Christmas in Paradise

by J. E. B. Spredemann

  Chapter 10

  Mattie huffed as she glanced down at her phone. Part of her hoped the call would be from Richard; the other part was livid and never wanted to speak with him again. She recognized the number.

  Pastor? Why would the pastor be calling her?

  She regrettably answered the call. “Hello?”

  “Mattie, is this you?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “This is Pastor Bill. I’m sorry to bother you, Mattie, but I haven’t been able to get a hold of your husband,” the pastor explained. “It’s not too urgent or anything. I just wanted to let Richard know that he left a few things here at the house. Margaret found his pillow in the guest bedroom and a towel. And he also forgot his Bible here.”

  “At your house?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Margaret or I could stop by the house and drop them off for him. I’m sure he’s been missing his Bible.”

  “Oh. Well, we’re out of town right now.” Mattie scratched her head, still perplexed by the pastor’s words.

  “If you could just let Richard know, I would appreciate it.” The pastor paused. “By the way, Mattie, how are you doing?”

  “I’m sorry. I really can’t talk right now.” She rushed through her words. “If I talk to Richard, I’ll let him know you called.”

  “Thank you, Mattie. I also wanted to let you know that you and Richard are in our prayers.”

  “Okay. Uh, thank you. Goodbye.” She clicked off the phone as quickly as she could. Mattie felt rude by her abruptness, but she wasn’t ready for a sermon on divorce at the moment.

  She tossed her cell phone onto the bed and stared at it as though it were a peculiar object. Richard’s things are at Pastor Bill’s house? The thought made absolutely no sense.

  “Mattie!” Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by her mother’s call from the bottom of the stairs. “Elisabeth’s here.”

  Mattie rushed to the window and looked out. Odd. Elisabeth’s here alone?

  She checked on the children, who were contently playing in their room, then hurried down the stairs so as not to keep her friend waiting. Elisabeth and her mother were immersed in small talk when she reached the kitchen.

  She smiled. “Lis. What a pleasant surprise.”

  “We need to talk.”

  Mattie’s eyes met her friend’s. She hadn’t discussed her quarrel with Richard with anyone yet. Had Elisabeth heard about it through the grapevine already? “Okay. Let’s take a walk?”

  “Sure,” her friend replied.

  Mattie turned to her mother. “Will you keep an eye on the kids for me? They should be fine. I just checked on them before I came down. They were playing in Rebekah’s room.”

  Her mother nodded with a smile.

  “Let’s walk in the woods?” Mattie suggested. She’d always loved this part of her parents’ property and had missed it the most while living in the city.

  Elisabeth followed her lead. “How have you been?”

  “Oh, where to start! Well, Johnny and I went out for breakfast yesterday.”

  Her friend nodded, listening intently.

  “What a mess. Richard showed up and he actually thought that Johnny and I were out on a date! Can you believe that? Oh, I was so mad at him. Later, I found out that Richard hit poor Johnny in the face!” She clenched her hands together and took a deep breath, attempting to control her anger. “And I–” Pain tore through her middle section and she immediately doubled over.

  “Mattie, what’s wrong?”

  She struggled to breathe and tears pricked her eyes. “I think it’s the baby!”

  <><><>

  Richard truly believed it would all work out. Hearing Carson’s support and now knowing that there was nothing beyond friendship going on between his wife and Johnny Fisher, he had almost no doubt on the matter. He and Mattie just had to talk and everything would come into place.

  Thank You, God, for helping me figure all of this out. Please let Mattie hear me out and restore our marriage. I’m so sorry for drifting away from You. Please help me get back on track and help Mattie to-

  His phone rang, cutting off his prayer, and he dug it out of his pocket to see who it was.

  “Elisabeth?”

  “Richard, I need you at the hospital right now.” Alarm laced her tone.

  “Why? What’s happened? Is it Carson?”

  “No. It’s Mattie.”

  Dread squeezed his heart.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “She’s had strong cramping.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means she’s about to lose the baby.”

  “Baby?”

  “Yes. She’s pregnant, Richard. About nine weeks along. I went over to see her today and she started spotting. I got her to the hospital as quickly as I could. I don’t know much about these things, Richard, but it’s not good. There’s a really good chance she could lose the baby.”

  He couldn’t breathe. He was still trying to process the fact that his wife was expecting a child. “She- she’s pregnant?” he reiterated.

  “Yes, Richard. And if I wasn’t so worried right now, I’d offer you congratulations.”

  “I-I’ll be there as soon as I can, Elisabeth.” He almost hung up then realized he didn’t know where to go. “Wait! Give me the address to the hospital so I can put it in my GPS.” He quickly jotted down the information.

  Richard hung up and sat in silence for a stunned moment.

  Mattie was expecting a baby! His baby. But something was wrong and she might lose the baby. Not good at all.

  He grabbed his keys and sprinted out of his hotel room, praying the entire way to the car.

  <><><>

  Carson let out a breath as he spotted Richard rushing to the hospital entrance.

  “Carson! How’s Mattie? Do you know what’s happened?”

  “All I know is she’s in room 201. Elisabeth said I should wait here for you.”

  Richard continued to the elevator and pushed the button. They waited for a moment. “You know, this is taking too long. Where’s the stairs?”

  “I have no idea, Richard. We should probably just wait.”

  The elevator opened a second later, for which Carson was grateful. He didn’t doubt Richard would have charged the first hospital employee he saw and demanded that they direct him to the stairs if it hadn’t. They stepped inside and Carson noticed his friend’s fingers agitatedly drumming against his leg as they ascended.

  Finally it came to a halt on the second floor and they stepped off. Richard practically ran to the waiting room and Carson hurried to catch up with him.

  Elisabeth was waiting for them.

  “How is she? Do you know how bad it is? Will the baby live?”

  “I don’t know, Richard. I haven’t seen her since we first arrived.”

  “How did this all happen?”

  Elisabeth quickly explained what she had told Carson. They had been walking and Mattie began cramping.

  Richard sighed in frustration. “Why didn’t she tell me she was expecting a baby?”

  “Did you expect her to?” Elisabeth asked. “With how things have been going between you two lately?”

  “Yes. Well, I guess not. I don’t know. But this is really important. I don’t understand why she wouldn’t tell me.”

  “She saw no reason to. She thought you were having an affair. She thought you had rejected her. She probably didn't think you'd care.”

  “I can’t believe she would think that. I’ve always cared.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Do you know anything about this sort of thing at all?”

  Elisabeth shook her head, her eyes misting. Carson put his arm around her. “I’m sorry, Richard, but it isn’t good. All I know is that spotting is usually a sure sign of a miscarriage.”

  Richard sank into a chair and covered his face with his hands. “Oh, God, watch over them. Help them and please, don’t let our baby die. Or Mattie. Please.”

  Carson and Elisabeth
sat beside their friend and joined him in prayer. If anyone could help Mattie and their unborn child, it was the Saviour of the universe.

  Chapter 11

  “Is someone here for Mattie Greene?”

  Richard jumped at the voice and hurried to the nurse, Carson and Elisabeth following closely behind him. “I’m her husband. How is she?”

  “She’s resting now. It was a close call. She nearly miscarried, but as far as we can tell, the fetus is all right. For now.” The nurse looked pointedly at Richard. “She will need to be on strict bedrest.”

  Richard frowned. “For how long?”

  “Just to be on the safe side, we want Mrs. Greene on bed rest until at least the twenty weeks mark, with no physical exertion or emotional upset of any kind. She’ll need to see the doctor again in about a month from now.”

  Relief hit Richard so strong, he had to blink tears from his eyes. “Thank God they’re all right. May I see her?”

  “When would it be safe for her to return home?” Elisabeth asked at the same time.

  “We would like her to stay overnight at the least, but there will be no visiting during that time. Right now rest is what she needs.”

  “Thank you.”

  The nurse nodded and left the waiting room.

  Carson clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “She’ll be just fine.”

  Richard nodded, eyes bright. “I can’t believe I have to wait until tomorrow to see her.”

  “I’m afraid it’ll be longer than that.”

  He turned to Elisabeth. “Why?”

  “The nurse said no upset of any kind. I hate to tell you this, Richard, but if Mattie sees you, she could lose the baby. Stress is your baby’s worst enemy right now. You’ve been the main source of Mattie’s frustration the last few weeks. You should probably wait.”

  Richard opened his mouth to protest.

  “I think she’s right, buddy,” Carson said. “Right now, it’s better for Mattie if you aren’t there. I’d give her a week of rest before you go talk to her.”

  Elisabeth nodded. “At least.”

  Richard sighed, frustration evident in his tone. “I’ll do my best.”

  <><><>

  Mattie sat on the small chair in her room and attempted to concentrate on her book. After a few moments of switching between thinking and following the characters, she laid her novel to the side. There was no point in it. Her own world was too crazy for her to distract herself with someone else’s.

  Richard.

  She was still trying to fathom Pastor Bill’s phone call. So Richard hadn’t been living with his secretary as she’d assumed, and he wasn’t staying at the office. He’d been sleeping at the pastor’s house instead. So he’d been dating his secretary while staying with the pastor? What a hypocrite. And Pastor Bill most likely had no idea.

  She sighed. It seemed impossible for them to get back together. She wished they could simply talk things out but apparently that wasn’t going to happen. Not when everything turned into an argument. And she had no desire to be with an angry Richard, especially if he was inclined to use force like he had with Johnny.

  How had everything turned out so wrong?

  <><><>

  Richard sat on the edge of the hotel bed with the remote and flicked the television on. He aimlessly flipped through the channels and baffled that, with over fifty channels, there was still nothing good to watch. He quickly turned the television off again.

  Of course, the fact that he felt like a caged animal didn’t help his frustration. If only he could see Mattie. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, things he wanted to clear up and make right.

  But he’d do what was best for Mattie – and their baby. She’d been pregnant for nine weeks and hadn’t mentioned anything to him. That was something he was still trying to wrap his mind around. Under normal circumstances, this situation would have caused an argument. But Richard had to keep his cool, no matter how much he wished to voice his frustration over his wife’s disregard for his paternal right to know. How could she think that keeping a secret of this magnitude was acceptable – even if they were at odds?

  Expressing his ambivalent feelings toward his wife and her behavior would prove to be a feat in itself. He’d have to address the situation delicately, if he were to approach the subject at all. Perhaps he would let it slide for now. After all, the most important thing was that Mattie and the baby were alive and healthy.

  He hated to think that he could be the cause for Mattie’s emotional upset. Her emotions had always been somewhat volatile, or as his sister had succinctly put it, Mattie had a tendency to be a drama queen at times. But he often chalked that up to her being a woman. Weren’t most women emotional?

  Richard sighed and reached for the Gideon’s Bible he’d been using as a substitute since he arrived at the hotel. Thankfully, they still provided them in this establishment. It was the one thing he’d always been thankful for, when staying at hotels. The faithful placement of Gideon Bibles was something that, too often, was taken for granted. How many lives had been changed because of them? he now wondered.

  While he was appreciative of their presence, there were drawbacks. The main disadvantage of using a Bible that didn’t belong to him, was not being able mark the passages that held special meaning and writing notes in the margins. He could’ve kicked himself for forgetting to bring his own Bible. He felt out of place without it. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember where he’d left it.

  He turned to the place he’d been reading. It seemed like the Bible always contained the answers he needed, although oftentimes the answers were not what he wanted to hear. Sometimes his mind conflicted with the words on the page and he’d have to make a conscious decision to forfeit his own will and agree with God.

  As he now read through First Peter, chapter three, he nodded in agreement of how women should conduct themselves. His eyes landed on verse seven. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

  Richard briefly pondered the words, then continued.

  Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers:

  Richard bowed his head, thoroughly humbled. He prayed aloud, “God, please help me to be the husband You want me to be – the man that my wife and children need. Forgive me for falling short so many times. Help me to honor Mattie. Give me the compassion she needs and help me to refrain my tongue from evil. Let me speak only words of blessing and not strife. God, we need peace in our home – peace that only You can give. Please hear my prayer, Lord. May You receive all the glory. I ask these things in the name of my precious Saviour, Jesus, whose birth we will be celebrating in just a few days. God, if You will restore my marriage and save my baby, that will be the best Christmas gift I could ever ask for. Thank You. Amen.”

  Chapter 12

  It had been a week.

  Richard was done waiting.

  He tried to think of how he was going to explain things to Mattie. Her getting upset was the last thing she needed. It would be best for her and the baby’s health to stay calm. So he would simply tell her everything quietly and rationally. Yes, that will work, he decided as he drove to her parents’ house.

  And that was another thing. He was probably going to meet Mattie’s parents today. What would they think of him? Surely Mattie had told them what was going on in their relationship. What was their perception of him? Most likely, they’d already formed a biased opi
nion based on the knowledge they’d acquired from their daughter. Which was undoubtedly not the best thing.

  How would he be received? Would he be received? Did they already hate him? What would he do if they didn’t let him in? He shouldn’t use force, should he? No, that would just make things worse. But he had to talk to his wife.

  What else could he do? He’d tried to call her – multiple times. He’d thought of writing her a letter, but who knows if they’d burn it before Mattie even saw it. If they harbored hatred toward him, that could be a possibility.

  No, he’d go see her. Visiting in person was, no doubt, his best chance of seeing his wife.

  Richard sighed. Dear Lord, please guide me as I visit the Riehls’ residence. Please let Mattie’s parents accept me and allow me to talk with her. I pray that our conversation will be calm and that I will be able to explain so Mattie can hear the truth. Please let her be willing to return to our marriage, God. I pray that You will just have Your hand over this day, Lord. Don’t let the devil prosper. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  As his GPS directed him into a long driveway, he inhaled deeply. This must be it. He continued up to the house and spotted Lizzy and someone, who he guessed was Mattie’s father, playing by the swings. He parked his car and stepped out.

  “Daddy!”

  He turned at his daughter’s voice just before she threw herself at him. Tears pricked his eyes as she squeezed him into her arms. “Hi, Lizzy.”

  She pulled back and he lifted her into his arms. “I knew you were gonna come, Daddy! Momma said you weren’t, but I knew you would!” She buried her face into his neck, her nose cold against his skin.

  “I couldn’t spend Christmas without my Busy Lizzy! Of course, I had to come. And I plan to stay for a while too, if your Momma will let me.” He set his daughter back onto the snow-packed ground.