Jodie's Song (7 page)

Despite their encouragement and love, Jodie had never felt so isolated and scared.

She wandered aimlessly for a few moments, continuing to battle shivers as she prowled the open space of the common area. Meantime, she kept alert for any type of come-forward motion from the admissions clerk.

“Hey.”

Jodie spun when she heard Kevin's voice from behind. During a moment of stunned suspense she gladly lost herself in the tender openness of his eyes. Tremors branched into a vibration that played against her nerve endings, calling her to him. Overcome, she didn't give herself a moment to reconsider or hold back. She stepped into arms that opened readily and she sank against his strong, warm chest.

“Kevin.” she whispered his name, holding on tight, breathing deep of earth, wood spice, and the scent that belonged to him alone.

“I cut out of work as soon as I received your text. Are you OK? How's your dad?”

She couldn't answer. Her throat grabbed and tears crested her lashes, tracking down overly warm cheeks. He led her to a nearby couch in the waiting room, and for the next few minutes, she rested in the circle of his arms and brought him up to speed.

“All he wanted to do was get the morning paper from the front porch. He lost his footing when he bent, and he toppled over. Thank God the neighbors were out in their yard and saw it happen. They called 9-1-1, then my cell. You should see his cheek. It's all scratched and black and blue. He hit his head pretty hard, so he's got a nasty lump and more bruising. His heart is so blocked the doctors are talking about stents. At first when they brought him in it was jumping all over the place. Kevin, I'm so frightened for him.” She dissolved all over again. The release was exhausting, but it became a source of freedom as well. Meanwhile, he held her close, and steady.

“Miss Cunningham?”

Jodie snapped to attention when she heard her name called, all but charging for reception. Kevin followed close behind. “Hi, I'm Jodie Cunningham. My father, Grayson is the patient.”

“He's been moved to his room, so you can go visit him now. Seventh floor.” She handed Jodie a blue slip of paper with a printed map and the receptionist's handwritten notation of the suite number.

Jodie couldn't get to the elevator fast enough. At first when she entered her father's suite, Kevin hung back in the hallway, allowing for privacy. A few minutes later, Jodie asked him to join them, and introductions were performed, but her dad was groggy. While they chatted, a nurse delivered sedation and an anti-swelling medication. Before long, her father dozed, and the constricting band of pressure that had squeezed her chest over the past several hours began to loosen.

She sat next to the bed, leaning against the guard rail, watching him sleep until Kevin rested a hand against her shoulder. “C'mon. He's sleeping, and he's comfortable for now. Why don't we get something to eat?”

His whispered words brought her around. Jodie stood, unkinking her back with a subtle stretch. “Are you sure you can spare the time?” Kevin's only answer to that was a long, pointed gaze stamped by a raised brow. Jodie's lips trembled when she gave him a smile. “OK, OK. Message received. There's a cafeteria on the ground floor. I really don't want to leave the hospital yet. In fact, I might just crash here tonight. There's that two-seat sofa over there where I can curl up. I have my computer and the TV.”

Exiting the hospital suite, Kevin slid an arm around her waist in a gesture of light possession. “You know, I play a mean game of blackjack. Maybe we could buy a deck of cards at the gift shop after we eat. I'm just brave enough to challenge you to a few rounds.”

Friendship and authentic support as opposed to loneliness and artificial comfort. At once, Jodie breathed deep of gratitude. “You're on.”

Kevin gave her a disarming wink while he led the way to the elevator bank. “As for food, a hospital cafeteria won't have the same ambiance as our last meal together at Viviano's, but for you I'm willing to bite the bullet.”

Jodie tucked against his side and delivered a coy glance. “Very funny.”

“Seriously, you need to keep your strength up. Let's get you nourished.”

She stepped into the elevator and craned her neck so she could meet his eyes directly. “I think you've already accomplished that task. Thank you for being here. I can't begin to say how much it means to me.”

The elevator began its descent with just the two of them as passengers. Kevin quirked a fingertip beneath her chin and bent smoothly to claim her lips. A world of soft velvet, of sweetness and tender sensation lifted Jodie straight away from anything and everything but the tender, intimate moment they shared. A flood of light filled every dark, empty spot that had grown unchecked over the last several months.

Renewal, refreshment and joy—the elements of love—poured through her soul. An eloquent reverence was evident in the way his mouth moved slowly in time with hers. The interlude was brief, but infinitely precious.

A bell chime signaled their arrival, and Jodie leaned back from their embrace. “This strikes me as pretty risky,” she whispered, stroking his chin with the back of her fingertips. “We're both kind of struggling. Maybe it would be smarter to—”

The doors swooshed open into a bustling lobby, and Kevin paused just long enough to meet her gaze straight on. “I don't think I want, or need, to hear the end of that sentence. Come on. Let's eat.”

Directional arrows had them tracking left, and soon they were seated at a café-style table eating tuna croissant sandwiches. Jodie ripped open a bag of chips for them to share. Kevin divided the contents of a container of fresh fruit. Only then did hunger set in—with gusto. For a time, they ate in a comfortable silence, watching people drift past, employees walking at a fast clip on an open mezzanine just above.

She knew she should say something about the kiss and his comment, but what? How much could she really say about the way he had entered the stream of her life and her heart? She had clear-cut ideas in mind about what she wanted in her life. Didn't she? Now her resolutions felt scrambled. What should come next? After all, they both dealt with intense family circumstances as well as personal and professional responsibilities. Romance tempted, but Jodie wondered all over again if the timing wasn't off.

God, why didn't I meet him before all the drama and chaos? God, do You think he'd wait for me? Would he be willing to be friends until circumstances even out in my life and I can fully welcome a man like him into my heart?

A tingle swept through her—head to toe—thrilling.

Why do you fear, precious one? It is the Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Now.

The words from the Gospel of Luke were as much a conviction as a source of comfort. She wasn't trusting, and she knew it. At the same time, her spirit felt bound and unable to soar free.

“Can I admit something to you?” The question crossed her lips before Jodie fully considered what she wanted to say.

Kevin looked into her eyes and nodded.

“Until I came back to Angel Falls, until I moved in to Heart's Haven, I buried myself away from life, and I used my late night work shift as an excuse for letting myself gradually become a hermit. I shut myself off from the world without even knowing I'd done it. I don't much like the realization.”

“It sounds to me like you're being pretty hard on yourself. Don't be. Your life proves God's truth that to everything—to every season and emotion—there's a purpose.” He speared one of his last remaining pineapple chunks. “The exile you're talking about taught you self-reliance, didn't it?”

Jodie nodded and sipped from her drink. “Yes, but it also gave me a comfort zone. I've been alone, but I've also felt sheltered. Protected.” She took a bite of her sandwich.

“Eventually we emerge from whatever shells we build, right? We have to, or we stop growing. In my experience, God doesn't tend to let that kind of stagnation happen.” Kevin hiked a shoulder and kicked out his legs. “I mean, look at it this way. Maybe the exile you've described will help you come to terms with what you really want in your life, and help pave the way to what makes you truly happy.” He leaned forward and finished the last few pieces of his fruit assortment. Jodie watched, happily drawn toward him. “God wastes nothing.”

“You're right.” She unwrapped a chocolate chip cookie and split it in half, settling a portion on Kevin's plate. “I'm coming to realize the ways I need to grow and change. Maybe that's the rainbow across the sky of what's happening to my dad right now.”

Kevin tossed back a few chips. “Beautifully stated.”

Jodie felt a blush stain her cheeks, so she ducked her head and fumbled with her soda can. “I give you credit for paying attention to where God's leading.” Kevin lifted the last corner of his sandwich and polished it off. “Still, I can read it in your posture, in the way you reacted to our kiss in the elevator, that you weren't counting on meeting me any more than I was counting on meeting you. Sorry if I overstepped. I didn't mean to. I just…well…it happened out of caring. Hope you know that.”

Heat flowed against her skin all over again. Jodie tucked back a curl of hair and blew out a breath of air. “Ah…”

Kevin reached across the tabletop and took hold of her hand. He delivered an assuring squeeze. “Hey, that wasn't meant to be pressure, just an observation. You know? I remember the day you moved in. While I worked in the yard, I watched the movers haul things into your unit. Your home life is comfortable and full of beauty—but I noticed the DVDs, the CDs, and yeah, that's part of your job, part of who you are and what you do, but I wondered if a bit of hiding wasn't taking place. Come out of your shell, Jodie. Open up. You won't regret it.”

The end note of his words filled the air with softness and promise. Could she do it? Should she? Jodie wiped her lips with a paper napkin and decided to sidestep. Doing so was nearly a habit by now, and felt much easier than confronting her growing feelings for Kevin. “Know what? You're way too smart, and observant. I think I might need to make use of your talents on my show one day.”

“I'm not smart. More like keenly interested.”

Once again, Jodie opted to ignore his admission. As they crumpled up paper, piled up food containers and plastic cutlery, she noticed a nearby gift store. “Thanks for dinner. If you're still interested, I think I hear a deck of cards calling.”

 

****

 

The quiet, steady blip of her dad's heart monitor and the flashing numbers of his oxygen machine became a strange source of comfort to Jodie. So did the shuffle and snap of the playing cards Kevin dealt for their latest game. The TV played at a barely discernible level, and Jodie glanced at the screen every once in a while more out of instinct than any form of genuine concern. For now, her father slept calmly. Thank God.

She continued their present conversation. “So you were saying your uncle seemed upset when you left?”

Kevin nodded. “He's just not well. Remember me telling you about his affinity for angels?” He delivered an ace of spades to the open spot on the table in front of Jodie. “Well, when I went into the office to tell him I was leaving, he was in a deep conversation with one of them. I heard bits and pieces of what Uncle Andy was saying and I have to admit—it bothered me. It's like something bad is on the horizon. Something final.”

“Hit me.” Jodie waited for her card but watched Kevin. His brow was creased, his heart obviously not in their diversionary game of black jack. “So this time was different for your uncle. Something of concern.” He upended a king of diamonds. “Blackjack! Sweet!” Jodie propped her feet on an unused chair. Kevin prepared to deal a new hand.

“Usually Andy's attitudes and interactions are positive. Bright, you might say. He chats with the angels and it's like all is well in the universe.”

“But today was dark?”

“Exactly.” Kevin's tone was flat and direct. Jodie's next hand went bust at twenty eight.

She frowned. “You know, when I first came to town, I watched what was going on at church. I watched my dad from the back as services began. At first I thought he was praying, because his lips were moving, but his eyes were completely empty. It was strange. There were bad vibes riding all through the air that day. I could feel them, Kevin. It wasn't anything I imagined, either. When he sank to the floor, I knew weird things were happening. I guess what I'm saying is, I certainly wouldn't write off Andy's behavior to troubled health or eccentricities.”

“I wouldn't either. He's deeply aware of spiritual undercurrents. It's amazing, really. A gift.”

Jodie responded to that with a smile, accepting the deck of cards from Kevin so she could deal the next hand.

Just as she accepted the deck, her father's primary care physician, Dr. Maxwell Stewart, entered the suite, and his features were firm-set. Grim.

“Miss Cunningham, I'd like to discuss the next-steps to be taken with regard to your father's recovery and continued health. He has a great chance at substantial recovery, but not without angioplasty to insert a pair of stents.”

 

 

 

 

8

 

The diagnosis swirled through Jodie's mind, relentless as a predator. The following afternoon she pushed herself hard and fast during a greenway run with Kaci.

“So explain about the procedure, Jodie. You were saying they need to insert stents?”

Jodie slowed a bit and stabilized her breathing. “He has to have these hollow mesh-like rod things inserted into his heart to help increase blood flow and oxygen levels.” Tears stung her eyes all over again; she blinked the moisture away as anxiety poured in like a cascade. At least the run forced her to remain as even as possible—from a physical standpoint, anyway. “I wish he didn't have to go through the trauma of surgery. So far, the cardiologists have been reassuring about his ability to withstand the procedure, and they're optimistic about his recovery, too. Still, it's scary. Tracee and her kids are on their way in. Unfortunately, her husband couldn't make it, since he's so new to the job and all. She arrives tonight and plans on staying for a week or so until Dad is settled at home.”