Welcome to Part 2 of my first Christian romance novel. I hope you enjoy it.
Parts 1-4 are a preview. Parts 5-23 are available as they are published to PLM+ members. CLICK HERE for more information.
After Jake finished lunch at his desk while reading another tedious manual, Sharon swooped in and rescued him from his boredom. “It’s time for you to do a ride-out for the afternoon. I want you to meet an RN for the team you are on. Jake Jennings, this is Jennifer Lawson. Jen, Jake.”
In the time it took for Jake to put down his manual and stand up, Sharon finished her quick introduction. Jake at first thought he had lost his balance a little when he turned around and saw Jennifer for the first time. It wasn’t his balance that he lost.
Jennifer Lawson struck him immediately as the most beautiful woman… no, more than that… the most beautiful soul he had ever seen... since Mindy, he reminded himself. She was a tall, young, confident looking woman with flowing chestnut hair and the most intriguing deep blue eyes that seemed to dance and sparkle as Sharon continued whatever else it was that she was saying... something about getting to know the blah blah in the whatever for the day. Jake was having too much trouble breathing much less hearing right now. He slowly raised his hand.
Without taking her eyes off his Jennifer stepped forward tempted to give Jake a hug. Sensing his discomfort, she stopped herself and took his hand instead. “It’s nice to meet you, Jake. We’ve heard a lot about how good you are at your job. Now you get to prove it to us here in Sunset.”
Not ‘at’ Sunset as most other employees put it. Interesting.
“Get your stuff, we’ve got to get moving. The patients are waiting and they’re not getting any healthier.” Jennifer’s gaze lingered for a moment and then she abruptly turned and left the Family Support Room without waiting for Jake to follow.
Sharon watched Jennifer leave then looked at Jake with an intense look in her eyes but a serene smile on her face. “You better go after her Jake. She’s not going to wait forever.”
It was either what she said, how she said it, or the sensation of complete disorientation sweeping through him, but Jake felt like he was having an out-of-body experience. The words just didn’t make sense. How could he “go after” someone he just met? He barely knew her. She couldn’t mean that much to him. He was trying to get away from emotional attachments, not run straight into one... Get a grip, Jennings. She means go on the ride out, you idiot. Jake shook his head, grabbed his satchel and walked out the door to catch up with Jennifer, his heart still pounding.
Sharon stood there for a minute and watched through the window as Jennifer and Jake talked on their way to her car. She still had that smile on her face as she watched them walk around the house and out of sight.
“So, have you settled in Sunset yet?”
“Yes. I bought a place awhile back getting ready for the transfer. I took some time off before starting here so I could catch up on some things I needed to do.”
“Vague enough, but it’s a start.” She opened her car trunk revealing a neat and orderly arrangement of medical supplies in baskets. She dropped her bag in one of them. “You have any ‘HIPAA’ in your satchel yet? If so, you need to put it back here.”
“Yeah, they started that policy in Houston. ‘All protected patient information must be secured in a trunk or lock box when transported in a personal vehicle and removed at night and on weekends.’”
“Good Lord. You can quote company policy like its Scripture or something.”
“Believe me. Scripture is much more inspiring.”
Jen’s laugh was like a song. It gave Jake the strangest feeling. One that he barely recognized. It felt good, but he couldn’t identify it. Maybe he didn’t want to.
“Well, I certainly hope so.” Jen slammed the trunk, got in the driver’s seat and started the car.
Jake rushed to get in the passenger’s seat sensing Jen’s impatience to get going.
“Shotgun controls the AC. Driver drives.”
Jake got the hint. He would keep his mouth shut about Jen’s driving even in the face of impending death. He learned a long time ago that you don’t want to get on a nurse’s bad side. It’s not good for your relationship... or your health. Nurses know a hundred ways to kill you slowly and painfully without leaving a mark; or make you wish you were dead if they turned against you en masse.
She pulled out on Main Street and headed south. “Our first stop is Jeffrey Mason and his wife, a really cute couple near Rockdale. He’s on service for colon cancer. She dotes on him like he’s a child.” He’s been holding steady for a few weeks, but I’m concerned he’ll start declining soon. He’s been with us for about eight months now. He will be your patient of course, so I’ll introduce you as their new chaplain. They just love chaplains.” Jen negotiated the sparse small-town traffic and headed down highway 73.
As Jennifer talked Jake caught himself noticing the glow on her face. She had this natural smile that radiated a muted excitement about something... or everything. She was a bundle of energy and enthusiasm in a beautiful package. This is SO not good. Jake had moved to get away from emotional attachments, not to get entangled in another one.
“You okay over there, Jake? You look a little pale. You’re not afraid of a little old cancer patient, are you?”
No. I’m afraid of you. “No, I’m fine.” I’m not fine.
Jen’s smile seemed to radiate even more as if she knew what kind of effect she was having on him and enjoying every second of it. “Well, I don’t have to tell you about the job. You already know that. So, how ‘bout we go straight to the story. Tell me about yourself.”
I was afraid it would get to that. “Okay. You know most of my work history. I graduated from Baylor and Southwestern Seminary. Chaplain training in Houston. Worked in hospice since then. Not a lot to it.”
Her smile never wavered, but Jennifer slowly shook her head, “That’s the resume, not the story. I want to know about you.”
“That’s a long story.”
“Is it ‘we don’t have enough time before we get there’ long story, or ‘I can’t talk about it right now’ long story?”
Jake looked out the passenger window at the vast fields of vivid green winter wheat zooming by. “It’s some of both.” There was a long pause. One that should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn’t. Jake looked over at Jen. Her smile was unfazed. Even with her designer sunglasses on he swore he could see the sparkle in her eyes. There was that feeling again. “I’m sorry. It’s kind of rude of me to clam up like that.”
“Not at all. We all have the right to keep to ourselves. Fair warning, though. I’m going to keep working on you ‘til I get to the story. … ‘good for the soul’ and all that.”
She’s right, but at the wrong time and to the wrong person…. “You’re right. Maybe I will someday. Would it be fair to ask about you?”
“Sure. You can probably guess by now I love to talk. My resume? I got my RN from Temple College four years ago. Worked at Murderboro two years while I bridged a BS online.”
“Excuse me, ‘Murderboro?’” Jake wanted to be sure he’d heard that one right.
“Oh, yeah. That’s our pet name for Marlboro Medical Center here in Sunset. Your chances of coming out of there on your own two feet aren’t that great depending on which doctor is staffing the ER.”
That made Jake way too nervous and brought up some uncomfortable memories he preferred not to think about.
“I’ve been with Sunset Hospice for two years. I was Sharon’s first hire. My short story? Grew up in Wyoming. Grandma and Grandpa Cash raised me when Mom couldn’t. Probably the best thing that could’ve happened to me. Grandpa worked the coal mine. Fell in love and got married to a mining boss. Storybook marriage to a nice Christian guy until we moved here and things changed. Two boys. Ryan who’s ten, and Evan who’s seven, last month. My Ex, Steve, lives in Cameron and runs two coal mines in the area. Our divorce was final almost a year ago.”
It was either the Texas sun beating down on Jake through the window or the thought of Jennifer Lawson being single that caused him to reach for the AC controls and Jen to smile even wider.
The rest of the day allowed Jake to settle into a somewhat normal routine and comfortable zone: visiting with patients. That was what he did best. The Masons were as nice and “cute” as Jen promised and were a delight to get to know. Mr. Mason said he looked forward to Jake’s next visit. Jake could tell there was more to it than just an invitation for a return visit, as if Mr. Mason had something he needed to talk about that was weighing heavy on his mind. That intuitive radar was what made Jake Jennings so good at his profession.
As they met the other patients throughout the afternoon, Jake became more aware of just how good Jennifer was at her job as well. Her brash presentation with him was an endearing quality to her patients. They respected and loved her for being upfront and honest with them. She didn’t pull punches or hide behind professional hedges. She said what she thought and told them flat out if she didn’t have an answer but promised to come back with one.
Once Jake regained his composure after meeting Jennifer, he found himself developing a deep admiration for her abilities as a hospice nurse even though she had only two years of experience.
“I think I’ve put you through the ringer for the day, Jake. How you holding up?”
“This has been great. After being off this long, it’s just what I needed. Thanks.”
“Dang, you are a glutton for punishment. A newbie would be slobbering all over himself and begging for mercy.” The extra glow in her smile made it appear that she would have enjoyed seeing Jake do just that. “I guess that means you’ll be back for more.”
“I guess it means just that. I’ve gone too far to back out now.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here, Jake.”
“I’m feeling pretty good about my decision too.” Jake’s ambivalence about the move seemed to be dissolving a little too quickly for his comfort.
Jen’s glowing smile radiated again giving Jake a brief but overwhelmingly happy feeling. They were both quiet as Jen drove through town on the way back to the office.
As Jake reached for the door Jen gave his arm a light squeeze, sending a warm pleasant sensation through Jake’s body. “See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah. See you...” As he got out of her car he felt a hint of sadness that she was leaving. As she drove away, he felt a flood of guilt that he felt sad.
Jake focused as best he could on getting to know his patients and the other team members the rest of the week. He had to remind himself that there were other nurses in the office. A chaplain typically worked directly with four to five Registered Nurses. In his dual role that number dropped to two or three depending on the census and geographic arrangement. He had all of Jennifer’s patients as well as some of Sandy Easley’s and Melissa Davidson’s. They were kind and competent nurses with lots of experience.
Everyone on the team made an effort to help Jake feel at home in his new surroundings. Since Jake had been “in the field” for fifteen years everyone sensed that he knew what he was doing and could be trusted to provide excellent care for their patients. New employees usually had to prove themselves to the established team members to be fully trusted. This immediate bond helped Jake overcome some of the uncertainty he still felt about his transition.
Jake knew too that experienced and competent hospice team members developed a sense for people who are in pain whether it’s physical, emotional, or spiritual. While he was physically in his prime he had plenty of the other kinds to last him a lifetime. His fellow team members weren’t completely insensitive to Jake’s plight.
Jake did his best to slog through the online training programs that were required any time a Ventura employee changed to a new position. His new responsibilities included bereavement support to families for thirteen months after a patient’s death. While this was not a new concept to Jake, the administrative part of the job was a bit daunting. Fortunately, his low-walled cubicle sat in the corner surrounded by windows which gave him a relaxing view of the town. The downside was that he had a fifty-yard line seat to watch Jennifer Lawson drive up, get out of her car and walk into the office. He didn’t know if he could live with that distraction... or live without it.
Rebecca Blinn, CNA, glided through the office on Thursday morning showering everyone with her cheery disposition topped off with the candy she bought from the S-Mart that morning.
As a Certified Nurse Assistant, Becca provided care to patients in the form of bathing, dressing and a flood of love and attention. She and the other “CNAngels,” as they were affectionately known, were the unsung heroes in the hospice office. They saw the patients more often than any other discipline, knew their patients intimately, usually had more emotional attachments, more difficulties when the patients died and got the least amount of recognition for what they did.
“Good morning, Roger, Lynn, and... oh those green eyes tell me you must be Jake Jennings. Nice to meet you, Jake. I’m Becca, one of your CNA’s.” She greeted Jake with a hug and a peppermint. “Jen has told me all about you. We’re so glad you’re here. Poor Roger was getting desperate for help.”
Startled by Rebecca’s whirlwind appearance and revelation of her knowledge of all things Jake, he simply hugged her back. “Nice to meet you too.” So, Jen likes me for my green eyes, huh...? Don’t… do… that. The rollercoaster ride of emotions just then caused him to break out in a sweat even in the cool confines of the office.
Becca pirouetted and left with a “later y’all.”
Roger smiled, “You just met Becca Blinn.”
“I guess I did.”
That afternoon the entire team met for the weekly meeting to discuss patient care plans. These meetings also included the medical director, a physician who oversaw the care of all the patients. The first fifteen to twenty minutes were usually devoted to open discussion, snacks, and team building.
This was Jake’s first opportunity to meet Sarah Newsome, the other social worker. Sarah struck Jake as a rather quiet, pensive, unassuming young lady who had lots of “book smarts,” but would likely be unsure of herself when it came to applying what she knew in real world situations. Again, his intuition won... almost.
Jake struck Sarah as the most handsome man she had ever met, but she was afraid to say or do anything about that especially in a work situation. She had always been told you don’t mix work with pleasure. “Hi, Jake. I’m Sarah. It’s a shame we didn’t get to meet until now. It’s been a crazy week around here. I hope you’re settling in okay.”
“Yeah, it’s going fine. Fortunately, I know the ropes pretty well. The biggest hurdle is getting to know the area. Jennifer, Roger and Lynn have been a big help so far.”
At the sound of Jennifer’s name Sarah winced slightly. “Oh, okay. If you need help with anything, I’m here for you,” she said, almost pleadingly without Jake even noticing.
It was Jen’s radar that caught that one. She maneuvered around the conference table to Jake. “Hey, you finished with the orientation training yet? I need you to get busy with a couple of these patients who are begging to see you.” Jen verbally, if not physically, squeezed Sarah out of the conversation.
If Sarah’s looks could kill, they would have barely pricked Jen’s back. While she resented Jennifer tremendously, she didn’t have the personality to do anything about it.
“I should be ready to go by Monday morning. Just a few more boring online classes to go and I’m... done.” Jake caught himself before he said “yours.”
“Okay team let’s get started,” beckoned Sharon as she called everyone to their seats.
Jen resisted the urge to do the “Sharon maneuver” and take Jake by the arm and walk with him to his seat.
CLICK HERE to join Brent on the PLM+ subscriber chat about this story