Intimacy: Missing ''Peace'' in the Puzzle of True Love & Close Relationships: Missing “Peace” in the Puzzle of True Love & Close Relationships

By Terrence Richburg

So what do you do when this thing called life breaks down and falls apart at the seams? What happens when all your efforts to cope only bring temporary peace and contentment in the face of certain failure? How do you attempt to solve the puzzle and put all the pieces back together again?
Explore the true power of intimacy as experienced in contemporary life situations. Examine its depth and dynamic application within human relationships and investigate why Gods view of intimacy is so essential, both for today and for all eternity.
Enter the world of intimacy at your own risk; you may just find exactly what youre looking for, or you might just find precisely what you werent expecting.
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Regrettably, this weekend represented what had become somewhat of a perpetual routine for Chris and Amanda. It began sometime agoan appointment of intrinsic fate, habitual yet not apparent to them.

Even so, with an air of understatement emerging, on this particular weekend things would prove to be just a little different somehow, for they were destined to live in the impossible.

Amanda and Christopher were about to encounter a miracle of incomparable proportions, both independently and together. This day of all days would prove to be the turning pointthe one day that would change their lives forever.

Like a rope tightly woven of thin silk strands of time and suspended reaction, it all appears fragile at a glance and a stare. But its strength may only be recognized through a blind touch in the dark.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781456813833

Book preview

PART I

A PORTRAIT OF INTIMACY

(THE MASTER’S PEACE WITHIN A TRUE LOVE’S STORY)

CHARACTERS in the Order of Appearance or as Mentioned:

Amanda James Knight—Christopher’s Wife

Christopher Knight—Amanda’s Husband

Grandma Rosa James—Amanda’s Mother

Katherine Knight—Amanda and Christopher’s Daughter

Joseph Knight—Amanda and Christopher’s Son

Jerry Palmer—Foreman on the Job of Christopher’s Company Project

Peter Gaines—Injured Worker on the Job of Christopher’s Company’s Project

Dr. John Phillips—Doctor on Duty at the Hospital

Steven James—Amanda’s Brother

Jonathan Knight—Christopher’s Deceased Father

Rebecca Jones Knight—Christopher’s Deceased Mother

CHAPTER 1

How Did I Get Here?

Regrettably, this weekend represented what had become somewhat of a perpetual routine for Chris and Amanda. It began some time ago as an appointment of intrinsic fate, habitual yet not apparent to them.

Even so, with an air of understatement emerging, on this particular weekend things would prove to be just a little different somehow, for they were destined to live in the impossible—something that they had never ever experienced before.

Amanda and Christopher were about to encounter a miracle of incomparable proportions, both independently and together. This day of all days would prove to be the turning point—the one day that would change their lives forever.

It was growing late on an incredibly gorgeous Friday afternoon. The raspberry golden sun began its daily trek of westerly descent, still ablaze with divine brilliance. The fragrant air was soothing and unusually free from the slightest hint of humidity. White clouds of feathery character, strategically placed, reflected the blue velvet canvas blossoming with brush strokes of entrancing hue.

A nuptial hydrangea was in bloom across the lush sky. This day daunted the amorous eyes of nature as one of God’s best works of art ever. A gentle spring breeze with delight danced softly upon the faces of anyone who may have walked by, and peaceful smiles followed consecutively in turn.

But then as the serene ambiance lightly traced across her brow, Amanda awoke suddenly from an unexpected daydream. Her heart was warm, reminiscent of deep sentiment while for just a moment she had been imagining time standing still—an instant when she could be herself, just herself. She longed to be free, free without a single care in the world for just a brief flash of indulgence—or even longer if time’s steady sovereign beat would mercifully permit.

Once again she allowed her mind to wander, thinking to herself of how it would feel for the essence of all her being to spend such a day or moreover days with someone whose focus was just upon her alone. She yearned for just love, just warmth, just to be cherished and held attentively in an unbroken moment of pure intimacy, without any expectation of some dowry in return and no perceived limits on time.

Then with an introduction lacking, the stern footsteps of her compliant husband, Christopher, awkwardly approached the stairs of the porch. Yet they seemed to resonate in her mind like the marching of military troops seeking to engage the enemy. Amanda’s daydream, now being interrupted, quickly faded as the familiar clamor of the real world rushed in. With all authority the uproar began to strip her precious moments away to the bare revelation of another day-to-day season of typical living.

Just living with the routine chores of family life kicking in with no real change in sight, she conformed and replaced her closely held smiles of joy with the usual stiff upper lip and an inner posture of submission and obedience—at least as she perceived the meaning of these so-called biblical words to mean.

She fought back the mixed emotions and pooling tears of her heart and tried desperately to reassure Chris with a benevolent kiss on the cheek—so as to say that he is still the man of her dreams and the love of her world. He really is, you know, but Amanda can’t understand why sadness and joy comingle within her spirit as she tries to untangle the confused bundle of fragile feelings and warring sensations.

Amanda wondered to herself, How did I get here? All she wanted was to see the enamored glow of her reflection in her husband’s eyes and behold his within hers. She needed to feel his devoted attention that even against the backdrop of a sometimes-harsh reality they faced, she and he were like the only ones on earth’s shore walking hand in hand together.

She wanted to feel her husband’s strong confident arms surrounding her, pulling her closer and closer with no reason or desire to ever let go. And she wanted this moment to last forever, or at least seem to.

Amanda still vividly remembered from her childhood the lingering dreams of a knight in shining armor coming as the one who would cause her to feel authentic and extraordinary—more than special, exceedingly beyond all she could have ever imagined. But then as she has done for countless nights, Amanda slowly returned to the ritual of faint internal pleas of prayer for declining hopes and dreams—yearnings that life would someday be like a fairy tale, somehow, somewhere in a place for her, for just a moment.

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CHAPTER 2

What Am I Doing?

Christopher’s stomps of frustration were yet foreign and perplexing to Amanda. He felt the weight of the world upon his shoulders while fighting his own sense of inadequacy—to be everything he needed to be to her and still be there for everyone and everything else in his life. Responsibility had mounted on every side with insurmountable odds that he would ever be able to achieve the goals of so many diverse priorities and a multitude of expectations.

Not apparent to them, Chris tended to retreat from all the people he loves and the family who loves him so much. He’s drawn to a place of isolation to cry private tears of hopelessness, believing that he won’t be able to measure up to what is required of him or to accomplish all the monumental tasks set before him.

Chris had taken another one of those long-infamous walks all alone as he had often done on any available weekday or weekend afternoon. He neglected to realize that his stolen moments of seclusion were growing more and more severe—more frequent for himself and more troublesome for Amanda.

Symbolically, Christopher had come to the end of the road, as he approached a dead end on that same forbidden path. Yet this was a road on which he regularly found himself hiking. Almost religiously he bowed his head in surrender, caressing himself between his own fatigued arms and hard work-hardened hands. He deliberated within himself almost aimlessly while contemplating what he was going to do next. There was nowhere else left to go as he conceded to his own apparent impasse.

As Christopher painfully succumbs to the pressures of his private world, his heart then passionately cries out to God, What am I doing, Lord? as Chris once more seeks an outcome—a simple answer to his confusing quandary. Suddenly he imagines for a brief moment the comfort of someone just holding him and telling him that he is loved unconditionally.

Chris envisions someone declaring that his failures or successes don’t define who he is as a person or as a man. Christopher dreams of a safe place where he can run to and be himself, just himself—bare without the hard exterior of unwavering courage or an impenetrable solitude of a well-polished, silver-plated coat of armor.

Fatigued, step by step Christopher had finally made his way back home from his lonesome stroll and could think of nothing better than a soft down pillow, like a newborn, on which to lay his hobbling head.

Quickly maneuvering past her, he blurts out to Amanda, I’m really, really tired, and I’m going up to take a short nap.

Amanda’s hand inconspicuously covers her face. With disappointment in her eyes sufficiently hidden, Amanda timidly agrees and affectionately says, Okay, Chris.

He marches up to their master bedroom, and like out of a plane, he free-falls onto the bed. Within seconds Chris is fast asleep, and in moments he sinks deeper and deeper into an unconscious slumber and begins to dream.

Concerned, Amanda quietly braves the stairs and slowly opens the creaking door to look in on Chris. Upon seeing him, with her head hung in meekness, she closes the door and decides to take his lead.

Not making another sound, Amanda retreats back down the stairs one by one to take an afternoon nap of her own on the living room sofa. With welled-up tears in her eyes, Amanda slowly drifts off to sleep.

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CHAPTER 3

What Is Going On?

Within seconds an intense flash of piercing white light abruptly filled the room, and Amanda’s weary eyes were pried open against her will. She was awakened from her nap only to discover that nightfall had come. How could this be?

With premeditated reservation in her mind, she sought not to panic but began to search around for something—anything—to check the time and see just how late it was.

Still groggy, she stumbled to her feet and found her diamond wristwatch (an anniversary gift from Chris) face down on the coffee table.

Feeling weak and confused, she bent down and carefully turned it over, and to her surprise she realized it wasn’t nighttime at all but rather early in the morning, about 5:00 a.m. the next day. Saturday morning? she mumbled with disappointment under her breath.

Amanda breathed intensely and whispered in a raspy voice a simple spontaneous prayer, petitioning, Oh, God, what is going on? but the prayer seemed to swiftly dispel like fog on a summer day as she began to regain her faculties.

Her throat was arid and desperate for a cool drink of ice water from the fridge, but Amanda’s disorientation distracted her impending thirst.

As her eyes tried to refocus, she thought and thought but couldn’t remember preparing anything for dinner. But just then she noticed a faint but enchanting aroma lingering within random pockets of air within the room—something that must have tasted beyond heavenly.

Amanda then began to arbitrarily wander about the house, stopping first in the kitchen, only to find that the dishes were all washed and stowed away neatly in their respective cupboards.

Hmmm, strange, but otherwise, everything seems… well… fairly normal enough, she guessed, but then where was Christopher?

Amanda fixed her trembling lips to call out to him but then promptly reconsidered, not wanting to awake him so early from his needful rest. So she silently crept up the stairs and opened the master bedroom door only to find that the bed was undisturbed and neatly made—cool to the touch without any evidence that anyone had ever sat on it, let alone slept in it all night.

Now she began to worry that Chris may have decided to go out for a late-night stroll or drive, but then quickly dismissed that suspicion as something he would never do—at least not without first leaving a note or waking her or something.

With her voice shaking and a stare of speculation abiding firmly upon her tempered face, Amanda uttered in distress once again, What is going on, Lord?

As the choke of desperation began to paralyze her, she leaned helplessly against the bedroom door archway. Amanda then began to passionately call out to Christopher. Chris, she said, with a lingering tone.

Then after waiting a few seconds more to receive a response, she could hear nothing except the sound of her own breathing. She began to call out in an ever-growing crescendo of repeated pleas, Chris, Chris, where are you, Chris?

Several more seconds passed by with no response coming from him.

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CHAPTER 4

Empathic Love

Then without warning Christopher quietly called out to Amanda, pronouncing her name in that deep tender, charming tone, the way he used to years ago shortly before they became engaged. Amanda recognized his voice immediately and began to feel warm again as her resurrected spirit filled up with life and a rush of emotions erupted deep within her.

She swallowed slowly, still thirsting for a cool drink of water; then Chris instinctively came up behind her, reached for her hand, and then wrapped his strong arms gently around her, confessing from his heart in that same deep voice, I love you, Amanda. I love you so very much.

The timbre of Christopher’s voice was like an enchanting sonata to Amanda’s eager ears, and she couldn’t help but melt whenever she heard him speak to her this way. But it had been so long since Chris had called Amanda’s name in such a manner as this.

Her mind quickly journeyed back to when they first met in high school. All the breathtaking memories sprung up within her like a crystal-clear waterfall showering them both within the inspiring mist adorned with lighted ornaments of brilliant rainbows.

She remembered all the reasons why she fell in love with Chris and why her life was to be one, only with him on a never-ending voyage together with God at the helm. Amanda then turned and inquired of Chris, How is this possible?

But Chris interrupted her, asking, Amanda, where have you been hiding? I was looking all over for you, and I just couldn’t find you anywhere. I started to worry, and then you suddenly appeared, and I heard you call out my name. When I saw you standing there, all I could do was instinctively call out to you. I reached for you for my heart was heavy when I didn’t know where you had gone. All I wanted to do was to hold you in my arms and never ever let go and tell you of the infinite love I carry within my soul for you.

As Amanda listened intently, she looked at Christopher as though she couldn’t understand what was happening to her.

Just as she began to utter yet another question, Chris placed his index finger upon her quivering lips and gently whispered, Shhhhhh, my love. All your questions will be answered in time. But for now, I just want to love you like you deserve and hold you safe in my arms until the morning sun appears, and the new blessings of God refresh us both with the sweet fragrance of pure delight.

Suddenly, Amanda’s countenance became aglow as a glorious light, and her body was filled with sheer inspiration.

As Chris continued to gaze upon her, he pledged, And even afterward, Amanda, know that my love for you is much like the shimmering panorama of the clear blue sea, one that stretches far and wide beyond the edges of sight or time; but upon the golden horizon will my love always meet you there anew and afresh with pristine joy, and abundant desire only meant for you—just for you, Amanda, my love—and it will be yours on every morning of every day of life that I’m so blessed to spend with you.

Amanda was overwhelmed and in awe of what she was hearing, but Chris was just as surprised within himself as to where these wonderful words were coming from. Amanda had never heard Chris speak to her in this way and with such passion, but these were the exact loving words she had longed for him to say for all these years.

She felt her heart skip a beat or two as Chris poured out his love, enveloping her from the depths of his spirit over and beyond the pinnacle of her own.

Amanda could do nothing now but simply fall tenderly into her husband’s arms, and with innocent eyes baptized with tears, she basked in the warm sanctuary she now felt within his strong embrace.

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EMPATHIC LOVE

by Terrence Richburg © 2009 RichEscape Music/ASCAP

When my heart feels the love your heart feels, they beat as one

And there’s nothing between you and I

When you cry I cry too, and what you’re now going through

Is my same walk with you (oh) (repeat)

(Then you say)

Please, hold me in your arms and never let go

I desire for you to feel all that I know

Keep me safe from harm until the storm passes over, until tomorrow comes

(You say)

Please, just hold me in your arms and never say no

To the love I feel for you I want you to know

That it’s real and I will feel this love for you ever, always forever

Please,

Just hold me, console me, uphold me

You told me, you love me, won’t leave me.

(Repeat)

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CHAPTER 5

Déjà Vu

As the voice of morning’s elation broke heaven’s silence with the innocent songs of nature, and the faithful sun reappeared upon the horizon entirely aflame, Christopher awoke to witness the light peer through the windowpane and rest gently upon Amanda’s serenity.

With a second glance, he briefly watched her as she peacefully slept with an abiding smile defining her innermost joyous expression. He began to smile to himself and marveled over just how incredibly beautiful and lovable she was.

Compelled with revelation, Christopher, not wanting to wake her, kissed Amanda gently and laid her head tenderly upon her pillow. Then he quietly crept down to the kitchen. He began to prepare Amanda’s favorite breakfast dish with plans to surprise her and serve it to her in bed.

Chris had just finished putting the final touches on a gorgeous platter of gourmet delight for her when he received a distressing phone call from his foreman Jerry Palmer. He frantically told Christopher he needed to get down to the worksite as soon as possible regarding an extreme emergency on his company’s building project on the west side of the city.

You see, Christopher Knight was head of a very successful one-stop-shop architecture, engineering, security technology, and safety consultant firm in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, where he built his company Knight Time Solutions (KTS Incorporated) several years ago.

But with his success came a great deal of stress and the high-price responsibility for all the lives of the many people who worked on these huge commercial building projects with which his company was retained and affiliated.

As with any crisis, Chris was very concerned about the nature of this particular emergency. So he quickly wrote out a short note and left it right beside the serving platter.

He briefly called out to Amanda to let her know he had to leave. But Amanda didn’t hear him. She continued to relive the precious memories in her dreams with Chris and his sudden romantic overtures now written forever in her heart.

As she turned to reach for Chris, Amanda awoke and realized his warm embrace was no longer near. She immediately rose up and called out to him, but he didn’t answer.

She then heartily sampled the mouth-watering fragrance of the food he had prepared for her and waited a short while expecting him to return soon. But when he didn’t, she called out to Chris again, opened the door, and proceeded to walk casually down the stairs.

But then she suddenly felt a strong sense of déjà vu from the night before, and her steps increased in speed while she called out to Chris once again.

Following the familiar aroma as she ran into the kitchen, Amanda saw the tempting plate of food and the short note conspicuously lying on the counter.

She picked it up and read it immediately, Sorry, babe, but I have to run out to deal with an emergency down at the construction site. I’m sorry but enjoy! Love always, Chris.

Amanda wasn’t sure what to think, but this had happened before, so she chalked it up to another version of the same old story.

She cherished all the memories but resolved within herself that conventional living had once again invaded her fantasy of dreams. Her romantic castle in the sky had now closed and fallen down a few thousand feet.

Unknown to Amanda, beset with a myriad of emotions of his own, Chris was torn and confused as he drove off. His desire and commitment to be with Amanda was just as strong as his inherent need to protect his workers on the crew.

He had to ensure the completion of the overdue building project, on which so many people’s lives and livelihood were depending. In his rush to leave, Chris left his cell phone on the kitchen counter and now had no way to contact Amanda directly until later.

This was to have been their special weekend time alone, Chris and Amanda’s time—a time planned just for them without the kids, work, interruptions—just their moment to share and get to know each other again.

Not that long ago after several hit and miss family war stories, Amanda and Christopher had come to a mutual decision—a sort of pact with each other that they would cooperatively look out for each other and equally be accountable.

They each believed in this way when the need for time together became long overdue or even at a critically dangerous level, one of them or maybe even both would wave the yellow flag to come in for a pit stop and refuel their relationship.

The advice they received at their church’s couples retreat was something that they took to heart and agreed to put into practice.

So they enlisted the help of their extended families to support them by caring for their kids on at least one weekend out the month. Their kids, Katherine and Joseph, were at Grandma Rosa’s (Amanda’s mother’s house) this time, and Chris and Amanda had the house all to themselves—or so they thought.

Somehow every opportunity they planned to make it all happen came up short somewhere along the line. Something seemed to always show up that caused their scheduled alone time together to be anything but alone and together. All their plans would just fall apart.

Chris and Amanda could never get to the point of truly reconnecting and rediscovering the pure excitement they used to treasure in their relationship. Instead of spending more time with Amanda, Chris started to spend more time cut off from her alone by himself, trying to clear his head and restart his fateful engine to cross the finish line for the job, whichever job it may have been at the time.

But it seemed by all accounts this weekend was finally on the right track of being the one, yet Christopher’s emergency proved that apparently it was not meant to be—not this time and maybe not ever.

Amanda fought back her flow of recycled tears and tried to overlook her deepening frustration by deciding to bury her feelings in the wonderful meal Chris had lovingly prepared for her. But somehow it just didn’t taste the same without Chris being near her.

Chris couldn’t be there with her in person to see how much she enjoyed it and treasured his selfless tokens of love toward her. His sacrificial love was oh-so special but also a two-edged delight, which sometimes landed Amanda back in time to feelings of loneliness and pain when he was far away.

A mixed bag of emotions she lived and relived, but she faithfully prayed life would change.

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DÉJÀ VU

by Terrence Richburg © 2009 RichEscape Music, ASCAP

Pressing forward to the future, leaving pain and hurt behind

Pressing forward is my focus, never to be held from thine

Loving embrace and a new place, adoration is renewed

We don’t have to ever go back, to the place that we once knew.

Déjà vu, déjà vu, just remember all the good

For we must always press forward, and our yesterdays are gone

And our new days have begun, no lamenting for what’s over

Pressing forward and renewed.

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CHAPTER 6

A Work Unfinished

As Christopher drove up on the scene of the worksite, he heard a faint echo of a siren in the background but paid it no mind. Then shortly after arriving, Jerry, the foreman, approached him with some tragic news.

Chris, it’s so good that you’re here. But you ought to know that one of men on the work crew was injured pretty badly from a power overload in the newly constructed mechanical room. The paramedics already came, stabilized him while here, and then rushed him to the hospital by ambulance. All reports from the doctor indicated that the crewman had suffered second—and third-degree burns, but it appeared he was going to be okay.

The work crews were working double and some even triple shifts on the weekends to catch up and complete the building as soon as they possibly could. They had to if they wanted to be in compliance with the mandatory due date. But in the workers’ haste, cases of work-related injuries were mounting.

Distraught about what had just happened, Chris’s heart was broken and exceedingly concerned. Chris asked, Okay, Jerry, who was it that got hurt this time?

Chris lamented, Not another one, Lord. In fact, don’t even tell me, Jerry. Just please go to the hospital and check on him for me and let his family know I’m praying for him and will be by to visit soon. Would you do that for me, please? I got it here.

Jerry needed some reassurance, so he pleaded with Chris, Are you okay?

Chris silently shook his head and mouthed out an arduous yes.

Jerry waited a moment then reluctantly said, Well, okay, man, I’ll go, but promise me you’ll be careful down here; we simply can’t afford any more incidents, especially if it involves you. You got that?

Still somewhat in a daze, Chris shook his head again and said, Okay I will.

Christopher now felt even more overwhelmed and confused than before. He conceptualized his need to be in at least three places all at the same time. He rhetorically cried out, God, what else can go wrong?

But Chris wasn’t ready for the rather succinct answer to his satirical question. He just knew he couldn’t afford another delay or another injured worker. He knew if further delays occurred, he was in jeopardy of defaulting on the agreement by not meeting the scheduled contract specs with the city and losing the job altogether.

So Chris decided to do what he always did—what he had always been taught to do—make the sacrifice and pitch in himself to help out in any way he could to get the job done.

Chris was never slow to get his hands dirty and get totally involved with any situation to make it all come out right and succeed. He had always been a dedicated individual and extremely hard worker from the time he was a young teenager—always ready to take on any responsibility, if that’s what it took.

Ironically, his dilemma was sometimes he lost focus of the bigger picture, as well as ignoring the finer details, while trying to address everything in the middle to please everyone.

Chris’s heart was always in the right place for others, and his godly love for people won out over his concern for his own desires and personal safety. He would forget to balance his passion in that one area of need, but with what he knew it was of most importance in his life and in others.

The impact of Chris’s decision was felt immediately as his stress level was now off the chart; and he really needed the time off just to walk it off, relax, and be with his family, especially his wife.

He reminded himself, This was our weekend time alone—nothing special except just to be alone together without any distractions. I can’t believe this. What am I doing?

Chris felt like he was in a downward spiral at warp speed, not being able to keep his promise to Amanda or his commitment to his company’s associates and their customers.

As he heard the sounds of the mechanical construction site growing louder and louder, he anxiously tried to tune them out as he worked. Chris’s head began to spin, and it wasn’t long before his frustration rose to a level of anxiety he had never felt before. His blood pressure started to fluctuate within him.

Beginning to sweat and suffer with a feeling of intense pressure in his chest, Chris relentlessly pushed through while shaking it off as just another symptom of useless stress. He ignored the warnings and just kept on working.

After a couple of hours, Chris labored a painful smile and sighed in relief, rejoicing, There you go. It is finished!

He then thought to himself, I wonder why I haven’t heard anything from Jerry in a while, but then he remembered he had left his cell phone at home after leaving Amanda.

Amanda! he shouted. I forgot to call her back! Chris called out to the other workers asking if anyone had a cell phone he could borrow. Within seconds he had a galaxy’s array of at least four fantailed before him to choose from.

As he reached out for one, he noticed a smear of scarlet red stained upon his shirt. It appeared to be blood on his right-hand sleeve. He looked for a cut on his hand or wrist but didn’t notice one.

Then Chris remembered feeling what he thought was his nose running slightly, and he had casually wiped it on a rag while he was working. Chris shrugged his shoulders and paid it no mind.

His only thought was I’ve got to get back to Amanda. He picked out one of the phones, said thanks to the worker, and began to dial his home number. But as he kept dialing, the numbers appeared blurry, and his actions became like slow-motion cinematography.

Chris began to see the panoramic images in his peripheral whirling into dimly lit obscurity. He heard a bizarre dissonance around him fading away into uncharacteristic silence.

His energy then having been emptied from his body, Chris dropped to his knees, let the phone fall to the ground, and finally saw nothing before him but utter and complete darkness. Chris had blacked out.

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CHAPTER 7

Right by Your Side

The next thing Chris knew, he was opening his eyes little by little as he lay in a hospital bed. He noticed Amanda sitting beside him in tears as she stared intensely at his face.

Her expression was a distended gaze of deep-rooted concern. But then Chris mustered just enough strength to offer Amanda a semi-conscious smile.

She tried very hard to briefly smile back at him, but a look of fear took predominance over her, and pain draped down upon her face as an ominous veil.

Amanda reached out to grab Chris’s hands to warm them with her own, but it frightened her to feel them so cold and clammy. She feared the worst but was awaiting the doctor’s official prognosis of his condition.

It was difficult for Chris to speak, but with more effort, he was able to exhale a mere whisper, Amanda, how long? and then motioned in a circle to her.

She interpreted him to mean how long had he been in the hospital. Speaking in a monotone voice, Amanda’s wincing answer caught Christopher by surprise, It’s been several hours, Chris.

His eyes began to stretch open as wide as he could stand, but Amanda softly reassured Chris by rubbing his hands continuously within her grasp and repeating to him, It’s all right, Chris. Everything will be all right. It’s all right, okay?

Just then there was a squeaking sound from the sterile hospital room door. The sound was sharp as it opened, as if cutting through the air like a scalpel.

As the egress widened, Jerry appeared and came in to visit Chris. At first glance Chris smiled and was so glad to see him, but then he noticed Jerry had tears in his eyes, and his bottom lip was noticeably quivering.

Without thinking Jerry promptly mumbled the words, Chris, man, I’m so sorry, but Peter is not doing well at all.

Peter Gaines was the other worker at the construction site who was injured prior to Chris. Jerry continued to elaborate, The doctor mentioned that the extreme pain had caused Peter to have a heart attack, and he’s not really sure if he’s going to make it.

Amanda instantly became livid and snarled at Jerry without Chris noticing her. But then she motioned her head in a jerking motion and mouthed some words as if to say, Jerry, get out, now.

Jerry, catching her drift, said, Okay… um, Chris, I’ll come back at a later time, when you’re feeling better. It’s really great to see you again, Amanda.

Amanda maintained her icy composure, but while Jerry quickly left the room, her face was painted with an expression completely blank and with no apparent acknowledgment of him.

When Amanda glanced back at Chris, his face was turned away in despair as he began to weep. Amanda knew that he was feeling responsible for what happened to Peter. She was also aware that Chris, out of selfless guilt, would naturally feel he should carry the news as another burden upon his own shoulders.

Chris was probably thinking that if anything were to happen to Peter, he would leave behind a family of three young children (two boys and a girl) and a wife of only five years.

As the moment dragged on, there was a light knock on the door, and the doctor came into the room. He stood tall, about six feet, with a somewhat thin build and fragile frame. His chiseled features were outlined with a mixed gray beard and mustache—very distinguished.

With his arms folded, he rocked back and forth on his heels; and speaking in a confident, yet soft-spoken, melodic voice, he introduced himself, saying, Hello, my name is Dr. Phillips.

Chris continued to look away, but Amanda stood and shook the doctor’s hand firmly, presenting herself, Hello, doctor, I’m Chris’s wife, Amanda.

It’s very nice to meet you both. The doctor explained, I wanted to let you know firsthand what’s going on with your case. Chris’s condition is very serious but still manageable and treatable. Mrs. Knight, when your husband was brought into ER, his blood pressure was extremely low, in the range for causing a loss in consciousness and other possible complications.

Go on, doctor.

Dr. Phillips continued, The good news is, fortunately for him, tests over the past couple of hours have indicated no other serious problems or results have occurred. However, we found that Chris has signs of kidney inflammation and possible damage. Fortunately, we were able to catch it in time and get it under control with minimum medication.

Phillips further explained, We also noticed that Chris was apparently suffering from a chronic case of fatigue and sleep deprivation, probably because of stress and abnormal levels of anxiety. Mrs. Knight, you must help your husband relax and get the rest he needs, or next time he may not be so lucky.

Thank you, Dr. Phillips, but I know for myself that it was God, not luck, that spared my husband’s life. Again, thank you!

Amanda then walked Dr. Phillips out into the hallway, out of the range of Chris’s hearing, and asked in a subdued voice, By the way, doctor, how is Peter, Peter Gaines? He’s an employee of my husband’s company who—

The doctor interrupted, Oh, you mean the one who was rushed into emergency prior to Chris?

Amanda confirmed, Yes, that’s him. The doctor’s demeanor initially satiated with cautious optimism now began to rapidly change.

Amanda continued to inquire, So what is his condition?

The doctor slowly cleared his throat, dropped his head, and started to stare at the ground. Then with guarded courage, he muttered, Well, normally I wouldn’t share this with you, but it appears that you’re someone who really believes there is a God. If that’s true, you need to start praying for Mr. Gaines right now; his condition is rapidly worsening. The burns were a major part of the problem. But his heart is just not taking the trauma that well.

Though obviously shaken, Amanda smiled through the opaque layers of pain she carried inside, shook the doctor’s hand, and expressed her thanks once again.

Returning to Chris’s side, she stared lovingly down at him and wondered how in the world she would be able to tell him the bad news. Later into the night, Peter slipped into a coma, and his vital signs began to further deteriorate.

Amanda stayed faithfully beside Chris in his room all night long. But before she dozed off to sleep entirely, she fell on her knees at the bottom edge of the bed.

With tears gushing, she prayed first for Chris, then for Peter. With a full heart, she imagined herself being in the same situation as Peter’s wife and what she must be going through.

Then with a true sense of empathy, Amanda cried out once more to God, fervently begging, "Dear, Lord, I know that You’re God and You are sovereign, able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think. So I’m pleading with you right now