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Authors: Vanessa Davis Griggs

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Chapter 28
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
—1 John 3:18
 
 
 
I
t was early when the phone rang, awakening Paris. Paris quickly looked at the caller ID; it was her parent's home number. Andrew rolled over. She slid her feet into her light blue silk slippers, slipped on her silk robe, and dashed out of the bedroom into the hallway so not to wake Andrew completely.
Paris pressed the TALK button. “Hello,” she whispered.
“Did you happen to see the news this morning?” Deidra asked before saying hello back or asking Paris how she was.
“No. We happen to still be asleep.”
“Still asleep? At nine o'clock in the morning?”
“It's Saturday, Mother. People tend to sleep late on the weekends, especially when they don't have to get up and go to work,” Paris said.
“But you don't work,” Deidra said.
“Yeah, but Andrew does. And he's off today.” Paris sat down on the top step, wrapping her robe around her better to ward off the chill. “So what were you saying about the news? What happened?”
“Your father . . . he's all up in arms. He just learned that someone stole his bone marrow donor campaign idea,” Deidra said.
“Stole his idea? How does someone steal an idea about becoming a donor?”
“Apparently this pastor on our local NBC morning news is talking about his church spearheading a drive to bring awareness of a little girl in need of a bone marrow transplant,” Deidra said. “I believe it's the same little girl your father was planning to highlight. So, of course, your father is livid. He claims this will undercut the impact of his plan before he can even get it out there.”
“Why does Daddy care who spearheads this if the whole point was to bring awareness and possibly find a donor for her? You'd think Daddy would be happy.”
“Because your father wants to tie this effort in with his reelection campaign. If someone else is doing it, it takes away from him appearing to be leading the charge.”
“Well, he'll make it work to his advantage,” Paris said. “He always does. And honestly, this
absolutely
works for me. Now I won't have to feel bad about not standing with all of you had Daddy done this the way he was planning to.”
“Oh, he's still planning on doing it his way now. He just has to step up the timetable so he can take this narrative back from that church before it looks like it's really their idea. He's been on the phone with William and their PR person all morning setting things up. They're trying to schedule a news event right now so he can make it on the evening news. He's hoping the newsfeed will get him picked up on a larger scale after it airs here. You know how these things work.”
“Great,” she said. “Well, I hope everything works out for him.”
“He still wants to make a good showing at the news conference. He wants all of us standing together as a family, like what he was saying yesterday,” Deidra said.
“Okay. Well, I'll let Andrew know when he wakes up.”
“Paris, I know what you said yesterday about not wanting to take part. But I really think you should come and stand with us. If not for your father, do it for me.”
“Mother, I hear you. I heard Dad. But I'm honestly not interested.”
“Hold on a second, Paris. Your daddy wants to talk to you for a minute.”
Paris didn't want to talk to her father. Not after the wonderful time she and Andrew had together last night. She looked up at the ceiling and shook her head.
“Paris, this is your father.”
“I know, Daddy,” she said, standing up now. She went down the stairs to the den. Even though Andrew was likely still asleep, she didn't want him hearing any of what she might say in response to her father and start the friction between them all over again. Not after last night.
“I need you at the news conference so we can stand united as a family.”
“Daddy, I already gave you my answer.”
“I heard you,” Lawrence said. “And I was fully willing to allow you that. But things have changed overnight. Pastor Landris was on television this morning talking about doing the very thing I said we were going to do. Speciously, there's a spy in my midst. How else would that preacher end up coming up with the very thing we'd discussed doing? This is definitely no coincidence, I'll tell you.”
“I don't think this is anything that merits stealing. Just like you and William decided on it, I'm sure the way William found out about this child's dilemma, so may have Pastor Landris. I personally think it's great that this is being done for this little girl and her family and I don't have to be involved.”
“Where's Andrew?”
“Still asleep.”
“Asleep? Then wake him up.”
“Daddy, I'm not going to wake Andrew up. I'll just have him call you when he wakes up.”
“Listen, Paris Elizabeth, I don't have time to play. I need all hands on deck. Andrew said he would stand with us on this, so I need him to know the plan.”
“Then tell me and I'll tell him.”
“Why would I tell you? You've made it abundantly clear that you want nothing to do with
any
of this,” Lawrence said. “So wake up your husband and give him the phone. We need to be sure we come off as sincere and creditable in this as possible. We have to take hold of this before Pastor Landris and his church completely upstage us and get all the credit. We can't just talk; we're going to have to prove that we mean what we say. So put my son-in-law on the phone and hurry up about it! We're wasting time, all right?”
Paris pressed her mouth tight before forcing a smile. “Sure, Daddy. Just a minute.”
She walked back upstairs to her bedroom. Andrew was just coming out of the bathroom. “Daddy wants to speak to you.” Defeated, she handed her husband the phone.
Chapter 29
These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
—Jude 16
 
 
 
L
awrence had called Gabrielle as soon as he saw the news, even before he phoned William. He wanted to find out from her what was going on. Had she decided not to pressure him to do all he could, now that he'd told her he'd been tested and learned he was a blood match but wasn't a bone marrow match?
Gabrielle had calmly explained to Lawrence that her pastor had been made aware of the little girl and wanted to do something to help. Pastor Landris announced it to the congregation. It just happens that lots of prominent people attend Followers of Jesus Faith Worship Center, many with connections to the media. One such person thought what they were doing as a local body, bringing awareness to this type of problem and volunteering to be tested, deserved a larger audience than merely their members. So that's what was apparently happening now.
“Then it sounds like I can scrap plans for my family to be tested,” Lawrence had said with relief.
“Lawrence, your children still need to see if any of them may be a match,” Gabrielle said. “Finding a perfect match is difficult; finding a good match is not that easy, either. It's not like donating blood that would likely find matches needed in a number of folks. Your children still need to be tested to see if any of them match.”
Lawrence had been disappointed by her answer. He was hoping this new development with the church stepping up would allow him to remove his children from the equation completely.
Paris had already stated she wasn't going to cooperate, not even with the staging of him revealing what he was planning to do. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to get her to change her mind. This church doing this now could have been a great out for sure, but Gabrielle wasn't letting them off the hook. She was going all out to save this child and, in Lawrence's opinion, she could care less about any possible debris left along the way.
So Lawrence had to alter his plans since someone else had now preempted his planned announcement. William was the one who felt they had to hold a larger news conference in order to wrestle away any thunder Pastor Landris may have taken from them. William suggested one other thing they hadn't planned to do originally.
“I think we should get with the mother of this child and see if we can make the announcement from the actual hospital,” William said.
“Do what?” Lawrence was totally not expecting this. “Are you out of your mind? You want me to tie myself to those people in that way?”
“Follow me on this,” William said. “You get me the information on the mother. I'll speak with her, let her know we heard about her little girl, and that we want to use your office to do what we can to help. Didn't you say that Gabrielle hasn't revealed who you are to this little girl to anyone other than her boyfriend?”
“That's what she told me. But who's to say she's telling the truth, and who's to say her boyfriend hasn't leaked anything?”
“Well, from our side of things, nothing appears to have been revealed concerning you. Believe me: We'd be hearing some kind of rumbling if there had been. So I'm thinking you could call Gabrielle and ask her for the mother's contact information. I could then contact the mother, tell her what we'd like to do for her daughter by way of a televised news conference that will certainly cover a greater area than ever before, and voila!”
“So you want us to go to the hospital, if we get the clearance, and make the announcement of our intentions to be tested as a family from there?” Lawrence said.
“Exactly! Picture the optics. And honestly, I believe this is a better way to sell it to everyone, including
your
family. It would appear really sincere, and if we get the mother on board, we would no longer be speaking generically, and it would be more than an abstract thought. We'd have a real live person who's being affected by this need, placed before the people,” William said. “The media loves a feel-good story.”
“All right. Let me see what I can do from my end. I'll get back with you as soon as I hear back from Gabrielle and she hears back from the child's mother, if we get that far.” Lawrence hung up.
He called Gabrielle again and explained the plan. She told him she would get in touch with the mother and call him back. Lawrence stressed to Gabrielle the importance of the child's mother believing he, as an Alabama representative, had heard of their plight and wanted to help. Gabrielle called him back within five minutes.
“Okay. I spoke with the mother. Her name is Jessica Noble. She totally broke down and cried when I told her you were interested in bringing more attention to the search for a bone marrow donor,” Gabrielle said. “She said it would be fine for your people to contact her. She'll be looking for the call. But now she did ask how I happened to have spoken to you about this. She wanted to know how you knew to call me in the first place.”
Lawrence's breath caught in his throat. He hadn't even thought about that. “What did you tell her?”
“I told her I had made great efforts in contacting your office, which is true. And that I was asking for whatever help
anyone
could give toward assistance. She already knew what my pastor and the church were doing. So this fell right in line.”
“Wonderful,” Lawrence said with a smile. “Then if you'll give me Jessica Noble's phone number, I'll get this ball rolling.”
“What about your family? Is everyone on board?”
“I spoke with everyone yesterday.
Almost
everyone is on board to be tested to see if they might be a candidate for further testing as a match.”
“
Almost
every body?” Gabrielle said.
“Yeah. Paris doesn't want to participate.”
“But what if—”
“Listen, I need to get off the phone,” Lawrence said, deliberately interrupting her. “I need to let William and his team know that this is a go. We don't have a lot of time to waste. I'll talk with you should I need anything more, which I don't think I will.”
“Sure,” Gabrielle said, then gave him Jessica's cell phone number. “Thanks, Lawrence. I really appreciate this.”
“No problem,” Lawrence said. “Besides, what other option have you given me?” He hung up, then thought about whether that last sentence had truly been necessary. After all, she was only trying to save the life of a child she'd already saved once. Lawrence, on the other hand, was looking to save only what mattered most to him—his wife, family, and his political career.
 
William pulled everything together. The optics of being at the hospital to make the announcement were perfect. Doctors explained the medical what and how. Lawrence's family stood together, surprisingly including Paris. Lawrence wasn't sure how Andrew had managed to pull that one off, but it appeared he'd been the one to convince her to be there with the family.
When the cameras rolled, Deidra spoke from a mother's point of view. It was very touching. But the star of the news conference turned out to be Imani. She brought home the point, emphasizing that they were talking about an eight-year-old little girl with her whole life ahead of her. And all she needed was a little marrow.
“I'm going to be tested,” Imani said. “And I
pray
I'm a match. Can you imagine being able to help someone in that way? Hey! It won't kill you to do this.”
Some in the audience laughed after she said that. She was right; to be tested and, if a match, to give the bone marrow, without a doubt, wouldn't kill anyone.
After the news conference, Jessica Noble came up to him. “Representative Simmons,” she said. “Thank you so much.” Tears rolled down her worn face.
Lawrence nodded. “I'm happy to be able to do something that we pray will help.”
Jessica shook her head slowly. “I just don't know what to say. In this past month, when I've been at my lowest, God has sent me angels, disguised as people, right here on earth. When I received that call this morning from Gabrielle that you wanted to put a call out there in a big way, I couldn't believe it.”
“Well, when my office heard about this, we wanted to do what we could.”
“Yeah, but having your whole family want to come in and be tested . . . to lead the way like this, this is huge,” Jessica said. “Gabrielle has truly been a blessing through all of this. She has tirelessly been out there trying to help us find a match.”
“I will say, according to my secretary, that Gabrielle Mercedes has been
relentless
in attempting to get us involved in this effort. When I heard about it, something touched my heart about it. I asked myself, what would Jesus do, if He was here, and how would He do it? It came to me what and how, as a Christian who
truly
values life, I had to do. God is good. His mercy endures forever.”
“I would love for you to meet my daughter. I know she would absolutely get a kick out of meeting someone like you,” Jessica said.
Lawrence's smile tempered temporarily. “Oh, it's fine. I'm sure it's not good having too many strangers around her during this time. I'm aware that her immune system is severely compromised at this stage. My intent is to help her in getting well. I certainly wouldn't want to be the cause of anything bad happening because of anything I might do. She and I will meet after she gets well. I'm not going anywhere, not anytime soon. I plan on retaining my political office, so we have plenty of time.”
“Of course,” Jessica said. “I know you're very busy. Whenever you're ready.”
“Always something vying for my attention, that's for sure,” Lawrence said.
William stepped in on cue. “Representative Simmons, we need to go. You're going to be late for your next appointment.”
Lawrence turned back to Jessica. “It was a pleasure meeting you. And if you happen to be a member of the district I represent, I certainly hope you'll consider voting for me.” He chuckled like it was a joke, but he was serious. “And if you have friends or know people in my district, be sure and tell them to vote for me as well.”
“Absolutely,” Jessica said. “You didn't even have to ask.”
Lawrence and William walked off.
“Great news conference,” William said. “My phone has been ringing off the hook since you and your family took the stage. I think you've risen ten points in the polls with this. And I'd give Imani something extra in her allowance. That girl is a natural, and she doesn't even know it. She
completely
sold this today. Heck, after she finished, I would have stepped up to be tested if I hadn't already committed to do it.”
Lawrence nodded as they walked. “Imani was good. That girl has a heart of
pure
gold. She meant every word she said. This isn't a game for her. She's for real.”
“Yeah, she takes after her mother.” William laughed. “Because anybody who
really
knows you, know they're dealing with fool's gold.” William kept walking as Lawrence stood there pretending to be offended. William turned around and walked backward as he spoke. “Oh, and, Representative Simmons! Happy Hanukkah!”

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