Save Me/Chain of Love

Lizzie stared blankly at the telephone at seven in the morning, trying to decipher the message that came through not even ten minutes prior. She didn't recognize the number. Paging through a bunch of random messages, she finally go to the last one and listened carefully. Hi, this is Angie Bower of Hanna's Diner; I'm calling for Elizabeth McGuire. You'd applied to work here roughly seven months ago; we'd like to bring you in for an interview whenever you get the chance. Please call me back at—Lizzie turned the machine off and dialed the number back.

Twenty minutes later she was sitting in a fancy office, probably too fancy for someone working in the food industry. She tugged sheepishly at her sleeves as the high-heeled woman came through the room dressed way too seriously for this job. She sat at the desk and folded her long legs, smiling carefully to Lizzie. "Hi, Elizabeth, it's nice to finally meet you." The older woman offered her hand.

Lizzie took it carefully and smiled plainly. "It's nice to meet you, too, Angie."

Angie paused and waited for Lizzie to speak, then went to page through files. She smiled softly, her teeth a pearly white. "You had applied to work here back in May? I'm terribly sorry it took so long to get to your application, we just had a woman quit on us last week, so we're scraping to fill in her position." Angie explained her teeth too pearly for Lizzie's taste.

Lizzie nodded carefully and stared at her hands, pulling the hems of her shirt. "Some of my references—"

Angie shook her head. "We called all of them a week after you applied. One of them, David? He speaks very highly of you. In fact, he recommended you with high praise."

Green eyes began to water, she trembled slightly, fear gripping her heart. Gordo recommended her? How did he know she would be a good worker? How did this Angie know Gordo could be trusted? She smiled carelessly and answered. "David is a great guy. I've known him my whole life. I miss him a lot."

Angie stared a little. "Did he move away?"

She looked up at Angie as if she was stupid. Then it occurred that this woman didn't know him, she wouldn't know. "Yeah. He lives in New York now."

Angie blinked. "Do you have any other jobs prior to this one?"

"I worked as a busboy, very briefly; at the Digital Bean…it didn't last long." She murmured.

"May I ask why you quit?"

"I had too much stress combined with school; it just wouldn't work for me. That's not to say I wouldn't be willing to do it again, of course." Lizzie quipped.

"What are your hours like?"

Lizzie looked down. "I'm available for any hours."

She scribbled down some notes then smiled, offering her hand again. "Congratulations, you've been hired." Then laughed like it was some joke. Lizzie offered a shy smile and the older woman continued. "We'll be in touch for your hours. For now I need some papers for you to fill out." Angie left, leaving Lizzie in silence.

She stared up at the ceiling and counted tiles. "You're really looking out for me, aren't you? It's like you knew I was going to be evicted if I didn't get my rent in the next two weeks. Why did this happen now?"

Angie came back and handed Lizzie a stack of forms to fill out; privacy disclosures, W4 forms, several other papers on top of that. She began to fill them out idly when she noticed a necklace around Angie's neck. Before she realized it, the words were out of her mouth. "Are you a Christian?"

Angie looked at Lizzie, dumbfound, as the woman spoke. "Is that a problem? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Lizzie decided that Angie was probably around 23, and that was ball parking it. She wasn't sure if this woman knew what Lizzie was going through. "My best friend is Jewish. I'm just wondering why I seem to run into this everywhere I go."

"If it makes you uncomfortable, I can take the necklace off…but I prefer not to." Angie commented. "Are you religious?"

"I…I'm not sure." Lizzie quietly answered, setting aside the form she'd finished.

"It's okay to not know. Don't let anyone pressure you. You'd said your best friend is Jewish?" Angie replied.

"My other friend is Catholic."

Angie gave a feeble smile. "Well, you're in the same area, at least. It isn't much different between the three. Incidentally, did you know Jesus was Jewish?"

Lizzie stared at Angie, wondering how a woman could talk so freely about the topic as if it wasn't happening. How could anyone at work talk like this? "No…I didn't…but now I do." When she finished the papers, she placed them neatly on the desk. "Thank you for hiring me, Angie. I'll be in touch."

Angie nodded and stood in the doorway, watching Lizzie leave, her heart telling her that this girl needed the job more than anyone else on the list.

As Lizzie went to leave the building, she noticed Matt come hopping towards the door with Melina. He stopped, frozen, when he saw his sister. "Hey, Liz."

Lizzie held the door and smiled to Matt. "Hey, Matt. Hi, Melina. Are you guys on a date?"

Melina shook her head. "Reconnaissance. There's a girl here who is the older sister of Joey, he's been picking on Matt lately."

Lizzie looked away. "Good luck with that."

"Not going to try and talk us out of it, Lizard?" Matt asked.

"No. Have fun. Try not to hurt anyone too drastically."

Sitting in her car later, Lizzie began to cry. She hadn't even left the parking lot when she noticed Angie come walking outside; hands bundled to her sides in a hug, trying to fight off the brisk air. She stopped at her car and fumbled with her keys, dropping them several times. Lizzie barely noticed her crying softly, standing next to her car. She climbed out and looked at Angie, green eyes worried. "Are you okay?"

Angie shook her head. "My brother is at the hospital. He's really sick. He has a brain tumor."

Words failed Lizzie. She didn't know what else to say. Without hesitating, she took Angie's hand into hers and pulled her towards her car. "Come with me. We'll go see him. You can stay at my house tonight."

Angie didn't think. "God bless you, you're so kind…Joey would like someone like you."

Lizzie paused. "Joey?"

"He's my brother," Angie replied. "He's thirteen."

Lizzie paused again and nodded, deciding to keep Matt out of this. She got into the car and started it so she could warm it a bit. "I'm sorry about your brother."

"He's so young. He's only thirteen; he wanted to be a baseball player." Angie whimpered. "He didn't even have a chance to finish high school."

Lizzie felt uncomfortable suddenly. "He'll be fine," She quoted Miranda. "He still has a chance, and if you believe, anything is possible. God can make miracles. I've seen it firsthand."

The two girls sat in Lizzie's apartment later that night, watching some stupid movie on TV. When Angie had verified that her brother would be okay, her mood lightened to the airy and perky girl that was seen earlier. She sat beside Lizzie on the couch, laughing as she munched on a cookie that was fresh from the oven. It was nice to have someone else around that wasn't Miranda. She turned to Lizzie and smiled softly. "So why are you so nice to me?"

Lizzie shrugged. "My parents taught me that you always are nice to people in a situation, that way when something bad happens to you, the chain doesn't end with you."

Angie nodded and smiled, setting the cookie down on the coffee table. "You've got a lot of pictures. Who are all of them?"

"Friends," Lizzie answered absently.

The girl picked up one on the side table and held it, staring at the two happy people. Lizzie was sitting beside Gordo on the plane, laughing hysterically at something he'd said. Mrs. Ungermeyer had taken pictures of each of the students on the trip. She pointed to the picture and looked a Lizzie. "Who is this? And old boyfriend?"

Lizzie touched the picture and gently took it into her hands, tracing the figures. "My best friend."

"The one who moved?" Angie inquired casually.

Lizzie paused, thinking it over. "I wasn't entirely honest with you," She whispered. "When I left, while you were talking to your brother…you asked where I went. His name is David, the one who gave me the reference back in May. David and I grew up together, he was my best friend. More of a friend than Miranda ever was. He got into a terrible accident in June…the day after graduation…" Lizzie began to cry. "He woke up long enough to verify I was still with him…and once again to say he loved me…and that was it. It's all he's said or done. They put him into a medically induced coma because the swelling in his brain is too much for him to survive through without it."

Angie brought Lizzie into her arms and smiled sadly. "I know how it feels."

"To lose a friend?" Lizzie asked.

"No." Angie answered. "I've been in his shoes."

Lizzie looked up, green eyes full of wonder. "Were you in an accident, too?"

Angie shook her head. "I was playing with Joey in his tree house when we were little. He pushed me out of the doorway and I fell six feet to the ground. I landed head first. The fall was so much that I fell into a coma. I didn't wake up for eighteen weeks, roughly a year. I'm glad I did, because my parents were about to give up hope. But Joey never did. Joey was there every day with me, thinking it was his fault. He was terrified my parents would disown him if it was."

Lizzie sat, listening intently. "What happened when you woke…?"

"I was so disoriented, to me it was like I was just dreaming the whole thing, like I fell asleep on the day I fell, and woke up that same day after a quick nap. I could hear the conversations around me, but my body wouldn't let me respond. I screamed that I was still there, but my mouth didn't move. It was terrifying. I'm sure it's pretty terrifying for him, too. That's why it's important for you to be there." Angie whispered, voice cracking slightly. "He needs someone to believe in. God might be able to save him, but not before he saves you."

"I don't need saving," Lizzie whispered, brushing her tears away.

"Of course you do. And if you say you don't, you're a liar. You told me you weren't sure if you had faith or not. I also know that bible on your table isn't yours, and the verses you're reading are in the book of John. This is the book for the new beginners."

"You knew that just by looking…?" Lizzie asked, astonished.

Angie shook her head and laughed. "No! I looked at it while you were making the cookies." She turned bright red. "I shouldn't have. Right now I bet you're thinking why me?" Angie asked.

Lizzie nodded.

"You're probably wishing for a miracle. Asking for help. Praying for daylight. A way out of the darkness you're in. Right?" Angie answered with a question.

Lizzie nodded. "You need me. I was sent here, to find you, for a reason. When my boss told me we needed to hire a new person, and that there was thirty-two people to choose from, I knew who I had to ask. I knew you were the one because even though I've never seen your application, for some reason, Elizabeth kept sticking in my mind. You were the only Elizabeth that applied. And then I remembered talking to your references, David, your friend. And I wondered why someone would speak so highly of someone like that, especially at your age." Angie folded her arms. "You need the money. I imagine a place like this is hard to keep up on your own."

Lizzie's lip trembled. "I hate asking for help."

"One door opens to another door closed," Angie commented quietly. "You can't ask for a toy without earning it, you know. Just like you can't pray for a miracle and expect it to happen. Do you know why it takes so long for miracles to happen? Because God needs to know you're worth it."

"Worth it?" Lizzie asked casually.

"Yes," Angie sighed. "You know how friends will help you out in a heartbeat, but strangers hesitate? God knows everything about you. Everything you don't even know yet. But, he wants to be your friend, not just someone you talk to when you need help. He wants a personal relationship with you."

"So I have to be friends with an imaginary person." Lizzie answered.

"An imaginary person wouldn't have saved your friend that night." Angie answered. "And neither did free will. Someone was looking out for him."

Lizzie nodded and looked down at her hands. "Where do I start?"

"Do you believe?" Angie asked, taking Lizzie's hand into hers. "In God, I mean."

"I believe someone saved me that night." Lizzie answered. "I'm not sure why, but I feel like it was supposed to be me in the car with him. But for some reason I didn't go with him."

Angie frowned. "But do you believe in God?"

"It's hard to doubt someone who's changed so many things in my life in the last few months." Lizzie replied.

"Then pray with me." Angie answered. "Repeat what I say: Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against you and that my sins separate me from you. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to you for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of you. My greatest purpose in life is to follow your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

When Lizzie repeated what Angie said, she smiled and waited. "Is that all there is?" Lizzie asked.

"No. Now you need to make a promise to me that you'll pray every single night. Talk to Him like you talk to your closest friends. And remember that even though you prayed, this is a test of faith, so things may not work right away like you want them to. I'll be here to help you along the way; I'm not leaving any time soon. We're in this for the long haul."

Lizzie nodded and looked at the Bible that had Gordo's name on it. "I wonder if he knows," Lizzie asked. "Gordo, I mean…I wonder if he knows what I just did."

Angie shook her head. "No, but when you tell him, he'll be delighted to find out."

Lizzie sat in her bed holding the faded blue Bible gingerly, afraid of tearing more pages out. She closed her eyes and frowned, suddenly unsure of what to say. …like your closest friends… "Lord, I'm new to this praying thing. I know you're up there, looking out for my family, but I need to ask you for help. Look over my friend David. He's going to need you right now, just as much as I do. And whatever lesson I'm supposed to learn from this, let it be quick and full of experiences. Please, don't take him away just yet. I haven't gotten to say goodbye, and it's much too soon for goodbyes anyway." She frowned and her bottom lip trembled. "I know I'm a terrible person, but I know on my heart that I love him, beyond reasonable doubt."

Silence filled the room.

"I'm thankful for Angie, for helping me realize you are real. Please, I'm asking you, to heal David. He needs you as much as I do."

She didn't know what else to say so she put the Bible on the bedside dresser, beneath the picture of her and Gordo at graduation, and turned off the light. Hanging along the frame was the cross necklace Angie had worn, giving it to Lizzie. She'd said it was given to her as a present when she became a Christian, and she wanted to pass the legacy onto someone else. Lizzie graciously accepted. "Make me a woman who lives for you." She whispered with a yawn.

Okay, so my first day of work sucked. It literally made me come home crying. This was put on hold for a while. It's 3am while I'm writing this, and I'm not sure if it's any good. And I doubt I'm on topic. I'll try and stop with the filler, but I doubt I can keep up with my regularly planned schedule.

This idea has been on my mind for a long time and I wanted to get it out. I hope its okay. And I'm pretty sure this is all the religion I'll cram into it. The rest will be subtle, not so much "chapter" material.

The song title is actually a tossup between "Save Me" by My Darkest Days (appropriately named because of the chapter theme), and "Chain of Love" by Clay Walker, also appropriately named (that song is about how you help one person and it keeps going until it comes full circle).

I like Angie. Expect her to stay a while. =)

Anyway, read/review. I'll stop boring you guys. And if you want to talk to me – add me on Facebook. The link is now my homepage on here. =)