Rejoice by Karen Kingsbury & Gary Smalley

Author:Karen Kingsbury & Gary Smalley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION / Christian / General, FICTION / General
ISBN: 9781414340951
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2009-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

The day had been so good, Brooke couldn’t resist. She’d had time to think about the situation with Peter, and these days her anger toward him rarely surfaced. Yes, he’d made a mistake. He’d taken his eyes off Hayley when he should’ve been watching her. He’d taken her life jacket off instead of keeping it on her like he’d promised he would do. But obviously the pain of what had happened that day was hurting him as much as it was hurting her.

And clearly he wasn’t handling the pain.

She wasn’t sure if her family’s suspicions about the pain meds were founded, but she could see in Peter’s face that he was tormented. In the past days more often than not she would be working with Hayley or helping Maddie with her bath and an image would come to mind. Peter, the way he looked that night at the hospital room, holding on to Hayley’s feet as she cried. The helpless look in his eyes and the vacant stare as he bid them both good-bye.

He wasn’t trying to destroy their family; he himself was already destroyed, devastated by what had happened. Since that awful Saturday he’d done nothing but spin wildly out of control. And even though they’d been at odds before Hayley’s accident, Brooke couldn’t find it in her heart to hate him now.

Tonight, with their home so warm and inviting, Brooke wanted a second chance, an hour or two to welcome Peter back, to take him in her arms and rock away the pain and horror of all they’d been through. She thought of his awful behavior, the cold way he’d treated her, and she knew she wasn’t feeling these things in her own strength. But living in the hospital, watching Hayley regain her sight and find a connection with her family again, had changed something in her heart.

Whatever it was, Brooke simply had no room in her life for hatred.

Maddie was watching a video in the next room, and beside her, Hayley sat strapped to her wheelchair. Maddie had her hand on top of Hayley’s, her fingers making soft circles on Hayley’s wrist.

Brooke looked in on them and the feeling in her heart swelled. Peter should be here; if he could see this, feel it, maybe we’d still have a chance. . . .

She didn’t wait another minute. Turning her back on the girls, she headed to the kitchen and picked up the phone. Working from a slip of paper where she’d written his new number, she dialed Peter and waited.

“Hello?” He sounded tired, as though maybe he’d been sleeping.

“Oh.” She hesitated. “Did I wake you?”

“Brooke?” Irritation tinged his voice. “What time is it?”

She shot a look at the clock on the microwave. “Not quite eight.”

“Okay.” He sounded more awake but no less irritated. “What’s up?”

“Well,” Brooke’s courage melted like the vanilla candle. She could no longer remember why she was calling or what had been so pressing that she’d had to call him. “I guess I wondered what you were doing.

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