North Country Family

His brain instantly shot out warnings, reminding him to avoid entanglements. He was here to atone for his past, not get involved. That thought brought a tiny flicker of sadness that he fought to ignore.

“I promise you’ll arrive in one piece,” he said, noting her grip hadn’t eased.

“But which piece?” Cassie teased in a tight voice. Once they were on the highway, she seemed to relax. “Just before Christmas I was in a fender bender in Toronto on very slick roads. I guess I’m still a bit skittish.”

“We’ll be there soon,” he assured her.

Cassie glanced his way, her head tipped to one side. “Do you ever have doubts about anything, Rick?”

The question made him blink as memories from a host of very bad days from his past made him wince.

“You have no idea,” he muttered as guilt rolled in.

Cassie studied him, a tiny frown marring her beauty. After that she remained silent until they reached Lives. Rick didn’t mind. Her question had sobered him.

“We’re home,” he said as he turned off the motor.

“Finally.” Bryan quickly unfolded himself from the backseat.

“A tall guy like you, you’ll be glad Laurel has a van.” Rick watched him stretch. Something about the kid didn’t seem right. When Bryan headed for the house, Rick called him back.

“Your bag?” he reminded.

“What, no bell boys?” Bryan attempted a laugh but it fell short. He swiped a hand across his face to remove a sheen of sweat, which was odd given the frosty temperature.

Rick also noticed that Bryan’s hand shook when he reached for the suitcase handle. The boy seemed confused as he struggled to maneuver his way to the door. Several times he veered off the pathway into the snow. Concerned by Bryan’s unsteadiness, Rick moved to assist him. He arrived just in time to catch Bryan as he slumped.

“Cassie!” Rick yelled. She was there in a second with Laurel.

“Bryan’s just been diagnosed with diabetes,” Laurel said.

“Get him inside and lay him on the floor,” Cassie ordered after a quick look. “Laurel, we’ll need some orange juice or something sweet.”

Totally out of his depth, Rick appreciated Cassie’s orders. He carried Bryan inside then propped up the boy’s head as Cassie dribbled some orange juice in his mouth.

“What’s wrong with him?” he asked.

“I’m guessing his blood sugar’s too low.” Concern darkened Cassie’s eyes as she monitored the boy’s pulse and checked his pupils. “Bryan, when did you last test?” she asked loudly when his eyelids fluttered.

“Didn’t.” His head lolled into unconsciousness.

Cassie hissed out a sigh of frustration. She looked at Rick. “Can you go through his suitcase and find a small case? It would have test strips, syringes and a vial in it.”

Rick did as she asked. When he found the container, he unzipped it and held it open in his palm so she could easily get what she needed.

“Thanks.” With precise movements Cassie pricked Bryan’s finger and swiped it over a test strip, which she then stuck into the small monitor. She grimaced at the reading, measured out the correct dose from the vial and injected it into Bryan’s stomach. After a quick glance at Noah who stood watching, she offered him a smile then returned to monitoring her patient.

Rick noted the tender hand Cassie swept across Bryan’s forehead and the kindhearted words she spoke. To anyone watching, Bryan might have been her own child.

“Why didn’t he inject himself?” he asked, keeping his voice hushed.

“The doctor’s report says he’s struggling to accept his illness.” Laurel stood beside Noah, watching.

“A lot of kids do,” Cassie explained. “They think that if they ignore it, it will go away.” She looked at Rick, grim certainty in her eyes. “It won’t go away. Bryan’s got to learn to handle his diabetes or it will kill him.”

“Then we’ll help him do that,” Rick assured her.

Cassie gave him a funny look before she turned her attention to Bryan once more.

“Okay, he’s coming around. Laurel, could you bring a wet cloth? Can you help him sit, Rick?”

“Sure.” He slid his arm around Bryan’s back and eased him upright. “Take it easy, big guy.” When Bryan’s bleary gaze met his, he teased, “Is this any way to begin your first day here? Forgetting to take your medication?”

“I didn’t forget,” Bryan said, slurring his words a bit, but fully aware.

“You must have forgotten,” Rick told him in a serious tone. “Because deliberately not taking it sounds dumb, and I don’t think you’re dumb.” He sounded more confident than he felt, and he prayed that God would use his words to help Bryan. “Diabetes is not a death sentence.”

“It feels like one to me.” Bryan accepted Rick’s hand to pull himself upright. He wavered a bit before plopping on a kitchen chair.

“Diabetes isn’t the end of your life, Bryan.” Rick sat across from him. “In fact, it could be the start of a new life for you, a new beginning here at Lives Under Construction.”

Bryan glanced at Laurel and Cassie as if to ask if Rick was serious. But after a moment his gaze returned to Rick, who caught a flicker of curiosity under the boy’s tough attitude.

“New start?” the boy demanded. “How?”

“Well, think about it. Nobody here knows you or what you did before you came here. You’ve got a chance to begin a new year with a clean slate.” One glance at Cassie’s serious face told Rick he had to make his words count. “Managing your diabetes can be your first step to making your future into whatever you want.”

“You make it sound easy,” Bryan muttered.

“Oh, no, I didn’t say that. But nobody but you can decide your future, Bryan.” Rick paused to let that sink in. “You have to choose if you’ll waste the opportunity you’ve been given at a new life, or accept the challenge and use this time to figure out how to build yourself a better world.”

Bryan snorted. “I never heard anyone claim going to juvie was getting a break.”

“Well, then, let me be the first to offer you a new perspective. Besides, this is not juvenile detention. It’s where lives are under construction, on the way to being changed.” Rick held his breath, waiting for the boy to decide.

Bryan studied him for a long time, his eyes searching. Rick could tell that he was at least thinking about what he’d heard.

“You should rest for a while, Bryan,” Cassie said.

“Yeah. I feel tired. The plane was bumpy. The guy guarding me got sick.” He pushed to his feet and followed Laurel to the room he’d been assigned.

Rick rubbed a hand across his face, silently praising God for His help.

“How did you know to do that?”

Rick blinked. Cassie stood in front of him, a puzzled expression on her face. “Do what?”

“Talk to him like that, get him to face his issues and see them from a new perspective.” She frowned. “You convinced Bryan he could start over. I think maybe you got through to him. How?”