The Power Of Love
I first saw my husband at work. I had
just been in an accident involving me being pinned to my home by my SUV. I must
have looked a fright. I was only able to wear loose fitting pajama pants with my
matching pajama top due to the injuries I sustained. To make matters worse I
choose to complete my apparel with my house slippers. As he walked by I noticed
him glance at me. I wanted to crawl beneath the booking counter and hide.
After seeing him I made it my mission
to actually meet him. I choose to work some over time on his shift and learned his name was Greg. We bonded
instantly and became the best of friends. We were the best buddies for a few
years. We played the flirting game, yet both dated others that never truly made
either one of us happy, until the day came we were both single.
I will never forget him riding up to
my house on his motorcycle, with the pretense of “checking on me to make sure I
was ok.” We laughed and hung out as all friends do until it came time for him
to leave. For the first time ever, he told me he thought I was beautiful, and
then in that moment he kissed me. I thought my heart was going to beat out of
my chest. From that moment on we were inseparable.
We decided to keep our dating a
secret. We both worked for the Sheriff’s office, and even though there wasn’t a
policy about 2 Officers dating, we didn’t want people in our business. After
keeping our secret a year, we decided to go on vacation. Since we were both
putting in for the same days, the secret was out.
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| Our Vacation |
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| My Beautiful Engagement Ring |
I will never forget the date. It’s the
one date that I can never forget. June 25th, 2011. Greg was
sick, so he was unable to report to work that night. I stayed over for an hour
to help out, and then drove home to be with him. As I entered the house, Greg
was sitting at the table trying to clean his 40 caliber glock I had bought him as a
present. I placed my bag I carried to work every day on the table and asked him
why was he up messing with his gun as sick as he was. He replied,” I had to
remove it from the car since I sold it today, so I wanted to make sure it stays
in good working order.” I kind of scoffed
at that idea and walked across the room to the kitchen to get a glass to fix
myself a diet coke. As I reached the cabinet I heard something hit the table, I
turned and looked to see the magazine had been released and fell on the table.
I just shook my head and continued with my quest for my diet coke. It was at
that moment I turned to walk to the freezer to get an ice tray that he was
attempting to slam the magazine back in the glock and it went off.
I lost consciousness and when I came
to I was on the floor. I don’t remember seeing anything, but I could hear all
the panic in Greg's voice as he was talking with a 911 operator. I knew at
that point what had happen, I had been shot. I started to feel around my head
and felt the blood encompassing my head. I knew it was serious, and I was in trouble.
I made a vow to myself that I would not die laying on that floor. I tried to
comfort my fiancee, I told him I was ok and everything was fine. My last memory
was a Deputy entering the house, and I could hear Greg sobbing, even
begging for him to help me. I didn’t know if I was going to live, so I wanted
to give a statement to the Deputy to let him know it was an accident, and in no
way was there any malice intent on the part of my fiancée. The Deputy told me
everything was fine and I needed to save my strength.
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| Hospital picture |
I was life flighted to Shands Hospital.
I do not have a memory of ever leaving the house, or what took place in the
hospital. I have only had my Mother, Doctor’s reports, Detective recordings,
and Lawyer reports to research those events. I had to have emergency brain
surgery. The bullet struck just under my right eye and hit my cheek bone. I
suppose this is where being hard headed came in to play to help save my life.
Once the bullet hit my cheek bone it shattered it causing bone splinters to embed
deep in my brain. The bullet continued an upward path and exited behind my upper right ear area.
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| Exit wound |
My family was called in and
informed I had a 25% chance of living and it was basically up to me to fight to
survive. I made it through surgery and remained in ICU for several days. I had
tubes and hoses everywhere my Mother said. As I stated earlier, I have no memory of this
and my Doctor’s say that it is for the best. Apparently I was unable to feed
myself, get out of bed, or even speak normally. I was told at one point I had
regressed to being a child, and often called out for my Mommy. I was told a
week went by and my Mother took me home. I still was not even aware of whom I
was or even cared I was in the world.
My
first memory, 2 weeks later, was waking up at my Mom’s house and wondering
where I was. I had no memory of what had happen. My Mother then told me I had been
shot, and Greg had done it. She further told me the Detectives had arrested him
for premeditated 1st degree attempted murder. I could not believe
it. I remembered Greg, and all I could remember at that moment was our love,
and there had never been one ounce of violence in our whole relationship. I
couldn’t convey my feelings to my Mom. I remember I felt like I wasn’t me, that
somehow the Lori I was no longer was there…like a prisoner I was trapped
somewhere deep in my brain. I truly can’t even begin to explain how I felt.
I
had no memory at this point of what had really happen. I just had a feeling
something was truly wrong. I couldn’t walk without a walker, I couldn’t speak
well, and when I did talk I didn’t recognize the voice I heard. My eyesight wasn’t
that great and I had no hearing in my right ear, I couldn’t even form a thought
in my head. I remember just crying uncontrollable sobs, because I couldn’t
think or get my thoughts out for anyone to understand me. I knew in my heart
that Greg had not tried to hurt me intentionally, I couldn’t remember, but I
knew.
I
finally was able to talk to my sister, and I took my time so that she could
understand me. I needed her help. I told her something was wrong with this
situation, and I made her promise to help me find out the truth. She first
found out where Greg was being held. She called the detective, and he blew her
off. He told her I was an emotional wreck due to being a battered woman. This
set an alarm off with my sister. She knew I had always been the strong type,
and if anyone had ever tried to hurt me in any way, I would not have allowed
it. She told the Detective something was wrong with the whole story he was
telling her, that things just didn’t add up in her mind or mine.
That
conversation led to the Detective driving 80 something miles to yell and cuss
at me. He painted me a picture of an abusive relationship I had been in. He
told me how I had packed a suitcase, and it was on the table ready to go. He
told me my fiancée never tried to help me, that he never called 911. That my
fiancée admitted he shot me on purpose, and that he showed no remorse what so
ever. As the detective continued yelling at me, I could hear a familiar voice
in my head, it was my voice, my real voice saying, “It’s not true Lori, don’t
listen, get rest, be strong, and remember.” I went to bed sobbing. I felt like
I was a prisoner in my own body, and the captain was someone else. I was
totally out of control.
My
sister continued to help me, and I was able to get in contact with Greg’s Aunt.
She was able to obtain a copy of the 911 recording and I listened to it. I
can’t describe how weird it sounds to hear your voice and not remember saying
it or being it that situation. As the 911 tape played I heard the operator say,
“911, what is your emergency?” and then I heard Greg’s frantic sobbing voice
begging for help to come as fast as they could. This was the first lie I
discovered the detective had told me. I remembered him pounding his fist on my
Mom’s table telling how my fiancée wouldn’t even call 911 to help me.
As
the days past, I was getting stronger, and my desire to walk unaided became a
must. I can remember when my first memory started to form. It was like a small
light glowing in the darkness of my mind. I could remember coming home and Greg
at the table. I remembered sitting my work bag on the table, and how thirsty I
was and how badly I wanted a diet coke. I remembered hearing the loud sound of
the magazine hitting the table, and I remembered turning to walk to the freezer.
I remembered lying on the floor and not wanting to die, and the last thing I
could remember was talking to my fiancée, asking him to hold my hand. My
memories were coming back.
I called the State’s Attorney right away and
told her I didn’t have all my memory back but I knew Greg had not shot me on
purpose. She blew me off. No one wanted to believe me.
Over 3 weeks had passed, and Greg
was going to a bond hearing. I had been in contact with his lawyer and his Aunt.
I wasn’t back to being the Lori I was, but slowly by holding on to my love for
Greg I resembled a little of myself at least.
I had to fight for over 6 months to straighten
the whole mess up. Greg and I were kept apart for the entire time. We could
only communicate by phone, but at that point I was happy to have that. We both
went through a lot, but our love saw us through it all. The bond we shared
could not be destroyed. My love for him was so strong that my heart allowed me
to see when my brain was so damaged it couldn’t. The power of love can work
miracles. I fully believe my love for Greg helped keep me alive, because if I
had died, no one could have told the truth of what happen…what really happen,
and an overzealous detective would have “painted” his picture of the truth to
achieve his next undeserved award. I will tell you this, that person is no
longer a detective, and I will let it go at that. I do not want to take away
from my overall theme of just how strong the power of love truly is. I love you
Greg!
W/C 2177
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| Us 8 months after the accident! |
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| May 2012 |
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| Love Conquers All |
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