“And over here,” Misty walked around to the other side of the bed and Joy turned her head to follow her. “This one is from Isaac.”
Joy felt her mouth drop open. Isaac had gotten her a Christmas tree? It must have been nearly three feet high and sat in a pot on a table. It was decorated all in white and gold with a beautiful porcelain angel on top. Again Joy felt tears gather in her eyes.
“He must really think you’re something special,” said Misty.
Joy chose not to answer that remark. “Has he been here?”
“He’s pretty busy at work. But he’s been filling your bird feeders every day.”
Joy suddenly remembered her new pet. “Oh, no. Has anyone been feeding Mozart?”
Misty gave her a strange look. “Honey, you must have hit your head pretty hard. Mozart’s been dead for centuries.”
“Mozart is my canary.”
“Oh, the canary. Isaac took him home for now and Ian told him how to take care of the little ball of fluff. You see, there’s nothing to worry about.”
That was good, Joy thought, because she didn’t have the energy to stay awake much longer, never mind take care of anything herself. She drifted back into sleep, wondering about all the people who had sent gifts to her.
****
Joy came home from the hospital the next afternoon. She still hadn’t seen Isaac, and told herself it was silly to expect it. She was no one special, just a member of the congregation, right?
She had no idea so many people cared about her. Before this, she would have said that no one at the church would miss her except for the fact they’d have to find a new organist.
She supposed most of the people that sent her things were only doing their Christian duty, but she was still grateful. Instead of being intimidated by all the attention, it had actually boosted her confidence to know she mattered, even a little bit.
But nothing could have prepared Joy for the surprise that came when it was time for her to go home.
Pansy Parker and Misty Green came to get her. She’d been told a ride had been arranged for her, but was hoping that Isaac would come. She tried not to show any disappointment.
It was strange to have Misty and Pansy together and not hear the ultra-polite bickering the two usually fell into. Maybe they’d decided to get along now that they would be family.
When they pulled into her driveway, it was filled with cars. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Oh, a few people wanted to welcome you home,” Misty said.
A few people? There must be a dozen cars in the driveway and on the street. Surely she didn’t have that many friends.
Isaac appeared at the door when they pulled up. Joy’s heart jumped at the sight of him. He looked like he’d stepped out of an ad for holiday shopping, wearing a red sweater and jeans. His coat was unzipped and a scarf hung around his shoulders. Red cheeks attested that he’d been outside lately.
Isaac opened her door and offered Joy a hand to help her out. Misty appeared at her side with her crutches. She was getting used to using them, but steps were still difficult and Joy looked with dread at the ones leading up to her house.
He must have read her expression, because Isaac waved Misty away, scooped up Joy and carried her up the steps. “You’re looking much better than the last time I saw you,” he said as they entered the house.
“And when was that?” she asked, feeling brave while he had his arms around her. He hadn’t visited her the entire time she was in the hospital.
Instead of putting her down, Isaac carried her through the house and back to the little sitting room she’d claimed as her own. He set her down on the sofa. “You don’t remember?”
“I think the last time I saw you was at the church…just before choir rehearsal.” She didn’t quite have the nerve to bring up the concert tickets.
Isaac pulled a colorful afghan off one of the chairs and spread it over her. Joy realized that they were alone in the room. Where had Misty and Pansy gone? Where were the people whose cars were parked out front?
She fixed her attention back on Isaac as he knelt next to her by the sofa. He took her face in his hands, his touch pleasantly cool on her face. “The last time I saw you was when they wheeled you away at the hospital.”
Something clicked into place in her head. She pushed his hands away and blurted out. “You made me sing ‘Jingle Bells’ all the way to the hospital!”
He laughed. “It was the only way I could think of to keep you awake. I don’t know much about head injuries, but I knew you shouldn’t fall asleep before the doctor had seen you.”
“But how did you know…?”
His amused expression melted away into one of concern. “When you didn’t come in to work, I came looking for you. I wish I would have come sooner.”
“That’s all right. I’m glad you were there.”
“Angel was with me. She came in with cookies she’d made as a thank you for the concert tickets.”
“Oh.” So he knew about that. She dropped her gaze and studied the afghan. Its multicolored rows were a fascinating diversion.
“She brought you back a t-shirt, by the way.”
“She did? That’s nice.”
“I wish I would have said ‘yes’ to you, Joy.”
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t. As it turns out I was busy that night.”
“Somehow…”
He hesitated and Joy dared to look up at him again. She didn’t understand that look that had come over his face. “What is it?”
“Somehow I think that if I’d said ‘yes’ to the concert, none of this would have happened.”
“Now, that’s just silly. How could you be responsible for me falling on the ice?”
This time it was Isaac who looked away. “I don’t know. I’m just telling you how I feel.”
The door opened and Hope Velasquez came in. “Hey, Isaac, I don’t mean to interrupt your little chat, but there are some people waiting for Joy—and they’re getting cold.”
“I’m sorry. I got distracted.”
Hope grinned. “I see that. Welcome home, Joy.”
She answered Hope’s smile with a small one of her own. “Thank you.”
Isaac got to his feet and went to the window, pulling open the drapes. Joy gasped as first a lit Christmas tree, and then a crowd of people were revealed. She looked around for her crutches and discovered they hadn’t made it inside with them. In fact, she saw Misty and Pansy, who must have ducked around to the back, and Misty was still holding the crutches. Now why hadn’t she just brought them in?
Joy stood, intending to hop to the window, but Isaac swept her up again and carried her over. Everyone cheered and waved as she appeared.
Closer now, Joy was able to see what the tree’s decorations were made out of. “Isaac, is that…?”
“Strings of popcorn and cranberries. All organic, donated by Misty. Plus pinecones covered with peanut butter and rolled in birdseed. You won’t have to worry about feeding that crew for a while.”
And it wasn’t just the fir tree in front of the window that was decorated. All the trees in the yard had been festooned with edible ornaments. Laughter bubbled up inside her like a fountain. “Not for a day or two at least. This is wonderful! Whose idea was this?”
“Well,” Isaac told her, “with no secretary I had to make some time to get everything done in the office. So I decided to go with group appointments for my brides and grooms. They wanted to do something for you. And since cooperation is a big factor in marriage…”
The crowd had obviously had enough of the cold and surged into the house. On their way through the kitchen, they picked up trays of cookies and mugs of hot spiced cider.
“Isaac, put her down before you drop her,” someone scolded. And Joy found herself back on the couch in short order. Everyone was anxious to help, tucking the afghan back around her, offering pillows for her injured leg and fetching refreshments for her. Joy greeted each of the eleven c
ouples that had gathered to welcome her home.
Some of the guests started carrying in her flowers and balloons and setting them around the room. Angel brought her the t-shirt from the concert. “I’m sorry you couldn’t go, Joy,” she said. “I wanted you to know that Jeff and I appreciated your gift.”
Jeff added, “Next year, we’re going again, and we’re taking you with us.”
Happy, but overwhelmed, Joy had little to say to her crowd of well-wishers. She hoped they would understand from her smiles how grateful she was.
Before too long, Pansy’s voice cut through the room. “All right now, let’s remember that Joy is supposed to be recovering. Everyone clean up after yourselves on the way out.”
Within a few minutes, the room cleared out. Only a few people lingered. One was Angel, who stopped to ask, “Joy, do you think you’ll feel up to playing for The Grace Place party tomorrow night?”
“I think so. I’ll have all day to rest tomorrow, and if I don’t feel well, I can leave after our set.”
She added in a whisper, “What about your solo? Do you still want to do that?”
Joy nodded. “Of course.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow night, then.”
Isaac was suddenly there. “What’s going on tomorrow night?”
“It’s The Grace Place Christmas Party,” Angel told him. “You didn’t forget, did you?”
“Joy, don’t you think that might be too much for you? You just got out of the hospital.”
“I know, but I want to go.”
“Well…then I’ll take you.”
“Oh no, I might want to go home early,” she protested. “I don’t want you to have to leave, too.”
“If you aren’t there, I won’t want to be either,” he replied.
Joy felt her breath catch at that statement and noted Angel’s look of surprise. Before she could reply, Sarah Rogers shooed them away. “All right, the party’s over. Our patient needs her rest.”
Angel and Isaac both said their good-byes, and when Joy looked around, she realized that Sarah was the only person left in the room.
“Sorry, but you’re stuck with me,” she explained. “I’m your babysitter for the evening.”
“Babysitter?”
“Misty made up a schedule, so you won’t have to be alone for the first couple of days. Pansy got people to contribute food. Your fridge and freezer are both full. You won’t have to cook until next spring.”
Joy stared at her. It was unbelievable. The gifts, the party, the decorations for her birds, and now this—food and companionship. It was more than she could comprehend. Without warning, she burst into tears.
“Joy, are you all right? Are you in pain?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine. I just don’t understand…you don’t even know me that well. Why would you all do so much for me?”
Sarah sat down on the couch next to her. “Because we’re all in the same family, Joy.”
“What do you mean? I don’t have any family.”
“Of course you do. You have your church family. And we’re only the Orchard Hill branch of the family of God.”
Joy sniffed. “I wish I’d had my accident sooner, if that’s what it took to show me that you all cared so much.”
At that moment, Isaac walked back in. He was carrying the canary’s cage and saying, “I forgot about Mozart. I put him in the laundry room while everyone was here.”
Then he saw Joy’s face and stopped in his tracks. He set the cage down and went over to the sofa. “What’s wrong?”
Sarah waved him away. “Nothing. Joy’s just a little overtired. It’s perfectly natural after something like this.”
“Joy, are you sure?”
She nodded and dredged up a smile for him. “I just need to rest a little.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t go to Grace’s party tomorrow after all.”
Her smile turned into a frown. “Isaac, I already told you, I’m going.”
“Not if you aren’t feeling up to it.”
“Hey,” Sarah interrupted, “don’t start an argument with the invalid. Remember, she needs to rest.”
He backed down with obvious reluctance. “All right. I’m going home. Call me if you need anything.”
Sarah stood and steered him away from the sofa. “Just because Joy likes birds, it doesn’t mean she wants you to act like a mother hen. Now hang up that birdcage and make yourself scarce.”
Joy saw him smile just a little before he answered, “Is that any way to talk to a pastor? Especially the one that’s officiating at your wedding.”
“It is when he’s acting like a lovesick puppy,” she teased.
Isaac picked up the cage and hung it back on its hook. “A mother hen or a lovesick puppy? Which am I?”
Sarah pretended to consider. “The latter, I think.”
Isaac approached the sofa again on his way out of the room. “Well, since I’m that transparent…” He stooped and kissed Joy’s cheek before exiting.
Joy’s face grew hot. Shock and delight mingled, sending butterflies whirling in her stomach.
Sarah was trying to wrestle a smile under control, but it kept breaking out. “That’s enough excitement for you, for one day,” she told Joy. “I think it’s nap time.”
“I thought you were a speech therapist, not a nurse,” Joy answered, hoping to avoid any comment on Isaac’s kiss.
“I am, but I nursed my brother through so many ear infections and other childhood illnesses, that it’s become like a second career.” Joy was not so out of the loop that she didn’t know Sarah’s story. Her mother had been frequently ill, and Sarah had been forced to take on adult responsibilities much too young. She, like Joy, had had very little self confidence when she’d first come to Orchard Hill.
Then Sarah had taken on the responsibility of helping David Daniels care for his orphaned niece. Now she seemed very self assured, and Joy was convinced it wasn’t all connected to that huge diamond ring David had bought her when he asked her to marry him.
Sarah slipped away and left Joy alone. She fell asleep to the sound of Mozart’s singing and didn’t wake until after dark. Now the lights of the tree outside were all she could see of her wonderful gift, but she didn’t mind. Joy remembered how Isaac had shown her how to string the lights on the church’s Christmas tree. Without realizing she was doing it, she brought her hand up to touch her cheek where he’d kissed her.
****
It wasn’t an easy task, finding an outfit that went with a knee brace. Joy finally decided on a deep green sweater and a long, flowing skirt that hid the bulky brace pretty well. She braided her hair and added a matching scarf. When she was finished getting ready, she hobbled to the front room where she could see the driveway, and sat to wait for Isaac.
Harmony and Hope had been with her for most of the day, but knowing that Isaac would be arriving soon, they’d felt safe in leaving Joy alone. After all, they had to get ready for Grace’s party, too.
Joy wasn’t used to being around people so much, and although she was grateful for their help, she welcomed some time to herself. Especially as the time for the choir’s performance drew near, and her nerves began to tighten. Once she was settled in a chair and her crutches were tucked away, Joy took out the slip of paper with the Bible verse she’d chosen for the day: Luke 2:9-12. “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.’”
Closing her eyes, Joy imagined herself on the tiny stage in Grace’s coffee shop, the choir behind her. She would be like that angel, singing the good news to the people who gathered, and she would not be afraid.
It was a little difficult to convince herself of the last part, but she was determined to go through with this. Joy thought of the supper that Harmony and Hope had fixed
for her—that was now in the garbage can. She felt bad, but no matter how delicious it was, she just couldn’t force any food down right now. There would be food at the party. She’d eat after she sang. OK, so it would only be Christmas cookies. As Sarah had pointed out yesterday, her fridge was packed with food. She’d eat when she got home.
Joy had time to read the verses over three more times before Isaac got there. He came in before she could retrieve her crutches to get to the door.
Orchard Hill Volume Three Page 25