She walks down the aisle, her back straight, her head high, her face serene. Her lacy white dress glows as afternoon sun pours through the windows.

He waits for her, looking slightly anxious in his tux, as every groom does just before he's going to be married.

He smiles.

She smiles.

The pastor says a few words. Her father, removing his hat, agrees to give her away and steps to the side as she joins hands with her future.

Two medical bracelets dangle from one of her wrists, and an IV hookup dangles from the other.

As the bride and groom tearfully exchange vows, all in the audience hold back emotion, some unsuccessfully.

For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do they part.

As the ceremony ends, they share a kiss, a hug, a few whispered words. They'll be together for the rest of their lives, they think confidently.

But in this case, neither knows how long that may be.

The bride and groom turn for a few photos before the bride motions to her nurse. She needs pain medication. She needs to sit down.

Robin and Jason Lawrence were a happy, engaged couple, both working as emergency medical technicians in Cody, when a disc unexpectedly slipped in Robin's back.

To correct the problem, she had two major back surgeries within four months at the beginning of 2008. The first surgery didn't take.

The second "went very wrong," she said.

The couple, who live in Cody, traveled to Mountain View Regional Hospital, a neurological and spine surgical center in Casper, where Robin learned she would have corrective surgery.

"We were going to get married next year, but these were extenuating circumstances," Robin said.

Death is a possibility with any surgery, and with the high-risk nature of this particular surgery, she and Jason wanted to be married before she went into the operating room.

The details were the only things holding them back. Only two days before the surgery, Robin talked with her case manager and her nurse about her wishes.

"The hospital was buzzing. They were great. They made it happen," she said. "They helped get what we wanted and made it happen in a day."

The kitchen made a cake, complete with a topper showing the bride dragging the groom to submission, and Hart's Tux and Gowns donated wedding-appropriate attire for the bride and groom.

The ceremony was held Wednesday, only two hours before Robin's surgery in the stylish waiting room of the hospital and in front of a stone fireplace.

The couple's daughter, Leilani, 10, acted as a bridesmaid, as did Robin's nurse Monica Reike, who walked down the aisle in her maroon scrubs.

"The staff has been phenomenal," Robin gushed.

"It's not like you're just another patient," Jason added. "They really care."

Pastor Ellis Kaster - yes, Pastor Kaster - who works full time at Wyoming Medical Center, volunteered his services as well. He handed the couple their marriage certificate and let them know everything was taken care of. They were, officially, a married couple.

"We're happy. We're really happy," Robin said. "Not only did they make our dream come true, but it's going to be a really good day."

She and Jason held hands and shared a look.

"It's going to be a good day because I'm going to come out of this," she said, her eyes tearing again, "and tomorrow, we're going to start our life together."

Robin's surgery went "beautifully," a receptionist at the hospital said Monday. She, Jason and Leilani have returned home to Cody, where Robin is working to become a registered surgical nurse.

Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0616 or megan.lee@trib.com.