A Heart of Faith – Chapter Seven
Time. Some think it’s something of which they have lots. But we never can know how much we do have, until it becomes jeopardized. That’s a lesson the Meltsner learnt the hard way, when just that happens to Eugene Meltsner.
All of a sudden, time seems to be slipping away for him, quicker than anyone could have expected. Will the situation be able to be turned around before time is completely gone for good? Only time and faith will reveal what God could possibly have planned for them—of what use the situation could be. And maybe, as the saying goes, “One man’s loss, is another man’s gain.”
Although the events prove to be a fright for the family, and even their close friends, they are all able to find that they can have Hearts of Faith that God will take care of them and their every need.
Walking home from the bus stop that afternoon, Buck’s gait was amble as he made his way down the neighborhood’s sidewalk. He’d had a fairly normal day at school, and to his delight, there weren’t any tests or extra homework assigned for the weekend. So, the teen was looking forward to doing nothing more than to kick off the weekend and enjoy it. Maybe his parents had something planned for the upcoming Saturday, even?
As Buck came up to the driveway, he saw a second car parked next to Katrina’s. It seemed familiar, but he couldn’t quite remember whose it belonged to. Instead of staying in the driveway playing a guessing game, Buck simply continued up to the front door. He opened the door and stepped inside.
Buck paused before giving any indication of his arrival. Sparky hadn’t come running up to the door like the dog always would whenever he’d come home from school. Buck was going to call out to the dog, when conversation caught his ear first. “You know… you hear about these kinds of things happening to other people, but you never expect it to ever hit close to home…” It was Katrina talking, and she sounded upset. She sniffled, choking up a bit. “What if they don’t find a donor in time? Connie… I don’t know what I’d do if I lost him!”
Puzzled, Buck stayed where he stood in the foyer. What was she talking about that had her this upset? It was clear in her voice that she was crying. Sparky wandered over and found Buck, his tail’s speed slowly picking up as he was still happy to see the teen, afterall. Though, the dog did look as though the sad emotion from Katrina was making him sad, also.
“Hey boy.” Buck quietly greeted, giving the dog a nice scratching on the head. Raising his voice a bit, he then called out, “Mom? Dad? I’m… I’m home!” The conversation quieted. Katrina said something to the other person, and a moment after, Connie came to greet Buck at the door. “Hey, Buck. How’s it going?”
“Hi, Connie. I’m good. Mom had you over?” Connie gave a nod in answer. “Yeah, she did.” Buck could tell that she looked as though she was actively keeping herself composed. Something wasn’t right. “Can we talk for a minute?” Connie requested, to which Buck nodded. She gestured towards the couch in the living room, heading over to sit down. The teen followed, and sat next to him. “Is somethin’ goin’ on?”
“Yeah.” Connie started, taking a moment to figure out how she was going to explain this to Buck. “Buck, something happened today. At Whit’s End.” Buck’s brow arched a little. “What? Is Dad still there?” Connie shook her head ‘no’. “He’s not at Whit’s End… he’s in the hospital.” Buck’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?!”
“Earlier today, he had a serious um… I guess ‘episode’ would be a way to say it.” Connie continued. “He got super dizzy, and was having a hard time breathing, then he passed out. We had to call an ambulance for him.” Buck was now looking worried. “Did the doctor say what happened, or like, what’s wrong?” Connie nodded.
Putting a hand on his shoulder, she gave him an apologetic look. “He was diagnosed with heart failure, and it’s pretty serious.” Connie explained. “‘Serious’ how…?” Buck asked her. With a small sigh, Connie answered honestly. “He needs to have a heart transplant, and well, if a donor isn’t found in the next two months…” She paused, trying not to choke up by simply saying the words for herself. “… Buck, your dad is dying.”
“… What?” Connie could see the shock in Buck’s expression, and she felt remorseful for him. Afterall, it hadn’t been that long ago when Eugene and Katrina had finally made things official with Buck’s adoption, and now with Eugene’s diagnosis… That had to be a lot to take in. Connie tried to think of something semi-positive to say.
“They’ll be looking for a heart donor in the meantime,” She began again. “A lot could happen in two months, you know. The doctors probably will find one.” Buck’s gaze had fallen to his lap. He didn’t know what to even say. Connie couldn’t blame him. Giving his shoulder a light squeeze, she then gave him a small side hug. Buck looked like he wanted to say something short to her before retreating to his room, but having nothing to say for the moment, he simply mumbled an “Okay” and gave her a nod. Buck got up from the couch, and made his way to his room upstairs—grabbing his backpack on his way, with Sparky following after him.
Connie sighed, as she too got up from the couch. She made her way back into the kitchen where she’d left Katrina. She was now at the counter putting together something small for supper, seeing as it was going to be just her and Buck eating that evening. “Well,” She began, sliding her hands into her pockets. “I should be going. Jules will be wondering where I am.” With another sniffle, Katrina wiped her face again before turning to face Connie. Her eyes were still red from crying, and her cheeks were still tearstained. “Alright… Thank you for coming over, Connie.”
“Of course. Whenever you need me to, it’s no problem.” Connie assured her, going over to give her friend a hug. Katrina returned the gesture. “We’re praying.” She told her. Katrina was trying not to choke up again. “Thanks… C-Connie…”
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