“Ruby!” Mother exclaimed as I ran to her. “Wh—what in the world?”
“Mother, the judge let me go free!”
We threw our arms around each other, and wept together for a few moments. Then the front door opened and Hope came outside. “Momma!”
I scooped her into my arms as Matthew and Asa came up the steps. “Oh, my sweet angel, I’ve missed you so much.”
She squeezed my neck so hard it hurt, but I didn’t care one little bit. I walked over to the rocking chair and sat down, sitting her in my lap. Keeping her arms around my neck, she pulled her face back so she could look at me.
“Are you home now, Momma?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m home for good now.”
“That’s good, ’cause I don’t wanna do the girl chores wid Gamma anymore. You can do dose. I wanna do outside chores like Daddy.”
I laughed in spite of my tears. “All right, sweetie. You can do outside chores. You can follow whatever path God sets before you. And don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.”
She climbed out of my lap, but took my hand and pulled on it. “Come on, Momma! I hafta show you the baby chickens!”
I wiped away my tears and smiled at Matthew as I passed him. I grabbed his hand and pulled him with us. “Come on, Daddy. Let’s go see the baby chickens.”
We walked down to the barn with Hope between us, swinging from our hands every few steps. I couldn’t stop my tears from flowing, and I couldn’t stop laughing at myself either. Matthew kept looking at me like he didn’t know what to do with me.
We rounded the barn and went over to the chicken coop, leaning on the fence around the chickens’ yard. Matthew lifted Hope and set her on the middle rail so she could see over the top.
Hope pointed over the fence at a group of fluffy yellow chicks huddling near the far corner. “See Momma, dey stay over dere ’cause dey get scared.”
“Why do you think they’re scared?” I asked.
“’Cause, they tink someting bad is gonna get ’em. But I keep telling ’em dey are safe here. God has dis fence around ’em.”
I looked over at Matthew and smiled. “Yes, He’s had His fence around them all along, and they never even knew it.”
He dropped his head and let out a low chuckle. “Silly chickens.”
Hope turned around on the rail and climbed back into Matthew’s arms. Then she reached one arm out to me. “Come here, Momma.”
I came close, and she put her arm on my shoulders. “What is it, sweetie?”
“Look at Daddy,” she said.
We both looked him over while Matthew lifted his brow. “What are we looking at?” I asked.
“See?” She pointed to lines that had formed around his eyes. “And look.” Then she pushed her hand through the thinning hair at the crown of his head. “It worked.”
“What worked?” Matthew asked.
My eyes were already flooding because I knew just what she meant. “Yes, my sweet girl,” I said. “You’re right. It did work.”
Matthew smiled faintly at Hope. “What worked?”
She put her hands on his cheeks and lowered her voice. “Daddy, you’re weal now.”
***
The next day, the farm was overrun with family and friends that had come to celebrate with us. Mother bustled around, bringing food out for everyone, but the guests brought delicious dishes to share as well. It was almost like a funeral reception, except it was full of laughter and joy.
I stayed by Matthew’s side most of the day. Seemed like we were in constant contact, my hand on his arm, his hand on my back, or just holding hands while we talked. I don’t think either of us could bear to be apart from the other for more than a few seconds.
Likewise, Hope clung to me most of the morning. But once guests began to arrive, she flitted around the room talking to everyone about her animals. She even led a procession of curious children down to the barn for a tour.
The most wonderful part was that I got a chance to really thank the people who had spoken up for me in court and supported me. Homer arrived before everyone else, and we spent nearly half an hour reliving the hearing and its outcome. “I’d planned to write a final piece for Time about your sentence and what lay ahead for you all while you were in prison,” he said. “I can’t tell you how proud I am that the story has such a happy ending. For one thing, happy endings sell better.” He winked, and we shared a laugh.
“I certainly prefer them,” I said.
Homer took a plate with him of Mother’s roasted ham, sweet potatoes, creamed corn, green beans, and corn bread. Said he had to get busy on writing that next story. We wished him well, and promised to stay in touch.
No sooner had Homer driven away than James and his family arrived. My heart soared when they came into the house, and I flew over to hug Emma Rae. She gasped in surprise before hugging me back. “Oh, you have to introduce me to all these beautiful babies!” I said.
She pushed the oldest forward, and I recognized little Abner right away. He was the spitting image of James when he was a boy. “I’m sure you don’t remember me,” I said, “but I sure do remember you. My, you’ve grown into such a handsome young man!”
Emma Rae introduced Percy, who gave a quick handshake before running outside after Abner. The twin girls, Ellen and Jennifer, flashed bright smiles. They resembled Emma Rae, with perfectly curled blonde ponytails. “It’s nice to meet you both,” I said. “This is your cousin, Hope.” I pushed Hope in front of me.
She looked up at her cousins curiously, then turned her face up to mine. “Momma, how come there’s two of that girl?”
Emma Rae and I laughed. “They’re twins,” I said. “They were in their mommy’s tummy together and came out into the world on the same day. That’s how come they look alike.”
She smiled cautiously at them. “Do you like chickens?”
One of them—I couldn’t remember who was who yet—wrinkled her nose. “Ew. Chickens? They just cluck and run around like crazy.”
“I know,” Hope said through her giggle. “They make me laugh! Want to come see the babies?”
Both girls shrugged. “Sure,” they said in unison. And they followed Hope out of the door.
“My goodness,” I said. “I don’t know how you keep up with four of them. Hope is plenty for me.”
Emma Rae leaned onto the back of a chair at the table, letting out a small laugh. “You’ll get used to it. I hear you have another one on the way. Come and sit a while and tell me what you’ve been up to the past few years. I heard you did a bit of traveling.” She winked, and I couldn’t help but smile. It hit me that I had a sister now. And as happy as that made me, it also made me ache for Janine.
I caught a glimpse of James standing in the living room beside the fireplace. He was studying the picture of Henry and his medal. Matthew was approaching him, his head bowed.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” I said to Emma Rae. “Why don’t you help Mother get everything to the table?”
I joined Matthew just as James was asking if he was really there when it happened. “That article in Time said you and Henry were guerrillas together for a while. You said Henry saved your life. Is that right?”
Matthew took the photo of Henry from the mantel and stared down at his smiling face. “One night, we were staying in this tiny little hut, starving and getting eaten alive by mosquitos, wondering if Japs were gonna bust through the door at any minute and kill us. And Henry starts telling me these stories about you two. How he used to follow you around everywhere you went. That you two used to go out on double dates sometimes and pull tricks on the girls. He got me to laughing so hard, I was sure we were gonna be discovered.”
James’s mouth broke into a grin. “He was something else, that’s for sure. We fought more than we should have, but we sure did laugh a lot too.”
Matthew handed the picture to James. “That’s how I want to remember him. Laughing, cutting up, making fun of me. Yes, he saved my life. But not just on th
e day he stood in my place and took the bullets meant for me. He saved my life every day by reminding me that I was alive, and that there was more to the world than just suffering and evil. He was more of a brother to me than my own brothers ever have been. And that’s how I choose to remember him. And I feel certain that he would want you to remember him the same way.”
James nodded as he swiped at the corner of his eye. “Thanks for doing everything you could to look after him.” Then he glanced over at me. “And you, I knew you were always too big for your britches. Running all over the world, fighting off Japs, dodging bombs, and flying planes. You were dangerous enough just behind the wheel of a car.”
I grinned and slipped my arm around his waist. “So does that mean you won’t let me take you up in a plane?”
“Goodness, no!”
“Oh, so you will let me take you up?”
He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “I reckon some things never change.”
***
A little while later, as the living room was filling up with familiar faces, Emmitt Hyde pushed his way through the crowd. I’d barely recognized him the day before when he’d spoken in court. He’d stood tall and proud in his suit, his face shaven, and his eyes full of life. Today, he approached me with his arm around a woman that seemed only a little older than myself. She smiled at me with warm, blue eyes as Emmitt introduced her.
“This here’s my wife, Eleanor. We been married about five years now.”
I took Eleanor’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she said. “I’ve been hearing about you for years. What you did for Emmitt that night in the jail really turned his life around. He speaks to troubled kids now, trying to get them to change their ways before it’s too late.”
I hugged Emmitt’s neck, remembering the dark shadow that had hung over him when we’d first met. “You are a beautiful picture of God’s faithfulness, Emmitt. Don’t ever forget it was God who saved you that night. He just allowed me to be a witness.”
“Yes, ma’am. I know that. I hope you know how much I prayed for you these past few weeks. It’s good to see God bless people who bring His blessings to others.”
***
I had to excuse myself a few times during the afternoon to catch a breather. I even had a bout with nausea around one, which I lost miserably. I determined it would be best to stick with light, bland foods the rest of the day.
When I came out of Mother’s bedroom, I saw Brother Cass standing near the front door by himself. He held his hat in his hands, shuffling it as he scanned the room. I glanced through to the dining area at Matthew. He made eye contact with me and smiled.
“You all right?” he mouthed at me.
I nodded, and pointed toward the front door as I made my way in that direction. As I passed the dining room, I told him I was just going to get some fresh air.
“Want me to come along?” he said.
“No, I’ll be back soon. I’ll just check on Hope and the other kids.”
I came over to Brother Cass, who still hadn’t moved from the front door. “Can I help you?” I asked.
He studied me without speaking at first, looking up at me. He’d always been a bit shorter than me, but with the slump in his shoulders he seemed even smaller. He took a nervous glance around the room. “Can we speak outside, Mrs. Doyle?”
I wondered if he’d choked a bit when he said my name. After all, he’d put great effort into keeping me away from the Doyle family. I didn’t particularly want to speak with him at all, but I figured it was best to step outside. Better to deal with him myself than have Matthew get riled up.
“Of course,” I said. I followed him out onto the front porch, but I realized that we’d be in plain sight if Matthew came looking for me. “Why don’t we take a short walk?”
We left the front porch and headed for the path that stretched into the woods. I waited for him to begin, but he didn’t speak for a few minutes. Not until we were out of sight of the house.
“I followed your story,” he finally said. “I read about your time in the Philippines.”
“With all due respect, Brother Cass, I don’t feel comfortable discussing that with you.”
“Yes, I can understand that.”
“Why don’t you just tell me why you’re here?”
“I have…I have a request.”
I nearly laughed out loud. A request? Of all the nerve…“What kind of request?” I asked with as much patience as I could manage.
He stopped walking and wrung his hands. “Well, you see…it’s Mrs. Cass. She’s quite ill. She’s been to see several doctors and none of them can seem to figure out what’s ailing her exactly. She seems to be losing blood, but they can’t determine how or where it’s coming from.”
“I see.” My heart softened just a little. But only a little, and only for Mrs. Cass. The one time we’d spoken, she was awfully kind to me. And I’d never heard a bad word spoken about her in all my years. “And you’re coming to me because…because you want something?”
“Yes.” He sighed and brought his gaze up to mine. “I’m asking you to come see her. To pray over her and do…whatever it is you do.”
“But I thought you believed I was evil, that the healing I witnessed was sorcery or witchcraft.”
He walked away from me a few steps. When he spoke again, his voice cracked. “I…I’m not sure anymore. I’m not sure about a lot of things. I don’t know where your…your gift comes from. But I know my wife is the most patient and loving woman I’ve ever known. I’ve made some mistakes in my time, and I’ve been difficult to live with. I’ve demanded holiness from others, but never from her. She just seemed to naturally possess this…light inside her.”
He stopped again, looking off into the woods. “It’s shaken everything I believed in to watch her suffer. I’ve believed in a God that’s just, that punishes sin, even accepting my own punishment from Him. But she’s done nothing that she should be suffering for. And I don’t…” His voice cracked and trailed off. “I don’t understand,” he continued after a few moments. “Would God punish her for my sins? How is that just?” He shook his head. “No, I can’t accept that. I’ve begged Him to help me understand, to show me her sin or mine so that I can make it right. I’ve prayed for her healing and sat by her bedside day after day. And there’s been nothing for nearly a year. Not a word from God at all. Until you showed up again.”
I waited in silence, knowing in my heart what was to come.
He walked back to me, his palms up as he implored me for my help. “Ruby, I don’t care where your gift comes from. It can come from the devil himself, for all I care. If I serve a God who won’t show me how to make this right, a God who will let my beautiful wife suffer…I can’t accept that. I know I don’t deserve an ounce of pity. Lord knows I never showed any toward you. But I’m asking anyway. Please. Come see her and pray over her. If nothing happens, then so be it. But I had to try. I had to ask.”
I’d known from the moment I saw him in that courtroom, when God had spoken my name. I’d known He was calling me to help heal Brother Cass’s wounds. And like he’d shown me in the moments of grace with Natalie, God showed me now that His love was not just meant for those who deserved it.
“Of course I’ll come,” I said.
***
“You’re going where?” Matthew asked, his voice rising. He walked away from me, shaking his head. “No. No…just…no.”
I stood on the front porch, waiting for him to pace this out and get to the same place I’d gotten to already. Lord, open his heart and show him what You showed me.
“Ruby, you cannot give that man one ounce of yourself, do you hear?”
Lord, give Matthew peace.
“I cannot believe you are even thinking of showing that man compassion after everything he’s put you through. Everything he’s put all of us through!” He continued pacing, shaking his head the whole time. He muttered to himself about crazin
ess, about taking compassion too far. “No one can expect you to forgive that man.”
“Have you forgiven your father?” I asked quietly.
He didn’t stop pacing, but he did stop muttering. “I’m working on it.”
“Do you think God can’t forgive Brother Cass?”
“Of course He can! He can forgive anyone He chooses to. That doesn’t mean you have to go and expose yourself to his hatred again. What if he’s setting you up? What if he has some crazy scheme to get you to break the law and force you to have to serve out your prison term?”
“God told me to go,” I said.
He threw up his arms and walked over to the side of the house, leaning against it and closing his eyes. His mouth moved, but I couldn’t hear anything. I hoped he was praying. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and looked over at me.
“Will this ever get any easier?” he asked.
“Will what ever get easier?”
“Surrendering. I keep thinking I’ve finally done it. I’ve finally laid down everything I can before the cross. But then God digs out something else I’m still clinging to. And it’s just as hard each and every time. Why is it so hard?”
I walked over to him and slipped my arms around his waist. “I don’t know. Maybe because throwing off sin isn’t so easy. Maybe because our natural selves resist God. But we have hope that in the end, we will stand before God as a completely new creature. And there will be no more suffering, no more need for surrendering, no more sin. Just love. Pure unfailing love for eternity.”
He rolled his eyes, a grin easing over his lips. “You’re doing it again.” He leaned down and kissed me. “It’s not fair being married to an angel, you know. I don’t get to win any arguments.”
“Well, maybe you should start arguing with yourself. You can definitely win those.”
He chuckled and rested his forehead against mine. “All right, but I’m going with you.”
“Did you hear God’s voice telling you to go?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then you weren’t invited.”
Abiding Hope: A Novel: Healing Ruby Book 4 Page 40