【赫临译笔】水晶铃 - 心云驛站

多年前，我搬到加州。在一家小急诊室里工作，因为最年轻，只得平安夜值班。

九点钟，救护车送来一个六十多岁的人，他心脏病正在发作。我尽我所能，把他救过来了。和其它医生不一样，急诊医生和病人之间不会保持长久的联系。那些经过我们治疗的病人，常常是一出医院门，就很少能再见到他们了。

第二年，我依然是急诊室里最年轻的，还是平安夜值班。九点钟，导医告诉我：一对夫妇想见我。我来到他们身边，男的自我介绍说他姓李，说：“你可能不认识我了，可去年平安夜你救了我的命。这一年的生命是你给我的，谢谢你。”他和他的妻子抱了抱我，递给我一个小礼物，然后离去。我又吃惊又感动。

第三年，我主动要求平安夜值班。九点整，李家夫妇准时出现，怀里抱着一个婴儿。这是他家刚出生的孙子辈儿上的孩子。此后每年平安夜九点整，这对夫妇都会准时出现，有两次带来了刚出生的孙子，还有一次带来了刚出生的重孙子。

我和李先生还有他的家人共同度过了十三个平安夜。李先生给我带来一个礼物，这是一个水晶铃，上面镌刻着“友谊”二字。后来，李先生去世了。此后，每年平安夜九点整，我都会摇动这只铃，以此来纪念李先生。

Years ago I moved to California. I took a job in a small emergency’s department. As the newest member of the group, I got the shift to work on Christmas Eve.

At 9:00 pm, the ambulance brought in a man in his 60s. He was suffering a heart attack. I did my best to help him and luckily he survived. Emergency physicians don’t have continuing relationships with patients like other doctors. Often they pass through our hands and we rarely see them again out the door.

The following year, I was still the newest member of the group, so I got Christmas Eve duty again. At 9:00 pm, a clerk told me there was a couple who wanted to talk to me. When I went to them, the man introduced himself as Mr Lee and said, “You probably don't remember me, but last Christmas Eve you saved my life. Thank you for the year you gave me”he and his wife hugged me, handed me a small gift and left. I was very surprised and moved.

In the third year, I volunteered for the shift. Once again, at exactly 9:00 pm, the Lees turned up, carrying a baby. It was their new grandchild. Each year at exactly 9:00 pm, he’d appear, twice with new grandchildren. One year he came with a great- grandchildren.

Mr Lee, his family and I spent 13 Christmas Eve together. Mr Lee died after he brought me a gift---a crystal bell with the word “friendship” on it. Since then, I ring that bell every Christmas Eve at exactly 9:00 pm in memory of him.