Page 84 of Hidden Chance

“Isla had gone to help Sara and Tom. I could remember that. But then everything got muddled.”

“That’s when you got really sick.”

“But I remember you sitting by my bed and praying for me over and over again. I wanted to tell you to let it go, but I knew you wouldn’t.”

“No. I couldn’t let you go. I couldn’t give you up.”

“I don’t know how long it was that I laid there thinking. It was still dark when I felt I had the strength to sit up, and then I moved my legs over the edge of the bed. Iknew something was happening. I knew I shouldn’t be able to do that. I didn’t move after that for the longest time, wondering whether I was dead, or if my sickness had been a dream, or if I was hallucinating.”

“That’s when I turned up,” Carla said, entering the room with a tray that she laid down on the coffee table. “It was four o’clock in the morning. I’m always up early, and I like to check on her. As soon as I saw her, I screamed.” She laughed. “It was dark, and all I could see was a strange person sitting on the bed. She gave me the biggest fright. Then, when she stood and came over to tell me it was okay, I almost hit her. I couldn’t make sense of it.”

“You can see I don’t look the same as when you left,” Jemi said to Peter.

“Yeah. That’s why I was so confused when you opened the door. It didn’t make sense.”

“God didn’t only get rid of the cancer. He’s been restoring my body.”

“She looks better now than even when I first found her,” Carla said. “Once I got myself back together, she asked me for some breakfast, and boy, you should have seen her. I told her to slow down. I thought she’d be sick.” She giggled. “Then I realized she’d spent the last couple years being sick. Eating too much was the least of her problems.”

“So.” Peter let out a long breath. “You’re healed. For real.”

“It appears that I am.”

“And the doctor has been here? He said you were cancer free?”

“Do you need him to confirm it to believe it?”

“No. But I want the world to know.”

“There hasn’t been much time for a doctor’s visits, and I wanted you to be the first to see me besides Carla.”

He pulled her into his arms and held her.

Carla pulled the coffee table closer to where Hannah and Robby were sitting. “They’ll probably be a while if you two want to dig in.”

Hannah took a cookie from the plate. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

“I’ve been pinching myself over and over again. When Peter sent me the text to say he’d be returning this afternoon, I almost told him the news, but Jemi wanted to surprise him. I knew he’d be shocked. I knew it would be hard to take in, but boy, was it worth it. Watching them together like this is amazing.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty special. Maybe we should take these treats into the other room and give them some space.”

“I’m with you,” Robby said. “I feel like we’re intruding. Besides, I’ve got a few more phone calls to make.”

As they filtered out of the room, Hannah took one last look at the couple, who were now talking quietly to one another, unaware of anything else that was going on in the world. It was a moment she knew would be a treasure to them the rest of their lives, and it was a happy ending she was grateful to be a part of. Things didn’t always work out this way, but she knew it was a taste of things to come when Jesus returned and there were nomore tears and they would know a level of joy beyond their understanding.

Robby hung up his phone and took a deep breath of the fresh air as he stood out on the porch. There had been a delay with the plane, so they couldn’t leave until morning, which was good for all of them. As much as they were eager to get to Burma, this was a day to savor.

But although he was happy for Peter and Jemi, it had created a new longing in him that he struggled with every time he looked at Hannah. Maybe he was afraid that the kind of connection Peter and Jemi had wasn’t available to him. But more and more, he wanted that with Hannah. She was the first person who ever got him to consider the idea that getting married and having a family were good things. Things he actually wanted.

The door opened behind him, and he turned.

“Dinner’s ready,” Hannah said, crossing her arms against the cold. “It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“What a day.”

“I don’t know that I’ll ever experience anything like it again in this lifetime.”

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