Page 100 of Skylar

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 praythat 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.

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