic Christmas, especially for a dumb ass trucker like him. He thought Mary was happy, the kids were happy, his old boss wasn't too happy. That's cause he was going to do things right this time. He was gonna take some time with his new wife and family. Joe also gave thanks for the best damn Christmas present a trucker ever got, ever.