Tears pricked at her eyes, and she turned to go back into her apartment as Ben jogged down the steps and out of sight. She went to the balcony and caught sight of him as he slid into the front seat of the black SUV.
She rested her arms on the black wrought-iron railing and watched as the SUV headed down the street and disappeared around the corner.
God, please protect Mr. Burke. Give the doctors and medical personnel wisdom as they treat him. And be with Ben and his family. I know they’ll all be worried.
Amelia sat down on her chair and stared at their half-eaten meals. She reached out and picked up her fork, then used it to push around bits of her salad.
Her appetite was completely gone now. The worry for Mr. Burke and concern for Ben left a hollow feeling in her stomach. She pushed the container away and leaned back in her chair, staring at the empty seat across from her where Ben had been sitting just minutes earlier.
The conversation they'd been having played in her mind. She'd been more honest with him than she had been with anyone in a long time. Even Tracy didn't know the full extent of her spiritual struggles. And now that moment of connection had been interrupted, leaving everything unresolved.
Amelia gathered the food containers and carried them into the kitchen. She put the leftovers away in her refrigerator, then took a cloth out to the balcony to wipe the table down.
Shrieks of childish laughter drew her attention, and once again, she leaned against the balcony railing, this time looking out at the neighborhood.
Life was still going on as normal. People were out walking their dogs. Others were chatting over low fences with their neighbors. Someone was cutting their grass, the buzz of the mower faint in the distance.
Life in the neighborhood carried on with no regard for what some people might be going through.
With a sigh, Amelia turned from the picturesque sight and picked up their glasses from the table, along with the cloth, and returned to the kitchen.
Every few minutes, she checked her phone, hoping for a message from Ben, but the screen remained ominously blank.
Moving to the living room, Amelia sat on the couch and pulled her legs up beneath her. The silence of her apartment pressed in on her.
She reached for her phone again, tempted to text Ben for an update, but stopped herself. He would contact her when he could. The last thing he needed was her pestering him for information while he was dealing with a family emergency.
The silence of her apartment was oppressive, and restlessness overwhelmed Amelia. She couldn’t focus on anything as she waited to hear from Ben.
Finally, she pulled up her contacts and called her mom.
“Hey, sweetie,” her mom said when she answered. “How’re you doing?”
“I’m fine,” she said, not wanting to get into a discussion of her own physical or mental state right then. “Have you heard that Mr. Burke collapsed?”
There was a beat of silence before Charli said, “No. We hadn’t heard that. Is he okay?”
“I don’t know. I was eating lunch with Ben when he got the call. They said they were taking him by helicopter to Coeur d’Alene.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I wonder if Cole and Annie need help with the kids. Maybe I should contact Cole and see.”
“If Cole gives you an update, can you let me know?”
“Sure thing, sweetie,” Charli said. “And at some point in the near future, we’re going to circle back around to chatting about you spending time with Ben.”
Amelia gave a huff. “It’s nothing, Mom.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Charli said. “But we’ll leave that for the time being. For now, I’ll contact Cole and see what’s going on.”
After they said goodbye, Amelia went back out onto the balcony. She climbed onto the stool at the table and set down the glass of water she’d poured for herself.
As she watched her neighbors go about their lives, her mind went back to her conversation with Ben. Given what he’d said earlier, she knew that as he faced this health crisis with his dad, his faith would remain strong.
About six months after she’d been forced to retire, Layla had suggested that maybe she should see a Christian counselor to help her deal with what was happening. Amelia had rejected the idea at the time because she hadn’t wanted to deal with it. She hadn’t wanted to move to the acceptance stage of her situation.
She’d felt like she was entitled to be angry at God.
Amelia stared off into the distance at the mountains and tried to take a mental step back. She needed to separate herself from the emotional impact of what had happened to her. Whatwashappening to her.
