by Emma Easter
The house was lit brightly outside, powered by the generator Mike had bought the day after they came to Destiny. She climbed up the stairs as slowly and as soundlessly as she could. When she got to the top, she took a deep breath as her heart began to pound. The ledge which ran around the house was narrower than she had previously imagined. It would be extremely difficult to carry Emily on this ledge. But she had to get her daughter out.
She made her way carefully down the ledge to get to Emily’s room. She had to pass by Mike’s bedroom in order to get to Emily’s. For some reason, as she passed by his room, she could not resist looking in. And then her heart seized with fear. The curtain was slightly open and the bedside lamp was on. Mike was on the bed, reading, and beside the bed was Emily’s crib.
Rachel bit her lip in frustration and anger as she stared at Mike. When Emily began to cry, Mike stood up from the bed and went to bend over the crib. He looked into it and lifted Emily up into his arms.
Panic flooded Rachel. She should have known that something like this would happen. Mike always had everything planned out carefully. She wasn’t sure if he had guessed that she might try to escape, but knowing him, he had decided not to take any chances. He probably knew that she would never leave without Emily.
He put Emily back into her crib and walked toward the bed. Rachel jerked back so he wouldn’t see her and shut her eyes as she leaned against the wall, praying for wisdom. She wanted to enter Mike’s room now and grab Emily, but that would be foolish.
Mike was clearly confident that she would not leave without Emily. Having Emily with him was the way he’d decided to make sure that the few times he wasn’t watching her, she would not think of leaving. And she would have stayed if they were still in Fallow Creek. But he had underestimated her desire to leave and had pushed her past what she could bear. Living in Destiny had opened her eyes to how different her life would be without him; how much better. She would not remain a prisoner forever in Mike’s house to do with as he pleased. Most of all, she could not continue to violate her conscience and the growing certainty in her heart that God wanted her to leave.
“Lord, how can I leave without Emily?” she silently prayed.
She looked out into the distance. The rain was heavier. She had to leave now. But she would be back as soon as she figured out a way to get Emily out of this house. She headed to the stairs once more and then made her way down. She looked up at the house one last time and felt a mix of emotions. On one hand, she couldn’t wait to leave, but on the other, she wanted to stay because of Emily.
The rain began to fall even harder and she knew she had to make a decision right now. She took a deep breath and then gave in to the urge in her heart, an urge she believed was from God. She had to leave now and get Emily out later. In order to do that, she would have to tell Keith her secret. The thought sent shivers down her spine. He would be disgusted by her once he found out everything, she was sure, but there was nothing she could do about that. She turned around, covered herself with the duvet, and ran far away from the house.
The rain beat down on her mercilessly as she jogged on. The farther away she went from the house, the darker everything became. Soon, she could not see her way in the darkness and the rain made it much worse. In her plans to leave Mike, she had not put the weather into consideration, or the fact that there was still no electricity in Destiny.
She kept walking, but she knew she was hopelessly lost now. She was cold, miserable, and afraid. The farther she walked, the more certain she was that she was going the wrong way. She looked around her but could see nothing. She was ankle-deep in water, as the ground was waterlogged because of the rain, and she was drenched through. The rain had soaked the duvet and her clothes.
She began to shiver from the cold and knew that if she did not get out of the rain soon, she might get pneumonia. How awful it would be if she died out here and Emily had to stay and grow up with Mike. She began to sob, but she kept walking. If there had been some source of light, somewhere, she could have searched for a house where she could plead with the owners to stay for the night.
The problem was that she could not see anything at all. It was a starless night and everywhere was pitch black. Also, Mike’s house was on the edge of town and after it, empty tracts of land. She was almost certain there were no houses where she was. For all she knew, she could be heading out of Destiny.
Finally, exhausted, she sat down on the ground. Her teeth were chattering now, her tears mingled with the rain. She started sobbing loudly, not just for herself, but for her daughter. She felt physically and emotionally broken. At least there was one good thing that had come out of not being able to take Emily out today. In this rain, Emily would have been soaked through. If something bad had happened to Emily because of that, Rachel would never have forgiven herself.
She had been completely stupid deciding to leave the house today even after seeing how heavy the rain was. And she had overestimated her knowledge of the roads in this town and her ability to find a house she’d only been to once. But she had been desperate to leave Mike. She had done what she thought was right and was being punished for it.
She kept sobbing as she sat there, not knowing what would happen to her. She prayed, asking the Lord to cause the rain to stop. If it did, at least she could sleep out here without the fear that she would drown if there was another flood. However, even if the rain stopped, dying from cold would still be a huge probability.
She wrapped her arms around herself to try to ward off the cold, but it did no good. She was shivering uncontrollably now. Finally, she stopped sobbing, and lifted up her eyes to the sky. She shouted, “Lord, if I am going to die, please take care of Emily for me!”
She did not want Emily to grow up in a polygamous home. If Rachel died, that might solve it. But on the other hand, knowing Mike, he would not waste any time bringing another woman into the house. He was the kind of man who gathered possessions, including women, and was never satisfied with what he had.
After praying, she bit her lip and closed her eyes. An overwhelming sense of hopelessness settled over her and she embraced it. She lay down on the wet, cold ground, weary, and closed her eyes.
Keith sat up on his bed and rubbed his eyes. He threw his curtains open and fear gripped him. It was raining heavily. He immediately knew it was what had woken him up. Since the hurricane, he had developed a fear of storms and this one raging outside reminded him of the day the hurricane had devastated Destiny. The rain was not as heavy as that day, but even then, the rain had not come down heavily until some hours into the storm.
He jumped out of bed, picked up the flashlight from the floor beside him, and turned it on. He began to pace his room, praying, “Lord, please let it never happen again.”
A deafening crack of thunder sounded, shaking the house. Keith began to pray for the town again and for the weather. He frowned as he felt a gentle tug in his heart. He felt a strong desire to pray for something. He shut his eyes. No, someone. Someone he knew was in danger. He could sense it somehow. He began to pray, not knowing for whom he was praying. He prayed for his sister, the members of his church, Rachel, all the people in Destiny who came to his mind. He asked the Lord to protect them and keep them safe.
After a while, he stopped praying as he felt a deep sense of peace settle over him. He climbed into his bed again.
Rachel opened her eyes and sat up. Her ears perked up. Footsteps sounded in the darkness and then she could see someone coming toward her.
She blinked, wondering if she were seeing things, and then knew she wasn’t. Two men were headed in her direction with bright flashlights. They were under umbrellas and their eyes were fixed on her.
She stood up unsteadily, her heart beating wildly, and waved at them. She couldn’t speak for a few seconds and then found her voice. She called out weakly, “Please help me.”
The men hurried to her and, without speaking, linked her arms with theirs. She stood between them, leaning against them a
s they walked. They held on to her, shielding her from the rain with their umbrellas. One of them gently asked, “Where were you going this late and in this rain?”
She began to cry again, but this time with relief. “I was going to Pastor Keith’s house, but I lost my way. Do you know where he lives? Can you take me there?”
“Everyone in this town knows where Pastor Keith lives,” the other said. “We will take you there. Don’t you worry about it.”
She thanked them weakly and then looked around the area where they were. Illuminated by the men’s flashlights, she could see they were in an open field and there were no houses around, just as she had guessed.
They were almost carrying her as they walked. She was grateful for them and for the umbrella over her. But she was still extremely cold and still shivering. Soon, she grew weaker and weaker. One of the men carried her while the other held an umbrella over her. She began to feel herself dozing off. She jerked awake when she heard a loud knock.
“We are here,” one of the men said to her. He knocked again on Keith’s door and smiled at her. “You are safe.”
Keith groaned and threw the covers aside, unable to sleep. He couldn’t stop thinking about how much work still needed to be done for the town. He thought about the generous donation given by the Cadwells to rebuild the church and help the people of Destiny. Once again, for the hundredth time since the donation was given, he prayed for Mike and Rachel, asking the Lord to bless them. Mike Cadwell had said in not so many words that he was willing to give more to see the church and town rebuilt. He had told Keith not to hesitate to tell him if there was any way he could help.
As much as Keith hated the idea of asking again for help after the man had given so much, he knew he had to eventually. He would do anything, humble himself and beg if he had to, in order to see the town of Destiny and its people back to where they were before — fully happy again. His mind had settled on the elementary and middle schools, especially because of Eric and Paula’s kids who lived in the house with him. The couple worried continuously about their children; about when they would be able to start school again. The school had to be rebuilt, and since Mike had promised to help wherever there was a need, Keith would have to go and see him soon and ask for his help.
His mind traveled to Rachel and their day together. He had enjoyed being with her, more than he would ever admit. He had been surprised when she said she’d enjoyed the time spent with him, but he had been happy about it. He began to wonder what she was doing now and then smiled in self-derision. What else would she be doing? Of course she was asleep. He scolded himself once again for thinking constantly about her. She was a married woman, for goodness’ sake.
He shook his head and forced Rachel from his mind. He stretched out on his bed again and tried to go to sleep, and then sat up immediately when he heard a loud knock over the sound of the rain.
He frowned. Who on earth could be at his door at this time of the night? He got out of bed again, turned on his flashlight, and stepped out of the room. In the living room, he glanced briefly at the clock on the wall and his frown deepened. It was a few minutes past three o’clock. Who was paying him a visit at this ungodly hour?
The knock sounded again and he walked to his door. He opened it and loudly sucked in his breath.
“Rachel!”
She was huddled over on the floor, drenched with water from the rain. She looked exhausted and her eyes were shut. “Oh, Rachel, what happened to you?” He quickly lifted her up in his arms and carried her into his living room. Gently, he placed her on the couch, knelt beside her, and swept her dripping wet hair from her face.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. She smiled weakly and he said to her, “Wait here, Rachel.”
He chided himself as he hurriedly left the living room. Wait here. As if she is in any state to get up and walk out of the house.
He got to his bedroom, feeling confused, and tore the blanket from his bed. And then he sighed. She needed more than a blanket. She had to change out of her wet clothes into something dry before he wrapped her up.
He hurried to the living room, lifted her up again in his arms, and carried her to his bedroom. He lay her on his bed and then went through his closet, trying to find something she could change into. He found nothing appropriate he could put her in except a pair of navy-blue pajamas, which would be too big for her. Still, they would have to do. He got his towel from the bathroom and then stood looking at her on his bed. She was too weak to dry herself and change into the pajamas, and he couldn’t do it. He did not want to wake any of his house guests, but he needed help right now.
He went to knock on the door of the other bedroom. He entered and apologized for barging in when Eric and Paula sat up on the bed. Eric’s flashlight was on, dimly illuminating the room. Their two children were sleeping on a mattress beside the bed. Keith’s other guests, Jude and Michelle, had left his house yesterday with their children.
“I’m so sorry to wake you up,” Keith said, his flashlight by his side, “but I need your help, Paula.” He told them briefly about how he found Rachel at his door and that he needed Paula’s help to get her out of her wet clothes and into dry ones. “I found a pair of pajamas of mine that I haven’t worn for her to change into, but they will be too big. Do you have something better for her to wear? If you do, can you please bring it along with you?”
Paula had stood up before he’d finished speaking and opened the wardrobe. She grabbed some clothes from it and hurried out of the room with Keith.
They entered Keith’s bedroom and found Rachel curled up on the bed, the duvet covering her whole body and half of her face. Paula immediately went to work. She pushed aside the duvet, gently sat Rachel up, and then began to unbutton her dress.
Keith turned away quickly and left the room.
In the living room, he sat down to wait and then stood again, unable to sit still. He paced the living room, worried about Rachel. What had happened to her? Why did she leave her house in the middle of the night in this weather?
More and more questions kept running through his mind about her and then he began to panic slightly when Paula didn’t come out. He thought about going back to his room, but he was not sure he should. Paula might still be dressing Rachel, and it would definitely be worse than awkward if he walked in on them.
He kept waiting, tapping his foot impatiently and continuously, praying that Rachel would be okay. Maybe he needed to call Dr. Kingston. From the way Rachel looked when he had found her at his door, she had been in the rain for a long time and she’d been shivering. She might catch a cold or worse if she did not get medical attention soon.
Paula came out to the living room and smiled at him. “Sit down, Pastor Keith,” she said. “I think Rachel will be okay. I made her a hot drink with our portable gas heater and then put her in your bed. She’s warm now and asleep.”
“I want to call the doctor,” he said.
Paula nodded.
He reached for his phone on the coffee table. Phone lines had finally been restored a day ago. He prayed electricity would follow. Dialing the doctor’s number, he waited as it rang and rang. When it stopped ringing, he sighed loudly and dialed the number again, praying the doctor would answer this time. He gave a sigh of relief when Dr. Kingston did. After he told the doctor about Rachel and the condition he had found her in, Dr. Kingston asked if she had a fever. He looked at Paula and said, “Rachel doesn’t have a fever, does she?”
“No, she actually looks quite well.”
Keith told the doctor what Paula had said.
“Okay, I will come by first thing tomorrow morning… just to check and make sure she is truly fine.”
After the call ended, Keith went into his room with his flashlight. He walked slowly and soundlessly to the bed and gazed at Rachel as she slept. He felt a tug in his heart as he watched her pretty face. It took everything in him to not reach out and caress her cheek. He backed away and left the room.
S
itting on the sofa, he faced Paula and said, “I hope she’s really okay.”
“You saw her,” Paula said. “She looks fine.”
He nodded but still he continued to worry.
Paula stood up, came over to put a hand on Keith’s shoulder, and smiled. “Stop worrying. She will be as good as new by tomorrow. Now you need to try to get some sleep.”
When Paula left, Keith stretched out on the couch. He tried to sleep, but he could not. His mind and emotions kept churning as he thought about Rachel and why she had come to his door, soaking wet, in the middle of the night. He wondered where her husband was now, and if he would come looking for her tomorrow.
Keith kept looking at the clock on the wall, willing it to be morning so that the doctor could come and check on Rachel. An hour later, he finally fell asleep.
Chapter 12
Rachel slowly opened her eyes and stared into the face of a middle-aged man with kind eyes and a warm smile. She blinked as she stared at him. She wanted to ask who he was and where she was, but she shut her eyes as a wave of nausea swept over her. She licked her lips and opened her eyes again. She was parched. “Can I have some water?” she asked the man and then struggled to sit up.
Someone hurried up to her and placed their hands on her shoulders. “Don’t try to sit up, Rachel. Just rest.”
She coughed and looked into Keith’s handsome face. He looked terribly worried as he gazed at her. Immediately the events of yesterday came rushing back to her, and she groaned. “Emily,” she said weakly.