by Robin M Helm
Xander had been bored, amused, surprised, and vexed, but he had never known the stronger emotions of anger, hatred, jealousy, or love. He had experienced the righteous anger every protector knew in guarding his charges from the dark ones, but never any anger on his own behalf. Those types of feelings were distinctly human. He had observed them but never experienced them. He did not desire to do so. He had seen the havoc wreaked by unchecked passions. Human empires had fallen because of jealousy and greed. People had murdered each other when they were ruled by the anger which was fueled by their hatred. Wars were fought in the name of every conceivable emotion. Even members of the host had been affected by allowing their emotions free reign; many of his kind had fallen from heaven and left the service of the Master because of their abominable pride and selfish lust for power. They had lost their light, and now served Beelzebub, Lord of the underworld, Prince of Darkness. No, Xander had no wish for emotions to interfere with his existence; he liked things as they were – orderly and uncomplicated.
Xander folded his arms over his chest and recalled the conversations of the family over the last few years that had led to this event occurring now in this delivery room. He narrowed his eyes as his thoughts drifted back in time, his perfect mind revisiting the thoughts of the other protectors he had heard upon joining the group.
The child was special to her family, of course. Xander had observed that her mother had wanted another baby two years after the birth of their daughter Janna, and had asked David if they could have another child, but he had not agreed. He had feared that his small income as a minister along with Lynne’s teaching salary would not support two children, and he did not want to be unable to provide a good education and everything else that he felt was needed for his offspring. Lynne had not mentioned her desire again, but had prayed daily that if God wanted her to have another child, David would bring it up himself by the time she was thirty-five years old. As Janna grew, David had realized how much he enjoyed being a father. He had seen his wife holding the babies of her friends; he had seen her wistful expression as she had kissed the children and handed them back to their mothers. He loved her, and it had been difficult to bear her subtle sadness. His adored little Janna also had voiced her longing for a sister or brother.
During the earth year 1989, both David and Lynne had turned thirty-five. In July of that year, after returning from a summer retreat with the youth of the church, he had walked calmly into their house and made a life-altering statement.
Lynne and Janna had been watching TV when David had arrived. Lynne was lying comfortably on the couch when David had looked at her with a bemused expression and said, “If you still want to have another baby, I want to have one, too.”
Because she had already accepted that she was now thirty-five and her desire for another child would go unfulfilled, she had nearly fallen off the couch in shock. “Are you serious, David? What brought about this change?” Her mind spinning, she was thinking, Why didn’t I pray that he would agree by the time I was thirty? Can I really do this at thirty-five? Then, amused at her own inner response to David’s capitulation, she chuckled softly as she thought, This is no longer a choice. God has answered my prayers in a definite way. This is His will, and He will help me through it. I must not develop a lack of faith now.
When his wife had questioned him a second time, David had avoided telling her what had caused him to change his mind. Lynne had known instinctively that God had dealt with him, and that He had answered her prayers; however, she wisely kept those thoughts to herself, not wishing to antagonize her husband. David had been sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. It was enough.
In her extreme joy and excitement, Lynne had called her mother, Norma.
“Mom,” she chattered, eager to share her news. “We’re going to have another baby!”
“You’re pregnant again?” asked Norma, a hint of surprise in her voice.
“Well, not yet. But David has finally agreed.” Lynne paused, puzzled by her mother’s lack of a congratulatory response.
“Honey, you’ve been on the pill for more than nine years now. You may not be able to get pregnant right away. It may take a while, and you’re thirty-five years old now. Slow down a little, Sweetheart.” Norma hated for Lynne to be disappointed.
“But, Mom, I’ve prayed for this child for all those years. I won’t have any problem getting pregnant.”
And she didn’t have any problem at all. Now that David’s mind was made up, he happily, even eagerly, joined with Lynne in her efforts to conceive. She stopped taking the birth control pills, and she and her husband explored alternate means to prevent conception until the time was right. Both David and Lynne seemed to wear perpetual smiles during those months.
“David,” Lynne had whispered playfully to him one night, her green eyes twinkling in good humor. “I hope you don’t mind all the extra work we’ve been putting into making a baby. You must be tired.”
He had grinned lazily at her and replied in mock seriousness as he turned on his side to face her in their bed. “Not at all. I’m always ready to do my part for the cause.” Then, in earnest, he had added tenderly, “You know that this is the best part of deciding to have another child. Maybe we could put a little more effort right now into realizing our goal.” And they did.
Ever practical and thorough, Lynne had immediately added maternity coverage to their medical insurance, aware that it would have to be in place for ninety days in order for it to cover her pregnancy. Then she had counted down the days. She needed to conceive after the first day of October to be covered. Just as she had planned, by her estimation, she had become pregnant on October second. The child would be born in July after her teaching year ended, and she would be able to resume teaching when the new school term resumed in mid-August. The small Christian school at which she taught had a daycare, and the baby was already registered for the next year.
Xander nodded gravely. Yes . . .This child was in God’s design for their lives. They could have no way of knowing, as he did, that their child was in God’s design for the rest of the world as well.
Chapter 2
“We have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.”
I Corinthians 4:9
As Xander thought back through the events that had brought this small group to Elizabeth’s birth, his memories were as clear as if he were living the moments for the first time. He allowed his thoughts to wander again, this time remembering Mrs. Bennet’s first doctor’s appointment. Certainly he had not been pleased with the event, and Lynne Bennet had been even less so.
~~oo~~
Xander’s sharp eyes unrelentingly watched his enemy. He fixed the dark one with a piercing, intense stare as the demon grinned back wickedly at him from across the room.
Though the fallen ones had retained the beauty that had been bestowed on them in the beginning by their Creator, it had become twisted and evil. Whether they chose to be seen in human form, or, very rarely, in their true angelic forms, light beings and fallen angels were indistinguishable to humans. However, no one in either the light or dark angelic ranks would ever mistake one kind for the other. That was not possible. Holy angels radiated a gentle glow, while the fallen emitted no light at all. Xander did not question why Elohim had chosen to allow the evil ones to continue to exist; he simply accepted his Master’s wisdom and knew that His ultimate purpose would be fulfilled.
Lynne’s first visit to her OB-GYN had been frustrating in the extreme.
Dr. Gardner had rushed into the room and done a cursory examination. Without so much as a pretense at caring, he had scribbled on her chart, not even bothering to look up at her as he spoke in a voice laced with routine unconcern.
“Mrs. Bennet, I’m having the receptionist set you up with several tests,” he said, writing hurriedly. “When my patients who are thirty-five or older are pregnant, I always perform an amniocentesis. There are higher percentages of babies with genetic abnormalities, such as Down syndrome
and spina bifida, born to women in your age group. If the fetus is found to have either of those particular disorders or a range of other genetic defects, we want to be certain that you have time to make an informed decision. After the first trimester, abortions become riskier.”
Xander and Lynne’s guardian, the shorter, black-haired Niall, stiffened, taking protective stances, while the demon at Dr. Gardner’s side smirked at them.
Lynne’s eyes widened, and when she had sufficiently calmed herself to gather her thoughts, she replied, “Dr. Gardner, I have read that an amniocentesis can cause a miscarriage. Some studies say that the miscarriage rate is as high as one for every one hundred amniocenteses performed while Down syndrome occurs in about one in eight hundred babies. Even fewer babies have spina bifida. If what I have read is accurate, and I believe that it is, there is a far greater likelihood that the test will cause me to miscarry than that my baby could actually have either of those conditions. Furthermore, Doctor, out of every 250 tests showing positive results for Down, as many as five percent are false positives and forty-two percent of the Down babies are undetected. How many of those women that got false positives unknowingly chose to abort a perfectly healthy, ‘normal’ infant? In any event, I would not abort my child even if she did have Down, or any other genetic disorder. In fact, I wouldn’t abort under any circumstances.” Lynne absolutely refused to refer to her child as an “it,” so “she” was her choice of pronoun, for now.
As Lynne voiced her challenge, Dr. Gardner stopped writing abruptly and looked up. He tossed Lynne’s chart aside and glared at her impatiently, his dark brows nearly coming together as he furrowed them deeply. Clearly, he was angry. “You would not abort even if your fetus was anencephalic?” he asked in astonishment. “Even if it had no brain?”
Xander’s hand moved reflexively to his sword as he narrowed his eyes. His enemy mirrored his movements.
Lynne held the doctor’s gaze and did not flinch. She was not a woman to be so easily intimidated, especially by those who felt the need to play God with people’s lives.
“Dr. Gardner,” Lynne replied calmly, “I do know what the word means.” It was with great effort that she maintained her unruffled demeanor.
“Then, Mrs. Bennet,” he continued in a clipped voice, “you probably also know that a baby with anencephaly carried to full term could not live for more than two days.”
“If that were the case, Dr. Gardner, my child would go to be with God,” she said. “We are Christians. It would not be my decision. Don’t be concerned. I can assure you that there is nothing wrong with my baby. She is an answer to prayer. Whatever God chooses to give us will be cherished.”
Lynne stared at the doctor, wondering if she should tell him the human, or rather the humane side of the argument – that a couple in Lynne’s church actually had parented a child with anencephaly who had lived two and a half years. Though she never learned to walk or talk, and most people may have thought that such a child had no purpose or value, she had given meaning to her parents’ lives. They had loved her dearly. After her death, the couple had formed a nation-wide support group for parents of children with the disorder. Following a moment of silence, she simply shook her head. By the closed expression on his face, she knew it would be fruitless to argue with him. The doctor’s mind was made up. Lynne broke their eye contact and held her counsel regarding the child of her friends. She knew that he would neither believe her story nor care about her friends.
He sighed at her ignorance and fixed his eyes on hers with barely concealed contempt. “You are very judgmental, Mrs. Bennet. Abortion is the main form of contraception in other countries,” he said in a superior tone. These self-righteous Christians grate on my nerves.
“I am not judging anyone, Dr. Gardner. Every woman has to live with her own decisions. Though I will not have the test you mentioned as it could harm my child, I am perfectly willing to have any non-invasive tests that you suggest. That way, if my child does have a serious medical condition, there could be a team of specialists at the birth to take care of her.”
“If you will not agree to an abortion, I see no need to perform any tests, Mrs. Bennet. Have a nice afternoon. Please set up your next appointment on your way out.” He spoke brusquely and left the room without a backward glance.
Xander inwardly chuckled. His estimation of Lynne’s strength of character had risen dramatically during that encounter. He had known that she was highly intelligent, but now he greatly admired her tenacity as well. From his experience in the last half century, he had found that most women accepted whatever a doctor advised without question. She, in contrast, had done her research and stood her ground, insisting on doing what she thought was best for her child. She was a woman worthy of his respect.
He turned his steely gaze to the enemy and took that opportunity to smile at the dark one, driving the evil angel to wrath. The first battle had been won without so much as a skirmish, though Xander’s hand still twitched beside his sword, yearning to strike a blow at the imp, sending the fiend howling into the pit for eternity. But it was not yet time.
~~oo~~
In Xander’s opinion, Lynne’s next visit to the doctor’s office went a little better. Fortunately, there was a woman, a servant, in the practice with the other two male doctors. She had taken a special interest in Lynne’s pregnancy and had privately arranged to perform a sonogram on Lynne every month while charging her for only the first in the series. Dr. Neal’s guardian, acutely aware of Xander, had watched with avid interest as the doctor carefully checked the baby’s spine and rate of development each month so that, if necessary, she could have specialists present at the birth. Though these precautions had made Lynne more comfortable, they had proved to be unnecessary. Xander and Niall had nodded silently at Dr. Neal’s protector in approval. As usual, the Master had provided for every contingency.
Her pregnancy was mostly uneventful. Niall, along with Xander, constantly watched her. There was never a moment when she was not protected. All guardians knew that the dark ones were especially alert whenever a believer was singled out for protection by the higher ranks. Xander’s reputation was well-established, and his presence had already attracted their attention. The evil ones would do everything within their power to prevent the birth of this child. The OB-GYN was under their influence and had played a significant role in their first attempt toward this end.
Later, when Lynne was about six months into her pregnancy, she had tripped going through a doorway. Feeling herself falling, she had twisted her body to avoid landing face-forward on her stomach. Though she hadn’t known it, both Niall and Xander had leapt under her to cushion her fall. She was of average height and build, about five foot six, but her bulky, pregnant form was as no weight to the guardians.
Lynne, to her great chagrin, had never been athletic or even well-coordinated, and both guardians had grimly tracked her every move. Xander was glad that she had two guardians with her at all times. She was a devout Christian who was musically talented and highly self-motivated. In addition, she was an excellent wife and mother. In fact, she did many things very well. Walking was not one of them. His favorite time of the day had been when Lynne was asleep. Even then, he had been vigilant. She is clumsy enough to roll off of her bed in her sleep, he had thought as he chuckled to himself.
Knowing Lynne’s mind was extremely helpful to her protectors. She had been ecstatic to be pregnant, and she had done everything within her control to ensure a healthy baby and a safe delivery. She took every possible precaution, was careful to take her pre-natal vitamins, and did the recommended exercises. Any risky behaviors, even drinking her beloved coffee, were avoided totally. The safety and well-being of her pre-born child had been almost an obsession with her. David and their beautiful, brown-eyed Janna had also been thrilled that this child was to join their family. They had done all that they could to help Lynne – cooking meals, doing housework, and making sure that she had time to rest when she came home from teachin
g. David had also gone with Lynne to Lamaze classes, just as he had when Lynne was carrying Janna. Xander’s charge had been well-loved before she had ever taken her first breath. He was pleased.
As Lynne and David had discussed names for their child, confirmed to be a daughter in the sixth month of Lynne’s pregnancy, she had realized that a compromise would be necessary. Her husband liked short names and would not accept anything too formal. She insisted that a formal name was needed in case their daughter grew up to be a professional who needed more than a nickname. Finally, he had agreed to name the baby Elizabeth and call her El, but both of them had been undecided about her middle name. As Lynne had talked over their dilemma with Mary Collins, who was another pastor’s wife, a perfect name had been suggested. Her friend had insisted that her second name should be Faith, because her mother had prayed for her for so long.
The comparison brought to Xander’s mind the memory of another of his charges, the shepherd boy, David. Xander smiled as he recalled how Samuel’s mother, Hannah, had pleaded with God for a child, and had promised to bring Samuel back to the temple after he was weaned and give him to Eli, the priest, to be trained for God’s service. He had become a priest himself as well as a great judge who had been given the privilege of anointing David the second king of Israel. Was this child as beloved in the sight of the Father as David, a man after God’s own heart?
And so it was that Elizabeth’s name was a testament to her mother’s constant petitions to the Almighty. Throughout her life, every time she heard or wrote her middle name, Elizabeth would remember how much she was loved and wanted.
~~oo~~
Appropriately it was Halloween, a time when the veil separating the physical world from the spiritual realm was at its thinnest. It was the night when demons most easily slipped through the diaphanous curtain and came out to wreak havoc upon mankind.