“I suppose you don’t care about Paul?”
“Not one bit.”
“You’re mine for the duration?”
“All yours.”
She smiled. “Let’s have a baby.”
* * * *
The next morning Laney woke up with a bandage across one eye and more pain than she’d ever felt in her life. Every time she took a breath, her chest felt like it was on fire. Jessi was sitting next to her bed. She started to panic.
“It’s okay, everyone is okay. Aunt Merry hasn’t left Joy’s side. The doctor thought it would be best if they watched her overnight. She was in shock and is just now coming out of it.”
It hurt to talk. Laney grimaced. “I want to see her.”
“You will. Her nurse is going to bring her in just a few minutes. They want to check you over first. Take your blood pressure that sort of thing. They want you to have a few minutes with her without interruptions.”
“There is some good news. You’ll never have to worry about Paul hurting you again.”
Laney’s face fell.
“No, nothing like that. The bullet hit him just above the shoulders. The doctors believe he has lost all mobility in his arms and legs. He will be in a wheel chair the rest of his life.”
Laney lay back against her pillow, relieved yet broken hearted. Her fairy tale marriage had ended in heartache. Her husband had abducted his own son. He burned down her best friend’s house. He trashed her church. He scared a poor old woman who had done nothing to him. Now, he would be in a wheel chair the rest of his life.
Jessi rubbed her arm and she turned her head. “The police want to talk with you.”
Laney told them everything. She told them he had admitted taking his son, setting the fire, she told them about the stalking and the pictures, about Ella’s window and the church, every last detail.
Laney asked Jessi to step out for a few minutes when Joy came into her room. “Hi honey. Come sit by mom.” Laney patted the bed and tried her best to move her butt over without wincing.
Joy sat down and looked at the floor.
The psychiatrist spoke with Laney after she spoke with Joy. “You know, it’s not your fault.”
Her daughter started crying. “But mom, he wouldn’t have hurt you so bad if I hadn’t of been listening to that stupid iPod. I’m throwing it away mom. It’s my fault he hurt you.”
“No, honey, listen to me. It’s not your fault. I tried to be quiet. I didn’t want you to hear me.”
“You didn’t?”
“No, I didn’t. I wanted you to be safe. As angry as he was, I thought he would hurt you, Matt or Melanie if he saw you. I was glad you couldn’t hear me. I was praying that God wouldn’t let you hear me.”
“You did?”
“Yes, I did. You mean more to me than anything. Don’t you know that by now?”
Joy hugged her mom, holding on for her very life.
Laney held her breath, ignoring the pain that was ripping through her body. Her daughter needed her comfort. Bones would heal.
“You saved my life. Do you know that?”
Joy nodded her head.
Laney knew it would take a long time before Joy would be over shooting her own father.
The nurse entered the room and spoke to Joy. “It’s time for your mom to get some rest, okay?”
Joy left, holding Jessi’s hand. Laney mouthed “Thank you” to Jessi and closed her eyes.
When Laney awoke, she had a new visitor. Her father sat across from her. She had been meaning to call him, to tell him she forgave him, but she hadn’t gotten around to it. She was sorry she had made him wait this long to hear the three words that would free him. “Hey, dad.”
“Hi, honey.”
“Someone called you?”
“Yeah, Sheila made sure we knew what happened. We came up as fast as we could. They let us step in for a few minutes last night to see you, but you won’t remember that. You were pretty out of it.”
“You’ve been here all night?”
“Yep, sitting in the waiting room on those comfortable orange chairs.”
She laughed and instantly regretted it. She never knew her dad had a sense of humor. “I want to apologize for not calling you after your visit.”
He took her hand. “Darlin’, there is nothing to apologize for. I told you, I expect nothing from you. I just wanted you to know right from the horse’s mouth how sorry I am. Your mama’s and my marriage is totally different now.” He looked toward the door. “Don’t tell her, 'cause it’s a surprise, but I’m taking her on a cruise for her birthday. We’ve never done anything like that.” He shook his head. “I wish I had figured this out when I was younger. Life is so much better now.”
“Dad, I do forgive you.”
“You don’t know how much that means to me. Your mama was right. Things do work out if we give it all over to God.”
Laney’s mom walked into the room. “I see the nurse coming so I thought I better come in real quick. I just wanted to give you a kiss. I’ll see you as soon as you get some rest.”
Sure enough, Laney’s nurse told them it was time to go. She had to change Laney’s bandages and then make sure Laney closed her eyes. “It is hard healing if you don’t rest properly.”
* * * *
The sun was setting when Laney opened her eyes for a third time that day. This time she was all alone. She had a few minutes by herself with God before anyone interrupted her. She stared at the sunset, finding God in the colors that filled the sky. His very creation spoke to her. Some things may end, but as long as we believe and have faith, there is a new day to wake up to. God still had a plan for her life; this she believed with all her heart. No matter what was in her past, no matter how many times she failed and messed up, God would love her.
She spent a few minutes just praising him when she heard a knock at the door. Austin was wheeling Sheila into her room. On her lap was a tiny little bundle wrapped in pink.
Sheila looked down at her precious daughter and introduced her. “Laney, we want you to meet Elizabeth Laney Stewart. Elizabeth after my mom and Laney after my best friend. Two of the strongest women I know.”
Laney felt the tears start to well up again, and knowing how much she hurt when she cried, she tried to stop them. “Austin, Sheila, I’m honored. Thank you.”
She lifted the head of her bed, just a little. “Let me see her.”
Sheila pulled back the blanket.
“She’s beautiful. She’s tiny.”
Austin stepped up to look at his daughter. “She was a few weeks early but the doctor said she’s as healthy as she can be. We are blessed.” He bent down and gave his wife a kiss on the head then stepped back as far as he could without leaving the room. “Well, honey, are you ready for another one?”
“Austin Richard, you have had it. When I get a hold of you.” She let her thought trail off as she attended to her daughter who she’d startled awake.
He grinned at Laney who was holding her sides. “I’m sorry Laney, really. I just couldn’t resist.”
* * * *
Laney spent three days in a hospital room, trying to get rest. She was thankful when the doctor was no longer fearful of internal bleeding and released her. God had protected her.
The only broken bones she had were two ribs. She had needed stitches from the gash on her cheek. Her eye was still swollen and her face, as well as most of her abdomen was still black and blue. She had bruises on her legs as well as her arms from trying to block the blows. It would take a while before she looked normal again.
* * * *
The ribbon cutting on the Elizabeth House, renamed in Sheila’s mom’s honor, was today and she wasn’t going to miss it. Laney stood in front of the mirror with the makeup Sheila had loaned her. Her face was still a mess. The black bruises had turned yellowish and the scar across her cheek was inflamed and swollen. The doctor had told her plastic surgery was an option. She hadn’t decided yet on whether it as an option for
her.
She pulled out the cover up and opened the bottle then shook her head. No. She put it back in the bag and zipped it shut. How would the world know what was happening if the victims of abuse kept hiding it? She wasn’t going to do that. She was going to the ribbon-cutting and the world, at least the little part of the world that would be at the event, was going to see what happens when a woman is abused.
Laney dressed in her best business suit. She curled her hair and pinned it back. She was going as she was and she wasn’t going to be embarrassed any longer. What happened to her wasn’t her fault and she didn’t care if anyone felt uncomfortable because she was revealing her pain. She wasn’t revealing her injuries to spite anyone. She was doing it to raise awareness.
Laney stood in the front of the gorgeous two-story structure and watched as Sheila and Austin quietly cut the little yellow ribbon held by two church members. They couldn’t have an official ribbon cutting because there were still a lot of women out there who needed a place to go that was a safe place to heal.
After the ribbon cutting, Sheila and Austin led everyone on a tour of the house. The rooms now had names, just like the house had been named Elizabeth House for her mother. Laney smiled at the area bearing her name. An engraved bronze plaque reading “Laney’s Library” had a little spot between two of the built-in bookcases. There were oversized chairs situated around the room and a few small tables with chairs. This would be a wonderful room to read a book.
The kitchen was aptly named, “Ella’s Kitchen.” Laney wiped a single tear away when she entered the prayer closet, named for Keisha, the first woman who asked her if she knew Jesus. Laney remembered that day so well, and how she was offended and embarrassed for having to be in someone else’s home, hiding. Not any more.
Laney kept her chin high as she walked from room to room, admiring the plaques honoring the women whose names were engraved. Some of them she knew, some she did not. It did not matter. Every one of them had their own story of pain and endurance. Some overcame in this life. Some, like Keisha, in the next. Either way, they were free.
Epilogue
Laney pushed the wheel chair through the facility. He didn’t like her visits any more than she did, but he couldn’t do much about them. Nor would he if he could. She was the only person, besides doctors and nurses, who ever spoke to him. He would endure anything to have those moments of human contact. Even put up with the woman who did this to him.
“I’m getting my degree tomorrow. I’ll be a doctor.”
He grunted. His speech never quite returned after the shooting. He was able to make guttural sounds, nothing intelligible. His mind worked perfectly, it was the rest of his body that had failed him. He was still bitter, after all these years.
“Have you thought about what we talked about last time I was here? Have you asked one of the residents to read you the Bible I left for you?”
He didn’t bother to grunt over that one. It didn’t deserve a response.
“Joy is leaving for college in the fall. Can you believe she’s already going to college?”
Another grunt. Does she think I really care about those brats, especially the one who put me in a wheelchair?
“Matt will be a freshman in high school. He has forgiven you for abducting him. I thought you should know that. I am very proud of him.”
Forgiven me? Who cares? I didn’t ask to be forgiven. I’d do it again if I had the chance.
"Melanie is getting so big you’d hardly recognize her. She plays baseball every spare moment she gets.
And that matters, why?
"Do you want to sit by the window today while I read?" She didn’t wait for an answer. She settled him next to the window and sat in the plastic back chair provided for her. She took out her Bible. "Let’s see. Where did we leave off?"
He tried grunting to get her attention, but she ignored him. He had learned to not get overly animated about her reading her Bible. He had lost his breathing tube one too many times and didn’t want that to happen again. If she thought she could reform him, so be it. He would just tune her out like always.
She read from the book of John, beginning with the first chapter.
Laney watched the sleeping form of her husband. He always fell asleep during these reading sessions. He was no longer the handsome, charismatic man who had swept her off her feet. He was a shell of the man he used to be. His clothes hung on him, revealing the lack of flesh on his protruding bones. His skin hung from a lack of exercise and good diet. His hair was cut short with no attention to style. He had the typical prison cut. If he knew how he looked, he would be mortified. Fortunately for him, there were no mirrors in this place. He would be here for the next twenty-five years. After that, Laney supposed she would have to take over his care, if he lived that long. Most paraplegics didn't. She motioned for the attendant to take him away.
She had visited once a week, every week, since the shooting. At first he was irate and the medics would need to reinsert his breathing tube. She had to remind him on more than one occasion that she was still his wife.
She sold the house and got a very nice profit from it. Apparently homes in the south suburb of Chicago were selling well, especially from affluent neighborhoods. She sold what furniture she could, then gave the rest to a local charity. The proceeds from the house, the disability from his insurance, along with his social security she got for him being disabled, provided for her and the kids well. Her needs were always met.
She learned after his tirade about him losing his job that he had not lost his job but had taken a leave of absence. He was indeed still employed and he still had her and the kids on his insurance plan. He was too embarrassed to take them off. It would have affected the image he had worked so hard at portraying.
It took time, but Laney learned to forgive the man being wheeled away from her. She didn’t know what God had planned for her future; if she would ever have a husband who looked at her like her father looked at her mother in their latter years. For now, this was her thorn and she would endure.
* * * *
Laney held the degree high in the air, she had worked hard over the past few years and she was proud. She was now Laney Sanders, Doctor of Psychology with an emphasis in treating victims of abuse. She was going to work full time at the Elizabeth house, counseling women.
Laney looked around for her family, hoping to see them before they left. Joy must have already taken off for the teashop to help Sheila get everything ready. She had her younger brother and sister with her, as well as her grandmother. Laney smiled. She’d see them soon enough. They were having a small celebration in Laney’s honor. She was glad she was able to spend so much time with her mother. Her father’s death the year before had been hard on them all. She was thankful they had a few good years together before he passed. His heart finally gave out on him.
After congratulating some of her peers, Laney climbed in her Equinox and started the trip to the teahouse.
She arrived to a packed house. So many people she looked up to, people who prayed her through the hard times, were there to wish her well. She took just a moment to mention each person by name, telling him or her how much they meant to her.
“Pastor Mark and Jessi, thank you. Thank you for being a Godly example. You have taught me how to love and how to forgive. Your selfless dedication to the calling God has placed on your lives has touched so many people, some you won’t know about until heaven.
“Aunt Merry, you taught me to pray. Your lack of inhibition, I’ll admit, intimidated me at first. At least until I understood what your expressions of praise meant. Then I embraced them fully, trying to emulate the love you have for your Savior.
“Ella, you have been my second mother. I do not know if I would have survived without your love and prayers. You have done everything you possibly could for me. My kids call you Grandma Ella. You are part of our family.
“Sheila and Austin, my best friends, I thank you for giving me a place to call home. Sheila,
when you opened your home to me over five years ago, I was lost, homeless, penniless, I didn’t even have clothes to put on my back. I came with three children who needed love and attention and healing. You never once faltered. Your dedication to helping women in need has been my inspiration. Your constant faith in God through every trial led me to Christ. I wanted what you had. Thank you for being Christ for me.
“Mom, we went through the tough times but God saw us through. Your willingness to keep growing, to accept and acknowledge the mistakes you have made has caused me to live a deeper, fuller life. You made it easier for me to say, 'I’m sorry' and admit the times I have been wrong. My children thank you as much as I do.
“Joy, you are almost ready to go off to college yourself. My challenge to you is, be strong. Do not settle for anything less than everything. God has something spectacular for you and someone spectacular to stand with you. Don’t settle, honey. Let God lead you.
“Matt, as you enter high school, continue to be the fun-loving guy that you are. Be a shining example of Christ in your school. Remember, God made you who you are for a reason. He has special plans for you. Keep looking to him and never, ever give up on him. He loves you.
“Melanie, my baby. You are growing up. You gave up princesses long ago for a baseball glove and a bat. You went from dancing around the house to throwing a baseball. Keep growing in him and never be afraid to be who you are. God made you unique and it’s okay to change your mind. Keep growing and loving Jesus, okay?”
Laney said her goodbyes, hugging everyone and thanking them for coming. Her mom followed Joy back to their house. Laney arrived shortly after the rest of her family did.
She pulled up in front of their ranch house. She sat for a moment in the driveway, thinking about all she had endured. Every trial she had experienced brought her closer to the God she now exclusively served. She flipped the sun visor and looked in the mirror. The scar was still visible. She had never gotten the plastic surgery to cover it up. She doubted she ever would. It would always be a reminder to her of what she had gone through to get to where she was.
Forever Blessed (Women of Prayer) Page 27