Chapter Two:
Missionary-Woman
“When can I see Jett, Nina?” Danny whined. “When the doctor comes out and tells me.” Nina snapped. These have the worst past few hours of her life and Danny is only making it worse for everyone. “Do I need to take him home? It's getting late anyways.” Nina's grandpa whispered to Nina, Tommy, and Liz. “He, can crash at my place.” Tommy offered. “When his mom finds out she'll want to stay here like Nina.” Tommy gave Nina's hand a squeeze. “Yeah, you can take Tommy and Danny home and my mom will pick me up when she comes back.” Liz says painting on a smile. “Hey, Danny.” Tommy moves over to Danny and whispers something to him. “Okay, I'll go. But, Nina, you will call me when you hear something, won't you?” Nina nods. They all stand and say their good’byes. “I'll come back in the morning.” Nina's grandpa promised giving her a hug. “After he picks me and Danny up.” Tommy jumps in. “No way.” Nina upjects. “You all have church in the morning. You guys can't come here until after. Everyone will want to know what happened to Jett. “But that's not till like,
“Hey, will you pack a few things for me? Stuff for me to do, oh, and my bible.” Liz nodded and walked off with the others Nina waved and smiled but a tear rolls down at the thought of Jett not coming back out those doors with them again. As soon as they walked out that door Nina felt so alone. She had been with someone at all times today. Except now. “The Lord has been with me. The Lord watches over me and my friends. The Lord will protect Jett. Lord, please help Jett. Please.” Nina whispers closing her eyes and praying with all her might that Jett will walk through those doors with her again. “Who are you talking to?” A boy who looks a little older than Danny asks. “I'm not talking, I'm praying.” Nina smiles slightly. “What's that?” He asks. “What's what?” “Praying. What is that?” The boy moved to the seat next to Nina. Nina's heart went out to this boy as soon as the words were out. He had no idea what Praying was. Does he know who God is? And what about the bible? What if he's not saved? “Praying is a way to talk to God.” Nina's voice shook. She tired to calm herself and made sure no tears came crashing down. “Who's God?” He asked giving Nina a You-must-be-loony look. “Do you know what The Bible is?” “No.” The boy titled his head. Nina went into How God sent Jesus down to die on the cross for are sins, what sins were, how He made earth and everything on it, and how the boy, who she found out his name was Brad, had to believe in God and Jesus and turn his life over to God to become a Christian and to go to Heaven when he died. It was the basics of a VBS. “What happens when you don't turn your life to Christ?” Brad asks slowly. “You go to hell.” Nina says bluntly. “You know what hell is, right?” He nodded slowly. “I know this is a lot to take in, but you had to hear it, Brad.” Nina smiled again and this time Brad smiled back. “How to you become a follower, is it hard?” He raises an eyebrow. “Wait here.” Nina smiled as she saw Liz. She met Liz halfway. “You look happy, did you hear from the doc?” Liz about jumped up and down. “No. But, I need my bible.” Liz pulled out the brown tattered bible. “Why? Are you okay?” Liz handed Nina the bible and Nina walked off with out answering. Liz was right on her heels when they reached Brad. “Brad my friend Liz. Liz meets Brad.” Nina smiled at the two. “Nice to meet ya, Follower of Christ at you service!” That was Liz's normal greeting to every new face she met. “Hi.” Brad says quietly shaking her out reached hand. “Brad,” Nina says sitting down In between Liz and Brad. “This is a bible. It was my dad's Bible and before him it was my grandpa's and his father's. It's God's word.” Nina ran a hand on the top of the old bible that has been in her family and passed down for so long. Who was she to change it? Should she give it to Brad? No, this was the last thing she had from her father. No way, she would just have to buy a brand new bible for Brad. “Do you want a bible, Brad?” Nina whispered low enough so Liz couldn't hear them. “Yes. I want to be like you, Nina; I want to be a follower like you and Liz.” Brad smiled and Nina nodded and turned to Liz. “I'm going to go to the gift shop to see if they sell bibles, Brad wants one.” Nina quickly told Liz all about Brad and Liz broke out into a huge smile. “He wants to become a follower, Liz.” “Why? Not that I'm not happy for him, but why?” Nina shrugged. “Brad, why do you want to become a Follower?” Liz asked looking at Brad with the creepiest smile Nina has ever seen on her over happy friend. “I thought about the people who die here everyday.” Nina burst into tears at this. She thought of Jett and again how he might not walk out those doors with her. “Ignore her; she's had a rough long day. Our best friend is in here now, so chose your words carefully.” Liz put an arm around Nina and Brad went on, watching Nina's every move. “And I thought about how some might be going to hell not Heaven.” Nina smiled and pulled herself together, Jett was going to Heaven. What she needs to focus on is Brad. “I don't want be like that, you know? I want to be with God when I die. I just... I don't want to end up like my mom...” He trailed off. “What happened to your mother?” Liz asked and Nina nudged her hard in the arm, telling her to back off. “She died when she gave birth. My dad ditched her sometime before hand. So Doctor Rick Spencer adopted me because he was really close to my mother. I don't think my mom was a follower like you guys.” A tear glistens at the corner of his eye. “That's so sad! I'm sorry I asked!” Liz three her arms around the mature 11 year old making the most frighten expression come on his face. “Liz, back off a bit.” Nina laughed. They laughed with her, leaving the sadness behind. “Liz, will you go buy him a bible? I need to talk to him.” Liz nodded and left. “So,” Nina turned to Brad and gave him a small smile. “You want to become a Follower, huh?” “Yeah. How do I do it?” “You ask God to forgive you of your sins.” They bowed their heads and he prayed that God would forgive him of his sins and to help his dad to become a follower to and prayed for everyone in the hospital that night. “Amen.” They says together. “That was a great prayer, Brad.” Nina praised. “Thanks.” “Brad! I got you the coolest camouflage blue child bible they had! Isn't it the coolest thing ever?” Liz says everything a little to loud for Nina's headache and the people around them and was asked to, in Penny's words, “Shut it and have respect for others and their feelings in the waiting area.” “What about my feelings?” Liz joke quietly. The three of them shared muffled laughter. “Brad? Time to go.” A tall doctor with sandy brown hair and a splash of freckles on his stressed looking face. “That's my dad. ’’bye guys, thanks for everything. See you later.” Brad went to his dad and gave the girls one last wave before going through the doors that scare Nina so much. “You would make a good missionary women, did you know that?” Liz pulled out a magazine and began to flip page after page. “He's going to die, isn't he?” Nina Whispered clutching her tater bracelet tight. “How do you switch from Missionary-Woman-who-shows-little-boys-how-to-be-saved to freaked-out-wanna-be-girlfriend-who-will-cry-at-the-sound-of-Jett's-name so easily?” Liz put her magazine down and faced Nina. “I'm truly happy for Brad. But, Jett....” Nina looked at her shaking hands. “What's up with that bracelet? It sooooo doesn't match your outfit.” Liz says quickly turning back to her old self. Nina smiled. “Jett gave it to me when we were kids.” Nina whispered. “And you still have it?” “Yes, I've never taken it off.” Nina looks at the friendship bracelet on her wrist. Brown string over a green string over a blue string. They must loop, over lap, and twist ten times. That’s what makes it thick. “What did he say when he gave it to you?” “At the time his dad died and his mom got drunk when she couldn't take the pain of losing her husband. She beat him at times when she was so out of it. Jett was only... I think 5. And his brother I think 2. She didn't hurt Danny, Jett wouldn't let her. He always stood between the two. And the night before school one week Jett's mom threaten to kill him so Jett made this for me and he says 'Promise me we'll be friends no matter what happens to me.' I was confused at what he says but flattered that he made me this bracelet...” Nina trailed off lost in memory. “Well,” Liz nudged her. “What did you say to him after that?” Liz smiled. “I says, 'Why wouldn't we be friends?' He looked at his beat up shoes and told me his mother beat him and says she kill 'em. I was scared. I told my grandpa and he helped Jett's mom get better. He wasn't at school for two weeks. He wasn't at his house. He stayed with us, Grandpa taught him till his wounds healed. He stayed for about two months. My heart went out to him every time I saw him lying on our couch crying. When he went back to school, no one asked where he had been. They all knew. When his mom got her life back everything was fine. Great even. But Jett wanted me to take off the bracelet. He says 'that thing was given because I thought I be moved to a foster home. I wanted you to remember me.' I smiled and says. 'I always would remember you, Jett.'“ Nina smiled and stared off into space again. “Awe!” Liz squealed. “You two were cute and gushy Even back then! Wait weren't you like 4 or did you just turn 5?” Nina smile. “We were mature for our age. Things happened to us that made us grow up more quickly than others.” “Are you saying I wasn't mature because of the way I was brought up?” Liz spouted. “Your parents were alive.” Nina muttered. “They might have babied us but you know that was only because they felt bad about splitting up and leaving us to decide which rich parent to go to!” Liz snapped. “Your life was and is so easy Liz. You just says 'which rich parent' you had and have money to do what ever you wanted. Grandpa and I were barley feeding ourselves then there was Dan and Jett to worry about. We are barely scraping by now as it is. And Jett lost his dad had to be taken from his mom for two months. They had to get a lone from the bank to get back on their feet. You and your brother had and have it good. And you had someone to lean on so did Jett. You both had your brothers. When things happened and happen to me I have no one to lean on. No family besides gramps. You have it good that's all I was saying.” Nina grabs the magazine Liz was looking at. “You know this is one of my grandpa's magazines about fixing things, don't you?” Nina placed the back in Liz's lap. “I wasn't reading. I was thinking about Jett.” Nina nodded at her friend. “It's hard not to. But you didn't see him get worse.” Liz gave her a look that says tells-me-more-. And Nina did. She told Liz everything and by the time Liz's mom came to pick her up she was in tears. “She'll tell you about it later. And I'll keep you posted so make sure you have your phone handy.” Nina hugged her friend and her friend's mom and they left. Nina looked at her watch and the clock says
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