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Chapter 14

David Reynolds

I left Natalie Black outside of the diner where I'd bought her a meal and tried again, unsuccessfully to get her to seek some help for her obvious addiction to alcohol. Every time she'd made it to either the church or our outreach soup kitchen recently, she'd reeked of booze. She assured me that she'd found herself somewhere to live and that she was fine. I didn't really believe her, but what more could I do?

I was truly worried about this young woman. To me her life had been a series of mistakes and tragedies. She admitted that she'd left home and had no contact with her family since she was sixteen. She'd never told me why she left but I got the feeling that something big must have happened to make her leave. I asked her about her parents and she told me that they were good people. She also spoke of her brother and there was a certain adoration in her voice when she spoke of Billy. She refused to discuss why she left or why she felt unable to go back, making me promise that I wouldn't try to contact any of them on her behalf.

She then got into a relationship with a man that she barely knew, found herself pregnant and got married. To me Thomas Tanner was the real source of all of Natalie's problems. She confided that he beat her regularly. This started after their daughter Breeanne was born. Apparently he liked a drink but like a lot of men, it didn't agree with him and when he was drunk, he became abusive. Then her baby died. She had ran out into the road and been hit by a car. She died instantly. Thomas blamed Natalie for their daughter's death. Told her she hadn't been looking after her properly and beat her to within an inch of her life. That was when she was finally able to leave him apparently.

She said that she got some help from a woman's aid programme and managed to get a place in a refuge. She found some work and began her life again. Unfortunately she'd never gotten over the loss of her daughter and her grief, along with the guilt that she felt, set her on the path to her own self destruction.

As I prepared for bed, I prayed for her, hoped that our Lord would help me to help this lady before she ended up on a mortuary slab, another Jane Doe.

I fell asleep easily but was woken a few hours later by the sound of my doorbell. I checked the clock on my night stand. It was a little after two am. In my line of work, it wasn't unusual to be awoken during the night. Unfortunately, in my experience it didn't normally mean good news.

I went to answer the door with the usual sense of foreboding that accompanied any night time call.

A young couple stood in front of me. There was something unearthly about them. They were both beautiful. Unusually so. They could be runway models. The young man had unusually pale skin. His eyes were a strange golden colour but his most outstanding feature had to be his hair. It was bronze in color and stood out at strange angles. His companion was equally stunning. She was equally pale and had the same color eyes. Her hair was a beautiful chocolate brown in color and rolled down past her shoulders in long waves.

"Er, hello.. what can I do for you?" I asked.

"We're terribly sorry to bother you. Especially at this late hour, but we need your help Sir." The young woman spoke first. Her voice was surprisingly soft. I don't know why but I suddenly found myself nervous of this young couple. I absent-mindedly took a step back.

The man took over then. Assuring me that he and his wife meant no harm, insisting that they needed my help.

They told me their names and asked if I knew a woman by the name of Nadie Tanner.

I thought that this was clearly a case of mistaken identity. I'd quite a good memory for names and this was an unusual name. I was sure I'd know if I'd heard it before.

I apologised and assured them that I didn't know anyone going by that name.

They then went on to explain about them being investigators, they were looking for a native American lady that they'd seen me with in a diner earlier. They handed me a card, saying that they'd found it on the lady they were seeking earlier.

Natalie. It could only have been her.

"Oh, you mean Natalie Black?" I asked.

I was sure that the name had thrown the young woman, Bella, somehow, I might have been mistaken but I was almost sure that she took a deep breath when I has said it.

I told them what little I'd learnt about Natalie's life and they seemed genuinely shocked when I mentioned her daughter's untimely death.

Bella and her husband, Edward, went on to tell me that Natalie's brother had come into some money and was now in position to search for his sister using their detective agency.

What they said next, shocked me to the core. They said that Breeanne wasn't dead. She had an unhappy childhood, but was now living under the care of her uncle and was a very happy young lady.

I didn't understand, couldn't comprehend why Natalie would have lied about such a fundamental part of her life.

Clearly there was no way that this young couple could shed any light on why Natalie had lied.

Could she have concocted the story because of the guilt she felt for abandoning her only daughter, leaving her in the care of a violent drunk? Was that the reason that had led her life into this downward spiral from which it appeared she saw no way out? Only time would tell, I supposed.

What they were offering though, was nothing short of a miracle. A way out for Natalie. They offered to pay for whatever rehabilitation she needed.

I couldn't believe it, these young people were definitely a gift from God.

They asked me about what rehab and treatment that I thought would suit Natalie best. I told them about the places I'd already contacted and the one place that I believed would be best suited to Natalie's recovery. I warned them that the treatment wouldn't come cheap.

They were completely non-nonplussed by this information. Assuring me that all they wanted was for me to organise a place for Natalie, or Nadie as they insisted on calling her immediately.

I made a couple of calls, most importantly to me was the call to the Schick Shadel Hospital here in Seattle. The research I'd done into potential care for Natalie led me to believe that their treatment, although short in comparison with some other facilities, would give her the best possible chance of a full recovery. They said that they'd be happy to help and would be able to organise a private ambulance to pick her up. I promised to call them back within the hour with the details.

I rejoined my guests and told them that we had a couple of options. Again, they wanted me to make the final decision. They thought that this was more my area of expertise than theirs.

I told them a little about the programme at the Schick Shadel Hospital. Bella was intrigued by the idea of the treatment only lasting ten days.

"You think it's possible to do a full rehab in ten days?" She asked.

I had to admit that I was sceptical about that when I'd first heard about their programme. But results were what counted and their results were second to none.

"I honestly don't know," I replied. "All I know is that the traditional methods don't seem to work. I reckoned it was worth a try."

We discussed the costs and I was worried that they thought I'd be gambling with the funds offered. Edward assured me that this wasn't the case and asked me to set things in motion. Apparently Natalie was unconscious in a disused warehouse a few miles away. One of their associates was watching over her.

I explained that I'd like to go with them, to see Natalie settled in the facility. They seemed visibly relieved. After all, Natalie wouldn't know them from Adam. It made sense for me to be there when she woke up. To explain what was happening.

We left then, I was in a hurry to see that Natalie was still alive. I noticed that whilst Edward drove back, Bella spoke to someone on her cell. Explaining that we were on our way.

"Natalie is still out cold." She told me. "Our colleague, Jasper, is keeping a careful watch over her though. She'll be fine."

I just had an awful thought. I hadn't thanked these wonderful young people. I was also suddenly ashamed that I'd been nervous about them in the beginning.

"Bella, Edward." I offered from the back seat of their Volvo. "I'm truly grateful for your help in all of this. I know that I might have appeared off hand when you both arrived tonight, and for that, I am very sorry. I think you may well have saved your client's sisters life. I can never repay you. God Bless you both." I hoped I sounded sincere.

"There is no need to thank us Sir... David." Edward assured me. "We're just doing our jobs."

I caught a look and a smile between them both. I wondered what that was about. I couldn't bring myself to ask. It seemed that it'd have been rude.

"David," Bella started. "I'm terribly sorry to have to ask this, but Edward and I will need to get back home soon. We didn't mention it earlier, but we have a daughter. She's being cared for by family tonight, but we really need to be home for her waking up in the morning."

"Oh, that's lovely." I replied.

They both look far too young to be parents. Looks can be deceiving though and these two seemed far more mature than their looks would have me believe them to be.

"Of course you must get back to her. I will go with Natalie to the hospital. Explain it all to her when she wakes up."

"Our colleague will accompany you to the hospital." Edward said. "We wouldn't dream of leaving you to take care of this on your own. If you'd give Bella your bank details, she'll transfer the necessary funds to your account now. That way you can pay what you need to when you get to the hospital."

I gave them the details, not once worrying about this being some kind of scam. These people were the real deal. I was certain of that.

We reached the warehouse where Natalie was asleep, or unconscious. It was hard to tell.

We'd been met by another young man, slightly older than the other two but every bit as beautiful. He had shoulder length fair hair and was as deathly pale as his colleagues. I wondered if in their line of work they ever saw the sun? He was introduced as Jasper Hale. He raised his gloved hand to shake mine.

Natalie was a in a sorry state. An empty bottle lay by her side and she'd clearly urinated on herself. Things were worse than I'd thought.

Edward took Jasper to one side, leaving me alone with Bella and Natalie's sleeping form.

"So, you have a little girl then. How old is she?" I asked, hoping that I was appearing to make polite conversation and not being nosey.

Bella's eyes lit up. She clearly adored her daughter. "Renesmee is four years old." She told me. "She is our little miracle. We didn't believe we could have children, so she came as a bit of a surprise to us."

"It's good to hear a heart warming story like yours." I told her. "There is so much doom and gloom in our world these days. I am very happy for you. Renesmee? That's a very unusual name." I questioned.

Bella smiled and her full face lit up.

"It's a unique name. It's my mom's name and Edward's mom's name joined. My mom is Renee and Edward's mom is Esme. Her middle name is Carlie. That's from our fathers. Carlisle and Charlie." She told me proudly.

"I'm sure she's a little stunner, what with such good looking parents." I told her.

"Thank you, David." she said. "Maybe you'll get to meet her soon."

"I'd love to," I said, strangely really wanting to spend more time with this amazing young couple and their family.

Just then we heard a vehicle drawing up outside. The ambulance had arrived. It was time for Natalie to begin her recovery.

Edward and Jasper came back and Edward told me that as discussed earlier, Jasper would accompany Natalie and I to the hospital. He'd follow behind the ambulance in his own car, a bright yellow porsche I'd noticed outside.

Once Natalie was settled, he'd report back to Bella and Edward, who'd in turn report to Billy Black, Natalie's brother.

I hope you enjoyed Pastor David's POV. I would love to keep him and make him a major character in this story. He's my first character. He belongs to me. I'd love to know what you all think of him. So... Please review and let me know.

A huge shout out to the amazing Courtney0624. She didn't just pre read this chapter for me, she beta'd it too. Giving me her thoughts and advice. Please send her some love.

Again thanks to the Schick Shadel Hospital for allowing me to use their facility and treatment in my story.