After Beth had stepped into the hallway, Dr. Franklin directed her to a chair. "Please, have a seat. We need your assistance. We've been unable to reach the next of kin of the driver of the bus."

Beth gasped.

"He's in critical condition. We need to talk to his family for surgical permissions. Can you help me?"

Beth's mind raced. "Yes . . . his name is Danny Stevens. He's single, so his father would be his next-of-kin." She fumbled for her phone. "I have his phone number, but I don't think I have his father's." She searched through every contact in her list. "Wait, here it is. It's Jim Stevens." She gave the doctor the number.

He scribbled it onto Josh's chart. "Thank you," he smiled. "I need to take care of this, but I will stop by to see your husband again before I leave. He's going to be fine." He offered a reassuring look. "Is this your first child?"

Beth glanced at her protruding tummy. "Yes."

"Boy or girl?" the doctor asked.

"We're not sure."

"Everything will be okay." He placed his hand on hers. "Try to relax as much as you can. I know this is traumatic for you. But we'll get your husband out of here and home soon." He turned to leave.

"Doctor, how is everyone else?" Beth had almost forgotten to ask.

He turned to address her question. "Surprisingly, nothing too serious. We're keeping everyone overnight to make sure there are no major underlying problems."

Beth took deep breaths as she walked back into Josh's room. The anxiety of the past few hours, and the loss of sleep, had caught up with her. Now that she was convinced that Josh would be all right, she remembered her appointment with Dr. Myers.

"Alex, would you do me a favor?"

"Sure." Alex turned to her.

"Would you mind calling Dr. Myers's office to let them know I can't make my appointment today?"

"I already did," Alex smiled. "And they reminded me that you need to watch your blood pressure. And," she pulled up a chair, "to stay off your feet."

"Thank you," Beth flung herself into the chair. Her throat was parched and her skin burned. Remnants of the morphine cravings.

Josh would be proud of her when she could finally tell him. But she wouldn't even consider it until she had him home and the reassurance that everything was going to be okay.

Alex interrupted her thoughts. "I'm going to the cafeteria to get us a cup of hot chocolate. Would you like something to eat?"

"Yes. That would be great." Beth cradled her stomach with both hands. "I think I'm finally relaxed enough to keep something down."

"I'll see what I can find. You and Josh enjoy each other's company for a few minutes."

Beth nodded toward the bed. "Looks like he'll be sleeping." She grinned.

"That's what you both need." Alex pulled another chair in front of Beth. "Prop your feet up and try to nap while I'm gone."

Beth felt the heat rising to her cheeks. "Just what you needed," she said. "Two of us to take care of. I'm so sorry."

44.

Present Day Beth and Alex made the decision to stay in Paducah overnight. The next morning, they released Josh, leaving behind only Danny, who waited for a transfer by air ambulance to Davidson County Medical Center in Nashville.

While Alex waited in the car, Beth accompanied Josh to Danny's room for a quick visit before they left for Nashville. She hadn't seen her husband cry since his father's funeral. But, as she studied his drawn and battered face, she could tell that he was fighting back tears for his friend.

Josh cleared his throat and placed his hand on Danny's hospital bedrail. "Hey, man, you hang in there. They're taking you to Nashville to get you fixed up. We'll see you there. You can trust those people. They will take good care of you."

Josh squeezed Danny's hand. Although he didn't open his eyes, the big man squeezed back. Or, at least, that's what Josh appeared to believe, because he smiled. However, Beth saw a tear drop from her husband's cheek and fall onto the crisp, white sheet which stretched across Danny's hospital bed.

"Let's pray before we leave for Nashville." Josh reached with his free hand to clasp Beth's hand. She took Danny's other hand, forming a circle of prayer, and Josh prayed. "Heavenly Father, we come to you with humbleness and great faith. We beseech you to forgive all our fears, our doubts, and our struggles. We give great thanks for your love and your healing. Please keep Danny safe on his flight to Nashville."

"Amen," Beth whispered.

Josh addressed his friend again. "Okay, man, we need to leave so they can prep you for the trip. Beth and I will see you in Nashville. We'll be praying for you. Don't doubt or worry a single minute. We're all praying."

This time there was no acknowledgment from Danny. Josh's face stiffened, and Beth prayed that Josh wouldn't have to lose his best friend.

Several days later Josh grabbed an empty bag and a flashlight from the back of his Jeep Cherokee and slammed the hatch door closed.

"Wait for me here," he told Beth.

"Be careful, honey."

He smiled and gave her a quick hug. She had fussed at him all day. "I'm fine. Stop worrying."

He walked over to the big, black bus, which had been towed to a holding yard at the bus leasing company in Hermitage. The door had been shunted open by emergency workers, so Josh could easily step inside.

Although the coach had rolled several times, the majority of the damage had been done to the driver's compartment. According to the police report, it had struck a tree on the final rotation.

Silence hung in the air when Josh stood on the lower step in front of the jump seat, looking around. He had ridden in this seat many times, perhaps for thousands of miles, never dreaming something like this would actually happen.

The framework and exterior walls had held, just like they had been designed to do, but the interior was in shambles. Shards of glass littered the floor and covered the leather upholstery of the jump seat.

Never again would he look upon his travels the same. He was blessed to have come through the ordeal with his life. One of his employees was still fighting for his. He said a prayer for Danny and stepped up onto the landing beside the driver's seat.

It was covered with bloodstains and more broken glass. Josh averted his gaze and turned toward the rear of the bus. He shined his flashlight around the front lounge and galley, pushing Danny from his mind, as he started to make his way across the cluttered path, which had once been clear. And much easier to navigate.

No need to linger. The air was stale, and he walked through knee-deep piles of trash. Cereal boxes, kitchen utensils, and electronic equipment-the remains of their comfortable life on the road-were strewn across the carpet.

The bunkroom door, which had been ratcheted partially open, stood guard over the inner sanctum of the bus. Josh raised his light high above his head, providing a better view of the unlit hallway ahead. Bed linens and personal belongings were scattered across the floor. The late day sunlight filtering through the back lounge windows created an eerie glow at the end of the long, dark corridor.

He focused the flashlight beam on the ceiling and caught his breath when he saw a three-foot tear in the metal. Something must have ripped through the roof when the bus rolled down the hillside.

He tripped on a tangled mess of linens, and had to steady himself against the closet wall, before continuing toward the last row of bunks. Danny's bed was in the last row on the right, just below Ryan's.

Kneeling on the floor beside the bunk, Josh held the flashlight with his left hand and looked around for items of importance. Remarkably, some things still remained on the shelf above the bed. A disposable camera, a pack of gum, and a Bible. He fought back a tear as he reached for the Bible. It was the kind of thing he was hoping to find, to save for his friend. For when he recovered.

Josh placed the Bible into his bag and continued to peruse the area. Brightly colored postcards from cities they had visited on their tour lined the wall and ceiling of the small compartment. Nothing that couldn't be replaced. He shuffled through the disheveled bed linens and found a few CDs and Danny's toiletry bag. Except for his hanging clothes, that was probably everything. Josh stuffed it all into the bag.

He started to stand to leave and then remembered that some of the guys stored books, photos, and even cash underneath their mattresses. He'd better take the time to make sure nothing important remained. The bus would be heading to the salvage yard any day.

He switched the flashlight to his right hand, using his left to hoist the mattress, and began searching at the front, working his way to the foot of the bed. Nothing.

Wait. There was something lying in the far corner.

Josh stretched with his entire body, lowering his head and holding the mattress up with his shoulder. He grabbed the object with his thumb and forefinger and pulled. It appeared to be a canvas bag. He placed it into his large bag and let the mattress fall back onto its platform.

On his way back through the bus, Josh opened Danny's closet. He gathered loose items from the closet floor and tossed them into his bag. Then he grabbed the few hangers full of clothing, folded them over his arm, and made his way to the front of the bus and outside.

The cool evening air refreshed him.

Beth, who had been standing nearby, reached for the bag, freeing up his hands to carry the hanging clothes to the Jeep. He hung them on the clothing hook inside his rear passenger compartment.

"Is that everything?" Beth asked.

"All I could find for Danny," he said, grabbing an empty bag from the backseat of the SUV. "I'll be back after I gather my own things."

Beth still held the sack containing Danny's personal items.

"You need to rest," Josh said, opening the front passenger door for his wife. She climbed inside, placing the bag on the floorboard in front of her, and he slammed the door.

It didn't take him long to clean out his bunk and closet, and to go through the drawers in the back lounge. Soon they were on their way home.

"How bad was it?" Beth asked.

"Awful. But thank God it held together enough to keep us alive."

"Did you lose anything important?"

"Nothing we can't replace," he told her, stretching his arm across the console and resting his hand on hers. "I've got you. That's all that matters."

She smiled.

"Why don't you look through Danny's things and see if there's anything we need to take to the hospital for him. His dad might want to hold on to the Bible I found. It's at the bottom."

Beth leaned forward and rifled through the sack. "What's in the canvas bag?"

"I don't know. Open it," he said.

She unzipped the red bag and looked inside. "Josh . . ."

"What, honey?"

"It's filled with cash, small bills." Her voice was shaking. "There must be twenty thousand dollars in here."

Josh slowed the Jeep and pulled to the side of the road.

"Could that be the missing merchandise money?" He mumbled, almost to himself. Was it possible he had been wrong about Danny? Could Ryan have been telling the truth?

The halls of the hospital were silent, except for the low rumble of a surgical cart rolling along the corridor toward them. Josh paced back and forth while Beth hovered in the corner near the entrance to the neurological intensive care unit.

Danny would soon be taken into surgery, and Josh wanted to let his friend know he was pulling for him. Innocent or guilty of stealing merchandise money, his driver's life hung in the balance. Josh would not let him down now.

Jim Stevens had been sitting at his son's bedside since he had been transported to Davidson County Medical Center forty-eight hours ago. The older man appeared even older today, beaten down from grief and worry. He'd lost his wife, and he could now lose his son.

A few months ago this turn of events might have completely destroyed Josh's faith, but much had happened since that time. His own near-death experience. Beth's incredible break from drug addiction. And the lingering reminder from Danny that God directed our lives and stood by his promises.

With a loud pop, the twin metal doors of the ICU opened, and the two surgical attendants, dressed in green, wheeled the rolling cart inside.

"It won't be long," Josh said to Beth, who had finally taken a seat on the marble ledge of the nearby windows.

Six floors below them, cars and pedestrians went about their normal activities. Sunlight streamed into the hallway, a surreal contradiction to what was going on inside.

"Are you okay there?" he asked Beth.

"I'm fine. We'll be sitting in uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room soon enough."

"For quite a while, I'm afraid." The doctor had predicted an eight- to ten-hour surgery. "Maybe I should take you home after this. There's no need for you to stay."

"I want to be with you," Beth told him. "I almost lost you. I don't want to ever be without you again."

Moisture filled Josh's eyes for the second time today. God had given him much to appreciate.

A few minutes later, the ICU doors opened, and Danny's bed rolled into the hallway. Jim Stevens walked beside him. When he saw Josh and Beth, he motioned for them to step closer.

"I know you want to see him," he said. He backed away so Josh could approach the bed.

Josh nodded and grabbed Beth's hand, leading her with him to the head of the cart.

"I know you can hear me, man, even though you can't talk right now." He leaned closer to Danny's ear and spoke distinctly. "Beth and I want you to know we're here with your daddy. We'll take care of him while you're in surgery." Josh cleared his throat. "The doctors will take good care of you. We'll see you in the recovery room."

Josh fought back tears. He reached across the bedrail to lay his hand on top of Danny's, careful not to disturb the monitor wires and tubes, which ran every which way. He caught the attention of the technician standing nearby. "Do we have time to say a quick prayer?"

The man nodded.

Beth reached for Jim Stevens's hand and took it in her own. Then she offered her free hand to Josh. He took it and began to pray. "Dear Lord, we ask you to guide the doctor's hands, to give him strength and wisdom, so he can do his best for our friend Danny. We pray, Lord, that you would work through these doctors and nurses and heal his wounds, the trauma to his head. We love Danny, Lord, and we love you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen."

"Thank you," Jim Stevens said, backing away.

"We'll see you in the waiting room," Josh nodded.

The technicians motioned for Danny's father to stay with them as they prepared to roll the bed down the hallway. "You can stay with us to just outside the surgical suite, sir," one of them said.