But for the Grace of God

By Kathy Witman

Frances is a young woman trying to lead a noble existence while looking for someone with whom she can share her life. When she finally meets someone who seems to fit the bill, a surprising plot twist causes her to have to make a decision that could either save her soulor condemn her to hell.

Along the way she gets caught up in some seedy situations that lead to a murder. While trying to determine whether the man she met is for her and figure out just who the killer is, she gets caught in situations that put her beliefs to the test. You wont want to put this book down as you read about the bizarre and fascinating situations Frances encounters while trying to figure out the right path to follow to bring her happiness, maintaining her integrity, and following a suitable spiritual path.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 26, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490830704

Kathy Witman

Kathy Witman has a creative, imaginative spirit. The idea for this, her first novel, came so quickly she could hardly type fast enough to keep up with the plot lines that now weave their way through this story. She lives with her family near Baltimore, where this story takes place.

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Copyright © 2014 Kathy Witman.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-3069-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-3071-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-3070-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014905052

WestBow Press rev. date: 04/03/2014

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgement

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

PREFACE

I have always enjoyed writing. In my younger years, I wrote a lot of poems. Some were serious, and some were funny. My coworkers looked forward to hearing the poems that I often wrote for our Christmas celebration as well as personalized poems that I wrote about some of my colleagues. I also used to make my own greeting cards. So I have a history of writing, although I never pursued having any of it published.

When my daughter was young, I got it into my head that I wanted to try to write a book. So after I’d put her to bed for the night, I’d sit at my computer and type away. When I was trying to decide what the book should be about, I considered what I liked in a book. One thing that I always liked was a plot twist; something totally unexpected. I also liked it when there were several story lines which all tied into the main plot. Once I decided on the main part of the story, the characters and the timeline, the ideas just seemed to flood into my head every time I sat down to write. I never once experienced the dreaded writer’s block that plagues some authors. In fact, there were times that I could hardly type fast enough to keep up with all of the ideas in my head. Once I had completed the book, I read it over and over, each time changing little things or adding and removing little bits here and there. But each time I read the book, I liked it better than the last time I read it. Sometimes I would read a part of it and think, I can’t believe I came up with that! But I did. I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it. God bless you.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am so blessed to have many friends and loved ones who helped and supported me while I went through the process of writing and publishing this book.

First, I would like to thank my friend Sherry Arias, a retired nurse who read my book to ensure that the medical terms and scenarios made sense. Sherry was one of my biggest fans, encouraging me to pursue getting the book published.

I’d also like to thank my niece, Trish Rowland, who read my book and inspired me to follow my dream of getting it published.

I also thank my friend Cindy Burtner, who helped by giving me a refresher course in punctuation and also edited my book.

And special thanks go out to my husband, Jim and our daughter, Jenna for their love and support of everything I do.

My acknowledgements would not be complete without giving thanks to God, who blesses me every day. I felt God’s presence in every part of the process of writing and publishing my book. It would never have come to fruition without God in my life to inspire and guide me.

BUT

for the

GRACE of GOD

CHAPTER 1

It was a beautiful sunny day in September, her favorite time of year. Frances was at home and had just gotten back from church. She loved her church. She loved her pastor and the people she knew from church. But she had never really gotten close to any of them. They were her Sunday family. The only other time she saw them was at special church functions. She drew strength from the sermons she heard at church, she tried to take the time to read her Bible, and she prayed faithfully. But while she desperately wanted to be a good Christian, she often found herself struggling to be as close to God as she wanted to be.

Frances was a relatively happy young woman. She had a good job at the local hospital in the town of Faith, Maryland where she lived. She worked in the emergency room and loved what she did. It made her feel good to know she had helped to save literally hundreds of lives and that she was good at her job. She had studied hard all through college. When many of her friends were out partying and sowing their wild oats, Frances could be found in her dorm room studying. While most of her female friends had boyfriends and were experimenting with sex, Frances’ love affair was with her books. She loved to read her course books and medical journals; in fact, she devoured them. She was incredibly bright and had an uncanny ability to retain most, if not all of what she read. It was because of this that she finished in the top five of her class.

To some, Frances seemed to have it all. She had a good job and therefore made good money. She was buying a condominium in a nice neighborhood in Faith, just a short drive from Baltimore, Maryland. And while she wasn’t a beautiful woman, she was attractive in a simple way. Like many young women, she never felt like she was thin enough, but the few extra pounds she carried around certainly wouldn’t have classified her as fat. At twenty-eight years old, she was the picture of health. She didn’t obsess over a healthy lifestyle, but she made a conscious effort to eat right. And yet, Frances felt like there was something missing in her life. She yearned to be in a loving relationship and share her life with someone she could love.

Frances was not a virgin. She had lost her virginity to a young man she had dated just before graduating from college. It was one of the few things in her life she truly regretted doing. Although she was in her early twenties at the time, the young man had been her very first boyfriend. He was a nice person, but after dating for several months, he began to pressure her about having sex. Worrying that she might lose him, she reluctantly gave in and was immediately sorry she had. But of course, it was one of those things she simply could not undo. For the remainder of their relationship, she carried the guilt of what they had done like a rock around her neck. Then after graduation, he moved back to his hometown hundreds of miles away and she never saw him again. Since then, she had gone on a few dates, but none of them ever turned out to be what she was looking for. She had vowed never again to allow a man to influence her into doing anything she didn’t want to do.

Frances was looking for storybook love. She wanted the kind of love she had read about in romance novels; the kind she had heard about in songs on the radio. She wanted to be with a man she loved so much that she ached when she wasn’t with him. And she wanted him to love her back in the same way. She knew that not too many romances were of the storybook kind, and yet, she still held out hope that she would someday have the relationship she desired.

But with working at the emergency room at Faith Memorial and keeping up with reading the latest medical journals, there was little time to do much of anything else. If she managed to eat, sleep and keep up with the mundane chores required to keep her condo clean, comfortable and in working order, she felt she was ahead of the game. Thank goodness she had friends she could at least call and talk to when she didn’t have the time or energy to actually socialize.

As she finished folding a load of laundry, she decided to call one of those friends. She reached for the phone and dialed the number with a smile on her face. If Frances didn’t have a social life of her own, she could always have one vicariously through Brandy.

Hi Brandy. It’s me.

Hey Franny! What’s up?

Brandy Delaughter was Frances’ best friend. She had met Brandy when she was in her third year of college and Brandy was a freshman. They had remained close even though Brandy had dropped out after only a little more than a year. Brandy was a wild child. She was an attractive, black woman and very smart. She was loyal, with a kind heart and would do almost anything for her friend. But she just didn’t have the discipline, or the desire to go to school. She wanted to live life in the fast lane. And she did. She partied all the time, slept with whomever she chose, and earned a living working at the Chat Room as an exotic dancer.

Oh, I just got back from church, said Frances. I thought I’d do a couple of loads of laundry and go to the grocery store.

Man, you have just got to slow down girl! You’re gonna kill yourself livin’ so crazy, Brandy laughed.

Gimme a break, said Frances. Just because I don’t party every night doesn’t mean I’m a loser. Besides, stuff’s gotta get done. You gonna come over and do my chores for me?

Yeah, right! I don’t even do my own! They both laughed.

"I really do wish I could get out more Brandy. Maybe if I actually had a social life, I’d find that Prince Charming I’m always on the lookout for. Of course if I did find a man, I’d probably be too busy to spend any time with him."

"Girl, what would you do with a man anyway? They just try to own you and tell you what to do. They get all bent out-of-shape if you want some time on your own. What you need is someone to keep you warm at night, if ya get my drift. And while you do need a man for that, you don’t have to keep him!"

"But that’s exactly what I’m not looking for. I’m tired of being on my own. I’m ready to share my life with someone. And for your info, if all I wanted was someone to keep me warm at night, I’m sure I could find someone who’d be accommodating. That’s just not what I’m about and you know it."

You’re never gonna find anybody in the places you go! What are you gonna do, ask out one of the walking-wounded that come into the ER? Oh yeah, that’d be great! ‘Hey buddy, as soon as you’re out of that body cast, how ‘bout us getting’ together?’

Very funny. But I’m serious. I know you don’t want a permanent fixture in your life Brandy, but I do. I’m tired of being alone. I’m twenty-eight years old and the longest relationship I’ve ever had was a six-month stint in college. I have everything else I need in my life; a good job, good friends, a nice place… not necessarily in that order of course. Now I want a commitment. I want stability. I want to come home to a big, strong pair of arms, a soft heart and a hairy chest!

Maybe you should get yourself a chimpanzee. Ha! Brandy laughed at herself, proud of the joke she had made.

Oh you’re hilarious Brandy! Frances was sounding frustrated.

Oh alright, I know. But if you can’t have what you want, then in the meantime why don’t you just have a good time?

"And by a good time, you mean party all week, sleep with a different guy every night and take my clothes off to earn a living?"

Yeah, snorted Brandy. Now you’re talkin’!

We can’t all be party girls, stated Frances. Besides, you know I love you and I accept you as you are, warts and all. But I just can’t be like that. I’d feel guilty every time I went to church.

Then don’t go to church! she snorted, again proud of herself. She was on a roll and the two girls laughed out loud.

Anyway, Frances interrupted. I really do have to get going. I have places to go, things to do and people to see.

Yeah, the grocery store, the laundry and your mother, Brandy cracked.

Man, you’re just a barrel of laughs, aren’t you? You take your funny pill today? Frances smiled. But seriously, I have to get going.

I gotta go too. I work tonight.

Are you dancing tonight? asked Frances. On a Sunday?

Yeah, on a Sunday. Horny men spend money on Sundays too ya know. I’ll give you a call in a couple of days. But in the meantime, while you’re doing the laundry and takin’ out the trash, why don’t you think about takin’ Tuesday off? I got a great party we can go to on Monday night and that way you can sleep in the next day.

Oh, I don’t know Brandy. Every time I go out with you I either end up having a rotten time or doing something I shouldn’t. Besides, why do your friends always have parties on weeknights? Don’t they have jobs?

One or two of ‘em have jobs! she cracked. But they all do have lives! So why don’t you get one! Come on, Franny, say you’ll go with me. Who knows, maybe Prince Charmin’ll be there!"

Oh sure, he’ll be the one with the shaved head and the pierced nose. They laughed again. I’ll think about it. Call me tomorrow. I get off work at six. By the way, what time does this party start?

Eleven o’clock.

Eleven o’clock! Who starts a party at eleven o’clock?

You do girl. At least you will tomorrow. I’m countin’ on you goin’, Brandy said assertively.

Well, don’t get your hopes up. You know I’m usually beat when I come home from the hospital.

It’ll be alright, Franny. You can take a nice cool, shower, get a little caffeine in your system, and you’ll be fine. I’ll be over at ten.

I’ll think about it. Bye.

Frances hung up with a dread in her heart. She didn’t really like the kind of party Brandy went to and she meant what she said about feeling guilty over that kind of thing. On the rare occasions when she had gone to parties with Brandy, she always ended up feeling remorseful. The only good thing about it was that she always prayed fervently afterwards to ask God for forgiveness and it brought her closer to Him.

She was just about to gather up another load of laundry when the phone rang. This time it was Alice, a long-time friend of the family who lived in the same town as Frances. Much older than Frances, she was a mother figure to her. Alice knew Frances was a good girl, but she also knew her best friend Brandy who was usually up to no good, and sometimes tried to drag Frances down with her. So she checked on Frances from time to time to make sure she was alright.

Hi Frances, came the gentle voice on the other end of the phone. You just get back from church?

Oh, hi Alice. Yeah, I’ve been back for about an hour or so. How are you?

I’m fine. I just wanted to know if you’d like to stop by later and have an early supper. You know I always make too much and it will just go to waste.

Oh, I don’t know Alice. I appreciate the offer but I have a lot of stuff to do. Can I have a rain check?

Of course honey. I just thought if you weren’t busy, well, you have to eat, don’t you?

Yes, I do. But I just have so many things to get done today and then of course I have to get ready for work tomorrow, said Frances.

That’s fine. Maybe we can get together some other night this week. Is any particular night better for you? Alice asked.

Not really, any night is good. Except, maybe tomorrow, Frances muttered. As soon as she said it, she wished she hadn’t. Now certainly Alice would ask her what she was doing the next day, and Frances would have to tell her about the party Brandy wanted her to go to. Frances truly liked Alice, but Alice treated Frances like one of her own children and if she thought Frances was going to do something she shouldn’t, she wouldn’t hesitate in telling her so.

What’s happening tomorrow? Alice inquired.

Oh, not much. Brandy is coming over and we’re probably gonna get into something. It wasn’t a lie, it just wasn’t the whole truth, Frances thought, already feeling guilty.

Hmmm, Brandy? You’re not going to let her talk you into getting into trouble now, are you? Alice’s voice mirrored concern.

No, not at all Alice. I was just talking to Brandy a little while ago, complaining about how lonely I’m feeling these days. So she offered to get me out of the house for a little while, you know, meet some new people, and have a little fun. There’s nothing wrong with that, Frances said, feeling like she had to defend herself.

Just be sure that wherever she takes you is a place you’d not be ashamed for your mother to know about. I like Brandy but that girl doesn’t know the meaning of the word moral. You watch out for yourself Frances. Besides, most of the places Brandy would take you would definitely not be the kind of place where you would want to meet a potential husband.

I’ll be fine Alice. Besides, I’m not necessarily looking for a potential husband, I’d just like some male companionship. I know there’s someone out there for me. I just haven’t met him yet.

Don’t fret child. You’ll meet your special someone someday. But he won’t be in the places Brandy takes you, Alice said rigidly.

There it was; that ‘mother’ voice again. Frances smiled knowing that Alice wasn’t just trying to intrude, but had her best interests in mind.

The best place to meet a good man who will treat you right and not cause you a lot of heartache is in church, Alice continued. You don’t want to meet a man at those places Brandy frequents. You want to meet someone who loves the Lord as much as you do, has a strong sense of family and likes to stay home at night… not running all over the city looking for the next party.

Frances knew Alice was right, but she didn’t want to get into it with her. So she changed the subject. You’re right Alice. Hey, how about Thursday night? I get off early, so I can swing by around, say, five o’clock. How’s that?

That’ll be fine, dear. Take care of yourself and stay out of trouble. I’ll keep you in my prayers. With that, Alice hung up and Frances went about her chores.

Alice’s words rang in Frances’ ears as she tidied up her condo and went about her household chores. She knew Alice was right and for the most part, she didn’t really want to go to the party with Brandy anyway. But there was a little part of her that did want to go. It was a part of her that just wanted to get out, have a little fun and let loose for a change.

She didn’t get the opportunity to do that very often. She could hang out with some of the people she worked with who often invited her to come with them when they went out after hours. But Frances was reluctant to go with them. She was always very conscious of her reputation. She was well-respected at the hospital. Her co-workers thought of her as responsible, knowledgeable and down-to-earth. She feared that if she ever really let her hair down around her peers, she would do or say something to tarnish her good standing. And since she had aspirations of someday being the head nurse in the ER, she was adamant about keeping her good character intact. Besides, many times when the gang from work got together, he was with them.

Dale Green, current head nurse at the ER, and her boss. Dale was pure evil in Frances’ eyes. He was good at his job, but as far as Frances was concerned, there ended his good attributes. Dale was constantly on Frances’ back. He seemed to be the only one at the hospital who didn’t tender the respect she desired and felt she deserved. He was an enigma in Frances’ eyes. She sometimes caught him leering at her when he thought she wasn’t looking. She couldn’t figure out why. Certainly, he wasn’t looking at her from a sexual standpoint. He didn’t even like her. And the feeling was oh, so mutual. Yet, the way he stared at her… well, it just gave her the creeps.

Frances took pride in the fact that she liked, and got along with most people. But Dale was one person that she just could not appreciate. Just the sound of his voice made her wince. She had no choice but to interact with him on the job, since he was usually on duty when she was working. But she went out of her way to avoid him whenever possible. And because she felt so uncomfortable around him at work, she had no desire to be around him in her free time. Therefore, when one of her associates invited her to go out on the town, it was fairly certain she would respectfully decline.

It was early the next morning when the phone shook Frances from a deep sleep. She looked at the clock. It was 3 a.m. Who could be calling her at this hour? Hello, Frances managed to say.

Hey girl!! Whatcha doin? It was Brandy.

What do you mean what am I doing? It’s three in the morning. I’m sleeping! Or I was. Is everything alright?

Yeah girl! Everything’s fine. I’m just callin’ to make sure you’re ready when I come by tonight. Ten o’clock, right?"

That’s why you woke me up when I have to be at work in three hours? Yeah, I’ll be ready. Ready to kill you! Frances managed a little smile. She was somewhat irritated at Brandy, but she never could really be mad at her.

O.K. See you then. Click. The phone went dead.

I really am gonna kill her, Frances thought.

CHAPTER 2

Frances could not get back to sleep. She lay there, thinking. Thinking about what she should do. Part of her wanted to let her hair down and go to the party with Brandy, but the little angel on her shoulder told her it wasn’t a good idea. It seemed she often struggled with that little angel. She was thinking she probably shouldn’t go to the party. She knew wherever Brandy was taking her would not be a place she’d want her mother to know about. But she wondered, what was wrong with a little fun? She didn’t get rip-roaring drunk, or do anything lewd or vulgar. But still, she thought about what Alice said. She wondered if she’d feel comfortable with her mother knowing about some of the places she went to with Brandy. Oh well, she had the whole day to think it over. She’d weigh the pros and cons, and then decide what she wanted to do. And besides she smiled to herself, it wasn’t very likely her mother would be showing up wherever Brandy was taking her. She smiled at the very thought of it.

It was now four thirty in the morning. She may as well get up and get ready to go to work. She put her nurse’s uniform on the bed, packed her lunch and threw a few things into her carryall bag. She showered, did her hair and makeup and got everything ready to take out to the car. It was the beginning of autumn. Frances just loved this time of the year. It wasn’t too cold and, thank the good Lord, not that hot, humid weather that was typical of Maryland. When she stood out on the balcony of her condo, she could see the mountains. The air was starting to get cooler; the leaves on the trees would soon be starting to turn to those luscious shades of red, gold, and auburn she loved. It was quiet, calm and peaceful. Life was good.

When she arrived at the hospital, things were calm there too. There were a few people in the emergency room. A few minor cuts, a woman complaining of dizziness, and an elderly man who had come in claiming to have shortness of breath. Everything was being taken care of by the personnel already on duty. So Frances went about her business putting her things away. Since there were no real emergencies, she decided to take a look at the how the ER supplies were holding up.