A Husband for All Seasons. Irene Brand

and Amelia had left the church before the service was over so she wouldn’t have to face Allen again. She had avoided any contact with him during the days she remained in the area to help the Red Cross. But the incident had destroyed Vicky’s self-confidence. She cringed inwardly when she recalled that a subsequent incident had also destroyed her self-esteem.

      Feeling rejected by the young minister, Vicky had returned home from the flood disaster, doubting that God had called her to serve Him by working in foreign countries as a missionary. She had disappointed her parents by leaving college after the first semester, even though they lived only a few blocks from Ohio State University.

      She hadn’t expected them to support her. She moved into an apartment and started working in a bookstore at a minimum-wage salary. She was living from hand to mouth, doing very little worthwhile except volunteering at the hospital and participating in activities at her local church.

      Although she had tried to kill her dream of serving others, Vicky’s mind often turned in that direction. That was one reason she had started volunteering at the hospital. God wouldn’t let her forget the vow she had made to Him in a church meeting when she was fifteen, dedicating her life to full-time Christian service.

      Vicky took a Bible out of her tote bag and turned to the fifth chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes and considered the words of Solomon. As always when she read the passage she felt condemned because she hadn’t kept her vow.

      Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God… When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it… It is better not to make a vow and not fulfill it… And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.”

      Had her vow been a mistake? Had she acted on her emotions rather than waiting until God spoke to her heart? But if God hadn’t called her, why couldn’t she forget that electrifying moment when she felt as if He had singled her out for some particular mission? Did God ever allow a person to forget His call? Or did He cause the person to be uncomfortable until she fulfilled His will in her life?

      Because a purposeless future loomed before her, Vicky could empathize with Chad. Was she going to spend her whole life without any sense of direction? At the end of her life, would she have anything to show that she had really lived?

      Suddenly, Vicky had a feeling similar to the one she had experienced when she thought she had been called to the mission field. Was God really dealing with her heart again? What else could it be? Chad groaned in his sleep, and she quickly put the Bible away and stepped to his side. She checked the equipment and everything seemed normal.

      Vicky’s heartbeat accelerated and she wondered if God was sending her a message that He hadn’t cast her aside. She was suddenly overwhelmed with the enormity of the rehabilitation that Chad would need as he dealt with the loss of his profession. She could understand why he was angry over the unwanted revelation of his illegitimate birth. Could it possibly be that her mission in life would be to help Chad Reece take his place in a world that didn’t include football?

      “Oh, no, God,” Vicky whispered, and she quickly surveyed the handsome youth before her. “I make too many mistakes when it comes to matters of the heart. Not only once, but twice, I’ve really messed up. I can’t bear to think that I’d risk my heart again.”

      Could she be the friend that Chad needed in this stressful time without succumbing to his personal magnetism?

      Although she didn’t necessarily believe that God spoke audibly to His followers in this current day, she knew that He did speak through His Word. She opened the Bible again to the book of Ecclesiastes, and as she read the familiar King James Version, she recalled a more modern version of another passage.

      Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him get up!

      God, she prayed, if I can be helpful in lifting Chad Reece from his depression, I’m available.

      Chad was still sleeping when it was time for Vicky to leave, and she hesitated to disturb him, but she had promised. She touched his arm lightly, and he stirred.

      “Chad,” she said, “I’m leaving now.”

      His eyes opened reluctantly. “I didn’t think I’d go to sleep.”

      “How do you feel?”

      “Too soon to tell, but the pain seems better. My mind is still fuzzy. I hope they take me off some of this medication today—I’m not used to it. Will I see you tonight?”

      She shook her head. “I have to work tonight, and you don’t need anyone.” She held up a piece of paper. “I’ve written down my cell phone number and the number at work. Please call me if you need me to help you. If I have reason to be in the hospital before you leave, I’ll stop by to see you.”

      “Thanks for helping me,” he said.

      Vicky walked down the hall thoughtfully, wondering if she would see Chad again. His home was in Alabama, and the Saunders’s lived in California. He would probably go to one of those places to recuperate. He had no ties with Ohio, so he probably wouldn’t return. But her recent experience in God’s presence caused her to believe that their paths would cross again.

      His new kidney was operating as if it had always been in his body, and on the surgeon’s next visit, Chad was told to expect a full recovery. By noon, Chad had been set free from all of the machines, IVs and tubes that had kept him in bed. A nurse helped him into a wheelchair, and he ate his lunch sitting up. He was weak and still on pain medication, but he accepted the fact that he was going to get well. He should be overjoyed, but in his frame of mind, it really didn’t matter.

      “You can be discharged in a few days,” the surgeon had told him. “Since Columbus isn’t your home, I can send your records to a competent hospital in whatever region you move to. I want you to return here in three or four months for a checkup, but your recovery and therapy can be done elsewhere.”

      The Reeces came in while the surgeon was still in the room, and he reported directly to them. “You can take him home with you, by plane, in two weeks. I’ll check out an adequate hospital in your area where he can be treated as necessary.”

      After the surgeon left, Mr. Reece said, “Lorene and Perry have suggested that you might want to go with them to California. It will be all right with us if you want to do that. They’re closer to a large hospital than we are.”

      “How is Perry doing?”

      “As well as you are,” his mother said. “You are fortunate that he was available and willing to be a donor. They plan to go home the first of next week.”

      “Your agent is also in town,” Stewart said. “He tried to come into the hospital to see you, but the surgeon has banned all visitors except family, and the receptionists know that there are only five of us here. He wants you to call him as soon as possible.”

      Chad had no desire to talk to Howard Crayton, his agent. He had always been outgoing, loved people and made friends wherever he went. At this point, the life of a hermit appealed to him. Perry was a quiet, more reserved person than Chad had ever been. Had he taken on more of his father’s personality than he knew? Or had the trauma of the injury and consequent transplant made him want to avoid people?

      “When Howie calls again, tell him that I don’t want to talk to him now and that he should leave Columbus. When I’m ready, I’ll call him. As for going home with you, I don’t want to do that, either. And I won’t go to California. I have some difficult decisions to make and I want to be alone to make them. I intend to stay in Columbus until the surgeon releases me completely.”

      Chad realized that he had spoken more bluntly than was his nature when Betty gasped. “This isn’t like you, son.”

      Chad stretched out his hand and Mrs. Reece placed her trembling fingers in his grasp. “Nothing about this situation is like me. I don’t want to hurt you, Mom, but