New Beginnings Read Free

out?” he asked.
    Trying not to reveal her concern, she told him about the inconclusive report.
    He scowled at her. “What does that mean? Exactly.”
    She took his arm, urging him to sit down again. “It means we have to wait a little longer than usual. When they are confident of the results of the biopsy, they’ll let us know.”
    “And it could mean whatever is on her ovary is cancerous.”
    “It could,” she told him honestly. “But it could also be a benign cyst, which is what we’re all hoping for.”
    He speared his fingers through his closely cropped hair. “This waiting is killing me.”
    Empathy for Cesar’s situation filled Anabelle’s chest. In a case like this, it was almost better to be the patient rather than a loved one who waited to hear the news. At least the patient was unaware of all the trauma that was going on around her.
    “Would you like to go downstairs to the chapel?” she asked.
    He hesitated. “That could be good, but…I want to be here when they call me in to see her.”
    “I’ll tell the receptionist to page me when there’s news, and I’ll go with you to the chapel.” Fortunately, Anabelle had no meetings to attend today and her staff knew how to find her if she was needed.
    He pushed himself to his feet again. “Anything beats sitting here thinking about the worst possible case.”
    The small chapel on the first floor offered a quiet place to meditate and pray. On an overcast day like today, little sunlight slipped in through the stained-glass window above the altar. A water feature, a stream bubbling over rocks, made a subdued burbling sound that soothed troubled visitors.
    Anabelle and Cesar sat on one of the oak pews.
    “When I was a kid, I used to camp around Lake Michigan,” Cesar said. “I remember a stream that made that sound. If the mosquitoes weren’t too bad, I’d put my bedroll down right by the little meandering creek. The sound would put me right to sleep.”
    Anabelle was touched that Cesar had chosen to open up to her, even in this small way. “It must have been very pretty.”
    “Yeah, it was. We took Rafael there once. He started jumping on an old rotten log. What he didn’t know was that a nest of bees had taken up residence inside that old log.” He smiled at the memory. “Poor kid. I’ve never seen him run so fast. Those bees chased him right into the lake.”
    “Was he badly stung?”
    “Only a few stings. But I thought Elena was going to take off my head and stuff it in the log with those bees.” Tears suddenly rose in his eyes. With a deep, wracking sob, he leaned forward on the back of the pew in front of him and cried. His shoulders shook. He gasped for air.
    Fighting her own tears, Anabelle touched his back.
Please Lord, help this man to trust in Your goodness and mercy. Help Elena with whatever she must face and heal her. Amen
.

Chapter Three
    E LENA FLOATED IN A CLOUD OF ANESTHESIA. NO pain. Aware of the recovery room nurse fussing around her. Putting a warm sheet over her. Making her want to nuzzle down deeper into the drug-induced sleep.
    “You can wake up now, Elena.”
    Elena tried to speak. It came out more like a mumble.
    “There you go, hon. Time to rise and shine. Dr. Drew will be in soon to talk to you and your husband.”
    Elena’s eyes blinked open.
    Cesar.
    He had been so worried about her. So she’d had to be brave. Strong. Even when she’d been scared about what the doctors would find.
    She turned her head and licked her dry lips. Her throat hurt. She’d had a breathing tube.
    A plastic cup with a straw appeared in the nurse’s hand. “Take a little sip. It will wash away that bad taste in your mouth.”
    Awkwardly, her lips not working well together, she closed her mouth over the straw and sucked. The cool liquid slid down her throat, soothing it. Her focus became a little sharper.
    “Where’s…my husband?” Her voice sounded hoarse.
    “I’ll bring him back here in just a few minutes.”
    The blood