Through the Tears Preview
(Sandy Cove Series Book Two)
Michelle and her family rejoice as her father regains consciousness. But a long journey lies ahead as they seek to clear his name and assist him on his path to recovery.
As the days of their bedside vigil drag into weeks, Michelle discovers a pleasant diversion at the hospital nursery, stopping on a regular basis to gaze at the newborn babies. She convinces Steve that they should start a family of their own, but an unexpected twist makes that more difficult than they anticipated.
Will John fully recover from his wounds and successfully prove his innocence? What will become of Michelle’s relationship with Trevor? How will Michelle navigate the rough waters of infertility and learn to lean on God as she struggles Through the Tears.
To begin reading the Prologue and Chapter One, turn the page.
Through the Tears
(Sandy Cove Series Book Two)
PROLOGUE
Michelle Baron sat on the edge of the couch, heart racing as she looked at the envelope in her trembling hand. I guess this is it, she thought. The return address seemed harmless enough. Fairfield Lab, Portland, Oregon. But this envelope contained information that could change her life forever.
Once Steve knew the results of the DNA test, he might change his thinking about their daughter, Madison. Her heart ached because of the distance between her husband and their new baby. Madison was a gift. A gift from God. And now she and Steve would know the truth.
The baby whimpered softly from her cradle. “It’s okay, Maddie,” Michelle cooed as she gently stroked her daughter’s wispy hair.
Why couldn’t Steve just accept Madison as their daughter? She gazed down at the three-month old child, who was now sleeping peacefully again. Her fair coloring and rosy cheeks reminded Michelle of the first time she met Steve in the university library.
Glancing over at the wedding picture that stood on the end table, she smiled momentarily. “Guess opposites really do attract,” she said as she reached toward the nape of her neck and began twisting a strand of her supple black hair.
Everywhere they went together as a family, people commented on the uncanny resemblance between baby Madison and Steve. “A real clone,” was Steve’s law partner’s first remark. “Did you have any part in this?” he had asked jokingly, looking at Michelle.
Though the world had no problem assuming he was Madison’s father, Steve remained insecure. It was obvious from Roger’s comment that he had not confided in his trusted associate and friend. His withdrawal and detachment frustrated Michelle as much as it hurt her. This was a time they should be celebrating. But the tension between them was a thick fog that threatened to suffocate their love for each other and destroy the family they had begun.
“Oh Lord,” Michelle sighed, gazing at the unopened envelope through the tears that filled her eyes. “Help me.”
The presence of God wrapped around her like a warm blanket.
I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and not for evil. Plans to give you hope and a future.
Michelle took a deep breath. “Thank you, God.” Her quivering hands placed the envelope on the coffee table.
CHAPTER ONE
Two years earlier in a hospital in Bridgeport, CA
John Ackerman slowly opened his eyes. Piercing, needle-like pain shot through his pupils filling his head as the fluorescent lighting bombarded his senses. A scream struggled to escape, but the only sound he heard was a soft moan.
Suddenly a face appeared to hover over him. It was blurry and distorted, but the voice was familiar. “Daddy?” it asked anxiously. He tried to reach up from the bed and touch the face, but his arm was like lead and his fingers barely flickered. Almost immediately, he felt a warm touch as his hand was squeezed gently.
“Daddy? Can you hear me?”
John struggled to speak. Nothing. He strained his eyes to focus on the face, but it remained a blur. Where was he? Why couldn’t he move? Who was this face with the familiar voice? Confusion and panic gripped him.
“Someone come quick!” the voice called out. Another face joined the first one. It spoke loudly and clearly.
“Can you hear me, John?”
Beeping sounds next to his head contributed to his anxiety. He wanted to answer the face, but no words came. Again he moaned. His lips moved as he tried to speak, but only garbled sounds emerged. His eyes widened as fear consumed him.
The first voice spoke again. “It’s Michelle, Dad. I’m right here. You’re in the hospital.”
Hospital. Michelle. John was desperately trying to make sense of what he heard. Icy fingers were pressing on his wrist. He felt chilled and began to shake.
“Let’s get another blanket on him,” the second voice said.
John felt his body being covered with something warm and soft. He closed his eyes momentarily.
“Daddy! Don’t leave us. We need you,” urged the familiar voice.
An image shot through John’s mind. It was a dark-haired girl on a porch swing. She was smiling and laughing as she played with a kitten. Michelle. My little girl. She needs me. John forced his eyes to open again. He tried hard to focus. Though she was still a blur, he could tell this young lady was much older than the girl on the swing.
“I’m right here, Dad. I won’t leave you.”
A tear trickled down John’s cheek. He wanted to respond, but was trapped in a body of lead.
“Please go find my mom,” he heard her ask, as she dabbed his cheek with a soft tissue.
He felt his hand being caressed again by the warm touch. It helped to calm him. The voice continued to speak.
“You’re going to be okay, Dad. Hang on. Don’t give up. I know you can make it through this. We’re all here. We’ll help you, Dad. Just please don’t leave us.”
Another face appeared over him a minute later. He knew this face, even in its blurry state. His heart beat frantically as the face spoke.
“It’s me, John, Sheila. You’ve been asleep for a long time,” she said, gently placing her hand on his face. She began to quietly cry.
John wanted to reach out and embrace her. He wanted to hold her in his arms and say he loved her. All he could do was moan.
“It’s okay, honey. Don’t worry. We’re here for you. Don’t try to talk right now. Just rest,” she said between sniffles.
Mother and daughter collapsed into each other’s arms. They were both crying, half from exhaustion and half from elation. “He’s going to make it, Mom. I just know it,” Michelle said, wiping her eyes.
“Go find your brother, Michelle.”
Before leaving, Michelle squeezed her father’s hand. “I love you, Daddy. I’ll be right back.”
Sheila took her daughter’s place in the chair beside her husband’s hospital bed. As she held John’s hand, she thought about all that had taken place in the past few weeks. First his struggles with the court case, then his disappearance, and finally the discovery in the motel that he had shot himself.
“Dear God, help us,” she prayed silently but fervently.
Joan was sleeping soundly on the motel bed across the street from the hospital when the phone startled her. Before she could rouse herself fully, her husband Phil was answering it. He sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his as he spoke to their daughter.
“Oh, Sheila -- that’s wonderful!”
Joan swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat up beside him, watching his expression as she tried to read the conversation from one side.
“Should we come over there?” Phil asked, glancing over and smiling at his sleepy-eyed wife. He nodded as he listened. “Okay. We’ll see you around 5:00 then. I’m so glad you called, honey. This is great news.”
A moment later Phil was replacing the phone on its receiver. He grabbed her in a joyous embrace. “John opened his eyes! He’s beginning to respond!”
“Thank you, Jesus,” was all Joan could manage as her eyes filled with tears.
After another hug, Phil explained to her that Sheila said they should go back to the hospital at 5:00 that afternoon. Dr. Jeffries would be making his rounds around 4:30, and they would have more information after he examined John.
Glancing over at the open Bible on the bed, Joan knew Phil had been reading his Bible and praying for their son-in-law while she slept. She watched as relief washed over her husband’s tired body. He stretched and yawned, a peaceful smile radiating from his weathered face.
“You need a nap, Pastor,” said Joan, smiling and patting him on the back. “Here, stretch out on the bed for a little while. We still have a couple of hours before we go back over there.”
Phil nodded. “You’re probably right,” he replied with a weary smile.
He eased himself onto the bed and within a few minutes, he was snoring softly. Joan smiled and snuggled down beside him. “Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful man and for making me a part of his life,” she whispered before drifting back to sleep.
Tim and Steve were silently staring off into space when Michelle found them sitting at a table in the lounge. “Dad opened his eyes!” she exclaimed excitedly.
“What?” Tim asked, standing in response. Steve quickly joined him on his feet.
“He just opened his eyes. He’s trying to respond to us, but he can’t talk. He just keeps moaning. Mom sent me to find you,” she continued, her words tumbling out excitedly.
“Let’s go,” Tim replied.
The three of them hurried back to the ICU. Finally. A fragment of hope. Michelle grabbed her husband’s hand. She seemed so young and vulnerable with her tousled hair and sleepy eyes. He squeezed her hand and smiled, praying that God would somehow bring good out of this after all.
A voice of darkness penetrated John’s consciousness. You are mine, John Ackerman. You belong to me.
Dear God, help me, John prayed silently from his prison of flesh. From somewhere in the darkness, a force of peace enveloped him and calmed his racing heart. He could see his wife sitting beside his bed. She looked into his eyes intently. How could he tell her he loved her, and he never intended things to end up this way? He tried to speak, but the words were beyond his grasp. He struggled to reach up and touch her face, but his hand only flickered slightly by his side.
Sheila reached down and took his hand in hers. “I love you, John,” she repeated, her voice trembling.
He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, a young man was sitting by the bed.
“It’s me, Dad. Tim.”
John tried to discern the features of the face next to him. Tim. Their baby. But this was not a baby. This was a grown man. He felt confused, exhausted, and overwhelmed by frustration. His strength was spent, and he closed his eyes as he escaped into a fuzzy darkness.
Through the Tears is available for immediate download on Amazon.
BOOKS BY ROSEMARY HINES
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It seems such a small thing to simply make short mention of the many people who have helped bring Michelle’s story to life. The experiences God brings to us weave a tapestry of beautiful people who support, encourage, exhort, and instruct us. Each author’s tale is flavored by those experiences and people.
The foundation for this book was originally laid by my parents, who always believed in me and taught me to live my dreams. Without their unconditional love and confidence, it’s certain I would never have undertaken this journey of writing.
Like Michelle, I had my own season of searching for truth and understanding. My husband, Randy, patiently endured my New Age explorations and my intolerance for traditional beliefs. In God’s grace, He brought the two of us to a place of awakening at almost the same time, but through very different means. We had been married for eight years, when we became Christians and were baptized together in the Pacific Ocean.
Several years later, God placed a desire on my heart to write a novel that would share some of the experiences and lessons I had learned on my journey to faith. As I began to tell the tale, He used a number of people to guide me and teach me about this craft of writing. Without these people, I never would have completed this daunting project.
Among those who freely gave of their time, knowledge, encouragement, editing expertise, and instruction are my sister Julie; my friends Sheila, Patti, Nancy, Doris, Misty, and Jan; our pastor, Terry; Bonnie Hanson and Kathi Macias (Orange County Christian Writer’s Fellowship); and my children Kristin and Benjamin.
I would be remiss if I did not also mention the almost 2,000 junior high students who called me teacher over the course of fifteen years and who kept after me by asking, “When is your book being published?” Here it is!
BOOKS BY ROSEMARY HINES
Sandy Cove Series Book 1
Out of a Dream
Sandy Cove Series Book 2
Through the Tears
Sandy Cove Series Book 3
Into Magnolia
Sandy Cove Series Book 4
Around The Bend
Sandy Cove Series Book 5
From the Heart
Sandy Cove Series Book 6
Behind Her Smile
Out of a Dream (Sandy Cove Series Book 1) Page 25
