The Collins Case by Julie C. Gilbert
The woman followed the instruction, and when the hospital monstrosity gently bumped the back of her knees, she collapsed into it.
“Do hurry, please,” Dr. Verni begged, when the woman paused to gather strength for the task. “I need to know if she’ll consent to donating the child’s organs. The father has already agreed, but we must receive the mother’s permission as well. It’s very important that we get the answer soon!”
***
Only vaguely aware of the excited doctor’s babbling, Ann pushed thoughts of Patrick away. Worry would not help her accomplish the current task.
My turn to be strong for Rachel.
Ann could not and would not tolerate anyone else breaking Rachel’s heart with the news of Emily’s death. She shut her eyes tightly for a second, trying desperately not to sob. Silent tears slipped out anyway.
If she waited too long, the elderly doctor would wake her friend as enthusiastically as he had awakened her and blurt the request. By this time, he shifted from foot to foot like a small child with a full bladder.
God, please give me the strength to do this. Help Rachel understand. Keep her spirit from shattering. May you be glorified through this tragedy.
After her short prayer, Ann took a deep, steadying breath and leaned forward. “Rachel,” she called softly, touching her friend’s arm.
She looked so peaceful sleeping.
Time is short!
“Rachel!” she called, louder this time. Ann picked up Rachel’s right hand and squeezed hard. “Rachel, wake up!” More tears streamed as Ann gave up trying to hold them back. Though surrendering to the tears, Ann locked the sobs that would prevent her from delivering her weighty message deep inside an emotional wall built long ago through many horrors.
“Please hurry!” the doctor begged.
Ann shook her friend a bit more vigorously. Each movement caused pain through her right side. “Rachel, please, wake up!” She spoke in as soothing a tone as her parched mouth could manage. “Rach, I know a lot has happened today, but the doctor needs to ask you a question. Wake up.”
Rachel moaned pitifully.
Ann steeled her heart as best she could and gently shook her friend. “Rachel!”
Slowly, Rachel squinted up at her. “Ann?” she mumbled, eyes half open. “Ann!” she cried, eyes now fully open. “You’re—”
Ready for Rachel’s attempt to rise, Dr. Verni firmly held her in place. “Calm down, Madam!”
“I’m fine, Rachel, but there’s news—bad news.”
Rachel’s expression told Ann that her words were breaking through the sleep fog.
“Emily died, and—” Ann broke off as sobs rendered her voice box useless. She saw the doctor draw breath to ask his question and waved, indicating she needed more time. Ann swallowed half a dozen times to sink the mountain in her throat, took two shuddering breaths, stared directly her friend’s eyes, and picked up Rachel’s right hand. “The doctor needs to know if you’ll donate Emily’s or-organs to other children who desperately need them,” Ann said in a rush. She felt terrible, knowing that each word would knife right through her friend.
Rachel said nothing but returned Ann’s fierce grip with all her might. Though it was painful, Ann let her friend squeeze her hand in a literal portrayal of the battle taking place within her. She saw in Rachel’s eyes that something much fiercer than any physical test of strength was happening. Ann felt helpless but lent what strength she could to the struggle, knowing it was a scalding emotional fire that no parent should ever have to face. There was no helping the fact that it would destroy much of Rachel no matter what was done. Ann ached terribly over the whole situation. Rachel’s only hope for emotional recovery was to grieve good, long, and well and then let go.
Many lives will be saved.
Ann kept the thought to herself, knowing it would mean nothing to Rachel right now. She feared Rachel would go into complete shock and not be able to answer. She knew of her friend’s deep inner strength, but she had never before seen her under such emotional pressure.
Rachel clenched her eyes against the pain and fought for words. “Yes, doctor,” she said at last.
Dr. Verni was out the door so fast that Ann felt the wind of his retreat.
Thoroughly worn out, Ann leaned forward and embraced Rachel. Their right arms remained locked together. The years that had separated them suddenly meant nothing. They were two friends sharing one pain. They wept until no more tears came. Bruised ribs and all, Ann fell asleep with her head resting on her friend’s bed.
Chapter 18
Real and Realized Love
St. Mary's Healthcare Center
Pierre, South Dakota
Jonathan Parker’s spirits sank lower with each passing second. His daughter lay dead, his career no longer existed, and he wasn’t sure where he stood with his wife. Since sleep refused to come, he had a lot of time to think.
After about six hours of thought wrestling, Jon surrendered to the idea that he could not fix the problems on his own and committed his life to God. Folding his hands on his lap, Jon prayed that God would redeem his life and forgive his sins. “God, I have run so far for so long I hardly remember how to be saved. Forgive my sins. Thank you for Rachel who has always been true to You first and me second. I didn’t understand, but I think I’m beginning to. Help me make up for my sins. Thank you for the reminder that it’s never too late for real love. Help Rachel to forgive me. I need her to understand me like You do …” He prayed more in his heart.
Soon after, the elderly doctor returned. “I’m sorry for your loss, sir. On behalf of all those who will be saved, thank you,” said Dr. Verni.
Jon listened torpidly. “Can I speak to my wife?”
Dr. Verni gave him a sympathetic look, but said, “It’s almost six o’clock, and your wife has just gone to sleep again. I don’t want to disturb her for a while. You look like you could use some rest yourself. Try to get a few hours of sleep. I’ll have one of the nurses set you up in an empty room. You can see your wife later in the afternoon.”
Jon followed Dr. Verni who introduced him to Nurse Lori Hewer. In no time, Jon settled onto a hospital bed. Bits of dirt fell out of his blond hair onto the clean white pillow case, but he didn’t care. He feared he wouldn’t be able to sleep, but the conversation with God had lifted much weight from his weary spirit and exhaustion caught up with him as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Several hours later, Jon woke up feeling much better. He bolted down some nasty hospital food Nurse Lori Hewer brought and asked to see his wife. The nurse escorted him to a room down the hall and motioned for him to go in. Thanking her, Jon stared through the small window in the door, afraid to enter. A thousand anxious thoughts clamored for attention. He swallowed hard and pushed the feelings aside.
Rachel was awake and staring at nothing. She didn’t react to his sudden presence in her hospital room.
“Hello, Rachel,” Jon said, honestly not knowing where to start.
After several seconds of blank staring, recognition slowly dawned behind Rachel’s tired eyes. “Chris,” she mumbled. Confusion, then horror, then more confusion crossed her face. “You’re not Chris, are you? There never was a Chris. He was just a dream,” she went on. Fresh tears pooled in her eyes.
Rushing over, Jon sat on the edge of his wife’s bed and picked up her hand. It felt cold. He bit back sobs building in his chest. “Rachel, I am so sorry. So very sorry. For everything.”
“Tell me everything,” she whispered with a mixture of love and pain.
Nodding slowly, he cleared his throat, and said, “My name is Jonathan Parker. Most of what I’ve told you about myself has been true, but I left out key parts of my past.” As he talked, his story unfolded easier. After all, this was the woman he had known for over a decade and with whom he had shared the last six years of his life. “I’ve always enjoyed fiddling with computers. As a child and then as a teenager, I became a decent hacker. I spent three months in juvenile detention
“My parents split when I was sixteen. I lived with my mother, but she couldn’t handle me and two jobs. I had to get away, so I created a false background story and joined the army. I was trained as a sniper, and I loved it. I became good friends with Paul Morton. Eventually, he taught me how to make quick, easy money through smuggling. Soon after we went into business though, I met you.”
Up to this point, Jon’s voice had been bland and informative, now it softened. “I fell in love and decided I wanted to change. I ran from my past, modifying records and files as needed. I wasn’t a medical student at the time, but you were and I figured I needed to impress you. I forged undergrad info, recommendations, and other papers to get into medical school. I really did attend medical school, but my license says my real name.” There was no note of pride in his voice, only regret. “I love you, Rachel. That won’t ever change. Can you forgive the mistakes I’ve made? Do—do we still have a chance?”
A few tears slipped out of Rachel’s eyes and made their way slowly down her face. She waited several moments to compose her reply. “Chris, I—I mean Jon, I fell in love with a good man not his name, and I still see that good man. I’ve spent a lot of time begging the Lord for guidance. It was my mistake to ignore the Bible’s command to not be yoked unequally, but I was so in love that nothing could change that.”
“I’m sorry I deceived you, Rachel, but you won’t have to worry about being unequally yoked. I—I’ve changed. Again. This whole disastrous week ripped apart my old life. Little by little, over the long hours I waited for news of you, the Lord broke my spirit. This morning, when I finally accepted Him, I felt Him rebuilding me from the inside out. Even Emily’s death seemed more … bearable.”
Rachel nodded silent understanding.
Jon was encouraged by the love in her eyes. It will be a long road back to where our marriage was. Suddenly, a thought struck Jon and he gasped.
“What is it?” Rachel asked, bracing for more bad news.
Jon smiled, stood, and knelt beside Rachel’s bed, gazing up into her red-rimmed eyes. “You married the wrong man, Rachel.” He cast his gaze about the room and spotted his own wedding band. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Rachel Collins, will you marry me?”
Relief washed over her features.
“Yes, Jonathan Parker, I will marry you … again. I still love you.”
He slipped his too-big ring onto her finger.
Now, they were both crying, but for a brief moment, their tears were not of heartache but joy. Soon, the ache of loss would set in again, but at least, they would face the uncertain future together.
***
Ann woke up surrounded by people. Odd hospital smells stung her nose, but she imagined smelling something warm and good too. She didn’t have much time to think about it though because her family crowded close. Her eyes snapped open and got big.
A chorus of different variations of “She’s finally awake,” rang out.
“Mom? Dad? What time is it?” Ann asked, slightly confused. She didn’t remember being moved to her own room, but other memories—darker ones—flashed through her mind. She sat up. The sudden movement caused a burning sensation in her right side. Her father and little sister each caught a shoulder and eased her back onto the bed.
“Down, girl!” scolded her little sister, Joy.
“Whoa! Easy does it. The police say you’ve had a busy night,” Able Davidson said, smiling easily.
Ann loved her father’s ability to shake off scares. She was grateful to have inherited some of that ability to roll with tough situations.
“It’s well past time to wake up, though it looks like you could use some more beauty rest,” said Joy. Hair clips, pins, and a brush magically appeared in her hands, and she set about ordering Ann’s tangled hair.
“I’m fine,” Ann mumbled, smiling faintly at the pampering. Her eyes silently begged her mother for understanding, but Carol Davidson looked too stricken to speak.
That’s probably a good thing.
Ann loved her mother just as much as she loved her father, but she wished her mother would be a little more approving of her career.
“How’s Patrick?” Ann asked, noticing the others for the first time.
“He’s weak, but he woke up long enough to ask for you,” replied Patrick’s mother.
Ann couldn’t pin down the emotion she heard, and she was thoroughly confused as to why her partner would want to speak with her when he had his family present. She tried to climb out of the bed.
The woman gave her a ‘hold on’ wave and smiled gently. Her dark brown hair was just like Patrick’s, but her eyes were a stunning shade of green instead of deep blue. “We’ve met a few times before, but I’m not sure you remember me.” She stepped forward and held out a hand for Ann to shake. “I’m Patrick’s mother, Victoria.” After a brief handshake, she waved to the men standing to her left. “This is my husband, Marcus, and our other son, Preston.”
The two men nodded shyly, and Ann noticed that they both had eyes like Patrick.
“Dr. Anderson said he’d stop by when Patrick wakes up again,” said Victoria.
“The nurse brought your lunch while you slept,” Joy noted, pointing with distaste at the colorful, scary looking mush on a small green tray.
Suddenly, Ann realized she was ravenous. Her father took the tray out of reach before she could study the contents more closely. She looked confused.
“You’re really going to eat that crap?” her little brother asked bluntly, receiving a glare from their mother. Nicholas Davidson’s spirits would not be vanquished by a mere glare; he grinned impishly at Ann. “Why not try this?” he asked, pulling a bag from behind his back.
“Don’t worry, it’s safe and store fresh,” her father assured.
Joy grabbed the bag from Nick and insisted on spoon feeding Ann the delicious chicken soup.
For a time, Ann focused on enjoying the food, but she knew she’d have to broach the uncomfortable subject eventually. “How did you know?” Ann asked at last, not daring to look her mother in the eye.
“It was all over the news! Big shootout in South Dakota!” Nick said enthusiastically.
Ann winced. That’s not exactly the best way they could have found out, but the damage is done.
“Oh, and your boss called,” Nick added.
“Before or after?” Ann demanded.
“After,” Nick replied with an easy shrug. His posture made him look a lot like their father.
Ann shook her head and groaned softly.
“Hey, I saw it first!” Nick said proudly. He was all right as far as little brothers go, but he had a carelessness streak that could hurt others.
Poor mom.
Ann could just picture the whole discovery debacle.
“Julie Ann, I …” her mother couldn’t finish the thought.
Flashing an uneasy smile, Ann switched the subject. “How’d you all manage to get out here?”
“Skipped school,” Nick said.
“Skipped class,” Joy threw in a split second later.
“Skipped work,” Ann’s parents said simultaneously.
Everyone smiled, and some of the tension dissipated.
“Agent Davidson? Are you up for a short visit with Agent Duncan?” asked a tall, lanky man wearing a white lab coat.
“Of course. I’ll be right along,” Ann said, feeling stronger already.
The two families were left to chat by themselves as Ann followed Dr. Anderson to Patrick’s room which was next to the critical care unit.
“He’s stable but weak so don’t stay too long,” the doctor said in a stern but kindly manner.
Ann cautiously entered Patrick’s room. It was identical to other hospital rooms, save for the presence of a lot more monitoring equipment.
A very pale Patrick lay on the hospital bed with the adjustable back raised so he was sort of sitt
“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Ann said. The words were inadequate to summarizing her relief. A huge burden lifted off her soul, making her realize how much she had worried. She walked over to his hospital bed intending to clasp his proffered hand, but when she got there, she impulsively leaned over to kiss his cheek.
Patrick responded automatically by turning his head and capturing her lips with his own. “Wow,” he said after the kiss. “If that’s the kind of greeting I get, shoot me any day,” he joked. He sobered almost immediately. “I heard Emily didn’t make it,” he said, eyes watering. “I tried, Ann—I tried.” A distant look crossed his handsome face.
“I know,” Ann whispered. Her face still close to his, she cupped his head in her hands and met his eyes. “God knows, too.”
“I love you, Ann,” Patrick blurted.
Ann didn’t know what to make of that statement. Her heart wanted to agree with him, but her analytical mind started picking the short statement apart.
Sensing her hesitation, Patrick said, “Almost dying makes one think awfully hard. I’ve always been too afraid or too busy to fall in love. For years, I tried to deny what my heart and eyes told me: I had a beautiful, God-fearing woman as a partner and if I tried, she might be more … could we be more, Ann?” he asked, baring his soul.
Stunned, yet in a lot of ways not surprised, Ann studied Patrick for several long moments. Her heart and mind raced, performing myriad calculations. Finally, she nodded and kissed him again. “I’d like that,” she murmured.
He was almost shy now. “I—I prayed about it.”
“Perfect way to start, Patrick.” After a moment’s silence, Ann remembered his family was waiting. “Oh, your family’s here to see you. You saw them earlier but only long enough to ask to see me.” Concern furrowed her brows as she asked, “Are you strong enough to see them again?”
He just looked at her with ‘yes’ written on his face.
Chapter 19
New Priorities and New Life