So this is my latest work.Hope ya'll enjoy! Would love any feedback you have. :)
Chapter 1
“Ugh!” Crystal thought to herself as she remembered the potatoes boiling on the stove,
“Aunt Jodi’s gonna kill me!” Crystal was supposed to be cooking supper when she lost herself in a book she had been reading. As she rushed downstairs to check on the potatoes she couldn’t help but think of what was going to happen to the young runaway boy in her book of “Tom Sawyer”.
She rushed into the kitchen still wondering about the next part when she crashed into Aunt Jodi who was just coming in from being at work. They collided with a loud thud. Aunt Jodi screamed as her plump body tumbled to the floor. Crystal cursed under breath.
“Crystal!” she yelped, “I thought you were supposed to be cooking supper!”
“I… I… uhh….” Crystal stuttered.
“I come in from being at work all day and I see the pot of boiled over potatoes on the stove! For being so disobedient and lazy you will get no supper tonight. Go to your room!”
“Aunt Jodi! Please no! I’m so hungry! You can’t do this! I didn’t mean to forget the potatoes! I really didn’t!”
But it was no use. Aunt Jodi was boiling mad and she could not be dissuaded. She just glared at Crystal and pointed upstairs.
“YOU’RE SO MEAN TO ME! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!” Crystal screamed as she stomped up the stairs.
“WELL I HAVE A NEWSFLASH FOR YOU! I HATE YOU TOO! YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE BRAT!” Aunt Jodi yelled back as she slammed the pots and pans around in the kitchen.
“I hate her… I hate her so much…” Crystal muttered under her breath as she walked to her bedroom. When she was in the safety of her own room she fell down onto her bed and cried. She cried and cried until finally her tears and sobs gave way to sleep.
Sixteen years before, on February 17th, Crystal was born to Jonathan and Grace Bell. What made her birth so much more spectacular was the fact that she was born on their three-year anniversary. She was born a beautiful, healthy baby. She always had the prettiest clothes and nicest toys as she grew and developed more and more.
Two years passed. It was now Crystal’s second birthday as well as Jonathan and Grace’s five-year anniversary. That night Jonathan and Grace went out for their anniversary while a friend stayed behind at the house and took care of Crystal. Her entire life changed that night. You see, her parents never made it home. They were driving home, discussing the evening, and how far they had come since their marriage had begun. They were driving through an intersection when an 18-wheeler collided into them, head on. The driver was drunk. At speeds of 70 miles per hour Jonathan and Grace’s car was smashed. Death was instantaneous. They never knew what hit them.
From that point on, Crystal was all alone in the world. She had no family. Only a week after Jonathan and Grace’s deaths she was put into foster care.
Not one single time in the following 14 years of her life had she ever had the same family for more than 5 months. She was tossed from family to family. She changed schools, towns, and even states a great many times. As she grew older, it became more and more difficult to adjust to each new family and place.
Foster care is not flawless, unfortunately, and Crystal often found herself tossed into abusive families. Being scarred, hurt, and bruised became a normal thing for Crystal. At each new school came new taunts, new names, new enemies. Never new friends.
By the time Crystal was 14 she had gone through 32 foster homes, lived in 5 different states, been in 17 abusive homes, and she had run away from 13 homes. Life was a struggle. She couldn’t find a place where she actually belonged.
At the age of 15 she was extremely insecure. She didn’t fit in. She was in a bad foster home and she found herself constantly worried about her weight. She was a tall, skinny girl but teens at her high school told her otherwise. She became anorexic. Her weight decreased rapidly. Before she knew it she had gone from a healthy 115 pounds to a shocking 85 pounds. But still, that wasn’t enough.
She still felt ugly. Worthless. Alone. Soon she found herself in the bathroom cutting her arms and legs. Day after day blood speckled the counters, the floor, the bathtub, the shower. Legs and arms covered with scars. She lived a horrible life. Filled with despair. She had no hope. No reason to live. She should just end it all. “End it! End this pain! Don’t let them hurt you anymore! You will be care free if you just end it!” A war raged inside of her.
Finally she decided that she would end it all. Taking the last classes of her life. Suffering through all the bullying one last time. As she walked out of school that day she heard a voice call out her name. She turned around and there stood a girl from her algebra class, Tiffany Carter. Tiffany invited her to dinner and a movie. Crystal reluctantly agreed. That night she found herself telling Tiffany all of her struggles, and her problems. Tiffany was so sympathetic and caring. Crystal couldn’t believe that somebody actually cared.
At the end of the night Crystal told Tiffany about how she had been planning on taking her life that night. She told her how she finally decided that she wouldn’t. It was all because Tiffany had taken the time to care about her. They cried and hugged each other.
Crystal felt so much better. She had finally found a friend. That night Crystal resolved not to cut again. And she decided to give up anorexia.
The next day Crystal was sent back to the foster care center. She never saw Tiffany again. She lost her only friend in the world. And with that loss, she fell into a major depression.
Five long months later she found herself in a small town in Minnesota. 16 years old, long black hair. Piercing black eyes filled with pain and hurt. Strong headed and short tempered. Skinny as a rail. It was obvious that she had been through much more than your average teen.
Aunt Jodi was now her latest nightmare. Her previous abusive foster parents paled in comparison to Aunt Jodi. Many times Crystal swore that she was the devil. Aunt Jodi was so abusive. A slave driver practically. Crystal had the responsibility of doing all the chores. Chores and school consumed her life. No time to make friends or just be a normal teen-ager.
The next morning Crystal woke up at 5 A.M. to get ready for school and make a big breakfast for Aunt Jodi and serve it to her. She had just finished cleaning the kitchen when the bus pulled up and honked. She grabbed her backpack, ran out the front door and made her way to the back of the bus. The bus came at 6:00 A.M. every day. Then the bus dropped her off at 4:00 in the afternoon. Aunt Jodi arrived home at 5:00 P.M. and expected a full meal waiting for her when she got there. Most days Crystal had to rush in order to get all of her homework done.
The days passed and there was still a great deal of tension in the house. Crystal and Aunt Jodi avoided each other as much as possible.
One extra hard day for Crystal sent her home doubting herself even more. At school during lunchtime all the cheerleaders sat with their jock boyfriends, the punk kids had their table, the wimpy kids had a table, and the Goth kids sat in the corner. Crystal always sat by herself. She had almost gotten through with her lunch when a couple of the cheerleaders called her over to their table.
So Crystal got up and walked over wondering what in the world they could want. As she got to their table one of the beautiful blondes stood up. The teen put her arm around Crystals waist and shouted “Listen up everybody! Crystal over here, well she got her name from a drug. Cuz her parents were such druggies that’s the only thing that they could come up with! She’s just a no good drug child. And her parents were so drugged up one night that they killed each other. So now she goes from foster home to foster home torturing all the people that try to take care of her.”
And with that she sat down laughing with the rest of the kids. Crystal buried her face in her hands and ran out of the room. When she got home later that day she was crying and she decided that she needed to find a way to get rid of all of this pain she always felt. All through the preparations for supper she thought of what she could do. Finally she came up with a solution……….
Chapter 2
………Drugs… This was her solution.
That night, after Aunt Jodi had been served her food Crystal ran out the door. She knew of a place where she could get all the drugs she wanted for free. All the way there she cried. She couldn’t believe that she was actually going to do this.
“What if I get caught? What if is get so addicted that I can’t stop?” she thought to herself. “What if I die?” All the “what if’s” flooded her mind as she ran along the back roads. “Should I really go through with this? Will this help? Can I do it? Ahhh…..”
She finally arrived after 15 minutes of torturous agony and questions. The place was an old shack, in the middle of nowhere. Dark curtains covered the few shattered windows there were. Broken bottles lay scattered on the ground, cigarette buttes all over the place, homemade pipes, pretty much anything and everything was lying on the ground. There was just a sense of something wrong about the whole place. It was like a warning that you should leave right away and not linger for a moment.
Once again doubts flooded her mind. She paced back and forth in front of the shack for several minutes. Finally she mustered up the courage to knock on the door.
She knocked heavily on the door. Immediately she heard hushed voices, the sliding of something on the wood floor, the shuffling of feet, and finally the sliding of a dead bolt. Finally the door opened with a loud “eeeeeeeeh”.
A little man, almost a midget, opened the door. He had a surprisingly deep voice for someone so small.
“What do you want kid” He asked her gruffly.
Crystal shivered, “Uhhh…. I uh…. I..”
The little man cut her off with a frown on his face, “Look I don’t have all day. What do you want?!”
“I umm… I want.. Some drugs…. Someone told me I could get some here… and I just need something to help me feel better.”
Smiling the little man said, “Alright. I see. Come inside I’ll fix you up with something.”
She followed the little man into the house. Inside it had a little bed, a big table in the center of the room, with chairs around it. In a corner a big man was sitting with his arms crossed. The walls were painted a dark gloomy color that she couldn’t distinguish. There were only two windows and the little amount of light let in by them was casting eerie shadows all over the floor and walls.
Off of the main room there was a door, which Crystal assumed led to a bathroom or something. The big man in the corner stood up, “So what do we have here?” His voice was so surprisingly high that Crystal couldn’t help but giggle. The big man didn’t think that it was too funny and he just crossed his arms and scowled a harsh frown.
“She says she needs a little fixer. She wants something to ‘help her with her problems’ you think we can find something for her, Tony?”
“I think we can find something Jack. But why does a pretty little girl like you want to do drugs?”
He walked to the little room and closed the door. She heard something sliding around. A moment later he came out with a metal box in his hand. He sat down at the table and motioned for them to sit down as well. Crystal timidly walked over and sat down slowly. “My name is Jack and the big guy is Tony.” said the little man. “Now what’s your story?”
It was Crystal’s turn to talk. She told them her name, all of the things that had happened in her life, and why she came to them. When she had finished Tony looked at her then motioned for Jack to come to the corner of the room. They whispered back and forth for several moments then they walked over to the table once more.
They handed her a bag and explained to her everything she need to know. Then they told her to tell other kids about them, but to be careful about who she told. “You never know who will squeal on you”. And with that she was shoved out the door and from there she ran all the way home.
When she finally got back to the house she rushed into the dining room and cleared the table. There was the strong smell of liquor in the air and Crystal knew that Aunt Jodi would be out for several hours. She did the dishes and ate her meal. Now it was time for the moment she had been dreading. She went to her room did her homework and that’s the last thing she remembered until the next morning.
Chapter 3
The drugs that Jack and Tony gave her was called Cocaine. Also known as Crack, Coke, and Candy Sugar. Crystal didn’t know it, but she was in for a big mess.
The purpose for Cocaine is to keep you feeling happy. It is usually stronger the first time you use it and it works better. Cocaine used over a long period of time can cause delusions, severe headaches, uncontrollable mood swings, the feeling that somebody is following you, and lack of focus.
The first couple of days she was on a high! She was unstoppable! She had never felt this good! Soon enough she learned that this high was harder to get. She started using more and more of it every time. She began to go crazy. She got upset easily, she couldn’t focus for more than a couple minutes, and her ears were constantly ringing. These were side affects of Cocaine use.
The already skinny girl became even skinnier. She couldn’t get food down most times and the food she got down, wouldn’t stay down. School and chores became dreaded. Nothing she did was ever right. Her focus lasted a minute and she got sent to the principals office repeatedly. Most days she found herself in detention.
Her drug supply only lasted so long. She ran out and couldn’t find a way to get back to the shack to get more. She was off the drugs.
At night she found herself tossing and turning in her bed for hours. Then she would lapse into a deep sleep just to be woken up an hour later, drenched with sweat. Nausea and headaches had overcome her by now and the lack of sleep most definitely did not help. She was jittery all the time. She would repeatedly look at the door as if waiting for someone or something. She had no energy anymore. She found herself falling asleep in class for brief moments. Just walking from one class to the next took all of her energy. She would lapse in and out of consciousness on the bus and when she was at home.
She finally got a chance to get out of the house and stumbled to the familiar old shack. It took all of her strength to get there. When she finally arrived she found out that she wasn’t able to buy any drugs. She burst into to tears. “Ill die without the drugs” she thought to herself. She knew she had to get the drugs somehow. She decided to ask Jack and Tony what she could do. They both grinned and Jack handed her a backpack full of clothes that shouldn‘t even be considered clothes. They explained to her that she should go to the local bar dressed in these “Clothes” and see if she could earn any money. And then she could come back and get some more drugs when she got the money.
She became a well known hooker. Everybody knew where to go if they wanted “A good time” as they called it. She did things that no 16 year-old should ever, ever do. It was a horrible life but she didn’t mind too much. Most of the time she was so drugged that she didn’t know what was going on.
A couple long months passed and she found out that she was pregnant. She couldn’t believe it. This would ruin her life. She couldn‘t afford to have an abortion. She had no options. Finally she decided that the only logical option was to run away. Of course this was not a logical option at all. But she went ahead with it anyway. She packed a small back-pack with some clothes, a lot of food, all her money (and some of Aunt Jodi’s as well), some beer, cigarettes, and all of her stash(which was not very much). She left the following morning when she was supposed to be going to school.
She walked all day along the train tracks in a daze. Not sure at all of where she was going and most of the time not even thinking about anything. She just walked. Every now and then a train would come along and she would step off of the tracks as it passed then get back on and keep on walking. That night she climbed up in a tree and fell asleep. She was exhausted. Her lack of energy made the walking ten times harder.
The next morning she did the same thing again. She walked and walked for miles and miles. She was so tired by the middle of the day. The quietness of the countryside gave her a ton of time to think. All of that thinking just made her doubt herself all the more. “Nobody loves me! Nobody has and nobody ever will! Nobody cares about me so why am I even here? How will I die? When will I die? What will happen to me when I die?”
With all these torturous thoughts running through her mind she decided she would just end it herself. And so she did. She tied a rope to a tree limb. Slipped the noose around her neck, tightened it and jumped. There she hung, un-conscious and limp.
Chapter 4
About four hours later Crystal woke up in a hospital room with an IV in her arm. She slowly looked around the room. She saw nobody that she recognized. There was a doctor, two nurses, and a nice looking middle-aged couple.
She tried to sit up and discovered that she was weak and she felt light-headed. She lifted her head and said “Wh.. What am I doing here?” Her voice was a shaky hoarse whisper. The nice looking man came over and sat in the chair next to her bed.
“My wife and I saw you jump out of the tree. We weren’t too far away and got to you before you received any serious injury. You almost died. My name is Brad Peterson and this is my wife Suzanne.”
The doctor jumped in just then and gently said “We found lots of things in your back-pack. None of which was an I.D. Would you mind telling us your name?”
Crystal half shuddered and said, “My name is Crystal… White.” The doctor glanced at her. “Well do your parents know that you are gone?”
“NO!” she sobbed. “My parents died when I was 2! I’ve been in foster homes ever since! And I don’t have a mom or dad!” She cried hiding her face in her pillow.
Brad and Suzanne looked at each other eyes filling with tears.
“Oh and you forgot one thing in your little ‘resume’ I’M PREGNANT!” And with that she collapsed on the bed, lifeless. The heart monitor sounded a few faint beats then an unending, heart-wrenching long beep. Dr. Henry flew into action.
“Mr. and Mrs. Peterson, back away! Nurse!!” The nurse came running into the room and assisted Dr. Henry as he performed CPR to Crystal. With Dr. Henry’s quick CPR and some fervent prayers from the Peterson’s her heart was beating once again.
During the time from when Crystal told them that she was pregnant to the time her heart stopped and started beating Brad and Suzanne prayed. They couldn’t imagine how hard of a life this girl had. She was only 16 years old and she was pregnant.
After the whole fiasco was over and Crystal was quietly sleeping the doctor directed the Peterson’s into the hallway.
Once they were out in the hallway Dr. Henry told them the grave news.
“Crystal is in very bad condition. She has suffered severe trauma and her obvious extensive drug use has damaged her immune system. A new factor now is her young baby. The baby could be affected by the lack of oxygen, birth control, and once again the drug use.”
“That’s just terrible. I feel so bad for the poor girl. She has been through oh so much.” Sighed Suzanne her voice all choked up.
“Also her chances of ever fully recovering, are very small. At this point it doesn’t look too good and we also haven’t been able to contact her foster parent.”
“Alright doctor. We will definitely be praying for her, and about this whole situation.” replied Brad.
Finally after an hour of calling people and looking up anybody with the name of Jodi White the receptionist finally found “Aunt Jodi”. The worst part about finding her was the fact that she wasn’t alive. Poor Crystal. After all that she had gone through. How would she handle this death? Would she be upset? Glad? Sad? Angry? So many thoughts were spoken amongst the Peterson’s and Doctor Henry. How were they going to tell her?
The Peterson’s decided that they would tell her. They prayed that God would give them wisdom in what they said and did and that He would show them His will. After they prayed they walked hand-in-hand into her room.
“Crystal, sweetie. Brad and I have something very important to tell you. Your Aunt Jodi… she had a car accident last night. She didn’t make it. We are so sorry sweetie.” Crystal just lay their in shock. Tears streaming down her face… She couldn’t go back. She couldn’t go through another set of foster parents. It was pure torture. She buried her face in her hands and let the tears flow.
Brad and Suzanne looked at each other tears once again forming in their eyes. They then looked back at the small shaking form lying on the hospital bed and left the room.
Chapter 5
About 30 minutes later Brad and Suzanne slowly walked back into the room. They walked to her bed and sat down in the chairs. “Crystal, Me and Brad have been praying a lot about something. We know that you have experienced so much hurt, pain, and loss in your life. So we know it can be hard for you to answer this, but we would like to adopt you. We want you to be a part of our family.
“You don’t have to say yes if you don’t want to and you don’t have to answer right away. But just know that no matter what we will always be praying for you.”
Crystal just sat there. Thinking. “What would it be like? Where do they live? Would it be better than all my other homes?” All these unanswered questions were just tumbling over and over in her head. What should she do?
She asked them if it would be ok if they came back the next day so she could think about it over night. They said yes, told her goodnight, and left. Crystal lay in her bed thinking furiously. Finally she fell asleep. Several times in the middle of the night Crystal would wake up because she needed to throw up. It was from both the drugs. She didn’t sleep very well that night. She was feverish, she sat up with a start at every little sound, her stomach hurt so bad, and she was shaking.
The next morning when Brad and Suzanne came in Crystal was sitting up in her bed sweating and shaking. Suzanne rushed over.
“Are you alright sweetie? What’s wrong?”
“It’s just my morning sickness and a hangover. I’ve experienced both before. I always get nauseous, I shake really bad, have a fever, throw up. The works. I’ll be fine. I‘m a big girl.”
Suzanne wasn’t completely satisfied. But she didn’t speak of it any more. They finally made casual conversation, none of them wanting to rush each other into what they knew was on all of their minds. Crystal eventually spoke up saying
“My answer is yes. I will try it out for a little while.” Brad and Suzanne’s faces lit up! They were so thrilled!
“Ok.. Well there is paperwork to be signed, we need to get all of your things together, and the list just goes on and on!” Exclaimed Suzanne.
The next few days passed by in a blur. Crystal was discharged from the hospital, they signed all the adoption paperwork, they signed her up for school, and for the first time in 16 years Crystal went shopping for clothes for herself with somebody that actually cared about her. Another first for her was someone actually asking how she was, and showing that they actually did care.
The first day that she went to live with the Peterson’s she found out that she would have the privilege of decorating her own room. It could be any color she wanted and she could pick out all the stuff that went on her walls. She was thrilled at the fact that she was going to be able to do something this spectacular for herself but at the same time she was cautious and reluctant. Pain and loss was evident on her face. She still had that lost puppy dog look. As Brad and Suzanne watched her facial expressions as they told her all of this there eyes filled pitying tears. This 16 year old girl had never had the pleasure of picking anything out for herself. She had never done anything for herself. Her life was always about doing something for somebody else because she had to. She had never trusted anyone that actually came through for her. They could tell the following days would be difficult.
That afternoon Brad and Suzanne took her to Lowes so she could pick out a color for her room and buy decorations. They looked at the hundreds of choices of paint. She finally decide on a very pretty light blue. Although it took them 2 hours to get everything they wanted it was the most fun Crystal had ever had even if she didn’t let them know that. She was extremely reluctant and hesitant to get into everything at first but she eventually eased up enough to laugh at jokes made by Brad and do such a simple thing as smile.
They finally walked out with paint, some beautiful light pink curtains, cork picture boards, different colored glass light bulb covers, and colorful little rugs for her bathroom and under her desk chair. She was looking forward to decorating her new room and hopefully actually feeling loved while doing work. This was all a new experience for her, and she was gradually beginning to enjoy it.
For the rest of the evening after supper they moved her bed, bookcase, dresser, and other furniture so that they could prepare for painting the next day. They laid down white plastic sheets so none of the paint would get on the hardwood floors, and then covered all the furniture just in case! That night they watched a movie and ate popcorn. Then they all said goodnight and went to bed.
The next day they painted the room. Some of the time more paint got on them than the walls! They had so many paint wars. There was paint splattered everywhere! They had it in their hair, on their clothes, on their faces, all over the protective sheets and everywhere! When they had finally finished painting the room they were covered in paint. Suzanne ran and got her camera and they took a picture of them covered in paint. Once they had the decorations up that was the first picture on her cork board. Crystal didn’t know it yet, but this was the start of a whole flood of memories.
For the rest of the week Crystal got used to her new home. She helped some with the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Sometimes her morning sickness was so bad that she stayed in bed for hours. A couple of nights of that first week she would wake up screaming because her body craved the ever so addicting drug. Brad and Suzanne would rush in and try to calm her down. Eventually, with lots of help, the cravings stopped.
Chapter 6
Now that she was fully there all the time and she could focus more she had some serious thinking to do. She was considering having an abortion. She could just picture how all the new people she met would react to her being pregnant. She couldn’t imagine living the rest of her teen-age years taking care of a baby. She wouldn’t have a chance to do normal stuff. Everything would be hard.
She finally approached the subject with Brad and Suzanne. “Brad, Suzanne, I think I want to look into having an abortion.”
Suzanne’s eyes filled with tears as she tried to read Crystal’s face. Was she serious? She turned to look at Brad. He also seemed shocked.
Crystal saw the looks on their faces and continued, “I don’t want to be raising a baby for the rest of my teen-age years. My life has been bad enough already. If I go to a new school, and they find out that I’m pregnant, Nothing will go well. Trust me, I know. At least just let me go to a clinic and talk to the doctors or something.”
Brad, swallowing a lump in his throat said, “OK. I think we should pray about this. I mean, this is a life we are talking about here. This baby is real! It is a living thing! Let’s take some time and pray about it. We need to seek God’s wisdom.”
Crystal was beginning to get upset. She couldn’t see why they would want to pray to “God” about this. God had nothing to do with it. It was her choice. “Brad! I’m not one of you people! I don’t believe in God! He’s not real! If He really cared about life and ‘His people’ He wouldn’t have let so many bad things happen to me! He doesn’t exist Brad! Nothing you say can make me think that He cares! I want to go to a clinic and talk to the doctors! If you two aren’t going to take me, I’ll go by myself. I’ll take a bus or something! I need to do this!”
By this time tears were streaming down Suzanne’s face. “Alright sweetie. Me and Brad will pray about this. I don’t think we should rush into anything without knowing more. But we will go with you to a clinic.”
“Fine! Pray to your God about it! I want to go as soon as possible!” and with that Crystal ran to her room, slammed the door, and fell down onto her bed in tears.
Two days after the big argument Brad, Suzanne, and Crystal were on their way to a pro-life clinic. Brad and Suzanne were hoping that this visit would help Crystal to make the right decision. About an hour after entering the building, they exited. The appointment had gone well. Crystal heard stories about other teen’s had gone through with an abortion. They were never able to forgive themselves. They had felt a huge void in their lives afterwards. The best part of her visit was when she had an ultrasound. She was able to see the baby. She could hear its heartbeat. It was going to be a girl. She cried as she looked at the image on the screen. As she heard her baby’s heart beating she could see herself holding her little baby. She could picture herself with a beautiful little baby on her hip.
By the time she got home she was definitely leaning more towards not having an abortion. She was afraid of the pain. She didn’t want to feel the pain of another loss.
The week passed by slowly for Crystal. Her mind was filled with thoughts of her baby. If she had an abortion, would the baby feel it? What would happen to the baby after it was killed? Crystal often found herself daydreaming about her baby. She could just see their first Christmas. She could see the joy on her baby’s face as she played on a playground. She could just picture her little girl taking her first steps.
As she constantly daydreamed about this, she realized more and more that she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she went through with an abortion. One evening she ran into the living room with tears streaming down her face. She told Brad and Suzanne that she was going to keep the baby. She was not going to kill it by having an abortion. They were so thrilled at this news! They both wrapped her in a huge bear hug! Their prayers had been answered! Nothing could have made them happier!
Finally Crystal felt like she could relax. She didn’t have to worry about making that decision anymore. No matter what happened, she was keeping her baby. She was content with just staying at home for a while and waiting things out.
Chapter 7
Unfortunately she couldn’t stay at home for forever and she had to go to school. She was so nervous the first day. She had no idea what to expect at this new school. She just hoped with all of her heart that it wouldn’t be like her last one.
First day of school. What would it be like? She slowly and awkwardly walked into her first class, World History. Her teacher was a nice looking young man who appeared to be in his mid 20’s. His name was Jacob Copperfield. When she walked in he introduced himself. She smiled and told him she was Crystal Peterson.
“Well it is a pleasure to meet you Miss Peterson. I hope you won’t find me to be a boring teacher” he said chuckling to himself.
“Oh, well I’m sure you’re a great teacher Mr. Copperfield.” She said with a half-smile. Finally the bell rang signaling the beginning of class so she took her seat.
“Students”, began Mr. Copperfield, “To start off today I would like to point out that we have a new addition to our class. Miss Crystal Peterson.” And with that he went right into the study of the Greeks.
When class ended all the students rushed out. Crystal lagged behind looking at her schedule to find out where and when her next class was, trying not to move too fast so as not to get nauseous. As she looked up from her paper she noticed that one of the guys from class was sitting on his desk watching her.
When he saw that she had finally looked up he jumped up and said “Hey! My name is Evan. What’s your next class?”
Crystal blushed, “My name is Crystal. My next class is Chemistry. What’s yours?”
Evan grinned. “Wow! That’s mine too! If you don’t mind, I’ll walk you there.”
Crystal smiled “Sure that’d be great! Thanks.”
With that she picked up her backpack and they walked out. As they walked down the halls they made small talk in an effort to get to know each other. Of course Crystal didn’t mention anything about her pregnancy or her past drug problem. It’s just not something most people will tell a perfect stranger. By the time they had finally gotten to Chemistry class they had discovered that they had 4 classes together. Evan was 16 as well and he lived with his parents.
In class Crystal introduced herself to Mrs. Lynch then sat down. Evan sat into the seat next to her. He had told her that he had a lot of friends here so he would introduce them to her. As the kids filed in he would call out “Jim” or “Lilly” and he would introduce them to her. By the time Chemistry had started Crystal knew Evan, Jim, Lilly, Brian, Justin, and Carli. She thought to herself, as Mrs. Lynch started the lesson, “What a difference this is from my old school. This is only my 2nd class and I already know 6 people!” She smiled to herself and concentrated on what Mrs. Lynch was teaching.
By the end of the day when Suzanne came to pick her up to go buy a cell-phone she was smiling.
“And what are you so smiley about today Miss Crystal”, Suzanne asked teasingly.
“Well,” Crystal started, “This is only my first day of school and I’ve already made a friend. Well I don’t just have 1 friend, I know 6 other people! Evan is my friend and I know Carli, Justin, Lilly, Brian, and Jim. And I have all of their numbers in my notebook so I can text them tonight when I get my phone!”
Suzanne smiled, “Hold it right there missy! There will be no texting until your homework is all done and your room cleaned.”
Crystal laughed, “My, my! How strict! I guess that’s a good idea! Are we almost to the phone store?”
“My! Your impatient! We will be there in about 3 minutes.”
For the next hour Crystal was truly beside herself with happiness. She had a certain feeling deep inside of her. It felt good. It was the feeling of finally feeling like she belonged somewhere. She felt loved.
Later they walked out of the store with a new phone. Crystal had gotten one with a touch-screen and a slide-out keyboard. They worked out an agreement that as long as Crystal could pay for her phone she could keep it. She had gotten a job in town at a fast-food restaurant on Wednesday. She would work there every Tuesday and Thursday from 5-8 P.M. On Mondays she would baby-sit a 3 year-old girl that lived down the street. She was going to be really busy.
Chapter 8
Crystal was so entirely busy in the following weeks that they flew by. She grew into a healthier looking girl and she usually always wore a smile. Something in her changed. Something had changed her. It was a thing called love. As she grew healthier, her baby grew as well. And with the growth of the baby, her tummy grew. She wondered what her friends would think. She finally mustered up the courage to tell a few of them about her past. Evan was the most understanding of them all. He never once teased her about it and he didn’t act as if anything was different. With his help she had so much fun making new friends and getting to know them better. But the best part about this new life was that she had a brand new family that loved her. She finally had friends that didn’t judge her. It was an amazing thing.
One of the many things that had changed in her life since she moved in with the Peterson’s was that she started going to church. She had never even been to a church before that she could remember. They went every Sunday for the services and every Wednesday for the prayer service and youth service.
She looked forward to going to church every week. She liked the fact that everyone there was so nice. She also enjoyed listening to the preacher. Although most of the time she didn’t know what he was talking about she still enjoyed it. She knew who God was and that He loved her but she didn’t really understand how anybody could love her so much that they would die for her. She was a 16 year-old pregnant girl. She had once been addicted to drugs, numerous nights in her past she had been drunk, she had done so many bad things.
One Sunday Pastor Carl announced that their church was going to be the meeting place for a Revival. The Revival would last for a week. Every single night there would be a different preacher. Crystal was so excited. She had never been to a Revival but from what she had been told it sounded amazing!
Since their church was the meeting place they had to get the church ready. The whole week before the Revival everybody was busy cleaning and preparing the church. Everyone was so excited about this wonderful event!
Finally Sunday night came. It was the day they had all been waiting for! It was so much fun watching all the people set up their things. Everyone just had this spirit of peace and love for one another.
Eventually the service started. They sang many, many hymns at the beginning of the service. It sounded so beautiful. Everybody just seemed to sing with their whole hearts. The Revival was held in the sanctuary and it was almost completely packed! As Crystal looked around she was just in awe of everything that she saw. She saw true joy on faces young and old. She saw the light of Jesus shining through a lot of people’s smiles. She just had this spirit of awe. She definitely could feel God’s presence. It was like nothing she had ever felt before.
After the singing the preaching began. This was preaching like Crystal had never heard before. The preacher was Brother Davis and he was preaching on the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
“Jesus, God’s one and only Son, was born of a virgin, here on earth. Mary had never been with a man. She was pure. Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem because not one single person could make room for the very precious Son of God in their Inn’s. He was born in a simple barn, then wrapped in rags, and they laid Him in a manger, a feeding trough. That’s where Jesus was born. The highest of Kings was born in the lowest of places. But that is not the whole of this story.
“He grew up without ever telling one single lie, he never argued, not once did he hit his brother. He didn’t sin even one time. He was perfect! When He became a man He went through the country and taught everybody. He caused the blind to see. He made the crippled walk. He made the mute talk. He raised the dead. He walked on water. He performed so many miracles. He had done so much, yet all the people didn’t love Him.
They didn’t like the influence that He had on the people. The Romans, decided that they would kill Him. The king of that time thought that Jesus was going to overthrow his kingdom. One night when Jesus was praying in the garden the soldiers came and took Him away. They sentenced Him the worst form of death, death on the cross. Before they took him to nail him to the cross they stripped and beat him.
“This form of beating was called the “Roman Half Death” because most of the people that were put through this hideous form of torture died before they were even executed. The Roman Half Death was when Roman soldiers would take a whip. This was no ordinary horse whip. This whip had pieces of glass, jagged slices of clay pots, broken bones, and thorns all tied into this horrible device. This was the worst punishment anyone could suffer in this time. By the time the Roman soldiers were finished beating him his body was bruised, bloody, and had large chunks of skin missing. All this from a whip.
“After he suffered through this terrible beating they took a crown with very large thorns. Once again these thorns were not like your ordinary rose bush thorn, they were several inches long and so thick. They took the crown of thorns and pounded into his head. While blood mingled with His tears the placed a scarlet robe on Him. This robe was a way to mock Him once again. The scarlet robe was a form of deity, and power. Then He was led up the hill. A man named Simon was forced to carry the cross.
“All along the path up the hill people spat on Him, mocked Him, made fun of Him, and threw things at Him. When they got there they laid that huge cross down on the ground and placed him there on it. They drove enormous nails into his hands and into his feet. Then they hung a sign above his head that said “This is Jesus, King of the Jews”. There Jesus hung. There on that hill there were two thieves. One on each side. Folks, this here was the Precious Son of God! That night one of those thieves went to be with God in Heaven because he believed. Jesus died the fastest death out of anyone on that cross. These deaths were supposed to be long and slow. But he died quick.
“To make the people die quicker they would brake their legs. When it came time for His to be broken he didn’t utter a sound. He was already dead. To make sure of it one of the soldiers thrust a spear into His side. Out poured blood mixed with water. The soldier said ‘This truly must be the Son of God’. After He died they laid Him in a tomb where no man had ever been buried before. But that’s not the end of the story.
“Three days later He rose from the dead! HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD! And now He lives in Heaven. The only way we can get to Heaven is to be perfect, to have no sin. But we all have sinned. In Romans 3:23 it says ‘For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God’. Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins. To forgive them. To get to Heaven you must believe in your heart that God loves you and that Jesus died for you. He died for every single one of us. John 3:16 says ‘For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ Those that don’t accept His gift of salvation will be sent to the lake of fire called Hell. Hell is a very real place. There will be weeping and the souls there will be in eternal agony with no relief.
On Judgment Day you will stand before God. What will you say when He asks you why He should allow you to come into Heaven? If you haven’t received Him He will cast you into Hell. There is no going back on your decision once you have died. You can’t get out of Hell. It is a permanent place of torture. Will you accept His free gift of Salvation? If you would like to ask Him to forgive and from your sins and do to come into your heart please come down the aisle. We have many willing adults here waiting to talk with you and assist you.”
And with that the pianist started playing the piano and everyone started singing Amazing Grace. Crystal was beside herself. She couldn’t take all of this in. She wanted to be saved. She wanted to be a part of God’s family. So before she knew it she quickly made her way down to the aisle and hurriedly walked down it the very same way that so many others were doing at that very moment. She made it to the front of the church and hugged Brother Davis. “Thank-you so much for that sermon” she whispered into his ear. She then moved along to one of the ladies waiting to speak with her.
Chapter 9
When Crystal came out of the room and walked back up the aisle she had no idea how long she had been in there. All she knew was that she had been saved by the blood of Jesus. All her sins were washed away. He now lived in her heart and was in control of her life. As she made her way back to her seat. She couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. She felt so alive, so wonderful. When she turned onto their row she saw Brad and Suzanne. The traces of tears on their faces.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
“Nothing is wrong. When Brad and I watched you walk down that aisle to ask Jesus into your heart we were overjoyed.” Replied Suzanne.
This was the happiest day of Crystal’s life. As she went to bed that night she lay awake in bed for a while just thinking, “Wow! I have a mom and dad that love me, the One True God is now King of my life, and I know that no matter what happens God will always be here for me! This is so AMAZING! I have been so blessed.”
All of the sudden she sat up as fast as she could. She suddenly had this hunger to know more about God. So she pulled out her Bible and began at the beginning, Genesis. She was amazed at how God created the whole world so perfectly. When she had finished all 50 chapters of Genesis it was 4:00 A.M! She hadn’t even realized how late it was getting! She decided she had to get some sleep for school the next day. She slid down underneath the covers and whispered a prayer of thanks to God as she fell asleep.
“BEEP!! BEEP!! BEEP!!” Screamed Crystal’s alarm clock the next morning. Crystal moaned. She rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 6:30! She only had 30 minutes to get ready for school. She jumped out of bed, ran to her closet, grabbed her clothes, ran into the bathroom, and was out in a record 2 minutes! She quickly washed her hands and grabbed her brush as she hurriedly pulled her hair back into a ponytail.
She ran to the kitchen to get something to eat. She was surprised to see that it had only taken her 5 minutes to get ready! She quickly grabbed the box of cheerios out of the cabinet and poured them into a bowl with a splash of milk. While she ate she began to read the 2nd book of the Bible, Exodus. Pretty soon Suzanne came into the kitchen.
“Good morning sweetie” she said cheerfully.
“Good morning Mom!” came Crystal’s reply.
“Wait! What did you say?”
“Ummm.. I said ‘Good morning Mom’”
“You, you called me mom.” she exclaimed rushing over to hug her.
Crystal hugged her tightly. “I love you mom!” She said tears streaming down her face.
“I love you too Crystal. I love you so much.” They hugged for a long while both crying.
Eventually Brad came in and saw them both crying. As soon as Crystal saw him she jumped up and ran to hug him.
“Good morning Dad! I love you!”
Brad hugged her back, “Good morning dear! I love you too!”
She ran out the door just as the school bus was pulling up. The day passed by so quickly. She was thrilled to be alive. She couldn’t remember a day in her life that she had been happier. That day she shared her new faith with her friends and invited them all to the revival.
That night they got to the Revival at 6:45 so they would have time to visit with the other people. Crystal hadn’t been there for very long when she saw Evan, Lilly, Justin, and Carli from school. She walked to the back of the room to say hi.
“Hey ya’ll! Do ya’ll want to come and meet my parents?”
“Uhh yeah! We’d love to.” Said Justin.
“OK then! Follow me!”
She walked down the aisle with her friends following behind.
“Mom, Dad, this is Evan, Justin, Carli, and Lilly. Y’all these are my parents.” They all shook hands, gave friendly hugs, and smiled.
“The service is about to start so would it be ok if they sat with us?” Crystal asked.
“Of course. That’s fine. But ya’ll have to pay attention.” Replied Brad.
The service started with tons of singing, once again. They sang old favorites like “Amazing Grace”, “When I Survey”, “It Is Well With My Soul”, “The Old Rugged Cross”, and “Just As I Am”. Crystal and her friends had a good time singing together and just worshipping. That night Brother Carlisle preached. First he preached on everything that God has done for us. How he created everything, Jesus birth, death, and resurrection. Then they had the invitation. Crystal was surprised to see Justin, Lilly and Carli all walking down the aisle to the front. Evan whispered to Crystal that he had already asked Jesus into his heart but he knew that the others hadn’t. When the others came back she gave them all big hugs and told them how excited she was for them.
They finished up the singing and Brother Carlisle went back and preached about God’s calling for Christians. He said that once you ask Jesus into your heart he wants you to tell others about what he has done for all of us. He said “We are supposed to be missionaries in every single way we can. We need to teach the Gospel of Christ to every and nation and to every land!”
This part of the sermon got Crystal really excited. She decided that no matter what, she would tell others about Jesus. After the service was over she talked with her friends about the amazing sermons.
“And when he got to that part about how we need to tell others about Jesus I just got so excited and I realized that we need to do that. So I promised God that no matter what, I would do that!”
For several more minutes they talked about their favorite parts of the night. But unfortunately they all had to go home so that they could get some sleep for school the following day. Crystal said goodbye to her friends and followed her parents out to the truck.
On the way home she told them about her decision. But she knew that before she started she would have to read her Bible and listen to a lot more sermons.
When they got home Crystal had a quick snack while she finished her homework then read her Bible and tumbled into bed.
The rest of the week flew by so quickly. Crystal had school every day, then a hurried supper, next the Revival, then back home again to finish homework and go to bed. Although her schedule was crazy she loved it! She loved getting to hear something new about her awesome God every night.
After the Revival was over Crystal decided that she would do as much she could to tell other people about God. No matter what It took. Even in day-to-day situations. If God prompted her to ask someone if they knew where they were going when they died she would ask them, Basically no matter what she would serve God.
Chapter 10
Weeks passed and the time grew closer and closer for Crystal to have her baby. Her mind was flooded with worries and questions. What would the baby look like? What would it feel like to have a baby? Would the baby love her? Would it cry a lot? What if the baby didn’t make it. What if she couldn’t handle having a baby.
Finally the day came for Crystal to have her baby. Brad and Suzanne took her to the hospital. 4 hours later Crystal gave birth to a baby girl. It would be a lie to say that she was healthy, because she wasn’t. She couldn’t breathe on her own. She needed oxygen. The doctors went into quick action and hooked the baby up to a breathing machine. Even though her baby had tubes in her nose, and many other things were visibly wrong with her, Crystal thought she was beautiful. She knew that no matter what, she would always love her baby. Nothing could change that. She knew that God would take care of her. Her little baby was in God’s hands.
The baby girl was tiny. Even though she was only born a week premature she had not received the amount of oxygen and nutrients while in the womb to grow. The doctors said that her brain had not fully developed. They didn’t even know if she would survive.
As she held her baby girl in her arms she cried. It was all her fault that she was this way. What if she didn’t survive. It would be as if she had killed her. Oh why did she have to use those drugs. As she looked down at her baby hooked up to the oxygen machine she decided to name her Grace. If Grace survived she would remind Crystal every day of how sufficient God’s grace is, and how much He had done for her.
The hours following were hard ones. Crystal watched Grace from her bed. They had put her into a special crib so that she wouldn’t be exposed to as many germs. They now had her hooked up to a feeding machine as well. The doctors told Crystal that the baby would not make it through that night. She would never live to see a sunrise. She wouldn’t even learn her own name. Tears streaming down her face, Crystal cried out to God. Begging, pleading, that somehow He would spare her baby girl. Brad and Suzanne held Crystal’s hand the whole time. Sitting by her side. Praying with her. Crying out to God to show mercy like they knew He could. They called friends and asked for prayers. They never ceased praying.
They stayed up all night. Crystal didn’t want to leave her baby for one moment. If the Lord was going to take her so early on, she was definitely going to spend as much time with her as she could. She sat by her crib talking to her, singing to her, and reading to her from the Bible. She reached her hand into the crib and rubbed Grace’s hand. Crystal bowed her head and cried. She couldn’t believe that she had finally had her baby and she might lose her.
Crystal was just drifting to sleep when she felt little fingers wrap around her finger! Was she dreaming? Surely this wasn’t possible! She looked up, and Grace had opened her eyes and was looking right at her. Crystal followed her daughter’s figure down to her left hand. Sure enough, her tiny fingers were wrapped around Crystals pointer finger! Too shocked to utter a sound Crystal sat there tears of joy pouring from her eyes. She whispered a prayer of thanks to God. He had worked a miracle. Grace had responded for the first time in her 7 hours of life outside the womb.
Finally she found her voice. “Mom! Dad! Dr. Scott! Come quick! Grace opened her eyes!” They all rushed over. Dr. Scott looked at the little baby girl. Sure enough, her eyes were wide open. Still fixed on Crystal. She knew it was her mommy. It was a miracle! Suzanne buried her face in Brad’s shirt and cried.
Dr. Scott didn’t have time to be emotional or excited just then. He knew that he had to check her over right away. He did a thorough examination and turned back to the Petersons, who were still wiping tears from their eyes.
“Looks like she is going to make it. You people must serve an awesome God. Only 5 hours ago we didn’t expect her to even make it this long. It’s something supernatural. She’s not out of the woods yet, though. She still has a long way to go. Right now she still needs to be on oxygen and she still needs to have the feeding machine. It’s hard to tell how long she will need to be here, but it looks like 7 days at the least. At this point I don’t know if she will be able to breathe on her own. We may be able to slowly wean her off of the oxygen. But there are no guarantees. That’s all I can say for now.”
“Thank you so much Dr. Scott. We appreciate you and your team very much.” said Brad.
Crystal continued to rub Grace’s hand. She was still in shock that her baby girl was responsive and that she would probably make it. “God is so good!” She thought to herself. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose her baby girl. Even though Crystal didn’t know who Grace’s father was, she knew that she would love her all the more. She promised herself that she would never let Grace live the same life that she had lived. She would make sure of it. She couldn’t bear to think of what would have happened to her if she hadn’t run away, or if Brad and Suzanne wouldn’t have found her. She knew that she would give her baby girl the life that she didn’t have the chance to experience.
The next week was spent praying for baby Grace and thanking God that she survived. Grace rapidly grew and gained weight. She didn’t have to be on oxygen as much. The doctors didn’t expect that for at least 2 more weeks. It was a miracle. Grace was still very susceptible to infection and even the slightest thing could cause her to get sick. They had to be super careful about washing their hands and keeping everything clean. She wasn’t allowed to have visitors just yet but that didn’t keep the Peterson’s friends from coming and visiting Crystal. Friends could stand outside the door and look as Crystal held Grace up for them to see but nobody was allowed to touch her, and very few were even allowed inside of the room.
As Crystal sat by Grace’s crib one day she saw a leather-bound notebook that she had never noticed before. She opened it. The front page said “Stories of Life and Death” in big letters. “What in the world?! Who would write something like that?” But she was curious so she turned the page. The first page she read was the story of a 22 year old young woman who had decided to go through with an abortion. The story told of how she had a medical abortion. When she woke up from surgery she found out that her arms hurt really bad and were severely bruised. She came to the conclusion that even though she didn’t remember it, she must have been fighting for her baby’s life. She was never the same after that.
Crystal read page after page of tragic stories of women that had gone through with an abortion. Finally she came across a story that really hit her hard.
“Hi, Mommy. I'm your baby. You don't know me yet, I'm only a few weeks old. You're going to find out about me soon, though, I promise. Let me tell you some things about me. My name is John, and I've got beautiful brown eyes and black hair. Well, I don't have it yet, but I will when I'm born. I'm going to be your only child, and you'll call me your one and only. I'm going to grow up without a daddy mostly, but we have each other. We'll help each other, and love each other. I want to be a doctor when I grow up.
You found out about me today, Mommy! You were so excited, you couldn't wait to tell everyone. All you could do all day was smile, and life was perfect. You have a beautiful smile, Mommy. It will be the first face I will see in my life, and it will be the best thing I see in my life. I know it already....
Today was the day you told Daddy. You were so excited to tell him about me! ...He wasn't happy, Mommy. He kind of got angry. I don't think that you noticed, but he did. He started to talk about something called wedlock, and money, and bills, and stuff I don't think I understand yet. You were still happy, though, so it was okay. Then he did something scary, Mommy. He hit you. I could feel you fall backward, and your hands flying up to protect me. I was okay... but I was very sad for you. You were crying then, Mommy. That's a sound I don't like. It doesn't make me feel good. It made me cry, too. He said sorry after, and he hugged you again. You forgave him, Mommy, but I'm not sure if I do. It wasn't right. You say he loves you... why would he hurt you? I don't like it, Mommy................
Finally, you can see me! Your stomach is a little bit bigger, and you're so proud of me! You went out with your mommy to buy new clothes, and you were so, so, so happy. You sing to me, too. You have the most beautiful voice in the whole wide world. When you sing is when I'm happiest. And you talk to me, and I feel safe. So safe. You just wait and see, Mommy. When I am born I will be perfect just for you. I will make you proud, and I will love you with all of my heart. I can move my hands and feet now, Mommy. I do it because you put your hands on your belly to feel me, and I giggle. You giggle, too. I love you, Mommy.
Daddy came to see you today, Mommy. I got really scared. He was acting funny and he wasn't talking right. He said he didn't want you. I don't know why, but that's what he said. And he hit you again. I got angry, Mommy. When I grow up I promise I won't let you get hurt! I promise to protect you. Daddy is bad. I don't care if you think that he is a good person, I think he's bad. But he hit you, and he said he didn't want us. He doesn't like me. Why doesn't he like me, Mommy?
You didn't talk to me tonight, Mommy. Is everything okay? It's been three days since you saw Daddy. You haven't talked to me or touched me or anything since that. Don't you still love me, Mommy? I still love you. I think you feel sad. The only time I feel you is when you sleep. You sleep funny, kind of curled up on your side. And you hug me with your arms, and I feel safe and warm again. Why don't you do that when you're awake, any more?
I'm 21 weeks old today, Mommy. Aren't you proud of me? We're going somewhere today, and it's somewhere new. I'm excited. It looks like a hospital, too. I want to be a doctor when I grow up, Mommy. Did I tell you that? I hope you're as excited as I am. I can't wait. ...Mommy, I'm getting scared. Your heart is still beating, but I don't know what you are thinking. The doctor is talking to you. I think something's going to happen soon. I'm really, really, really scared, Mommy. Please tell me you love me. Then I will feel safe again. I love you! Mommy, what are they doing to me!? It hurts! Please make them stop! It feels bad! Please, Mommy, please, please help me! Make them stop! Don't worry Mommy, I'm safe. I'm in heaven with Jesus and the angels now. They told me what you did, and they said it's called an abortion. Why, Mommy? Why did you do it? Don't you love me any more? Why did you get rid of me? I'm really, really, really sorry if I did something wrong, Mommy. I love you, Mommy! I love you with all of my heart. Why don't you love me? What did I do to deserve what they did to me? I want to live, Mommy! Please! It really, really hurts to see you not care about me, and not talk to me. Didn't I love you enough? Please say you'll keep me, Mommy! I want to live, smile, and watch the clouds and see your face and grow up and be a doctor. I don't want to be here, I want you to love me again! I'm really, really, really sorry if I did something wrong. I love you! I love you, Mommy.”
Of course this wasn’t actually a baby telling the story, but just the thought of how the baby might have felt made Crystal cry. She couldn’t imagine what would have happened if she had gone through with her abortion. If she had never really thought of an abortion as actually killing a human being. She looked over at Grace and thanked God that He hadn’t allowed her to have an abortion. Her baby might not be healthy, but at least she was alive.
Chapter 11
Three long weeks after Grace was born she was allowed to go home. She still had to be on oxygen for 6 hours a day but she was able to feed out of a bottle now. It was a miracle. The doctor’s were astounded at the progress she had made. At the very beginning she wasn’t even expected to live. Only by the Grace of God was she still alive and now at home.
Now that they had gotten home Crystal couldn’t help but wonder what would happen after this. How would she go to school? Would she ever be able to hang out with her friends again? Finally Crystal decided that it was pointless to worry about the future when she knew that God was in control. She bowed her head and thanked God for all that He had done for her. She thanked Him for protection and for her beautiful baby girl.
The decision was made that Crystal would be home schooled from then on. She couldn’t imagine being gone from her baby all day every day. She still kept her job’s but she was still able to take care of Grace during the day and at night. It took her a little while for her to get used to being at home all day but she enjoyed being able to spend so much time with Grace.
One day while Crystal was at home with Grace there was a knock at the door. She answered it and screamed when she saw who was there. It was Jack and Tony! The drug dealers. They pushed the door open. Tony grabbed Crystal by the arm and pulled her into the kitchen.
“Wh-wh-what are you doing here?” Crystal stuttered.
Jack laughed, “It’s good to see you too! Nice to see that you still stutter when your nervous. We came to get back the money that you owe us. Remember? You skipped town months ago without paying us back. You owe us a lot of money. Needless to say, our head boss ain’t too happy about that.”
“Well, I-I-I’m not giving you any money! You can’t make me. So leave, right now!”
“Oh really? So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh? Well, just who exactly is going to make us leave? Nobody is home. Well, nobody except for you and your baby that is.”
Crystal gasped, “How do you know about Grace?”
“Oh Crystal, we know everything about you. We know that you got adopted. We know that you had a baby. We know EVERYTHING. Let’s see. Now what would make our little friend here pay us the money she owes us? What do you think Tony?”
“I don’t know Jack. Oh Wait! I do know! We could take her baby. I’m sure that would be enough to make her give us the money. What do you think about that Crystal?”
She didn’t find his exceptionally high voice funny this time.
“You can’t take my baby! I will have you both arrested for kidnapping and for possession of illegal substances. I happen to know that you never leave your place without packing your Candy somewhere on you.”
“Well, what a smart girl you turned out to be after all. Do you really think that the cops would be able to get us? You know us better than that Crystal.” Jack eased over closer to Crystal and put his arm around her waist.
“Get off of me you creep!” Crystal shrieked. “I swear, if you touch me one more time I’m calling the cops!”
Just then they all heard a car pull up in the driveway. Crystal knew it was Suzanne. She was praying that Suzanne would figure out that something was wrong. Somehow. They heard a car door slam. Footsteps were coming up the sidewalk.
Before Crystal knew it Tony and Jack had took off running through the house. She ran after them realizing that they were headed towards her room where Grace was sleeping! How did they know where she slept? Oh well, it didn’t matter now. She reached the bedroom right as she heard the front door open and the back door slam shut. She raced over to Grace’s crib. Looked down inside of it and sank to her knees, sobbing.
Suzanne heard the crying and walked into her room. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Are you ok?”
“No mom. Tony and Jack found me. They took Grace!”
“Sweetie. Who are Tony and Jack and why on earth did they take Grace?”
“They are the drug dealers from when I was living with Aunt Jodi. They took Grace because I wouldn’t pay them back for the drugs. I won’t ever see Grace again! Why did this happen?!”
“OK. The only thing we can do right now is call the police and pray. I don’t know what God is going to work through this, but He has a plan and this is all a part of it. You come sit in the living room and I’m going to call the police and your father. Just pray honey.”
Crystal got up and slowly walked into the living room. As she sat down on the couch she could hear Suzanne in the kitchen on the phone with the Police. She sounded calm but Crystal detected the worried note in her voice. She then heard her hang up the phone and dial another number. Crystal knew it was Brad’s number that she was dialing. Crystal sat on the couch, head buried in her hands, tears pouring down her face.
When Suzanne hung up the phone she came over and put her arm around Crystal. She flinched then realized that it was the touch of someone who loved her and fell into her mothers embrace. They sat there for a few moments, not saying a single word. They soon heard a car pulling into the driveway. They both jumped up and raced to the door. It was Brad. As he walked up the sidewalk Crystal ran into his arms and cried. He held her in his embrace and kissed her head, all the while exchanging a look with Suzanne that was filled with concern, worry, and pain. Suzanne came over and wrapped her arms around the two most important people in her life.
Before too long a police car pulled into the driveway. Two police officers walked over, a man and a woman. They discussed the situation for a few moments and decided that it was best for the Peterson’s to wait inside the house for any phone call’s. The police department would send over three of their people as civilians and hook up a phone tap so they could track any call’s from Tony and Jack. Once they called the officers would send out a team to get the crooks. The officers then left and told the Peterson’s to go inside the house.
Brad was the first to speak once they got inside,
“OK, I think the best thing to do is have an immediate prayer meeting.”
They all got down on their knees and held hands. Brad started off the prayer,
“Dear God, right now we can’t understand why this has happened. For some reason you have allowed our precious Grace to be taken from our home. We know that you have a reason for doing this. If it is your will, please bring her back safely to us. Help the police to take the necessary measures to bring her back. We know that it is all in Your hands and we thank You for all that You have done for us.”
Suzanne took up the prayer at that time, “Dear God. I pray that you will protect little baby Grace. Please cause Jack and Tony to realize that they need You. Help them to realize that earthly things don’t matter. Protect the officers as they are going to be out there trying to get Grace back. I thank you for your sovereign hand that has been protecting us for all this time. May your will be done.”
Crystal choked back the tears as she closed the prayer, “Dear Lord, please bring my baby back! I don’t know how I could live without her. Please just bring her back. My heart is aching for her. Protect my baby dear God. Don’t let Jack and Tony hurt her. She’s so young. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if anything bad happened to her. Help the cops to get those guys. I love you so much dear Lord and I thank you for your protection. Continue to hold my baby in Your hands. Thank you for never letting go of us. I love you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.”
The group came together in a hug once again and just sat there for a few moments. No one had words to say. They all felt that a burden had been lifted from their backs. God was going to come through for them. They just knew it. They knew His will would be done and they would give Him praise for whatever happened.
They were all sitting in the kitchen a short while later when they heard the sound of a car coming up the driveway. They heard footsteps coming up the sidewalk. A knock at the door. Crystal was silently praying that it was the police with her baby. Brad got up and went to the door. He opened it to three plain clothed police men. They quickly set up the phone tap and sat down in the living room. After three hours of pure torture the phone rang. Crystal jumped at the sound. Brad collected himself and answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Uh.. Hello, is this the Peterson residence?”
“Yes it is. Who is this?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am. The only thing that matters is I have something that belongs to you, well actually, someone.”
Brad gulped and gave the signal that it was them. He slowly answered, “Ok, what do you want?”
“The question is not what I want, but what you are willing to give to me, for what you want.”
“Well, what exactly did you have in mind?”
“Oh, that is definitely something I do know the answer to. Five grand. You bring it, alone. Tonight, 8:00. Bring it to your local park. Cash, in a brown paper bag. Don’t ask any questions. The baby will be there. Remember, alone! If you have cops backing you up, the baby dies.”
“OK. I will be there.”
“Make sure you are alone. Got it? Oh, and tell Crystal that she has a beautiful baby and that if she ever wants another drug fix, she knows where she can find us. Goodbye. See you at 8:00.” And with that he hung up laughing maniacally.
“You did a good job Brad. You kept him on the phone just long enough for us to get a trace on him. We should be able to get him. I’m sending out a couple car’s to get them right now. Baby Grace should be back in no time at all.”
With that the Peterson’s embraced and said a prayer of thanks to God. Now all they had to do was wait. Waiting turned out to be the hardest thing yet. Every minute seemed like an hour.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, they got a call that they had captured Jack and Tony! They had rescued Grace and she was safe. A couple policewomen were on their way to the Peterson’s house with Grace. A huge cry went up from Brad, Suzanne, and Crystal when they got the news. They were so happy. They once again prayed a prayer of thanks to God. Once again He had come through for them. He never failed. They were in awe of how awesome their God was.
For the final time that day they heard a car coming up the driveway. That was all it took for Crystal to get outside. She ran to the police car and opened the back door for a pleasant police woman who had Grace in her arms. Tears streaming down her face, Crystal took her baby in her arms once again. She was so relieved to have her baby back. She gave the police woman a big hug and thanked her over and over again for bringing her baby home. She brought her baby into the house, gave her a bottle, changed her clothes and diaper, and put her into bed. It had been a long day. Crystal was soon to follow, but not before she prayed a special prayer to God.
“Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You so much for returning my baby to me. You have blessed me in so many ways. You allowed me to find two wonderful parents. I needed them so much and can’t thank You enough for bringing me to them. You have blessed me in so many ways. Your blessings have been so abundant in my life. Thank you for my friends and two loving parents. Thank you for my beautiful baby. Thank you for keeping her safe. Now dear God, I pray for Jack and Tony. I forgive them, and I know that you forgive them. Help them to come to know you before it’s too late. They need You just as much as I do. Help me to be a witness to them and all others that are around me. Thank you for being so merciful to me. I love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.”
She said goodnight to Brad and Suzanne and tumbled into bed. She was exhausted. But most of all she had a new outlook on life. She realized how blessed she was. She realized that God was enough for her. If she lost everything she knew that she could count on God to be right there for her. He was her Sustainer, He was the reason she breathed each breath. She was completely depended on Him.
From the Author
God was enough for Crystal, and He wants to be enough for you too. Can you let Him be the King of your life? He has done so much for you. Look around. God created the whole world. He’s done so much for you. You are SO blessed.
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who won't survive the week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 20 million people around the world.
If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than almost three billion people in the world.
If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If your parents are still married and alive, you are very rare, especially in the United States.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful,
you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God's healing touch.
If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read anything at all.
Think about it. We are so blessed. We have so much. Is God enough for you?
