by Laura Sweat
“Is there any way to know how much longer she will be in surgery?” Lydia asks the questions while Stephen and Adrian listen attentively.
“It could still be a few hours, depending on what they feel they can repair while they are in there. She is hanging on, though.”
“Is she still in trouble?”
“She is still in critical condition. We really won’t know anything until they get the bleeding stopped and make the repairs internally. I can keep you posted as things move along if you would like.”
“Yes, please. I will be here.”
“Well, my name is Sarah and I will be monitoring Jeriley closely. I’ll be back as soon as there is a change. If you’d like to go get a bite to eat or go for a walk, you can get a pager from the nurse’s desk at the front.”
“No, no. I’m not leaving. I’ll be right here.”
“Alright then. I’ll come back in a little while.”
“Thank you.” Lydia goes back to her chair and sits to wait.
“That’s good news. She’s hanging in there.” Adrian walks back over to sit next to her.
“I knew she was a fighter when I first met her.” Lydia looks up at Stephen and he smiles his easy smile and sits on her other side.
“I feel like I need to apologize. We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Adrian. I heard you say your name is Lydia. Jeriley has mentioned you several times. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Even at a time like this he pours on the charm.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about introductions. She has mentioned you a time or two.” Lydia answers and they smile and laugh a little about the obvious. She looks over and says “You must be Stephen. She has mentioned you as well.”
“Yes. I am Stephen.” He is just as striking to look at as Adrian only in a different way.
“How did you know Jeriley was here?” Lydia asks.
“We were in the car together. She was hungry and wanted to get something from Boomer’s.” Adrian seems to be upset about it as he tells Lydia what he remembers.
“You are very lucky that you didn’t get hurt.” Lydia seems to be considering just how fortunate he is to have escaped such a horrible accident with almost no injuries at all.
“Jeriley took the brunt of the impact. We were hit on her side,” he explains. “How did you know Jeriley was here?” Adrian is curious.
“Oh. Well, Jack saw the accident and called around to find me. He said he recognized her from work. I didn’t ask about the details. I came as soon as he said she was here. I didn’t think about whether she was alone or not.”
“I remember him. He called for help.” Adrian remembers Jack’s face and the surprising calm he encountered in him.
After more than an hour of small talk and brief periods of no talk at all, Sarah comes back into the room and closes the door.
Lydia stands and waits, searching her face for any clue as to how Jeriley is doing.
“She made it through surgery. They were able to stop the internal bleeding and she is stable. They are keeping her sedated for an extended period of time to give her body an opportunity to heal.”
“So she is going to be okay.” This was more of a statement than a question.
“Considering her injuries and her condition when she arrived, she is doing very well. She will be going to recovery soon and then moved to a room.
“How long will she be sedated?” Adrian stepped forward to ask.
“For at least a few days. They will monitor her and we will see how she does. I will let you know where they are moving her to when they get ready to take her over.”
“Thank you.” The nurse leaves and Lydia closes her eyes and says a silent prayer, thanking God for the news.
After a moment of quiet and stillness, she looks at Adrian and Stephen and makes a decision to stay with Jeriley.
“I think I need to stay with her. She doesn’t have family here and I don’t want her to be alone.”
“Can you do that?” Adrian quickly calculates the different ways that this could work in his favor.
“Yes. I have some time built up at work that I can take off. I just need to make arrangements.”
“I think that will be a good idea,” Stephen speaks up giving her a reassuring look.
“I agree.” Adrian sees this as an opportunity that he may not get again.
Stephen and Adrian agree to stay so that she can get a few things from home and make arrangements for work.
CHAPTER 12
There is activity all around. None of the faces are familiar. It is chaos and I am simply watching, barely able to keep up. Where am I? How did I get here? I cannot seem to look at myself, only what is before me and all around. It is a puzzling sensation of being right in the middle of something huge, yet separated from it all. Coming and going. Singing. Fighting. Working. Warring. Confusion. Oddly, though, there seems to be order to it all.
All at once, everything changes and I am looking at a scene involving only a handful of people. I don’t appear to physically move, but my surroundings change as if they move around me. I know these people. I see them plainly, however, there is no sound coming from them. I can only see that they are talking. There is a feeling of confusion here. It is a sad setting. There are both darkness and light in the room. I stare, trying to make sense of the picture before me. I see Adrian as if he is in a shadow. Lydia is beside him with Stephen on her other side. He is illuminated. She sits between them and talks back and forth.
They are in a room with chairs lining the walls and a table in each corner. It looks like a hospital waiting room. I wonder briefly what they are doing there. Then I wonder why they are together.
I watch Lydia leave. Adrian and Stephen sit quietly for the briefest of moments, then Adrian gets up and leaves the room. All is black again.
Adrian is called away to give an update on his assignment. Conveniently, Lydia has left and he can slip away. He wants more than anything to find Zain, but that will have to wait.
He approaches his leader not knowing what to expect this time. The Master turns and looks at Adrian with a questioning look on his face. Adrian is unable to determine what his demeanor is. They hover this way until Adrian breaks the silence.
“You called.” It isn’t a question.
“I did.” He pauses before finishing. “There are rumors of interference. I thought it wise to hear from you before any action is taken.”
“Interference. Yes, well there has been interference on my assignment from both sides.”
“Tell me everything.” His expression becomes questioning. His brow lifting, he speaks carefully, keeping his cool so he can find out exactly what has happened.
Adrian tells him everything from the time they left the house. Every detail, including Zain’s attempt on Jeriley’s life and Stephen’s awkwardly welcome save, is carefully explained. The Master listens without a single interruption or expression on his face.
Adrian finishes his account of the incident and waits. The Master is in deep thought over the details. Finally, he breaks the silence between them with a question.
“What do you make of the situation as it is now?”
Adrian chooses his words carefully as he is not yet willing to give up on his goal. “I find that although unexpected, it could prove to be an exceptional opportunity. Jeriley still lives and I now have easy access to Lydia. You would still like to have her?”
“Of course, however, you do realize that she will be quite a challenge. She knows Him and she is strong.”
“I look forward to the task.” Adrian can feel the excitement building and he hopes that it shows.
“Very well. You have permission to carry on. Now, as for this other matter—”
“Zain.”
“Yes.” The Master pauses, looking intently at Adrian. He takes notice of the change in his co
untenance. “How would you like to see this handled?”
The question takes him by surprise. He contemplates for a moment, wondering why he has been asked this. Is he really going to consider his opinion? Should he tell the Master what he really wants? He proceeds,cautiously with a question of his own. “Did Zain approach you before he acted?”
“No. Apparently, he told no one of his involvement before or after it took place.”
“I see.” So, Zain has not reported to the Master yet. He is still unsure how to answer since there is no standard for handling disobedience, or displeasing the Master in any way. One never knows what punishment can be expected. He is unpredictable in that regard as he often handles these actions with fits of rage.
“I would like to see him stripped.”
“Stripped. That seems extreme, doesn’t it Adrian?”
“He intentionally interfered in a mission that he had no connection with. He could have ruined everything.”
“He almost completed your assignment and by so doing, would have delivered her to me and she would be mine.”
“Master, we have discussed this. You gave me permission to work this assignment as I wished. Had Jeriley been delivered to you, we would have lost Lydia.”
“This is true. I do want her. Zain will be punished. He will not be stripped, I will take him off of his current assignment.”
Adrian is not satisfied with this decision. He hesitates only briefly before deciding to go on.
“This is not his first infringement.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Tibet.” Adrian lets the word hang in the air.
“Tell me more.”
“The loss was Zain’s doing. He failed to carry out his role fully and reinforcements were sent in, but by then it was too late. He covered it up by getting involved with the mess in Turkey that you conveniently got called to oversee.”
“Who else knows of this that could give witness?”
“Several if they will be truthful.”
Adrian can see the anger on his master’s face as the truth sets in. He has been disobeyed and deceived.
“Bring him to me.” The voice is calm and quiet, but there is no mistaking the fury in it.
Without answering, Adrian turns to leave and find his target. This is going to be fun.
Stephen takes a quick report to Heaven, but not because it is required. After all, He knows everything. It is more of a formality. He does have to get further instruction on his part in the assignment and it is always a pleasure to go home. He approaches with his usual manner of reverence and humility giving the full report and voicing his suspicions regarding Lydia’s safety in the new arrangement.
“You have done well, Stephen. You are wise to consider Lydia’s vulnerability. I believe in her. Nevertheless, I will send her help.”
“Of course.”
“Jeriley needs to see.”
“Do you mean—”
“Yes.”
This surprises Stephen slightly as it is not a common thing for a mortal to be shown the spiritual realm with their natural eyes.
“What would you have me do, Lord?”
“She has heard my voice twice. I have shown her only glimpses since the accident. Go to her and talk with her. Explain what she has seen and heard. I will instruct you further.”
“It will be done.”
With a nod of approval, Stephen is dismissed and he goes directly to Jeriley’s side.
CHAPTER 13
Lydia makes her way home to get some clothes packed and takes the opportunity to call her boss at Donovan. Until now, she hadn’t given any thought to calling work. Her mind had been reeling since Jack called her with the news of the wreck. Jeriley had been on her heart since lunch and she was grateful now that she had prayed when she did.
The phone rings about six times before Alex answers.
“Alex Donovan.” His voice is gruff and heavy with sleep.
“Mr. Donovan this is Lydia. I’m sorry to call this late.”
“It’s fine, Lydia. Is everything alright?”
“There has been an accident and Jeriley is in the hospital.”
“Jeriley? Is she okay?” He sits up in the bed, wide awake at the mention of Jeriley’s name.
“She had some very serious injuries. They have her stabilized, but they are keeping her sedated for a few days to give her body a fair chance to heal.”
“When did this happen?” He asks in disbelief.
“It was late this evening.” She begins to share the details that she knows about her injuries realizing that she knows next to nothing about the accident itself.
“Is there anything I can do?” Alex Donovan has always been kindhearted. Lydia has worked at Donovan for four years and he has been an excellent employer to everyone there.
“I didn’t think you were aware of the incident and I was calling to ask if I could use some of the time I have saved up to stay with her while she’s in the hospital. She doesn’t have any family here and I don’t want her to be alone.”
“Absolutely. I’ll get with Claudia tomorrow. Don’t worry about a thing.”
“Thank you, Mr. Donovan. I appreciate it.”
“No problem at all. Hey, what hospital is she in?”
“She’s at Bay.”
“I’ll run over there tomorrow sometime and check on you two.”
“Thanks again Mr. Donovan. Good night.”
“Good night, Lydia.”
She hangs up her phone and grabs the few essentials she knows she’ll need. She changed earlier into something more comfortable so she’s ready to head back to Bay Medical in no time at all.
Alex lays back on his pillow with his hands behind his head, fingers laced. He is wide awake now, his mind rolling with thoughts of Jeriley and the news he has just received. He begins to recall his interactions with her since her first letter of interest in the position she was hired for. The first phone interview went well prompting him to offer a second interview without hesitation. He was impressed from the beginning. She was offered the position as part of his editing team with plans to promote her if his hunch about her was right. Time would tell.
Truth be known, if he had any free time in his schedule at all, he would like to get to know her on a personal level. With things flowing as they were with the business, he could hardly keep up. It would be nice to have a personal life again. Maybe that would come with time as well.
He rolls over and closes his eyes willing sleep to return. He says a prayer for Jeriley, remembering to be thankful that she is still alive. As he prays, he drifts off to sleep.
Lydia returns to the hospital and sets up for the night in a waiting room near the unit that Jeriley is in. It is the middle of the night and she settles in and listens to the quietness. The only sound she hears is the hum of something in the room. She looks around to try to find the source. Is it the lights or the air conditioning? Her thoughts redirect to the events of the day. They begin to replay in her head. She recalls the conversation at lunch, the urge to pray this afternoon, and finally the news of the accident. It all plays out like a movie in her head. She begins to pray. This time, it is solely a prayer of thanksgiving. She realizes that there is much to be thankful for. As she prays, she sees the evidence of God’s timing in her relationship with Jeriley, among other things. She has seen instances like this before in her life. She begins to recall these as she continues talking to God. She goes down a list of things that she feels He deserves credit for until sleep overcomes her. It is a peaceful, heavy sleep.
CHAPTER 14
“Jeriley.” Someone is calling my name.
“Jeriley.” It is a familiar voice, both gentle and calm. I can’t see anything or anyone.
“Jeriley, it’s Stephen.” I finally see him coming to me through emptiness. I smile.
“Stephen?” I want to ask him, but I don’t seem able to move. Strangely enough, it isn’t alarming and it appears that he heard me.
“Yes, it’s me.” He takes my hand and the room seems to light up. It’s as if his touch opens my eyes. I struggle to focus, confused by the sight.
We are in a hospital room with monitors and low light. Before me is a panoramic view of the room, as if I’m in a corner. I look around, taking in the pale color of the walls and other details in the room. I am taking it all in when my eyes fall on the hospital bed. I look questioningly at Stephen. His look is calm and he gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. There are tubes and wires seemingly all over me. My eyes are closed. I wonder, at first, if it is really me. I look closer, confirming my fear. It is definitely me. I am looking at myself, lying in a hospital bed, unconscious. I turn my face back to Stephen, confused and afraid.
“What is this?” I ask the question in my mind, yet he answers.
“There was a car accident. Do you remember?” He seems to be concerned.
I try to remember. After what seems like a long time, I see myself in my house.
I am leaning back on the counter with Adrian leaning in. He whispers in my ear. The two of us are getting in his car. I feel nervous and shaky. We are going down the road and I turn slightly towards him to tell him about something.
I look up at Stephen suddenly. He remains calm and waits. I tell Stephen about all of these memories and he listens, patiently waiting. He is confident the memory will come. I look back over at my seemingly lifeless body, staring. Questions begin to take over my mind. What happened to me? How did I get here? Is that really me?
Stephen squeezes my hand again ever so slightly drawing my attention back to him.
“Do you remember anything else?” His voice is gentle still but probing.
“I was in the car with Adrian about to tell him—” I stop. The memory comes back so clearly, I can see the words on the page.