Authors: Hannah Alexander

Solemn Oath (39 page)

BOOK: Solemn Oath

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QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

In this story, fire is a continually present danger, and Buck Oppenheimer lives to fight fires, to the alarm of his wife, Kendra. When he risks his life one too many times and she tells him to move out, who do you feel is most to blame? Do you change your mind when you discover the losses Kendra has endured in the recent past?
When Theodore Zimmerman shows up at Tedi's school, what first goes through your mind? Do you fear he might try to abduct her and cause her and Mercy more trouble? How do you feel about him when he explains what he wants?
Mercy chides Darlene Knight for hoarding her inhalers and medicines for her asthma. Like a lot of people, Darlene doesn't listen to her doctor. Have you ever disregarded orders from your doctor? Would it be easier for you to work with your family physician if you were more involved in the decisions for your treatment? Have you told your doctor that?
In
Solemn Oath
, Knolls Community Hospital is in danger of losing its autonomy when a corrupt attorney attempts to convince the citizens of Knolls how much a buyout would help the economy of the town. However, not only does he have a lawsuit pending against the doctor who inadvertently killed his son by prescribing him narcotics he didn't need, but he also has one pending against the physician who refused to prescribe those drugs in the first place. Do you feel you see hypocrisy in this situation? How did you feel about
the floor falling out from under Bailey Little after the explosion? Does he get what's coming to him, or was the loss of his son justification for his actions?
Beverly is afraid to cross Bailey because she feels she might lose her job, and she's supporting a family as a single mother. But Lukas needs her to sign an AMA form to prove that patient Dwayne Little left the hospital against medical advice. This signed form becomes vital to the hospital and to Lukas's job when the government watchdog COBRA bears down on Knolls Community Hospital, searching for records they may be able to use as an excuse to fine the hospital and have Lukas fired. Why is Beverly afraid to sign that form? Bailey could make it hard for her to find another job. He has a lot of clout. What would you do if you were Beverly?
Theodore struggles with his alcoholism, and at Jarvis George's party he realizes that he's back to his old tricks, gathering Mercy's friends and family to help him convince her to do something he wants her to do. He despises himself. Have you ever had this happen in your life? Have you ever come face-to-face with an ugly truth about yourself? Have you faced up to it and confessed it, asking God to help you break that habit?
After the night at Jarvis's, Theodore not only gets drunk again, but he arrives at the hospital later to confess to Lukas, and to talk to Lukas again about Christ. Almost reluctantly Lukas tells Theodore how he can find that help in Christ, and gives him some scriptures to read. How do you think you'd have felt that afternoon when Theodore returned with the news that he is a new believer in Christ? The man who made Mercy and her daughter miserable has found new life,
when Mercy is still unable to trust enough for that to happenâdoes this seem to you unfair?
Clarence Knight has such a sense of independence that it makes him difficult to deal with. Have you ever found yourself rejecting help that was available to you, simply because of your sense of independence?
Lukas doesn't handle the situation well when he invites Mercy to his house for burned hamburgers, and then tells her he cannot, after all, have a romantic relationship with her. How could he have done things differently? How do you feel about Mercy's unwillingness to state a faith she didn't have simply to have the man she wanted?
Have you ever lived in a town where everybody knows everyone else? If not, would you like to? If you already do, how would it feel to live in a place where most people were strangers to you? What are some of the good qualities about where you live?

ISBN: 978-1-4268-3982-5

SOLEMN OATH

Steeple Hill Books/September 2009

First published by Bethany House Publishers

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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