She wasn’t alone.
With another step Lauren felt the soft crush of leaves beneath her feet. She peered ahead of her and thought she saw the outline of the truck in the shadow of the trees. When she reached it she touched the cool metal of the front fender then leaned on it for support as she stumbled alongside the cab. She opened the back door, leaned against the long bench seat, and used the freshly pruned branch to heft herself inside. Just sliding into her own truck felt like a homecoming. She grabbed the blanket from the floorboard and wrapped herself in it, then stretched out on the backseat. No way could she drive home tonight. She would spend the night here and leave the future in God’s hands. She hadn’t felt this much peace in a long time.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 29
Grant’s conversations with God had resumed tonight as suddenly as they had exited his life after the crash of metal two years ago but there was no time to pause and relish the joy right now. Dogwood Springs needed His healing touch tonight and for the first time Grant realized God might have him in mind to help administer that touch.
For the second time in five minutes, Grant returned to exam room three, where Gina was being prepped for airlift to Springfield.
She gave him a sleepy smile.
“I’ve asked the Walkers to keep a close watch on the boys for any unusual signs that might alert us to mercury poisoning but that’s purely precautionary.”
“Thank you.” Her voice was still weak. “My blood sugar really was low this time, wasn’t it?”
“Very.”
“Why did you do the abdominal CT?”
“I was looking for a tumor. I didn’t find anything obvious but I haven’t heard back from the radiologist. I saw no scatter artifact on the film—which would have shown up if you had mercury in your abdomen.”
There was no change in her expression. Her eyes focused on his with perfect trust. “You think I have a tumor?”
“An insulinoma is a possibility. I don’t want to alarm you but you know enough about medicine to understand.”
“I’m not alarmed, Dr. Sheldon. Those are usually benign?”
“Ninety percent of the time.”
“Just a tumor of the pancreas.”
He had never had a patient receive this kind of news with such equanimity. “I don’t want to dismiss this lightly, Gina. The low blood sugar that results from an insulinoma is a serious concern. It could be the cause of what you’ve been thinking were panic attacks.”
She raised her head from the pillow. “A tumor explains everything; I wouldn’t lose my kids.”
“But there are still risks involved and we aren’t even sure that’s what it is. I don’t want to trust my own judgment for something this serious, which is why I’m sending you to a specialist for a second opinion.”
She blinked up at him and her smile widened. “A second opinion?”
“Yes. Have you heard of Dr. Manfred in Springfield? He’s an endocrinologist, and he’s handled many insulinoma cases. I’d like him to see you.”
“A second opinion.” She repeated the common term as if she’d just made a new and exciting discovery. “Someone wiser and more knowledgeable who can take control,” she said. “Yes. Exactly.”
Grant checked the monitor. Nothing had changed. “Gina? Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m feeling better every minute. God doesn’t waste any time, does He?”
“God?”
“Lauren tried to tell me all along that I needed to turn it all over to Him—not just this illness but my whole life. She said it’s like getting a second opinion from the Great Physician and then letting Him take over the case.”
Grant had never heard salvation put that way before. Trust Lauren to word things in her own unique way. “She was right.”
“He does know what He’s doing.”
“Yes.” Grant had no doubt about that now. He’d never had any doubt about God’s ability, only about His love and patience. Those doubts had been brought on by shock and grief. Serving God didn’t mean sunny skies, it simply meant God would see one through storms as well as sunshine.
Some of the excitement faded from Gina’s expression. “Dr. Sheldon, you asked me about eating fish. Lauren eats it all the time. She’s been sick.”
“I know.” She also carried the water home to drink. “I tried calling her earlier and I left a voice mail.”
“She’s probably not home.”
“How do you know?”
“She tried to hide it but she was pretty upset when she left here. She said she needed some time to think.”
“When was she here?”
“Just before I got off work tonight.”
“She wasn’t sick then?”
“No, but she was upset.”
There was a knock at the door and Becky stepped in. “Dr. Sheldon, I’ve got an urgent call for you from the mayor. Can you take it?”
Grant looked at his watch. “I’ll be right there.”
“Thank you.” He turned back to his patient. “Gina, I’ll try to be back before they take off with you.”
***
Lauren somehow knew she was dreaming but she couldn’t control the sensation that she was falling headlong into an abyss. She awoke with a gasp and bumped her head against something hard and unyielding. This wasn’t her bedroom.
Her head pounded with pain and acid burned her stomach.
She reached out blindly and her hand sank into something soft.
Upholstered cushion.
Her memory returned and fear burst past the wall of courage she had built through prayer earlier tonight.
“Please help me.” Her throat was raw. The darkness once more overtook her.
***
“Dr. Sheldon, I need your help.” Jade Myers sounded tired. “I’ve spoken with Mr. Butler and he’s making arrangements for us to use the hospital’s outpatient clinic for the weekend. Now we need to staff it.”
“Staff it? For what?”
“I want to offer screening, testing, and treatment for victims of mercury poisoning.”
“This weekend? We don’t even have the agents to treat it.”
“I know. I’ve called our local pharmacists and they’re going to see what they can do. Meanwhile we can at least get the screening started and that’s where our local docs get involved. Since the test results will take too long to get back from the lab, we need people with professional clinical skills to help us sort out the symptoms and begin treatment before the results get back. This thing with Uncle Ernest has made a believer out of me.”
“Have you heard from County Health?” Grant asked.
“They called the state. Someone is on his way down to test the water but it could take three weeks to get the results back. I know the state wants to be sure of their results before they make any announcements and have a panic on their hands but we can’t wait that long. I’ve already arranged for a public service announcement to be made over the Springfield TV stations as well as the local radio stations. I’m not waiting around for more people to get sick.”
“How did you manage to get so much done in such a short time?”
“Delegation. I practice it daily.”
“What about the water supply?” Grant asked.
“We shut off the reservoir fed by Honey Creek,” she said. “We have nearly a thousand residences without running water and you should hear the complaints. I’ve taken some of them myself. Do you know that some of the people are demanding that we prove there’s a problem before we shut off their supply? Uncle Ernest is proof enough for me. Have you heard how he’s doing?”
“He arrived safely in Springfield. We’re waiting to hear the blood test results but it’ll be several hours. Mercury is not something routinely tested.”
“And that’s another thing. Do you know a urine test for mercury takes twenty-four hours? I wanted blood tests but those have to go to a lab at the Mayo Clinic then they f
ax the reports.”
Grant shook his head in amazement. “You found all this out already?”
“You just need to be connected to the right people. Our city employees are moving quickly and more help is on the way.”
Obviously, when Jade Myers decided to do something it got done.
“So will you help me?” she asked. “I need a medical advisor.”
“I’m not an expert on mercury poisoning.”
“I’ve come to the conclusion that nobody in Dogwood Springs is. Do you know how many people I’ve called in an effort to find someone who could help me? Your son is on the Internet as we speak, printing as much information as he can find on the subject. He’s a smart kid. You’ve got a regular father-son medical team going there. He’ll make a great doc someday.”
“Thank you.”
“I wish I’d listened to you the day you tried to convince me our community puzzle might be a hazard.”
“But it wasn’t the problem,” Grant said.
“We might have put our heads together and come up with the solution before so many people got sick. I’ve called an emergency meeting. The city will have to pick up the tab for the public testing and treatment, then wait for the insurance to reimburse us. I don’t think I’ll have any trouble getting that approved but to prevent any controversy will you attend the meeting? You can explain the situation so much better than I could.”
“When will you meet?”
“In about forty-five minutes in conference room B at the hospital.”
“Tonight?”
“It’s an emergency.”
Grant thought of all the things he needed to get done before that. Still, how could he refuse? “You don’t waste time, Mayor.”
“I’ll call you Grant if you’ll call me Jade.”
“What about state assistance?”
“The state should help us pay for some of it later but I’m not waiting around on the big boys to come storming in here and take charge. Who knows when they’ll get here? We’re making some money with our community projects and we have plenty on hand. Everyone in this town is going to be affected in some way and I don’t want any more deaths from this thing.”
Grant heard the flight crew preparing Gina for transfer.
He wished he knew where Lauren was and how she was feeling. “I’ll be there.”
“I’ll see you then.”
He hung up and tried to call Lauren again. No answer. The recorder did its spiel. He didn’t even bother to leave another message.
He rushed into Gina’s exam room before she could be wheeled out. “Didn’t you tell me Lauren wasn’t sick when you saw her earlier tonight?”
“That’s right, just upset.”
“How upset?” Grant asked. “How was she behaving? Did she act confused?”
“Not confused.” Gina was wearing down quickly. “Hurt by some rumors. Went out of town.”
“Did she say where?”
Gina shook her head. “Couldn’t be far. She works tomorrow. Please call Natalie? She’ll be worried about me.”
Grant smiled down at her. Things were definitely changing for this young lady. “I’ll have Becky call her but you do realize that if she knows she’ll probably be at the landing pad to greet you at the hospital.”
“She means well.”
The team wheeled Gina out the doors. Moments later she was in flight.
***
Archer made one more attempt to call Lauren when he got home but she still didn’t answer. She would want to be notified about the town emergency.
He left another message and hung up.
Barely five seconds later the phone rang. He answered without looking at caller ID.
“Archer, we’ve got ourselves a problem.” It was the gravelly bass tones of John Netz.
Archer slumped. Not this again. “What kind of a problem?”
“Where’ve you been? I tried calling you three or four times.”
Archer bit back a sharp retort. “Did you leave a voicemail?”
“Nope. Hate those things,” John grumbled. “Anyway, I’ve got you now. Some guy from the police department got in touch with Dwight about an hour ago. They’re contacting all the churches in town for help. We’ve got some kind of crisis on our hands. You hear anything about Honey Creek getting poisoned?”
Word got out in a hurry. “Dr. Sheldon mentioned it to me at the hospital this evening.”
“The mayor’s having a fit. She says we’ve got a problem and she’s not waiting around for the state guys to come down. I think that new ER doctor has her all upset. These newcomers like to stir up trouble.”
“If Grant thinks there’s a problem then there is. What’s the mayor doing about it?”
“She and Mr. Butler from the hospital have gotten their heads together and they want to set up relief areas at the churches. Since our church is the biggest of the bunch, and it’s centrally located, we’ll probably get the brunt of the incoming.”
“Incoming?”
“Refugees. And they need some volunteers to gather up cots and such and to spread the word about the poisoning.”
“Refugees?”
“Or evacuees or something like that,” John sounded as if he was getting a little irritated with the questions. “The wife and I are heading out right now. You might want to meet us down at the church.”
“Why? It seems you and your deacons have this thing well in hand, though I see no reason for people to leave their homes just because their water’s been turned off. All they need is uncontaminated water.”
“We’re having deliveries of clean water brought here, too. Besides, you know how people panic if they think they’re being poisoned. They’ll need some reassurance. If the poison’s been in their homes, as the mayor said, they might want to know for sure it won’t affect them before they return. When can we expect you here?”
Archer was not in the mood to rub shoulders with the troublemaking deacons tonight.
“You know,” John’s voice took on that familiar tone of chiding that he’d used when Archer was a teenager, “you could stand to get a little more involved in things. Chaos is breaking loose in this town. Where’s your father when we need him?”
“You have his phone number. If you want him you can call him.” Archer hung up. It felt good. Too good. With a sigh he grabbed his car keys. Against his wishes, he would be at the church despite the order from a self-important troublemaker; part of his calling was to offer solace to those who were frightened and seeking answers.
***
Grant got voicemail when he tried to call home. He needed to talk to Beau. He also needed to touch base with Mr. Butler before the meeting. And he intended to find Lauren.
He looked at his watch. There was time to drive to her house and back before the meeting. He pulled his car keys from his desk drawer and headed out. The least he could do was leave a note of warning on her door. Then if for some reason she didn’t listen to her messages tonight she would still see the note and call him.
Was he blowing all this out of proportion?
Probably. He preferred that possibility to the alternative.
This was going to be a long night.
Chapter 30
Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… every branch… more fruitful…
Lauren heard her mother’s voice quoting the familiar Bible passage through the darkness past the pain and she awakened for a moment. She opened her eyes but all remained black, as it had been when she had last closed them.
“Mom?” She couldn’t speak past a whisper.
All she heard was the continual chatter of the creek.
How long had she been out this time? Mom’s voice hadn’t only sounded real, it had felt real, her presence familiar. Comforting.
Mom had helped her memorize that verse from the book of John years ago. Maybe that was why it had come to Lauren’s mind so easily.
It was a passage she’d hea
rd a lot when she or one of her siblings was hurt or struggling through their teen years and early adulthood. Until now the words had always felt oppressive. Nobody wanted to be pruned. Nobody wanted to suffer loss and heartache in order to mature spiritually.
But this time the abiding comfort of the words found root in her heart. They reminded her that God had not forgotten about her. Even better than that, He considered her worthy to bear more fruit. That might even mean she was going to live through this. Otherwise, how would she be able to bear fruit?
Right now she would be glad to see another sunrise.
***
Sometime after midnight on Saturday morning, Archer awakened on his cot in the church basement to the fragrance of freshly perking coffee. He heard soft voices echoing from the far side of the cavernous room and the crackle of sizzling bacon—or was that sausage? It smelled like heaven. The cooks had promised to keep breakfast cooking for the volunteers who took shifts during the night, traveling from door to door to warn citizens about the mercury scare. Everyone needed to be warned about it, not just those in the affected area; too many people ate the fish that came from Honey Spring.
Archer held his watch close to his eyes and peered at the lighted numbers. One o’clock. He’d had a good thirty minutes of sleep. Now to get to work. The good folks of Dogwood Springs would just have to endure his wrinkled jeans and T-shirt.
The door at the top of the basement steps opened and allowed light from the upstairs hallway to glow down onto the sleeping volunteers and others scattered across the far end of the room on borrowed cots. The newcomer made a silent, cautious descent, obviously unwilling to awaken anyone.
Archer couldn’t help wondering about the fresh arrival. Ordinarily, everyone knew to enter the basement through the side of the building where the double doors opened onto a level paved playground and additional parking area. Right now there was a huge, hastily painted sign in the middle of that playground offering water, food, and even a place to sleep.
The experts said that the homes were safe but it seemed a few people didn’t trust the experts. Some families had come for the night after hearing the first of the public service announcements. If the mercury had crept into their water supply then how could they be sure it hadn’t contaminated other areas of their homes?
Second Opinion Page 30