worried about you.”
“I’ll be going home soon, and then you won’t have to worry anymore,” Audrey murmured. “I will be safe in the arms of my Lord.”
In an attempt to hold back tears, Kristi pointed to the cactus. “It’s doing well. I think it likes it here in your room.”
Audrey gave a feeble nod. “I believe there will be lots of flowers in heaven.”
Kristi swallowed hard, barely able to speak around the lump in her throat. “According to what I read in the Bible, there will be lots of beautiful things in heaven for us to enjoy.”
“Yes.” Audrey’s eyelids closed, and Kristi could tell from her steady breathing that she had fallen asleep.
Slipping quietly from the room, she started down the hall. When she entered the break room a few minutes later, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out to see who was calling. It was Joel, so she let it go to voice mail, as she had done since their breakup.
“How’s Audrey?” Dorine asked, joining Kristi for their afternoon break.
“Not well. She’s failing fast, but she did wake up and talk to me for a few minutes.”
Dorine fixed herself a cup of coffee. “Audrey’s your favorite patient here, isn’t she?”
“It’s not that she’s my favorite, exactly, but she definitely needs me the most, and not just in a physical sense.”
“I understand what you’re saying. The poor woman has no family to sit beside her bed and offer comfort. You’ve done that for her, Kristi. And the cactus you bought is proof of how much you care.”
“Audrey’s a special lady, and she’s ministered to me along the way, too.” Kristi took an orange from the fruit bowl on the table and sat down. Before peeling it, she glanced at her cell phone and decided to listen to the message Joel had obviously left.
“Hey, Kristi, this is Joel. I hope you’re doing well.” There was a short pause. “I’m faced with an unusual situation right now and could really use some advice.” Another pause—this one followed by a groan. “The thing is, my dad’s will was finally located—in his freezer of all places. But I don’t know how much my share of the inheritance is because Dad wrote a ridiculous stipulation. He expects me to do some kind of a good deed—he called it a selfless act. And until I do it and it’s accepted by my sisters, as well as my aunt, neither me nor my siblings can open the envelopes he left us, which will let us know how much we are entitled to. So what I need to know is what kind of good deed would be considered a selfless act. Since you’ve done many good deeds working as a nurse, I figured you’d be the one to ask. When you get this message, I’d appreciate it if you’d give me a call.”
Kristi sat, staring at her phone, trying to process all Joel had said. Could it be true, or was it just another attempt to get her to call so he could try to convince her to take him back?
If it is true,
she thought,
Joel’s father made a wise decision, for Joel surely needs to think of someone other than himself for a change. But if he does a good deed only to get the money he wants so badly, then nothing will have been gained.
Kristi hoped for Joel’s sake, as well as for his family, that he would come to realize the importance of putting other people’s needs ahead of his own. But in order to do a true selfless act, he would need to first get right with God.
C HAPTER 8
Farmerstown, Ohio
J oel had spent the last few days wracking his brain, trying to come up with something he could do to earn the right to open the envelope Dad left for him. This morning he’d come up with a plan, and as soon as he finished working for the day, he headed to the schoolhouse where Anna taught. Hopefully the scholars would be gone by the time he arrived. If things were as they had been when he was in school, the teacher would still be there.
When Joel pulled his truck into the schoolyard, he saw a few children milling about. It was a good
“I’ll be going home soon, and then you won’t have to worry anymore,” Audrey murmured. “I will be safe in the arms of my Lord.”
In an attempt to hold back tears, Kristi pointed to the cactus. “It’s doing well. I think it likes it here in your room.”
Audrey gave a feeble nod. “I believe there will be lots of flowers in heaven.”
Kristi swallowed hard, barely able to speak around the lump in her throat. “According to what I read in the Bible, there will be lots of beautiful things in heaven for us to enjoy.”
“Yes.” Audrey’s eyelids closed, and Kristi could tell from her steady breathing that she had fallen asleep.
Slipping quietly from the room, she started down the hall. When she entered the break room a few minutes later, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out to see who was calling. It was Joel, so she let it go to voice mail, as she had done since their breakup.
“How’s Audrey?” Dorine asked, joining Kristi for their afternoon break.
“Not well. She’s failing fast, but she did wake up and talk to me for a few minutes.”
Dorine fixed herself a cup of coffee. “Audrey’s your favorite patient here, isn’t she?”
“It’s not that she’s my favorite, exactly, but she definitely needs me the most, and not just in a physical sense.”
“I understand what you’re saying. The poor woman has no family to sit beside her bed and offer comfort. You’ve done that for her, Kristi. And the cactus you bought is proof of how much you care.”
“Audrey’s a special lady, and she’s ministered to me along the way, too.” Kristi took an orange from the fruit bowl on the table and sat down. Before peeling it, she glanced at her cell phone and decided to listen to the message Joel had obviously left.
“Hey, Kristi, this is Joel. I hope you’re doing well.” There was a short pause. “I’m faced with an unusual situation right now and could really use some advice.” Another pause—this one followed by a groan. “The thing is, my dad’s will was finally located—in his freezer of all places. But I don’t know how much my share of the inheritance is because Dad wrote a ridiculous stipulation. He expects me to do some kind of a good deed—he called it a selfless act. And until I do it and it’s accepted by my sisters, as well as my aunt, neither me nor my siblings can open the envelopes he left us, which will let us know how much we are entitled to. So what I need to know is what kind of good deed would be considered a selfless act. Since you’ve done many good deeds working as a nurse, I figured you’d be the one to ask. When you get this message, I’d appreciate it if you’d give me a call.”
Kristi sat, staring at her phone, trying to process all Joel had said. Could it be true, or was it just another attempt to get her to call so he could try to convince her to take him back?
If it is true,
she thought,
Joel’s father made a wise decision, for Joel surely needs to think of someone other than himself for a change. But if he does a good deed only to get the money he wants so badly, then nothing will have been gained.
Kristi hoped for Joel’s sake, as well as for his family, that he would come to realize the importance of putting other people’s needs ahead of his own. But in order to do a true selfless act, he would need to first get right with God.
C HAPTER 8
Farmerstown, Ohio
J oel had spent the last few days wracking his brain, trying to come up with something he could do to earn the right to open the envelope Dad left for him. This morning he’d come up with a plan, and as soon as he finished working for the day, he headed to the schoolhouse where Anna taught. Hopefully the scholars would be gone by the time he arrived. If things were as they had been when he was in school, the teacher would still be there.
When Joel pulled his truck into the schoolyard, he saw a few children milling about. It was a good
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