Monica was a little nervous as she knocked on the front door of the little, white house. No matter how many assignments she'd been on, her stomach always tied up in knots when she was about to meet a new person. She knew it was silly to be afraid because the Lord was on her side. She smiled as she thought about His goodness.
"Thank you, Lord, for giving me the courage." The door opened and a beautiful, young girl around nineteen stood before her. Monica noticed that the girl's hair was the same length as her own, but blonde. She was wearing a sweatshirt and a pair of soccer shorts.
"Hi," the girl said. "Can I help you?"
She smiled. "Yes, I'm Monica. Is Mrs. Barnes at home?"
The girl held out her hand. "Oh, yes, you're from the hospital. My name is Jennifer, please come in."
Monica shook Jennifer's hand as she stepped into the house.
"Mom's in the kitchen. It's right this way."
Monica followed Jennifer toward the back of the house. The kitchen was bright and colorful. Mrs. Barnes was a very tasteful decorator, choosing a country theme for this room.
"Mom," Jennifer began. "This is Monica. She's from the hospital."
Marcie Barnes was pushing fifty, but didn't appear a day over forty. Her dark brown hair, which had been colored, was short and stylish. She was dressed in a modest business suit.
"Hi, Monica," she said, extending her hand "I'm Marcie Barnes. It's nice to meet you."
"Hello. You have a lovely home."
"Thank you," Mrs. Barnes responded. "Well, let's sit down and talk. Jennifer, would you get us some iced tea, please?"
"Sure, Mom."
"So, Monica, how much did they tell you about my son?"
Monica sighed. "Well, Mrs. Barnes…"
"Please, call me Marcie."
"Alright - Marcie. They said that he was suffering from a state of shock. He hasn't spoken in about a month I think they said. The poor boy."
"Post-traumatic stress disorder, they call it. All we can do is wait, they say. Meanwhile, my baby's future goes down the toilet."
Marcie buried her head in her hands and sobbed. Monica reached out and touched her shoulder. Jennifer set two glasses down on the table and put her hands on her mother's shoulders. "Noah was supposed to start a new job at the Manchester Herald two days after daddy died. They fired him when he didn't show up after three weeks."
Monica nodded. She silently prayed for words but none came. God always gave her the words when she needed them but sometimes He was silent. It was hard not knowing what to say.
"I'm sorry, Monica," Marcie said, raising her head. "This whole thing has been, well - it's been hard on the both of us. Neither one of us have had a decent night's sleep since this whole thing began. I keep expecting Jake to walk in any minute with a plan on how to fix it all."
"There's no need to apologize," Monica stated, with a smile. "I'm here to help you."
"Good," Marcie replied. "Well, I guess I should fill you in. Uh, I hated even calling someone but Jennifer and I just can't handle it on our own anymore. She's been staying with him during the day while I work, but, hell, she needs a break - we both do.
"There's an extra room upstairs you can sleep in. We need you here at night because -" she stopped again, her eyes misting up. "He wakes up in the middle of the night shrieking. He has nightmares we think. The only way to quiet him is to hold him and talk him out of it. Is this going to be a problem for you, Monica?"
The angel shook her head. "No, not at all."
"I'm glad to hear that. He won't give you any trouble. He seems to be able to do everything for himself - changing clothes, taking a shower, cooking food - he just won't talk. Who knows? Maybe you can help him find his way home."
Monica winked. "Well, all I know is that God has brought me here and He always has a way of working things out."
Marcie smiled. "I know you're right, Monica. But sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees. Jake was the one who had all the faith. He loved God so much. We raised the kids in church and they turned out well. I know He's here with me now. It's just difficult, you know?"
"I understand, Marcie," Monica replied. "So, what is it exactly that you'll want me to be doing for young Noah?"
"Well, one of us has had to stay with him during the day which means I either missed work or Jennifer missed school. And at night, the both of us are trying to deal with him. The boss has warned me not to miss work again and Jennifer's behind in her classes. And Lord knows we could both use a decent night's sleep. Just watch over him during the day and get up with him during the night. That's really all there is to the job."
"And talk to him," Jennifer interjected.
Marcie smiled. "Jennifer insists on talking to him. We don't know if he can hear us or not but it makes us feel better. I figure it couldn't hurt."
"God promised us, Marcie and Jennifer, that He would never leave us nor forsake us. He loves you both very much - and He loves Noah. You just remember that."
Marcie felt a tear slide down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away as she rose from the table. "Thank you, Monica."
Monica stood and the two embraced.
"I have to go now," Marcie began. "Jennifer will introduce you to Noah and show you where everything is. Thank you again - you're an angel."
Monica looked away, not knowing what to say. She managed an uncomfortable smile. "Thank you for the compliment. But I'm only doing my job."
Marcie left the kitchen and picked up her brief case from the hall table. Monica and Jennifer followed her to the front door. She turned and smiled while putting on her coat. "I feel better knowing that you're here, Monica. My work number is on the kitchen counter if you need it."
"Don't worry yourself," Monica responded, while opening the front door. "Everything will be fine."
"You're right, Monica," Marcie said, walking out the door. "Somehow, it will be okay. Goodbye."
Monica closed her eyes uttered a silent prayer to herself as she closed the front door. Immediately she felt the Presence of God wrap itself around her. His warmth filled her spirit and she couldn't help but smile. Oh, He was good. She loved Him so very much. At her darkest moments, He was always there to pick her up.
She looked up toward heaven and joyously thanked her Creator for being so amazing.
"Great is thy faithfulness…"
Chapter Four
Chapter Two
Archives