Ryan had the guys over for a barbecue before two-a-day practice each summer. She was sure she'd seen Cody before. "Yes, ma'am." He nodded and looked down at the grass. Now Kari was sure he'd been crying. Clearly he didn't want to be dragged into the conversation. He hung back some and l his toe at a clump of dirt.

"Anyway, Ryan was saying you have a great church." Jim nodded his head, and his grin brought out dimples in both "To be honest, we haven't found a church home yet. we can join you next Sunday."

"Sure." Kari smiled, first at Ryan and then at Jim. Ryan kept the conversation going. "I was telling Jim we'd like to have his family over after the service some Sunday. He has six children, three of them adopted from Haiti." Ryan smiled at her, but deeper love shone in his eyes. "I thought it might be a nice adoption story."

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"Yes. That would be nice." This was why she loved Ryan so much. He was always thinking of her, always looking out for her. He wanted to make this new friend Jim feel welcome, but he also wanted the four of them to get together so Jim and his wife could share their adoption story. In case Kari never got pregnant and adoption was a road they chose to travel.

"We're a big group." Jim raised an eyebrow. "I'll have my wife call to see what we can bring."

"That'd be nice." Kari smiled at the new man. "I'd like to meet her. Sounds like you have quite the family."

They said their goodbyes and Jim shook both their hands. Then he nodded at Cody, who quickly did the same. When they walked off together, Jim put his arm around Cody's shoulders and they appeared to fall immediately into heavy conversation.

For a moment, Kari forgot about her news. "What's the story with Cody?"

"He lives down the street from Jim and Jenny. I guess they've been talking for a while now."

"Was he crying?"

Ryan nodded, and the smile left his eyes. "Cody came clean with us today. He's been drinking."

"Oh." Kari's heart sank. The young man was clean-cut, with a chiseled face and good looks. What made a kid like that decide to drink? "I'm sorry. How bad is it?"

"Bad." Ryan stooped down and lifted Jessie onto his hip. "The last few nights he's been drinking so much he blacks out. He told us he didn't know if he could live like that another week. Like maybe he'd drink so much he'd never wake up."

"Ryan, that's terrible. Where's he getting it?"

"His mom. She's a single parent. Works at a strip club on the other side of the university. I guess she's pretty abusive."

"She beats him?" Kari pictured the stocky football player and had trouble imagining anyone pushing him around.

"Not like that. More with her words, telling him he's a failure, that he's a loser like his father, berating him for the smallest of 67 kingsbury smalley fense." Ryan shook his head. "There's more, but it isn't pretty." He nodded to Jessie. "I'll tell you later."

Sorrow filled Kari's heart as she started walking toward the swings. "Sad,"

Ryan fell in step beside her. "Something has to be done about it."

"More swings, Daddy!" Jessie raised her hands toward the swing. "Please!"

"Okay, sweetie." Ryan set their daughter down on the same swing where she had played before. He set the swing in motion with a flick of his hand. Then he turned to Kari. "Cody turned fifteen last week. He's talking about moving in with Jim and his family."

"Really?" Kari crossed her arms. "I thought they already had kids."

"They do." Ryan shook his head and made a chuckling sound. family's amazing, Kari. They have this big old house with apartment over the garage. Their kids'

friends are always in and next fall some college girl is moving into the apartment. I guess she's coming to Bloomington to start a Christian theatre.

"WOW." , i "Yeah." Ryan gave Jessie another push. "The guy has all the he could want, but his house isn't a showroom. It's filled with photographs of kids and all this well-loved furniture. It's really. You can feel God's heart the minute you walk in the door."

"Huh." Kari angled her head. "And now they're taking Cody "It looks that way. If his mom will agree." Ryan slipped in front of Jessie and pretended to get hit on his bottom. He rubbed :hard and made a funny face at her. Silly Daddy."

a few times he returned to the other side of the swing her again. "Cody needs a safe place where there's no 68 REUNION.

alcohol. That's the only way he's going to survive." Ryan bit his lip. "He's such a great kid, Kari. Until today, he'd been talking to Jim in the evenings, coming by their house. But neither of us had any idea things had gotten so bad."

The sun was setting, and suddenly Kari remembered her news. She was about to say something when Ryan lifted Jessie from the swing and held her high over his head. "We're going to Grandma and 'Papa's house for dinner tonight; did you know that, Jessie?"

"Yay, I I like Grandma and Papa's house."

Suddenly Kari had an idea. She could wait and tell Ryan the news at dinner, with everyone around. That way they could all celebrate the moment together. She and Ryan would laugh about how she'd come to the football field to tell him, and how they'd ended up talking about a handful of other things instead.

Besides, a sadness still hung over the moment, the thought of one of Ryan's football players so caught up in drinking that he feared for his life. How wonderful that Jim and his wife were willing to take him in.

Ryan was right. That was the kind of home the two of them planned to have one day, a place where kids would feel welcome and safe, where their own children could see them demonstrate Christ's love through example. Ten years down the road maybe, when they'd had a few more children of their own and life was a bit more stable than it was now.

Kari thought about the announcement she'd make tonightat dinner. Yes, their family was still becoming, but that was a good thing. In fact, she could hardly wait until they were all together at the Baxter house. She and Ryan were going to have a baby!

And nothing in the world could dampen that sort of news.

69.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

John stayed in the kitchen with Elizabeth, helping her get the meal ready. The news wasn't out yet, and already a dark cloud seemed to hang over the house, as if the walls and win-knew the truth.

Elizabeth was sick. Maybe she was very sick. And the reality was so heavy on John's heart he could barely find the strength to keep standing. Next to him she worked on the salad, a mixture of and dark greens, chopped tomatoes and mushrooms, cheese, and sesame seeds.

This had always been Elizabeth's way. No bagged salad and croutons for Elizabeth Baxter. She'd been a home ec major when he met her, and no matter how busy or big family grew, she always took time to cook them healthy meals. He admired her from three feet away, how she held the mushroom just so, working her knife across it and tossing per into the salad bowl.

"You're beautiful; do you know that?" He stirred a heavy spoon through the bubbling beef stew in the Crock-Pot. "John-" she lifted her eyes to him, but only for a moment- 70 TO.

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"I'm making salad, for goodness' sake. You can't say I'm beautiful when I'm working." She set the knife down and brushed her hair out of her eyes with the back of her hand. "I look like I'm working."

"You always look beautiful when you're working." He left the spoon in the stew and moved closer. "Your eyes shine with thoughts of our kids and their families.

And each vegetable or bit of cheese is your way of telling them you love them."

She lowered her chin, and her eyes grew damp. "How come you know me so well, John Baxter?"

"Thirty-five years, Elizabeth. Can you believe that? Thirty-five years I've been watching you make dinner and salad and meals for this family, and not once have I stopped and watched you and not thought you look beautiful." He touched the side of her face. "Are you okay? About tonight, I mean?"

"I'm not sure." She reached up and wrapped her fingers around his hand. "It won't be easy."

"No." John sucked in a slow breath. It would be the hardest night of his life, if he was honest. "We'll get through it, though. This way everyone'll be praying; everyone'll be behind you when you go in tomorrow."

She nodded and picked up the knife again. Three more mushrooms were sliced and tossed into the salad bowl before she looked up. "Why... why does it feel like the beginning of the end?'

"Oh, honey, come here." He folded her into his arms, stroking the back of her head, her thick dark hair. His words were for her alone, spoken straight to her soul, more of a whispered cry than a confident statement. "We can beat this thing; I know we can. You've gotta believe that, okay?"

The bell rang, and they heard the front door open. Elizabeth straightened and sniffed twice. She reached for a tissue and held it beneath her nose. "Pray for me, John. I don't want them to know something's wrong. Not yet."

She turned and blew her nose. He saw her slip her hands be 71 neath the kitchen faucet, and he knew what she'd do. She'd stay there at the sink until the kids entered the house and then, because she was genuinely glad to see them, she'd put on a happy face and all would be well.

At least for another hour.

Kari and Ryan and Jessie arrived first. Kari hugged John, and he couldn't help but feel something was different about her. 'They explained that they'd spent the afternoon outside at the football field.

Jessie chimed in. "We did swings, Papa." She tugged on his pant leg until he patted her head. "It was so fun."

"I'll bet it was."

Ryan launched into a story about his newest assistant coach, A man who'd coached in the NFL and had a big family in town. There were more details, but John stopped listening. His thoughts were limited to Elizabeth, and how she was handling her emotions in the next room. How this might be the last time for a long time that their house would be filled with the sounds of happy grandchildren.

He'd visited friends with cancer before. The feel of death hung in the air, and happiness had a hard time gaining ground. It was hard to imagine the Baxter house that way, hard to picture canLg the place where they'd all shared so much love and happiness.

Ashley and Landon and Cole arrived next, and again John was aback by the joy in their eyes. Was it his imagination or Ashley and Landon practically bursting about some sort of news? John tried to imagine what it could be. Ashley had doctor that week, but nothing he could've said would explain the way his daughter's eyes were dancing tonight.

Then again, maybe there was nothing new. Maybe this was !simply the way the two of them looked now that Ashley wasn't from love. John led them into the family room where Kari and Ryan and Jessie were waiting. At the same time, Brooke Peter and the girls came through the front door.

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"Hi, everyone!" Maddie skipped into the family room, a lopsided grin plastered across her face. "Guess what? Hayley held her own cup today!"

Peter and Brooke came into view, pushing Hayley's wheelchair. "Hi, Dad." Brooke looked back at Elizabeth in the kitchen. "Hi, Mom. Another good day at our house."

"That's good." Elizabeth smiled from her place near the Crock-Pot. The transformation had taken place..Her sorrow was gone, and her eyes no longer brimmed with tears. Instead she glowed the way she always glowed when her family was around her.

"Maddie's right.'.' Brooke looked at the others in the room. "Hayley held a cup today. For the first time!"

Hayley was strapped to her wheelchair, but her eyes lit up when she saw the room full of people. She lifted her hand in a weak gesture and looked at John.

"Papa..."

John felt a lump in his throat. All of this was new. Her quick recognition, her ability to say a few words, and now holding her own cup. All of it was proof that God would always have the last word when it came to life-and-death situations. After Hayley's accident, no one thought she would live. He himself had prayed that God would take her home so she wouldn't have to spend her life tied to a bed in a special facility somewhere.

But God and Hayley had surprised them all. First they'd realized she could see, even after they thought she was blind. And in the months that followed, she recognized the people she loved, learned to sit up and swallow food. Her tubes and wires were removed and she was able to go home.

Yes, the ordeal had been a strain on Peter and Brooke, but they'd all survived.

Even though Hayley wasn't the same child she'd been before the accident, she was precious and full of love and improving a little more each month. She could even pull herself around on all fours in a semi-crawling motion.

John went to her, patting her head and kissing her golden hair. "Hi, Hayley.

Papa's glad you came over." She made a slow laughing sound, and Brooke parked her chair

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i n g s b u r.y s m a lle y along the edge of the family room. "Her doctor still doesn't know what to make of it." Brooke smiled and took Peter's hand. When he said nothing, she continued. "No, she's not improving as quickly as before. That worries Peter."

He nodded. "It does."

"But she's still getting better. That's enough for me."

Peter managed a smile. "Me, too. Every day is a gift with Hayley."

"Daddy..." Hayley looked at him, and though her mouth hung open, the corners lifted in a smile.

"I love you too, baby." Peter stooped down and kissed Hayley's cheek. Then he looked at John and shrugged. "How can I be any-grateful?"