Eye of the Storm

SEVENTEEN



Megan ached from her toes to her fingertips by the time she reached Corpus Christi the first day of June. How had she forgotten the heat in such a short time? She’d become accustomed to the hot and humid air of Jolly Mill and forgotten it could be even hotter elsewhere.

She took the last exit before the bridge and made her way through traffic. He would be at the mission. Gerard couldn’t go to Corpus Christi without spending time at the mission, even if Tess and Sean had taken over management. Gerard was supposed to be moving his household furniture to storage so Tess and Sean could move in.

The house Gerard was having built wouldn’t be complete for another month, so meanwhile he was back in Kirstie’s upstairs suite, overseeing the arrival of household staff at the new Vance Rehab Facility.

Megan thought about calling Tess one more time to make sure he was there, but if Gerard was anywhere near the phone it might ruin the surprise.

After two more telephone calls to her parents, Megan had ironed out most of her problems with Mom. Interesting how much alike they were. And frightening. But Mom had changed over the years, and Megan hadn’t noticed. It was time. Things did change. People changed. Even Megan.

Nora, of course, had not only a group of attorneys on her case, but she hadn’t spent a single night in jail. Alec had at first been devastated to discover his mother’s dark secrets, but despite his father’s attempts to cover up his cruelty, Alec had suspected for many years. He too was on better terms with his mother these days. Maybe he and Megan had both matured a little these past few weeks.

Vance Manufacturing was halfway completed, with Hans overseeing the work and living at the rehab center. He never lacked for food or female attention, and though Megan had made several attempts to introduce him to her best friend, Lynley was back in her own home in Columbia, studying for her doctorate in nursing.

Megan pulled into the parking lot behind the mission and found a spot. Granted, her heart rate was slightly elevated, but she couldn’t tell for sure if that was from bad memories or the realization that she’d driven all the way down here to propose. What if he turned her down?

Old friends and residents rushed to greet her as soon as she stepped through the back door. She hugged several necks as she made her way toward the door to admin. Before she reached it, though, she glanced through the window to see a familiar head of blond hair bent over the physician’s desk.

He looked up as if he sensed her arrival. He met her before she could take three steps into the clinic. “Megan?”

She took a breath. “I missed you.”

He grinned. “I’m flying back tomorrow.”

“Want to ride back with me? Save money?”

He put an arm around her and turned to look at the clinic. “We’ve put walls up. Seven exam rooms. Two full-time nurses, a nurse practitioner and a physician.”

“I know. I was the one who told you to hire them and build the walls.”

“Wanted to check me out and make sure I wasn’t lying to you?”

She took his hand and tugged him back out the door. They’d had some good talks out walking along the streets that surrounded the mission. Granted, it wasn’t the best part of town, but it was where they found the neediest people.

“I hate to admit it,” she said, “but you were right. I was running from something I’ll never be able to avoid, not even in Jolly Mill.”

“You mean life?” He released her hand and put his arm around her again.

“I went out to your property the other day and prayed for you to have a good life, for some of your dreams to come true. But just standing on that land and praying for you didn’t cut it for me.” She recalled the sudden burst of joy she’d felt that day.

“At least you’re back on speaking terms with God.”

“I’m beginning to see His viewpoint more often. I’m realizing I never lost faith in Him, I was just angry. You don’t get angry with someone if you don’t believe in them.”

“I knew that. So Megan, tell me why you’re here. You said you’d never come back.”

“I was wrong. I wanted to prove it.”

“Well, I hope you’re not here for a job, because it’s filled.”

“Nope.” She grinned. “Got one.”

“It’s going to get busier pretty quickly too. You may even need another doctor in the clinic before long.”

“Gerard, I came here to say something, and if I don’t say it now I may chicken out.” She turned to face him. “You never gave up on me, no matter how hard I was on you. And that made me realize if you didn’t give up on me, then neither would God. Instead you were tender—some of the time—and patient—part of the time.” She gestured toward the mission building. “I feel safer now than ever before.”

“Careful about that. Remember the line in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? ‘God is not always safe—’”

“‘—but He’s always good.’ If you’re trying to scare me off, stop it.”

“Marriage to me might not be safe either,” Gerard said gently, “but with you and me together, I know it would be good. We worked well together for nearly two years, Megan, but I want more than that with you. Marry me?”

She sighed. “You beat me to it.”

He threw his head back and laughed. She reached her arms up around his neck and kissed him. “Why do you think I came all the way down here?”

He took her into his arms. “Let’s be one another’s port in the storm.”

* * * * *





Dear Reader,

A couple of years ago I met a woman who has a heart that is very tender toward the homeless. She lives in Hollywood, and spoke to me about the growing number of homeless because of whole families losing their jobs. I got all excited about gathering a bunch of things together that those people might need, and sent them to her to pass out on the street. But as I sent them I realized it wasn’t nearly enough. I wished I’d had more to do.

When I see something that touches my heart, I write about it in hopes that maybe it will touch the hearts of others who are like-minded. I realize that there are many homeless whose situations are almost hopeless, but there are also many who simply need a hand up, who have lost jobs, have too many bills, not enough money, or even lost unemployment income. So I dreamed about a homeless shelter and a hero who would be tough enough to handle all kinds of people, those who needed a hand up, and those who needed to learn to earn the food they eat daily. That’s how Gerard developed in my mind. Then Megan developed when I wanted a physician who loved these hurting people with a great passion—a perfect partner for Gerard.

Recently I got excited when I read about a man who is doing exactly what Gerard does in this book—he puts people to work. No free handouts. Even if it’s just sweeping the street, they earn their food. There is no better way to return a person’s self-respect. Free handouts may be necessary for a time, but love comes when we care enough to help the needy rebuild self-esteem they may have lost when they forgot how to work for their food and shelter. That’s what Gerard Vance is all about. I’d love to see real people in real places doing this same thing. How about you?


Many blessings,



Hannah Alexander



Questions for Discussion



Dr. Megan Bradley breaks contact and abandons her post at the rescue mission in Corpus Christi to return to her hometown of Jolly Mill, Missouri. Her excuse is that the nightmares she was having were disturbing her neighbors. Does her reasoning seem rational to you when she still has nightmares about her patient’s death?

Gerard Vance is so crazy about Megan that he makes plans to follow her to the place where she flees, and even establish a homeless rehab center and production plant there. How can you defend his outlandish actions?

Megan has been angry with God for a long time, and the anger only digs more deeply when she encounters the horrors of murder at the rescue mission. Have you ever been angry with God after a traumatic event? Have you ever felt He was punishing you?

The title of this story is Eye of the Storm, because Megan feels she may be hiding from the storm in Jolly Mill—she calls it the eye of her storm until she’s called to find who may be killing her beloved friend, Kirstie Marshal. Have you ever gone through a storm such as hers? Gerard tells her she has been the eye of his storm—the breather he needed to get through it. God has been the eye of many of his storms. What has been the eye of yours? What got you through it?

Why do you believe Kirstie remained married to her husband despite the faithless acts she knew he was involved in? How would you have handled such a relationship?

Megan doesn’t appreciate Gerard tracking her down because she doesn’t feel she can face what happened to Joni, but his presence helps her heal. Has someone ever done that for you by forcing you to face up to your fears? Please share.

Kirstie is erroneously diagnosed with premature Alzheimer’s, which she rejects. Have you ever been misdiagnosed, misunderstood? Has your life been turned upside down because someone else tried to make you believe a lie?

Lynley is willing to give up her whole career to protect her mother, and Kirstie is desperate to make her daughter stop trying to protect her and live her own life. How would you handle this dilemma?