CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Aiden leaned back in the booth he was seated in, patting his stomach as he did. “That was delicious.”
Devon nodded and mirrored Aiden’s position from his spot across the table. “I thought we deserved a celebration after what we’ve had to deal with in this project.”
“I can’t believe they finally signed off on it,” Aiden said with a sigh. “I was beginning to wonder if we were going to end up with our first stalemate.”
“I’m just glad they finally accepted that they couldn’t have everything they wanted. We’re not above the regulations of the city and state.”
“And now we move forward.”
The past week had been stressful, and yet also fulfilling with regards to his career.
He couldn’t say the same about things between him and Skylar. For some reason, after they’d texted earlier in the week, he hadn’t heard anything further from her. Which was odd since they’d been texting pretty much every day prior to that.
Unfortunately, she was off on another trip, and he didn’t feel comfortable bothering her while she was working.
On Monday, it would be three weeks since she’d left. It honestly felt like the longest three weeks of his life. Perhaps time would be going faster if he knew when he’d see her again, but Skylar had given no indication of when she planned to come back to Serenity.
He knew he should be worried about his desire to see her… to be with her… again. But he wasn’t. Being around her again had drawn something to the surface of his heart that he couldn’t ignore.
Over the weeks that she’d been in Serenity, he’d gotten to know the woman she’d become, all the while getting glimpses of who she’d once been. It hadn’t happened right away, since she’d been determined to keep distance between them and had erected a glass wall around herself. One that he could see her through but left him with no access to her emotions.
It had happened gradually. But on the boat, he’d finally felt like that wall was cracking and that she didn’t hate him like she had at the start.
He’d thought he’d be happy with friendship between them. But as time passed, his heart was telling him that he wanted something more. Something deeper and lasting. Something more than they’d previously had.
“Are you heading to Serenity tonight?” Devon asked as he picked up his coffee and took a sip.
“I’m not sure yet. I may just go out tomorrow morning.”
“How has it been not having your mom and Willow around?”
“It’s quiet, and I have to cook all my own meals now.”
Devon chuckled. “So you miss your mom’s cooking?”
“Sure do,” Aiden said. “Wouldn’t you?”
“Definitely not. I grew up on burnt ramen and mac and cheese. My mom is a terrible cook. She tries, bless her heart, but she rarely succeeds.”
“My mom’s a great cook,” Aiden said. “So without her, my diet has narrowed to some pretty basic stuff.”
“How is Shiloh?”
Aiden thought of the conversation he’d had with Charli the night before. “She hasn’t been feeling very well the last day or so. Charli wasn’t sure if it was just more residual effects from the last round of treatment or if it was something more.”
Aiden had been praying hard that it wasn’t something more. The idea that the initial treatment might not have worked was scary and almost induced a panic attack similar to what Skylar had experienced on the way to the airport.
Shiloh not feeling well was one of the reasons he didn’t feel compelled to rush to Serenity that night. Usually, he spent some time with Shiloh on Saturday mornings, but with her feeling ill, Charli had said it would probably be best if he didn’t come by.
His worry over Shiloh was high, but he was trying to do as Pastor Kennedy had said during his latest sermon. He needed to place this current situation with Shiloh fully into God’s hands. He needed to trust that God would work this all out for His glory.
It was the hardest thing to do, and it made him feel incredibly helpless.
As their meal ended, Devon and Aiden settled the bill then left the restaurant. As they walked out into the August evening, Aiden took a deep breath. The sun hadn’t quite set yet, but the night shadows were beginning to encroach on the day.
“I’ll see you Monday,” Devon said as he stuck out his hand. When Aiden took it, Devon pulled him in for a quick hug, thumping him on the back. “Hope you have a good weekend.”
“You too. Tell your lovely wife I said hi.”
“Will do.” He gave a two fingered salute, then turned in the direction of his car.
As Aiden drove home, he contemplated going to Serenity. Normally, he wouldn’t even be debating it, but something was giving him pause, and he didn’t know why.
Please God. Give me guidance.
It didn’t seem to be something that should require this much prayer and thought. But it just didn’t feel like an easy decision that night for some reason.
When he got home, he called his mom.
“If you feel like you should stay there for the night, then you do that,” his mom said when he explained that he was feeling unsure what to do. “Willow is already in bed, so she won’t know that you’re not here.”
“Okay. I’ll try to get out there first thing in the morning.”
“If you still don’t feel you should come then, don’t. We’re fine.”
The unsettled feeling continued to grow in Aiden even after he hung up the phone. Sitting on the edge of his bed with his phone grasped between his hands in his lap, Aiden bent his head and prayed.
Heavenly Father, I lift this whole situation before You, asking You to guide and direct me. I also pray that You will place Your hand of healing on Shiloh so that whatever might be plaguing her body goes away.
Aiden paused, swallowing hard. Please God, don’t let it be related to the cancer. Don’t let her be relapsing, please.
A vice tightened around his chest as he thought of that possibility, and with that thought came one of Skylar. I don’t know why she’s not responding to me, Father, but I really feel like she should be here. I’m going to text her again, so I pray that she’ll be receptive to hearing from me. And impress on her heart the importance of coming back to Serenity.
Aiden wasn’t sure why he felt so strongly about Skylar being back in Serenity, but there was no denying that he did. And it wasn’t just because he wanted her close by. He felt it would be good for Shiloh and Skylar’s family, too.
He gripped his phone more tightly as he fought against the feeling of helplessness that he just couldn’t seem to get rid of. There was some solace in knowing that he wasn’t the only one feeling that way. He had a feeling that Blake and Charli also fought against the helpless feeling that came with being unable to control Shiloh’s health.
When his phone rang, Aiden jerked, and it fell between his feet on the carpeted floor. As he reached for it, he prayed that it wasn’t Charli.
Aiden’s heart sank when he saw Blake’s name on the screen. Blake was never the one to contact him, so he knew this couldn’t be good news.
“Hi, Blake,” he said. “What’s up?”
“We’ve had to bring Shiloh into the children’s hospital,” Blake said, his deep voice rough. “She spiked a fever. Gareth came with us, and he’s with Charli and Shiloh now. But Charli wanted me to tell you what’s going on.”
“Thanks for letting me know,” Aiden said. “Should I come up to the hospital?”
“Probably not tonight, but you could possibly come in the morning, depending on what they say about her condition.”
“Have you let Skylar know?”
“Not yet.” Blake cleared his throat. “But Mom or Dad might have called her.”
“Okay. Maybe I’ll get in touch with her to see if she knows already.”
For some reason, Aiden wanted to be the one to tell her since the two of them were the only ones who truly understood the difficult position they found themselves in as parents to a child who already had parents.
Blake sighed. “I’d better go.”
“Could you let me know how she does through the night? Text or call me at any time.”
“We’ll do that.”
“And I’ll be praying.”
“Thanks. We’ll be praying hard too.”
After the call ended, Aiden felt a rush of emotion. Fear, anger, worry. It swamped him like a tsunami, and he didn’t know how to deal with it, so he just let it come out.
At one time in his life, weeping would have made him feel emasculated, but right then, all he felt was broken with helplessness. But in the midst of the storm in his heart there was one bright unwavering light.
He may be feeling helpless and broken, but he was not without hope.
Wiping the tears from his eyes, Aiden took a deep breath, then lifted his phone. For a long moment, he pondered what to say. It took several attempts to get out the simple message to Skylar.
Have you talked to your parents? If not, give me a call when you can.
As he waited for a response, he prayed that she was in a place where she could have a difficult conversation with him. If she was in the middle of a flight, he probably wouldn’t hear from her for several hours.
While he waited, he called his mom back and let her know what was going on. Her silence after he told her that Shiloh was back in the hospital told him that she was finding the news as difficult to process as he had.
“I’ll fast and pray for her healing tomorrow,” she said finally, her voice tremulous.
Fasting was something he’d learned recently that his mom frequently did, especially in combination with praying for a specific situation.
“Pray also that Skylar will be strong enough to hear this news on her own.”
“I will, sweetheart,” his mom assured him.
“Speaking of Skylar, she’s calling,” he said when his phone vibrated in his hand and her name popped up on the screen. “I’ll call you back later.”
When he answered her call, her first words were, “What’s going on, Aiden?”
“Shiloh spiked a fever earlier today, and they’ve had to take her back to the children’s hospital,” he told her, deciding that ripping the bandage off was the best way to go.
“Noooo.” The word came out as a soft wail, piercing deep into Aiden’s heart. “She wasn’t supposed to get sick again.”
“They don’t know for sure what’s causing the fever,” he told her. “It might be something that just requires antibiotics.”
“Or it might be something more.”
Aiden sighed. “Yes. It might be something more.”
There was silence from Skylar for a long moment.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“I’m in Miami at the moment,” she said, her voice wavering. “I’m supposed to fly back to Vegas tomorrow.”
Aiden wanted to tell her that she should come to Serenity, but he had no right to do that. It was a decision she needed to make for herself. She had the information, now it was up to her to decide what to do.
“I’ll keep you updated on what’s going on,” he said. “Blake was the one to call me earlier, and he said he’d keep me in the loop.”
“Blake called you?”
He knew that would seem as strange to her as it had to him. “Yes. He said Charli and Gareth were with Shiloh as they were getting her admitted. I guess he was given the task of calling people.”
“Gareth was with them?”
“Yes. Blake said he’d come with them from Serenity.”
“She must really not have been doing well if they wanted a doctor with them for the trip.”
A similar thought had flitted through his mind earlier, but he hadn’t wanted to dwell on it.
“I knew she wasn’t feeling well because I’d spoken to Charli earlier today and she’d mentioned Shiloh probably wouldn’t be up to a visit from me in the morning.”
“When I was on my last video call with her she seemed more tired than usual.”
“I think we may have to prepare ourselves that this could be a recurrence of her cancer.”
“It shouldn’t have happened so soon.” Skylar’s voice cracked with emotion. “She should have had more time to gain strength so she could fight it again.”
“It’s good that Cole’s offseason, because if this is a recurrence of her cancer, we’re going to need him.”
“I don’t know what to do.” The words were spoken softly. “What should I do, Aiden? Should I come now?”
She may have been asking his advice, but it was a decision she needed to make for herself. Still, he couldn’t help but point her in the direction he thought she should go.
“If I were in your position, I think I’d come,” Aiden said. “But I know you have to take your job into consideration.”
“I’ll book a flight for after I get back to Vegas tomorrow. Hopefully by then they’ll have a better idea of what she’s dealing with.”
“Let me know when you’re arriving, and I’ll pick you up at the airport.”
“I need to call my parents,” she said.
“I have a feeling they’re helping out with the other kids.”
“Yeah. Probably.”
Aiden could see the benefit of having a large family in a situation like this one. There were many people to call on for help. Like Gareth coming with them to the hospital in Coeur d’Alene.
“I’d better go and make some calls myself,” she said. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Take care of yourself,” he told her. There was more he wanted to tell her, but that had to be all he said for the time being.
After the call ended, Aiden tried to sort through his thoughts over everything and what it would mean for him over the next few days. He wouldn’t be going to Serenity, that was for sure.
He realized he should probably let Devon know the latest development, since he’d always shown concern for Shiloh after Aiden had explained the whole situation to him.
For the next couple of hours, he tried to fill his time as he waited for an update. It was nearly eleven when his phone finally chimed.
Charli: Shiloh has been admitted, and they’re going to be running some tests. Gareth and Blake are headed back to Serenity. I’ll send more updates in the morning, unless something happens during the night.
Thanks for the update. Will be praying for a quiet night for you both. If there’s anything I can do, let me know. I didn’t go out to Serenity, so I’m close by.
Charli: Thanks. Have a good night.
He’d wanted to ask more questions about Shiloh or to request that Charli send him a picture, but he just set his phone aside. She had enough to deal with.
When he climbed into bed a short time later, he made sure his phone’s volume was turned all the way up so he wouldn’t miss any calls or texts.
He had a rough time falling asleep, but he used that time to pray for Shiloh and everyone else involved. Then he recited all the verses he knew about trusting God.
Finally, he drifted off and managed to sleep until eight the next morning. He woke to a text from Skylar saying she had booked herself a flight into Coeur d’Alene that would arrive around nine o’clock that evening and asking if it was still convenient for him to pick her up.
The answer to that was an immediate yes.
The problem came when he tried to figure out what to do with her after that. He wanted to be in Coeur d’Alene near to the hospital, and he suspected Skylar would too. However, he didn’t feel comfortable having her at the house with him when it was just the two of them.
Nothing inappropriate would happen, he knew that. But he also knew that it wouldn’t look right to their families. He wondered if Cathy would consider coming in and staying at the house with them.
He took the time to get himself out of bed and dressed with a mug of coffee in his hand before he called Cathy.
“Hello, Aiden,” she said when she answered. “How are you doing?”
“Alright, all things considered.”
“Yes, all things considered.”
“I was calling because I just got a message from Skylar that she is flying in tonight and she asked me to pick her up.”
“Yes, she also let us know of her plans,” Cathy said. “Thank you for being willing to pick her up.”
“It’s definitely not a problem,” he assured her. “But I’m wondering what to do with her afterward. I’m sure she’s going to want to stay close to the hospital. However, I don’t feel comfortable having her stay here with me.”
“Oh, that is an issue, because I’m sure you’re correct that she’d rather stay there than come on out here to Serenity.”
“What I was wondering was if you’d be willing to come stay here at the house with her for the next couple of nights, until we can get everything sorted out. I have a suite in the basement, but there are three bedrooms on the main floor that you and Skylar can choose from.”
“That would be wonderful, actually. I’d love to be close by to help Charli. Could I bring Dan too?”
“Certainly. There’s plenty of room.”
“Let me chat with Dan, then I’ll get back to you. Even if he doesn’t come, I will.”
“Okay. Thank you for considering my suggestion.”
“It’s absolutely no problem,” Cathy said. “If anything, I should be thanking you for giving us a place to stay, closer to the hospital. We really appreciate that.”
After they said goodbye, Aiden went upstairs to make sure that the rooms were ready. His mom’s had a queen size bed in it, and she always made sure the sheets were washed after she was there, so he wouldn’t need to remake the bed. In addition to Willow’s room, which had a twin size bed, there was a double bed in the third room.
It hadn’t been used recently, since it was set up mainly for his mom’s friends who came to stay for the weekend, which wasn’t all that frequent an occurrence. That room didn’t currently have sheets on the bed, so he went to the linen closet and pulled out what he needed to make it.
For the rest of the day, he was in a restless state as he waited for updates on Shiloh. Unfortunately, they seemed to be in a holding pattern as they waited for results from the initial tests, and while continuing to conduct other tests.
Charli had said that Shiloh had seemed a bit better after having been on an IV overnight that had included some drugs, based on the team’s preliminary examination of her. Aiden knew that Charli was hopeful that they would be able to take Shiloh home soon, and while Aiden hoped that too, he was also tempering his hopes with reality.
When he reached the airport later that night, he parked his car and went in to meet Skylar, rather than wait out in front of the terminal. Her flight was on time, so it wasn’t long before passengers began to appear.
He kept his gaze on the passengers, looking for that one special face. After several people had walked past where he waited, he spotted Skylar coming toward him. Her head was bent as she looked at her phone, pulling a bag behind her.
“Sky!” he called out as she almost walked past him.
She looked up, her eyes widening when she spotted him. Though she looked like she still wore her hair and makeup done up from her flight earlier that day, he could see the strain on her face.
Almost immediately, he could see that she was near to tears. As she approached him, he couldn’t help but open his arms to her. There was barely any hesitation before she stepped close and allowed him to gather her into a hug.
He didn’t say anything, just stood there holding her as her body trembled with silent weeping. Though he was sure she would rather have comfort from anyone but him, he was grateful that she did accept what he offered. Because it came from his heart.
“Sorry to cry all over you,” she said when she finally stepped back. “I can’t seem to stop crying.”
“I’ve shed some tears of my own,” Aiden told her. “So I understand.”
“Hopefully I can get myself under control before I see Charli or Shiloh.” Turning away from him, she pointed at the conveyor belt where suitcases were beginning to circle. “I have two suitcases to pick up.”
They moved closer to the baggage claim, and when Skylar pointed out her bag, Aiden hefted it off the conveyor belt.
“Wow. This is heavy,” he said. “Did you bring the kitchen sink?”
“Almost.”
After her second bag had arrived, they left the terminal and walked to where he’d parked. The sun had set so it was dark as he loaded her bags into the back of the car.
As he guided the car out of the lot, Aiden said, “I hope you don’t mind but we made some preemptive decisions regarding where you’ll stay.”
“What do you mean?”
“We figured that you might want to stay in Coeur d’Alene to be close to the hospital this time.”
“Yes. I would.”
“I have space at my place, but I didn’t feel comfortable with just the two of us staying there, so your parents are also going to come in and stay for a few nights. Once we have a better idea of what’s going on, then you all can decide what to do next.”
“That sounds good. Thank you for putting us up in your home.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He meant that with all his heart, but he doubted she grasped that. And she might never come to understand the depth to which his feelings for her had grown of late.
This time, he might be the one left hurting.