Turning to Madison, he said, “I’ve given her all the instructions for their care. If you’ll just check on them every few hours and keep any other sick children out of this room for now, we can utilize the vacant dorm wing as a back up infirmary. Hopefully no one else will get sick before we get the results on these swabs,” he added, taking the samples from her and slipping them into his medical coat.
Before they headed into the office to go over the charts of the various residents with ongoing medical conditions, Madison peeked back in on Lily. The baby was sleeping quietly with Lian sitting in a chair nearby.
“She’ll keep an eye on her,” Dr. Su said reassuringly. He opened the door to the adjacent office and gestured for Madison to enter. He offered her a seat across from his desk and then pulled out a portable file box. “This contains the charts on all the children who we need to monitor for health conditions,” he explained. Pulling out one file at a time, he showed Madison each child’s photo on the inside flap and then went over the particular medical need or needs of that individual. Most related to allergies, asthma, or congenital issues like vision or hearing loss, cleft palate, clubbed foot, or spinal issues.
“Many of these children were abandoned because of these health concerns,” he explained. “The combination of medical costs and the costs of raising children in general, along with the cultural issues of limited family size and value of healthy stock, prompt parents to let these children go to an orphanage so they can try for other children, who will be able to care for them in their old age and carry on the family name.”
Madison’s heart ached as she looked at the faces of these innocent children, cast aside by their parents because of their imperfections. As if reading her pain, Dr. Su added, “Many of these children find homes, Madison. Not most. But many. You’ll find that Americans often adopt a special needs child, especially those whose medical conditions can be corrected or easily managed.”
She nodded. “Erick has explained some of the adoption process to us. I hope we’ll see some of these kids find good homes,” she added as she handed the stack of folders back to the doctor.
“You will,” he reassured her. “You will.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Caleb’s private lesson was about over, and he was determined to talk to Adam this time. “I need to ask you something,” he said after they wrapped up their session with a bow.
“Yeah?”
“Do you remember someone named Amber Gamble?” he asked.
Adam stopped in his tracks. “Why?”
“Because she knows you,” Caleb replied evasively.
“I knew her a long time ago. But I thought she moved away. Out of state or something.”
“She did. She lives in Arizona,” Caleb said.
“So how do you know her?”
“She’s my mom. Well actually, my biological mom. I’m adopted,” he explained.
Adam nodded. “I see.”
“Anyway, my parents kept in touch with her, so I’ve known her all my life.”
“That’s cool. But I don’t see what this has to do with me. Amber would have no way of knowing I teach karate, so how did you know that we knew each other?”
Caleb’s heart was racing, but he forced himself to blurt it out. “She told me you’re my father—my biological father, that is.”
Adam cocked his head and frowned as he studied Caleb’s face. “You’re kidding, right?”
He shook his head. “No. Serious.”
“Well, Amber’s crazy then. I’m not your father,” he said curtly as he spun around and began walking out of the studio, with Caleb on his heels.
“Just hear me out,” Caleb begged.
Turning to face him again, Adam’s hardened expression almost stopped Caleb from pressing on. But he’d waited awhile for this opportunity, and he wasn’t going to let it pass. “I’m not asking anything of you,” he said, “other than just to know you. Amber said you’re the one.”
Adam rolled his eyes and then punched his finger against Caleb’s chest. “You listen to me, kid. Amber’s screwed up. I’m not your dad. Got it?” he asked leaning so close to Caleb’s face that his breath was hot on Caleb’s cheeks. “Amber was easy with lots of guys, if you get my drift. Sorry to break your bubble about your mother, but she was just a fling for me. Nothing more.”
“But she said she told you she was pregnant,” Caleb said, as he attempted to defend Amber’s reputation. “She said you knew, and you just walked away.”
“Right. Whatever. Amber was looking for someone to take care of her. And she used that line with me to try to rope me in. But I knew better. And you, my friend, need to know that I’m not, I repeat not your father. Got it?” he asked as he stared Caleb down.
Caleb stared back at him, fighting off anger as well as tears. “Maybe I should be glad about that,” he replied before turning and walking out the door.
After he got into the car, Caleb started driving. Nearly blinded by his emotions, he headed out of town, hopping onto the highway and gunning the engine. He drove for fifteen minutes, racing the other cars and weaving in and out. Finally, another driver, feeling anger at being cut off, swung into Caleb’s lane and forced him off the shoulder and into the wall.
The sound of metal and cinderblock rang in Caleb’s ear as the car skidded and scraped along the solid barrier. By the time it came to a stop, he was shaking inside and out from panic and rage. Determined to catch up with the other driver, he sped back out into the lane and darted between cars as he continued to accelerate. Finally spotting the culprit ahead, he put his foot to the floor, never looking in his review mirror to see the flashing lights on his tail.
A voice from a bullhorn ordered him to the shoulder again. He hesitated for a moment, eyeing the target in front of him before slamming his hand on the steering wheel, cursing, and pulling over to stop.
Staring out the windshield as he waited for the officer to approach, he thought about all the injustices he’d just witnessed that evening—a denial of his father’s paternity, even when Caleb insisted he wanted nothing from the man but to know him; the other driver pushing him off the road and into the wall; and now a cop about to punish him for going after the culprit.
By the time the officer was tapping on the passenger window, Caleb was seething. But he was smart enough to know that lashing out at the officer would only add insult to injury. Taking a deep breath, he powered down the window and leaned across the front seat, handing his driver’s license and the vehicle’s registration to the policeman.
“Do you know how fast you were driving, young man?” the officer asked.
“No. I was trying to catch up with the guy who ran me off the road and then took off,” Caleb replied.
The officer stood up and surveyed the side of the car. Then leaning back down at the window, he said, “Can you give me a description of the vehicle?”
Caleb rattled off the model and color. “I almost caught up with him before you pulled me over.”
“And what were you planning to do then?”
Caleb paused. “Uh, get his license plate I guess.”
The officer nodded. “Well, I clocked you at eighty-five miles per hour on that little chase of yours. That, along with the fact that you were weaving between cars, placed other drivers and yourself at risk. I’m sorry about the damage to your vehicle, but that’s no justification for your reckless driving.”
As he took out his citation pad and began writing, Caleb felt his anger surge again. I can’t believe this. The guy’s going to write me a ticket even though I had every reason to go after that jerk.
Half an hour later, Caleb drove into their driveway at home. His father met him on his way in. “Where have you been? Your lesson ended an hour ago?”
Before he could answer, Steve added, “And what happened to the car?” Now he sounded like he was about to blow a gasket.
“A guy edged me off the highway and into a wall,” Caleb muttered.
“What wer
e you doing on the highway?”
“I needed some time to think.”
“About what?” Steve asked.
Caleb just shook his head and started toward the house.
“Hey, I asked you a question,” his father said.
“Yeah, you’ve always got your questions, don’t you?” Caleb replied as he continued to walk toward the house, turning back for a moment to add, “Oh, and I got a ticket.” Tossing the citation over his shoulder, he stormed inside.
Steve called after him, but to no avail. Stooping down, he picked up the ticket and read the violation. “Eighty-five miles per hour? That kid just lost his driving privileges.”
“What’s going on with Caleb?” Michelle asked as Steve stormed into the house after their son.
“He wrecked the car.”
She stood up, feeling her heart race. “What happened? Is he okay?”
“Some guy nudged him into the wall on the side of the highway.”
“The highway?” Now she looked as confused as Steve felt.
“Yeah. He said he needed some time to think, so he went for a drive. That’s when the guy ran him off the road.”
“Oh my gosh! Poor Caleb! We should go up and talk to him.”
Steve looked incredulously. “Poor Caleb? Get this—he was driving eighty-five miles an hour.” Handing his wife the citation he added, “There’s more to this story, like maybe a reason the other guy was pushing him like that.”
“There’s no excuse for someone running someone else off the road,” she countered as she headed for the stairs.
Steve moved to block her path. “Michelle, wait. Think about it for a minute. I agree with you that there’s no excuse for what happened. But Caleb was clearly in the wrong here, too.” He held her eye. “Let me go talk to him.”
She looked at him hesitantly. “Okay, but give him a chance to explain, alright? Sometimes you forget you’re not in a courtroom here.”
Steve felt himself bristle a little. Don’t react, he heard in his spirit. He took a deep breath. “I’ll try to remember that,” he said as calmly as he could muster.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
As Caleb sat on his bed with music blasting into his ears from his iPod’s headset, he thought about the two men he’d set off that night—Adam, who was supposedly his biological father, and Steve who had raised him as his adoptive son.
Both of them didn’t seem to care a bit about him tonight. Adam didn’t even want to admit he was related to Caleb, and he said some pretty ugly things about Amber in the process. And after Caleb’s dad saw the car, he about bit his head off.
He thought about the citation, knowing it would be an automatic grounding and probably the loss of his karate lessons for the rest of the summer.
Suddenly Steve poked his head into the room, and Caleb pulled out his earpieces.
“I’ve been knocking out here,” Steve said. “You must have had that music up pretty loud.”
Caleb shrugged. “I guess.”
“Mind if I come in?”
“Be my guest,” Caleb replied, turning his attention back to his phone to pause the music.
Steve walked over and sat on the chair at Caleb’s desk next to his bed. “Want to tell me what happened? I mean the whole story?”
“I already did. Some jerk swerved over and pushed me out of my lane and against the wall. I tried to catch him but got a ticket instead. So he’s free and I’m busted.”
“Let’s start with the ticket. Eighty-five miles an hour? What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I’d catch up to the guy and get his license plate so we could turn him in. But the cop made sure that will never happen,” he replied. “So now you can just ground me and tell me that I’m going to pay for the repairs, and everything will be perfect.”
His dad stared at him and didn’t say a word. Caleb could feel the thick cloud of disappointment. He knew that any second, he’d be toast.
Instead, his father walked over and sat by him on the bed. He put his hand on Caleb’s knee and said, “I’m trying to understand all this, bud. Help me out here.” He sounded like he really meant it. “What started all this tonight?”
Caleb hesitated. He could feel his anger and even tears threatening to spill. Without making eye contact, he muttered, “Nothing much except my real father is a total jerk and doesn’t want anything to do with me.” Then he turned and looked at Steve. “That’s all. No big deal.”
The look on Steve’s face hurt almost as much as Adam’s rejection. Bet that real father line went over well with him. Now I’m just as much a jerk as Adam.
Steve shook his head with a puzzled expression. “What are you talking about? Did you go to see Adam?”
“He’s my karate teacher, Dad. That’s why I’ve been taking the lessons, so I could get to know him and tell him who I am.”
Steve dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his forehead then raked his fingers through his hair before looking up again. “Start from the beginning, okay?”
Caleb was in no mood to go over everything, but he knew his dad would press him until he did. “There’s not that much to tell. I found Adam because Amber told me where he used to live, and he’s still there. I talked to some lady who lives there, and she told me he was at the martial arts studio. The next time I drove by there, I saw him leave and followed him to the studio. Then I went inside and signed up for his class. And now I’m taking private lessons from him. Or at least I was,” he muttered under his breath.
His dad looked surprised and seriously disappointed. “Don’t you think it would have been a good idea to discuss all this with us first?” he asked.
Caleb rolled his eyes. He hated the way he felt and the way he was talking to his dad, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. “You wanna know why I didn’t discuss it with you first? What? So you could tell me how stupid it was to want to spend time with him and get to know him?” He looked away and then added, “I get it, Dad. I figured you wouldn’t want me to know him. Fine. That’s why I didn’t tell you. But you don’t have to worry. Adam doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. So you can just relax and be happy.”
He could see his dad stiffen. “I’m not happy, Caleb. Not about Adam and whatever happened between you. And not about this citation or the car.”
Turning his back on Steve, Caleb replied, “Fine. Whatever. That makes two of us.”
After a few moments of silence, his father said, “We need to talk about this again when you’ve calmed down, young man. In the meantime, I think we both need to spend some time in prayer.”
“Right,” Caleb replied sarcastically. “That’ll fix it.”
“Knock off the attitude, Caleb. And don’t plan on using the car for a while,” Steve added. “You’ll need to start contributing to the insurance cost around here, too. They’re not going to let you off the hook with traffic school twice in one year.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
Over the course of the next few weeks, Caleb resisted going to church and avoided spending time with his family and friends, as he pulled away from all the people who loved him most, believing that they did not understand or really care about him. Who cares? I don’t need any of them—not Adam, not Mom and Dad, not Madison, not Logan. None of them. They don’t get me and they never will. And God? Well, apparently He’s not going to answer my prayers anyway, so why should I bother?
The more he thought about it, the more determined he became to never let anyone ever hurt him again. He’d graduate soon, and he could take off on his own.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Madison sat in the shade watching the children play on the playground as she ate her lunch. The rubella outbreak had exhausted her over the past three weeks as the infirmary experienced an ever-growing population of children. While caring for their needs, she’d also tried to keep a vigilant eye on Lily, who was losing ground as they awaited funds from back home for her surgery.
Oh Lord, please help. I don�
�t think she’ll make it much longer, Madison prayed silently, her heart heavy with concern. She’d had to rely on Suyin and Lian to keep watch over Lily. If it weren’t for the rubella cases, Madison would have been at her side much of the time. At least she hadn’t gotten sick herself. That was something to be thankful for.
Each day seemed to go by in a blur. Luke was up before dawn, organizing the short-term mission team that arrived the week before. They’d come loaded with supplies for the school, the dormitory, and the infirmary, along with eager hearts and hands to serve. It was an interesting conglomeration of ages ranging from early twenties to a couple in their seventies. All fifteen needed assignments each day, and it was Luke’s responsibility to coordinate those tasks.
Maddie usually arose early with Luke. After a quick breakfast together, she’d head over to the infirmary, and he’d be off to meet with the team. Often they didn’t see each other again until dinner.
Although Madison was busy and felt confident in her role as nurse, loneliness followed her around like a lost sheep. The caregivers and kids spoke in Chinese to each other, leaving her separated by the invisible boundary of language. She was beginning to pick up some words and could carry on the most basic conversations, but trying to follow native speakers as they conversed with natural flow and pace, left her an outsider looking in and guessing what they were saying. Even the music and loud televisions in some of the common rooms reminded her throughout each day that she was far from home.
Sharing dinner with her husband and members of the mission team gave her a welcome opportunity to interact with others. The zeal of the team members also helped Madison remember the blessing of their call to serve here at the Children’s Garden. When a child in the infirmary smiled at her or hugged her close, she felt the joy of the Lord surge within. And cradling Lily in her arms evoked deep feelings of love and compassion that had driven Madison into nursing in the first place. Now she was using her hard-earned skills and knowledge to make a real difference in the lives of these sweet children.
Above All Else (Sandy Cove Series Book 7) Page 17
