by Bree Cariad
“Okay?”
“Is Hyacinth gay-friendly?” All four of them looked at her and she flushed.
“Um, Hyacinth has an open-door policy to anyone of any race, sexual orientation, etcetera, as long as they hold to our values but I’ll admit, I don’t know of any homosexuals.”
“No doubt they’re in hiding,” he said, shrugging. “Do you have any troubles with us?”
“Us?” she asked, feeling out of her depth.
“Gays.”
“Oh! No. I’m just afraid I’ll say something inadvertently that will be taken wrong. I don’t want to come across as an idiot.”
He looked startled and smiled. “I think we’ll get along just fine, DeLynn Straynar. Feel free to ask me anything. Not you!” he said in a rush as Christine opened her mouth. “I know the kind of raunchy things that come out of your mouth, little miss. Not in front of our Hyacinth girl. I don’t want her scared away.”
“All right, but DeLynn will have to get used to my naughty sense of humor sooner or later.”
Giggling, DeLynn tried to hide her smile behind a napkin. These were the strangest people and yet she had never felt so comfortable with a bunch of strangers. “Maybe you need to get me a dictionary,” she finally managed to say. “The Naughty to Virgin dictionary so I can keep up.”
There was a momentary pause before the entire table erupted in laughter, DeLynn along with them.
“Okay, so we each have nicknames,” Talin said once the laughter died down, “for each other. They call me Tal, Christine, Teenie, Heather, Heath, and Jonah, Jon. How do you want us to shorten your name?”
“My closest friends call me Lynnie.”
“Lynnie it is,” Jon said, holding up his glass. “To Lynnie, the newest of us. May she not die of embarrassment.”
Lunch took over two hours and by the time they dropped her off at school, DeLynn was in a fantastic mood. As she took the stairs down to the basement of the student center, her phone buzzed. Pulling it out as she walked, she didn’t check the caller ID as she answered. “Hello?”
“Lynnie?”
DeLynn froze at the frightened voice on the other end. “Chrissa? Chrissa! Where are you?” Zachary burst through the chapel doors, his eyes on her. Obviously her voice carried.
“Idaho.”
“Idaho? Chrissa, talk to me. Where are you?” She was so intent on her conversation she never noticed Zachary steering her into his office and shutting the door.
“I’m in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.”
Gripping her hair with one hand as she tried to make sense of it all, DeLynn said, “A month, Chrissa, you’ve been gone without a word for a month.” Her throat closed up and she had a hard time not bawling. “I’ve been so worried.”
“I know,” Chrissa said, her voice tiny. “And I’m sorry. Lynnie, I need your help.”
“What do you need?” DeLynn was ready to beg Zachary for them to do whatever her friend needed.
“I need some money.”
“What?”
“The girls I was with left and I’m at a phone booth, Lynnie. They didn’t leave me any money and I don’t even have a place to stay tonight.”
“They deserted you?” For a moment, it was hard to think. She was horrified. How could anyone just leave someone else like that?
“It’s a long story,” Chrissa said with a sob. “I’m sorry, Lynnie. I didn’t know who else to call.”
“Tell me where you are,” DeLynn said, her hand grasping for a pen on Zachary’s desk. He pushed one over and handed her a tablet as well.
“I’m at a phone booth outside of the A and D minimart here in Coeur d’Alene. There’s a Western Union nearby.”
“Hold on. Do you have enough change to keep the call going for a little bit?”
“I have two dollars in change left.”
“Okay, hold on a second.” Her hand shaking, DeLynn hit mute and looked at her boyfriend imploringly. “Chrissa’s in Coeur d’Alene. The girls she was with dumped her without any money. How can I help her?” Tears streamed from her eyes and she started to choke as she bit back sobs.
“I have a friend who lives there,” he said gently. “We were in the same master’s program together. Davis’s a good guy. Keep her talking while I get him on the phone.”
Clicking the mute off, DeLynn tried to get hold of herself. “Okay, Chrissa. Zachary’s getting hold of a friend of his who lives there. We’re gonna make sure you have a safe place to sleep tonight, okay?”
“I’m scared,” Chrissa said, starting to sob again. “I don’t know what to do, Lynnie. My whole life’s a mess.”
“Everything’s gonna be fine.” DeLynn tried to assure her, watching Zach as he talked to his friend. “We’ll get you to safety and then get you home—”
“I can’t come home.”
“Why?” DeLynn cried out. “Why can’t you come home?”
“I’m pregnant, Lynnie.”
The whole world seemed to shatter in that moment as DeLynn stared straight ahead without seeing. Pregnant? Chrissa was pregnant?
“DeLynn,” Zachary said, shaking her out of her stupor. “Get her address. Davis is in his car and will pick her up.”
“She’s at the A and D minimart.”
He repeated the words and nodded. “He’s on his way.”
“Did you know when you left?” she asked quietly, trying to figure out what to say to not let her friend know how much this freaked her out.
“No. I just figured it out yesterday. It’s why they dumped me.”
“They abandoned you because you’re pregnant?” DeLynn stood up angrily and began to pace. “Listen here, Chrissiline Carroll, I may be in shock because of what you just told me, but I’d never dump a friend, ever, whether she got into trouble or not. I love you and you know it! Now come home where the people who love you can take care of you.” Her voice broke and Zachary grabbed her, enfolding her in his arms even as he took her phone from her.
“She’s just overcome, Chrissa. DeLynn’s been worried about you…No, we’re glad you called…Davis is six feet four and built like a linebacker, but there’s nobody gentler than him…Everything’s going to be okay, Chrissa. Get a good night’s sleep and a good meal. We’ll call you at Davis’s home tonight. All right?”
DeLynn shifted to look up at him. He had a phone to each ear. “Thanks, Davis…Yes, that’s her. Take care of her as if she was my sister…Thanks, my friend.” He put the one phone in his pocket. “Everything’s going to be fine, Chrissa. Go with Davis…Yes, I’ll tell her.” Closing his eyes, Zachary wrapped both arms around her and held her tight. “Davis has her. He’s going to take her to his house tonight, make sure she has a good meal, and will take her to a clinic tomorrow to make sure she and the baby are healthy. She wanted me to tell you that she loves you, too.”
Bursting into sobs, she latched onto his arms and held on. Given the events, Zachary closed up the chapel early and took her home. “We’re going to need to tell the Carrolls,” he said as he drove the highway.
“I know. But…Oh, how I don’t want to be the one to tell them.”
“How will they react?”
“I’d like to say that they will love her anyway? But I don’t know. I thought they were loving parents, but all summer and fall Chrissa acted as though they were unreasonable.”
“Why don’t you text Barrett and ask him to invite them over tonight. Tell him we know where Chrissa is.”
Nodding, she pulled out her phone. Texting was much easier in this instance as the words were too difficult to speak. Chrissa called. She’s safe. Invite Carrolls over so we can tell them.
Her phone rang two seconds later. “Hey,” she said in a voice husky from crying.
“Honey, that’s not the kind of thing you can send in a text,” Barrett said, both relief and worry in his tone. “Your mom’s calling the Carrolls now. What happened?”
“I’d rather just explain once, please? It was difficult enough to hear. I don’t think I can s
ay it twice.”
There was a moment’s silence, before he replied. “All right. We’ll be waiting. How long before you two come home?”
“We’re on our way. We should be there in thirty minutes.” As she hung up, Zachary took her hand in his.
“It’s gonna be fine, DeLynn. Davis is a good man. He’ll watch over your friend.”
The tension in the living room was almost too much to take. DeLynn lay against Zachary’s shoulder. He was leaned forward, in a rather protective stance, keeping everyone else at bay while they waited. The Carrolls had been in Seattle when Liz called so it took them a lot longer to return to Hyacinth. Liz had brought out hot cider and while Barrett and Zachary spoke in low tones about other things, a dark cloud of worry hung over all of them. When the doorbell rang, it was with a relief.
Daniel and Cheryl Carroll practically ran inside once Barrett opened the door.
“Where is she?”
“Is she all right?”
“Why did she go?”
Their questions overlapped one another until Zachary shook his head. “Enough,” he said firmly, but calmly. “I know this is difficult, but it’s difficult for DeLynn as well who had to hear this firsthand. Why don’t you take a seat so she can tell you what she knows? Then we can call Chrissa.”
Nodding, her friend’s parents sat down, their eyes on DeLynn.
Zachary leaned back and wrapped his right arm around her and took her hand in his left. Cocooned in his warmth, she took a deep breath. “Chrissa called me today to ask for my help. She needed money because the girls she was with deserted her and left, not leaving her a dime.” Her voice was practically emotionless because she was trying to distance herself from it. “But there’s another complication…” Her eyes rose to meet Chrissa’s mother’s. “She’s pregnant.”
It seemed like for a long moment, nobody breathed. “My baby,” Cheryl gasped, her hand covering her mouth. “Where is she?”
“She’s in Coeur d’Alene,” Zachary explained when DeLynn couldn’t say anything for a moment. “A friend of mine from school is head of one of the denominations there. He’s taken Chrissa home with him to give her a safe place to stay. Davis will make sure she has a hot meal and tomorrow he’ll also be sure she sees a doctor to make sure she and her baby are well.”
“Who’s the father?” Daniel Carroll asked, his voice firm.
“We don’t know. That wasn’t one of the questions that seemed paramount at the time,” Zach said calmly. “What we do know is Chrissa’s scared and thinks she wouldn’t be welcomed back.”
Grunting, Mr. Carroll stood up and slowly paced back and forth. “We’ve been watching her go downhill for a while. She’s always been the type to do things her way. It was her friendship with Deeka and DeLynn that kept her on the straight and narrow as it was. How did we miss this?”
“Trying to find blame isn’t going to help the situation,” Zachary said gently. “What we need to do now is figure out how to help Chrissa.”
“She needs to come home,” Cheryl said.
“No,” her husband said firmly. “You know the way the girls will treat her.”
“But we love her,” DeLynn argued. “She needs people around her who love her.”
Clearing his throat, Barrett stood up. “Why don’t we put off trying to decide what we think is best for Chrissa and just concentrate on making sure she’s okay? After the shock has gone down and she’s had a couple days in a warm, safe place to think about things, then we can discuss it. For now, why don’t we just concentrate on letting her know we love her?”
Daniel didn’t look pleased, but nodded, going back to sit next to his wife.
Barrett nodded to Zach who pulled out his phone. He put it up to his ear. “Hey, Davis…Yeah, I’m sitting in the living room with Chrissa’s friend DeLynn, her parents, and Chrissa’s parents…” He winced. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. Is she willing to say hello to everyone?” Pulling DeLynn close, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head while he waited. “All right. I’m going to put you on speaker.”
“Hello,” said a deep, rumbling voice. “This is Davis Roughton. Chrissa’s here with me. She’s scared, tired, and upset. Let’s make this a good call, all right?”
Something about his words and tone made DeLynn smile. She had the feeling she would like this man.
“Hello.” Chrissa’s voice was tiny—microscopic—and DeLynn ached for her.
“Chrissa,” Cheryl said, a sob in her voice. “It’s so good to hear your voice, honey. We’ve been worried.”
“Hi, Mom.”
Daniel cleared his throat. “Chrissa.”
Zach tensed next to DeLynn and she couldn’t blame him, but she also knew that Daniel Carroll rarely, if ever, showed emotion. This was probably going against everything he would prefer to be doing right now.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Are you okay?” Cheryl asked, leaning forward, her eyes planted on Zachary’s phone as if by looking hard enough she could see her daughter’s face.
“I’ve been better.”
It was obvious nobody knew what to say. Davis cleared his throat. “Well, if that’s all, I’m sending Chrissa off to bed. I don’t think she’s slept in days.”
“You can’t tell me what to do.” The battle in Chrissa’s voice actually made DeLynn smile. At least her friend still had some fight left.
“Actually I can. You’re tired and can barely keep your eyes open. You’re going to go to bed, sleep for at least eight to ten hours and then tomorrow maybe you’ll feel more like talking.”
“Don’t count on it.”
“Chrissa, don’t be difficult,” Daniel said. “The man’s trying to help you.”
A loud sigh crossed the line. “Fine.”
“All right then,” Davis said and his amusement came through loud and clear. DeLynn could practically picture a smirk on his face. Oh, Chrissa was going to push his buttons. She wouldn’t be able to stop herself. “Why don’t you call tomorrow night? There’s a local clinic that’s open on Saturday mornings I’m going to take her to, but other than that, she’ll be resting.”
After the call was finished, the Carrolls left pretty quickly and it was just the four of them.
“I’m glad to hear she’s somewhere safe,” Liz said with a quiet sigh. “Poor Chrissa. She always takes the hard road.”
“Davis will take good care of her,” Zach said quietly. “He’s huge, got through undergrad on a football scholarship, but he’s the gentlest man I know. He’ll make sure she’s taken care of until she can take care of herself.”
“That’s about the truth of it, too,” Barrett said, his eyes on DeLynn who felt extremely tired. “A single woman with a baby with no education? Poor Chrissa has a bit of a hard road ahead of her. But if anyone can make it, she can. When she sets her mind to something, she always achieves it. It’s getting her to that point that’s the problem.”
Zach rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “Honey? Why don’t you go get some rest? You look like you could collapse.”
Nodding, she gave him a soft kiss and stood up. “I think I will. This has been an exhausting afternoon.” With a nod to her parents, she slowly climbed the stairs, barely able to change her clothes and brush her teeth before collapsing into bed.
Hopefully things would start getting better tomorrow.
Chapter 9
“We want to talk to our daughter,” Daniel Carroll said, his voice calm, but his face was filled with anger. DeLynn squished herself into Zachary’s side and he tightened his hold around her shoulders.
“I understand that,” Davis answered calmly. “But at the moment, Chrissa doesn’t want to talk to you. She’s had a rough week and is resting. I cannot force her to talk to you and to be honest, I think she’s a runaway risk. I’m trying to get her to feel safe here so that she doesn’t feel she has to leave.”
“Is she okay?” Cheryl asked softly.
“Physically she’s all right,” Davis said cautio
usly. “She hasn’t been eating enough which is one of the reasons she’s so run down. Babies require a lot more than your average nineteen-year-old girl can usually get away with eating. But the doctor put her on some vitamins and she’s readily taking those. I think a few more days of sleep and decent food and feeling like she’s safe will bring about a big change.”
It had been seven days since Chrissa first called and so far she had only spoken to her parents once. Since then the calls had consisted of Davis talking with them and giving only so much information as he was protecting her as well as helping her. DeLynn felt a tremendous amount of trust in the man. Zachary held him in the highest esteem and he seemed to truly be doing everything he could for her friend.
“What about the girls who dumped her?” Daniel grunted.
“Unfortunate and I have put the word out so that if they are spotted anywhere close, hopefully your daughter will get her things back. From what little she’s said, I don’t think it was done maliciously so much as selfishly.”
“How far along is she?” Cheryl asked. “When is our grandbaby due?”
Surprised, DeLynn opened her eyes and looked at Chrissa’s mom. For some reason, she had assumed the Carrolls would want Chrissa to adopt the baby out.
“I’ll never understand how doctors decide to date pregnancy but by their numbers, she’s due in early August.”
“We appreciate your helping her, Mr. Roughton,” Daniel said, “but we can’t saddle you with a young woman with a baby. We’ll find somewhere for her to stay. One of Cheryl’s cousins lives in Montana. Maybe she can go there.”
“Now hold on,” Davis said. “I have no trouble with Chrissa staying here if this is where she chooses to stay. She’s a nice girl who definitely needs some guidance and I would like it to be up to her where she goes. Right now she feels abandoned and just needs a sense of some place being real and of being wanted. The ladies in my church are ready and willing to fold her into their little group as soon as she’s ready to meet others.” There was a pause and he added, “Mr. Carroll, you should know that your daughter specifically told me that you wouldn’t allow her to come home in her condition. I need to know if that is actually true or just something she assumes to be true.”