by Lynne Gentry
Parker offered his hand while holding Isabella’s with the other. Saul and Romeo started down the hall. Everyone followed like they were being led out of Egypt. When Parker, Maddie, and Isabella finally caught up with the little mob, Maddie saw that everyone was standing outside the chapel. Saul held the heavy wooden door open, but no one had gone in.
Maddie left Parker and Isabella. “What’s wrong, Saul?”
“Someone’s praying,” he whispered.
As Maddie took a step toward the door, a woman shot from the chapel and ran smack into her. Maddie steadied them both by placing her hands on the woman’s shoulders. “Freda?”
The nurse’s head shot up, tears streaking her face. “Sorry, Dr. Harper.” She backed away and hurried down the hall.
Maddie went after her. “Miss Freda, are you okay?”
She stopped and sniffed. “Just heard about your mother. Had to come say a prayer for her...and for you.”
Maddie’s mouth fell open at Freda’s sincere concern. “Thank you, Freda.”
“I love your daddy’s chapel.” She nodded toward the door where everyone was filing inside. “Your parents were the only ones who knew about my husband’s drinking. Killed him eventually, but not before he put me in the hospital a few times. When the chapel was finished, Leona gave me a key in case it was ever locked and I needed a place to leave my burdens.” She pointed at the verse engraved above the door. “Matthew 11:28. One of my favorites.” She started quoting, “Come to me...”
Maddie took her hand and joined her. Together, they finished Christ’s promise of rest for those who felt like they couldn’t carry their burden another step.
Freda’s smile was rusty but it warm and tender by the time it reached her eyes. “I always knew you’d done your memory work. Why’d you always pretend you hadn’t?”
“Why didn’t you tell me about your husband?”
“You were a child. And when you came back a doctor, I was ashamed at how difficult I’d made your life, but my pride wouldn’t let me admit my wrong. Pride’s a hard master. Don’t let it ruin you.” She marched toward her post.
Pondering the warning, Maddie turned to find Parker and Isabella waiting patiently outside the chapel door. Everyone else had filed in, including Nellie.
Parker’s eyes dove deep into her soul. He saw her fears, but instead of judgment there was compassion. “We can pray out here.”
She shook her head and threaded her arm through the one he used to support Isabella. “It’s time I got back on that bike. God and I have some catching up to do.”
Parker kissed her temple and opened the heavy door.
Stepping into the chapel was like coming home. Not a place—like the town of Mt. Hope, her old bedroom in the parsonage, or even the church where she’d grown up. But a feeling of security and love...the feeling she used to have whenever she was wrapped tightly in her father’s arms.
The miniature version of Mt. Hope Community Church had three short pews on each side of a carpeted aisle. At the front of the sanctuary, Momma had recreated the stained-glass sunburst behind a cross that had always given Daddy a halo as he delivered his Sunday sermons. Beneath the beautiful scene, Saul knelt with his head bowed and his hands lifted. Romeo sat quietly at Saul’s side as if he, too, knew this place was special.
Nola Gay had parked Etta May’s wheelchair beside their regular seats on the second row on the right—widow’s row—Momma had always called the twins’ favorite spot. Bette Bob and Ruthie had squeezed in with them. Maxine, Howard, and Nellie had claimed the head elder position on the second pew on the left. Ivan sat alone, his camera and notepad respectfully tucked away. Roxie stood at the back, not sure where an Episcopalian fit in, but obviously as taken with Momma’s attention to detail as Maddie. David and Amy were huddled together on the front row, their heads bowed and David’s shoulders bobbing up and down with uncontrollable sobs.
Maddie walked the aisle, her arm coiled through Parker’s. She tapped her brother’s shoulder. “Have room for me?”
David wiped his nose on his sleeve and scooted closer to Amy. “Always.”
Maddie, Parker, and Isabella squeezed in. Flanked by the brother she adored and the man she loved, Maddie lifted her face toward the stained glass. She felt as if she was actually standing at the foot of the path that led to the cross surrounded by shards of glorious light. She’d made so many mistakes. Had no right to expect God to welcome her back, let alone hear her plea to save her mother. But the verse she’d just repeated with Freda kept spinning in her head. She was weary. Weary of fighting, of running, of pretending she was stronger than she was, of pushing away everyone who’d ever dared to love her...including God.
She closed her eyes and whispered, “God, I’ve no right to ask you to forgive me, but my parents aren’t here.” Her breath hitched at the possibility of losing Momma forever, too. “Please, God. Forgive me.” She sobbed into Parker’s shoulder. He stroked her hair and Isabella patted her hand.
Peace settled into the raw places and warmed Maddie from the inside out. She drank up the relief like a thirsty traveler. Resting in the comfort, she dared to silently ask one more thing. “And God, whatever you decide to do about Momma, go easy on her. I’ve been hard enough to handle. She deserves a break.”
Relieved to have finally started a conversation with the Lord, Maddie continued her silent spilling. She told God about the job in Atlanta, the upcoming assignment in Yemen, and how she couldn’t bear to think of leaving Parker and Isabella. She was moving through the list with such concentration that the sudden sound of Parker’s intoning, “When peace like a river...” startled her.
His smooth, calming voice filled the chapel. Etta May and Nola Gay were quick to join in, followed by Maxine and Howard. David cleared his throat, squeezed Maddie’s hand and added his tenor to the beautiful mix in the chapel’s perfect acoustics.
The lump in Maddie’s throat dissolved. She opened her mouth, not sure what would come out. It had been so long since she’d sung a hymn. Her “It is well...” bumped into Parker’s baritone with a raspy gasp.
He smiled at her and the last of her angst melted away. When the song ended, the power of the music still remained. Whatever happened, Momma had done what she’d always excelled at doing—she’d brought people together. She’d brought Maddie home.
Saul’s shoulders lifted. He rose and turned, looking stronger and resolved. He gathered Romeo’s leash, gave Parker a grateful pat on the shoulder, then strode from the chapel. One by one, the others filed out giving Maddie, Parker, Isabella, David, and Amy a moment to themselves.
While Maddie was certainly feeling better about her relationship with her Lord—and even the outcome of her mother’s surgery—God had not given her a clear answer on what to do about pursuing the CDC job. “Parker, would you mind taking Amy to get some coffee? I need to talk to my brother.”
Parker and Amy exchanged curious looks but both of them recognized the siblings’ need to be alone.
Once the chapel had completely emptied, Maddie squeezed David’s hand. “No matter what happens with Momma, we’re going to be fine, right?”
“I love you, Maddie. I always have.”
“I know. I’m sorry I let my envy of your favored-son status push us apart.”
From the arch of his eyebrows, he was seeing her for the first time. “It’s not easy living in someone’s shadow.”
In turn, she saw him. He was no longer just an older brother who’d been a hard act to follow, but he was a man who carried a similar weight on his own shoulders. She’d never considered how difficult it had been for David to try and fill the place of the man everyone adored. “There are worse things.”
They stared at the stained glass, their clasped hands an anchor in this storm.
“David, I need your advice.”
He reared back, his brows knit in surprise. “This is a first.”
“I’m serious.”
“Okay,” he said warily.
No sense putting it off. “I’ve been offered the job in Atlanta.”
“That’s great!” He wrapped her in a bear hug. “Momma’s gonna be so proud.” When he let her go, he saw the angst on her face. “What am I missing here?”
“I have to leave in a few hours.”
“What? Why?”
“There’s a cholera outbreak in Yemen.”
“Tell them your mother’s been in a wreck. Surely, they’ll let you delay your departure a few days.”
She shook her head. “Time is of the essence.”
“So you asked for my advice, but you’ve already made up your mind?”
“Not completely.”
“Because?”
“I love Parker.”
She could see his heart breaking for her. “Oh, Maddie.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “And he loves you.”
She nodded. “How can I work this out, David?”
His expression was sympathetic and soft. “I can’t believe you’ve finally asked for my advice and I’ve got none to give.” He patted her shoulder. “This is between you, Parker, and God, little sister.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Isabella had fallen asleep on Parker’s shoulder while he and Amy walked the hospital corridors in search of a vending machine. They returned to the chapel with a three bags of chips and two bottles of water. Nellie was waiting outside the closed chapel door.
She waved and smiled as they approached. “It’s Isabella’s nap time, Parker.”
He kept a protective hand on his daughter’s back. “Looks that way.”
“Why don’t you let me take her back to the ranch and put her down for a good rest?”
He shook his head. “I like holding her.”
“But—”
“He said no, Nellie.” Amy had acquired the requisite pastor’s wife smile in the few years she and David had been married, along with a kind but firm delivery. “Shirley’s at the parsonage keeping my kids. If you really want to help, I’m sure she would welcome the relief.”
Nellie’s cat-like eyes drew into angry little slits. Her suspicious glance at the closed chapel door implied they were hiding something. “I’d love spending time with your angels, Amy, but I just remembered I have an ... appointment.” She spun in her high wedges and let her long legs carry her far away from an unbearable evening of unrewarded childcare.
“I owe you one,” Parker said after Nellie was out of earshot.
“Tell me why Maddie wanted to talk to David.” Amy sipped water, eyeing him carefully over the edge of the bottle.
Parker shrugged, but a sick feeling churned in his gut. She probably wanted to tell David about her job offer and work out her mother’s care if she couldn’t delay her departure for Yemen.
“You know what she wanted—” Amy’s eyes narrowed. “—you just don’t want to say.”
“It’s not mine to tell.”
“David’s going to walk out that door and tell me everything she said, so what will it matter if it comes from you or him?”
Amy was right. When two people really loved each other, they didn’t play stupid games. They were honest and upfront and they didn’t leave the other one to guess about if and when they might finally be together.
He let out a sigh. “She got the job in Atlanta.”
“That’s great!” Amy sobered at his somber expression. “Great for her, but...not so much for you, right?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Parker, a person would have to be blind not to see how much you have always loved that girl. Have you told her?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
That moment he’d held her in his arms, he couldn’t even breathe let alone sort through all of the logistics. “She loves me, too.”
“Oh, Parker.” Amy clapped her hands together like she was already planning her sister-in-law’s wedding. “That’s wonderful. Leona’s going to be so happy. Maybe we should bust into the operating room and tell her. Seeing Maddie happily married to you would give her another good reason to fight.”
He rubbed his palm over Isabella’s back. “The CDC wants Maddie on a plane to Yemen tonight.”
Amy’s smile fell. “What about Leona?”
He shrugged. “It’s got to be Maddie’s decision.”
David exited the chapel, saw Amy and strode past Parker. His eyes were red. David slipped an arm around his wife. “Any word on Momma?”
“Not yet, sweetheart. They’ll want to make sure they’ve located every possible source of a bleed. Could take a while.”
“I need some coffee.” He turned and clapped a hand on Parker’s shoulder, careful not to disturb Isabella. “Sorry, man. My sister’s a—”
“Good woman,” Parker whispered.
“That too.”
Parker held Isabella a little tighter as he watched David and Amy walk away hand in hand. He and Maddie would have a different relationship if she continued flying around the world and he returned to his water project in Guatemala, but they could meet up every few weeks. He loved her and she loved him. They could make it work.
A few minutes later, Maddie emerged from the chapel. She was scowling at her phone. The peace he’d seen on her face during her quiet reflection on the cross had evaporated.
“Bad news?” He asked.
She stopped, startled to hear his voice. Her attempt to flash him a small smile was her way of saying she was pleased and sad. “I have to leave in ten hours if I’m going to make this flight out of Dallas.” She showed him the CDC text with her flight info. The attached itinerary. And the HR forms she could fill out at the airport and email before boarding her plane. “David thinks I’m being selfish.”
“Did he say that?”
“He didn’t have to. I could see it in his eyes.”
Pieces of Parker’s breaking heart lodged in his throat. “David’s calling is different than yours.”
She reached up and gently stroked Isabella’s sleeping face. “I don’t deserve you, Parker,” she whispered as her lips brushed his.
He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he was glad to see that despite the angst on her face now, the time in the chapel had served her well. She’d come to peace with the Lord and, from the loving way she was looking at his daughter, she’d accepted his decision to be a father. With the right amount of support, he prayed she would eventually come to peace with her mother, but most importantly, with who she was.
“Let’s go back to the waiting room so you won’t miss any updates from the OR.” He offered his hand.
Maddie threaded her fingers through his. “Parker, I don’t know how this is going to work out.”
“One day at a time, Maddie. A day at a time.” He kissed her forehead. “We’ll figure it out.”
The same folks who’d been holding vigil since they’d received word of Leona’s accident had returned to the waiting room.
Maddie was the one who noticed Nola Gay had pushed Etta May’s wheelchair away from the group. “Etta May looks uncomfortable. I need to get my patient back to her room.”
He shifted Isabella’s sleeping body. “She won’t want to go.”
“They both seem to adore your charms. Will you try?”
“I’m better with weevil invasions.”
“You’re great with those two old women and you know it.” She tugged him across the room to where Etta May was rubbing her jaw.
“Etta May,” Maddie squatted beside her wheelchair. “Are you having trouble breathing?”
“She’s been huffin’ and complainin’ of being dizzy since we left the chapel,” Nola Gay wrung her hands.
Maddie took Etta May’s wrist and checked her pulse. Rapid. “Etta May, do feel pressure on your chest?”
“Who wouldn’t, with these cantaloupes?” The elderly twin rubbed her lower cheek and grimaced. “But it’s my jaw that feels like it’s about to fall off. I must have been talking way too much.” Her breaths were labored and it was all she could do to bring her o
ther hand to her stomach. “Sister, I might embarrass myself and throw up.”
“You didn’t sneak a piece of okra, did you?” Nola Gay snatched a near-by trash can. “Here.”
“Can’t breathe.” Etta May plowed her head into the waste bin and retched blood.
Maddie grabbed the handles on Etta May’s wheelchair. “Parker, tell the nurses to get me help.” She looked around but Parker was already sprinting to the desk. “Possible pulmonary embolism,” Maddie shouted after him.
By the time Parker had rounded up a nurse, Maddie was already wheeling Etta May through the ER bay’s double doors. “I need IV blood thinners and a doctor who knows how to break up this clot. Stat!”
Parker latched on to Nola Gay’s elbow and did his best to balance her and his daughter as they ran to catch up. Maddie pushed Etta May into a bay and wheeled around. Together, Maddie and the nurse lifted Etta May onto a bed. When Maddie wheeled and spotted Nola Gay clutching the trash can and Parker holding Isabella, who was wide awake and on the verge of crying because of all of the commotion, Maddie gave a terse order to the nurse, “Get them out of here.”
Parker was so mesmerized by how easily Maddie maneuvered in this world of life and death that he couldn’t move.
“Now!” Maddie demanded.
Parker nodded, took Nola Gay by the hand. “Let’s give Maddie space to work, Miss Nola Gay.”
“Me and Sister came into this world together.” The elderly twin planted her feet and nodded her head toward her sister’s bed. Etta May’s lips were blue and her eyes were closed. “I won’t let her leave this world alone.”
Maddie gave a few more clipped orders then ripped the curtain closed between them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Parker led Nola Gay to the waiting area. “Can I get you some coffee, Miss Nola Gay?”
She shook her head. “I ain’t been alone a moment in my life.”
“And you’re not now.” He meant God, but from the way she clung to his arm, he knew she wasn’t letting him leave either. He held the chair while Nola Gay slumped into it. “Maddie’s good at what she does. If anybody can—”
