{"id":1123,"date":"2019-02-12T23:14:53","date_gmt":"2019-02-13T04:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/read.whitefire-publishing.com\/?p=1123"},"modified":"2020-06-01T08:14:07","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T12:14:07","slug":"on-the-threshold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/on-the-threshold\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Threshold"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n

On the Threshold<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

by Sherrie Ashcraft & Christina Tarabochia<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suzanne\u2014a mother with a long-held secret. Tony\u2014a police officer with something to prove. Beth\u2014a daughter with a storybook future. When all they love is lost, what\u2019s worth living for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suzanne Corbin and her daughter, Beth Harris, live a seemingly easy life. Suzanne has distanced herself from her past, replacing pain with fulfillment as a wife and mother, while Beth savors her husband\u2019s love and anticipates the birth of their child. But all that is about to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like a sandcastle buffeted by ocean waves, Suzanne\u2019s fa\u00e7ade crumbles when her perfect life is swept away. Tragedy strikes and police officer Tony Barnett intersects with the lives of both women as he tries to discover the truth. Left adrift and drowning in guilt long ignored, Suzanne spirals downward into paralyzing depression. Beth, dealing with her own grief, must face the challenge of forgiveness<\/a>. Can these two women learn to trust each other again? Will they find the power of God\u2019s grace in their lives?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t

Chapter 1<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Please let\nthere be a heartbeat. This time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beth Harris\nstopped. One more step and the automatic hospital doors would sense her\npresence, open wide for her to enter. One more step, and she\u2019d be swallowed up.\nIt would be better not to find out. She could continue holding onto hope. But\nif the news were bad \u2026 \u201cKeith, maybe we should reschedule. I\u2019m sure the doctor\nwouldn\u2019t mind if we waited a few more weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her husband\npressed his hand into the small of her back, urging her forward. \u201cBeth, you\nshouldn\u2019t worry. Everything\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She sidestepped\nout of his reach and onto a sunny patch of lawn. \u201cHow do you know that? It\nwasn\u2019t okay last time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He settled his\nshoulders. \u201cThink of how sick you\u2019ve been. That\u2019s a great sign.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the mere\nmention of sickness, Beth\u2019s stomach threatened to rebel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGod has His\nhand upon us, sweetie. I feel it in my gut. This baby will be a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A couple of\nscrub-wearing women threaded between Beth and Keith, making their way into the\nhospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His words were\nmeant to comfort, but he wasn\u2019t the one waiting to feel the first flutter, the\none physically connected to the little life. He wasn\u2019t the one who feared\nstillness, feared being unable to carry a child. She didn\u2019t break eye contact\nwith her husband. \u201cAnd His hand wasn\u2019t on us six months ago?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, that\u2019s not\n\u2026\u201d Keith blinked. \u201cYou know it was, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut what? What\ndid I do wrong? Why didn\u2019t He give us what we wanted?\u201d That was the real\nquestion\u2014the one she\u2019d been too afraid to ask until the threat of a repeat of\nthe experience forced it out of her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keith closed\nthe gap she\u2019d put between them. \u201cDon\u2019t be scared, Beth. This isn\u2019t like you.\u201d\nHe tipped her head against his chest and kissed her hair. \u201cWhere\u2019s my optimistic\nwife? Where\u2019s the woman who won\u2019t let anything steal her joy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beth drew back,\nbut wove her fingers through his. \u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d She forced the edges of her\nmouth into the semblance of a smile. \u201cI\u2019m probably making a fool of myself. The\nappointment will go fine and then you can make fun of me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s better.\nYou were starting to sound like your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeith!\u201d Beth\nfollowed her husband through the doors. A trickle of sweat from standing in the\nsummer sunshine made its way between her bony shoulder blades. Despite the\ncircumstances, she\u2019d lost several pounds. \u201cAnd what\u2019s wrong with my mom?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuzanne\u2019s a\nglass-is-half-empty kind of person.\u201d Keith looped an arm around her shoulder\nand steered her toward the lobby desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beth gave the\nreceptionist her name and settled into the waiting room chair next to Keith.\nShe glanced at the women\u2019s bathroom. \u201cAnd I\u2019m a bladder-is-full kind of\nperson.\u201d If only she could pee \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeth Harris?\u201d\nA pink-shirted escort waited by the check-in desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They rose and\ntrailed behind the guide through a maze of hallways. Beth slowed as the lady\nindicated a room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nudging her\nforward, Keith whispered, \u201cDo not be afraid, for the Lord your God is with\nyou.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A young\ntechnician waited inside the darkened room. \u201cCome on in. I\u2019m Courtney.\u201d She\nshook their hands and patted an examination table. \u201cLie back and I\u2019ll get you a\npillow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beth stared at\nthe table. The last time \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keith grasped\nher hand, helped Beth up, and stood to the side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crackling\nof the paper beneath her, the hum of the machine, the blank screen \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay in the\nmoment.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She brought\nherself back to the room, focused on the atmosphere. The scratch of the paper\ntowels as Courtney tucked them into Beth\u2019s waistband and slid her shirt up. The\nwarmth of the gel applied to her belly. The lingering scent of clean as\nCourtney stepped over to the sonogram machine. The supportive twinkle in\nKeith\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing to be\nafraid of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beth relaxed,\nher long hair tickling her arms as she laid them flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you ready\nto see your baby?\u201d Courtney flashed a grin at Beth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ultrasound\ntechnician had no idea what she was asking. Could a woman ever be ready to\u2014\n\u201cYes.\u201d Beth swallowed against the catch in her throat. \u201cI\u2019d love to see this\nbaby.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please let\nthere be a heartbeat.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A shape formed\non the screen: a tiny head perched atop fan-shaped ribs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She squinted,\ntrying to make out more than the outline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keith leaned\nacross the examination table. \u201cThat\u2019s the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Courtney moved\nthe wand over the gel. \u201cYes, there it is.\u201d She clicked a button on the machine\nand a black and white image printed out. \u201cAnd here\u2019s the first picture of your\nchild.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keith took the\npaper. \u201cI think it has your nose, Beth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBetter than\nyours.\u201d She smiled up at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technician\nangled the instrument, varying the pressure while keeping contact with the same\nspot. \u201cHow far along are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTen weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A long minute\npassed. Tiny lines of concentration spread across the technician\u2019s forehead,\nher gaze fixed on the image of the baby. \u201cDid your doctor schedule the\nultrasound today?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An alarm\ntripped in Beth\u2019s mind. Please, God, please. I can\u2019t handle this again.<\/em>\nShe reached for Keith\u2019s hand. \u201cNo, just a routine appointment. Why? What\u2019s the\nmatter?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technician\ntilted her head and short dark curls bounced around black-rimmed glasses. \u201cI haven\u2019t\nbeen doing this very long, so sometimes it takes me awhile to get a good\nangle.\u201d Restraint dampened the young woman\u2019s easygoing tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keith\u2019s voice\nsounded gruff. \u201cSomething wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silence was the\nonly answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beth stared at\nthe monitor, at the pale circle floating in the grayness of her womb. Cool\nhospital air whispered over her heated skin. The walls of the room closed in.\n\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d She choked out the words. \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter with our baby?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMrs. Harris,\nI\u2019m sorry. Our instructors drilled it into us, class after class. We\u2019re not\nallowed to talk about what we see. That\u2019s your doctor\u2019s job and we\u2019re only\nlowly techs. That said, this is your <\/em>baby. If I see the heartbeat, I\u2019ll\ntell you. And, if I don\u2019t \u2026\u201d Courtney glanced at Keith, then Beth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There had to be\nsome mistake. Courtney was inexperienced\u2014by her own admission. She must be\nmisreading the machine. They could all see the baby on the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The picture\nrotated as Courtney tried angle after angle. Time passed in stark silence.\nCourtney put the wand down and slipped from the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beth continued\nto stare at the empty screen. Please let her be wrong.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Courtney\nreturned with an older man, gray hair flirting with his temples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He moved toward\nthe table. \u201cI\u2019m John. Mind if I have a look?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beth nodded.\n\u201cPlease do.\u201d The wand, in John\u2019s capable hands, would wield magic and the\nscreen would show the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John found the\nsame spot and transmitted the image to the monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keith stroked\nBeth\u2019s hand, drawing her attention his way. Eyes large, he looked like he\nwanted her to ask more questions, to have the man explain what was happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No way was she\nmissing the first white pulse of heartbeat. She turned back to the screen,\nwilling the baby\u2019s heart to pump, pump, pump. Then sighs of relief would drown\nout the ominous quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keith breathed\nheavily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She hardly\nbreathed at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCourtney,\u201d\nJohn said. \u201cCall their doctor and have him fit these folks in as soon as he\ncan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her eyes\ndrifted shut, hope killed by reality. Why wouldn\u2019t anyone give voice to the\nobvious?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone wiped\nthe gel off and pulled her shirt into place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keith lifted\nher head in his sturdy hands and kissed her cheek. She kept her eyes closed as\nhe helped her sit up and slide off the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was it really\ngone? Again? Another baby they\u2019d spent the last two years planning for? She\nwould never be able to walk into the freshly painted nursery, pass the\nunassembled crib, or touch the soft onesies accumulating in the dresser drawer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeth, honey.\u201d\nKeith drew her into a hug, brushed her hair to the side, and placed another\nkiss on the nape of her neck. \u2018Honey, I\u2014\u201d\n\nBeth snapped her eyes open, grabbed the ultrasound\nprintout, and crumpled it. \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about it. Not yet.\u201d She\ndropped the picture into the trash on the way out.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n