“No, leave them. I’ll put them in the dishwasher.”
Brian thanked him and rushed off, leaving Ryan alone
with his thoughts. He gazed at the empty doorway. Maybe he should visit Neil’s church today. The only reason he hadn’t visited was because of Karlie. But now that the secret was out . . .
No, he wasn’t trying to interfere with Karlie’s praise. Besides, Neil might cause a scene.
Ryan slouched. Rubbing his chin, he wondered how he had transformed into the wimpy guy hiding out at home from God when God was everywhere. It was stupid. God’s conscience worked inside and outside of church.
The Holy Spirit still urged him to back out of his plans against Jackson, but again, Ryan disobeyed. He placed the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, dressed in the master bedroom, and headed to work. He often worked on Sundays, but this was the first Saturday he had worked in months. He needed to keep busy.
It was his only hope of drowning out the voice of God.
He was knee-deep in taking care of business when the call came. When he said hello, all Ryan heard was, “It’s done.”
Ryan ended the call.
It’s done.
Chapter Forty
Where was Brian? Karlie wondered. Her dad was about to go up. Pastor Johnston had assigned him to do a three-part series, and this was the second week.
He’s probably home asleep, she thought. Stop thinking about him. It’s supposed to be about God. Unless his psoriasis is acting up. That could be it too. She twisted her body to look down the aisle hoping to spot him.
No such luck.
Her fingers itched to text him, but Karlie refused to use her electronic devices in church. They were too distracting. A message or text invariably would pop up and she had to answer. Karlie cracked up at the people who spent most of their time posting updates about the sermon to social media instead of actually listening to the sermon. She preferred a traditional Bible she could hold in her hands.
Her dad took the podium. There was still no sign of Brian. Karlie craned her neck one more time to search for his tall frame, but he was nowhere in sight. She would take copious notes to catch him up later.
It took effort but Karlie forced herself to push thoughts of Brian aside. He was where he was. She needed to concentrate on the Word.
Neil greeted the church. “Today, I’m going to talk to you about a well-known parable, The Sower and the Seed.”
Karlie’s eyes glazed over. She had lost count of how many sermons she had heard on this same thing. There was a sower . . . blah blah blah.
God’s Spirit corrected her immediately for her disrespect. Karlie whispered a brief apology to God and tuned in.
Brian slipped beside her, and Karlie breathed a sigh of relief. She made sure there was an appropriate distance between them. Brian rested an arm behind her back. Karlie didn’t think anything of it . . . until she saw the last person she expected to see staring right at her.
Jamaal.
Surprise shot through her body. Jabbing Brian in the ribcage, she frantically whispered, “Jamaal. Jamaal is sitting three rows across from us. What’s he doing here?”
Brian was not the least bit concerned about Jamaal’s probing eyes. Let him look and wonder. Brian did not patronize scum.
He squeezed Karlie’s hand to assure her and centered his mind on the sermon. He saw the title and scripture passage on the projector screen.
“In this parable, Jesus spoke about planting seeds on the wayside, on stony ground, among thorns, and on good ground. The Bible tells us each of the places the seed landed represented people. People you know. People I know.” Neil walked around the podium to center stage.
“He mentioned four places for four people,” Neil said, displaying four fingers. “Of the four people, only one received the Word. The Word took root because it fell on good ground.”
Brian leaned forward, instinctively knowing Neil was about to give a crucial point.
“So, in mathematical terms, three out of four people in your life will reject the Sower and the Seed.”
Brian’s mouth formed an O. Wow. He was a math whiz, so he did a computation in his head. An estimated 7.5 billion people lived in the world. Seventy-five percent of that was approximately 5.6 billion. Are there that many souls going to hell? He shook his head, stunned at the magnitude of souls lost.
Neil continued to expound on the Word. Brian wrote the scripture on a note and placed it in his Bible. He would have to reread Matthew 13 at some point.
“Jesus taught this parable to reach two kinds of people,” Neil said. “You and me. As God’s sower of the Word, those who reject salvation can’t dishearten me. I still have to keep sowing.”
Brian couldn’t resist a glance in Karlie’s direction. She was his sower.
“But Jesus wanted to warn anyone hearing the Word. For the Word to take root, it must be placed in good ground. You can control that. You can ask God to till away all the gunk we keep in our heart so that His Word can take root and grow in us.”
People around him shouted, “Hallelujah!” and “All right, now!”
The Word pierced him. He had gunk he needed God to dig out of his heart. When Neil made the altar call, Brian was one of the first people to head up front.
While many prayed and Neil anointed him, Brian asked God, “Please, God, make me into good ground.”
At the end of the service, Jamaal approached Brian and Karlie. Brian positioned his body to shield Karlie from him. Or was it the other way around? Whatever. He was making sure there was distance between them.
“Karlie, I knew this was the only place you’d probably see me,” Jamaal said.
“Yes, because I have no choice,” Karlie replied.
Brian felt her bristling next to him. “What do you want?” Brian asked.
Jamaal reached into his pants pocket to retrieve a stick of gum. “I just thought I’d give you a heads-up. I’m not going to keep quiet about you and Karlie’s affair.”
He spoke the words casually, as if he were talking about sports or a TV show and not about potentially ruining lives.
“What affair?” Karlie asked. “Brian and I didn’t sleep together.”
Brian couldn’t believe his ears. He gestured for them to move the conversation outside of God’s house and into the parking lot. Karlie stood frozen. Brian had to call her twice before she trudged behind him and Jamaal.
“It doesn’t matter if you did or not,” Jamaal said. “What’s important is they will believe you did.”
“Why are you doing this?” Brian asked.
Jamaal hesitated for a second. He had the decency to look ashamed. “I need the money.”
“No one will care about some stupid picture,” Brian said. “It doesn’t prove anything.” Jamaal had to be bluffing, but on the inside, Brian’s heart raced. Salacious gossipers would take the picture out of context.
“You can’t do that,” Karlie said. “Winona is getting ready to release the news that we’re brother and sister. That will damage me for good.”
Jamaal hunched his shoulders. “Then pay up.”
“How far are you sinking? That’s extortion.” Brian shook his head.
“Not to mention low-down and cruel.” Karlie frowned. “We were together six years, and this is how you treat me? You broke promises to me and to God.”
“God has nothing to do with this,” Jamaal said.
Brian arched an eyebrow. “You’re right about that.”
“I need the money,” Jamaal stated, eyeing Karlie. “I got myself in trouble.”
Karlie’s eyes softened. She stepped toward him. “What kind of trouble?”
Brian faced her. “Are you falling for this? Karlie, he’s manipulating you—pulling at your heartstrings.”
Karlie gave him the side eye. “What’s going on, Jamaal?”
“Some girl accused me of forcing myself on her,” Jamaal said. “She’s demanding a huge sum of money, enough to clean out all the money your mother
left me. If I don’t pay her, she’ll report me to the college and the police. This is my scholarship, career, and life on the line. I can’t take that chance.”
Karlie shook her head. “But if you didn’t do anything, then why allow yourself to get blackmailed?”
Jamaal lowered his gaze. He fretted with his shirt and loosened his tie.
“You did it, didn’t you?” Brian asked.
“No, it was consensual, but she’s white—and as it turns out, underage,” Jamaal said. “Who is going to believe me?”
Karlie stepped back. “You messed around with a minor?” She started walking away. “Leave me out of your drama.”
Jamaal rushed after her and grabbed her by the shoulders. “I need your help, Karlie. I need you to be my alibi. It would be your word against hers.”
“No,” Karlie said. “I’m not doing it.”
Jamaal grabbed her close to him. “This is my life!”
Brian grabbed Jamaal by the collar. “Get off her,” he snarled. “No means no. But you don’t understand that or you wouldn’t be in this trouble now.”
Jamaal shoved Brian, and Brian shoved back. Fortunately, the parking lot was nearly deserted.
“Stop it!” Karlie shouted. “Both of you!” She positioned her body between them. “Stop fighting. I’m tired of you two going at it like boys.”
Brian breathed deeply to regain control. He held both hands up and stepped away from Jamaal.
Jamaal wasn’t through. He pulled out his phone and swiped the camera icon. Once the picture graced the screen, he said, “I’m going to post this now unless you help me.”
Brian reached to snatch the phone, but Jamaal sidestepped him and took off running. Brian darted after him. He was going to smash that phone to smithereens.
The men raced into oncoming traffic, bobbing and weaving. Neither saw the Ford F150 truck heading their way.
Chapter Forty-one
Patricia exited the twin’s room with bloodshot eyes. She needed to soak her feet. Anna and Alyssa would live to see another day, but their parents had changed their minds about the surgery and Patricia did not agree with their decision.
They would take the girls home and love them. To them, Anna and Alyssa were miracles.
“I’ll treasure them until God sees best to . . .” Mrs. Velasquez had been teary-eyed, but she was resolved. “Once they’re stable, we’re taking them to Disney World or something. It’s time for them to have some good memories instead of staring at hospital walls.”
Patricia understood their thinking. She reminded herself repeatedly that Anna wasn’t her daughter Anna. She needed to respect the parents’ wishes.
“One good thing is that the seizures should stop,” Patricia said. “I’ve removed the troubling aneurysms successfully and adjusted their meds. Anna and Alyssa will be okay.” She didn’t know for how long, but they did need quality of life.
“We want to be together,” Anna said, hugging her twin.
“We’re happy,” Alyssa added.
“It’s time we start listening to the girls,” Mr. Velasquez said. “God made them perfect the way they are. We’re the ones who’re trying to fix them.”
Patricia bit her lip. She felt as if she could “fix” them, but she couldn’t interfere with their parents’ choice. The girls would be discharged in a matter of days. She removed her surgical cap and headed to her office.
Tim was waiting for her inside. She clicked the door shut. He held out his arms, and Patricia accepted his embrace. When he pressed his lips to hers, Patricia snapped. She ripped at his shirt and returned his caresses with a vengeance. She moaned under his expert caresses. Yes, she would revel in this. As her pleasure increased, the pain inside her heart dulled.
Moments later, satiated, Patricia lay on the floor. She hid a smile as Tim gathered his belongings. Luckily, he had spare shirts in his office.
Patricia redressed and redid her hair. She had the urge for a strong cup of coffee and marched toward the break room. She pictured the day-old coffee and promptly changed her mind. She decided to go to the Dover Coffee and Gifts shop located in the main lobby. A mocha latte sounded like music to her tired ears.
On her way, Patricia bumped into Karlie zooming inside the building. Jamaal followed closely behind, out of breath.
“Karlie, is everything all right?” Patricia asked.
Karlie’s eyes popped wide open. “Brian is here. He was hit by a truck. Where’s the emergency room?”
Patricia flailed backward and her insides twisted. “Wh. . . What’s happened to Brian?” In horror, she realized that her son had been in danger while she and Tim were. . . She swallowed the rest of that thought.
“The truck was heading toward me, and Brian, he . . . he—he pushed me out of the way,” Jamaal said, convulsing into tears. “I would’ve been dead if it weren’t for him.”
“Oh my goodness. My son! Brian!” Patricia raced toward the emergency room with Jamaal and Karlie in tow. What a good thing she had walked that way or it could have been hours before she found out about her son’s accident. Her cell was in her office. Who could it be but God? Even when she did not deserve it, He had her back. Patricia cupped her mouth, hyperventilating. Oh, Lord, please let Brian be okay.
Ryan was already there. She rushed to her husband’s side. He enfolded her in a tight hug.
Patricia stepped back. “Did you see him? Have they told you anything?”
Ryan shook his head. “They told me to wait here.”
“I’ll be back,” she said to all three of them.
Patricia swiped her ID card to enter the patient area. She clutched her pounding heart and willed her feet not to give way. Once she approached the nurses’ station, she asked, “Where is my son, Brian?”
“Let me check for you.” The nurse tapped keys to pull up the information screen while Patricia tapped her feet with impatience.
Seconds agonizingly crawled by until the nurse said, “He’s in OR three.”
Patricia rushed around the counter to read the screen. Her heart stopped when she saw Tim’s name. Tim had her son’s life in his hands.
“Tell my husband and the others Brian’s upstairs,” Patricia said, and she ran toward the elevator.
Patricia scrubbed in to see her son with her own two eyes. Her hands shook, and she prayed, “Lord, please. Please . . .” She sniffed to keep from crying and entered the room.
Tim saw her and waved her out, but Patricia wasn’t leaving. He went back to work. “Your son’s a fighter, but he’s losing too much blood. He’s going to need a transfusion.”
Patricia clutched her chest. Transfusion. With a numb nod, she left the operating room. By this time, Ryan, Karlie, and Jamaal were in the hallway. Ryan gripped her arm. “Oh Lord. Is he . . . Is he dead?”
“No.” Patricia assured him. “He’s going to need a blood transfusion, though.”
“Where do I go?” Ryan was already rolling up his sleeves.
Her heart plummeted. She looked down at her feet. God, how she prayed this day would never come. Patricia gulped. “You can’t help him.”
“What do you mean?” Ryan shouted. “I’m A-positive. You’re O. So . . .”
“My blood type’s A-positive too,” Karlie said. “I can give blood.”
Tears rolled down Patricia’s face. She tried to hold back her sob. “Brian’s blood type is B.”
Karlie’s face paled.
Ryan’s head snapped back.
“No!” Ryan roared. He shook his head at her. “That’s not possible. Even I know that. He has to be A, O, or OA. You’re a doctor, you know that!”
Patricia stared at Jamaal. “Jamaal, I know you feel you should be here, but this is a time for family. Please go.”
Ryan pierced her with a look cold enough to freeze ice. “That’s rude. Jamaal and Brian are friends. He needs to be here.”
“No, it’s okay.” Jamaal looked at Karlie. “Please call me and let me know he’s all right.”
&nbs
p; Karlie nodded.
“Listen,” Patricia said. “I don’t have time to give you a biology lesson. Brian needs blood, and I’m the only one able to give it to him.”
As Patricia ran down the hall, she knew she was running away from the real issue.
Brian was not Ryan’s son.
Chapter Forty-two
Ryan watched Patricia run away from him. He straggled backward until his body hit the wall and he slid to the floor. Patricia’s carelessly tossed words had rocked his world.
I’m the only one able . . .
She had made him believe for almost twenty-three years that Brian was his son. Ryan covered his face. He wanted to confront her, but Brian’s life was at stake.
“Please, Lord, save my son.”
He felt something nudge his foot. Karlie stood in front of him with her hand out. Ryan tilted his chin to look up at his daughter. He placed his hand in hers, and she helped him to his feet. He allowed Karlie to lead him into the waiting area.
They headed for two chairs in the furthest corner in the room and huddled together. Ryan felt her body tremble.
“Brian isn’t your son?” Karlie whispered.
Hearing the words aloud sucker punched him. Ryan cringed. “I . . . I don’t even know what to think. It’s like the person I thought I knew, I didn’t really know.” He turned to Karlie. “Do you understand what I mean?”
“All too well,” she replied, giving him a pointed stare.
Oh, how could he be so thoughtless? Of course Karlie got it. He had done the same thing to her. “I did you wrong, Karlie. I guess God is paying me back for what I did to you.”
She shook her head. “You did do me wrong, but God doesn’t do payback. Don’t even think that way. Rebuke that thought.”
Jackson Higgins sprang into Ryan’s mind. He may not do payback, but God did enact vengeance—an eye for an eye. Or in this case, a life for a life. Brian was paying the price for Ryan’s wickedness.
“I forgive you.”
Ryan heard Karlie’s soft-spoken words and swung his head around. “What? What did you just say?”
My Soul Then Sings Page 22