Zoe's Story Chapter IV

“I told her that the Lord loved her. That what had happened wasn’t her fault at all; and that the man that raped my dear Gracey would be judged fairly on the day he meets his Maker. I told her the Lord had a plan for her and that what happened to her would someday benefit somebody else’s life. I told her that I loved her and that no other woman would be the right woman for me.” Mike finished his story with tears in his eyes. “That was five years ago. We married last year and Grace just delivered our first baby, a baby girl, named her Hope. Because whenever life seems to be at its worst, the Lord always gives us the hope of a newer and brighter tomorrow.” Mike patted her shoulder one last time and stood up.
“Thank you Mike.” Zoe thanked him on his way out. At that time, she felt like a new person, in God. She walked back to the ICU nursery and found Nicholas sitting by Matthew’s incubator. Zoe sat in the seat next to him and entwined her fingers with his. “The nurse said they’d put Ilisabeth in the nursery with the other babies, so we could stay with Matthew.”
“Thank you Nicholas; for everything you’ve done for me.”
For the following two hours, they watched over Matthew with prayful hearts. God heard their prayers, that night his fever broke and he seemed to get better. The doctor said they’d like to keep him overnight for observations, but other than that he seemed fine. While Nicholas went to bring the car around, Zoe stopped at the maternity ward’s nurses’ station. “Is there a Mike and Grace here? They just delivered a baby girl… Hope, I think it was.”
“No ma’am.” The nurse replied. “No babies named Hope delivered in the past few months. Sorry hun.” The nurse answered the phone and left Zoe standing there confused. Who was that man in the chapel then? She picked up Ilisabeth and went out to the waiting car. The three of them headed home for the night, knowing that things would turn out for the better.
When they arrived home, Nicholas laid Ilisabeth down in her crib and sat by Zoe on the couch. “Do you want to call James and Anne?”
“No. They’ll be home in a few days. Let them have their time together without worrying.”
“How about some food? You haven’t eaten anything today.”
“No thanks, I’m fine. Nich, there is something I want to tell you something that happened to me while I was in the chapel today.” While Zoe’s story came out, Nicholas held her hands in his and prayed for her. Shoe told Nicholas about the mysterious Mike and his wife Grace and their baby Hope. Zoe told him how the nurse said that there was nobody by those names, ever. “I think he was an angel. But what Mike said made sense. I know everyone has been saying the same thing already; but it hit me then and there, I don’t know. I feel like a new person. And I think that, with God’s help, I can get through all of this.”
“I’m so happy for you babe. I told you, you deserve to be happy, now you can be… with me?”
“I don’t know Nicholas. I’m finally right with God, I love you but, I just don’t know yet.”
“That’s better than a flat out no. So you just think and pray. When you do know, come to me; I’ll always be ready.” Just then they heard Ilisabeth’s cries. Zoe went over to her playpen, in the corner of the room, picked her up and sat in the rocker. She was humming a tune her grandmother used to sing whenever she was upset.
Just then Anne and James arrived home, Anne trapped in James’ arms. After carrying her through the door he deposited her in the living room and went back to the door to get the luggage.
After James and Anne unpacked all of their luggage, they stayed in their room for the remainder of the evening…
Nicholas and Zoe stayed up for a while after the others went to sleep; “I’ll stay for tonight and then take you to the hospital in the morning; then I’ll head home.” Nicholas told her.
“Thank you for everything that you’ve done, for all of us.” She said in the midst of a yawn.
“It looks like you need to go to bed; I’m sure that Matthew will keep you up for the next few nights with him being sick and all.”
“You’re right. I think that I will.” She kissed him before going back to her own bedroom.