“I could call the doctor.” Christy glanced at the clock. “I don’t know if he’s still at the hospital, but he might prescribe a different medication. When you were in the hospital, they had to change your pain-killer because you were seeing spiders.”
“Oh yeah,” Todd said slowly. He wiped his face with the washcloth. “I think I remember that. It’s all so fuzzy. They were crawling across my bed, weren’t they?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Christy teased. “I didn’t see the spiders. But you certainly did. The nurse said it was common to hallucinate like that.”
“Will you call the doctor for me? Ask him if I can take something that won’t knock me out or make my nose bleed.”
“Okay.” Christy turned to go back to the kitchen and then realized she was still holding the plate in her hand. “I brought you some toast with honey.”
“Thank you, honey,” he said with a teasing grin.
Christy grinned back. That was the first time Todd had called her honey. She liked it.
He called her honey again on Saturday morning when she brought him more toast and orange juice a little after nine o’clock. Todd had turned on the TV and was watching Saturday-morning cartoons. Christy returned to the kitchen, prepared herself a bowl of Cheerios, and made herself comfortable on the couch.
“How did you sleep?” Todd turned to watch Christy instead of the cartoons.
“Not great. My aunt and uncle had a big argument when we arrived last night. I didn’t have the nerve to go upstairs since they never came down. So I slept on the couch in the living room.” She put her bowl of Cheerios on the floor and stretched out her neck from the kink that was tightening up on the right side.
“Do you think they’re okay?” Todd asked.
“I don’t know. Todd, I’m worried about them; I prayed for them. Then I got mad at them. I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“I had a feeling a couple of weeks ago, when I saw your uncle, that things weren’t going real great between Bob and Marti.”
“I hope they try to work things out. Doesn’t it suddenly feel as if you and I are the adults, and they are the volatile teenagers, like we used to be?”
Todd yawned and turned the sound on the cartoons to mute. “I was never volatile.”
“Okay, the volatile teen I used to be.” Christy went back to her bowl of Cheerios, aware that Todd was still watching her.
“You were never volatile,” Todd said. “Emotional, maybe. But not volatile. You always think things through. And you feel everything intensely and honestly. Those are qualities I’ve long appreciated about you.”
Christy paused, her spoon midway to her mouth, dripping milk into the bowl. Tell him! Go ahead. Look at the way he’s looking at you! Tell Todd you love him.
Returning the spoon to the bowl and composing herself, Christy said, “I’ve long appreciated many of your qualities, too, Todd. As a matter of fact, I’ve been wanting to tell you that—”
Before Christy’s important words could hit the air, Aunt Marti entered the den with her usual dramatic flair. “How is our precious, precious patient this morning? I am so, so sorry we left you alone last night. Were you able to manage by yourself, dear Todd?”
The sweetness dripping from Marti’s words irritated Christy; yet she wondered if the attitude change reflected any changes in her aunt’s heart.
“Christy took good care of me,” Todd said. “She called the doctor and got a different medication and that seems to be helping.”
Marti blinked. “When did you get new medication?”
“Last night. Christy had the doctor call in the prescription to the drugstore over in the Westcliffe Shopping Center. She picked it up last night just before the pharmacy closed.”
Marti looked even more surprised that Christy had managed such a feat.
Uncle Bob appeared and asked if anyone was interested in waffles for breakfast. His expression looked more peaceful than it had the night before. Christy hoped all these subtle changes indicated things were better between her aunt and uncle.
“I got some cereal already,” Christy said.
“I could go for a waffle,” Todd said.
“Does that mean your appetite is returning?” Bob asked. “That sounds like a good sign.”
Marti noticed the blood drops on the sheets and immediately made a fuss. When Todd told her it was from a bloody nose, she insisted he go to the emergency room.
“I’m sure it was from the change in climate from the desert to the ocean air,” Todd said. “Either that or from the medication. I’m on different stuff now. It’s okay, really.”
“If it happens again, I think we should go to the emergency room. And we will go immediately,” Marti said. “Your health is too volatile right now.”
Todd and Christy exchanged glances. It wasn’t the last time they read and sent silent messages to each other that weekend. They seemed to know what the other person was thinking. Christy loved this silent, intimate exchange.
Marti and Bob, however, didn’t seem to be experiencing as intimate an exchange as Christy had hoped. They didn’t offer any information on their conversation the night before. And even though they seemed cordial to Christy and Todd and each other, Christy couldn’t tell if they actually had settled anything or if they had put their difficulties aside to focus on Todd. She guessed it was the latter.
Christy spent the weekend indoors, watching movies, watching Todd sleep, and watching Bob and Marti be cordial to each other. Christy felt strange leaving Sunday evening to drive back to school in the new Volvo. She wanted to stay with Todd. That wouldn’t have been a good idea since she had missed so many of her classes and work last week. It was time for life to move back to a regular schedule. But her heart wasn’t regular about anything.
Christy called Bob and Marti every day and received a full report on how “Marti’s patient” was doing before the phone was handed over to Todd. From the way he communicated in short sentences each time she called, Christy guessed Marti was always in the room with him.
Christy’s brother called Todd later in the week to tell him he had become a Christian at the hospital when Christy had prayed with him. Christy called her aunt’s house on Thursday, and Todd said, “Hey, David called me last night. Can you believe what happened with him?”
“I was supposed to tell you. I can’t believe I kept forgetting. I know; it’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
Her next thought was, And I need to tell you something else that’s wonderful and will make you exceptionally happy. I told you so many times when you couldn’t hear me, but now I need to wait until no one else is around.
During the week, people Christy didn’t know stopped her on campus and asked how Todd was doing. By the time she left work on Friday afternoon and loaded up her clothes in the back of the Volvo, she thought she would burst from anticipation.
But the drive to Newport Beach felt as if it were taking hours. The freeway was thick with weekend traffic.
“Come on, come on!” Christy sputtered at the cars in front of her when she entered the Mission Viejo area. The traffic slowed to a crawl at the La Paz exit.
Unless there’s been an accident, you people better have a good excuse for slowing down like this!
Christy realized she needed to calm down and slow down before she became part of an accident herself. She breathed more slowly and let her imagination go back to her planning. It had been a week of planning. Planning quietly, when she lay awake unable to sleep at night, planning with Katie when the two of them went to the grocery store on Thursday night and bought eggs, bacon, croissants, and Todd’s favorite gourmet mango-papaya jam.
A light October drizzle danced across the windshield. “Oh no you don’t,” Christy muttered as she switched on the windshield wipers. “You little raindrops are going to be on your way by tomorrow morning, aren’t you? Because you aren’t invited to breakfast on the beach. I’ve planned it all out. Breakfast for two. Just Todd and me. No sea gulls. No
raindrops. Got it?”
The traffic came to a stop, but Christy’s heart raced on ahead to the beach. Just Todd and me. Just the two of us cuddled close by the fire when I give him those three eternal words that are burning a hole in my heart.
16 When Christy arrived at Bob and Marti’s house after her aggravating trek on the crowded freeways, she was surprised to see how much Todd had improved. His face was no longer swollen, and his black eye had faded. He greeted Christy at the door with a big hug and told her she was just in time for dinner. Apparently Uncle Bob had been showing Todd how to make chicken enchiladas.
The four of them sat down to eat in the kitchen. Marti eagerly gave Christy a full report on how Todd had improved during the week under Marti’s careful attention. Christy and Todd exchanged warm glances and smiles while they ate. In the back of Christy’s mind, she continued to plan how her breakfast on the beach would be executed the next morning.
Just before Christy went to bed, she told Todd, “I’d like to make breakfast for us in the morning.”
“Sure,” he said. “I’ll help. Your uncle has been showing me some of his secrets in the kitchen. I think I’ve learned more about cooking this week than I ever have before.”
“Actually, I wanted to make our breakfast on the beach—at the fire pit we used to go to.” She gave him a hopeful, expectant look. “Does that sound like a good idea to you?”
Todd’s smile told her it was more than okay. His tender gaze said he loved her idea. “What time?”
“Whenever. What time have you been waking up?”
“Seven. Seven-thirty. Is that too early for you?”
“No, I’ll be ready.”
Christy was ready at seven-fifteen the next morning. She had packed all the food in Bob and Marti’s old picnic basket. It was the same basket Uncle Bob had sent with Todd and Christy the first time they had a breakfast picnic on the beach. She had the firewood, fire starter, matches, blankets, and everything else she thought they would need for a cozy morning on the beach. The raindrops politely had complied with her wishes and hadn’t returned with the morning.
The only thing missing was Todd. Her breakfast companion was sound asleep.
Christy considered going to the fire pit, setting up everything, and then waking Todd before she started to cook the eggs. She was trying to figure out how she would carry everything, when Uncle Bob stepped into the kitchen and greeted her by saying, “You sure are up early, Bright Byes.”
Christy told Uncle Bob her plan, and he eagerly agreed to help her by carrying the wood and necessary cooking utensils out to the fire pit. Christy followed him onto the cool sand as she lugged along the blanket and basket of food.
The morning sun hid behind a gray cover of thick clouds. Only a slight breeze ruffled across the sand.
You’re just like Todd, Christy thought, looking for the absent sun. You’re nestled under the covers when you should be here, with me. Come on, I’m waiting for you.
“Could you kids go for some coffee? I could bring a Thermos out to you,” Bob said.
“That would be fine as long as . . .” She hesitated, not sure how to say the rest of her sentence politely. “As long as you just bring the coffee and then . . .”
“And then be on my way?” Bob unloaded the wood at the fire pit and gave Christy a curious grin. “You make it sound as if you two want to be alone.”
Christy tried not to blush. “I hope that didn’t sound rude.”
“Oh no, not at all. It sounded to me like a woman in . . . a woman who is in . . . what’s that word?”
Christy grinned. “In love.”
“Ah yes, a woman in love.”
“I am,” Christy said quietly. “I really, truly am.”
Uncle Bob tilted his head and, with a merry twinkle in his eyes, asked, “Is it anyone I know?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, it is someone you know. And don’t you dare say anything because . . .”Again Christy hesitated, looking for the right way to phrase her thoughts.
Her uncle seemed to know just what she was thinking. “Because, perhaps, you would like to be the one to tell him?”
Christy nodded.
“Then why don’t you wait right here? Get your fire going. I’ll make the coffee and roust Prince Charming for you. I don’t need to bring the Thermos out here; Todd can bring it.”
“Thanks, Uncle Bob. You are so good to me.”
Uncle Bob brushed off her compliment and hustled back to his beach-front house. Christy made herself comfortable on the blanket by stretching out on her stomach. For several luxurious moments she gazed contentedly at the magnificent, endless Pacific Ocean. She breathed in deeply until the moist, chill air made her lungs ache, and she could feel a slight tingle of sea salt in her nostrils.
This is it, Father God. This is your day. You have aroused love and awakened it in me, haven’t you? Thank you for this amazing gift of love. I know this pleases you. Keep my heart set on you and on your path.
Christy thought about how in years past she would have prayed a testing sort of prayer right about now. She would have said something like, “God, if you don’t want me to tell Todd I love him and if you don’t want us to end up married, then take away these feelings and make me know somehow that he’s not the one.”
However, Christy had come a long way in her relationship with the Lord. She knew God wasn’t a “this or that” dictator. Her life was not about going “this way” and living or going “that way” and dying. Life was a series of choices and a process of choosing God and His path and then trusting Him for each step along the way. She knew that God was her heavenly Father. Her Shepherd. The Lover of her soul. He wanted what was best for her and had directed her through the years to make choices that would benefit her future and strengthen her relationship with Him.
Christy sat up and hugged her bent legs close, warming her cold nose by wedging it between her knees. She remembered something Todd had told her a long time ago when they were talking about knowing God’s will. She had been trying to decide if she should go to Switzerland. Todd’s advice had been “Love God and do what you want.”
His statement had seemed flippant to her at the time. Going to school in Switzerland was a huge decision; yet all Todd had done was to tell her he would support whatever she decided.
Now Christy understood the wisdom of Todd’s advice. As she had begun to fall unreservedly in love with the Lord over the years, her heart was so turned toward Him that more and more she wanted to do whatever was the most pleasing and honoring to God.
“Love God and do what you want,” Christy whispered in the gentle morning quiet. She felt complete peace. No doubts. This was right. A smile pressed Christy’s lips upward in what felt like a permanent expression. She felt full inside. Full of love. Full of God. Full of hope.
Rising to her feet and stretching, Christy decided she’d better start the fire. The wood caught right away, and the grill she placed across the top of the cement fire ring balanced just enough for her to settle the skillet in the center. She placed the bacon strips in the skillet and waited for them to sing their splattering tune in harmony with the melody that was sizzling in her heart.
The bacon was just beginning to smell promising when Christy looked up and saw Todd coming toward her, Thermos in one hand and two coffee mugs in the other. His steps were slow but steady. Straight. His eyes were set on Christy, and he looked as if nothing in this world could stop him from coming to her.
Christy’s heart danced a waltz as she counted his deliberate steps toward her.
Step, two-three-four. Step, two-three-four. Do you have any idea how incredibly handsome you are, my beloved, my friend?
Christy playfully touched her fingers to her lips, kissed them, and tossed her kiss to Todd on the fresh morning breeze.
Since his hands were full, Todd quickly turned his head and stretched his neck, as if to catch her kiss on his cheek. His smile seemed as permanently in place as hers was.
Christy’s gaze never wavered from Todd coming toward her. In her mind and her heart, Christy knew she would never forget the sight of this man walking to her in the sand. This man who had brushed up against death two weeks ago and was now very much alive and very much in love. With her.
“Smells good.” Todd stopped in front of the fire.
Christy thought it funny that his opening words for this momentous occasion were so common.
“I love you,” Christy blurted out. Her hand immediately flew to her mouth. She had meant to say, “It’s the bacon,” but she was so full of love for Todd that the declaration just tumbled out.
Todd slowly lowered himself next to her on the blanket. He put down the Thermos and mugs and looked at her as if he wasn’t sure he could trust his ears. His expression invited her to repeat the words.
Lowering her hand from her mouth, Christy looked at Todd’s ocean blue eyes, and taking a deep breath, she dove in all the way to his soul. “I love you,” she said slowly and deliberately. “I love you, Todd.”
“I thought that’s what you said.” His voice caught with emotion as he added, “I love you, Kilikina.”
Neither of them moved.
The bacon seemed to send sputtering firecrackers into the air while the flames snapped brightly in the fire ring. Overhead, three sea gulls circled and squawked loudly, like trumpeters heralding a proclamation from the King.
Slowly, tenderly, Christy and Todd moved toward each other until their lips met in a kiss that filled Christy even more full of love. As they drew apart, the overflow brimmed in her eyes and spilled down her smiling face.
Todd wiped her tears with his steady hand. Then he did something he had done when they were in Europe. He pressed his moist hand to his chest, right over his heart. Christy knew that was his way of saying he was holding her tears in his heart.
She touched his warm lips with her fingers. Todd grasped her hand and placed a long kiss in the palm of her hand. Christy let go and pressed his kiss to her heart. In a steady, sure whisper, she said, “I love you.”