Always Yesterday (20 page)

People cared about this family. A woman named Valerie carried in a hot meal. Guys from Brady’s paramedic unit brought sleeping bags and pillows. Eli was awed by all of the activity. He was seeing firsthand how the body of Christ functioned when one of its members was in crisis.

Eli, Cody, and Brady each grabbed a sleeping bag from the pile in the corner and unrolled them against a wall, out of the way. It felt good to stretch out his exhausted body. He hadn’t realized how tired or hungry he’d been until these good people showed up with precisely what he needed.

The mood had lightened some. Clusters of folks chatted quietly. Eli shut his eyes, convinced he’d never sleep in the controlled chaos, but he did catch a few winks. When he awoke, the waiting room had emptied out. He still had several hours until his shift with Delanie. Her family and another, whose grandfather had undergone a heart attack, had taken over the alcove designated as the ICU waiting room.

Eli paced, went to the chapel for a while, then headed to the cafeteria for coffee. Time dragged. Finally, 3:00 a.m. rolled around. He headed for the double doors of the unit and made a beeline to the third door on the right. He thought Delanie’s color had improved slightly.

A nurse came in and checked one of the machines, pushed a couple of buttons, and wrote something on Delanie’s chart. Eli settled into the same chair he had before. Less medical equipment was on that side. He carefully slid her limp hand into his and talked to her for the next fifteen minutes. The doctor said touch and familiar voices were an important part of recovery.

They all rotated shifts over the next day and a half. As her vitals stabilized, family members began to leave for showers and sleep. Eli had gone home for a few hours to clean up and sleep in a real bed. Just as he finished his shower, his cell phone rang. His heart dropped as he read the name across the face of his phone. It was Brady.

“Hey.” Eli’s heart pounded hard against his ribs.

“She’s awake!” Brady’s voice danced over the line.

Chapter 15

Thank You, Lord. Thank You!” Eli’s eyes misted.

“She’s asking for you.”

“For me?” Someone must have misunderstood what she said.

“Yeah, man, for you.” Brady chuckled over the line.

Eli’s heart took flight. “I’ll be right there.”

“She’s awake, Dad!” He grabbed hold of his dad—who’d just sauntered into the kitchen for a bite to eat before heading back to his favorite stool at the corner pub just blocks away—and hugged him as he hadn’t done in years. “She’s awake!”

When he arrived at the hospital not fifteen minutes later, his hair was still wet. He’d grabbed a shirt and his soccer sandals and run out of the house, forgetting the need for incidentals like warm shoes and a jacket.

Parking his car, he ran to the front entrance and took the stairs two at a time, not having the patience to wait on the elevator.

Chief Cooper was in the hall, beaming. “She seems fine. They’ll do further testing on her cognitive skills, but I don’t think they’ll find a problem. Our God is an awesome God!”

“That He is. Is it all right if I go on in?”

The chief slapped him on the back. “Absolutely.”

Eli stopped in the doorway. They had rolled the head of her bed up some so she was halfway between lying and sitting. Her eyes were closed, and though still pale, she had much more color than yesterday morning. The doc had said the transfusion would do that. His heart felt as though it might burst at the seams; he was so full of love for her.

Standing there, he suddenly felt shy. He’d said a lot of things to her since the shooting. What if she remembered? His face grew warm at the thought.

She opened her eyes, and he was certain they brightened when she saw him. “Eli, you came.” Her voice was soft and weak.

He moved to her bed. “Of course I came.”

“I’m so sorry I botched the case. How did I blow our cover?”

“Turns out they were only targeting a couple of the poorer high schools in the city. Dr. Barnes had met with a few of the guidance counselors, generously offering his free prenatal care to pregnant teens desiring to keep their babies or those planning to put them up for adoption. None of the high school employees knew what he was really up to.”

“The baby-selling charges are rock solid and should be an easy conviction. The murder charges may be harder to prove, but the DA is hoping, with the help of DNA and both guys’ files, to build a solid case.”

Delanie moved her head in a rather weak and pathetic nod. “So when I named my high school. . .”

“He’d also seen the newspaper article about your heroics several years ago. The one with your picture—says he never forgets a face. When you named your high school, it all came together for him.”

“So George isn’t dead?”

“No.”

Y

“I’m glad.” Remembering the horrific emotions she’d dealt with after the last shooting, she was thankful to avoid that again. “I’m sorry, Eli. I nearly got one or both of us killed. My pride in my ability as a cop had a hole shot right through it.”

He smiled at her pun. “It was my fault. I took my eyes off him.”

“Please don’t blame yourself. Guess I’m another female partner you’ll say good riddance to.”

He swallowed hard and shook his head. “Sarge put me back on drug detail, after a week of forced vacation. He insists I need the R & R.”

A part of her wanted to cry at his news. “So the days of the dynamic duo are over. I don’t guess I’ll be on active duty anytime soon.”

“Probably not.” His mood was solemn.

Delanie’s eyes filled with tears. “So this is good-bye?”

“I’ll see you around.” He attempted to be chipper but fell flat. “I have so many things I want to say to you.” His gaze shifted to the floor. “I’m sorry I was such a jerk to you in the beginning. I was wrong about you.” He raised his gaze to meet hers. “You’re a great cop—one of the best partners I’ve ever had.”

“Right up there with Gus?”

“Yep.” He smiled. “Seriously, I can’t begin to list what your friendship has meant to me.” His voice cracked. “And the ways God has used you in my life.”

“God? Did you say God?”
Dare I hope?

“I did say God. Your dad prayed with me last week. This prodigal quit running and found his way home.”

“Oh, Eli.” He blurred in her vision as her eyes teared up. She held out her hand to him, and he took it. “Last week? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I planned to this morning at the center. Your dad scheduled me to share my testimony, only you were a no-show.”

“Sorry about that.” She drank in every detail of his face. “I can’t tell you how happy I am.”

“You have a funny way of showing it.” Eli pulled a tissue from the box with his free hand and dried her cheeks.

“You
are
the sweetest man.” The words came out husky-sounding. Dare she tell him how she felt? Her heart raced. What if he’d changed his mind? Life was precarious at best. She had no idea what even the next minute held, so she decided not to waste it.

“Eli.” She moistened her dry lips. “I love you.”

Y

The words warmed his heart. “I know.” He’d figured out that much about being a Christian. They all loved each other in the Lord. “I love you, too.”
More than you’ll ever know.
“Even though we’ll probably lose touch after time”—
After you fall for some other guy
—“I’ll always consider you one of my dearest friends.”

“Thank you.” Her smile was weak, and he knew she needed rest. “But—”

“I’ve worn you out and had better go—”

She tightened her grip on his hand. “Eli, stop talking.” Her eyes gazed into his. “I’m
in
love with you.”

He replayed her words, and his chest filled with a warm puddle in the spot previously occupied by his heart. “But I thought—”

“Don’t think.” She stroked his hand and smiled. “I fell in love with you hard and fast, starting the very first day.”

“You mean when I was Mr. Charming? How could you have fallen for me then?”

“Seeing you with the guys from your hood blew your hard-edged image away, clinching it for me.”

“Then why—”

She explained her reasons and why she didn’t feel at liberty to reveal her heart to him.

“I understand.” He ran his thumb across her cheek.

“So—what about you?” At his perplexed expression, she continued, “Do you still have feelings for me?”

“So many—respect, admiration, but love is at the very top of the list. I love you, Delanie Cooper.”

“And I love you, Eli Logan.” She tugged him closer. “Now will you kiss me, already?”

And he did. The first of a lifetime’s worth.

Epilogue

A year had passed since Eli had made things right with God. To commemorate his one-year birthday as a Christ follower, he would marry the love of his life.

Delanie wanted to wait a year, make sure they knew the ugly side of each other. The truth was, he hadn’t found an ugly side to her, but she insisted there was one. He had yet to see it, though. Of course, love was said to be blind. And he was glad of that, because she seemed quite clueless to his flaws, as well.

Eli followed the minister up on the platform. Sarge stood next to him as his best man. He was the perfect choice; after all, he’d paired them together in the first place. As Eli stood before a church filled with people who loved them and people they loved, he anticipated his beautiful bride walking down the aisle toward him. He smiled at his dad on the first row and at each of his now high school crew lining the entire family pew.

Eli shot off a prayer for his dad. He’d finally agreed to try a rehab the chief had recommended—a Christian-based one. Eli knew firsthand God could change people from the inside out, even when several other programs had failed. They’d also train him to live on his own again. He’d stay at the old apartment, and Eli would move in with Delanie, Hank, and Junie. Of course he’d be at his dad’s often, keeping an eye on him and his boys. As hard as it was to watch him continue his battle with alcoholism, Eli knew he had to give up worrying about his dad and trust that God was in control. And he’d learned that God really was in control, even when life seemed to spin out of control.

The music began, and Frank Jr. escorted his mother down the aisle. A tinge of regret hit Eli as he thought of his own mom. As a cop, he could probably track her down, but she apparently didn’t want to be found. He’d forgiven her for disappearing, and now he prayed regularly for her. Maybe someday. . .

Mason and Summer, Delanie’s nephew and niece, started down the aisle. Courtney and Brady followed them. Next were Jodi and Cody, and behind them were Kristen and Frankie. Delanie couldn’t choose one from among her friends, so she’d asked Sunnie, Frankie’s wife, to be her matron of honor. She put the others in alphabetical order, avoiding any sort of favoritism. That was his Delanie.

As he watched them coming toward him, he noted a sadness in Courtney’s eyes and a droop to her shoulders. Tad couldn’t make it today. Duty called at the hospital. He’d all but quit coming to church, and their wedded bliss had already vanished. Courtney never voiced it, but both he and Delanie believed she’d grown to regret her decision. They both prayed for them regularly. If God could soften Eli, He could soften anyone.

When Sunnie reached the stage, the music changed. The “Bridal March” began. Eli’s heart shifted into high gear. Delanie moved toward him on the arm of her dad. Their gazes locked. All praise and thanks to God, she’d fully recovered. As she glided closer, he knew one lifetime with her would never be enough.

“Who gives this woman?” the pastor asked when they reached the front of the church.

“Her mother and I.” In many ways Frank Cooper had become the dad to Eli that his real father had never been able to be.

“I love you, Daddy.” Eli heard her whispered words.

“And I love you.” He turned her veil back, kissing her cheek. “Both of you.” He hugged Eli and whispered, “I’m so glad her heart found you and yours found Christ.”

“Me, too.” Eli had grown to love her whole wonderful family. They’d welcomed him and become all he’d ached for as a child. Not only had they embraced him, but they’d also done the same with his group of guys, including them in their gatherings.

Delanie’s father placed her hand in Eli’s and took his seat on the pew next to her mother. And today Delanie, this woman he cherished more than life itself, would become his wife. God had freed him from the pain of yesterday, and his tomorrows had never looked brighter.

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