Texas Weddings 3 & 4

“You sound tired.”

  “We’re just both so busy.” Kellie quickly changed gears, opting to keep her private life private. No need worrying her mother unnecessarily, especially not on a day like today, when her father wasn’t feeling well.

  “Do you think you’ll have time to slip away for a visit anytime soon? I’d love to see you, and you know how hard it is for Daddy and me to make that drive now. He’s not much for getting out on the freeways anymore. I’m not either, to be honest. And the whole city of Houston is looking more like one big freeway every day.”

  Kellie could sense the seriousness in her mother’s voice and responded as best she could. “You’re right about that. And the construction is quite a challenge too.” She tried to sound encouraging. “We’ll come soon. I promise.”

  “That a girl.” She could hear the smile in her mother’s voice. “Greenvine’s not that far away. Just an hour and a half. Lots of people drive that far just to get to work in the city.”

  “I can’t imagine that.” Kellie shook her head. “I’m glad I live so close to the office. I don’t know how people commute.”

  “I can’t imagine, but folks seem to do it.” Her mother paused. “I keep forgetting to tell you that several of your friends from high school have been asking about you. Did I tell you that Julia is pregnant?”

  “Again?” Kellie flinched upon hearing her former best friend’s name. “Wow. How old is her little girl? Just a little more than a year, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Pretty close together, I’d say.”

  “Some people do it that way.”

  Kellie calculated her words before speaking. “And some choose to wait until they can afford to give their children a good life.”

  Her mother laughed. “Some folks would be waiting forever, then. I’m glad your daddy and I didn’t wait till the money came rolling in. You and your sister probably wouldn’t have been born at all.”

  Kellie looked up as Nathan entered the bedroom. He pulled off his tie and slipped out of his shoes. He glanced in the mirror above the dresser, then raked his fingers through his sandy, lopsided curls. Then he turned to face Kellie with a wink and a pout.

  “I need to let you go, Mom.” Kellie smiled back at him, understanding his wink. “But call me tomorrow after you get back from the doctor’s office, okay?”

  “I will, baby. But don’t worry. God’s in control.”

  “Yes, He is. But call me anyway.”

  They ended their call and Kellie looked up just in time to see Nathan slip into the spot next to her. She nuzzled into his arm and planted tiny kisses on his cheek. “I thought you had to work,” she whispered.

  He smiled gently and traced her cheek with his finger. “Everyone needs a day off.”

  And for the first time in quite some time, they enjoyed the rest of it. Together.

  three

  When the phone rang in the middle of the night, Kellie’s heart raced immediately. She shot a glance at the clock. 2:53 A.M.

  “Who is it?” Nathan’s voice, groggy and confused, spoke out of the darkness.

  “I can’t see the caller ID. Hang on.” She rubbed at her eyes and snatched her cell phone from the bedside table, recognizing her mother’s cell phone number.

  “Hello?”

  “Kellie?” Her mother’s frightened voice greeted her. “It’s Mom.”

  “Mom.” She sat up in the bed and turned on the lamp. “What’s happened?”

  “Your daddy. . .” Her mother’s voice broke. “He’s. . .”

  Kellie’s heart twisted in anticipation.

  “We. . . we’re at the hospital. They’ve taken him for a CT-scan. Or maybe they said an MRI. I. . . I can’t remember.”

  “I don’t understand.” Kellie tried to order her thoughts. Still half asleep, she struggled to comprehend her mother’s breathless words. “Is it because of the headaches?”

  “Yes. He felt much worse this evening, so he took some Ibuprofen and went to bed around 8:30. I was working on a craft project for the children’s church program at church. I should have checked on him sooner.” Her mother began to sob in earnest now. “I feel so. . . so bad.”

  “What happened, Mom?” Kellie’s heart pounded against her chest wall. Dear Lord, please. . . please. . .

  “I crawled into bed around 11:30 and tried to wake him. I wanted to see if he felt better. But he wouldn’t respond.” Her mother’s words were rushed, emotional. “I couldn’t wake him up. He wouldn’t budge.”

  “Oh, Mom.” Kellie leaped from the bed, phone still clutched in her hand. She reached into a dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of jeans. She pressed the phone between her shoulder and her ear and began to shimmy into them.

  “At first I thought he was just sleeping. You know what a sound sleeper he is.”

  “Yes.” Her father had always had the uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere and everywhere—and to sleep through anything, including thunderstorms.

  Her mother’s voice choked again. “B. . . but he wasn’t just asleep. At some point I just knew we were dealing with something much more than that. That’s when I called 9-1-1.”

  “What are the doctors saying?”

  “They’re not sure. Maybe a stroke. Or an aneurysm.”

  “Oh, no.” Kellie fastened the button on the top of the jeans.

  “What are you doing?” Nathan crawled out from under the covers and gave her an odd look. “What’s happened?”

  “It’s my dad.” She mouthed the words so her mother wouldn’t hear. “He’s in the hospital.”

  Nathan tossed the covers back and immediately flew into action.

  “Mom,” Kellie spoke with as much determination as she could muster. “Nathan and I are coming.”

  “Oh, honey. I’d be so. . . so grateful.” Her mother’s sobs intensified.

  Kellie made her way into the bathroom and reached for her toothbrush. “Where are you?” She smeared toothpaste all over the bristles.

  “At the hospital in Brenham.”

  “Brenham?” She nearly dropped the toothbrush. “Why in the world is he there? He needs to be here in Houston at the medical center. We’ve got the best doctors, the best technology.”

  “Honey, we were in too much of a hurry. The paramedics wanted to get him to the closest facility and Brenham was the logical choice.”

  “But. . .” Kellie stopped herself before entering into an unnecessary argument. They could always arrange to have him transferred later—with her mother’s cooperation. “We’ll be leaving here in just a few minutes. We can probably be there by. . .” she glanced at the clock again. 3:00. “By 4:45, I say.”

  “Just come in through the emergency room.”

  “I will. And I love you, Mom. Give dad a kiss from me. Nathan and I will get there as quick as we can.”

  “Promise me you’ll drive carefully. And pray, honey.”

  “I am already.” As she hung up the phone, Kellie burst into tears.

  Nathan wrapped her in his arms. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered as he stroked her hair.

  “I don’t know. . .” She stood frozen for a moment then flew into action, brushing her teeth with fervor. When she finished, she turned to Nathan. “We’ve got to hurry. I want to get there as fast as I can.”

  “Well, you can’t go in that.” Nathan pointed to her outfit, and for the first time, she realized that she still wore her nightshirt over her jeans.

  “Oh. Good point.” She slipped on a blouse and pulled another one from the closet to take with her. Just in case.

  “I hate to bring this up, but didn’t you say you had a meeting at work this morning?”

  Kellie stopped dead in her tracks and tried to focus. “Oh. Yes, I do. It’s with a new investor. Great opportunity. Could be a lot of money involved—for him and the firm. And ultimately for you and me.”

  “What will you do?”

  Kellie sighed. “I’ll pass him off to Bernie.” She hated to lose the opportunity
, but this was significantly more important. “It’s not like he’s alone, anyway. We’ve got a couple of trainees on our floor. They’ll do whatever he asks.”

  “That’s good.”

  “What about you? Anything critical happening at the office today?”

  He pursed his lips. “I think I can manage, as long as I call by 7:00 and let them know. I can always take my laptop and I’ll keep my cell phone handy.”

  “Me too.” Kellie felt guilty talking about such things when her father lay in a hospital bed in unsure condition, but what could they do?

  Within minutes, she and Nathan were on the road, headed west on Highway 290. With her nerves a shaky mess, she felt better that he had automatically taken the wheel. He seemed to be calmer, cooler. She looked at him as they traveled along, new thoughts ripping at her emotions. Her feelings for her father were strong, but a guilty conscience tore at her as other thoughts emerged.

  Lord, what would I do if something like this happened to Nathan? I love him so much. I couldn’t make it without him.

  She pushed desperate thoughts from her mind and turned to him for comfort. “Nathan?”

  “What, baby?”

  “Could we pray together?”

  “Of course.” He began to pray aloud and her nerves calmed almost immediately. When he finished, she picked up where he left off, offering an impassioned plea for her father’s health and safety. They finished the prayer and Nathan reached to snap on some music.

  “I’m thinking praise and worship music would be good right about now.” He adjusted the stereo to play a new CD.

  As he fumbled with the knobs, the words from one of Kellie’s favorite scriptures came to mind. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. That verse from the gospel of John had gotten her through more than one tragedy. With God’s help, this mountain could be tossed into the sea, as well.

  A familiar worship song kicked in and she leaned back against the seat in an attempt to relax. Somewhere between the words of the scripture, the lyrics of the song and her husband’s hand squeezed tightly in her own, hope took root.

  ***

  Nathan paced the halls of the small hospital, praying silently. In the hours since arriving, he and Kellie had taken turns consoling her mother and speaking with the doctors. From what he could gather, his father-in-law’s prognosis was grim, at best. He grimaced as he relived the doctor’s words: “Ruptured aneurysm in the brain. Immediate surgery to reduce bleeding and swelling. Medically induced coma. Chances of survival. . . less than fifty percent. Recovery time undetermined. Possibly weeks or months.”

  Without a miracle, he might not make it.

  Nathan continued to pace, his thoughts churning. He was plagued with unanswered questions. If Kenton survived, would he ever be the same again? Would he have to relearn how to speak, how to walk? Would he be able to return to work? Lord, I don’t understand. How do these things happen? Kenton loves his work. And the people of Greenvine love him. They also needed him. Kenton’s work as City Comptroller had garnered him the respect and appreciation of friends and neighbors. How would they manage without him?

  “Nathan?”

  He startled at his wife’s beckoning. “What, baby?” He looked up into Kellie’s tearstained eyes then gestured for her to sit next to him.

  She settled into the chair and leaned her head on his shoulder. “What will happen if he doesn’t get better?” she whispered. “What will my mama do? What will I do?”

  Nathan couldn’t seem to muster up the words to respond. He didn’t have answers, at least not yet. But one thing was for sure: He had to begin to devote more time to her and less time to work. He had to let her know she took precedence over his job. And he must start now.

  “This is the first time I’ve ever had to face the possibility that I could lose someone I love.” Kellie continued to speak in hushed tones. “It’s scary.” She paused for a moment. “I mean, I know God’s in control and I know for sure where my father would be, but still. . .” Tears filled her eyes. “I would miss him so much.”

  “Let’s don’t think like that.” Nathan sat up straight in his chair, determined to put a more positive spin on the situation. “We’re going to keep praying and speaking words of faith over him when we go in there. I’ve heard that people in comas can still respond to our words.”

  “I’ve heard that too.” For the first time, Kellie’s eyes reflected hope. She bit her lip then looked at him squarely. “I have an idea.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I have my portable CD player in the car. And I have tons of worship CD’s. Maybe they’d let me play some music when we go in to see him. I know Daddy loves worship music. And hymns. I’ve got that great new collection of classic hymns my sister recorded. He loves that one.” Her eyes lit up for the first time since they’d arrived.

  “Great idea.” Nathan squeezed her hand. “And we’ll pray every time we go in. Out loud. He’ll hear us; I know he will. And even if his body doesn’t respond, his spirit will.”

  Nathan drew Kellie to himself and kissed her on the head.

  “I’m so proud of you,” she said.

  “Why?” He looked down at her in vague curiosity.

  “You’re such a man of faith. Sometimes I feel so. . .inadequate. When the rubber meets the road, my faith just flies right out the window.”

  If only she knew how weak I feel. “No it doesn’t.” He kissed her on the forehead. “You’re one of the strongest women I know. You just need time to adjust to all of this.”

  Her cell phone rang out, startling them both.

  Nathan looked at his watch. 7:53 A.M. “Who’s calling this early?”

  “It’s Caroline from the office,” Kellie explained, looking at the Caller ID. “I’m sure she’s just wanting to check up on things.”

  Kellie took the call and Nathan’s thoughts wandered a bit as her conversation shifted. He could tell she wrestled with the need to be in two places at once. He understood that dilemma. Work beckoned, but how could they leave? Kellie would never forgive herself and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to, either.

  Nathan glanced at his watch one more time. 7:56 A.M. He toyed with the idea of calling his office while he had the chance. So many things remained undone. The pressures were greater than ever. And yet he must stay here, at his wife’s side. She needed him. And, in so many ways, Kellie’s mother needed her. Norah Conway was one of the strongest women he had ever met, but she clearly needed her daughter at her side right now.

  Lord, You’re going to have to work out the details. I’ve got too much on my plate to figure it all out.

  Peace flooded Nathan’s soul right away. Because he had too much on his plate, he would truly have to hand this situation over to the Lord. Not that he could fix it, anyway. But it sure felt better to relieve himself of the responsibility.

  Over the next few minutes, as Kellie continued her phone conversation, Nathan came to a difficult decision. No matter what, he would do all he could to support Kellie and her family during this difficult time. No sacrifice was too great.

  He came to another conclusion, as well. He would hold her closer than ever. He would redeem every moment.

  four

  Kellie stared at her reflection in the tiny restroom mirror and groaned. The bags under her eyes grew larger daily. Each morning she attempted to swipe on a tiny bit of eye shadow and mascara, but it all seemed so pointless now. For nearly forty-eight hours she had barely slept. Instead, she and Nathan shuffled in and out of the Neurological ICU alongside her mother.

  She occasionally gathered her wits about her long enough to think about what she might be missing at the office. Even then she couldn’t keep her thoughts straight. What did it matter, anyway? Her father’s life hung in the balance. How could she even justify thinking about fluctuations in the stock market or the potential loss of a client? What if she lost her father?


  The news about his condition had fluctuated as well—sometimes up, sometimes down. Her emotions seemed to follow suit, though she struggled hour-by-hour to call on God. Where is my faith? I’m a spiritual wimp. Still, she managed to garner up enough fortitude to face her mother with chin up each and every time. She needed to be strong for her.

  At least today things appeared to be a bit more hopeful. With the bleeding under control, the swelling in her father’s brain appeared to be receding. This was the first bit of good news they’d had all along. And she clung to it with a fierceness that would not relent.

  Soon—perhaps in the next few days—the doctors would allow him to rouse ever so gently from the medically induced coma they’d kept him in since his surgery. When that

  moment arrived she would be right there at his side, even if it meant losing her job. Even if it meant going without sleep until they had some news.

  Kellie exited the bathroom, gripping the doorknob with a paper towel in her hand. No point in taking chances. Not here, with so many germs floating around. She walked out into the hallway and stretched. Nathan approached her and wrapped her in his arms.

  “I’m sure I smell just awful.” She looked up into his understanding eyes.

  Nathan shook his head and shrugged. “No more so than the rest of us.”

  She yawned. “Mom says you and I should sneak over to her place and take a shower. Maybe even try to sleep a few hours. What do you think?”

  “I, uh. . .” He pulled back a bit and shifted his gaze.

  “What?”

  Nathan’s words were quiet, but rushed. “I hate to say this. I really do. But I’ve got to get back to the office. They’re falling apart without me.” He paused. “Well, not falling apart literally, but they act as if they are. My whole department is in turmoil.”

  Kellie didn’t respond at first. She fought to push down the growing lump in her throat as she leaned her head against her husband’s chest. She didn’t want him to leave. She needed him, more than ever. “I really wish you wouldn’t—” She stopped mid-sentence. Why inflict guilt unnecessarily?