A/N: I was going to be away the whole day today and part of tomorrow... but because of rather heavy snowfall, I ended up staying at home after all. So, you end up getting another chapter to read too. Enjoy!

Chapter 16

The sound of his cell phone woke him up, and Clint reached for the offending item. Just in time, he remembered he was lying on the couch, a realization that saved him from landing in a heap on the floor. Quickly, he picked up the phone. "Hello?" he asked, his voice still rough from having just woken up. Surprised, he looked at the screen, because all he heard was a no-connection tone. The number that had dialled was not familiar, and judging from the first few numbers, was not even from within New York. Must have been a wrong number.

A look at the time informed him that he had overslept. Usually he would have been up for half an hour already. He supposed it was because it had taken a while for him to fall asleep. Not only was the couch not as comfortable as his bed, he had also been thinking a lot. About the conversation Nancy and he had had about the man now occupying his bed. But mostly about the man's daughter.

It had been yesterday evening when he had fully realised he was in love with Nancy, but if he looked back over the past days, he could see there had been a subtle change in their relationship even before he had realised it. He remembered crouching down by Nancy's sleeping form, and feeling the powerful protective wave go through him. He had enjoyed their banter, but had also enjoyed taking care of the nurse. It had been sort of like an extension of their existing relationship. They already took care of each other emotionally, although he had never recognised it on a conscious level before.

Last night, he had wondered if Nancy felt the same about him. The subsequent events had seemed to support that she did. He wondered what she had been wanting to ask him about last night, before Tippy and Paul had stood on the doorstep. Well, wondering wasn't going to get him any further. Time to get up.

He quickly got dressed, making sure not to disturb the other man. Then he sat down at the table, and opened his Bible. He continued reading where he had left off yesterday, and prayed, thanking God for the many blessings He'd given. He went down his mental praying list, starting with Doc Johanson and Dottie, all the way through to the people at Westbury, including Oliver Crane. He ended up at Nancy. He prayed for her health, for her relationship with Paul, the feelings of guilt she may still have regarding her father, even after their talk. He also prayed for Paul.

Then he laid bare his soul, not knowing where to go from here with Nancy. He knew that he loved Nancy, inside and out, and he knew where he wanted their relationship to go. The question was, if she indeed returned these feelings, and if his plans and desires were according to God's. If it was not meant to be, he knew his heart would break – but he'd trust in God to help him put it back together. He fervently hoped though that God had brought him to New York for more than one reason. Knowing he had one of the strongest bonds with Nancy that anyone could have with another person on Earth, he was sure God had guided both of them. Clint needed confirmation though. He'd had his heart broken before; even though Samantha and he would not have worked out, he'd loved her nonetheless, even though the bond they had had, didn't even come close to what he had with Nancy now.

So Clint prayed for a sign, if God could show him what to do, but most of all to align his heart's desires with those of God.

Eventually, Clint opened his eyes again. He hadn't noticed that Paul had woken up and had seen him praying. The older man had retreated and quietly freshened up, and started his morning with prayer too. When he heard the sounds of someone rummaging around in the kitchen, he stepped into the living room.

"Morning Clint," Paul greeted the other man.

"Good mornin', Paul," Clint replied cheerfully. "Merry Christmas, want a coffee?"

"Merry Christmas to you too, Clint, and yes, that would be great," Paul agreed chuckling. Since it was still early, and they doubted the two women would be up yet, they had breakfast together. They talked about some projects Paul had been thinking about, such as redesigning the store, and they discussed plumber-horrors both had seen in various houses. Paul's plumber background, and Clint's experiences in the country-side, where Doc Johanson and he did the 'small' things themselves, made sure they had enough anecdotes to share.

When Clint sat down again, after having gotten them both a refill, Paul looked at his hands first, then looked up at the other man. "Could we talk?" he asked.

Clint, a little surprised, nodded nonetheless. "Yeah, sure."

Paul waited for a few seconds, wondering how best to explain. "Last night in church, the preacher's parting words got to me. For years I'd been feeling lonely, and without really realising it, I blamed Elaine, because she had left me, and to a certain extent Nancy, because she had gone to live by herself." Paul looked at the doctor, who sat waiting patiently, knowing there was more. Seeing no condemning expression in the younger man's eyes, Paul continued, wondering what the man would think of the next part. "Yesterday, during dinner, I started noticing something… there was something going on between you and my daughter."

This time he saw Clint shift a little, but still the other man said nothing, so Paul went on. "I realised how close the two of you have become, and then I started… resenting you for spending so much time with my daughter, which meant she didn't spend it with me, and for what is no doubt coming. The two of you are about to make that next step in your relationship." Paul closely regarded Clint, and he could see the shock that came into Clint's eyes. Paul grinned. "You two may have been blind, but I'm not. Well, in other ways, I am, but on this I'm very clear."

Clint didn't smile. He was shocked the man had seen where he and Nancy stood, even if he had hardly recognised it himself. What was on the fore of his mind now though was, what was Paul going to say now?

"Make no mistake, even though I like you, I resented you at that very moment, because it would no doubt mean that I'd see my daughter even less, and I'd be even lonelier than before." His eyes went back to his hands. "It's not something I'm proud of, Clint."

For a moment, he didn't continue, and Clint spoke up softly. "It's a natural reaction, Paul."

Paul chuckled, his own bitterness forgotten for a moment. "You're not denying that something's happening between you and Nancy then, are you?"

Their eyes held each other, and Paul wondered what the other man would say. "No, I'm not denying that," Clint said calmly. "The past few days, something's been changing in our relationship, but it was so subtle that I didn't realise it immediately. Come to think of it, it started long before that. It's just that yesterday I was over at Nancy's and suddenly my mind connected the dots, and spelled it out to me." His eyes bored into Paul's, almost defying him to get between Nancy and him. "I'm in love with your daughter, Paul. Have been for a long time, and hope and plan to be for the rest of my life."

If Paul had had any doubt about the depth to which Clint's feelings ran, those doubts would now have been thoroughly erased as he looked into the eyes of the other man. Paul nodded. "Good."

For a moment, neither man spoke. Then Clint referred back to what Paul had said earlier, "Do you now resent me again?"

Paul grinned. "No. You see, Clint, it was in church last night that the Lord grabbed me, and showed me that it wasn't Elaine's company, nor Nancy's company that I should have been longing for. That wasn't what caused my loneliness, and therefore I shouldn't resent Elaine, Nancy, or you." The conversation turned back to its initial starting point. "The loneliness was caused by me."

The mirth had left Paul's eyes, and Clint could see just how deeply the realisation of last night had affected him. "It was because I had wanted the loneliness to be compensated for on my terms, and I lost sight of God's faithfulness. I no longer sought God's companionship, which of course made it only worse. I was well and truly lost."

Paul looked Clint straight in the eyes.

"Yesterday's sermon was my wake-up call. What you and Nancy witnessed yesterday was my first real prayer to God in years. I poured it all out. And you know what, Clint?" Paul asked rhetorically, as a gleam entered his eyes. Clint absentmindedly thought that Nancy had been right about her suspicion. "God really is faithful! All those years that I thought I could do it on my own, He was watching me, and was gently guiding me back to the point where I would realise what I was doing. He never let me go! Can you believe that, Clint?" By now, Paul was in tears again, overcome by emotions, as he still had trouble believing it himself.

"I, this pathetic piece of a human being, who lost sight of God's immense presence, I was still worth enough in God's eyes to be reprimanded and drawn back…" He shook his head. "It's too much, Clint. I'm not worth it."

"Paul. That's just the point," Clint pointed out gently. "You are right, we are not worthy of His grace, but in His eyes, we are precious. He sent His only begotten Son to this world, to die for us on the cross, to pay for our sins, so that we can return to Him. And He welcomes us back with open arms."

"I know that, I know, but…"

"No but, Paul. Do you think the prodigal son was worth any less in his father's eyes than the son who stayed home with his father? You can go read the story in Luke 15 again, but I'll tell you, it was for the son who returned home that a feast was prepared. You don't do that for someone you don't think is worth it."

This stopped Paul short. For a long moment, neither man spoke, and Clint allowed the older man to sort out his thoughts. He sent up a quick prayer for this man who had gone through a deep valley, but who was now on his way back up the mountain.

"Thank you," Paul said eventually. Clint just nodded. Silently he thanked the Lord for giving him the words. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes. Then Paul spoke up again, his voice calm. "The point of what I wanted to say was that… you'd better make sure you love my daughter enough so that you'll never have to go through that valley of loneliness."

Clint was slightly taken aback, and didn't know how to respond, when Paul continued with a self-depreciating laugh, "But I have the feeling that even if it would get that far, which I highly doubt, you would remember that God never leaves you. And if it does get that far, I'll be sure to remind the both of you!"

Clint started grinning, then suddenly froze. He gave the older man a strange look. "Sounds like you're pretty sure of where Nancy and I are heading in our relationship."

"You told me you were going to love my daughter for the rest of you life. You weren't planning on doing so from afar, were you?" Paul said gruffly.

The country doctor shook his head. "Not if I have a say in it. But Paul… we… I… Nancy and I haven't even talked about any of this yet."

"Just what were the two of you talking about then before Tippy and I knocked on the door last night?" Paul asked exasperated. Clint actually turned slightly red. He couldn't very well tell Paul they'd been talking about him, now could he? Instead he said, "I've been wanting to talk to Nancy about my feelings for her yesterday the whole evening, but people kept interrupting." Clint sounded a bit frustrated.

For a moment Paul just looked at the younger man, seeing his frustration, and he burst out laughing. "That's just so you. You've been in love with her for years you said? And when you finally want to tell her, want to actually do something about it, you're not getting the chance?"

"It's not funny, Paul," Clint said, although he couldn't help but be infected by the older man's laugh. It was good to see him this happy. Even if it was at his expense. "One might actually think that it's not meant to be…" Clint added, although he most certainly didn't believe that. Or didn't want to believe it?

Trying to reign in his amusement, Paul took pity on the younger man. "Clint, I've watched you take care of my daughter since the first months you were in New York. I've watched you two grow closer and closer. It is not without grounds I considered you a 'threat' for my companionship," Paul added with a wink. Turning serious again, he said, "If I was ever convinced that two people belong together, it is about you and Nancy. And coming from the father of the woman in question, I'd say that has got to count for something."

He took a calm look at the younger man sitting across from him. "Clint, I can tell you all kinds of things, ask you all kinds of things, and it would not matter, because even though you and Nancy belong together in my opinion, it is not my opinion that ultimately matters. You and Nancy need to figure that out together. I only want to know one thing: do you love her?"

"Yes," Clint said sincerely.

"In that case, I think you need to go have a talk with her," Paul said with a grin.

The country doctor shook his head in amusement. The Lord had sure been prompt with His sign. He had just started his day with another emotional roller coaster. Taking a look at the clock, he saw it was still too early to go to the other apartment. With a disappointed sigh, he resigned himself to waiting.

Paul saw his impatience, and smiled. This morning had turned out to be quite demanding of both of them. Suddenly he saw clearly God's hand had guided them, even just now: they had both been struggling with different issues, and they had helped each other out. Amazed, Paul shook his head.

The two men caught each other's gaze, and without words, they knew they had been thinking the same thing. No prompting was necessary, as they both bowed their heads and thanked and praised the Lord.

TBC