{"id":337,"date":"2013-07-22T14:36:12","date_gmt":"2013-07-22T14:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=337"},"modified":"2025-02-05T00:44:15","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T00:44:15","slug":"chapter-92","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-92\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 92"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 92<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cTo you, O Lord, I call;<\/i>
\nmy rock, do not refuse to hear me,<\/i>
\nfor if you are silent to me,<\/i>
\nI shall be like those who go down to the Pit.<\/i>
\nHear the voice of my supplication,<\/i>
\nas I cry to you for help,<\/i>
\nas I lift up my hands<\/i>
\ntoward your most holy sanctuary.\u201d<\/i>
\n(Psalm 28: 1-2)<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was you who took me from the womb;<\/i>
\nyou kept me safe on my mother\u2019s breast.<\/i>
\nOn you I was cast from my birth,<\/i>
\nand since my mother bore me<\/i>
\nyou have been my God. <\/i>
\nDo not be far from me,<\/i>
\nfor trouble is near<\/i>
\nand there is no one to help.\u201d<\/i>
\n(Psalm 22: 9-11)<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

As I read from the Book of Psalms, I\u2019m reminded of both the greatness and the goodness of my God.\u00a0 My faith in Him has been restored; I\u2019ve been reassured that He is still watching over us, giving us protection from the ungodly creatures that roam His earth, for God is good, and they are the result of evil.<\/i><\/p>\n

Now I look to my Father for guidance in this time of uncertainty.\u00a0 He has blessed us with the miracle of new life in this world of the undead, and I\u2019m grateful, but I am also afraid, both for Gretchen and for our unborn child.\u00a0 So much is at stake, and we have so much to fear.\u00a0 I can\u2019t bear the thought of losing another child, and to lose Gretchen, who has been a source of comfort to me since the day the dead rose, would be equally devastating.<\/i><\/p>\n

Until I found my way back to the Lord, Gretchen was my rock, and now she is so much more \u2013 not only my lover, but the mother of my child.\u00a0 No one can replace Leighanne in my heart, but Gretchen gives me hope that love can still exist in this world.\u00a0 This new baby will not bring back Brooke and Bonnie, but he or she will be loved and, I pray, protected from the threat that exists outside these walls.<\/i><\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the ideal place to have a child, but then, neither was the stable in Bethlehem where Mary gave birth to baby Jesus.\u00a0 If she can do it, so can Gretchen.\u00a0 I know in my heart that God will be with her, but I still worry about everything that could go wrong.\u00a0 I need to give my fears over to my Father, put my trust in Him, and rest assured that He will watch over us.<\/i><\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t always easy, though, to submit to God\u2019s will.\u00a0 I still wish there was something I could do to secure our future and prepare us for what\u2019s to come in the next nine months.\u00a0 The void Jo\u2019s passing left behind seems wider than ever; I know I would feel better if she were still here on Earth to lend her guidance and expertise.\u00a0 But she\u2019s not, and so I pray to my God to give us a sign or send us some help.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure we can do this on our own.<\/i><\/p>\n

Lord, help us\u2026 guide us\u2026 be with us.\u00a0 In this new year, we\u2019ll need Your mercy more than ever.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI sought the Lord, and He answered me<\/i>
\nand delivered me from all of my fears.\u201d<\/i>
\n(Psalm 34: 4)<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cTrust in the Lord, and do good;<\/i>
\nso you will live in the land, and enjoy security. <\/i>
\nTake delight in the Lord,<\/i>
\nand he will give you the desires of your heart.\u201d<\/i>
\n(Psalm 37: 3-4)<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tuesday, January 1, 2013<\/b><\/i><\/b>
\nWeek Thirty-Seven<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cTen\u2026 nine\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Eight-and-a-half months after the world died, Brian looked around the circle of eight at the seven other survivors.<\/p>\n

\u201cSix\u2026 five\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

For the last few minutes, their eyes had been glued to the face of Howie\u2019s watch, which sat on the coffee table in the center of their circle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree\u2026 two\u2026 one\u2026 HAPPY NEW YEAR!\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick was the only one who shouted it.\u00a0 The others let it slip somberly through their lips.\u00a0 Even Gabby looked solemn, although that was nothing new these days.\u00a0 The last of her childlike exuberance had faded away with her mother\u2019s passing.\u00a0 Though still just thirteen, she seemed as much of an adult as the rest of them, world-weary and wise beyond her years.<\/p>\n

Would this world have done the same thing to Brooke and Bonnie?<\/i> Brian sometimes wondered.\u00a0 Perhaps thankfully, he would never find out.\u00a0 All he knew for sure was that his daughters were in a better place.\u00a0 At least they would never have to see the horrors Gabby had witnessed or feel the fear and desperation they all felt on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

The new year was supposed to signify a fresh start, a sense of hope.\u00a0 But it was hard to feel hopeful when they were still, as far as they knew, the only eight people left on the planet, struggling to survive on a base that was surrounded by the living dead, who still skulked outside their fortified fences.\u00a0 How long could they last like this?\u00a0 Eventually, their stock of supplies would run out.\u00a0 Even if their garden succeeded, food would be scarce.\u00a0 And they still hadn\u2019t found a solution for the impending shortage of fuel to feed the generators.\u00a0 Without electricity, they\u2019d be living in the Dark Ages again.\u00a0 It was only a matter of time before the lights went out.\u00a0 Then the only light left in Brian\u2019s life would be the love he shared with Gretchen\u2026 if<\/i> they were lucky.<\/p>\n

The news that Gretchen was carrying his child had come as a surprise, but the glimmer of hope and happiness he\u2019d felt when he\u2019d found out had been extinguished by fear.\u00a0 Contrary to the things he\u2019d said to reassure Gretchen, Brian couldn\u2019t help but worry, both for their baby and for her own health.\u00a0 He knew women had been delivering babies on their own since Eve\u2019s time, but he also knew how many things could go wrong, complications no one on the base would know how to handle.\u00a0 Losing Jo and Kayleigh had been hard on all of them, but Brian feared that losing Gretchen or another child would destroy him.\u00a0 It was that fear that fought with his restored, but fragile faith, threatening to unhinge him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAren\u2019t we supposed to start singing now?\u201d asked Nick, who still managed to look on the bright side, even in the midst of darkness.<\/p>\n

Riley laughed, and the sound lifted Brian\u2019s spirits.\u00a0 \u201cGo for it,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cYou know you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n

So Nick launched into, \u201cShould auld acquaintance be forgot\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026and never brought to mind?\u201d <\/i>Gretchen promptly joined in, surprising them all.\u00a0 Her high, sweet voice made Brian smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cShould auld acquaintance be forgot,\u201d<\/i> he sang along, \u201cand auld lang syne?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Gradually, they all joined in, until there were eight voice chorusing, \u201cFor auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne\u2026 We\u2019ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 Brian could hear AJ\u2019s raspy tenor and Gabby\u2019s shrill soprano echoing about a beat behind the others, unsure of the lyrics, and that made him smile, too.\u00a0 If there was anything left in this world to give him hope, it was these seven people sitting before him.\u00a0 Together, they were still strong, and if their camaraderie could survive, so could they.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about a toast?\u201d suggested Howie, standing up.\u00a0 He disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a bottle of champagne.\u00a0 Brian raised his eyebrows in surprise; Kevin had told him they\u2019d purged the house of alcohol after AJ nearly drank himself to death one day, while he and Gretchen were in Atlanta.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t miss his cousin\u2019s look of disapproval, but Kevin said nothing when Howie came around to fill their glasses.\u00a0 Brian was glad when he skipped AJ, and AJ didn\u2019t protest.<\/p>\n

Everyone else held out their glasses to Howie, except Gretchen, who said, \u201cNone for me, thanks,\u201d when he stopped in front of her.<\/p>\n

Uh oh,<\/i> Brian thought, when the others looked at her in surprise.\u00a0 They hadn\u2019t told anyone else their news, and Riley had been sworn to secrecy until they figured out the best way to do it.\u00a0 This wasn\u2019t the way they\u2019d imagined it, but since when had anything turned out like they\u2019d planned?<\/p>\n

AJ smirked at Gretchen.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s okay, you can drink in front of me.\u00a0 I\u2019m a grown-up; I can handle it.\u201d\u00a0 But before Gretchen could respond, his expression changed.\u00a0 The smirk dropped off his face, as he raised his eyebrows.\u00a0 \u201cUnless\u2026 you\u2019re not pregnant or something, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Though she was far from showing, Gretchen couldn\u2019t hide it.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t have a poker face; her eyes widened, and her cheeks reddened, as a sheepish smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.<\/p>\n

The others stared at her, their mouths dropping open.\u00a0 \u201cSeriously?\u201d asked Kevin, looking from Gretchen to Brian for confirmation.\u00a0 Everyone else\u2019s eyes followed his.<\/p>\n

When Brian ducked his head in a subtle nod, AJ crowed, \u201cHoly shit!\u00a0 You got knocked up by a preacher?!\u00a0 The world really has gone to Hell!\u201d<\/p>\n

At that, Brian felt his own face grow warm, but the weird thing was that he wasn\u2019t really ashamed.\u00a0 Maybe the timing of it was wrong, but the rest felt\u2026 right.\u00a0 If it was in God\u2019s plan, how could it be a mistake?<\/p>\n

He felt reassured by the others\u2019 reactions.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re gonna have a baby<\/i>??\u201d Gabby blurted, sitting up straight in her chair and gaping incredulously at Gretchen.\u00a0 She actually looked excited by the idea.\u00a0 Kevin didn\u2019t seem as thrilled to have one more thing to stress over, but he congratulated both of them, and so did Howie, grinning as he wrung Brian\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

Nick apparently noticed Riley\u2019s lack of a reaction, because he suddenly thrust his finger toward her.\u00a0 \u201cYou knew!\u00a0 How long have you known?\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley smirked.\u00a0 \u201cSince Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n

His mouth gaped.\u00a0 \u201cA week<\/i>?\u00a0 We live in the same house!\u00a0 We share a freaking bed, and you kept this quiet for a whole week<\/i>?!\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed.\u00a0 \u201cIt was Gretchen and Brian\u2019s news to share, not mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Rye.\u201d\u00a0 Gretchen smiled and added, \u201cSorry, Nick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn!\u201d\u00a0 Nick just shook his head in disbelief, causing everyone to laugh at his expense.\u00a0 It lightened the mood in the house, which had been fairly gloomy all night, despite the occasion.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d tried to make New Year\u2019s Eve special, as they had Christmas and Thanksgiving, but Brian had spent it the same way he\u2019d spent all the other holidays they\u2019d celebrated on the base:\u00a0 missing his family and wishing life could go back to the way it used to be.\u00a0 He\u2019d rung in 2012 at home with his wife and children, watching the ball drop in Times Square from the comfort of their living room.\u00a0 Brooke and Bonnie had been allowed to stay up until midnight, hours past their usual bedtime, and they\u2019d toasted with glasses of sparkling grape juice.\u00a0 This year, there was nothing on TV and no one in Times Square but the walking dead.\u00a0 If 2012 was the year of the apocalypse, what other horrors would 2013 have in store for them?<\/p>\n

It was a question that was on all of their minds, but maybe, thought Brian, this would not be another year of horror, but a year of healing.\u00a0 The new year would be a chance for rebirth and renewal\u2026 starting with the birth of his child, the first new life born into this world of death.<\/p>\n

Maybe Gretchen\u2019s pregnancy was not a mistake, but a miracle.<\/p>\n

These were the thoughts he comforted himself with, as he drifted off to sleep at her side in the early hours of the new year.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Brian woke to the sound of Gretchen getting sick.\u00a0 He staggered groggily out of bed and across the hall to the bathroom.\u00a0 The door was partway open, and peeking in, he could see Gretchen on her knees, her head bowed over the toilet.\u00a0 He pushed open the door and walked in, whispering her name so he wouldn\u2019t startle her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m okay,\u201d Gretchen said shakily, without looking up.\u00a0 Her fingers gripped the sides of the toilet seat, like she couldn\u2019t decide whether to let go or not.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just morning sickness again.\u00a0 It\u2019ll pass.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian frowned, hating to see anyone in such a state.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t remember Leighanne ever being so sick; even with twins, she had sailed through her pregnancy.\u00a0 \u201cWas it like this last time?\u201d he wondered out loud.<\/p>\n

She nodded.\u00a0 \u201cOnly in the first trimester.\u00a0 Once I got to my second trimester, I was fine.\u00a0 Second trimester was wonderful.\u00a0 Until\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She trailed off, shaking her head.\u00a0 Brian knelt behind her and put his hand on her back, rubbing it in slow, soothing circles until she decided she was done and climbed to her feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want something to eat?\u201d he asked, as he walked her back into the bedroom they now shared.<\/p>\n

She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think I could keep it down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen just go back to bed and rest, until you feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n

He helped her back into bed and climbed in beside her, but while Gretchen pulled the covers over her head and sunk back into sleep, Brian lay awake.\u00a0 He stared up at the ceiling, troubled by her discomfort.\u00a0 He knew morning sickness was a common pregnancy symptom, but he wished there was someone on the base who could reassure him that Gretchen would be fine.\u00a0 Someone like Jo.\u00a0 He missed her now more than ever.\u00a0 There was no one left who knew anything about medicine or childbirth.\u00a0 Of them all, he and Howie had the most experience in that area, and that was a scary thought.\u00a0 What would they do if something went really wrong?\u00a0 Brian knew he had to trust in the Lord to take care of Gretchen and the baby, but he wished he could put his faith in someone a little closer to home.<\/p>\n

After awhile, he got up again and wandered downstairs, leaving Gretchen to sleep.\u00a0 Nick was awake, sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of hot chocolate in his hand and his hair sticking out in all directions.\u00a0 \u201cGood morning,\u201d Brian said, smiling at the crazy hair.\u00a0 Nick was in need of a trim.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorning,\u201d Nick grunted, grinning bleary-eyed back at Brian.\u00a0 \u201cHow goes it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s goin\u2019.\u00a0 Riley still asleep?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep.\u00a0 Gretchen too?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 She already got up once and got sick.\u00a0 She\u2019s back in bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, sorry, that sucks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0 Brian sighed and sank into a seat across the table, raking a hand through his disheveled curls.\u00a0 \u201cI dunno how I\u2019m gonna handle eight more months of this.\u00a0 I\u2019m a nervous wreck already.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHeh, just wait till you have to deliver your own kid.\u201d\u00a0 Nick started to snicker, but stopped when he saw that Brian wasn\u2019t smiling.<\/p>\n

What he\u2019d said was no joke.\u00a0 There was nothing funny about it; it was the frightening reality of the situation they were facing, and it scared Brian to death.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t stand the thought of staying here, waiting for something bad to happen and hoping that it doesn\u2019t,\u201d he said, shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to find help.\u00a0 We need to find other survivors, someone who knows something about this sort of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, we tried that, remember?\u00a0 It didn\u2019t work out so well for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u00a0 But we have to try again.\u00a0 We have to keep trying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cTalk to your cousin, man.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think he\u2019s gonna be too stoked about the idea of leaving the base again, though, considering it almost killed him last time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick was right.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not worth the risk,\u201d Kevin said, shaking his head, when Brian repeated his suggestion of resuming the search for more survivors.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot worth the risk?\u201d Brian repeated.\u00a0 For a few seconds, he stared at his cousin in disbelief.\u00a0 Then he looked around at the other three men who had gathered in Kevin\u2019s sun-soaked kitchen, wondering why none of them were stepping up to say anything in his defense.\u00a0 He knew Howie wouldn\u2019t, but what about Nick?\u00a0 And AJ \u2013 hadn\u2019t he practically begged Kevin to let him come along on their last expedition?<\/p>\n

When none of them spoke, Brian added, \u201cWe\u2019re risking a human life by staying here!\u00a0 Two lives, in fact \u2013 Gretchen\u2019s and the baby\u2019s!\u00a0 How can you say they\u2019re not worth the risk?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin frowned, a shadow darkening his face as his eyes narrowed.\u00a0 \u201cYou know that wasn\u2019t what I meant.\u00a0 All I\u2019m saying is, the last time we tried splitting up to look for more survivors, it was a catastrophe.\u00a0 We lost Jo\u2026 I almost died\u2026 AJ got injured\u2026 Nick and Riley had too many close calls to count.\u00a0 It\u2019s too dangerous to try again.\u00a0 We\u2019re better off sticking together and staying here, for our own survival.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s exactly what I\u2019m talking about \u2013 our survival.\u00a0 I\u2019m just looking further into the future than you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNine months into the future, you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian ignored the sarcastic comment.\u00a0 \u201cHow long we do you think we can actually survive here?\u00a0 Eventually, our resources will run out, or the zombies will break down our defenses, and we\u2019ll be screwed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin gave him a wry smile.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s a pretty pessimistic outlook, coming from someone who\u2019s spent the last few months building walls and planting gardens to prevent those things from happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian glared back.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, well, that\u2019s a pretty cowardly course of action, coming from someone who used to fly military jets into war zones to fight for freedom.\u00a0 Are we really going to give up the fight and just hole ourselves up in here and wait for them to pick us off, one by one?\u00a0 We\u2019re already down two.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we won\u2019t lose any more, as long as we stay here to protect each other.\u201d\u00a0 Kevin\u2019s voice sounded deathly calm, but his jaw was tightly clenched, and Brian could tell his last comment had touched a nerve in his cousin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could lose Gretchen.\u00a0 Or the baby.\u00a0 Or both.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s a chance we have to take, but our chances are better if we stay here.\u00a0 We can take care of Gretchen.\u00a0 Women have been having babies outside hospitals since the dawn of mankind.\u00a0 If every baby needed a doctor to deliver it, our species would have died out a long time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t wanna take chances.\u00a0 Not when it comes to my child.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Brian, it\u2019s not like you have a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do<\/i> have a choice.\u00a0 I could choose to go search for other survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin raised an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cYou could, but you\u2019re not going to.\u00a0 You wouldn\u2019t leave Gretchen behind, and you wouldn\u2019t put a pregnant woman in that kind of danger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian didn\u2019t have an answer to that.\u00a0 He knew Kevin was right; he would never go off on his own, and he wouldn\u2019t bring Gretchen along unless everyone came.\u00a0 Kevin was right about that, too:\u00a0 there was strength in numbers, and they were most vulnerable when they were separated.\u00a0 He should have known it would be a hard sell.\u00a0 Kevin clearly felt responsible for their disastrous last attempt at finding other life in the undead world, and he wasn\u2019t willing to risk it again.\u00a0 He\u2019s just willing to risk Gretchen\u2019s life,<\/i> Brian thought, feeling frustrated.<\/p>\n

He decided to give it one more shot.\u00a0 \u201cBut if we all went together\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not subjecting Gabby to that,\u201d Kevin interrupted.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s been through more than enough already.\u00a0 She needs some stability.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a good thing going here,\u201d Howie added, speaking for the first time in minutes.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re safer here than anywhere else.\u00a0 Why sacrifice that when we\u2019ve never seen a sign that there are other survivors out there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can\u2019t be just us,\u201d Brian said, shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cIt just can\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe traveled across the entire country, Bri,\u201d Nick put in quietly.\u00a0 \u201cHowie\u2019s right; there weren\u2019t any signs of life.\u00a0 And I\u2019ll be honest; I\u2019m not in any hurry to go back on the road.\u00a0 That was some scary shit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d go,\u201d said AJ, \u201cbut I\u2019m not gonna be any more useful than Gretchen and Gabby on this leg.\u201d\u00a0 He patted his bad leg, which he kept in a brace.\u00a0 Three months after breaking it, he still wasn\u2019t able to walk without pain and relied on crutches to get around.\u00a0 Brian had to concede that, in the event of a zombie attack, AJ would be in trouble.\u00a0 Even if he could shamble along faster than the zombies, they would catch up to him quickly as he tired and fell behind.<\/p>\n

Brian sighed, recognizing a lost cause.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, so I guess we stay and pray, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all we can do,\u201d said Kevin.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, that\u2019s not all.\u00a0 We can try the radio again,\u201d Howie suggested.\u00a0 \u201cWe haven\u2019t done a broadcast in a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s because no one responded to them, D.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did,\u201d said Howie seriously, looking over at AJ.\u00a0 \u201cKayleigh and I\u2026 we heard Kevin on the radio.\u00a0 That\u2019s how we knew to come here, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin smiled grimly at Howie.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s true.\u00a0 It\u2019s worth another try.\u00a0 You never know \u2013 right, cous?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian didn\u2019t feel very hopeful right then, but he forced himself to nod.\u00a0 \u201cMiracles do happen,\u201d he agreed.\u00a0 And we could use a miracle right about now,<\/i> he added in his head.<\/p>\n

Perhaps God heard his silent prayer and, feeling merciful, finally decided to answer.\u00a0 Maybe it was just a coincidence.\u00a0 In any case, though Brian didn\u2019t yet know it, the miracle he hoped for would come a mere two weeks into the new year.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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Chapter 92 \u201cTo you, O Lord, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me, for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go down to the Pit. Hear the voice of my supplication, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":92,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"onecolumn-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/337"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":581,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/337\/revisions\/581"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}