Luke slumped into his seat. “I know. I’m just not sure I have a choice here.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Luke gazed at Madison’s face on the screen of his laptop. He wasn’t sure if Skype was a blessing or a curse. Her smile lifted his spirits, but more than anything else, seeing her made him want to be home by her side even more.
“You look troubled, babe,” she said.
He took a deep breath and forced a smile. “I’m fine.”
“No you’re not. What is it? Is Chen okay?” she asked.
What do I say, Lord? Luke cleared his throat, stalling for wisdom.
“Hey, tell me,” she pressed.
Luke looked into her eyes. She’d been through a lot lately with the death of Lily and now an unexpected pregnancy. He didn’t want to put anything else onto his bride.
As if she could read his mind, Madison said, “Whatever it is, I can take it.” She locked eyes with him and asked, “Are you wanting to stay at Children’s Garden? Because if you are, I understand. And I’ll be okay. Really.”
He smiled. “No, honey. It’s not that.”
“Then what is it? Is Caleb okay?”
“He’s fine. In fact, we had a really good talk. This trip has been an eye-opener for your brother. I can see God really using it,” Luke replied, happy to change the subject.
“That’s great. I’ve been praying for him. He’s been in such a funk for a long time.”
“Well, I’d say your prayers are being answered,” Luke said.
“So back to what we were saying. Is this about Chen’s meeting with his aunt and uncle? Is that why you’re looking so troubled?”
Luke smiled. “You can read me like a book,” he said.
“What happened? Did Chen like them?”
“Not exactly. The aunt—Cami is her name—was nice, but her husband was really stoic. I could tell Chen was uncomfortable with him.”
“It’ll take him time to get used to someone new,” she said. “Especially after bonding so well with you.”
Luke nodded. “So, Cami brought him a gift,” he said,
Madison’s eyebrows lifted questioningly.
“It was a statue of Buddha. She told him he could rub the statue’s belly for good luck and pray to it.”
Her face fell. “Really? Wow.”
“Yeah. Wow.”
“So what are you going to do?” she asked.
“What can I do?”
“Talk to Erick,” she suggested.
“And say?”
“And say that Chen already believes in Jesus—that we’ve talked to him and prayed with him,” she replied.
“But if they decide to adopt him, it’s Erick responsibility to help Chen have a family of his own,” Luke countered. “And that family will determine the faith under which they want to raise him.”
Madison’s face revealed her frustration. “We’ve got to really step up prayers for him,” she said.
“I agree.”
“God will work this out, Luke. I just know it. And if you need to stay longer, just put Caleb on his flight back and stay as long as you need to. I’m serious. Mom and Dad are taking good care of me and the baby. We’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” he replied hesitantly.
“Promise?” she asked.
“Promise.”
Luke fell asleep that night interceding on Chen’s behalf, knowing that his very soul was at stake. He awoke in the predawn darkness to a strange pounding sound. Flipping on a lamp, he could see Chen convulsing in his bed. “Caleb! Wake up!” he said.
“What? What’s wrong?” Caleb asked, as he sat up from a deep sleep.
“Get Erick. Tell him to call the doctor,” Luke ordered as he scooped Chen’s quaking body into his arms. Wrapping a blanket around the boy, he headed for the infirmary.
By the time Erick arrived, Chen had stopped seizing. “Dr. Su is on the way,” he told Luke.
“Is there anything I can do?” Caleb asked.
Luke glanced at his watch. It was about noon in Sandy Cove. “Would you call Madison?” he asked. “Tell her Chen had a seizure and we’re waiting for the doctor. She’ll want to know so she can pray for him. Oh, and have her call the church office and put him on the prayer chain.”
“Will do,” Caleb replied, heading out the door to go back to the residence and phone his sister.
Chen was awake but a bit delirious. Burying his head into Luke’s chest, he curled into a ball, and Luke held him close. Soon Dr. Su arrived and examined the boy. “He has a bit of a fever, but not enough to explain a seizure like that,” he said. “We’ll need to keep him under surveillance for the next twenty-four hours. If it doesn’t recur, it may be an isolated incident. Either way, we should run some tests. I’ll set up an EEG for tomorrow.”
After the doctor left, Luke held Chen in his arms until well after sun up. He seemed to be sleeping deeply with the exception of one incident where he pushed away and muttered, “Chen no go.”
Once the nurse and Dr. Su arrived to run their tests, Luke took the opportunity to call Madison.
“Luke, how is he? I’ve been praying like crazy. We all have,” she said.
“He’s okay right now. The doctor and nurse are doing an EEG and running some tests,” he replied.
“Oh, I wish I was there!” she said with a moan. “The poor thing. How long did the seizure last?”
“About five minutes,” he said. “It seemed like forever, though.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet you were pretty scared.”
“It all happened so fast. We were sleeping, and all of a sudden a strange noise woke me up. Chen was really thrashing in his bed,” he said, adding, “It’s a good thing he didn’t fall out.”
“Yeah. Then he could have other injuries as well,” she agreed.
A knock on Luke’s door interrupted their conversation. “The doctor has an update for us,” Erick said as he popped his head into the room.
“I’ve gotta go, Maddie. Dr. Su wants to talk to us.”
“Can you ask him to call me?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’m sure he’ll be glad to talk to you again anyway. Everyone misses you here,” he added before they said goodbye.
Chen was sleeping peacefully as they entered the infirmary. The doctor led them into his side office and gestured to the seats facing his desk. After they were settled, he began, “Chen’s EEG is showing some mild abnormalities. We’ve contacted his aunt to find out if there is a family history of epilepsy, but she is unaware of any. And although Chen had a slight fever, it was pretty low to trigger a grand mal seizure. I’d like to run a CT scan to check for abnormal masses or lesions, but my initial inclination is that this will either be an isolated incident or possibly the beginning of idiopathic seizure disorder. Most children outgrow that in adolescence, although not all of them.”
“What can we do to facilitate the CT scan?” Erick asked.
“I’ll put through an order at the hospital. We should be able to get it approved, but the government is known for dragging its heels with these kids,” he said, indicating the orphan status of Chen.
“What if I took him back to the states?” Luke asked. “Is there any way to arrange that? Then we could have him evaluated by a pediatric neurologist. I’m sure the church would help with the funding.”
Erick sat back in his chair and pressed his fingertips together. “It’s not impossible, but it would require a lot of red tape.”
“Or,” Dr. Su inserted, “if Chen’s relatives decide to adopt him, they could seek the medical care he needs.”
Erick glanced at Luke and stood up. “Thanks so much, doctor. And thanks for the middle-of-the-night house call,” he added.
As the three men stood and shook hands, Luke remembered Madison’s request. “Doctor, would you mind calling my wife? She’d really like to discuss Chen’s condition with you.”
The doctor glanced at Erick, who nodded affirmatively. “She’s still considered one of the staff for now,
” he said.
“Of course,” Dr. Su replied, taking down her number.
Two days later, Chen had another seizure, this time on the playground. He fell and bumped his head and bruised his body in the process. Whisked back to the infirmary, Luke paced the floor with Caleb as they awaited the doctor’s evaluation.
“I’m going to try to push through his CT scan,” he told them. “In the meantime, I’m placing Chen on a mild anti-seizure medication, and he’ll need to be watched carefully. He was on a soft surface on the playground this time, but he could get hurt even worse if he falls to the ground in the courtyard or on some other hard surface.”
When Erick called to report the second seizure to Chen’s aunt and uncle, Kai came onto the phone and told Erick they were sorry to hear about the boy but would no longer be able to consider adopting him. “We are not prepared to take on the responsibility of a child with such an impairment,” he stated in no uncertain terms. “We wish the boy the best, and we’re happy he’s in a place where he can get the help he needs.”
“I understand,” Erick replied, and a sense of relief washed over him.
“They what?” Luke asked.
“They withdrew their adoption application,” Erick said. “They claim they’re ‘not prepared to take on the responsibility of a child with an impairment’ or something along those lines.”
“Wow. Good thing we found out now rather than later.”
“Yep,” Erick agreed. “So you and Caleb are scheduled to leave in a few more days. We’ll need to start preparing Chen for the transition.”
Luke’s heart sank as he thought about everything Chen was going through. How could he leave the boy right now? “Let me talk to Madison,” he said. “I may stay longer.”
Erick nodded. “I was hoping you’d say that,” he replied.
“Any news on the scan?” Luke asked.
“Not yet. Dr. Su says it could take weeks or even months to get the approval.”
As Chen slept that night, Luke stayed close by, watching his rhythmic breathing and praying for an answer. How could a man feel so tethered to two homes across the globe from each other? And how was he going to ever leave Chen behind?
“I’m going to hit the sack,” Caleb said, collapsing onto the couch. “See you in the morning.”
Luke nodded. “Thanks for all your help today,” he said.
“No problem. I’m glad Chen’s doing okay tonight,” Caleb replied.
After Caleb was out, Luke fell to his knees beside his bed, bent over the mattress with his hands clasped tightly together, and silently prayed. Lord, show me what to do. I feel like I have two callings that are as far apart as possible. I know Madison and our baby are my first and foremost responsibility. But Chen…oh, Lord, he’s so fragile and so dependent on me. Please help me know what to do.
Finally, he got into bed. Drifting off to sleep, he dreamed of Chen blocking the door so he couldn’t leave. “No go, Mr. Luke,” the child’s voice echoed in his mind.
Luke awoke to a gentle nudge on his shoulder. It was still dark but he could see Chen standing beside his bed. The boy patted his own chest and then the mattress beside Luke.
“Sure, buddy, hop in,” Luke said, scooting over so Chen could stretch out beside him. Luke draped his arm over the boy’s tiny frame, nestled under the covers beside him, and they drifted off to sleep once more.
A buzzing sound awakened Luke the following morning. It was his cell phone vibrating on the bed beside him. Carefully easing out of bed without waking Chen, he padded into the bathroom and answered the call.
“Madison,” he said softly. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Did I wake you?” she asked.
“No…well…yes, but it’s okay.”
“You sound so quiet,” she observed. “Everyone else still sleeping?”
“Yeah. In fact, Chen ended up climbing into bed with me sometime during the night. Poor guy is pretty scared these days.”
“Awww. He needed his baba,” she said, using the Chinese term of affection for a father.
An arrow pierced Luke’s heart. He loved that little boy so much that it hurt.
“Luke, are you there?” Madison asked.
“Yeah.” He wanted so badly to talk to Madison in person. He needed to see her and hold her and get his bearings.
“Honey, listen to me. I’ve been really thinking about Chen a lot. And I’ve been praying about what we should do,” she said. “He needs us, Luke. He really does. And I think we need him, too.”
“What do you mean?” Luke asked, a flicker of hope stirring within.
“I mean, let’s face it. Chen’s already part of us. He’s been a member of our family ever since he moved into the residence there. I just don’t see how you can come home and leave him behind.” She paused for a moment, as if to let her words sink in, and then she said, “I want to adopt him, Luke. We need to do this.”
“But the timing, babe, with you pregnant and all the stuff going on with my dad and church. Are you sure you’re up to such a huge commitment and all that it entails?” he asked, trying to be realistic.
“Who better than us? We’ve already made room for him in our hearts. Why not in our home?” she asked. “There would be a hole in our family without him. We both know that.”
Luke was silent, letting the whole idea sink into his heart and mind.
“You’re the one who always says God will equip us for what’s ahead, right?” she challenged him.
“Yeah, that’s right,” he admitted. “I just don’t want to see you overloaded, especially since you have a higher risk pregnancy.”
“If you think for one minute your family or mine are going to let that happen, you’re crazy. Besides, we have our church, too. There are so many people in our lives to help us out, honey. But Chen…he only has us, when it gets right down to it. I mean, I know everyone there would do their best to take care of him. But we could do better. Between my experience in pediatric nursing and your calling as a pastor, we can meet his physical and spiritual needs right here in Sandy Cove.”
“Wow. You’re something else. You know that?” Luke said, his voice full of love and affection. “Chen and I are pretty blessed to have you.”
“And don’t ever forget that either,” she added with a laugh. “Talk to Erick, honey,” she added. “Do it this morning. And then let me know what I need to do on this end to get the ball rolling on making Chen an official Johnson.”
When Luke told Erick about their decision, he was noticeably relieved. “I’ve been praying God would open that door for you,” he said. They sat down together and began going over all the steps Luke and Madison would need to follow to process Chen’s adoption. “Because of the medical situation, I think we can expedite things on this end,” he said. “So the sooner you can set up your home visits back in Sandy Cove, the better.”
Next Luke shared his news with Caleb. “So what do you think?” he asked.
Smiling, Caleb replied, “I think Chen just scored a homerun!”
“You know something,” Luke added, “I’m really glad Chen will have you for his uncle. God may give you two a special bond and use your adoption as something that really blesses Chen’s life, Caleb.”
Caleb looked pleased. “Yeah. That would be cool. And maybe I can keep him from making some of the same mistakes I did,” he added with a note of regret.
“God’s got some great plans for you, Caleb. I can just feel it,” Luke replied.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Once Chen understood that he would be going to live with Luke and Madison soon, he came to terms with Luke accompanying Caleb back to Sandy Cove. With the knowledge that the boy’s adoption could be expedited and completed within a couple of months after they completed a home study with a social worker in Sandy Cove, Luke and Maddie had to quickly do some house hunting.
The Frasers, an older couple from their church had two residences on their property, and they offered the main house as a rental
for the family. With their kids grown and moved away, they had decided to live in the granny unit and use the front residence as an income property. Having moved out the prior month, it seemed as if God had prepared the place just for Luke and Madison.
The address was on a quiet cul-de-sac a few miles from Michelle and Steve’s home. “You’ll be able to use the yard as well,” the owners explained. “We have a little patio off the back of our unit, and that’s all the outdoor space we need.”
“It’s perfect,” Madison said, as they walked through the house. “With three bedrooms and a den, Chen will have his own room, and so will the baby. The den can be your office,” she added with a smile.
“How soon could we move in?” Luke asked.
“As soon as you’d like,” Ted Fraser said.
Within a week, they’d gathered together enough second-hand furniture and family donations to make the house their home. And although it was a bit sparse, the social worker approved the space.
“You know that I was instrumental in your brother’s adoption, right?” Bonnie Blackwell asked Madison.
She nodded. “Yes, my mom told me all about how you helped her with Amber.”
“Your mom is an exceptional person, and I’m so glad she and your father decided to adopt Caleb. From what I hear, he’s turned out to be a great young man.”
“He has,” Luke piped in. “And I think he’ll make the perfect uncle for Chen.”
Smiling, Bonnie nodded in agreement.
As they wrapped up their visit, she explained the steps she’d follow to communicate their home study to Erick at the Children’s Garden. “He’ll have everything he needs by tomorrow afternoon,” she said.
Six weeks later, Luke and Madison were on their way to China to finish the last of the paperwork and bring Chen home.
After Steve dropped his daughter and son-in-law off at the airport, he came home to find Caleb waiting for him.
Above All Else (Sandy Cove Series Book 7) Page 26