Into Magnolia (Sandy Cove Series Book 3)

by Rosemary Hines

  “I’m sure he’s really scared, Amber. This is a grown up situation, and he’s probably feeling like he’s just a kid himself.”

  Amber nodded.

  “First order of business is to get you to a doctor,” Bonnie said next. “You need to have an exam and learn how to take care of yourself right now, too. I know a good OB GYN. I’ll see if I can get you an appointment with her this week.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” Relief dispelled the heavy weight on Amber’s heart. Maybe there was hope.

  “After we get that taken care of, we can begin to go over all your options. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, Amber. Maybe you should take a little break in your relationship with Adam right now until you figure this out,” she suggested.

  “Yeah. He told me to call him when I did.”

  “Okay, so that’s decided.” Bonnie reached over and squeezed her hand. “Feel better?”

  “Yeah.” Amber smiled. “Thanks.”

  “Let’s eat,” Bonnie suggested, as she retrieved her wrapped burger from the bench.

  Amber slept better that night than she had in weeks. She remembered how Bonnie had bowed her head before eating, and she said a little prayer of thanks to a God somewhere far, far away.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Michelle awoke in a sweat. Images from her dream shot through her mind.

  Madison in a hospital bed surrounded by IVs and machines. Nurses with grim expressions and no words of encouragement or comfort. Soft moans coming from their daughter’s soul. And Michelle could do nothing.

  A sickening feeling clutched her gut. What would happen to their precious daughter? Pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging the comforter, Michelle began to weep, crying out silently to God. Her own moans mingled with her prayers, and soon Steve was awake, pushing himself up on his elbow and reaching out to her.

  “Honey, what is it?”

  Michelle turned to him, tears streaming down her face, “I had a dream about Maddie.” Her chest heaved as she willed herself to stop crying. “We can’t lose her, Steve. We just can’t.”

  “Oh, babe…” Steve sat up and pulled her into his arms. As he held her and stroked her hair, the dam broke, and her tears became a flood of fear.

  They sat together praying, crying, and rocking in each other’s arms for quite some time. Finally the storm passed just as daybreak peeked in through their window.

  Michelle glanced at the clock. She yearned to sink back under the covers and sleep, but she knew 180 eighth graders awaited her at Magnolia, and it was time to start another day.

  “I’ll make the coffee,” Steve offered, heading out the bedroom door in his boxer shorts.

  She washed her face with cold water and stared into her red-rimmed eyes. A fear she hadn’t seen since her father’s suicide attempt stared back at her. She averted her eyes and quickly dressed for the day. Somehow she had to wipe this expression from her face before Madison awoke.

  Steve returned a moment later with a steaming cup of coffee. She forced a smile and thanked him.

  Come away, Michelle.

  She sensed the Lord tugging on her heart. As Steve started his shower, she glanced at her devotional book and Bible in the basket by the rocking chair in the corner. The clock on the nightstand urged her to move on with her day, but the weariness in her bones knew better.

  Sipping her coffee, she flipped open the devotional. She hadn’t read it in over a week now. Seemed almost impossible to fit in a quiet time with God during her busy mornings getting ready for school.

  Rather than turning to the page for that date, she read the message where she’d left her marker.

  Do not worry about tomorrow. Today has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

  Soaking in the words of that verse, she read on.

  How often we are enticed by worry and fear to peek behind the veil and see the future. In the process of seeking hope, we are engulfed in anxiety. For it is not our place to know what tomorrow holds.

  Corrie Ten Boom, a woman well acquainted with hardship and sorrow as she struggled to survive in a Nazi concentration camp, would often recall the words of her father as she sought to make it through another day.

  “Corrie?” he would say, “When we are going on a journey, when do I give you the ticket for the train? Is it when we get to the station?”

  “No, Papa. You give it to me when the conductor comes.”

  “That’s right. And so it is with God. He gives us the strength we need to meet each day’s challenges at the moment we need it. He doesn’t give us the strength for tomorrow today.”

  Like the manna in the wilderness, God’s grace is sufficient for today. He promises to walk with us through this day and to be there when we need Him tomorrow. If your heart is heavy, if fear and anxiety are your companions this morning, ask yourself if you are trying to borrow trouble from tomorrow. Rather than focusing on the unknown that awaits you, focus on what you do know.

  God is for you. He is more than able to accomplish what concerns you. And just as He led the Israelites through the wilderness for forty years and helped Corrie survive a brutal season in her life, so He will meet you at every turn in the road and provide what you need at the moment you need it.

  A short prayer followed at the bottom of the page, and Michelle read it slowly, making it her own.

  Thank you, God, for your promise to strengthen me for the day ahead. Help me to keep my eyes on you and not the circumstances that threaten my tomorrows.

  Peace. God’s mantle of peace rested on her heart as Michelle closed her eyes and whispered her own prayer of thanksgiving. Although she’d missed her meetings with God for a handful of mornings, He’d brought her to this message when she needed it most. Like the ticket for the train, she had what she needed to face another day.

  Lunch break had just begun. Michelle retrieved her sandwich from the mini refrigerator she kept in her room. Seemed like there was rarely time to eat in the lounge with all the papers she had to grade and the lessons she had to plan.

  “Mrs. Baron?” a voice from the door caught her attention.

  “Amber! Come on in.” Michelle gestured toward her desk.

  “Can we talk?” the girl asked.

  Michelle sat down, placing her lunch off to the side of her desk. “Sure. What’s up?” She pulled a chair up next to hers and offered it to Amber, who sat down nervously.

  “I went to see my mom,” Amber offered.

  “Really? How’s she doing?”

  “The same.”

  Michelle could see the disappointment and frustration that ate at her student. “I’m sorry, Amber.”

  “Yeah. I wanted to tell her something.”

  “Maybe I can help. What’s on your mind?” Michelle asked, giving Amber her full attention.

  Squirming slightly, Amber looked up at the ceiling. “I’m pregnant,” she blurted out.

  Michelle was stunned. An eighth grader pregnant? Maybe she was being naïve, but she thought this was something that happened in the high schools, not the middle schools. “Are you sure?” she asked, trying to sound calm.

  Amber nodded. She stared at her hands in her lap and then started crying.

  Michelle moved closer and took Amber’s hands in her own. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “How can I help you?”

  Amber shook her head and pulled a hand free to wipe her tears with the back of it.

  “Here,” Michelle offered her a tissue.

  Blowing her nose and mopping her eyes, Amber tried to compose herself.

  “Have you told anyone else?” Michelle asked.

  Amber looked away. “Yeah. My boyfriend and the social worker.”

  “What did they say?”

  Looking back into her eyes, Amber replied, “Adam says I should have an abortion.”

  Michelle tried not to flinch. “And the social worker?”

  “She said I have choices, and she’ll help me figure it out.” Amber reached for another tissue, tossing
the first in the trashcan at their feet.

  Michelle nodded. “That sounds good. Did she say anything about school?”

  She shook her head. “No. Do you think they’ll make me leave Magnolia?”

  “I really don’t know, Amber. I’ve never had a student who was pregnant before.” She put her hand on Amber’s shoulder. “Do you want me to talk to the counselor? We could go together if you’d like.”

  “Let me see what Ms. Blackwell says first. I guess the school doesn’t have to know if I decide to have an abortion.” She started crying again.

  Michelle sighed and handed her another tissue. “You’ve got a lot to think about for someone your age. Maybe the counselor could help.”

  “Maybe. Just don’t say anything yet, okay?” Amber asked, blowing her nose and wiping her eyes.

  Michelle wracked her brain trying to remember the rules about mandatory reporting the principal had given her. Was she legally required to report this disclosure? She’d have to check with Cassie. “How old is Adam, Amber?”

  Amber studied the floor. “He’s seventeen.”

  “Do his parents know about this?” she asked.

  “His mom’s dead. No way he’d tell his dad. He just wants it to go away – to pretend it never happened.” Amber stood and tugged on her tight jeans then sat down again on the edge of the chair.

  “And you?” Michelle asked.

  Amber made eye contact with her again. “I feel bad for the baby.”

  Michelle nodded.

  Amber picked up the picture of Madison and looked at Michelle’s daughter. “I wish I could be a good mom like you are for Maddie. She’s really lucky to have you.”

  “We’re lucky to have each other,” Michelle added, taking the picture as Amber handed it back to her.

  “If they kick me out of school, will we still be able to have our park days?” she asked.

  “I’ll do everything in my power to keep that up,” Michelle offered.

  “But you don’t know if the school will let you?”

  “I just have to talk to a few people, especially the social worker, but also the principal,” she explained.

  Amber nodded.

  “But I promise I’ll try. And I’ll do whatever I can to help you keep up your studies.”

  “Thanks, Mrs. B,” Amber said, standing again. “Guess I’d better go.”

  Michelle joined her on her feet and gave her a hug. “I’m glad you told me, Amber. Please let me know whatever I can do to help.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” Amber picked up her backpack and walked out the door.

  Michelle sank into her chair and buried her face in her hands. As she prayed for wisdom for her troubled student, the passing bell rang.

  Standing up, she grabbed her untouched lunch and headed to the back of the room to return it to the fridge. Maybe she’d get a chance to grab a bite or two between classes later in the afternoon.

  Pulling a post-it note from her desktop, she scribbled a quick reminder to talk to Cassie about the mandatory reporting issue. One more thing to address in an already busy day.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Michelle opened the door to Cassie’s room and peered inside. Her friend and mentor was leaning over a file drawer in the front corner of the room.

  “Cassie?”

  “Michelle! Hi, come on in.” Shoving the file drawer closed with her hip, Cassie turned and walked toward her. “You look tired. Everything okay?”

  “Actually, no. Do you have a minute to talk?”

  “Sure. Want some coffee? I’ve got a little left in the pot.” Cassie walked to the back counter and reached for the carafe. Turning to Michelle, she held out an empty cup in a question.

  “I’d love some. Thanks.” Michelle sunk into one of the student seats in the front row facing Cassie’s desk.

  As her friend handed her the cup, she asked, “School issue or personal?”

  “Both.”

  Cassie nodded. “Do tell.”

  “I had a horrible nightmare about Maddie having leukemia. And I’ve got a pregnant student,” Michelle blurted.

  “Whoa. Rewind that. Tell me about Madison, first. What did the blood test say?” Cassie leaned forward, hugging her coffee mug in her hands.

  “It was inconclusive, so we had to do a bone marrow biopsy. We had that done on Monday.”

  “That’s why you were out.”

  “Yeah.”

  “How’d she do with it?”

  “Okay. She’s such a little trouper.”

  “So how long do you have to wait for the results?”

  “A week to ten days.”

  “That’s a long time for you to have to wait,” she replied. Then she added, “I’m sorry to hear about your dream. I can’t imagine how you’re able to concentrate on teaching right now. And what’s this about your student being pregnant?”

  “She asked me not to tell anyone, but I’m not sure if this is a mandatory reporting thing or not.”

  “Is the father an adult?” Cassie asked.

  “No. Her boyfriend is from the high school. He’s seventeen.”

  “A little old for an eighth grader,” she observed.

  “Yeah.”

  “This isn’t Amber Gamble, is it?”

  Michelle hesitated. “I’m not sure if I should answer that.”

  “Got it. You didn’t tell me,” Cassie smiled knowingly. “So what’s she going to do?”

  “She doesn’t know. The boyfriend wants her to have an abortion, but she’s not sure she wants to do that.” Michelle shuddered involuntarily.

  Cassie paused then asked, “Does anyone else know?”

  “Her social worker.”

  Cassie looked relieved. “Okay. That’s good. So that covers any mandatory reporting thing if she really does know. You might want to confirm that. You already have a contact there, right? Because of your park days, I mean.”

  “Yeah. She’s a great lady. I really like her.”

  “Well, that’s where I’d start if I were you. Call her and just make sure she really knows about all this. Then you can offer any assistance you’d like, but don’t overburden yourself right now, Michelle. You’ve got a lot on your plate with Madison, not to mention your first year of full time teaching.”

  Michelle nodded. “So what would happen to her if she decides to go through with the pregnancy? Will she have to leave Magnolia?”

  “I think our district leaves that up to the principal and the school counselor to decide. Do you think she’d want to stay here? Seems like she’d be setting herself up for a lot of fall out socially speaking.”

  “I got the feeling she’d want to stay. Her life’s in such upheaval right now with an absentee mother and being separated from her brother. Magnolia seems to be the one place that’s consistent.”

  “She must feel safe with you to confide in you like this,” Cassie observed.

  “Yeah. I feel like we’ve come a long way since September,” Michelle agreed.

  “I’d like to help her if I can. Especially if she decides to have the baby. I was thinking maybe I could offer to tutor her after school if she can’t attend classes here.”

  “That’s really sweet of you. But, like I said, don’t overextend yourself.” She walked around to the front of the desk. “Promise me you’ll let me know as soon as you hear anything about Maddie’s biopsy. And don’t hesitate to call me if you need any help getting a sub or coming up with a lesson.”

  “I promise,” Michelle replied, rising to her feet. “Thanks, Cassie. I’m really glad I have you right down the hall.”

  Cassie smiled and gave her a hug. “Me, too.”

  When Michelle got to Kelly’s house to pick up Madison, the little girl was having so much fun baking cupcakes that she hated to drag her away.

  “Look, Mommy! I made a happy face!” she exclaimed gleefully, showing off her candy artwork.

  “I see,” Michelle replied with a smile.

  “She’s welcome to stay here fo
r dinner, if you’d like,” Kelly offered. “It would give you and Steve a little time to yourselves.”

  Michelle looked at her daughter with mixed emotions. As they awaited the results of the bone marrow biopsy, each day with Maddie evoked heightened appreciation for the gift she was in their lives. On the other hand, Michelle was happy to see her enjoying a carefree time with her friends, not knowing what hardships might be looming around the corner.

  “Can I, Mommy? Please?” Madison begged, licking some frosting off her fingers.

  Michelle nodded. “Okay, sweetheart.”

  “Yay!” came the chorus from all the kids.

  “Thanks, Kelly. Looks like you’ll have a busy evening.”

  “What’s one more when we’re having fun?” she replied. “I’ll have Ben run her home around eight, okay?”

  “Are you sure? We can pick her up,” Michelle offered.

  “I’m sure. You two have been at work all day. Take a break and enjoy your dinner together.”

  “Okay. I owe you one,” Michelle replied.

  They hugged each other, and she headed home.

  “Steve? Is that you?”

  “Hi babe,” he said as he walked into the kitchen. Placing his briefcase on the floor, he put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her lightly. “Where’s Maddie?”

  “She stayed at Ben and Kelly’s for dinner.”

  “Oh. I thought we weren’t doing that on school nights.”

  “They were finishing making cupcakes, and she was having so much fun – I didn’t have the heart to drag her away from it. Ben’s bringing her home around eight.”

  Steve nodded and picked up the mail on the counter. Thumbing through it, he asked, “How was school today?”

  “You would not believe what Amber told me,” she replied.

  He looked up from the mail. “Try me.”

  “Steve, she’s pregnant.”

  He set the mail down and looked directly at her. “What? How old is she, twelve?” his voice was incredulous.

  “No, she’s fourteen.”