Page 142 of Begin Again, Part 2

"Do we know anything about the shooting? Where was he shot? How bad is it?" Eden asked. "I don't understand any of it. He was just supposed to meet Aleksei and give him his twenty percent, and now..."

A massive lump of despair clogged up her throat, cutting off her words as she gasped for breath and tried to take in huge chunks of air to drive away her panic.

Clarke rested his hands at her sides and gently shook her out of her hysteria. "If there's anything I know about my son, he's as stubborn as they come. He won't die."

Desperately wanting to believe him, Eden nodded and allowed him to sit her down on the bench directly across the operating room, and they began their long wait.

As the first hour slowly merged with the second, it became harder for Eden to remain calm and positive. And not for the first time since Liam's phone call, she struggled to come to grips with the day's events. She didn't understand how things had gone so wrong, and the day that should have been one of their happiest had turned into a never-ending nightmare. She just wanted to know why. Why now, when everything was going so well, and they were so happy and in love?

The Lord said ask, and you shall receive. Eden had asked Him to bring her and Liam together. But now—now, He was threatening to rip him from her again.

Lois took her hand, clasped it in hers, smiling her reassurance. "He'll be okay, but your hands won't be at the rate you're going."

"Sorry," Eden mumbled.

"Do you take anything?"

Eden turned a confused gaze on her, "for what?"

"Your anxiety?"

"Nothing, so far. The doctor thinks it's stress-related, but she didn't prescribe anything. I think maybe because of the baby."

Lois' eyes widened, a big smile lighting up her face. "You mean?"

Eden nodded. "I found out this afternoon, and I don't know what I'll do if Liam..."

Lois pulled her close and hugged her tight. "He'll make it. He has no choice but to make it now. My son is anything but a quitter. If he knows about the baby, he'll fight with everything in him to make it back to you."

Eden could only nod, placing all her hope in her words. She knew Liam better than anyone. After all, she was his mother.

"Do you pray?" Lois glanced at the rosary on her lap.

The question caught Eden off guard, and for an embarrassingly long moment, she didn't know what to say. She was so tempted to lie just to save face. But she couldn't bring herself to. Her shoulders slumped, shame shrouding her eyes, she stared at the ballerina slippers at her feet and confessed, "It's been a while."

"I think today is a good day to start again." Lois stood up and held out her hand.

Eden took it, but her eyes remained glued to the door and her heart inside the operating room. How was she supposed to leave Liam while he was fighting for his life?

"It's okay. Clarke will call us if there's any change," Lois assured her.

Reluctantly, Eden followed her to the chapel on the 4th floor, comforted by her strength and warmth as she held her hand and pulled her along.

Eden's faith had always been shaky at best, her relationship with God fraught with conflict stemming from the contradictions of his teachings. But the unfairness of today had made her question everything, especially the little comfort she'd found in scripture.

Despite her inner turmoil, she lit a candle for Liam and knelt at the altar. With her head bowed in front of the crucifix, she asked for His grace and prayed harder than she'd ever done for anyone.

Believing prayer alone might not be enough, she also bargained with every breath in her, promising to never ask for anything after this if God performed this one miracle.

Lois' phone rang, and Eden turned to her, hope shining bright in her eyes, but she dashed it swiftly with her announcement.

"It's the board members, I have to take it, and it may be a while. Go ahead."

Eden sat down, and for the longest time, she stared at the stained glass window, fascinated by the halo above the head of the Virgin Mary, as she tried to understand what lesson she was supposed to learn from this. People always said things happened for a reason, and it was all part of God's great plan. But faced with the possibility of the dark, endless tunnel called grief, she struggled to see how ripping the father of her kids from her when everything was starting to fall into place was part of His great plan. What kind of great plan was this? She wanted no part of this great plan.

Eden sighed as she stood up and lit another candle, leaving the chapel when a young couple came in and approached the altar. She didn't want to intrude on their private chat with God. Maybe they'd have better luck with Him.

She'd just sat down beside Lois when Liam's sisters tore through the door, with Matthew and Julian following behind them.

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