by Liwen Y. Ho
Chapter Fifteen
Aiden
Aiden took shallow breaths as he glanced around the hospital waiting room. He had wanted to escape the moment those familiar antiseptic odors assaulted his senses. The sight of people in scrubs made his stomach turn, bringing him back to the days he’d kept vigil by Mandy’s side. Waiting and praying, praying and waiting for God to answer his prayers. Being surrounded by everything he’d tried to avoid the past decade made his heart race. Cold beads of sweat broke out along his temple as he hunched over in his chair. This was the last place he wanted to be.
Why had he agreed to drive Candy over to see Abby? Why did Colin have to do inventory at the store tonight of all nights? Why couldn’t he have escaped to the solace of his home? Well, he knew why. It was the niggling feeling in the back of his mind that he couldn’t shake ever since Colin and Candy had confronted him about knowing Abby. Call it conviction … or curiosity? There did seem to be too many coincidences for it to be random. Even if he didn’t feel like speaking to God, he had to acknowledge His hand at work. Just what was He up to? And why did this woman keep popping up in his life?
He admitted guilt played a factor, too. He’d been a jerk to Abby. No woman deserved to be treated the way he’d treated her. He thought about telling her this in person here, but maybe he’d do it over the phone later. The sooner he left the hospital, the better. He needed to leave this place and all his dreaded memories with it.
“Aiden?”
A hand touched his shoulder. He lifted his head to find Candy looking at him in concern. His mouth dry, he whispered, “Are you done? Can we go?”
She crouched down next to him. “Hey, talk to me. What’s going on?”
The gentleness in her tone surprised him. He was used to Candy’s assertive, demanding side, but this was new. He took it as a sign he must look bad, as bad as he felt. His hands and fingers tingled and grew numb, but he forced them to grip the wooden armrests. He steadied himself as the room began to spin. “I h-hate being here.”
Understanding registered in her eyes. “I know. I don’t like it either. But no one’s dying today. Abby’s fine. All her tests came back clear. She’s waiting to be discharged. I told her we’d take her home. She doesn’t have anyone who can pick her up.”
Great. So, he would get to apologize to her in person, if he survived the wait. It was getting harder to sit still. His stomach churned with each passing second. Eyes squeezed shut, Aiden could only nod.
Candy took the seat next to his. Her voice was firm again, and one high-heeled shoe tapped out an impatient rhythm on the tile floor. “I appreciate you driving me. I can’t believe your brother said I wasn’t allowed to take my car anywhere until I got it checked out. Doesn’t he know I have places to go? Who does he think I am?”
Candy’s tirade grew muffled as if she’d moved across the room. Aiden opened his eyes to see where she’d gone, but he only saw a haze of colors. The room closed in on him. He opened his mouth to draw in some air, but the heavy sensation crushing his chest made it next to impossible. Was this what it felt like to die? Because he was sure he was going to meet his Maker … and the only thing he could think about was how disappointed God would be to see him. Regret and fear held him hostage as the world darkened around him, and he slumped to the ground.
“Lord, please help Aiden.”
Whose voice was that? Aiden wondered if his radio alarm had gone off because the woman talking had a clear and bright voice made for the radio.
“I know You like him a lot more than I do,” the voice continued, “so I’m asking You to wake him up. Please let him be okay.”
Aiden stirred slowly in his bed, feeling like he’d finally gotten a full night of sleep. His body seemed rested, but oh, his head was pounding. He raised one hand to his forehead and came upon a lump. What had happened?
“Hey! You’re awake,” the woman exclaimed. “Thank God. It’s a nasty bump, but the rest of your face is still gorge—good.”
Was she about to say gorgeous? Aiden opened his eyes and came face-to-face with a gorgeous vision in her own right. Abby looked the way he remembered, minus the piece of spinach between her teeth.
His gaze drifted to the white sterile wall behind her, jumpstarting his memories. That’s right—he’d blacked out in the waiting room. He propped himself up on his elbows and realized he was now lying on a hospital bed. Grimacing, he muttered, “This is embarrassing.”
She leaned back, suddenly startled. “The doctor said you had a panic attack. Candy’s on the phone with your brother, Colin.” She glanced over her shoulder into the hall, then back at him. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay. Better.” He sat up and ran one hand down his face. It felt strange to be having a normal conversation with Abby after how their last exchange had gone down. How was she so calm … and nice? He wouldn’t have blamed her if she never spoke to him again. “Uh, how are you? I mean, with the accident?”
“I’m fine. I’m just thankful to be alive. Getting punched with an airbag really helps knock some sense into you about what’s important in life.” She squinted as she looked at him. “Sorry if it looks like I’m staring. I can’t see without my glasses. They broke during the crash.”
Aiden noticed some slight bruising around the bridge of her nose. “That must’ve hurt.”
“Yeah, but I’d rather it be my glasses than my nose.” She shifted nervously on her feet. “Well, I guess it wouldn’t matter either way. That’s why I’m in the line of work I’m in. I have a face fit for radio.”
The chuckle she added didn’t fool him. Aiden sensed she wasn’t comfortable in her own skin. Which was odd, considering how beautiful she was. “I think you have a beautiful voice and face.”
“Ha!” she scoffed. She looked at him cautiously. “Is this your way of apologizing?”
“No, what? It’s the truth. I mean, yes, I do want to apologize, but I didn’t say it as an apology.”
Abby shook her head. “Forget I brought it up. I don’t care about what happened between us. Arguing seems so pointless and petty now. Being in the crash today made me realize how short and precious life is. We shouldn’t waste our time dwelling on the past.” Her expression sobered. “But I think you knew that already.”
“Uh, yeah.” Yet, he’d still couldn’t shake the past.
“I heard about your girlfriend, Mandy. I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks.”
“Did what happened out there—” she gestured toward the waiting room “—have something to do with her?”
He released a deep breath. He never talked about what had happened with Mandy or the band. But maybe it was time he did. “This is the hospital where she died.”
She winced. “I had no idea. The news never even mentioned you were dating someone.”
“That’s because I did everything I could to keep her out of the spotlight. She didn’t sign up for that life; I did. I tried to protect her as much as I could.” He swallowed hard. There were some things he couldn’t save her from.
“Is she the reason you left Heartland?”
“I left the band because it wasn’t right to have success without her. I didn’t deserve it.”
“You decided to punish yourself for her illness?”
He met her gaze. “Don’t you get it? I must’ve done something wrong. Mandy didn’t deserve to get sick and die. She wasn’t the one who went after record contracts and fame. She loved God with all her heart. She loved everyone around her. Even when she was at her weakest, she was the one encouraging us, encouraging me. She had accepted her fate. I was the one praying for a miracle. I obviously didn’t do something right because He took her from me.”
Abby nodded slowly as if thinking through his words. “I can understand how you came to this conclusion, but it’s wrong.”
“Wrong?” The last thing he wanted was some deep theological sermon. “Please don’t give me some spiritual mumbo-jumbo speech about there being a lesson in all of this. I’ve been a Christian
since I was seven; I’ve heard it all.”
“Trust me, I’m the last person who’d give you a speech. I’ve only known God for a year, so I’m still learning. But the one thing I’m sure of is God loves us. Only a loving God would die for sinful people like us. ’Cause that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Him making things right so we can have a relationship with Him. It sounds like Mandy understood that.”
“Well, under the circumstances, she had to,” he scoffed, not even attempting to hold back the bitterness in his tone. “There wasn’t much else to hold onto in the end.”
“She still had a choice whether or not to believe. God doesn’t force us to love Him. That’s not what love’s about. He asks us to trust Him. Believe me, I don’t trust people very easily, but everything He’s done proves He’s worth trusting.”
He blinked in disbelief. Not only did she say all the right words, she sounded like she believed them. Good for her. He needed a healthy dose of what she had. It reminded him of Mandy’s unwavering faith. Why was it so easy for some people, but not for him? “I’m glad you have it all figured out. I wish I could say the same for myself.”
She gave him a small smile. “Not completely, but it’s a start. It took me a good ten years before I made the jump to believe. My friend, Danica, stuck through it with me when I had my doubts. I wouldn’t be where I am without her. Sometimes we need a little push in the right direction. In my case, she was the one who did the pushing.”
The phrase Danica had mentioned on their date popped out of his mouth. “Iron sharpens iron.”
“Yes, exactly!” Abby’s face brightened. “Danica says that all the time.”
He laughed wryly. “I bet she does.”
Funny how the events of the past week were coming together like a well-orchestrated piece of music. Who knew one wrong text would lead him and Abby—not to mention, their siblings and friends—to this moment? How could he deny God’s hand at work in his life, even amid his doubt? It was more than he wanted to deal with at the moment. He pushed the thought aside in favor of something lighter. “Uh, this is off topic, but do you happen to know if she’s interested in my brother, Brandon?”
“Oh, she would kill me if I told you, but yes.” Abby grinned. “Do you know how he feels? She says he’s a romance author, but he doesn’t seem to have a romantic bone in his body.”
“Yeah, that’s Brandon for you. He’s a little lacking when it comes to socializing in the real world. Our family jokes he can only talk to fictional women.” He laughed. “I can do some digging around and find out for you.”
“I’d appreciate it. Danica’s done so much for me, I’d do anything to help her.”
Abby’s smile was so sweet and genuine, it warmed him to the core. He found himself captivated by her face. She looked so much like Mandy, but with a unique beauty of her own. Without her glasses on, he saw flecks of gold in her light brown eyes. They matched her fiery personality, the part of her that grated on his nerves when they first met. Seeing her love for her friend, however, made him appreciate all the aspects of who she was. She had both compassion and conviction; it was a rare combination. “You really are beautiful.”
Her cheeks flushed, and she raised one palm to her cheek to raise her glasses. When she realized she didn’t have them on, she bit her lower lip in embarrassment. “You must’ve hit your head hard when you fell. You’re seeing things.”
“No, I’m not,” he insisted with a smile. “You’re as beautiful as I remember. I’m really glad to see you again, even under these less-than-ideal circumstances.”
A line appeared between her brows. She dropped her head and mumbled, “I forgot they wanted to do a CAT scan when you woke up. I’ll go get the nurse.”
She spun on her heels and rushed out of the exam room before Aiden could say a word. Her absence immediately made its mark, leaving him lonelier than he’d been in a long time. It was an unexpected, yet intriguing feeling.
Chapter Sixteen
Abby
Abby clung onto the overhead hand grip as she stood wedged between two passengers on the BART train to San Francisco. Since the accident a couple of days ago, her car had been parked on the street corner by her apartment. It needed major repairs, repairs she couldn’t afford at the present time—maybe ever. She was left to take public transportation until she scrounged up enough money. While she was thankful to be alive, the daily commute to and from work left her with sore feet and a grumpy attitude. Her only consolation? Listening to music on her phone.
She adjusted her earbuds and turned up the volume. A soft guitar intro signaled the beginning of a ballad from Heartland’s greatest hits album. Soon after, a male tenor began singing about love and heartbreak. How appropriate. Hearing Aiden’s voice brought comfort to her weary body, but it also left her heart aching.
She hadn’t seen or spoken to him since the day at the hospital. She hadn’t even said a proper goodbye, choosing to call an Uber after she left him in the exam room. It was her way of protecting herself. She didn’t want to fall for a man who was in love with another woman. Because all Aiden saw when he looked at her was his old girlfriend. Why else would he have called her beautiful?
She couldn’t compete with Mandy; the woman sounded like a saint. Even on her best days when she kept her mouth shut, she still thought things that were less than gracious. But that’s why she loved God, because He accepted her with all her flaws. Plus, she didn’t want to compete with anyone else for a man’s attention. Not even for a man like Aiden Spark.
She’d already had a soft spot for him in her heart, even before she knew about his sad past. She now needed to guard her heart more than ever. Lock that baby up and throw away the key.
Abby tried not to dwell on the memory of Aiden’s sweet smile as she sat down at her desk forty minutes later. She kicked off her sneakers and began prepping her notes for the day’s show. She scrolled through several paparazzi sites for the latest celebrity news, trying her best to decipher which information was true and which was false. Some of the allegations were incredulous; all were demeaning. She hated to admit it, but Aiden had a point. It might be interesting and fun to talk about these rumors on the air, but nothing good came from them. God had given her such an amazing platform; she needed to find better ways to use it.
A renewed determination flowed through her veins. She did some more searches, this time for positive news stories. There had to be a celebrity or two who went out of their way to help people. It took a couple of tries, but she finally found some newsworthy talking points. One band had given a special concert to benefit the victims of a recent hurricane. Another pop artist had visited a fan recovering from surgery. Abby smiled as she read each story. Now this was the kind of news she could get behind.
“What are you so happy about?”
She’d been so involved in her research, she hadn’t heard Marcus walk into the studio. The confused look on his face made her laugh. “Can’t a girl be happy?”
“Yes, but not the one I work with.” He approached his chair slowly as if walking around land mines. “Who are you and what have you done with my coworker?”
Abby rolled her eyes. “It’s me, Marcus. I know I’ve been a little hard to work with lately.” At the sight of his raised brows, she corrected herself. “Okay, I’ve been really hard to work with, but I’ve found the answer to my problems. Some of my problems.” Her love life was a different and utterly hopeless matter.
“What is it? You found the solution to world peace?”
“Close.” She pointed at her computer screen. “Let’s forget the rumors and gossip and instead talk about how celebrities are making a positive impact on the world. We can even encourage our listeners to find their own ways to help people. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just little things they can do to pay it forward. Buy coffee for a stranger, offer to mow a neighbor’s lawn—the list is endless. This could turn into something big, something great.” Excitement hummed through her body from her head
to her toes. She could hardly sit still, she was almost giddy.
“Whoa, okay, now I’m really scared. Who are you?” Marcus stared at her as if she’d grown another head. “I don’t know what you did with Abby Dearan, but I don’t care. I like this new Abby. She’s a much better improvement over the cynical, mopey—ouch!”
She cut him off with a playful punch to the arm. “You were saying?”
He pretended to cower in fear as he nursed his arm. “Yep, it’s still you in there.”
“Be serious. What do you think of my idea?”
He nodded thoughtfully. “It’s different, but good. I think it’ll work well, especially with the holidays coming up. It’s a good time to get people thinking about helping others.”
She grinned. “It’s always a good time to help others.”
Marcus studied her for a beat before asking, “What made you want to do this?”
“Honestly? It was something Aiden Spark said.”
“Aiden Spark? I didn’t think I’d hear you say his name ever again.”
“Yeah, well, that was the final time.” She turned her chair to face her monitor, ending the conversation. It was still a sore subject, one she didn’t want Marcus meddling in. “Enough chit-chat. We’re on the air in twenty.”
Four hours later, the phones in the studio were still ringing off the hook. Their producer gave them two thumbs-up through the glass partition, along with a big smile. The response to the “Play It Forward” campaign, as she and Marcus had come to call it, was a huge hit with their listeners. For every tenth caller who shared a story of how they helped someone, they were given the chance to request a song. The station also shared the request on social media and tagged the song’s artist and asked them to pay it forward as well. The campaign was already a trending topic, making it a win-win for everyone involved.
Abby was in awe that a single idea had sparked an entire movement. She took a moment to close her eyes and give thanks to God. Despite all her imperfections, He was still using her. It was a humbling thought.