THE EMERGENCY ROOM buzzed with practiced urgency. As the doors slid open, Kaylan searched for a familiar face. Spotting Micah, she wound around chairs, anxious to hear the news.
“What happened? Is he okay? Where is he?”
“He’s fine, Kayles. He had a ministroke while he and Mom were eating lunch. Doctor says he just needs to rest. They want to watch him for the next twenty-four hours, in case of another stroke.”
Kaylan sighed in relief. “Ministroke. I can handle that. I’m glad he’s okay.”
“Good, because he’s asking for you.” Micah’s eyes darted between her and Nick, who stood like a bodyguard behind her. “He wants to know how your date went and apologize for interrupting.”
She laughed, tension leaving her body. “Of course he does. Although there’s not much to tell.” She glanced back at Nick to see a look of challenge on his face. A thrill coursed through her, sending shivers down her spine. The warmth in his eyes made her thankful they weren’t alone.
“Looks like you’re falling down on the job, partner. Is your charm wearing off, or is my sister just able to put you in your place?” Micah slapped Nick’s shoulder and led them back to Pap’s room.
“Very funny, Bulldog.” Nick slipped his arm around Kaylan’s shoulders, startling her just as they came in view of the rest of her family. David and Seth eyed him suspiciously. If her brothers ever acted on their protective instincts with Nick, it would be an interesting duel. She wasn’t sure who would win.
“Is he okay?” Kaylan needed to hear it from her mom.
“We need to watch him for the next few hours, but I think so.”
Kaylan feared what this stroke meant for the future. If he had one now, would they increase over time until he had one he couldn’t recover from?
Her grandmother stepped forward and smoothed the wrinkles on Kaylan’s forehead. “Pap wants to see his Sugar. No use fretting about what we can’t change. God’s in control, honey.” She smiled and tapped Kaylan’s nose. “Now, get your beautiful self in there and tell Pap about your date. Nick can stay out here with us.” Gran looped her arm with Nick’s.
Micah pushed her toward the door. “We won’t be that hard on him. Besides, if he can’t handle the pressure, he can’t stick around.”
“We won’t hurt him too bad, sis.” Seth cracked his knuckles and shot her a wicked grin.
“Good luck.” She envied him. Pap was a talented interrogator, and she was not quite sure what she would say about her time with Nick.
An old John Wayne movie played in the dark room. Kaylan’s heart jumped to her throat again. Minor stroke or not, she was worried what she would find.
“There’s my Sugar.”
Kaylan sank onto the bed and squeezed his hand, her eyes flitting over his body to check for herself. She hated the hospital gown on her strong grandpa. His silver-white hair stood up in a couple places on his head, and despite the dark circles under his eyes, they still sparkled as they met hers.
“Stop fretting. I’m fine. I’ve survived worse than this.”
“Like what?”
“Strep throat. You can’t get over that dadgum sore throat for a week. Your gran makes me drink her awful-tasting hot lemonade. Much worse than this.” Pap shook his head and grimaced.
Kaylan couldn’t help but laugh. “Pap, that’s not funny. This is serious. Now that you’ve had one stroke, you’re at risk for another one.”
He shook his head and patted the back of her hand. “We don’t fear what we can’t control. I can only do my best to stay healthy and let God take care of the rest. If it’s my time to go, it’s my time to go.”
Don’t fear what you can’t control. The thought reverberated in Kaylan’s mind like a gong. Much easier said than done. She feared her relationship with Nick, her decision to go to Haiti, what the future would bring.
“Hey.” Pap tapped her knee, drawing her away from her frantic thoughts. “It’s okay to fear the unknown. We’re only human. But when we let that fear inhibit our faith in the Lord, that’s when we walk into trouble.”
“Things are so crazy and uncertain right now, Pap. Blind faith is hard.”
“Sure it is, Sugar. But faith by definition isn’t easy. It requires action and sacrifice on our part. When the Lord told Abraham to leave his home and family behind, he had to just start walking until the Lord told him to stop. How’s that for lack of direction? But the Lord never left him. He had good plans for that man, and he became the father of a lot of people. That’s a little overwhelming to think about, though, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “If the Lord was faithful to Abraham, He’ll be faithful with me.”
“Always, Sugar.”
She leaned down and hugged him, breathing in the smell of peppermint and coffee. “You can’t leave me yet, Pap. What would I do without you?”
“Ah, I don’t think it’s my time to go. But one of these days I will. Life isn’t forever, and you’ll be just fine.”
Kaylan wasn’t so sure. Where would she be without his quiet reassurance and wisdom? He always calmed her and pointed her to Jesus. Just as Nick had at one point in time.
Nick. How long ago the morning seemed. Pap squeezed her hand, and she met his steady gaze and knowing smile.
“Now, why don’t you tell me about that young man out in the hallway? Can’t keep secrets from me.”
She was glad the room hid her blush. “One conversation doesn’t fix everything, Pap, but it sure was enlightening. I don’t want to let him back in too quickly, but I don’t want to avoid the risk, either. What if I miss out this time because I’m the one to say no? But then, where does Haiti fit into all this? This time I’ll be leaving.”
“Whoa. Slow down there. Do you love him?”
“Pap.” She felt as though she were back in grade school, telling him about her first crush. “That is a really strong word.”
“That’s what I’ve heard. Well, all right. Do you like him, then?”
She shrugged. “Sure I do.”
“Why?”
Her cheeks heated, and she was thankful for the dim lighting. “He’s confident. And he quietly leads. I felt frazzled when Micah called to tell me you were in the hospital. Nick took control. He calmed me down. He hates horses, yet he never looked more comfortable on one as he led us back to his truck. He loves the Lord. He fights for what’s right and defends those who can’t fight for themselves.”
Something slowly dawned on her: if she had a list of the perfect guy for her, Nick was quickly meeting every requirement.
“Well, I’m sold. Did he kiss you yet?”
Kaylan smiled and leaned in close to her grandfather’s ear. “None of your business.”
“Now, Sugar, you’re only young once, and I need to live vicariously through you. Details. Don’t you hold anything back from your Pap now.”
“No, Pap, he didn’t. I’m not ready for that.”
“Good. I would have needed one of you to bring my shotgun up here.” His rich baritone chuckle filled the room, though weaker than normal. “I want to talk to you about Haiti. You still set on going?”
“Yes, sir, but . . . ”
“But what, Sugar?”
“What if I leave for Haiti and you have another stroke?”
“And what if I don’t make it through that one, and you don’t get to tell me good-bye? Is that it?” As always, he read the fears splashed across her heart. “Remember what I told you earlier? No fear. God’s in control.”
“Yeah, but what if I stayed here and took care of you? I could work at the dance studio and help Mom with her interior design business while I wait for my internship to start in August. And I could take care of you.” She met Pap’s eyes as he allowed the silence to linger.
“Well, now, that sounds like a much safer option than going to Haiti. Practical, even. But when was the last time the Lord called us to what was practical? Sometimes, in our most difficult decisions and transitions, the Lord works the most.”
“Then this is going to be big, because this has been the hardest decision of my life.”
“Go, Sugar. Pray, trust the Lord. Your gran and I want to sponsor your trip. So don’t worry about the money. Just go do your thing.”
A nurse bustled in to take Pap’s blood pressure, followed by Gran. With a wink and nod, Pap released Kaylan, and she headed out to rejoin her family in the waiting room.
Nick was quickly learning the Richardses’ family dynamics. David and Seth, reassured that Pap would be okay, had headed home. Kaylan had arrived back in the waiting room and announced that, in light of Pap’s stroke, she was reconsidering her trip to Haiti. Her parents had accepted her decision, but not Micah. As soon as they left to check on Pap, Micah turned on his sister.
“Kaylan, Pap would want you to go to Haiti, not stay here for him.” Micah paced back and forth—rarely a good sign. Nick silently applauded Micah. Kaylan needed to take this trip, needed to spread her wings. Nick loved her sacrificial spirit, but this time she needed to direct it to helping the Haitians.
“But I could help Pap. Mom and Dad need to work, and Gran still has her responsibilities with the school board. Your leave is up right after Christmas, and no one else can make sure he’s taking care of himself.”
“He’s a grown man, Kayles. And he wants to get better.” Micah squeezed her shoulder.
“What if he has another stroke while I’m gone, Micah? I couldn’t handle being so far away if that happened.”
“That’s not in your control, Kaylan.” Micah hugged her. Nick knew Micah viewed himself as Kaylan’s protector. Nick wondered if he and the rest of the family protected her too much. Out of all the Richards kids, she’d lived the most sheltered life. He thanked the Lord she hadn’t experienced the pain of life in the way he had. However, he had learned firsthand that brokenness shaped a person, and growth didn’t occur without it. It wasn’t his or Micah’s job to protect Kaylan from life. Only Jesus could do that.
“I feel so bad leaving right now while he’s unhealthy.” She grew quiet and looked at Micah. “Pap told me he and Gran would pay for the cost of my trip.”
“That’s awesome! Huge answer to prayer. Smile a little. It’s what you’ve been praying for, isn’t it?”
“Sure. I just feel guilty letting him do that now.”
“I think you won’t have much choice one way or the other. When Pap sets his mind to something, he usually makes it happen.”
“I know.”
“No one is making you feel guilty but you. Snap out of it.”
She nodded, her lips thinning. Nick knew that face. She would listen, but she would struggle to release the guilt.
Micah threw his arm around her, tugging her close. “I love that you want to take care of everyone, little sis, but let us do that here. It’s time for you to go. It’s not your concern.”
“The ones I love are always my concern,” Kaylan said, shoving Micah playfully. In her statement Nick saw the quiet strength and determination that so often came to the forefront. She might wrestle with making decisions, but there were some areas of her life where she never wavered in her commitment and devotion. People she cared about topped that list. Nick wanted the top spot.
“Then pray for him. And trust God and us for the rest.”
“Okay, okay. Just let me see him one more time.” Kaylan rose to check on Pap again, leaving Micah and Nick alone in the waiting room.
“Lord, take care of her.” Micah lifted his voice in the quiet room. He turned to Nick. “She carries the weight of the world too much. She needs to learn to give that to God.”
“Give her some credit, Bulldog. It took you a tour in Afghanistan and a near-death experience to learn to trust God in a new way. Maybe Haiti will be exactly what she needs.”
Micah nodded, and a grin spread across his face. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. “There’s only one person besides Seth who can put a smile on her face.”
It didn’t take a genius to know who that person was.
Their voices blended in the sterile hall, “Sarah Beth.” Micah stepped away to make the call as Kaylan joined Nick again in the waiting room. Without hesitating, she settled beside him on the couch, leaning in to his embrace.
“Feel better?”
“I talked to the nurse. The stroke was minor. He’ll be fine.”
Nick thought she was trying to reassure herself. He rubbed his fingers along her arm. “He’s a tough guy. He’ll make it.” Just like his granddaughter.
“I know. It’s just hard to see him like this.”
Nick leaned over and kissed her forehead. They’d moved leaps and bounds since their morning picnic. She was allowing him to comfort her, something she rarely allowed others to do when family was present.
“Why don’t you get out of here for a little while? He’s fine and resting.”
She nodded and leaned her head against his chest. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“For what?”
“For being here. For being nice when I panicked on our date.” She chuckled. “That was embarrassing.”
He leaned back so he could see her face and brushed his knuckles along her cheek. “You’re stronger than you think, Kaylan Lee Richards. And never apologize for crying or freaking out in front of me.”
“Growing up in a houseful of brothers, you have to get tough, or you get run over.”
Nick tipped his head back and laughed. “Knowing Micah, I bet that’s right.”
Micah popped back into the waiting room and thrust his phone at Kaylan. “Someone wants to talk to you.”
Kaylan’s look of surprise quickly gave way to relief as she heard the voice on the other end. Nick recognized the bond. It was blood-thick. Kaylan and Sarah Beth were the kind of friends who had long ago breached the line of friendship and moved to sisterhood. Similar to the bond of Navy SEALs.
After a few minutes of serious talk, Kaylan’s voice changed. “Sounds perfect. You can pick me up out front at the hospital entrance.” Kaylan handed the phone back to Micah, and a smile lit her face.
Nick’s interest rose. “Wait, where are you going?”
Kaylan smiled at him over her shoulder as she left the room. “Dance studio.”