Amazing Grace



  Amazing Grace

  By Crystal Humphrey

  Copyright 2016 Crystal Humphrey

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  •Note•

  Amazing Grace is a fictitious work of the author's imagination. Though some of the places mentioned throughout the book are real, the characters and storyline are completely made up. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book was edited by:

  Janet Fix, www.thewordverve.com

  •Dedication•

  To my loving husband who has encouraged me in all I do. Thank you for the endless patience as I run storylines and character questions by you. Thank you for making me dinner, bringing me drinks, and keeping me energized throughout this process. And most of all, thank you for believing in me and my ability to produce a story others will want to read. I love you.

  •Table of Contents•

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Abundant Faith

  Author's Note

  About the Author

  Amazing Grace

  •Chapter 1•

  "Of course I love you, baby. We're going to spend the rest of our lives together after graduation. We both know this. Come on. Please?"

  Abby Grace thought about that one statement her boyfriend had made to her after prom three months earlier. He had assured her he loved her more than life itself and the two of them would be together forever. He wanted to marry her, have a family with her, and spend his life with only her. Convinced, she gave herself to him that night, in the backseat of his brand new mustang his parents bought as an early graduation present.

  She should have known better. She was smarter than that. But she had honestly believed Bryson when he said those things. They had been together for several months already and it wasn't the first time he had pressured her to have sex. Abby Grace had decided long ago not to get caught up in the sex craze that befell some of her other classmates. There was too much hurt and drama when the couple split and moved on to other partners.

  Instead, she concentrated on her studies. Her only goal was to get into Harvard, follow in her father's footsteps, and become the lawyer he wanted her to be. An only child, both parents had been disappointed by the fact that she was a girl. The disappointment increased when it was discovered they would have no more. Abby Grace felt that disappointment everyday of her life. So she worked twice as hard, studied twice as long, and had graduated just last week valedictorian of her senior class.

  Now, she sat in a sterile waiting room that only increased her depressed mood, remembering that phrase Bryson had used over and over. Where was Bryson now? Not where he said he would be. Not with her, sitting in one of these drab, gray seats, Abby Grace thought. The moment she had informed him of her pregnancy, he had done the typical teenage guy thing and ran.

  "He babe, if you got knocked up, that's on you," he had said. "I don't want nothing to do with that."

  And a week later, she was sitting alone in an abortion clinic, and Bryson was dating someone else. Abby Grace sighed. She hadn't told anyone else. She did what she always did. She would take care of the problem herself. She felt a little uneasy, thinking of her unborn child as a problem, but when she called the nurse at the clinic assured her it wasn't yet a baby. She used the word embryo to describe what was forming in Abby Grace's stomach.

  Walking into the clinic, however, there were protestors screaming things like "baby killer" at her over and over. One sign read "life begins at conception." Is that true, she wondered. Could I really be killing a baby?

  The thought began to worry her as she sat wringing her hands together. Eighteen was just too young to be having to make a decision like this with no one, especially her parents, to talk to about it. Just as she was about to decide to walk out of the clinic and go back home, a nurse came in and called her into another drab, depressing room. Abby Grace had no more time to worry.

  "Stand on the scale," the nurse said. There was a hint of boredom in her voice.

  Abby Grace thought, "Wow, no 'hi, how are you' or 'how is your day?" Just straight to the point and very matter of fact. Abby Grace did what she was asked, laying her purse on the floor to stand on the metal scale the nurse indicated. She was shocked to see she had gained fifteen pounds. It was a wonder her rigid mother had not already commented. But then, both her parents were too wrapped in her father's campaign for state legislature to be concerned with her appearance right now.

  The nurse, whose name tag said Debbie, then asked Abby Grace to follow her down the hall and into an even more sterile, uninviting exam room. "I'll take your blood pressure, and then I will need you to remove your clothes. The doctor will be in to see you after you have done this."

  Abby Grace waited patiently as the formidable nurse took her blood pressure and left the room without another word. So far, this whole process had been cold, unfeeling, and left her feeling slightly uneasy.

  She removed her clothes slowly. The examination room she was in was just as depressing as the waiting room. The room was small and dingy. The walls had been painted a dull gray. One small chair sat in one corner. Abby Grace laid her clothes on it as she undressed.

  There was an exam table in the middle of the room that looked as if it had seen better days. She shuddered as she continued her perusal of the room. Abby Grace was having some serious second thoughts about this whole procedure. But if she didn't go through with it, there would be no way she could go to Harvard and get a law degree. A baby just wasn't in the cards for her at this time. Besides, she was pretty sure her parents would disown her for shaming the family name. It had been drilled into her more than she cared to remember.

  So when she finished undressing, she pulled on a hospital gown, and sat on the crinkling paper on the exam table. It was freezing in the room. Abby Grace wrapped her arms around herself and tried not to let her teeth chatter. There wasn't much for her to look at to help take her mind off of the upcoming procedure. There were no pictures on the wall, no magazines in the room, and no informative posters you might see in a doctor's examination room.

  Her feeling of depression was growing. What was she thinking? How could she have gotten herself pregnant when she had so much going for her? Just how stupid was she to have let a boy talk her into something she had promised herself she would not do while still in high school?

  The doctor entered the room, interrupting her thoughts. "I'm Doctor Keller. Do you have any questions before we get started?"

  Abby Grace shook her head no even though there were thousands of questions going through her mind. She had no idea what was about to happen, and apparently no one was going to fill her in.

  "Good," Doctor Keller said. "This is just a quick, simple procedure that will be over before you know it. Just lie back on the table."

  Abby Grace did as was instructed, placing her feet in the stirrups at the end of the table. She was ten
se and nervous. Placing a hand on her stomach, she focused on the white, cracked ceiling above her head.

  •Chapter 2•

  Thirty minutes later Abby Grace sat in her car, tears streaming down her face. She felt bereft, empty. Why was she crying over something she wasn't supposed to have? It wasn't real. She could move on with her life now.

  But the pep talk wasn't helping. Abby Grace cried harder. Looking up, she could see some of the protestors staring at her in condemnation and judgment for what she had done. She could still hear the cries of "baby killer" ringing in her ears.

  Abby Grace started her car and pulled out of the parking lot. She needed to get away from this place. It was a long drive home since she didn't want to do something like this close to home for her parents to find out about. She had crossed over the state line into Tennessee to have the abortion done hoping no one would discover what she had done.

  As she drove down the streets of the Tennessee town, her tears continued to flow. She turned on her radio, but the songs only made her cry harder as they talked about cheating boyfriends and unrequited love.

  She tried to think about other things such as leaving her Alabama town in the fall for Harvard. When she received the letter of acceptance, it was one of the few times she had seen her father slightly proud of her. Even graduation had been a disappointment for them when she froze for a moment on stage before her valedictorian speech. She could see the look of disappoint in their eyes even from the stage.

  Her father was a prominent lawyer in their northern Alabama city. He and his wife, her mother, had high aspirations of a political career after making a name for themselves in the law world. He dad had been mayor of their city for a short time and was now concentrating on the state senate. His ultimate goal, for now, was the governorship of Alabama.

  She had no doubt he could do it either. When her father decided on a course of action, there was no one to stop him. He was well liked, and well received by everyone.

  Her parents had the perfect marriage and the perfect family outside of the home. They presented a united front in their endeavors. Theirs was not a love match, but a power match instead. Her mother's family was powerful and rich, and his easy charm and charisma would catapult them both in their rise of power.

  Only behind closed doors would you learn the real story. Her mother and father tolerated each other for what the other could do for them, but they didn't like each other very much. Both were selfish in their goals and desires and needed the other for those accomplishments.

  Her mother was beautiful. She made the perfect trophy wife for a man like her father. And he was smart enough not to step out on her, even in private. He was not driven by sex. He didn't need to have the admiration of a woman. He needed the admiration of everyone.

  Abby Grace knew what would happen if her political seeking parents found out about her indiscretion. She was determined they would not know. Luckily they were both on a business trip in south Alabama and would not return home for three more days. She was sure she would be up and feeling better by the time they arrived back home.

  Doctor Keller told her to go home and take it easy for a couple of days. The nurse handed her some paperwork describing any signs and symptoms of infection to watch for. So far, there was a little cramping in her abdomen, but other than that she felt normal.

  Abby Grace had finally made it to the interstate. The tears were slowing somewhat. Thinking of her parents helped to take her mind of off what she had just done. Entering the interstate, Abby Grace merged into the flow of traffic. The radio station just started playing a fun pop song, so she turned it up a little and tried to get her mind completely off of the events of the previous hour.

  She drove for an hour before the first serious cramping hit her. Almost doubling over, Abby Grace cried out. Slowing her car, she pulled off on the next exit and found a gas station. Before she got out of the car, another wave of pair radiated through her body. Abby Grace held her breath as the sensations washed through her.

  Finally subsiding, she got out of her car and walked into the gas station. She went directly into the restroom. Abby Grace was not surprised to see she was bleeding heavily. She assumed it was part of the procedure. She used the bathroom, washed her hands, and made her way back to her car. She felt slightly light headed, so she lie back in her seat for a minute and closed her eyes.

  When Abby Grace felt the dizziness and the pain had subsided, she started her car and headed back to the interstate. Once more tears rolled out of her eyes and down her face, this time, not from the uneasiness and guilt, but from the pain and the fear she was now experiencing.

  She had another hour to drive. She had not yet crossed the Tennessee line back into Alabama. She hoped there would be no more pain, but if there was, she hoped it would hold off until she made it home where she could lie down.

  These thoughts continued through her mind as she merged back onto the interstate to head home. She was a couple miles from the exit, and had gotten her speed up to seventy-five when another wave of pain hit. This time, it was so severe her leg involuntarily jerked hitting her brake pedal. Abby Grace never saw the vehicle that plowed into her, knocking her into a guard rail.

  •Chapter 3•

  "Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, I'm Doctor Payton Talley. I'm sorry to meet you under these circumstances." The young doctor gauged his patient's parents noticing the lack of true concern in the eyes of the older couple.

  "How is Abby Grace, Doctor? What happened?" Celeste Wilson asked. One hand was clutching a strand of pearls while the other was holding her husband's hand. An observer, listening and watching, might have seen a grieving set of parents, but the truth was in the eyes. To Dr. Talley, the couple didn't seem truly worried about their child. He wasn't certain why he had those thoughts, but it was not his place to judge.

  "Your daughter was in an automobile accident. Another car hit her from behind. Miss Wilson was airlifted here and rushed into emergency surgery. She has a broken right arm, a fracture in her left leg, and I'm sorry to say, we had to do a hysterectomy after her botched abortion."

  "Excuse me. Her what?" Jeremiah Wilson asked. Payton watched as a spark of anger ignited then quickly disappeared in Jeremiah's eyes.

  "It appears your daughter had an abortion earlier in the day. The doctor who performed the procedure nicked your daughter's uterus in a way that would cause severe discomfort and possible death if not treated immediately. That accident may have saved your daughter's life."

  "I think you are mistaken doctor. My daughter would have no need of an abortion. I think you have the wrong patient in mind."

  Payton was surprised at how matter-of-fact the father seemed about this statement.

  "He's right. Abby Grace is not that kind of girl. She would never disgrace this family in such a way."

  "I assure you ma'am, I am not mistaken. Your daughter is very lucky to be alive right now. I would say her accident was a blessing."

  "You can say what you like, but if you are right about the abortion, it would have been better for the accident to have taken her life," Jeremiah said.

  Payton watched as Celeste put her hand on Jeremiah's arm and wondered if it was a slight warning to watch what he said. It seemed that way to him. He was feeling very sorry for the young girl in his care.

  "When can we see our daughter?" Celeste asked.

  "She's in recovery now. A nurse will inform you when she is in a room. Until then, we would ask that you wait in the waiting room." With that, Payton turned on his heels and left the couple. He wasn't sure he could take anymore of the blasé attitude toward their daughter's serious accident.

  "Lord, I don't know the situation with this family, but you do. That young girl needs you right now. She needs your grace and mercy to wash over her. She needs a Father that loves her and wants to help her, not one who is worried about the sanctity of the family name. Lord, please reach down and touch
Abby Grace. Heal her heart, her body, and her soul. Please help this broken girl find her way through you. Amen.

  Payton felt slightly better after lifting his heart to his Heavenly Father, but he would also call his Aunt Ruth and enlist her prayers as well.

  •Chapter 4•

  "Abigail Gracelyn Wilson how dare you disgrace this family name? How could you do something so stupid as to get yourself pregnant?"

  Abby Grace watched as her father paced at the bottom of her hospital bed. She had just awoken, had barely registered the fact she was in a hospital, when her father started his speech. And she knew from experience, this speech would be a long one.

  Her mother had the good sense to shut the door so that no one overheard the conversation where a much loved lawyer turned politician bereted his only daughter as soon as she woke from a life saving surgery. Her dad kept his voice much lower than he normally would in a circumstance such as this as well.

  "While I applaud your effort to take care of the situation, I abhor the thought of my only child disgracing me in such a way as this. Your mother and I are sadly disappointed that you would feel the need to hurt us this way."

  Abby Grace looked over to see her mother nodding along, agreeing with her father.

  "We had the chance to speak about this while you were sleeping. Although this is a hard decision to make, you are our only child after all, we can no longer support you since you continue to smear this family as you have. When you get home, your mother will have some of your clothes packed. You will need to find a new place to stay.