So when Michael asked her the big question, she didn't think she could handle the pain if he was teasing.
"He told me he loved me, and I was so scared, ' she said. "I thought he was playing a game with me. But he told me it was true. He told me he loved me."
On Valentine's Day, Juana wore a wedding dress made of white satin, dotted with pearl beads and cut loose enough to drape around a wheelchair and a ventilator. Juana was rolled to the front of the room, assisted by Harry, who proudly gave the bride away. Her face streamed with tears.
Michael wore a crisp white shirt, black Jacket and a bow tie that fit neatly over his tracheotomy. He beamed with pleasure.
Nurses filled the doorways. Patients filled the room. An overflow of hospital employees spilled into the halls. Sobs echoed in every corner of the room. In the hospital's history, no two people — living their lives bound to wheelchairs — had ever married.
Janet Yamaguchi, the hospital's recreation leader, had planned everything. Employees had donated their own money to buy the red and white balloons, matching flowers, and an archway dotted with leaves. Janet had the hospital chef make a three-tiered, lemon-filled wedding cake. A marketing consultant hired a photographer.
Janet negotiated with family members. It was one of the most trying and satisfying times of her life to watch the couple get married.
She thought of everything.
The final touch — the kiss — could not be completed. Janet used a white satin rope to tie the couple's wheelchairs to symbolize the romantic moment.
After the ceremony, the minister slipped out trying to hold back her tears. "I've performed thousands of weddings, but this is the most wonderful one I've done so far," the minister said. "These people have passed the barriers and showed pure love."
That evening, Michael and Juana rolled into their own room for the first time together. Michael and Juana knew they had moved many people with their love, and they had been given the greatest gift of all. They had the gift of love. And it's never known where it will land.
爱的羽翼会在何处驻足，无人知晓。偶尔，她可能会出现在最不寻常的地方。令人难以置信的是，有一天，她突然降临在洛杉矶郊区的一家康复医院里，这里的大多数病人都丧失了最基本的身体机能。
医院的工作人员听到这个消息时，一些护士哭了，院长哈利震惊了。但从那时起，哈利把它当作一生中最伟大的日子，为它祈祷。
现在的问题是，怎么给他们缝制结婚礼服呢？虽然有些麻烦，但哈利知道职员们会找到解决的办法。一个护士自告奋勇地揽下了难题，他放心了，希望这会是两位病人——朱安娜和迈克一生中最美好的时光。
一天早晨，迈克出现在哈利的办公室门口，他的身体用带子缚在轮椅上，借助呼吸器呼吸。
“哈利，我想结婚。”迈克说道。
“结婚？”哈利张大了嘴巴，“这可是件大事，和呢？”哈利问。
“朱安娜，”迈克说，“我们相爱了。”
爱情，爱情穿越了医院的大门，降临在两个完全瘫痪的人身上，并进驻了他们的心灵——尽管两位病人衣食不能自理，需要呼吸器才能呼吸，而且永远不能行走。迈克得了脊髓肌肉萎缩症，朱安娜身患多发性硬化病。
结婚的念头如此真切，当迈克拿出结婚戒指，露出多年不见的笑容时，事态就更加明确了。事实上，此时的迈克是医护人员见过的最温柔、最善良的迈克。而此前他一直是公认的暴脾气。
迈克的暴躁是可以理解的。25年来，他一直住在医疗中心。9岁时，他妈妈把他送来后，每周来看几次，直到逝世。他经常大发雷霆，把护士骂走，但至少他觉得医院是他的家，病人们都是他的朋友。
曾经有一个女孩，坐在吱吱做响的轮椅里。迈克想她一定注意到自己了。但她并没有在这里待很久。尽管迈克在那儿度过了生命的一大半后，但他也不得不离开。
医疗中心要关门了，迈克被转移到另一家康复医院，远离了他的朋友们，更糟的是，也远离了贝蒂。
迈克开始变得孤僻，宁愿待在黑暗的房间里，足不出户。朋友驱车两个多小时来看他，他依然情绪低落，没有人能走近他。
有一天，他躺在床上，突然，走廊传来一阵熟悉的吱吱声。古老的轮椅吱吱做响，就像他在以前的中心遇到的女孩——朱安娜所坐的轮椅发出的。
吱吱声在他的门口停住了，朱安娜凝视着他，问他能否和她一起外出。他立即兴奋起来，再次见到她的那一刻，他的生命似乎重新回来了。
他开始再次仰望蓝天白云，开始参加医院的娱乐活动，不知疲倦地与朱安娜聊天。他的房间充满阳光和欢声笑语。不久，他向从24岁开始就一直在轮椅上生活的朱安娜求婚，想知道她是否愿意嫁给他。
朱安娜曾经度过一段非常艰辛的日子。三年级还没读完，她经常会因身体虚弱而昏倒。母亲以为她偷懒，总打她。她生活在恐惧中，一直担心母亲要抛弃她。所以，身体好些时，她就会像小女佣一样打扫房间。
24岁前，她和迈克一样，做过一次气管切开术，以使呼吸畅通。也就是在那个时候，她被确诊患有多发性硬化症。30岁时，她被送进医院接受24小时的全天护理。
所以，当迈克问她这个“重大”问题时，朱安娜想如果他是在戏弄她，那将会给她带来无法承受的痛苦。
“他说爱我时，我非常害怕，”她说，“我想他是在跟我开玩笑。但他说，他是认真的，他爱我。”
情人节那天，朱安娜穿着一件白色的绸缎婚纱，上面缀满珍珠，婚纱很宽松，足以遮住轮椅和呼吸器。哈利自豪地把她推到房门前，她激动得泪流满面。
迈克穿着笔挺的白色衬衣和黑色夹克，脖子上还打了一个精美的蝴蝶结，满脸洋溢着幸福的微笑。
护士和病人们挤满了走廊、房间，就连大厅也满是医护人员。房间的每个角落都传来呜咽声。医院有史以来，还从没有两个轮椅上生活的人结合在一起的先例。
医院的娱乐节目主持人珍妮特策划好了一切活动。医护人员用捐来的钱买了红色、白色的气球，树叶缠绕的拱门，搭配上鲜花。珍妮特请医院的厨师制作了一个三层柠檬味的结婚蛋糕。一个营销顾问还请来了摄影师。
珍妮特跟家人谈论起此事，感慨万分，看到这对有情人终成眷属是她一生中最费解、也是最开心的时刻。她思索了很多。
最后的程序——接吻，无法完成。珍妮特用白绸缎把这对新人的轮椅系在一起，以此来象征这浪漫的时刻。
婚礼结束后，牧师强忍着眼泪，悄悄走了出去，“我主持了无数次的婚礼，但这次，是最棒的一次。”牧师说，“他们克服了艰难险阻，为我们展示了最纯洁的爱情。”
那晚，迈克和朱安娜第一次共入新房。他们知道，他们的真挚爱情打动了很多人，不仅收获了最珍贵的礼物，他们也收获了最纯洁的爱情。爱情，你永远无法知道她会驻足何处。
不合身的婚纱带来的称心爱人
The Blessed Dress
桑迪·威廉斯·德里弗 / Sandy Williams Driver
I got an engagement ring for Christmas. My boyfriend and I had been dating for almost a year and both felt the time was right to join our lives together in holy matrimony.
The month of January was spent planning our perfect Alabama June wedding. My mother, two sisters and I went to Huntsville, the closest town with a selection of bridal shops, to buy the gown that would play the leading role on my special occasion.
We had a wonderful time just being together and sharing silly jokes, but the day soon turned serious by afternoon: still no sign of the dress of my dreams. Both sisters were ready to give up and try another day in another town, but I coerced them into one more boutique.
I had a good feeling as we entered the quaint little shop filled with the scent of fresh flowers. The elderly clerk showed us several beautiful gowns in my size and price range, but none were right. As I opened the door to leave, the desperate shop owner announced she had one more dress in the back that was expensive and not even my size, but perhaps I might want to look at it anyway. When she brought it out, I squealed in delight.
This was it!
I rushed to the dressing room and slipped it on. Even though it was at least two sizes larger and more costly than I had anticipated, I talked Mom into buying it. The shop was so small it didn't offer alterations, but my excitement assured me I would be able to get it resized in my hometown.
