Angel Promises Fulfilled
Page 24
“Well then you tell her and make amends. Do it without me. There is no relationship between Marjorie and me. There has not been for as long as I can remember. It’s always been you and me. And the only way I could reach you was to do what you wanted just like all the other CEO’s. Well now I’m tired of it. I will do what I want to do.”
“Look, son, try to—”
“No! You look! it’s too late for that and I would appreciate it if you would stay out of our marriage. What’s going on between Nora and me is our business and no-one else’s. Didn’t you always say that? That you can handle your own affairs and didn’t need anyone to butt in?”
“I might have said that, if fact I know I have, but in this case with family, I was wrong, J.J… How can I convince you of that?”
“That’s up to you, James. If you think it was wrong, then that’s fine for you. You can live your life the way you want and let me live mine the way I want. If I want your advice I will ask for it.”
“Ahem,” Charles said.
Both men turned to the butler standing at the doorway.
“Are you ready for your afternoon tea, sir, and can I get a cup for your son?”
“No, Charles, I was just leaving.” J.J. turned to his father and was going to say something, but seemed to think better of it and stormed back into the house and out the front door.
“I hope I wasn’t interrupting, Mr. Hamilton.”
“No, no, that’s fine, Charles … I am just reaping what I have sown.”
Chapter Thirty Nine
It was such a sad farewell scene to see Matti and Chloe go back home. Jenny appreciated their love, prayers and support so much. Perhaps it was a blessing they had left however, as in the days that followed Jenny was confronted with one medical person after the other. Doctors and scientists from all over the world made their way to Regina in an attempt to explain the unexplainable. Well known writers who had written on the subject of life after death and of patients who had died and returned back to the land of the living also flocked to her in the hope of another story. And when they heard about the kiss and about her relationship with Henry and the ensuing miracles, Jenny was offered lavish contracts … it would be the greatest love story ever told!
After the fourth day however, Jenny felt so wonderful and healthy that she wanted to go home. She had enough of the interviews, probes, tests and examinations. She was elated to get the report from one of the gynecologist’s who had thoroughly examined her that her womb was completely free of cancer and she was perfectly healthy to bear children in all respects. He did express concern over her age but other than that, she could conceive a child.
When Dr. Kreake came in later that afternoon, Jenny shared with him that she felt like some freak show at a circus. While she wanted to help the doctors understand what happened, she had had enough. Doctor Kreake agreed and said he would get the release papers in order and everything approved in a day or two at the most. Dr. Kreake couldn’t thank her enough for her cooperation and said that in a few months her case would be written up in one of the Medical Journals.
Jenny agreed to stay for just two more days. She ached to get home. Spring was here early and all signs indicated that it was here to stay! March was in like a lamb and out like a lamb. It just seemed that winter had completely lost its grip on the prairies and wasn’t about to have its last hoorah this year! It couldn’t have complimented Jenny’s spirit more perfectly.
The flowers seemed to sense spring’s victory as well. Henry told her just yesterday how he noticed the perennials coming up. Soon, the yard would be filled with the beautiful array of colourful flowers and herbs and saturate the air with fragrances that she loved. She was sure she had seen a robin sitting on her window ledge the other day and soon the butterflies would be returning. Jenny felt ecstatic and didn’t know if she could make it through another day cloistered in her hospital room.
The only consolation during all this commotion and activity, were the visits from Camilla and her wonderful family. They actually had to make appointments to visit in between the tests and examinations carried out by various physicians. She had loved meeting Jeremy and her grandson Joshua. My, Jeremy was tall, dark and handsome and their little son, Joshua, an angel.
Jenny would never forget what Josh said when he saw her. “I prayed to my angel to send me another grandma. I miss Nana Pederson so much.” He looked at his mommy and said, “See, my angel asked God to heal Grandpa and he sent me a new Nana!”
Both Jenny and her daughter looked at each other with tears in their eyes.
Henry and Jenny had decided to wait until she got home to meet his other children. Jenny smiled when she heard that Lauren was dying to meet Dad’s teenage girlfriend and that Justin had his reservations. He wasn’t so sure he wanted someone to replace his mom who was still missed so much.
Jenny couldn’t wait for Henry to call. It was a long and tedious day and hours seemed to drag. Perhaps it was her anticipation of her beloved’s call that made minutes turn into hours. This would be the first day Henry wasn’t able to make it up to see her and he said he would phone later that evening so as not to interrupt any meeting she might be having with doctors during the day.
She wondered how his meeting went with the archbishop. His Eminence visited her briefly the other day and said he would like to speak to her again on her miraculous recovery when she got home. He was not only astonished at her recovery but by so many others as well. Both Henry and Father Engelmann had passed away that same day and came back to life in perfect health and then there were several residents in Father’s care home who had miraculous healings, too! “The power of prayer is manifested all the time. However, at times like this it defies everything we know and understand. Truly God’s ways are higher than our ways,” the Archbishop said before he left.
Jenny had to admit that what happened defied all reasoning like so many other happenings in her life. She could hardly wait to put flowers in her Angel of Thanksgiving’s basket!
As soon as the phone rang, Jenny knew that it was Henry and answered the phone accordingly.
“Hi Sweetheart, I so missed not seeing you today and kissing your tender lips!”
Henry quickly lowered his voice and replied, “Ahem, this is Dr. Kreake, just wanted to check in on you…” Henry couldn’t contain himself longer and burst out laughing.
“Henry! You had me going there for a minute! I must say I’m glad you pretended to be Dr. Kreake, I do have a crush on the man.”
“I better not pretend to be him in the future, then. I wouldn’t want that to become an ongoing concern.”
“No worries honey.”
“So how is my sweetheart tonight? Still baffling all the most intelligent doctors and scientists in the world?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so. Most just shake their head and find it hard to believe the reports that I was so sick. Dr. Kreake restricted my visits to just doctors and scientists and excluded others like writers and journalists. One pretended to be a doctor today until one of the nurses caught him as he was about to come into the room and asked that he leave. It was hysterical hearing him plead with Nurse Johnson. He even offered her money.”
“Well, you’re quite a story, honey, in more ways than one.”
“So, how did your meeting go with the archbishop?”
“Apparently the Vatican is thinking about sending an emissary or delegation to investigate all that has happened here. There wasn’t just one miracle but several and wait until they find out about Peter…”
Henry’s words immediately trailed off. He wasn’t going to mention Peter until Jenny got home and settled in. Henry knew from what Camilla shared with him the other day that Jenny apparently knew it was Peter who fathered her child.
“I hope mentioning him doesn’t upset you, Jen?”
“No, I know who you are speaking of and I was hoping we could talk about it sometime. Camilla knows as well and expressed to me the other day her wish to meet Peter some day.�
� Jenny hesitated to go on. She wondered how Henry was feeling about her being raped that night.
Would he have similar feelings that James had?
It was as if Henry had read her thoughts. “It must have been so difficult for you to find out that you had been assaulted that night, Jenny. When I learned about it, I wished over and over I had been there to comfort and support you. If only you had phoned, I would have been there in a flash…” Henry couldn’t go on as words began to get caught in his throat.
Jenny, too, couldn’t speak. She just felt a rush of warmth flood her body hearing Henry’s words of support and empathy. Thoughts of calling him so many times flooded her mind. Her fantasy that Henry was the father, over that brute, helped her to cope with her pregnancy time and time again.
“Oh, Henry, there were so many moments, so many times, I picked up the receiver to call you but I didn’t want to complicate your life. We were so young and how would you have reacted to this?”
“Jenny, I would have done anything to support you…oh, Jenny, I love you so much and Camilla, too. In a way she is our daughter. It’s amazing how this all turned out! It’s just another incredible miracle. The archbishop was in a state of awe for most of our meeting.”
“What did you mean when you said a few minutes ago, about Peter being healed as well?”
Henry went on to share how he first heard from Eddy how Peter was dreaming that he had fathered a child that night and the incredible dreams and meetings that resulted. The phone calls from Peter, his wife, and their meeting at Father Engelmann’s anniversary. It was Peter’s dreams that had especially haunted Henry.
Henry shared about Peter’s guilt over what happened and his resulting illness, death and miraculous recovery. He told Jenny that Peter had called just the other day and so desired to see both Jenny and Camilla and seek forgiveness for what he had done.
“When I realized the full impact of Peter’s confession, as to what actually happened that night, I felt all the anger and hatred I had for those guys return, Jenny. And just as the grip of vengeance started to take its hold on me, thanks to Father Engelmann’s teaching, I asked, ‘to what end and for what purpose would it serve to get my mind caught up in all those negative feelings. I have been there and it isn’t a good space to be—”’
And then Jenny added to his thoughts, “And why allow the beautiful birth of Camilla be tainted with thoughts of anger, sorrow or regret. I love her so much Henry, I just want good and beautiful thoughts to surround her—”
“That’s so true, Jenny. Something so incredibly good has come out of this and even if Peter wasn’t such a good man and so desirous to be forgiven, we would still have to do it…we just have to forgive and move on.”
“Oh, Henry, God has given us renewed life. We cannot allow not even one precious moment of our lives to dwell on thoughts that are not loving and forgiving.”
“Jenny, Peter so desires that we meet him. Apparently he had died as well that same morning you did. Unbelievably, he saw all three us on the other side; you, me and Father Engelmann. He said he saw our angels and how we almost entered the tunnel of eternity and then a healing act of God took place. He knew that our lives had been restored! I was going to mention it to the archbishop, but thought I would talk it over with you and also Father Engelmann. I wonder if Father saw what Peter did and why was it that we didn’t see what they saw?”
A calming peaceful silence hung over the phone line. Both Jenny and Henry were lost in a world of the unseen and the incredible happenings of the past few days.
“Oh, Henry, I love you so much and thank you…thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so understanding and supportive.”
“I love you, too, Jenny with all my heart. I wish I were there to hold you and comfort you…”
Once again, a peaceful quiet settled over the phone. Soon, Henry heard Jenny sobbing and his heart went out to her. He recalled one of the notes that she had sent him via the fence gate post so long ago and softly whispered, “If you were a bed, I would want to be a blanket and cuddle up with you all night through.”
He could picture, Jenny’s bright blue eyes light up and her sweetheart lips curl up into a warm smile.”
“And if you would send me the pillow that you sleep on, Henry, I would dream, dream after dream of being held in your loving arms forever and ever.”
“’Nite, Jen.”
“’Nite, Hank.”
Henry hung up the phone and Jenny’s last remark conjured up images of his dear sweet wife, Julean. “’Night, Hank” was what she had so often said just before they went to sleep. It was funny how Jenny always called him Henry and Julean had referred to him as Hank. Somehow it suited both of them and gave each a special relationship with him. He had to admit he loved the name each woman called him.
“Oh, Julean, I know I will never stop loving you, either. What would Jenny think or say if I dreamt of you in her presence like I did of her when you were alive? The Lord has blessed me with two beautiful women. How will Jenny react when she knows that I can’t let go of you, either?”
It slowly drifted into Henry’s consciousness, that James must be entertaining similar thoughts about Jenny. Henry still didn’t understand all the circumstances surrounding their relationship and yet they had drifted apart to the point where a divorce ensued. Did Jenny still have feelings for her former husband? Obviously, Mr. Hamilton wanted to restore their relationship. They were married for a long number of years and raised a child. There must have been something, as a lengthy marriage took place and yet, the circumstances didn’t seem that good.
Can their marriage be salvageable? What was his role in all this?
Henry felt agitated and concerned. When he and Jenny spoke and were with one another it seemed so clear that they were deeply in love with one another and yet, he too, still had such deep loving thoughts of Julean.
What if she came back, what would he do?
The decision to just abandon one’s spouse and move on with another is not that easily done. He knew the Church didn’t approve of divorce and favoured reconciliation at all cost. An annulment was only allowed under very strict conditions. It was all so unsettling.
Henry got ready to retire for the day and gently settled into the water bed. His weight displaced a large quantity of water, forcing it to the other side of the water mattress. He always thought Julean enjoyed that moment of being lifted as much as he did when the water gushed back lifting him, too. In that split second of time when the hidden wave crested and was about to fall, he felt a weightlessness in which his mind let go of all thoughts. He was immersed in the feeling and tried to extend that moment of freedom; that moment of not having to worry or feel guilty where his heart lay or the challenges of what may lie ahead or the worries of the day. Back and forth he swayed, relishing those few seconds as the rocking motion played itself out and stillness settled in. He wished it would have gone on longer and lulled him to sleep, as the peace didn’t last.
He picked up Julean’s rosary that he had tossed on the bed before taking off his trousers. He pulled the pillow next to him, close to his chest. It always reminded him of his dear wife’s presence, but tonight, he prayed that it was the pillow that he dreamed on; that it was the pillow that he could send to Jenny and together, it was the pillow that they all could dream on.
Chapter Forty
It was almost a replay of the other morning when Peter called. Henry was in a deep sleep when the irritating sound of the telephone rang again and again. He thought it was the phone ringing in his dream, when he finally realized it was the phone on his night table next to the bed.
“Oh, God, I hope that’s not Peter again.” Although he had spoken to Jenny just last night about setting up a meeting with Peter it was still far from being finalized.
It must have been on the eighth ring, when Henry finally picked up the receiver.
“Hello,” Henry said, still half asleep.
“Is Henry Pederson in?”
“Sorry, are you still there? Hello…”
“Yes, I’m still on the line. Is this Henry Pederson?”
“Yes, this is Henry.”
“I’m James Hamilton, Jenny’s former husband. I phoned to thank you for helping to restore Jenny’s health, if not her life. I understand a lot of people prayed for a miracle and it happened. I saw it here on the estate as well when Jenny lived here. Some of the strangest, most unexplainable happenings occurred; flowers lasting for months without water, a statue her father commissioned turning up in the garden under the most unusual circumstances…”
James continued to ramble on about other incidences. Although it sounded like gibberish, Henry knew what James was talking about. He had seen the same kind of unusual happenings in Jenny’s home and yard as well. But Henry was no longer really listening to the man on the end of the phone. His mind began to analyze the motives for the call. What did James really want?
Henry didn’t have to wait long for the answer.
“What I called about was to try and get your help or better yet, your cooperation in assisting me to get Jenny back to her home in Ottawa. You may know that we divorced, but that was all my doing. Boy, I have made some mistakes, not too many mind you, but letting Jenny slip away was my biggest error and I want to correct it.
“She belongs back home here,” James said forcibly and went on, “She has a son and daughter-in-law, a grandson, a mother-in-law that’s aging and they all need her. I’m not trying to draw sympathy but I am suffering from cancer and the prognosis isn’t that good. It would be wonderful to have Jenny back here…who knows, maybe her presence will create another miracle and have me healed as well!”