Those opening, awkward moments were the beginning of her life with Aunt Mae and a relationship with Dr. Jake Barnes. And their casual friendship was reinforced when days later, a present for Joanna was delivered to Mae’s front door: two new pieces of floral tapestry luggage with a card attached. It read, “Joanna, For your next move, which I hope is many years from now. Jake.”
Joanna’s friendship with him deepened throughout her college years. Jake’s curiosity about her Christian faith and their common concern for Mae’s failing health helped weave an unspoken bond between them. Not even Mae’s hints that she thought the new clinic physician, Natalie Eden, was a perfect match for Jake had bothered Joanna then. Through all this and more, Joanna and Jake remained simply friends, sharing bits and pieces of knowing each other without really knowing each other at all. Until one gentle evening when their friendship was lost in an unguarded moment. And everything changed.
Soon Jake was gone. Suddenly and unexpectedly, he moved away, and Dr. Natalie Eden was quick to do the explaining. It seemed Jake had wanted Natalie to move back to Indiana with him so he could take over his father’s private practice. He wanted to return to the home of his childhood, and when Natalie had turned him down, he left without her.
So Jake was gone, and Joanna had tried to forget—the hello, the goodbye. And everything in between.
“Jo?”
She looked up immediately at the sound of Jake’s voice coming from the doorway of Mae’s hospital room.
“May I come in?” Jake asked and watched Joanna nod her head. Her loose hair swayed gently with the easy movement. If only he couldn’t remember how soft those blond curls felt in his hands, against his face. He cleared his throat quietly and walked over to Mae’s bedside. Leaning down, he brushed a kiss against the elderly woman’s forehead as she slept. “She doesn’t want to die, Jo. She’s very worried about leaving you alone.”
“How would you know that?” she asked softly.
Jake sat down next to Mae, wishing he were anywhere but here, now, having this discussion. Joanna looked so unhappy. So distant, worried. He hated knowing that his words would only make her sadder. “Mae told me when I saw her last week.”
“You were in town last week?” Joanna repeated, her dark-brown eyes wide with question.
“I was here for a few hours,” he explained what he’d not wanted to tell Joanna. That he’d come this far, flown from Indianapolis to Charleston, but not to see her. “I visited Mae, met with her cardiologist and Dr. Eden and caught a late-afternoon flight home. I had to be back for a meeting that night.”
“But she didn’t tell me, she never mentioned it,” Joanna practically whispered in disbelief.
“I want to take her home with me, Joanna. To live.”
“To die, you mean,” she replied.
“I hope not,” he remarked.
Joanna breathed a frustrated sigh. “Dr. Eden said Aunt Mae is going to die. Soon. Why would you want to put her through the stress of traveling nearly seven hundred miles now, when it’s too late?”
“I’ve spoken with Mae’s doctors, Joanna, and I don’t think she’s getting the kind of care she needs. My partner at the office, Dr. Vernon, has a brother who is the leading cardiologist in this half of the country. If anyone can make a difference in Mae’s life, it will be him. I want her to see him, to come and stay with me for as long as it takes.”
“But Dr. Eden told me she has so little time left—”
“That’s all she’ll have if you keep her here. If she goes with me, I think she could have more. Weeks, maybe months. Or longer.”
“But, Jake, the move alone could kill her.”
“I don’t believe it will, but she’s going to die here, in this hospital, if we do nothing. I want her to come with me. Tonight,” he responded. “I’ve made arrangements for the flight.”
“You can’t take her away from me, Jake. Not now. She’s all I have left in this world. I can’t believe this would be the Lord’s will for her life…her death….”
The anguish in her voice pierced Jake’s conscience. He knew how much this hurt her. That’s why he hated the promise he’d made. “You can’t let her die here, like this…always wondering if you did all you could for her. No one wants to live with those doubts.” He paused. “I don’t want you living with those doubts, Joanna.”
“But she’s comfortable here, she’s not in any pain—”
“Give her this chance, Jo. Let her see this new cardiologist.”
“But I don’t know if she’d want to make this move, Jake. I mean, I know she was born and raised in Indiana, just like you were, but that doesn’t mean she wants to go there to die. Does it?”
Jake exhaled slowly. There was no avoiding this now. “It’s what she wants, Joanna. It’s what she asked me to promise I would do…and she’s appointed me her power of attorney,” he said quietly, reluctantly. He’d hoped Mae had taken care of explaining the matter to Joanna. Telling her himself reopened wounds he’d never intended to inflict. This would cut through Joanna like a betrayal.
“So, basically, you can do whatever you want, regardless of how I feel about it?” she asked, clearly surprised by this unexpected piece of news.
“I don’t want to go against your wishes, Jo. You have to know that. But—” He stopped.
“But you will?” she asked, her eyes glimmering with fresh tears. “Jake? You’d take her away from me? Like this?” Joanna’s hand flew to her mouth. “How could you? Don’t you care—”
“Of course, I care,” Jake answered with a heaviness settling in his chest. Why had he promised to do this? Then he reminded himself of his reasoning. There’d been logic in it, even in the midst of the heartbreak. “Your Aunt Mae is the closest I’ve ever come to having a mother in my life. I can provide a better ending for her than this.”
Joanna rose from her chair, hugging her arms close as a chill swept over her. “Money, Jake?” she asked sadly. “Is that what this comes down to? You’re wealthy so you can come in here and take her away?” Her words were filled with pain. It glistened in the murky depths of her eyes.
“It’s more than that.” Jake’s dark brows drew into a troubled frown. “It’s true I can provide better care, but I’m only trying to do what I promised I would do. Help me with this, Jo, while there’s still time. Don’t hate me for doing what needs to be done.”
“Hate you?” She almost wished she could. Then life would be simple