An Open Heart
Page 32
“And if I don’t do this favor?”
“You realize that the MP from your region is still under pressure to eliminate the witches? You need a friend.”
Another sigh. “But you don’t really need me. You’ve risen from the dead in the eyes of the public. They love you.” Simeon paused. “Does this concern the American surgeon?”
“In a way. He has become an ally to me, so his enemies are now mine.”
“What do you need?”
“An enemy of a friend of mine has come calling. I know how disappointed you were not to be able to complete your last assignment, so I’m willing to give you another chance.”
“Regular price?”
“Sure.”
“Can you deliver the man to my place in Kisii?”
“Of course. There won’t be any trouble this time. He thinks he’s going to a private getaway for a holiday.”
Okombo listened to what sounded like something rattling in a glass bottle. Probably the bones of his last sacrifice.
“I’ll be waiting.”
Two days later, Jace and Evan walked through the doors of no return at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C.
Jace scanned the crowd and leaned on his cane, a mahogany stick with a handle decorated with Maasai beads.
A moment later, he heard his name and the voice he’d longed to hear. “Jace!”
Heather came to him slowly, with open arms. She folded them around him and buried her face in his neck.
“Careful,” he said.
He smiled in spite of the pain in his chest.
He was home.
When the hood was snatched from his head, Ryan saw that he was in some sort of old warehouse. He was tied against the wall, arms outstretched in a crucifixion pose, so that he could barely reach the floor.
The man in front of him looked like something out of National Geographic, a tribal monster dressed in an animal loincloth. His face was vaguely familiar. When he smiled, the red stripes painted on his face seemed to dance.
The man picked up the hoof of an animal and moved closer, peering into Ryan’s eyes. “Do you not recognize me, Mr. Meadows?”
I know the voice.
Ryan squinted. Dr. Okayo? He shook his head. The man looked nothing like the professional he’d met back in Richmond. But the voice was identical.
The man laughed and each deep, mocking, hideous note escalated Ryan’s fear.
“No!” he cried. “I’ve got money.”
The man held the hoof over a small fire.
Ryan’s feet began to blister.
The witch doctor danced.
Ryan screamed.
And everything went dark.
That evening after dropping Evan Martin off at his house, Jace and Heather were finally alone. They had covered a lot of Jace’s African journey during the drive down to Richmond, but Jace knew a hard discussion was still ahead.
Jace turned to Heather, took her hands and led her to the couch. He felt his voice began to tighten. “There are tough things I need to say.”
Heather’s eyes glistened. “Jace—”
At first, he tried to fight the tears. He pressed his fist against his quivering chin. He sat on the couch and began to weep. “I can’t believe how stupid I was with Anita Franks.”
She sat beside him. “Jace, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I was unfaithful.”
“Why do you say that? Did you remember something about the night of your accident? You told me you hadn’t slept with her, but that the night of your accident was blank.”
“I remember going to her room.”
“Of course. I know that.”
“But the autopsy showed that she’d been with a man.”
“Jace—it wasn’t you.”
“But how do you know?”
“You did go to her room, but only because she called you for help. She called you because she’d been raped. I suspect she didn’t call the police because Ryan Meadows had threatened to expose their affair.” She paused and looked into his eyes. “You don’t know, do you?”
He shook his head.
“The analysis of the fluid taken from her revealed her partner as someone with type-A blood. You’re type B. It couldn’t have been you.”
“But who—”
“Ryan Meadows. The ME has matched it against his DNA.”
He took a deep breath. “My relationship with her was still wrong. I was a fool for putting myself in such a place where it would be easy to cross a line.”
“Jace, you’ve learned.” She paused. “But I was at fault too. I should have trusted you.”
“Where is Meadows now?”
“He escaped to Kenya. Evidently he has friends there.”
Jace leaned his head against Heather’s shoulder and let the relief that he hadn’t slept with Anita Franks begin to settle upon his soul.
After a few moments, Jace spoke again. “Kenya can be a scary place if you don’t know the Savior.”
Discussion Questions
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• Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
1. The novel opens with heart surgeon Jace Rawlings in strange territory: a world hinting at reality beyond what he can see, feel, and quantify. He is challenged with the thought that a spiritual battle is present and may be reflected in the physical. While Jace’s circumstances certainly are extraordinary and not typical, in what ways have you seen evidence of spiritual reality beyond this visible world? Can you think of biblical accounts where a spiritual battle was raging while people remained innocent and unaware?
2. As a fiction writer, I love using memory loss as a way to create mystery, and suspicious circumstances that look one way on the surface, yet are revealed to be something else entirely. But what we love in fiction can be disastrous for intimate relationships! Misunderstanding, jealousy, and suspicion were key elements that drove a wedge between Heather and Jace. If you had a chance to sit with them as a marriage counselor, are there ways you would suggest to regain a pathway to trust? In what areas did Jace fail as a husband to protect his marriage? Heather?
3. When Jace’s self-sufficient world begins to implode, he finds himself searching for the truth at his boyhood home of Kenya. Although he seems to have rejected the religion of his parents, when times get tough, Jace runs to the familiar. In spite of his search for his own way, Jace ends up looking a lot like his earthly father. Can you think of similarities?
Why does Jace return? Do you believe that the “cry” from his dead sister was spiritual? Psychological projection based on some inner need? Misunderstanding orchestrated by God to bring Jace back to faith?
4. To some degree, Jace was on the run from a host of real miseries. Are you like Jace? Do you have a tendency to run from pain, while all the while telling yourself that you are really running toward answers?
5. I’m currently working at Kijabe Hospital, just like Jace. I used the example of a decision not to stock snakebite antivenom to represent the reality and complexity of decisions we face here. In fact, we’ve decided not to stock life-saving antivenom here because of the expense and infrequency of use. That means someone may die someday. But we can treat
so many cases of malaria successfully because of our decision to save money. Put yourself in my shoes (or the shoes of Jace’s father). What would you do? Can you justify putting a snakebite victim at risk just because of money?
6. Jace ends up in the middle of Africa, and right in the center of God’s plan. But he got there for a variety of reasons, none of which could be considered particularly noble. Do you think God can use our less-than-noble motivations (guilt, fear, desire to run away from difficulty) to help steer us toward faith? Again, imagine that you are Jace’s counselor back in Virginia and he asked for your advice after telling you of his desire to return to Kenya. Once he explained his honest motivation, what would your counsel have been? Would you have been correct?
7. Jace and Heather grew up as “third-culture kids.” These are citizens of one nation who have grown up in a foreign country. They are often caught in the middle, unsure where they fit. In a sense, that describes all Christians. We find ourselves in this world, but longing for a heavenly home. We don’t “fit” here. Can you relate to this longing or this kind of identify confusion? Do you ever have a sense that you just don’t belong?
8. While this story is fictional, I pulled from research into actual witchcraft practices in this country, some of which are very mysterious and colorful. For some reason, things that would be laughed at in American culture are accepted here. Post-Christian America is in some way becoming more “spiritual” while at the same time, less Christian. Do you see evidence of this? Why do you think witchcraft flourishes in a place like my home in Kenya?
9. What do you think about modern nonfictional accounts of experiences beyond the grave, either in heaven or hell? Are these real? Psychological projections? Spiritual … demonic perhaps? What’s your explanation? Are you a scientific skeptic like Jace?
10. In the end, Jace makes this statement: “Kenya can be a scary place if you don’t know the Savior.” Do you agree? If you were advising me on writing the sequel to this novel, what should be the next challenge for Jace and Heather?
AN OPEN HEART
Published by David C Cook
4050 Lee Vance View
Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.
David C Cook Distribution Canada
55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5
David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications
Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England
The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,
no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form
without written permission from the publisher.
The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of David C Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.
This story is a work of fiction. Characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain.)
LCCN 2013935961
ISBN 978-0-7814-0535-5
eISBN 978-1-4347-0604-1
© 2013 Harry Kraus
Published in association with Natasha Kern Literary Agency, PO Box 1069, White Salmon, WA 98672.
The Team: Don Pape, Dave Lambert, Amy Konyndyk, Renada Arens, Karen Athen
Cover Design: Nick Lee
Cover Photos: Shutterstock, iStockphoto
First Edition 2013
Photo by Kristine Kraus
HARRY KRAUS, MD, is a board-certified surgeon, medical missionary to East Africa, and accomplished writer of both nonfiction and fiction. Medical realism and gripping plotlines distinguish his writing, as he gets most of his ideas with a scalpel in hand. Harry resides in Kenya with his wife, Kris, and the youngest of their three sons.
If you enjoyed this title, visit DCCeBooks.com for more great reads.
What people are saying about …
An Open Heart
“An Open Heart is a page-turning combination of loss and redemption, along with a glimpse into the spiritual realm that shouldn’t be ignored.”
Lisa Harris, author of the Christy Award finalist Blood Ransom
“An Open Heart is rich with international, spiritual, and medical intrigue. Who better than Harry Kraus, a doctor with great wisdom in spiritual matters and intimate with his setting, to pen such a fascinating novel? This is a thrilling read!”
Hannah Alexander, author of Keeping Faith
Praise for …
A Heartbeat Away
“Harry Kraus knows how to put a reader’s heart through the ringer. Fast-paced, suspenseful, and emotional, A Heartbeat Away kept me reading late into the night, eager to know where Tori Taylor’s new heart would lead her. This one’s a keeper!”
Robin Lee Hatcher, bestselling author of Heart of Gold and Betrayal
“With romance, hospital politics, and life-or-death action, A Heartbeat Away will grab your attention and command you to try to wrap your mind around the fantastic idea of cellular memory and how it could affect a person’s inner life and outer actions.”
Serena Chase, USA TODAY
“A transplanted heart comes with a double dose of nightmares for its recipient and is the catalyst for danger, romance, and lives forever changed. Riveting and poignant with breath-catching twists, surgeon Harry Kraus offers masterful storytelling and ‘grace from the cutting edge.’ A perfectly prescribed read!”
Candace Calvert, author of ECPA bestseller Code Triage and Trauma Plan
“A Heartbeat Away is a medical thriller brimming with suspense, mind-blowing twists, romance, and a spiritual message that reaches deep into the soul. Harry Kraus has masterfully crafted another dynamic story that will keep you reading late into the night. Highly recommended!”
Mark Mynheir, retired homicide detective and author of The Corruptible
“An intriguing, fast-paced, compelling story that had me glued to the pages and raises the question, can we pass along the essence of who we are? Can you change someone’s eternity from beyond the grave? Fascinating medical questions with a riveting plot. Highly recommended!”
Susan May Warren, award-winning, bestselling author of You Don’t Know Me
“Writing with the authority of a physician, Harry Kraus takes us inside the world of medicine to meet a surgeon who needs a heart transplant … in more ways than one. This is, without a doubt, Dr. Kraus’s best novel yet.”
Richard L. Mabry, MD, author of Lethal Remedy and the Prescription For Trouble Series
“Harry Kraus is as skilled with a pen as he is with a scalpel. A Heartbeat Away is a compelling, page-turning story that surprised me at every turn. And it is ultimately a beautiful picture of the depths of the human heart when God is allowed to reside there.”
Deborah Raney, author of Beneath a Southern Sky and the Hanover Falls Novels
“I don’t normally read medical suspense novels. But I read this one. And once I started, I couldn’t stop. A Heartbeat Away is a great read. It has everything I want in a book. And it’s based on a premise I’ve never heard of and found utterly fascinating. Do yourself a favor: get this book!”
Dan Walsh, bestselling and award-winning author of The Unfinished Gift, Remembering Christmas, and The Discovery
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