Love Conquers All

by Lorana Hoopes

  She said nothing, just returned her gaze to the television.

  Unsure what else to do, Azarius sighed and exited the room.

  Layla stood as he entered the waiting room. “How did it go?”

  Azarius shook his head. Tears stung the back of his throat, but he would not cry in front of this woman he barely knew.

  “It’s okay,” she said, touching his arm. “She’s hurting right now, but it will get better.”

  Azarius nodded and covered her hand with his own to show he understood. Then he walked down the hall. He needed to be alone.

  He rounded the corner and leaned against the wall, but before he could let the emotions out, his phone rang. The area code was Dallas, but he didn’t recognize the number. Swallowing the knot of emotion in his throat, he punched the button.

  “Hello?”

  “Is this Azarius Jacobson?”

  The unfamiliar professional voice dispelled the last of his emotion, and he stood straighter. “Yes, this is Azarius.”

  “Mr. Jacobson, we have you listed as an emergency contact for Greg Weaver.”

  Azarius’s heart tightened. “Yes, is everything okay?” This couldn’t be happening. First Lanie and now Greg.

  “He was in an accident last night.”

  “I’m on my way,” Azarius said, not waiting for more details from the woman. He looked around and spying a nurse at a nearby desk, he headed her direction.

  “Hi, do you have some paper, so I can leave a note?”

  The woman held up a finger and only then did he see the phone attached to her ear. Nodding, he stepped away from the desk to give her some privacy to finish the call.

  “I’m sorry, what did you need?” she asked a moment later.

  “Some paper to leave a note.”

  She looked down at the desk which was cluttered with papers and shifted through them until she found a blank one. She handed it to him with a pen and then turned to her computer.

  Azarius scribbled a quick message to Lanie about Greg’s accident and folded the paper. “Can you make sure the patient in room 108 gets this?”

  The nurse nodded, but as she took the paper, Azarius wondered if his folded slip wouldn’t get lost in the clutter of the desk. With a sigh, he headed for the exit, dialing a cab on his way. Lanie needed him, but she didn’t want him around right now, and he needed to make sure Greg was okay. Maybe the drive would clear his head and he would find some way to convince Lanie he wasn’t going anywhere.

  Chapter 17

  Azarius entered Greg’s room in the Dallas hospital both anxious to make sure Greg was okay and take him to task for his poor timing.

  Greg’s right leg was suspended in the air, encased in a cast and a bandage was wrapped around his head as well.

  “Dude, what happened?” All thoughts of giving Greg a hard time flew from his mind at the image of his friend broken and battered.

  Greg’s lips pulled into a lopsided smile. “It’s worse than it looks, really. Az, I met a girl.”

  “Where? In the hospital?” Azarius wondered if the head trauma was affecting Greg’s memory.

  “No, last night. I met her after work. I called an Uber for a ride home, and she was the driver. She’s beautiful, Az. Long dark hair and emerald eyes.”

  “That’s great, Greg, but what about the accident?”

  “Oh, yeah, we got in a heated discussion about the best television show, and she missed a stop sign. Neither of us saw the other truck.”

  “I hope she has insurance,” Azarius said.

  “I’m sure she does, but it’s not like that, man. She’s been here every moment since the accident.”

  Azarius glanced around the room to make sure he hadn’t missed the beautiful mystery woman. “Greg? How much head trauma did you sustain? There’s no one here.”

  “She went to get some food. She’ll be right back.”

  As if his words held summoning power, a woman entered the doorway. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you had guests. I can come back later.”

  “No, Jada, this is my bro, Azarius, the one I told you about.”

  Jada’s eyes lit up, and a smile stretched across her face. She hurried into the room, dropping the food on the table before coming to Azarius’s side. Before he knew what was happening, she had grabbed his hand and was pumping it up and down.

  “I’m so happy to meet you. Greg has told me such good things, and I know you must be worried about me, but I’m normally a very good driver, and I do have insurance so Greg will be taken care of.” The words spilled out one after the other from her mouth and all Azarius could do was stare. He had never heard anyone speak so quickly.

  “I wish we had met under different circumstances, but Greg said you were visiting your wife.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry we cut your visit short. Yours was the only name I had before we got in the accident. I guess his license still shows his sister’s place, and they tried to call her, but she wasn’t answering, so then they asked me if he had any other family as he had a brain bleed and they thought they might have to do surgery. He had called you his brother; I didn’t realize you aren’t brothers by blood, but I told them to look you up. I didn’t mean to ruin your weekend though.”

  The irony of this woman, who appeared to have only one speed when she spoke, liking Greg, who rarely spoke full sentences, hit Azarius and he laughed. A full bellied, throaty laugh that pushed away his sadness and fears for a moment.

  Jada’s eyes grew wide, and she glanced to Greg, who appeared just as surprised as she was.

  “I’m sorry,” Azarius said, composing himself. “It’s just that you two are like polar opposites, which probably means you’re perfect for each other. It’s nice to meet you, Jada, and you’re right - I do wish we had met under better circumstance, but if Greg likes you, then I like you.” He turned to Greg. “And what about you? What is the damage here?”

  “Broken leg, concussion, mild brain bleed, and bruised ribs,” Greg said. “I’ll live.”

  “You will, but you’ll need someone to take care of you and I can’t stay. Lanie had an ectopic pregnancy and lost it.”

  Jada sucked in her breath. “Oh no.”

  “Oh man, I’m sorry,” Greg said. “Is she doing okay?”

  “Not really,” Azarius said with a shake of his head. “She’s angry and hurt. I need to show her I’m not going anywhere.”

  “How are you going to do that?” Greg asked.

  “By doing something I should have done a long time ago. I’m going to tell her the truth. And I’m going to commit. I’m going all in, but it means I won’t be in the apartment to take care of you.”

  “I can do it,” Jada said. “I don’t believe in living together, but I can check up on him, and I’ll pay for someone to be there with him when I can’t.”

  Azarius turned to her. “How can you afford that on an Uber driver pay?”

  “It pays more than you think,” she laughed, “but it wouldn’t be paid with my Uber pay.” She bit her lip as if unsure if she wanted to disclose the thought on her mind, then drew her shoulders back and looked him in the eye. “I’m an heiress. My father owns Vizio Technology. I don’t drive because I have to; I drive because I want to. It keeps me grounded, and I like meeting all the different types of people.”

  Now Azarius knew they were a match made in Heaven. For all of Greg’s positives, handling money was not one of them. Azarius looked to Greg.

  “It will be fine, man. I know it seems fast, but when you know, you know, right?”

  Azarius nodded. He felt the same way about Lanie. It might have taken them a decade to get together, but he’d known she was special the first time he saw her. “Okay, well, can I get you anything from the house? I’m going to start getting things in order and then take care of some business tomorrow.”

  The shop he needed to visit would be closed tonight, but hopefully they’d be open tomorrow. He didn’t want to be away from Lanie for long, especially in her present sta
te. She might think she didn’t want or need him, but he was determined to show her differently.

  “Yeah, I could use a few things,” Greg said, “but just drop them by tomorrow. I can’t use any of them tonight anyway.”

  Azarius took notes on his phone of the items Greg would need for the next few days and then headed to the apartment.

  As he stepped inside, he realized it might be one of his last times in the place. He wouldn’t miss the apartment per se- it was nothing fancy - but it did hold memories of his time with Lanie, and while he knew he would be making more memories, a sentimental piece tugged at his heart.

  He gathered up Greg’s items and then packed a bag of his own. He would probably have to hire someone to pack up the rest of the items, but that could wait. Three months still remained on the lease.

  After those tasks were finished, Azarius climbed into bed. Only the faintest whiff of Lanie’s shampoo remained on his pillow, and he missed her warmth.

  “Lord,” he said quietly, “please be with Lanie now. Comfort her and heal her pain. Work on her heart and help me to know exactly what to say to show her how serious I am.”

  “He’s not here?” Lanie asked as Layla helped her pack up the next morning. There wasn’t much, but Layla had run to her house the previous night and grabbed toiletries and comfortable clothing. She had then stayed until visiting hours ended when Lanie had been left alone with her thoughts.

  Torturous, sad, and lonely thoughts. Yet, somewhere in the midst of those thoughts, an arm of comfort had surrounded her, easing the guilt and numbing the pain. Just as He stated in the Bible, God had been there at her lowest, offering her comfort if only she would accept it

  It wasn’t an immediate erasing of pain, and Lanie knew there would still be rough days ahead, but she had woken this morning with a desire to apologize to Azarius. He certainly hadn’t earned the lashing she delivered the night before.

  Layla bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “No, I’m sorry, honey. I haven’t seen him since last night. He seemed pretty shaken up though.”

  Lanie’s lips pursed together forming a tight seal. Of course he was. She had told him to leave and practically kicked him out of the room and out of her life. “Well, that’s a problem for another day, I guess,” Lanie said. She had no more energy to give today.

  Layla placed her arm on Lanie’s shoulders. “I don’t think he’s gone for good. One thing I can tell for sure is when a man loves a woman, and he loves you.”

  “Right,” Lanie nodded, “that’s why it took a decade for you to realize Max loved you.”

  Layla feigned shock before throwing her head back and laughing. “Well, maybe I can’t see it when it’s aimed at me, but I can tell with anyone else.” Her laughter rang throughout the room - a ray of hope in the midst of the darkness, and Lanie tucked that ray of hope away to remember later when the sadness knocked again.

  “All ready?” An elder orderly with closely cropped grey hair pushed a black wheelchair into the room.

  “Is that really necessary?” Lanie asked with a roll of her eyes. “I can walk.”

  A single shake of his head confirmed her fears. “Sorry, hospital policy. Everyone gets a ride out. Think of it as curbside service.”

  He flashed a wink and a smile, earning a small one in return. With a sigh, Lanie walked to the chair and sat down.

  “Now that wasn’t so hard, see?” He patted her shoulder with a tan, weathered hand that had probably comforted many patients before her. Then he turned the chair around and pushed it out the door.

  It felt good to leave the sterile walls, but hard. This building held the last memory of her child, but also the realization she’d never know if she had lost a son or a daughter.

  Before the black cloud could cloak her again, Lanie pushed the thought away and squared her shoulders. It would do no good to dwell in the past. She needed to focus on the future, whatever it might hold.

  Lanie stood in front of her bathroom mirror Monday wondering if she really could go into work. Her father had offered to give her a few days, but she’d insisted the business of routine would help her feel better. Now she wasn’t so sure.

  Dark circles still clung to her eyes, and a sadness she wasn’t used to seeing had taken residence on her face. Part of it was losing the baby, but another part was not hearing from Azarius. She knew she had been hard on him, but she had hoped he would fight for their marriage, that he would be there to take her home or at least call to check up on her, but none of that had happened.

  His arms could have at least eased some of the pain on her heart. After all, it was his baby too. She looked back to the warm comfort of her bed which beckoned to her with soft sheets and the promise of cloaking darkness. She could crawl in bed, pull the covers over her head, and let the darkness steal the rest of the day. Her father would understand.

  The chime of the doorbell halted her decision. She wasn’t expecting anyone, but it was probably her mother checking up on her. Not bothering to even brush her hair, Lanie shuffled to the front door and pulled it open.

  Still raw with emotion, tears streamed down her face before words could form at the vision in front of her. Azarius stood with his arms by his side and a bag at his feet, an angel in the midst of the wilderness.

  “I thought you were gone,” Lanie sobbed. Her knees gave out, but before she could hit the floor, he stepped over the threshold and wound his arms around her.

  “For better or for worse, remember?” he whispered in her ear and Lanie melted into his strong chest, letting his arms bear most of her weight. The tears poured out, a continuing landslide of tears down her cheeks and still he held her. He held her until her shoulders stopped shaking and her breath slowed. Only then did he lift her face to look in her eyes.

  “Where did you go?” she asked. “Why weren’t you there when I was released?”

  Azarius kissed her nose. “Let me bring my bag in and I’ll tell you everything.”

  Reluctantly, Lanie stepped from his embrace and let him grab his bag and shut the door. Azarius patted his pocket and grabbed Lanie’s hand, leading her to the couch.

  “I left you a note, but I’m guessing from your reaction you never got it.”

  Lanie shook her head.

  Azarius nodded; he should have known as much. “After you told me go,” he began, “I got a call from a Dallas hospital. Greg had been in an accident and they couldn’t reach his sister.”

  “Oh no, is he okay?” Lanie asked, squeezing Azarius’s hand tighter.

  “He will be,” Azarius said. “He’ll have some healing to do, but he met a new friend who I think will take good care of him. Lanie, I know you wanted me to leave, but I hope it was only the anger talking.”

  Lanie nodded; she still couldn’t believe how she had lashed out at him. “It was mostly that, but,” her eyes dropped to her lap.

  “But what?” His finger tilted her chin up again. “You can tell me anything.”

  “I was… I am afraid that now that there’s no baby, you won’t want to be married any longer. There’s still so much you haven’t told me, and I…” her words trailed off.

  Azarius sighed. “Lanie, I know the baby is what brought us together, but it wasn’t the reason I married you. That night, that fateful bad decision night, I knew I was falling for you. It broke my heart when I saw your note the next morning, and when you first left for Star Lake, I was a mess. I had no idea how much I cared about you until you were gone.”

  He shook his head and smiled. “You can ask Greg - well, when he gets out of the hospital. I moped around all day and spent most of the time in my room in the dark. It was Greg who convinced me to drive out to see you that first time, and I didn’t even know about the baby then, but I knew I wanted to be with you. But you didn’t seem ready, and I thought I’d lost you again. Then you showed up on my doorstep with the news of your pregnancy, and I was terrified and elated at the same time. I knew this was our chance, but I tried to play it safe, to keep my sec
rets and live in both sides, and I’ve realized I can’t do that.”

  Lanie bit the inside of her lip. She wanted to ask him to spill it, just get to the meat, but she forced herself to listen. He was finally opening up to her the way she had wanted from the first day, and she wasn’t going to mess that up.

  Azarius took a deep breath and blew it out. His eyes dropped to their hands, and he laced their fingers together before meeting her eyes again. “I told you once that I lost my mother when I was very young. It was actually the morning after my tenth birthday. She was sick with cancer, but I didn’t know that. She had hidden it from me because we were poor and she couldn’t afford the expensive treatments.”

  Pieces began to click into place. Of course he would have a negative association with his birthday, who wouldn’t?

  “I woke up that morning to a quiet house which was unusual. Even on her worst days, my mama would be up and fixing breakfast when I woke up, but that morning it was quiet. I knew something was wrong, and I went to her room. She lay in bed, looking peaceful, and I thought she was just asleep but after shaking her and hollering for her to wake up, I knew something was wrong, but I had no one to call, so I climbed up in bed with her and lay there until the neighbor showed up.”

  Lanie sucked in her breath and tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Azarius. Is that why you avoid your birthday?”

  “I don’t avoid it,” he said.

  “Yes, you do,” she countered.

  “Okay, I guess I do. Those memories are hard to deal with every year, so I found if I treated it like any other day, it got easier. Anyway, the neighbor came and took me to her house for the afternoon, but then CPS came. I had no idea who my father was, and most of my mother’s family were either dead or too poor to take me in, so I landed in foster care. Some places were better than others, but on the whole it wasn’t an experience I would want to repeat. It taught me to hold information close and keep people at a distance.

  “Then I landed at Mary’s house - my mother. She had just married, but found out she couldn’t have kids and so she decided to foster in hopes of adopting. I was thirteen and a handful, but she kept me anyway, even after the divorce of her first husband. My mom and I became close friends, and little by little she got me to open up.”