Chapter 259 – A Matter of Faith
Frank and Nathan looked at each other and then at the library doors. The both were thinking the same thing, that they needed to be there for Father Mark, but they weren't sure how at the moment. Gran saw where they were looking.
"Leave him alone for a bit." Gran said. "I know that you both just want to help, but please just let him be for now."
"Yes, ma'am." Frank said.
"I will for now." Nathan said. "But I will talk to him before bed. He was there for me and I will be there for him."
"Fine." Gran said. Give him an hour or so. For now, we need to talk about tomorrow."
"Yes we do." James said.
Maddie, Missy, and Elizabeth continued to clear the table and put the food away.
"What time do we need to be there tomorrow and who is all driving?" Gran asked.
"We can start walking the course at eleven with jumping starting around eleven forty-five." Jack said.
"So what time do you want to leave?" James asked.
"Marco and Carlos are taking the horses over about nine." Doug said. "Before you ask, they are taking Ghost, Bandit and Athena. They know to keep Bandit between Ghost and Athena."
"I wasn't going to say anything." James said. "Have you switched the tack in your cases?"
"Yes." Jack said. "We took care of that this morning. The cases are down at the stable and Marco will take them with him as well. I have the papers for all the horses in my case already. I also have double checked and made sure all our extra gear was in the trailer. The only thing we will need in the morning will be to put our riding gear on, which is in our room and then to pack a cooler for us before we leave."
"The original plan was for me to drive Doug, Jack, Lee and Elizabeth." Nathan said. "Frank was going to drive the twins behind and follow us. Chris said something about Trish going with you guys since Andrew was going to drive the grandparents."
"I can drive Frank's SUV if that works." Trish said. "As long as he doesn't mind. Then Margaret, James and John can go together."
"That works." John said.
"I am okay with it." Frank said.
"Good." John said.
"Sugar Creek is about thirty minutes away." James said. "So is the plan to leave here about ten thirty or before."
"We can do that." Nathan said. "Then Trish, Frank and the girls can leave closer to eleven along with you guys. Just remember everyone. There will not be as much visible security as we had at the Classic. Chris has assured me that there will be undercover teams and they will be there as well, but there will not be the State Police."
"We all just need to be careful." James said.
"Do you want Trish and I armed?" Frank asked.
"Do you feel comfortable with that?" John asked. "Given your eye, I don't want problems."
"I am completely comfortable with carrying." Frank said. "If I could get the pistol that I had before, no problem."
"I will give it back to you in the morning." Gran said.
"I will also have both of mine that I brought up here." Trish said. "My James would want me to be able to protect everyone."
"Nathan?" John said. "You comfortable being armed?"
"I will be fine." Nathan said. "I will remove them before I ride and immediately get them as soon as I get back to the trailer. I also don't need a weapon to defend myself."
"I know." John said. "Just checking."
"Thank you." Nathan said.
"How long do you think the competition will be?" Elizabeth asked.
"Preliminary will jump starting at nine." Lee said. "They have eighteen jumpers in the competition. Intermediate will then jump and there are twenty-two jumpers in the competition. Both jumpoffs will follow the intermediate competition with preliminary going first, the reset of the field then the intermediate will jump. However, I have seen a lot of comments on their page that the preliminary jumpoff should be before the intermediate competition. So they might change it."
"They won't." James said. "It is a way for them to make everyone stay longer. You need to be prepared with snacks. They usually don't have vendors and if they do, few choices."
"We will." Jack said.
"I will also pack a cooler for us." Gran said.
"Are you three all jumping intermediate?" Maddie asked, looking at Jack, Doug and Nathan.
"Yes." Jack said.
"How many ribbon places are they giving this year?" Gran asked.
"Top five." Lee said. "At least according to the event page as of this morning."
"Then I expect that you all will bring home a ribbon." James said.
"I plan on winning." Jack said.
"You have to beat me." Doug said.
"And you both have to beat me." Nathan said.
"Boys." John said.
The three boys looked at John.
"Keep it civil." John said. "And I the jumps will determine who wins."
"Yes, Sir." All three said, ducking their heads.
"I will have breakfast casseroles in the morning." Gran said. "Trish, can you help me get those made up?"
"What is the plan for supper tomorrow?" Doug asked.
"There will be snacks available when we get back here." Gran said. "I will have to figure out something to put in the crockpot for supper."
"Could we make pizzas for supper?" Maddie asked.
"That sounds good." John said. "If it wouldn't be too much work."
"We could do that." Gran said. "I would need to cook up some ground hamburger tonight and those extra chicken breasts would need to be diced."
"I can help." Nathan said.
"Then if you kids make sure we have everything for pizzas." Gran said. "I don't mind. We will need more of the fresh veggies chopped for the platter as well as the cooler for tomorrow."
The kids nodded.
"Then we have work to do." Gran said.
"I have some paperwork." James said. "So if it is okay, I will work here at the table."
"If James doesn't mind." John said. "I might work out here as well."
"Go ahead." James said.
People started to break up and get busy with various things. John went and got his laptop. James grabbed his messenger bag and sat back down. Frank grabbed some paper and a pencil to write some thoughts and when he felt he had given Father Mark enough time, he went to the library, which both John and James noticed. They looked at each other and just nodded. They both knew that at that moment, not matter what had happened, Frank was probably the best person to help Father Mark.
Father Mark got into the library and set up the small altar using the table that was in there. He pulled out the white cloth, candles, crucifix and sacramentary that he kept there. The sacramentary was the book with all the prayers for the Mass. He set everything up and moved the couches so he had room in front of the altar he set up. He also pulled out the two small padded kneelers that were in the cabinet as well. He moved so they were in front of the altar, both at a slight angle with room in between. The last two items that he pulled out were a small book on the scriptural Rosary and a Rosary itself, he had his favorite one downstairs, but he didn't want to go get. He kept a few in the cabinet, including a replica of the one that was given to his grandparents for their wedding.
The scriptural Rosary has a verse or verses to meditate on for each of the ten Hail Mary's for each of the five mysteries within the set of four to be prayed. Since it was Friday, it was customary to pray The Sorrowful Mysteries which included The Agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, The Scourging of Jesus at the Pillar, The Crowning of Jesus with Thorns, The Carrying of the Cross, and The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus. Father Mark found the section he wanted, then he knelt and started to pray the Rosary, taking the time to read each verse and think about what Jesus was going through in that moment. He closed his eyes and thought about the areas he had visited in the Holy Lands and tried to put himself in the moment. He tried to push everything else out of his mind and focus on what he was reading and the prayers that were second nature to himself.
There were several times he had to stop and wipe his eyes as he cried. The pain and frustration from the day were poured out as he prayed and cried. Once he finished the Rosary, he moved to the floor and knelt there, sitting back on his knees and lifting his face to the altar. Father Mark was silently praying with tears running down his face at that point. He barely registered that someone had joined him in the library. He didn't look to see who it was, but continued to pray.
Frank quietly entered the library and saw Father Mark on his knees on the floor, his face lifted to the altar he had made. Frank felt bad about disturbing him, but was worried. He knew that whatever Father Mark was going through he needed to talk about it.
Frank took a spot at one of the kneelers and started praying himself. He saw the book for the Rosary and pulled his own from his pocket and started praying. He used the book to help him remember the prayers to start and the order of the mysteries. He had always carried the Rosary in his pocket since he received it when he graduated basic training. The chaplain had given it to him and even though he had struggled with his faith, Frank had always carried the Rosary as a reminder that God was always with him. He felt that the Rosary he carried reminded him that there was more to the world then he could see.
Frank knew that he hadn't always done right in the eyes of God, but since he had come back to the Church, he had tried harder, even trying to go to Mass as often as possible and trying to learn the Rosary. Since it had been so many years, he still struggled with remembering all the prayers and the order of things. He found the book to be wonderful and actually made a mental note to ask about it. He knew that despite growing up in a Catholic family, he had not learned everything that he needed to and his parents were more the type to just go to Church because it was something that was expected of them. Maybe that was why Frank had struggled with his faith as he got older. It was only after he had been injured and forced to retire from the Army that he started to come back to the church. He had seen other men at the vets support group that seemed at peace with what had happened to them and he wanted it. He had started going to the vet group, because he had been told it might help him work though his anger at having to retire so early from the Army.
Despite being able to retire on a full pension, due to his combat injuries and medals that he had received, he was not happy. From the moment that he had joined, he felt his life would be the Army until he died. Now Frank could see that God still had a purpose for his life and even if it was only to be there for this man who had sacrificed so much to be there for others. He wasn't sure what had happened to Father Mark, but he saw the pain in the man and knew that he had seen that pain before on a young soldier in Afghanistan. So Frank knew that whatever Father Mark had been through, it was eating at him.
Once Frank had finished praying the Rosary, he continued to bow his head and pray. Frank prayed for the strength to help Father Mark and to have the words that would help the person that had quickly become a friend. Occasionally, he would look over and check on Father Mark. He could tell that whatever had happened was difficult and his new friend was struggling. Frank just continued to pray for his friend and for the situation, even without knowing what happened. Frank also knew that there would come a time when he felt it right to ask the questions that needed to be asked, but for now, he was content on them praying and letting Father Mark cry out to God since that was what the young priest needed more. Frank reasoned that whatever had happened, had shook the young priest's faith. Whether that was his personal faith or his faith in humanity or just his faith in general.
About forty-five minutes after Frank had entered the library, Nathan joined them. He took the spot on the other side of Father Mark. He bowed his head and quietly prayed. No one spoke, but Father Mark could feel the love from the two people on either side. He hadn't known either all that long, but he felt that they would be lifelong friends, even without the connection of Jack. It just so happened that Jack brought them all together.
At one point, Father Mark stood and put a hand on each man's back. He waited until they both looked at him.
"Thank you." Father Mark said.
"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Frank said. "As a combat vet, I have seen my share of the evil humans can inflict on one another."
"I might not be a combat vet." Nathan said. "But I have also seen my share of evil."
Father Mark let out a sigh and went over to one of the couches. Frank and Nathan moved to sit closer to him.
"I guess I should talk to someone." Father Mark said.
"Do you want me to lock the doors?" Nathan said.
Father Mark looked over and saw the doors were shut, so he shook his head. He then leaned forward and dropped his head to his hands that were perched on his knees.
"Just let me speak." Father Mark said. "When I am done, you can ask questions. Okay?"
Father Mark looked up and saw both men nodding. He let out a sigh and dropped his head to his hands again.
"I went into town because I had an appointment." Father Mark said. "It didn't go as planned, so I went to this little park, because there are lots of birds and I needed to think. When I got there, I started walking around. I found this young woman sprawled out just off the trail. I cautiously approached her, thinking maybe she fell or something. As I got closer, I could see that her clothes were ripped and she had probably been attacked. I immediately ran back to the truck because I had left my phone there. I also grabbed my sick call kit, which I keep stocked in my truck.
I called for help as I went back to the woman, I was advised not to move her. I checked and she was breathing. She was actually moaning in pain. I was just going to pray for the woman because I didn't know if she was Catholic. Then she opened her eyes, looked at me and breathed the word 'father' so I administered last rites. Within minutes, her breathing became irregular. Another lady happened by and she was a nurse. She had me help her roll the victim. She immediately started CPR and instructed me on how to help her.
When emergency services arrived, I moved out of the way, closed up my case and started to move to my truck. I was sitting on the tailgate praying when I was approached by those two officers. They asked what happened and I told them. Then they noticed the blood on my hands and started asking more questions. I just repeated what I had told them. I didn't see the nurse come out or talk to her.
Finally getting frustrated with the two officers and their line of questions, I told them I was done speaking to them and I had given a complete statement. I also said since they have no evidence I did anything wrong, they were required to let me go. They didn't want to, but a higher ranking officer told them to. I got in my truck, drove to the rectory, changed my clothes and threw a load in the washer. I then spent the next twenty minutes scrubbing the blood off my hands and arms. Father Tom said he would hang up my shirts and talk to me later. I had received a text from Gran by that point, so I went and got the things she asked for. I then came back here.
I can't get that young woman's image out of my head. I have administered last rites before and dealt with victims of crime before. It wasn't even the first time I saw an injured person or stopped to help someone in need, but I feel like I failed this woman. I don't even know her name and now apparently she has died. I am not sure how I am supposed to feel or what I am supposed to do. I think getting a lawyer would show guilt and I know that I didn't do anything wrong. I knew that her outcome was doubtful, but I held out hope because I heard she had a pulse when they loaded her in the ambulance."