Need to catch up with the story and read Part 1?
Robo Pastor - Part 1
He was watching Bill waving him back in his rear-view mirror as he slowly backed his ‘68 Chevy toward the church basement door. The rest of the members of the pastoral search team were huddled together, standing just off the sidewalk, trying not to trample any of the flowers in the new bed.
Part 2
Sue sat in the chair next to the man she had loved for 45 years.
With the oxygen mask covering most of his well-groomed beard, she couldn’t see those lips that she kissed every morning.
Everything had happened so quickly.
She was only gone for ten minutes while she ran next door to check on her elderly neighbor Margaret.
She’ll never forget that feeling as long as she lives. Seeing him slumped over in his chair like that as she walked through the door.
“Tom, Tom,” she had cried out as she shook him. But he just slumped over more.
It all seemed like a dream. She didn’t even know how she called 911 as she was shaking so badly.
And the chest compressions by the EMT’s - she just stood there stunned, tears running down her face.
But at least he had made it. He was stable. That’s what the doctor said. The surgery was successful, but the next 48 hours were crucial.
She tried not to think about it, but she just couldn’t shake the feeling of being without him.
What would she do? How would she make it? How could she go on?
“Mrs. Lyons?” The voice startled her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you Mrs. Lyons?”
“Yes… I’m Mrs. Lyons, Shirley Lyons.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Chaplain Vengetti. I work for the hospital, and I just came by to check on you. I’m curious, are you a member of any religious group or church? Do you have a pastor who will be ministering to you during this time?”
She went to say “yes,” but the word got stuck in her throat.
“How should she answer this question?” she thought.
She now had a robot for a pastor.
“Ah, well, sort of. We’re in kind of a transition time at our church.”
“Very well. If it’s OK, I would still like to stop by and check on you,” the Chaplain said warmly.
“Yes, that would be nice. Thank you. I think we’re going to need all the support and prayers we can get.”