Believing in Tomorrow: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 4)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  Samantha leaned sideways, slumping against him. Her hand came up to grip his shirt as she turned her face into his chest. He felt, more than heard, her begin to cry. Though he wasn’t sure it was proper—although, in light of the pregnancy, they’d crossed the proper line a long time ago—he slid an arm under Samantha’s legs and shifted her gently over a little bit so that he could settle onto the bed beside her. He leaned back against the elevated head of the bed, holding Samantha against his side.

  She didn’t object to the movement and, in fact, leaned into him, resting her head against his chest as she continued to cry. One of the nurses popped her head into the room, and her brow furrowed when she saw them. Her expression appeared to be more out of concern for Samantha than the fact that he was on the bed holding her. Her gaze, when she met Levi’s, held a question. When he gave a slight shake of his head, she backed out of the room.

  Levi ran a hand up and down Samantha’s back, offering her through actions what he couldn’t seem to put into words. Maybe that was because he didn’t want to offer her platitudes. Assurances that he couldn’t guarantee. It felt irresponsible to do that to her, and if there was something that Levi always strived to be, it was responsible. So, instead, he settled for offering physical support.

  After several minutes, Samantha’s breathing settled, and Levi realized that she’d fallen asleep. He debated trying to extricate himself from her grip but then decided to stay put, not wanting to wake her—which he would surely do if he tried to move around. It wasn’t a completely comfortable position, but Levi had slept in worse situations.

  Sammi moaned as pain in her head drew her to wakefulness. No doubt the tears she’d shed before falling asleep hadn’t helped her concussion headache any. As she got a grip on the pain, she also became aware that she wasn’t alone in the bed. Recalling that Levi had been holding her as she cried, she realized that he hadn’t left her.

  Thankful that the lights in the room had been dimmed, she shifted a bit, looking up to see him sleeping with his head resting back against the pillows. She hadn’t expected him to stay with her once she was transferred to the room, but she was very grateful he had.

  A noise in the room drew Sammi’s attention, and she pushed up slightly to look toward the door, but it wasn’t a nurse coming into the room. Instead, she when she glanced to the other bed set across the room next to the window, she spotted Makayla asleep there with Ethan beside her. Sammi suddenly felt conscious of how she and Levi were situated. It hadn’t been her intention to fall asleep while he held her, but she’d been so tired—emotionally and physically—that it had happened without her even being aware.

  Moving slowly, Sammi pushed to a sitting position. Her head spun a bit, and she realized that she probably shouldn’t try to stand on her own. She felt movement behind her then a hand on her shoulder.

  “You okay?” Levi’s voice was low.

  “I need to use the bathroom,” she said, pressing her hand to her temple.

  “Let me get the nurse.” He leaned past her and pressed the call button. “Uh. I see we have some company.”

  Sammi glanced over at Makayla and Ethan again. “Yeah. I think she was probably wiped out with everything too.”

  The nurse came in and walked over to pull the curtain to separate them from Ethan and Makayla. Then she came to Sammi’s bed and asked softly, “Everything okay?”

  “I need to go to the bathroom,” Sammi said, trying to keep her voice down. “I’m a little nervous about walking on my own just yet. I’m a bit dizzy.”

  “That’s to be expected,” the nurse said, offering her arm to Sammi. “Your body—especially your head—has had some trauma. So you do need to be careful.”

  Once in the bathroom, the nurse helped her, then stepped outside to give her some privacy. She managed to stand without too much dizziness to wash her hands and then opened the door. The nurse was there waiting and helped her back to the bed which Levi had vacated while she’d been in the bathroom.

  He sat in a chair next to the bed, his attention on his phone. As she climbed back onto the bed, he looked up.

  “What time is it?” Sammi asked. Though she hadn’t had a work shift scheduled for that night, she did have one for the next night, and she knew there was no way she was going to be able to go in.

  After a glance at his phone, Levi said, “It’s almost midnight.” He pushed to his feet. “I should probably be heading home as long as you’re okay.” He glanced at the other bed. “Now that you’re not alone.”

  His desire to leave was a stark reminder for Sammi that unlike Makayla and Ethan, she and Levi were not a couple. At the end of the day, there was nothing keeping him at her side. When he went home in a few minutes, it might be days or longer before she saw him again.

  She knew she should be grateful for the fact that he’d come to her when she’d needed him earlier, and she was. But she wanted more. Unfortunately, Samantha knew that pushing for more would just set herself up for heartache. But right then, feeling physically and emotionally vulnerable, she couldn’t pretend that she wasn’t starting to feel something…more for Levi. Meanwhile, he didn’t appear to be feeling anything beyond concern for her, and she knew that was tied to the baby.

  Swallowing hard, she settled back against the pillows. If he wanted to walk away, then she certainly wasn’t going to stop him. Besides, at this point, she probably wouldn’t trust his actions if he suddenly did decide he wanted something more with her. After all, she was carrying his baby, and if he wanted to spend more time with the baby, he couldn’t do that without them being together.

  “Give me a call if you need anything,” Levi said, keeping his voice low as he slid his phone into his pocket. “Let me know how your mom is doing.”

  “Okay. Thanks for coming tonight.” Sammi plucked at the sheet covering her legs.

  “You’re welcome. I’ll see you later.” And with that, Levi turned and headed out the door.

  She glanced over at the other bed, grateful to see that Makayla and Ethan were still asleep. Blinking against the moisture that was gathering in her eyes, Sammi shifted onto her side, facing the window. Hot tears leaked from her eyes as fear and anxiety once again gripped her. She hoped that the fact that Makayla and Ethan were there and hadn’t woken her, meant that her mom was still holding her own.

  Dealing with so much stress, so suddenly, by herself, just felt like more than she could handle. She wanted to have someone by her side. Someone to share the good and bad times in life. Someone there not just to support her, but for whom she could also be a support. That had been her desire when she’d been with Jayden—which was no doubt why she’d fallen so easily for his promises—and it was still her desire now.

  Feeling alone and more worried than she ever had in her life, Sammi cried herself to sleep for the second time that night, hating the way the pregnancy had made her so much more emotional and weepy than she normally was.

  When she woke next, the pain in her head wasn’t quite as bad. With a groan at the stiffness in her body—she was really feeling the effects of her fall now—Sammi pushed herself up into a sitting position. This time she wasn’t struck immediately by dizziness, so she figured that was a step in the right direction.

  And speaking of steps, the baby was making sure her mom knew that she needed to be making some steps in the direction of the bathroom. She slid slowly off the bed and stood for a moment, her hand braced against the mattress in case she lost her balance. Though she had a dull ache in her head and slightly more pronounced pain in her back and hip, the dizziness appeared to be gone. At least for the time being.

  With measured steps, she moved around the end of the bed, noticing as she did that the curtain dividing the room was pulled back and the other bed was now empty. She looked around the room for a clock, but finding none, she continued on to the bathroom, grateful when she was able to take care of business and get back to the bed without needing help.

  Certain that she wouldn’t be able to
fall back to sleep without some sort of news about her mom, Sammi pressed the call button. Almost immediately one of the nurses appeared.

  “How are you feeling this morning?” she asked. “Do you need to go to the bathroom?”

  “I’ve already been up and made it there and back okay.”

  The nurse frowned for a moment. “Well, I guess that’s a good sign then. Are you eager to go home?”

  “Not home, but I do want to be discharged. I just want to be able to be with my family.” She motioned to the other bed. “I see that they left already.”

  The nurse nodded. “About forty-five minutes ago. Your doctor should be by within the hour, and we’ll see what he says about discharge. In the meantime, you need to eat and drink something. I’ll see what we can find for you.”

  Sammi wasn’t really hungry, but she knew that for the baby’s sake, she needed to keep up her food and water intake. Before settling back against her pillows, she got her phone from her purse. 8:01 AM. Along with the time, she saw that she had a text message and tapped to open the app.

  Bennett: It’s five o’clock, and the doctors have decided the swelling was down enough to proceed with surgery on Mom. It seems like they didn’t think it would be wise to wait any longer. Ryan and Kenton arrived an hour ago. Text me when you get this.

  Sammi closed her eyes for a moment, clutching her phone tightly in her hand as she prayed for her mom and the team of doctors and nurses who were working on her. She knew that there was a possibility her mom wouldn’t survive the surgery, but she also knew that there was no doubt a ton of people praying for her mom and the surgical team. Hopefully, it was God’s will for her mom to make it through the surgery. Sammi tried to not allow herself to imagine any other outcome.

  I just woke up a few minutes ago. I’m hoping the doctor will discharge me so I can join you guys. Any word on Mom?

  She sat staring at the display, waiting for a response from Bennett and praying that it would hold good news.

  “Here you go,” the nurse said with a cheery tone as she walked in. “Bagel, fruit and some oatmeal.”

  Sammi looked up as she brought a tray over to the table next to her. It was one of those tables that could be rolled into position over the bed so Sammi could eat without having to get out of bed. Unfortunately, she had even less appetite now than she had had a few minutes ago.

  “Thank you.” Sammi was determined to eat something so that there would be no possible reason for the doctor to want to keep her in the hospital.

  Left alone again, she picked up the spoon and dipped it into the oatmeal. Never her favorite, the porridge tasted even worse than usual, but she made herself eat half of it before moving on to the fruit. She managed to eat all except the cantaloupe and then ate half of the bagel that had been toasted and spread with cream cheese. It tasted better than she had anticipated for hospital food, and she wondered if Max had somehow influenced the food she was served like he had the room she’d been assigned.

  Bennett: No word on Mom yet. Drs said surgery could take 4-5 hours. How are you feeling? M said you were sleeping okay when she and E left.

  I’m sore but not dizzy like I was last night. Can walk on my own without feeling like I’m going to fall over. Just finished some breakfast. Hoping the dr comes soon.

  Bennett: I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to help you out. T said that Levi stopped by so I’m glad you weren’t alone. Hope we see you soon.

  Sammi took the time, while waiting for the doctor, to phone Yvette, her work supervisor, to let her know what all had happened. The woman was sympathetic and understanding. Not that Sammi had expected anything less. The only things bigger than Yvette’s body were her heart and her laugh. So when she heard the news about Sammi’s mom, Yvette expressed her concern for both Sammi and Emily.

  “You take care of yourself, hun. Don’t worry about a thing here. We’ll be happy to have you back whenever you’re ready.”

  “Thanks so much, Yvette. I’ll keep you updated.”

  With that call completed, Sammi slumped back against the bed, trying to rally her strength and her emotional reserves as she prepared to go and join her family. The selfish longings she’d had—for things that would never be hers—needed to be set aside. Pushed down. Forgotten. It was the only way she could face what lay ahead. Not just in regards to her mom, but also in regards to the baby and the future she and her daughter would share.

  Levi stared at the terraced landscape they were working on for one of the more expensive homes in Winnipeg. Gray clouds hung in the sky, occasionally spitting out small drops of rain. It wasn’t the most ideal weather to work in, but with the days left to finish outside work dwindling, because of the approach of winter, they worked, rain or shine, if at all possible. Snow would stop the landscape and yard work soon enough.

  “Earth to Levi. Earth to Levi.” Jeff’s voice broke through Levi’s thoughts, and he turned to face the man. “What’s up? Something going on?”

  Yeah, something was going on, but he didn’t feel up to sharing it. Levi had struggled to get to sleep after getting home from the hospital, so he was tired, but more than that, he felt guilty for having left Samantha when he knew she was physically struggling. He knew that fear was what had made him leave. Fear that his emotions would get involved in a way that would only lead to heartache. Though Samantha had allowed the closeness the previous night, he doubted it had to do with anything she’d felt for him. She’d been alone, and he’d been there. If some of her family had been there, she wouldn’t have needed him.

  He had to remember that. And Steve Callaghan’s words.

  “I’m just concerned about something that happened with a friend last night,” Levi told Jeff as he turned back to the garden, watching as two of the younger guys on the crew spread mulch. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “Sorry to hear that, man,” Jeff said as he clapped him on the shoulder. “Do you need to take the day off? I think everything is under control.”

  “No. I’m fine. They’ll let me know if they need me.” As he said the words, his text alert sounded. He hadn’t even realized that he was hoping it was something from Samantha until he felt a pang of disappointment when he saw Tom’s name on the screen. “Looks like Tom and his crew have arrived on site.”

  Jeff looked at his watch with a shake of his head. “Only thirty minutes late.”

  “I’m thankful that that job site isn’t a time-sensitive one, but hopefully starting late doesn’t push the schedule off for the rest of the day.” Levi rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sure this is Tom’s way of expressing his displeasure at being in charge of the mowing crews this week.”

  “And yet it’s a vicious cycle,” Jeff commented. “He wouldn’t be on the mowing crews if he was more punctual. He’s just making our case for us.”

  “We may have to re-evaluate his position if he keeps on with this behavior.”

  “Do you want me to address this with him today? Kind of give him a warning before you step in to lower the hammer?”

  Levi usually took care of the human resources side of things, but he was actually glad to let Jeff shoulder some of it that day. Considering the frustrated and guilty mood he was in, he’d either fire the guy on the spot or give him a raise. “Yeah. Take care of it, please. I’m going to head over to Spencer’s site and see how he’s doing. At least he checked in on time this morning.”

  “Sounds good, boss. Talk to you later.”

  Levi left to drive across town to the church where Spencer’s crew were beginning to prep the gardens around the building for winter. They had also been asked to plant bulbs of a certain variety that would bloom in the spring, in a memorial garden at the back of the church. Levi wanted to make sure that everything was on track for that project.

  Though this wasn’t the church where Samantha and her family went, it brought to mind the service he’d attended there and the discussion afterward with Keenan Miller and Bennett McFadden. This wasn’t the first
time he’d thought about that conversation, but usually, he just brushed the memory aside. However, today he had nothing but time to think as he sat in rush hour traffic through the center of town.

  Hearing the news that Emily Callaghan’s life was hanging in the balance had been difficult. His only memory of Emily was of her alive and vibrant, so the idea of her now being near death kind of shook him. And her situation was bringing back so many unwelcome memories about the time when his own mom’s life had been in danger.

  He shook off thoughts of that time and even thoughts of Emily, choosing instead to think about Keenan’s invitation. Was the man really serious? It would be interesting to see another side of a man whom he admired for his athletic skill. Keenan seemed almost as passionate about his faith as he was about his sport. Levi wondered if it would be wrong to accept the invitation to Bible study simply because he wanted to get close to the man whose skill on the football field he admired.

  His phone rang as he drove and a glance at the display on his dashboard indicated it was Jeff. He tapped the screen to accept the call through his vehicle’s Bluetooth.

  “Hey, Jeff.”

  “Well, that kind of backfired,” Jeff said without greeting.

  “What do you mean?”

  “He quit. The dude just up and quit.” Jeff added a few choice words regarding how he felt about the guy.

  Though he was royally ticked off, Levi found he wasn’t surprised. Tom had been a sporadic employee at best. “Are the other guys still on site?”

  “Yeah. I told them to finish the job there and then load up. I’ll meet them at the next job to get them going and then come back to check on this one.”

  “Okay. Maybe I should send Spencer over to lead that crew, and I’ll stay with the one at the church. I don’t want you to leave that site for too long.”

  “Spencer isn’t going to be happy about that,” Jeff said. “He just got off the mowing crew.”

  Levi stared at the red traffic light, letting out a frustrated puff of air. “Yeah. I’ll make sure that he knows that it’s just temporary. Then I guess we’ll need to decide if it’s worth hiring someone this late in the game or if we just try and finish out the season with the guys we have.”