His First Lady (10 page)

Leon had been on edge since being awakened by Evan. The ride to the hospital was awful as he continued questioning Evan about the conversation between her and Katie and Evan’s frustration over not knowing anything more than what Katie had shared. A million thoughts ran through his mind as he sat in the waiting area amongst all the crying and fear which was more than he could bear. Leon excused himself to get coffee but it was really his excuse to get away from everyone.

Now, walking back into the waiting area holding two cup holders full of cups of coffee, Leon had hoped that he was gone long enough that the crying would have ceased, but it hadn’t.

“Has anyone heard anything?” Leon asked Evan as he sat the coffees on the table to be picked up. His hands were shaking just a bit but he had managed to maintain his cool as he always had.

“No, not yet. We’re still waiting,” Evan answered.

Leon sat on the arm of the chair near Evan and Katie. “Katie, did she say anything to you before this happened?”

Katie looked up at him with wet red eyes before wiping her nose with Kleenex. “No. She has been so different lately; not herself. She’s been so sad,” Katie said, managing to say before sobbing again.

Evan placed her arm around Katie’s shoulder.

“She didn’t go to school today or yesterday because she said her stomach ached. Last night, she didn’t eat and she stayed in her room. I kept begging her to tell me what was wrong but she wouldn’t.” Katie sobbed harder. “Then around midnight, I heard her scream and I ran to her room and saw all of this blood.”

“Oh Katie; I’m so sorry,” Evan said.

Katie fumbled with her overly used tissue. “She misses Ben so much.”

“Were you able to get in touch with him?” Leon asked taking a sip of coffee as if the mentioning of Ben’s name didn’t make him nervous.

Katie nodded. “Yes, he’s on his way. He was at Manas Air base the last I heard from him. His being gone hasn’t been easy for any of us, but it’s been even harder on her.”

Leon looked away and took a long sip of his coffee before taking Evan’s cue and placing his hand on Katie’s shoulder. “I’ll do everything possible to make sure that she’s okay, Katie.”

Katie nodded and placed her hand on top of his. “I know you will Pastor,” Katie said.

Dr. Jackson walked in to the waiting area and toward Katie who jumped up when she saw him.

Katie ran up to him. “Is she okay?” Katie asked.

“She’s resting,” The tall fair-haired man said. “We’ve stitched her and we’re in the process of giving her a unit of blood. You’re a lucky lady, Mrs. McCoy.”

Katie raised her arms and began thanking God as she wiped her tears from her eyes.

“Her body will recover but it’s her mind and spirit that are of great concern. She’ll be on a psychiatric hold for the next 96 hours,” Dr. Jackson said looking somber. “The Department of Family Services has been notified and someone will be here to speak with you about what happens next.”

“What? Why? Are they going to take my baby away?” Katie asked in terror looking at Leon and Evan as if for answers.

“Mrs. McCoy, they will ask you some questions and get into more detail when they arrive shortly. Our main objective is to help Sundi so that this never happens again.”

Katie nodded in response to Dr. Jackson while holding her wet face in her trembling hands. “Can I see her?”

“Yes,” Dr. Jackson answered. “I’ll take you back.”

Katie turned to Leon and reached out her hand to him. “I would like her pastor to come with me and pray for her.”

The doctor nodded. Leon stood still as if unable to move wishing that Katie hadn’t asked him to go. Leon had uncomfortably taken her hand. Leon felt as if he were walking to a firing squad as Dr. Jackson escorted them to Sundi’s room. Leon stopped at the door and Katie looked back inquisitively.

“I’ll give you a minute,” Leon said wishing he didn’t have to go in at all.

Katie shook her head. “Please come with me. I don’t know if I can see me baby like this.”

Leon swallowed hard and walked in with Katie. Sundi’s hospital room was a lackluster white with the blinds closed adding to the dull effect. There was a wall mounted 19” flat screen and one picture on the wall for décor’ sake which didn’t help the room at all. Leon didn’t know if the room was dreary because of the design or because he dreaded being there.

Katie held onto Leon’s hand as she slowly approached the hospital bed and he could feel her grip tighten before she collapsed on top of Sundi with loud sobbing’s. She didn’t let go of Leon but caused him to fall slightly forward with her. Staring at Sundi who was hooked up to IV bags on either side of her, with a breathing tube in her nostrils, and the monotonous beeping from the machine caused shivering down Leon’s spine. He turned away in an effort not to look at the little girl.

“Please pray Pastor, please!” Katie begged looking back at Leon with teary red eyes.

Leon nodded unable to close his eyes as they were suddenly fixed on Sundi and he could not take them off of her. He attempted to open his mouth but nothing would come out.

“Pastor Leon?” Katie pleaded.

Katie’s voice shook him out of his fog and he began praying. “Father God…”

Leon began praying without closing his eyes, keeping them steadily fixed on Sundi. As he prayed, he saw her eyelids struggle to open. He swallowed hard staring at her. Then her eyes abruptly opened securely on him sending a frightening chill over Leon’s body. He jumped back startled as his heart raced causing Katie to suddenly open her eyes and look over at him. A look of terror swept over Leon’s face.

Alarmed, Katie stared at him. “Pastor! Are you okay?”

Leon looked over at Katie then back at Sundi. Her eyes were still closed; she hadn’t moved; not an inch. He must have imagined it all because the little girl hadn’t opened her eyes at all. He inhaled and exhaled slowly attempting to gain back control over the situation.

“Yes.” He nodded at Katie and began praying.

After praying, Leon sat in the hospital chair with his eyes fixated on Sundi who hadn’t woken and had no idea that he or Katie was even there. He nervously watched her unconvinced that she hadn’t opened her eyes earlier.
Maybe she was doing all that to spook him
. Katie lay next to Sundi on the hospital bed with her arm over Sundi not having spoken a word to him since the prayer.

There was a knock on the room door and Dr. Jackson stuck his head in accompanied by a tall thin woman with short kinky twists holding a folder and clipboard. Leon stood as if at attention.

“Pastor Leon.” Leon made his introduction, holding out his hand to the woman whose badge on her lapel clearly indicated that she was from Family services.

“This is Sundi’s pastor,” The doctor said introducing Leon.

The social worker held out her hand and shook Leon’s. “Ms. Scott.” She introduced herself yet clearly indicating that she wasn’t in the mood to converse with Leon. She looked past him and at Katie. “Mrs. McCoy.”

Katie didn’t budge as she snuggled close to her child.

“Mrs. McCoy?” The woman’s worn face spoke a million stories of negligent parents and abused families. She spoke louder with no sympathy for the woman whose exhaustion had finally gotten the best of her.

Dr. Jackson walked over to Sundi’s bed and whispered close to Katie’s ear “Mrs. McCoy?” His deep voice startled Katie causing her to jump up in a panic.

Ms. Scott held out her hand to Katie who got out of the bed with wrinkled clothes and tired red eyes.

“Yes?” Katie panicked looking over at Leon.

“I’m Ms. Scott from the Department of Family services. May I speak to you outside?”

Katie’s eyes were wide with fear. Leon didn’t know if he was supposed to say something but Katie looked to him as if expecting him to.

“I hope that you understand that this is a very difficult time for Mrs. McCoy; she’s an excellent mother,” Leon said in his authoritative pastor-ly voice.

Ms. Scott looked at Leon kindly as she walked out of the hospital room with Katie on her heels. As he watched the three leave the room, he looked over at Sundi. The girl who had tubes coming out of both arms still didn’t budge throughout the noise. Anger seethed through him as he stared at her.
He hated this little girl
. She was threatening everything that he was working for and he wouldn’t let anything or anybody destroy what he was purposed to accomplish. Leon looked back at the door to make sure that it was closed securely. He walked over to Sundi’s bed.

“Sundi, can you hear me?” Leon whispered in her ear. The girl didn’t move or respond. Leon looked back at the door again then moved closer to her. “This is Pastor Leon.”

Leon watched the little girl whose eye lids seemed to twitch slightly but otherwise nothing; he was uncertain if she could hear him or even knew he was there. He leaned close to her ear; so close that he would feel the warmth of her skin.

“Sundi, you’re hurting your family so do your mom and everybody a favor and just stay asleep.”

Leon then stood upright and walked away from the little girl’s bed hoping that Sundi would never have to be a concern of his again.

The dogs had been barking tirelessly for hours and Emily was tired of it. It was unlike the terriers since they were usually very tame dogs who only barked when someone approached the house but they just seemed extra restless tonight.

“Sammy, I can’t rest with those dogs barking like that,” Emily said with a deep sigh as she lay in Sam’s arms.

“Probably a squirrel, baby,” Sam said with his eyes closed perfectly content in his bed holding the one person that made coming home worthwhile; his wife of forty years. Nights like this made the headache of the day all go away when it was just the two of them. Whoever said that life and love after sixty was different apparently had never been over sixty and in love.

“Sammy, please go outside and see what is up with these dogs before the neighbors call the police on us,” Emily said pulling away from him and sitting up. She put her robe on getting out of their bed and slipped her feet into her house slippers.

“Baby, come on, come back to bed.” Sam pleaded.

“Want some milk?” She asked walking out of the bedroom toward the kitchen.

“Yes, sweetheart,” Sam said sitting up in the bed. If he didn’t hear his bones crack, he sure did feel them crack as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and slipped his feet into his house shoes. “Babe, have you seen my flashlight?”

“Look in the hall closet!” Emily shouted from the kitchen.

Sam sighed. He put on his black robe, and walked to the hall closet and grabbed his flashlight off the shelf. He knew that woman wasn’t going to let him rest until he got out of his comfortable bed, and walked out in the cold to see what those dogs were barking at.

He walked in the kitchen seeing Emily looking out the back door window. “Move woman,” He said patting her on her backside. She swatted his hand.

Sam opened the back door and stepped out shining his flashlight around the yard. The dogs ran up to him and he patted them on their heads. “What cha barking at boy? You got your momma all upset.” Sam stepped off the porch and began walking around the yard, shining the light in the trees, in the bushes and even into the neighbor’s yard. Seeing nothing, he looked at the dogs who wagged their tails circling him. “Y’all calm down and go to sleep.”

Sam walked back in, washed his hands and grabbed a bag of chocolate chip cookies from the cabinet. He walked back into the bedroom where Emily was already in bed with two warm mugs of milk on the night table. “There’s nothing and no one out there baby, now can we go back to where we were?” He asked taking off his robe and throwing it over the back of the chair in the corner.

“Where are you going with those cookies?” Emily asked. She knew that he knew how much she hated him eating in the bed. He always had crumbs not only on his side but hers also.

Sam climbed into bed beside her. “I have to have something to go with my milk,” He said leaning over and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek then opening the cookie bag.

“That junk isn’t good for your cholesterol, Sammy.”

Sam snuggled up close to her and munched on the chocolate chip cookies. “Chocolate has milk in it which is good for my bones.”

Emily rolled her eyes. He began rubbing her leg and kissed her again. “I love you, woman.”

As if it was just what she wanted to hear, she snuggled up to him and placed her hand in the cookie bag. “I love you too, man.”

Emily lay back in Sam’s arms as they both munched on cookies. Sam looked over at Emily and smiled.

“What are you smiling at?” Emily asked looking up at him.

“You’re even prettier now than when I first met you.”

“You lie even better now then you did when I first met you,” Emily replied as they both laughed. But in Sam’s heart, he meant every word.

“Why don’t we take a vacation?” Sam suggested munching on another cookie.

Emily clapped her hands together in excitement. “What about Mexico?”

“I was thinking about somewhere in the United States,” Sam rebuffed.

“No, Sammy. I want to vacation right; away from all of this church drama that this man is drumming up; someplace where no one can reach us for at least a week, maybe two.”

“You know I need to be reached in case the church needs something.”

“The church can do without you for a week, Sammy. Besides you need a break from the pastor.”

Sam smiled knowing she was right. “Awww, he’s not so bad; just young and anxious is all.”

Emily glared at Sam and rolled her eyes. “No, youth has nothing to do with it. You know I always had my reservations about him Sammy. There’s something about him that don’t sit right with my spirit.”

“He doesn’t mean any harm,” Sam said grabbing his reading glasses from the night stand to look at the TV guide.

“No harm?” Emily crossed her arms and sucked her teeth. “Don’t get me started. He thinks he’s Jesus and there’s harm in that. The bible says that a man that does not have rule over his own spirit is like a city with broken down walls.”