Kennedy Stern Christian Suspense Complete Box Set (Books 1-9)

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 28

As soon as they got back to the Lindgrens’, Kennedy took her pain meds and went to the guest room to lie down. Carl and Sandy would be busy that afternoon getting ready for the pregnancy center’s big dinner. It would be Wayne Abernathy’s first public statement since his daughter’s kidnapping. They had to make a last-minute room change because even St. Margaret’s huge fellowship hall wasn’t large enough to accommodate both the guests and the press who would be there. Nick recruited a bunch of kids from the youth group to stop by after school to set up tables in the sanctuary. There would be extra security too, although everyone assumed with Anthony dead and the computer confiscated the attacks wouldn’t proceed as planned.

“You’re welcome to come with us.” Carl took a noisy slurp of soup that Sandy had whipped together for a late lunch.

“I’ll see how much reading I get done this afternoon.” Kennedy was glad when Carl didn’t push the issue any further. The thought of being there with so many people left her paralyzed.

When the time came to set up the church, Carl asked Kennedy again if she wanted to come. “If you’re not ready now, one of us could swing by and pick you up a little before six. No problem.”

Sandy laid her hand on her husband’s shoulder. “I think she needs to rest.”

In this case, Kennedy was happy to let Sandy answer for her.

“Well, just text us if you change your mind,” Carl called out as he went to the bedroom to hunt for his lost keys.

Once the Lindgrens left, it was the first time Kennedy was alone since the kidnapping. She hobbled around to make sure both the front and back doors were locked. She wasn’t in the mood to read, and Crime and Punishment wasn’t the right kind of book for a day like this anyway. Her usual spy or thriller novels wouldn’t be an adequate distraction, either. Would she be stuck reading historical romances like her mom for the rest of her life? She heated up a bread roll Sandy left for her, glanced at some of her reading for her general chemistry class, and tried to remember where she had put that Bible someone had left her in the hospital. She found it a minute later in the guest room and returned to Psalm 139.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Kennedy sat staring at the words. Shouldn’t they speak to her? Shouldn’t they mean something at a time like this?

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. What did Jodie’s baby look like? She almost wished Jodie had offered to show her the picture she had. Was he a tiny version of his mother? Kennedy tried to swallow away the lump in her throat with another bite of bread.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. God had loved that baby. She knew now that Jodie had, too. Was that what pastors and politicians meant when they spouted off terms like sanctity of life?

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. All the days. Did that include baby Wayne’s days in the womb? Had he been knitted together in time to know how much God loved him? To know how much his mom loved him, scared and young and ill-prepared as she was?

Kennedy’s eyes hurt. She shut the Bible and thought about calling Reuben. She wasn’t quite sure why she hadn’t yet. Part of her was scared he would ask too many questions. Another part of her didn’t want to admit anything had changed. She didn’t want to talk. Especially about the past few days.

Kennedy checked her phone. Tomorrow, Carl would take it in to get the surveillance bugs removed. Did she really want to use it yet? She stared at her empty plate and her assignment notebook for another twenty minutes before she finally picked it back up and found Reuben’s name in her contacts.

“It’s about time I heard from you!” There was both relief and good humor in his voice.

Kennedy couldn’t help laughing. “I’m sorry. It’s been a busy few days.”

“I’m sure it has. I’m hearing all about it right now, actually.”

“What do you mean?”

“Check out Channel 2 News and then call me back.”

Kennedy wasn’t sure she wanted to hear some newscaster recount the horrid details of her and Jodie’s capture. She was sure they wouldn’t spare Jodie any courtesies on account of her age. She knew Carl had been right. Anything that might stink of scandal this close to the election was going to make huge headlines.

Reuben had already ended the call. She didn’t want to spend the rest of the night in such suffocating silence, and she knew Reuben would probably want to know how many details from the news report were accurate. Part of her wondered the same thing. Fortunately, the Lindgrens’ TV was one of the old-fashioned kinds that were really easy to use. She flipped to channel 2 and saw Wayne Abernathy’s face instead of the floating head she expected. The news ticker at the bottom flashed details about Jodie’s capture and child-abuse allegations against the late Anthony Abernathy, but Kennedy was paying too much attention to Wayne’s speech to try to read them all.

“I’ve been the front-line man when it comes to the war against abortion for some time now. It’s a cause I believe in deeply, a cause I’ve fought for zealously.” He was wearing a red, white, and blue tie and one of those little American flag lapel pins. Fitting for a pre-election speech.

“Unfortunately, my commitment to the pro-life movement has had a price, a price my wife, our children, and our extended family have had to pay. Last year, many of you blessed us with your condolences, prayers, and well-wishes when my sister-in-law passed away. Moriah was a beautiful, angelic creature, who chose to delay chemotherapy treatment when she discovered she was pregnant. Her choice was a personal one, not forced upon her by any pastor or priest or politician. It was a choice her doctors may have disagreed with, but they respected it as a choice that she alone could make.”

Kennedy leaned forward to listen.

“Moriah died shortly after giving the precious gift of life to my little nephew, Charlie. Our memories of her will be of a woman who was strong, courageous, who found strength in God and wasn’t afraid of dying. Everyone who knew her suffered when she passed, but none more than her husband.”

Wayne cleared his throat. He would probably make a good actor. Kennedy could picture him on stage next to Willow.

“I’m sure most of you by now have heard of the charges and allegations brought against my brother, Anthony. Charges of vandalizing the new Cambridge Community Pregnancy Center, whose opening we celebrate tonight. Charges of targeting my campaign in order to stop the pro-life cause in our state. And, unfortunately, charges that hit much closer to home.”

Kennedy turned up the volume so she wouldn’t miss a word.

“My daughter, as you have already heard, was pregnant when she was abducted Tuesday morning. It was as much as a shock to us as it was to you, believe me. Unfortunately, Anthony learned about the pregnancy before we did and tried to convince our daughter to kill her unborn baby. He eventually resorted to kidnapping her with the intention of forcing an abortion. We assume it was an attempt to smear my campaign. Any motivations beyond that are purely speculation at this point, and I ask that in deference to our family’s privacy and to our daughter’s young age that none of us allow the spread of ungrounded, malicious rumors.”

Staring past the blinding, dazzling spotlights and camera flashes, Kennedy was surprised at how many wrinkles were on Wayne’s face. Not something she noticed the other times she had seen him.

“I would like to publically thank God as well as the FBI team who responded at the rescue scene to ensure my daughter and the other hostage involved were delivered to safety. Unfortunately, injuries sustained during my daughter’s abduction resulted in a spontaneous miscarriage. Please note that this was not the result of an elective abortion, and that if her mother and I had known about her condition ...” Here his voice caught. He took a drink of bottled water. “We would have done everything in our power to give our daughter a safe and healthy pregnancy. We would have opened our arms and our home to give our grandson a loving, caring childhood. I would also like to take this chance to publically announce that even if our daughter had gone through with the abortion procedure like her uncle wanted, we would have loved her unconditionally, just as God loves his own children.”

Kennedy’s throat was parched, but she didn’t want to get up for a drink. Not yet.

“Because of these recent events, I have decided to withdraw from the gubernatorial race next week. My priority right now is to be with my family, to ensure my daughter gets the rest and healing she needs, and to protect our privacy during this difficult time. My wife and I have also assumed guardianship of my nephew, Charlie, and we will be busy helping him adjust to life without either his father or his mother. For those of you inclined to prayer, I ask you to remember us.”

The next few minutes were filled with questions from the press and comments from the newscaster, who was a little zealous in reporting that one of the kidnapping suspects was still at large. Kennedy finally turned the TV off, wincing as she stood up from the couch. Her back was stiff. She thought she could use a hot shower but wasn’t sure she had the energy to move down the hall.

There was a knock on the door. Kennedy froze.

“Kennedy? You in there?” Her heart raced as fast as spinning electrons. She grabbed her phone, ready to call 911. “Kennedy?”

If she could slow down her heart to remember where she had heard the voice before ...

“It’s me, Nick. From St. Margaret’s.”

Kennedy shuffled toward the door, still not sure how she felt about the intrusion into her evening of solitude. “Hi.” She held the door open but couldn’t mask the question in her voice. Nick looked halfway normal in khaki pants and a dark blue sweater. He could have passed for any one of Cambridge’s thousands of young men in casual work attire if it hadn’t been for the dreadlocks. What was he doing here?

“Carl sent me. He says they have way too much food, and he wants you to come get your fill.” Nick lowered his voice. “But Sandy wants you to know it’s totally fine if you stay home and rest. She’ll make sure Carl doesn’t give you a hard time for it.”

Kennedy thought about all the schoolwork she had to catch up on. She thought about Reuben, who was probably expecting her to call him right back. Was she ready to return to St. Margaret’s? To the pregnancy center? She thought about her former resolve to distance herself from the pro-life movement, thought about the time she spent with Jodie in the hospital, the tears they shed over baby Wayne, the verses she had read a few minutes earlier. Did she know how she felt about abortion now? It was still wrong, but when she tried to articulate why, all she could picture was baby Wayne as he must have looked in Jodie’s arms. Was that enough? It would have to be, at least for now.

She offered Nick an uncertain smile. “Let’s go.”

She reached to grab her coat off its hanger, but Nick stopped her. “Let me help you with that.” She was glad to not have to twist herself into it.

The phone rang. “Can I meet you at the car?” she asked Nick. “This will only take me a minute or two.”

“Sure thing. I’ll take your bag and meet you there.”

Kennedy didn’t even look at the caller ID before she answered. “Hey, Reuben.”

“That was some crazy story.”

Would she ever be able to look back over the past few days without shaking? “Yeah, sure was.”

“You ok?” His words were laden with concern.

“I’m really tired. My stitches are itching, too.”

“Ouch. When are you coming back to campus?”

“This weekend sometime. I should be moving around a lot easier by then.”

“Can I get you something? Heating pads? Pain meds?”

Kennedy let out her breath. It was good to hear his voice. “How about the notes from today’s chemistry lecture?”

“Consider it done.”

They talked for another minute about nothing important and made plans for Reuben to stop by the Lindgrens’ tomorrow evening with his lecture notes. Kennedy warned him to come with his appetite since Sandy would almost certainly force him to stay for dinner.

They hung up, and Kennedy zipped her coat. As she locked Carl and Sandy’s house behind her, she thought about tomorrow, and peace wrapped itself around her like a warm blanket. She was glad Reuben hadn’t asked for any more details about the kidnapping. It was therapeutic somehow to talk about something as mundane as school.

Kennedy limped down the driveway and balked when she saw Nick standing in front of a VW bus that looked about as old as her dad. “You actually drive this?”

He grinned and held the passenger door open. “It’s the youth group van, actually. I prefer my bike, but I didn’t think you’d be up for a ten-mile ride.”

She chuckled, even though the movement shot pain through her back muscles and made her cringe. “Yeah, maybe not.”

He tapped the hood, which had a painted picture of a tie-dye Jesus fish about to swallow up a cartoon-style shark. “What do you think?”

Kennedy was too overwhelmed by so many colors to form a personal opinion. “Is that Michelangelo?” She pointed to a picture of a Ninja Turtle surfing with a Bible in one hand.

“Nah. Donatello. I was going to make it Jesus, but Carl pulled the senior pastor card on me and said it would be irreverent.” He tapped the windshield. “I did get the Peter, James, and John bobble-head set, though. You can see it better once we’re inside.”

“So you did all this yourself?” Kennedy eyed the sunset scene painted on the passenger side. Looking closer, she saw the individual Bible verses stenciled in to form the branches of a palm tree.

“Like it?” he beamed.

“It suits you well,” was all she could manage.

Once she was inside the bus, Nick handed her the seatbelt and shut her in. She thought about Reuben, about her calculus test, about the mounds of homework she would tackle starting tomorrow. After everything she had already been through, would she ever get stressed out over a test again?

Yes, she probably would. Life would turn back to normal, she’d get caught up in her studies, and in a month, a semester, maybe a year, she’d wonder if anything could be more nerve-racking than having two tests, a paper, and a lab all due in the same week. She would never forget Jodie or the time they spent together in that basement, but she didn’t have to relive that moment every day of her life. As Nick drove to St. Margaret’s, the future opened out before her like a brand-new novel with limitless possibilities for adventure, blessings, and growth between its covers.

She couldn’t wait to see what the next chapter would contain