AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Closing his eyes for a moment, Will struggled not to give in to the mess of feelings inside him. When he opened them again, Jay was looking at him with concern.
“I wish I knew what to do for her,” Will said. “I’ve tried to call and text her, but she never responds.”
“I’m pretty sure that she hasn’t responded to anyone’s calls or texts.”
Though he tried to respond to anyone who contacted him on his phone, Will had been pretty physically isolated himself because he hadn’t been to church or school since the accident. His own bumps and bruises, plus still being in some pain after leaving the hospital, had made him reluctant to be around people he wasn’t close to.
His own mindset wasn’t great, particularly because he had nothing to do. His mom had hovered for the first week, refusing to leave his side, but that had driven him nuts. Finally, he’d told her to go back to her normal schedule of activities.
It had taken a lot of convincing, but she was finally going out for short periods of time. The silence in the house when she and his dad were gone could be oppressive, and sitting and staring out the living room window didn’t help to promote a positive mindset.
He did make the effort to get up each day, get dressed, and leave his bedroom. If for no other reason on some days, than to keep his mom from worrying too much about him. The hours of the day stretched out, and he tried to find ways to occupy himself, but being limited in his physical capability made it challenging.
At the end of each day, as he lay in his bed, his dad came in to talk and pray with him. It was reminiscent of his childhood days, and he found some comfort in that.
His dad would sit beside his bed and ask him about his day. Then, after chatting about for a bit, he’d share a word of encouragement from the Bible, and they’d pray together.
Will knew that Cathy and Dan would do that for Janessa too, but she needed to be willing to engage. And from what Jay had said, she wasn’t connecting with anyone.
“Miss having you around at the basketball games and pizza night at the house,” Jay said. “Everything is different.”
“This has definitely been a year of significant change, especially for you.”
“Do you think things will ever go back to normal?”
“I don’t know.”
Jay sounded lost, which wasn’t something Will had ever sensed from his best friend before. Unfortunately, Will was also feeling a little lost, and he had no idea what the future held.
“I’d better go,” Jay said as the silence stretched between them. “I’ve got to get to practice.”
“Tell the guys I say hi.”
Jay got to his feet. “I will. They’ve been missing you in class.”
“I miss them too,” Will said. “I can’t wait to get back to teaching.”
Coming close to where Will sat, Jay rested his hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be praying it happens sooner rather than later.”
“Thanks.”
After Jay left, the silence settled heavily on Will. His thoughts went to Janessa, and he wondered what she might be doing right at that moment. From what Jay had said, she was probably in her room sleeping.
Will took a shuddering breath, trying not to let the pain he felt overwhelm him. More than anything, he wanted to be with Janessa. He wanted to be by her side as she worked to overcome her fears.
Except it didn’t seem like she wanted to overcome them. Instead, she was hiding from everyone and allowing fear to consume her whole life.
Bowing his head, Will poured out his heart to God once again, pleading with Him to free Janessa from the fear that had her in its grip. Not for his sake, but for hers. Even if she didn’t want to get back together with him, he loved her enough to want her to live her life without fear.
“Will, darling?” His mom’s words were followed by a light touch on his shoulder.
Will wiped his cheeks with the sleeve of his shirt before looking up. “Hey, Mom.”
“Are you okay?” She lowered herself to the ottoman that was next to the recliner he sat in, then reached out to lightly grip his good arm. “Do you need painkillers?”
He covered her hand with his. “I’m okay. Jay was here a little while ago, and we talked a bit about Janessa.”
“I’m sure that wasn’t easy,” his mom said, her expression exuding understanding. “I also talked to Cathy earlier today.”
