The nurse returned and checked vitals. “He’ll sleep now. You look like you could use some rest, too.”
“Do you know where I can stay, a hotel with a kitchen? Somewhere I can wash clothes?”
He suggested an Extended Stay America only minutes away.
She returned to the waiting room, expecting to find it empty or filled with strangers, but Shanice and Brian were still there, sitting on the sofa together, deep in conversation. They didn’t even notice her come into the room. Grace watched them a minute before she cleared her throat. They both glanced up sharply and stood. Brian met Grace halfway. “How is he?”
“He’s asleep. He said Jesus got him out.”
“Wow.” Shanice joined them. “Nothing like a near-death experience to get a man’s attention. I’ll drive you home. You can get a good night’s sleep and—”
Grace shook her head, decision made. “I’m going to stick around.”
“Oh, girl, are you sure?” Shanice sounded worried. She glanced at Brian.
“He wants me to stay.”
Shanice stepped closer. “Honey, you look exhausted already. I know this whole thing has put you through the emotional wringer, but Roman doesn’t need you. He has good doctors and nurses.”
Grace understood Shanice’s concern. Some time and distance would help her think more clearly. But right now, she wanted to stay as close as possible. “I gave my word.”
“What about Samuel?”
“I’ve already talked with Selah. She encouraged me to stay.”
Shanice rolled her eyes. “Of course. She would.”
Her son was happy and safe with Selah. For now, Roman was the one who needed her.
PANTING, HEART POUNDING, Roman awakened from the nightmare. He’d been back inside the tunnel, surrounded by shadows and monsters. Disoriented, he gasped when he found someone standing beside the bed, a hand on his shoulder.
“Sorry I awakened you, Mr. Velasco, but you were having another nightmare.” A different nurse, this one a middle-aged woman with a kind face.
“Oh.” His breathing slowed. “Thanks.” He could still feel the visceral impact of the echoing screams, moans of anguish, the gnashing of teeth of those he’d seen in hell. The heart monitor showed his rate slowing to normal. “Where’s Grace?”
“She’ll be back soon.” The nurse readjusted the blanket, asked if he needed anything, and left the room.
It was quieter now that he was out of ICU, but people passed by in the outer corridor: nurses, a doctor, visitors. Roman watched the door for Grace. He lay still, attuned to the sounds around him: low voices, squeaky shoes on a polished floor, beeps. His roommate turned on the TV. A news report and talk of the weather. Roman listened, wanted to forget the memory of demonic monsters and a fiery pit.
Hell existed. He’d been there. Every time Roman tried to talk himself out of what he’d experienced, he felt the pain in his leg. He’d seen it when the nurse changed the dressings, and he remembered the doctor asking about the injury. Emotionally raw, Roman said a demon had dug talons into his leg and tried to pull him back down to hell. Jesus told the creature to let go, and it did. The physician stood silent, looking at him the same way Roman must have looked at Grace when she told him about the angel who came to her when she was a child.
“I’m sure there’s a rational explanation, Mr. Velasco.”
“Great. Tell me. Please. I’d like to hear one.”
The doctor thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Roman had felt the demon’s claws. He remembered the weight pulling at him. Jesus Christ whispered a word and Roman was set free. Had he been a soul outside his body, or had he been flesh and blood? He tried to wrap his mind around what happened and couldn’t.
The doctor had asked about family. The condition was often hereditary. Maybe his father had passed down the heart problem. There was no way for Roman to know, no way to find out. Was his father still alive? Maybe he was in that seething pit of fire and darkness. Was White Boy in the outer darkness, too, gnashing his teeth in agony?
The curtain slid back. “Good morning, Roman.” Dr. Ng had a chart in his hand. “Still having nightmares, I hear. Do you want to speak with a psychologist?”
Roman pressed a button, raising the head of his bed. “No.” He told the truth once and wasn’t believed. Better not to mention it to anyone again.
Where was Grace? What was taking her so long?
Dr. Ng checked the site of the defibrillator. “Looks good. Working perfectly. Swelling is gone. No sign of infection. Helps that you’re so healthy.”
Dr. Ng tapped something into the computer terminal. “We’ll get going on the paperwork and have you out of here tomorrow. The nurse will make an appointment for a three-month checkup.”
When Grace entered the room shortly after the doctor left, Roman’s pulse kicked up. Thankfully, the heart monitor had been removed, along with IVs and all the other tethers that had kept him tied down. How was it possible for a woman to soothe and stir him at the same time? Their relationship had changed subtly over the last few days. He saw something new in her eyes and welcomed it.
Grace had stuck by him through the entire ordeal. She even read to him when he couldn’t sleep. He’d awakened once and seen her asleep in the chair, one of her textbooks open on her lap. When he woke later, she was gone, but she’d left her Bible on his tray table. Paging through, he found passages she’d underlined in different colors, notes she’d written in the margins, names beside certain passages. Was his written somewhere?
Relieved she was back now, he smiled. “We can leave tomorrow.”
“Isn’t it too soon? You’ve only been here three days.” Her eyes were the color of dark honey.
“My heart is working just fine.” Pounding like a jackhammer right now.
Grace dug into her backpack and handed him a leather-bound Bible. “I wanted to have it engraved, but wasn’t sure what name you’d want on it—Bobby Ray Dean or Roman Velasco.”
Her phone jingled in her purse. She took it out and read the text. Thumbing a quick answer, she dropped it back in her purse. “Samuel has an earache.”
His situation had probably made things more difficult for her. “You missed your weekend with your son. You can have time off when we get back.”
“I’ll take you up on that.”
Jasper appeared around the curtain. “Here you are, hiding out with Grace.” He shook his head. “You’re always causing trouble, aren’t you?” Jasper greeted Grace before grasping Roman’s hand. “Has the boy been cooperating?”
“He hasn’t had much choice.” Grace got another call. Talia, this time. She handed the phone to Roman. Talia was relieved Roman sounded so good. She’d been worried she’d be attending his funeral. Why hadn’t he told her he had a heart problem? She wouldn’t have pushed him so hard. What did he mean he didn’t know? How could he not know? Maybe he needed a vacation. He should go to Europe. Or lie on a beach in Tahiti. Roman let her talk until she noticed his silence.
“Are you still there, Roman?”
“I’m breathing, but my ears are getting sore with all this motherly concern.”
“I don’t know why I put up with you!”
“The 50 percent commission.”
“Yes, there is that.” She chuckled. “When are you going home?”
“Tomorrow, but don’t expect any paintings anytime soon.”
“Whenever you’re ready, you know where to find me. Put Grace back on.”
Roman handed the phone back to Grace. She went out into the hallway to finish the conversation.
“Chet and Susan send their love.” Jasper picked up the Bible. “Are you becoming interested in something other than art?”
“Grace gave it to me.” He hesitated and then decided to confess. “I have no doubt Jesus exists. Not after what I went through.”
“And what was that?”
“I doubt you’ll believe me. So far, Grace is the only person who does.”
“Try me.”
Roman told him the whole story. He couldn’t tell if Jasper believed or not. He waited, but Jasper just stood there, grim and silent. “Are you going to say something?”