Mother's Day fell on a Sunday in 1992. Surgical nurse Deanna Murray, 28, was working the day shift at the Medical Center of Central Massachusetts in Worcester. Her husband Michael, 27, was home with their two children, 3-month old Matthew and his 20-month-old sister. Around noon, Michael decided to take the kids to the hospital to give Deanna some Mother's Day gifts -- a necklace and a single rose. Then he carried the both children back to the indoor garage where his '87 Hyundai was parked. Matthew was already in his car seat, so Michael set him temporarily on the roof while strapping his daughter into her seat. Then, forgetting Matthew was still in his seat on the roof, Michael drove slowly out of the dark garage and through the streets of Worcester. NOBODY BEEPED to warn him something was wrong. He accelerated onto I-290 and was going about 50 miles per hour when he heard a scraping on the roof. "You could hear it slide," he said. "I looked where he should have been. Then I looked in the rear view mirror and saw him sliding down the highway." That's when an angel appeared. His name was James Boothbay, 67, a retired antiques dealer. James was driving behind Michael and doesn't like to tailgate, so he saw what he assumed was a doll slide off the Hyundai. He saw the car seat bounce a few times, but never tip over. When the "doll" opened its mouth, James quickly stopped and angled his car to block traffic. By then, Michael was backing up, and they both found baby Matthew unharmed. Even the car seat was undamaged. Michael told James, "When the police arrive, tell them I went to the hospital." He knew it would be best to break the news to his wife very gently, so he asked her to come down the hall to the emergency room under the pretense that "Matthew has fallen." She ran down the hall, and when she heard the full story, she said "nurses had to sit me down and hold me. It's a miracle. It really is."
State trooper Mario Tovar agreed. "The doctors gave him a good bill of health. He's a miracle baby. What a Mother's Day gift!"
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