Healing Stones

by Nancy Rue

  It turned out I didn’t need those, because Rich had his face turned toward me, rasping at me before I even sat down.

  “I can’t talk much, Demitria,” he said.

  I started to cry. I wasn’t going to, and yet there it was.

  “You don’t have to talk,” I said.

  “No—I’ve been quiet too long.”

  He breathed hard, and I glanced anxiously over the bed at Ike, whose back was to me as he busily turned knobs and dials.

  “A little longer isn’t going to hurt, then.” Suddenly, I didn’t want to hear what Rich had to say. The fear I’d been so victorious in battling all day shot through me, and with it every thought I’d shoved to the bottom.

  He had lost his dignity, his career, and now almost his life because of me. No matter who I was now, he would never forget that, never get past it. It would be in every scar he lived with the rest of his life. “I heard you talk,” he said.

  “Rich . . . shhh.”

  “At that meeting. I just want to say—I got no stones, Demitria.”

  I shook my head.

  “I got no stones to throw, baby.”

  He dragged in another breath, and Ike squished toward us on his padded shoes. I leaned my face in close and caught the last wisp before Rich drifted off again.

  “I was wrong too,” he said. “I want—”

  “I think that’s enough for now,” Ike said.

  “You want what, Rich?”

  “You can come back next hour. He should be more awake then.”

  I let Ike nudge me toward the door, but I couldn’t take my eyes from the tiny piece of face that peered from a swath of white. Rich’s eyes opened.

  “You,” I heard him whisper. “I want you.”

  Sully had one last stop to make before he left Port Orchard. He’d said good-bye to Ethan, checked on Tatum, delivered Isabella to the auctioneer. The garage was cleared out, except for the Great Prospects furniture he left in the office for the next tenant to wonder about. As he headed out of town for the Seattle airport, there was one last thing to do.

  He’d read about the funeral in the paper. There wouldn’t be much to it—no visitation at the funeral home, only a graveside service. Ironically, Fletcher Bassett had reported that in lieu of flowers, donations should be sent to Covenant Christian College. Sully wondered who’d made those arrangements.

  There were only a few cars parked at the cemetery, and so few people gathered in the rain that Sully had to ask which grave was Zachary Archer’s. That didn’t surprise him. After the news of the arson came out, who would have any respects to pay?

  The body of Dr. Zachary Archer was found handcuffed to a stair railing on the north end of the building, Bassett had reported. Investigators have named the fire an arson/suicide. College officials have no comment on any link between this and Archer’s involvement in the scandal that was under scrutiny in the boardroom of Huntington Hall at the time of the fire, though Archer’s name was mentioned at the hearing.

  Sully had been surprised by Bassett’s final paragraph.

  Reports from campus indicate that faculty and students are relieved at the board’s decision to keep Dr. Ethan Kaye on as president. Students are equally as vocal about the possible return of Dr. Demitria Costanas.

  She was going to be all right, Demi was, and so was Ethan. As he trudged through the drizzle toward the miserly-small knot of people at the gravesite, Sully wondered if that would be enough to make him believe he could ever get back to being of any use to anyone else.

  The service was brief and dismal and couldn’t have been more stereotypically hopeless. It had every element of a wasted life, from the dripping rain to the apathy of the four people who stood with their heads bowed and their minds obviously on shopping lists and afternoon traffic.

  By the time the officiant muttered about ashes to ashes, Sully was sure he’d made a mistake. This was doing nothing but depressing him. When the black-coated man invited the “mourners” to pay their respects to the seated woman under the umbrella, who Sully assumed must be a relative who knew little about her kinsman, Sully moved out of the circle toward his car. Footsteps splashed after him.

  “We meet again, Dr. Crisp.”

  Sully turned only briefly to see the Brillo pad of hair approaching. He stopped and put out his hand.

  “Nice article in the paper,” Sully said. “I appreciate what you did for Dr. Costanas.”

  Bassett shrugged. “She’s a good woman.”

  “That she is.”

  “I don’t know what your connection to her is,” Fletcher said.

  Sully gave him a half grin and continued toward the car. “Nor do you need to know.”

  “Okay—so throw me a bone here. Why were you at Zach Archer’s funeral? I don’t get that connection either.”

  You tell me, pal, Sully thought.

  And then he knew. He knew as he’d known for Demi, and for Ethan.

  “Off the record?” he said to Fletcher.

  The Brillo pad nodded.

  “I came because I needed to remember that even though this guy’s through—I’m not.”

  “O-kay—”

  “Because you know what, my friend? Until you’re dead, you’re not done.”

  And then Sully loped to his car, tears and rain dripping into his grin, because Dr. Sullivan Crisp was definitely not done.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  What a team we’ve had helping us create Healing Stones. Just in case you’re one of those people who actually reads acknowledgments, we’ve tried to leave no stone unturned in naming them all. Pun intended.

  Dr. Dale McElhinney, therapist/psychologist who kept us from setting the practice of psychotherapy back twenty years. His reading and re-reading of therapy scenes was priceless.

  Ardi, Jayna, and Haven Fowler, and Barbara Dirks, who opened their home in Port Orchard, as well as their hearts, and made the town a character in itself.

  Nick McCorkle, Joey Simms, and Bobby Cawthen, the Lebanon Tenessee firefighters who allowed Nancy to experience a fire firsthand, and Lt. Glen Pappuleas (“Pappy”) of South Kitsap Fire and Rescue, who brought Rich Costanas to life. They have our utmost respect for the work they do.

  Susie Cole, research cohort, photographer, and hand-holder whose cheerful support lightened the darkness of writing Demitria’s journey.

  Jim Rue, who though completely un-Rich-like, added valuable insights into the male world and gave the story a new dimension. His moral support was beyond measure.

  Marijean Rue, who read, advised, made sure all college-speak was authentic, and kept the snacks coming. This book truly could not have been written without her.

  The Writeen Crue, who field-tested and asked the hard questions we know our readers will put to us.

  Lee Hough and Greg Johnson, our literary agents who paved the way for this opportunity and kept us afloat on a number of levels.

  Our editors, Amanda Bostic, L. B. Norton and Jocelyn Bailey who never ceased to amaze us with their insights, their tact and their ability to find every speck of literary clutter.

  Our dear, dear friend Joey Paul, to whom this book is dedicated with love and respect. His championing of Sullivan Crisp and his belief in us is matchless.

  READING GROUP GUIDE

  1. Healing Stones was created first and foremost as literature, to be embraced and enjoyed. We hope you were able to immerse yourself in the story and know the characters as real people. Without destroying any of the sheer pleasure (as so often happened in your high school English classes, we are sure!), you might want to discuss some of these points.

  a. The story is written from two distinct points of view— Demitria’s and Sully’s. Which one did you relate to personally?

  b. Were there any secondary characters who captured you? Mickey? Jayne? Ethan? Porphyria? Rich? Chris? Tatum?

  c. Were there any characters who frustrated you? (i.e., made you want to shake, slap, or throw them out the window?)

  d. Which sto
ry line did you want to stay with most? Demitria and Rich’s dilemma? The quest to discover who took the pictures? Sully’s inner demons?

  e. Was there anything about the style of the novel that either delighted you or turned you off ?

  f. Were you satisfied when you finished reading the last page?

  g. What do you think the next phase of Sully’s journey will look like?

  2. The theme of the book is, of course, forgiveness, on its many levels. It might be helpful to discuss how you define forgiveness— and how you’ve experienced it—before looking specifically at how it plays out in Healing Stones.

  a. Were you able to forgive Demitria for her unfaithfulness to Rich, or did you think she pretty much got what she deserved?

  b. Were you able to empathize with Rich in his inability to forgive her?

  c. How did you feel about Christopher’s reactions to his mother? Why do you think he responded so bitterly?

  d. How, in your opinion, was Jayne able to forgive her mother when Christopher couldn’t?

  e. What was up with Mickey? She showed so much compassion for Demi, but when her own daughter needed some, she couldn’t seem to produce it. What’s that about?

  f. Demitria needed forgiveness, surely, but what about the people she needed to forgive?

  g. Do you agree with Demi’s interpretation of the story of Jesus and the adulteress?

  h. How about Ethan’s explanation of how we are saved from our separation from God by the death and rebirth of Christ (as described in his Easter sermon)?

  i. Kevin St. Clair and Wyatt Estes obviously had a very different view of grace than Ethan and Demi, but is there anything in the St. Clair/Wyatt take on forgiveness that you agree with?

  j. Both Sully and Demitria had issues with forgiving themselves— and accepting God’s forgiveness. How is that different from giving and receiving forgiveness with other people?

  k. When Sully agonized over what he should and possibly could have done to save Lynn, Porphyria said, “Maybe you could have. Maybe you even should have.” Did that surprise you? Discuss whether what Porphyria goes on to say about how to accept God’s forgiveness and healing rings true for you.

  l. Is it enough to simply be forgiven? What does the novel seem to say about what has to come after the acceptance of mercy and grace?

  3. Do you have someone like Porphyria in your life? What does that person mean to you? Do you see yourself being a mentor to someone else?

  4. In Healing Stones, we have tried to show people at their breaking points, where a decision must be made, and the decision will determine the direction of the rest of a person’s life journey. Chat together about each of these characters’ breaking points—where they occur in the book, what choice they make, and how they play out.

  a. Demitria Costanas

  b. Zach Archer

  c. Rich Costanas

  d. Jayne Costanas

  e. Christopher Costanas

  f. Ethan Kaye

  g. Sullivan Crisp

  h. Mickey Gwynne

  i. Audrey Flowers

  j. Tatum Farris

  k. You

  5. Have you struggled with regret like Demetria did? Is there something in your past that you held inside, that you are only able to share with others now?

  If you or your reading group has questions for us, please feel free to email either or both at: nnrue@hughes.net or sarterburn@newlife.com. Or if you would like to do a more in-depth study of Healing Stones, you can download the curriculum from www.nancyrue.com. We love to talk about what we’re doing with the Sullivan Crisp novels, so do not hesitate to contact us. We are all on this journey together.

  New Life Ministries

  Building Character

  and Transforming Lives

  Through God’s Truth

  New Life Ministries is a non profit organization, founded by author and speaker, Stephen Arterburn. Our mission is to identify and compassionately respond to the needs of those seeking healing and restoration through God’s truth.

  New Life’s ministry of healing and transformation includes:

  New Life - our daily, call-in counseling radio program hosted by Stephen Arterburn. To find a station near you call 1-800-NEW-LIFE or go to www.newlife.com. You can also listen online.

  Counselors - our network of over 700 counselors nationwide. Call 1-800-NEW-LIFE to find one near you.

  Weekend Intensive Workshops and Seminars

  • Every Man’s Battle

  • Healing Is a Choice

  • Lose It for Life

  • Nights of Healing

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  Website

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  • Find workshops and counselors in your area

  24-Hour Call Center - There is someone answering calls in our Call Center, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

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  If you are struggling with anger, depression, anxiety, grief and loss, divorce, abuse, marital struggles, are a wife whose husband is caught in sexual addiction, or are just feeling stuck in your emotional or spiritual state and need a breakthrough, then Healing Is a Choice is the workshop for you.

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  Every Man’s Battle Workshop

  The goal of the Every Man’s Battle three-day workshop is to equip each man with the tools necessary to maintain sexual integrity and to enjoy healthy, productive relationships. By the completion of the program, attendees will have insight into the nature of sexual temptation and be able to use those tools to battle it.

  1-800-New-Life www.newlife.com

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  You can also listen online.

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