Page 37 of Echoes of Eternity

She shook her head. “You can’t remember anything from this morning?”

He shook his head. “No.”

After visiting with the doctor a short time later, they learned it was common to lose part of your memory after a traumatic event such as a car wreck. There was a chance it could come back, but the doctor said time would tell.

After a restless night of sleep in the hospital, Ryan made his way out of bed and over to the window as the sun began to rise in Cedarwood Creek. He tried to recall the events of the accident but came up blank. How is this possible? he wondered as he saw birds sitting on a telephone wire outside his window. Adjusting his footing, he felt a wave of pain from his shoulder, and he coughed, causing pain to radiate in his torso and ribs.

A nurse walked in. “Good morning, Mr. Fitzgerald. How are you feeling? Must be good if you’re up.”

“I’ve been lying awake for hours. I’m in a lot of pain.”

“Let’s take care of that pain for you. Come lie back down.”

As she helped him into the bed, he shook his head. “Why did this happen to me?”

“Oh, sir. You have the Lord’s favor to be alive. Did you see the photos of the wreck you were in? Your brother showed me, and you’re lucky to be alive.”

He scoffed. “I don’t feel lucky.”

Crossing her arms, she shook her head slowly. “You have a perspective problem. God saved your life yesterday, and today you’re complaining?”

Ryan didn’t respond but looked away.

“We’re the biggest hospital around for these small towns nearby, and I tell everyone the same thing who comes in here with a near-miss on that freeway. God gave you a second chance. Don’t waste it.”

As the nurse left the room after administering the medicine, Bill, the head deacon of the church, stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

“Hello, Ryan.”

Looking away from Bill, Ryan looked toward his hospital room’s window. “What are you doing here?”

He slowly walked in and over to the hospital bed. “Heard about your accident. I wanted to see if you’re alright.”

“I’m fine.”

A sly smile lifted on Bill’s lips as he shook his head. “That’s not true, Ryan. And neither is the fact that your father was transferring money to a rescue mission in Spokane.”

Ryan’s heart pounded. He looked over at Bill with furrowed eyebrows. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Bill shook his head and placed a hand on his shoulder as he leaned in closer. “Your brother doesn’t realize his buddy who does research is my nephew. Listen, I’m going to find out the truth about your father, and when I do, you’re done in Cedarwood Creek. You and the Fitzgerald name.”

“Why does any of it matter to you, Bill? Seriously. What’s your problem, man?”

Bill relaxed, pulling himself away from Ryan’s bed. He walked over to the window, keeping his back to Ryan as he spoke. “Your father wounded me in a way I’ll never forget.”

“What?”

“He pressured me to confess my affair to my wife years ago. And then she left me.”

“So that’s his fault? I don’t get your vendetta.”

“Yes, it was his fault. And I know Frank has a secret.” Bill came over to the hospital bed once again. He shook his head as he narrowed his gaze on Ryan. “A few years ago, Frank needed help with his taxes, and I was feeling generous, even though I hadn’t forgotten what he had done to me. I remember those transfers. Thousands of dollars on his bank statements that he claimed went to a rescue mission in Spokane, but he wouldn’t claim them on his taxes as charity. He did with all his other giving and charity, but not that one. I’ve been trying to figure it out ever since.”

“Whatever, Bill.”

“They’ll run you out of town when I get to the bottom of it. You'd better pack the moving truck.”

As Bill walked out of the hospital room, Ryan stopped him with a few words. “I’ll pray for you.”