Healing Waters (12 page)

Feeling the kind of relief usually reserved for post dental work, he pulled up the number for Sonia's room at Crozer Medical Center and pressed Send. If every step back into the real world was this hard, he might not get there for years. Decades.

Though he wasn't sure Sonia would still have the luscious voice that reminded him of whipped cream, the one that said hello was flatter and colder than he expected. He felt his hopes wobble.

“Sonia,” he said. “Sullivan Crisp.”

“This isn't Sonia,” the woman said. “Who did you say this was?”

“Sullivan Crisp.”

“Oh.” The voice gave in slightly. “She's talking to her doctor at the moment. I can have her call you back.”

She bordered on brusque, which wasn't like anybody Sully knew on Sonia's staff. They were all so schooled in Southern hospitality they practically offered you a mint julep over the phone. He couldn't resist asking, “And who am I talking to?”

“Lucia Coffey,” the woman said. “I can just give her a message—wait.”

There was some murmuring and receiver shifting, and then fragrant oils were suddenly being poured on his head in the form of Sonia Cabot's voice.

“Sully Crisp,” she said.

Sully felt himself grin. “When you produce an audition video for
Survivor
, you don't mess around, do you?”

Sonia laughed, a sound as delicious as her words. “When they create a show called
Thriver
, I
will
audition for that.”

“I can tell this hasn't slowed you down much,” Sully said. “You're still running everything.”

“Why don't you come up here and tell that to everybody else? I can't convince these people I am ready to rock and roll.” She laughed again. “No, don't. I'm coming back to Nashville anyway. Now, where are you? I haven't heard anything about you in forever.”

“Taking a little hiatus,” Sully said. “But I may be headed for Nashville myself.”

“I love that! Come for lunch—no, dinner—no, spend a weekend. You know my guesthouse is always open.”

She'd made that offer every time he'd seen her over the last five years. He could almost recite it word for word, and yet somehow it sounded different now—rehearsed. He'd never sensed that about her before. Dang. He'd been just about to go with the miracle theory that would let him off his own hook.

“I might take you up on that,” he said. “Could you use a friend?”

She laughed softly again. “I know what you're doing, Sully, bless your heart, but I'm good. God is going to use me in some amazing way through this. I can't wait to get in front of my audience again and share this.”

Sully tried not to stumble over his tongue. He'd just read in an e-mail from Rusty that her entire face, head, and neck were burned. They must have made great strides in plastic surgery. Either that, or Sonia Cabot was in some serious denial.

“You know what you can do, Sully,” she said.

“What's that?”

“You can pray.”

“I've already been on it.”

“I want you to pray specifically. I want you to ask the Lord to take the fear out of my staff's hearts so they'll stop trying to protect me and get on with the work we've been given to do. Will you do that for me?”

Sonia's propensity to turn a prayer into a homily was one of the many ways her ministry differed from his, and Sully toyed with the possible answers like a Rubik's cube.
No, Sonia, because they have
every reason to be afraid. No, Sonia, I'm not in the habit of giving God
instructions. No, Sonia, I think you
need
to be protected until you deal
with what's happened to you.

“Tell you what,” he said. “I'll talk that over with God and get back to you.”

“I can't wait to hear what He tells you.” She sighed into the phone. “Sully, I really appreciate your call. Will you promise to come see me?”

“Absolutely.”

One more item on the growing list of reasons to go to Nashville. Take a list of possible therapists to Sonia. Be there for Dr. Ukwu. Record some podcasts on God knew what.

Which was exactly the point. God did know what. And Sully knew where He might be willing to tell him.

A mere twenty-four hours after Agent Schmacker's visit, I was going to Sonia's room to take her to physical therapy and ran into Marnie—who was doing a stiff-legged fast walk down the hall with the I-have-to-get-this-done-for-Sonia lines carved between her eyebrows.

“I have to reschedule her appointment with PT,” she said over her shoulder.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing—she's having her board meeting in Lounge A.”

“Her
what
?”

“I'm supposed to tell you to get in there—she wants you to talk to them.”

Before I could tell her she was delusional, Marnie took off again, this time at a dead run. I yearned to escape with her. Just being in the same room with those people again was more than I could stomach. I would probably vomit if I had to actually talk to them.

I might have bypassed the meeting altogether if I hadn't heard Sonia's voice wending its way out of its usual creaminess and into a precipitously high place. I sucked in my gut and followed it.

Only because I had the worst luck possible did Sonia have her back to the door, while the board faced her—and me. I couldn't remember anyone's name except Egan's, but the other two members were there, as well as a redheaded woman I hadn't met before. Every face was ashen as Sonia sat before them in her silk robe and her now less-than-commanding posture. They had obviously realized that no miracle had yet occurred. I might have felt sorry for them if I hadn't warned them weeks ago.

“Come on in, Lucia,” Sonia said. She must have smelled my presence.

As I edged inside, I saw Egan breathing so hard I could have driven a Buick into his nostrils.

“Tell my friends and supporters what kind of progress I'm making,” Sonia said.

I didn't move. Didn't bring my dumpy self before this audience of slimness and righteousness. Bad enough they were all staring at me as I stood behind Sonia. I wouldn't give them a full frontal to judge.

Sonia waved her arm irritably. “Come on, Lucia. Tell them.”

“You're making progress,” I said to the floor.

“No, tell
them.
”

The redhead nodded like a dashboard ornament. The rest still looked as if they'd just had electric shock therapy administered.

“Lucia.” Sonia snagged at my sleeve.

If I didn't move forward, I would look even more conspicuous. I had on a black sweater Chip had brought me, and I crossed it over my chest as I stepped up to stand beside her.

“She's right on schedule,” I said to the wall above their heads. “Everything is going the way it's supposed to.”

“We get that.” Egan leaned over the lid of his computer and looked at Sonia, yet not quite at her. “And Sonia, we're willing to hang in there with you until you're back . . . in shape.”

“That's right.” A woman in large hoop earrings poured out her words like molasses. “Honey, we aren't saying we're not behind you, but the idea of going out now and speaking—this way—that's not fair to you.”

“Who ever promised fair? The only fair is where pigs win ribbons.” Sonia poured molasses back at her, giving
fair
more than its share of syllables. “This is not about me—this is about what people need, and they need to participate in this miracle of healing with me.”

“Amen,” the redhead said.

No one else joined her. Nor did anyone else appear to have the intestinal fortitude, as Chip always called it, to say what they were all thinking.

Sonia drew herself up further. “So what you're saying is that you won't support me if I go out and speak like this.” She pointed to her face.

“We're saying you should wait,” Egan said.

“And I'm saying God doesn't want me to wait. I'm not afraid.”

“Well, I'm afraid for you,” a queenly middle-aged woman said. Her hands shook as she pulled a large jeweled ring on and off her finger. “People don't want to see you suffering, Sonia. They love you too much.”

“And I'm here to tell you,” Egan said, “the ones who do come will be curiosity seekers just wanting to rubberneck.”

Sonia stood up abruptly and rocked on her feet. I reached out a hand to steady her, but she knocked me away. I swayed off kilter, and my hip collided with the table. For an instant the attention shifted, en masse, from Sonia to me. We cut such a pathetic pair that I would have laughed, if the Middle-aged Queen had not curled her lip and Earrings hadn't completely looked away.

Sonia seemed to miss the whole thing. “You all disappoint me,” she said. “But I'm going to show some grace here.”

She pulled her hands together at her chest, just inches beneath the chin that had slowly buried itself in scar tissue. “I will pray about this. We should all pray. And then we'll come back together when I get back to Nashville.”

I saw relief in Egan's eyes. “Which will be in, what, two or three months?”

“I plan to leave here within the week,” Sonia said.

I caught my mouth before it fell open.

Egan looked at me. “Do you agree?”

“Lucia will be right there with me,” Sonia said.

I froze.

“You're not serious.” Again Egan turned to me. “Do you think that's wise?”

“I think it's God,” Sonia said. “In fact, I know it is.” She twisted her torso around to look behind us and then leaned forward as if she were about to reveal a conspiracy. “They don't get it here—what we're about and what God is about. I can't stay here with the Holy Spirit of healing being thwarted at every turn.”

“You absolutely cannot.” That came from the redhead. She let a pair of too-green eyes fill with tears. “Let's get you home where you can heal. Your next event is scheduled for when?”

Egan gave her an exasperated look. “Roxanne, you're not even on the board.”

“She does more to promote this ministry than anyone who is,” Sonia said. “I want to hear what she has to say.”

Roxanne dabbed at the corners of her eyes and shook her head. “No, I want to hear what Lucia has to say.”

Egan let out a long, hissy breath. The Middle-aged Queen exchanged disgusted looks with Earrings. I jerked at the sweater, but it wouldn't close me off any further.

“Lucia is a medical professional,” Roxanne said, “and she cares about Sonia. If she thinks she's ready to go home—if she thinks she's already making miraculous progress—then we have to pay attention to that.”

There was my chance to stop this whole ridiculous plan, to tell these people I thought they were heinous hypocrites, to get out from under my sister's craziness and run back into myself.

But with their eyes on me, barely concealing their contempt, I could feel the fat rolling at their feet. I couldn't even open my mouth.

“This is not Lucia's decision,” Sonia said. “It's mine—mine and God's.” She swept the silk robe across the floor behind her as she turned to the door. “But Lucia will be with me. I hope I can count on the rest of you as well.”

With one more awkward swish she made her exit, leaving behind mouths ready to share their horror as soon as she was out of earshot. I started after her, only to be blocked by the redhead.

“You are just an angel from heaven,” she said in a voice intended only for us. “I'm Roxanne Clemm. It's going to be up to you and me and Marnie to hold fast until the rest of those people understand what God is doing here.”

I just gaped into her green eyes. I didn't understand what God was doing, but I did understand what my sister was doing. She'd blindsided me. Made a decision for me in front of people who already thought I was inferior goods—where she knew I wouldn't stand a chance against myself.

“I think I better see about Sonia,” I said.

“You are so devoted to her.”

Devotion to my sister had nothing to do with it. I wasn't going to let her do what she'd done to me before, over and over. I was going to her room to tell her I absolutely would not travel away from what little life I had left, to put hers back together.

But I couldn't go yet. I was shaking inside like the proverbial bowlful of jelly, and that was no state to be in when I confronted my sister. My only hope lay in the vending machines, with their selection of comforters and courage boosters I'd been depending on for weeks.

I'd only purchased a Hershey bar when a scream penetrated straight through the walls. A scream that could only have come from a terrified six-year-old girl.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

P
ersonnel I'd never seen before erupted from back halls and storage closets. I burst through all of them, shoved someone aside to get to Sonia's room, and plowed into Roxanne. She struggled, elbows flailing like an NBA forward, as she attempted to control the screaming mass in front of her.