Page 576 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

BURNED

CHRISTIAN ROMANCE & SUSPENSE

JENNIFER YOUNGBLOOD

1

“TO EVERY THING THERE IS A SEASON, AND A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNDER THE HEAVEN.” —ECCLESIASTES 3:1

1998

He was waiting for her to die. It was a simple fact that had been staring him in the face longer than he cared to admit. He sat rigid on the side of the hospital bed, his hand gripping the white sheets as he watched the only woman he’d ever loved slip beyond his reach. Her face was resting in the hollow of the pillow, barely resembling the beautiful, vibrant face he knew so well. Ever so softly, he touched her colorless cheek. It seemed such a short time ago that it had been rosy and so full of life. Now it was as stark and dry as parchment. Her eyes fluttered like the beating of a broken butterfly against the hard pavement, and he knew she was struggling to open them.

The hint of a smile stole across her cracked lips. “Avery,” she whispered. He ignored everything else around him and concentrated on her emerald green eyes, which were still as clear as always. He winced at the pain he saw in them.

“I’m here,” he said, unable to stop the thin line of tears coursing its way down his cheeks.

Her throat started working, and her chest expanded and contracted like a billow. Avery knew it was a struggle for her to speak.

“We had some good times, didn’t we?”

“We did,” he said, barely aware that the words had left his mouth.

She raised her hand and touched his cheek, her frail fingers lingering there. “Remember our promise?”

He nodded.

She rehearsed the promise they’d gone over time and time again. “Only cry a day for me when I’m gone. That’ll be enough.”

Avery smiled. It was so like Susan to make him promise the impossible. She was dying as effortlessly as she’d lived. Neither life nor death had been that easy for him.

“Don’t cry, honey. Death isn’t all that bad—just another part of life. It’s as much a part of life as the air we breathe.” She gave him another weak smile. “It’s not the end. It’s really just the beginning.”

His shoulders shook, and he tried to hold back the sob building in his chest. He longed to take her in his arms, but that was impossible. The doctors assured him that the medicine would help ease her pain, but Avery looked at the fluid flowing in the IV and could almost see what little life Susan had left draining out. He wanted her all to himself, away from the hospital, away from the smell of sickness and death.

She gripped his hand again, and he was startled by the strength of it. “Avery!”

“I’m here.” He clenched her arms so hard that he left marks on them. “Look at me. Don’t go.” His voice broke. “Please, don’t leave me alone.”

For the first time in weeks, a peaceful expression came over her face. She smiled. “I’m going now. Take care of Cindy.”

Her eyes closed for the last time.

The Lord is my shepherd;I shall not want. … Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil …

Avery stood dazed, listening to the bald preacher in his tight, black suit. The words swirled above him in a tumultuous jumble, and he tried—tried to reach through the haze and comprehend their meaning. He fixed his gaze on a nearby dogwood tree. Despite the fact that its dying branches had turned to claw-like fingers, a handful of leaves were clinging to the emaciated twigs. A gust of wind snatched the leaves off the tree. In a flurry of motion, the wind carried them high in the air, forcing them to dance madly to an unknown beat before dropping them still and lifeless on the ground.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil …

The circle of people around him, teary-eyed and stooped, were like vultures closing in. So much black. His eyes fell on the cold, marble casket, and he watched, mesmerized, as it was lowered inch by inch into the ground. This was real. This was now, and yet—how could it be?

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies …

An image of Susan, so full of life with her sparkling green eyes and blonde hair floated before him. They said it would be easier to let her go. They said he would finally have peace after the long, harrowing months he’d cared for her during the illness. But nothing could have prepared him for this.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life …

A song he’d learned as a boy in church rippled through his mind.I’ll fly away oh glory, I’ll fly away. When I die halleluiah by and by. I’ll fly away.Was that what Susan was doing? Flying away? Soaring high above him, weightless and free. Free as a bird.No more sorrow. No more pain.