He nearly choked at the sight. The wheeled chair was a familiar sight, but not with this particular woman pushing it. Did she mean for him to ride in it? Just like Levi’s father did.
She stopped the seat at the edge of his cot, a triumphant grin lighting her beautiful face. “I thought you might like to get out of bed for a while. I think we need to wait before you use the walking sticks again, but Louis Bureau offered the use of his chair for a few hours.”
The sight of the conveyance sent his emotions warring. He would love to get out of this bed and see Laurent, maybe meet more of the people. But his father practically lived in a chair very similar to this one. In Levi’s mind, he’d always matched it with his father’s displeasure.
Yet it wasn’t the vehicle that made his father frown. It washis situation. The fact that he couldn’t use his legs to walk. But if Levi really thought about it, it was the fact that his father didn’t work to find joy in the hardship. Everyone went through times of pain and trial. His father’s situation had certainly lasted longer than many endured. But surely he could have found peace and pleasure in his wife and children. In the love of a heavenly Father who’d not allowed his life to be taken in that battle and given him many more years with his family.
In truth, Levi would never fully understand how hard things had been for his father. And it wasn’t his place to judge the man for his attitudes. Levi’s own attitude about his situation was all he could control, and he could choose to view this borrowed chair as a gift. The gift of movement, instead of being bound to this bed. A gift of love from the woman now beaming at him.
He returned her smile. “Thank you.” Setting aside his empty bowl and shifting off the coverings, he scooted to the edge of the bed, where he could maneuver onto the chair. Using his arms and his good leg, he shifted onto the seat, then eased against the back support. That small bit of movement shouldn’t wear him out, but he was already breathing hard.
Reaching for a reserve of strength, he straightened and attempted to push the wheels to roll the chair forward. Turning it away from the bedside proved his first obstacle, and a task much harder than he would have expected.
“Wait.” Audrey scooted the bedside table farther out of his way. “Let me roll you.”
Surely he could accomplish this small feat. His father maneuvered all around their house in a chair just like this. Yet getting the knack of how to make the smaller wheel turn the right direction took concentration.
Audrey finally moved in front of him, a frown wrinkling her brow. She looked like she wanted to brace her fists at her waist and lecture him, but she was too kind for such a stern act. “Wait a minute, Levi. I have somewhere I want to take you. Let me help.”
And with those words, with her sweet voice and her angelic face in front of him, the frustration building in his chest eased. She’d planned this treat, this special outing, and he was stealing her joy.
Forgive me, Lord.
To Audrey, he offered an apologetic smile. “I’m at your command. Take me where you wish.”
Her frown softened into a smile, and the twinkle in her eye looked almost scheming. Not anything he’d ever seen from this angel. But he liked it.
After taking her place behind his chair, she pushed him forward, turning around the end of the bed toward the front door. She maneuvered the vehicle with ease, a far cry from what he’d been able to manage.
She paused to open the door, and sunlight streamed in alongside the chilly air. When she’d regained her position behind him, her voice sounded. “Hold on as I push you down the stoop. It will be bumpy.”
He gripped the chair arms as she commanded, but he was able to use his good foot to help walk the chair down the low step. As they settled the vehicle on the ground, he took a moment to scan the courtyard around them. Most of the snow was gone, and a group of children played in the distance. A few people relaxed in chairs outside their homes, probably enjoying the pleasure of the outdoors. The chill of winter still hung in the air, but the warm sun bespoke the coming spring.
“I’ll be right back.” Audrey’s voice faded behind him as she returned into the apartment.
He took the opportunity to relax against the backrest and turn his face to the warmth of the sun.
A moment later, she moved beside him and placed her own chair beside his. Her smile turned shy as she adjusted its feet on the damp ground, not meeting his gaze. “I thought you might like to sit in the sunshine for a while. It’s our first mild day this spring.”
The warmth filling his chest had nothing to do with the sun, and as she settled beside him, he reached over and took her hand, weaving his fingers between hers. He stroked his thumb over hers—such a small hand that possessed so much power. Power to heal, power to care. Power to make his world so much warmer.
She finally met his gaze, and he lifted their joined hands so he could press a kiss where his thumb had just stroked. He didn’t shift his eyes from hers, though.
He’d not expected an opportunity to ask her so soon, but with these moments alone with her, these moments of perfection, he had to speak. “Audrey, I think I told you in the cave that if our situations were different, my intentions toward you would be ... different.” Those days in the cave were all blended together. He could recall the conversation and what he’d meant to say, but he wasn’t sure exactly how it had come out.
“Since then, God has shown me clearly that there truly are circumstances I have no power to change. Only He has that power. He’s worked so much good for us these last few weeks.” So much more than Levi had ever expected.
Audrey was watching him, a sheen in her eyes. She must be thinking of how far they’d come too.
“I promised myself when I watched Brielle walk you back toward Laurent that if God brought us through, I would never let you go again.”
Her eyes widened a little, and he lifted their hands again to press another kiss there. “Audrey Moreau, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? It would be my greatest honor to join our hearts before God. I’ll do everything I can to provide for you, to protect you, and to cherish you. No matter what happens in our lives, you’ll never lack for my love.”
He squeezed her hand and resisted the urge to once more press a kiss there. He had to wait for her response. The shimmer of moisture in her eyes was the only visible sign of emotion.
Her mouth parted, and he held his breath as he waited for her to speak. But she didn’t, which made his chest ache with the delay.
At last, her mouth pressed shut and the beautiful lines of her throat worked. What did that mean? Was she trying to think of a way to let him down gently?
