Chapter Three:

What are they hiding from me? 

What happened that they feel they have to hide it from me?

I know I was shot, but do they know more? 

Charity was getting tired of the way people were trying to tiptoe around her.  Whenever she asked a question about the shooting, everyone clamed up or simply changed the subject.  It was as if everyone was trying to hide something, trying to protect Charity from something.  She knew she was in danger, that much was obvious she had been shot, but how much danger?

She had so many questions, but no answers.

“Angie please tell me, why everyone is acting so strangely? Why does no one wanting to answer my questions?  I know I was shot, but it’s all a fog.”

Her sister remained silent, frustrating Charity even more.

Why is everyone acting like I am dead?  Treating me like I don’t exist, was it really all that bad?

Charity knew the bullet had hit her in the spine, doing some damage.  She had gotten that much out of the doctors, they were not sure she would ever walk again.  Right now though, she was more worried about living.  Someone wanted her dead.

Lord why does someone want to kill me.  Since when has writing Christian Mystery Novels become a dangerous thing?  I did not sign up for getting shot, when I started this career.  I never imagined that something like this would happen, but here I am lying in a hospital bed, with a bullet lodged in my spine, not knowing if I will ever walk again.

Charity was too angry, and confused to grieve what she had lost at the moment.  She could not spend any tears when she was not even sure what she was crying for.  She did however know she wanted answers and no one wanted to give them to her.

Am I still in danger?  Are we all still in danger?  I hope whoever shot me thinks I am dead, and I hope they leave my family alone.

“Angie I feel like I am sitting in the dark here.  You guys know something I can tell, you and Mom, and Dad are acting strangely.  I know you are upset over what happened, believe me I am too.  I am the one lying here, but you guys know more than I do.  Something is going on, and you aren’t telling me anything.  Was someone else hurt or worse?”

“I’m not telling you Charity, because it’s not safe to tell you.  I don’t care how upset you get, when the time is right you will know.”

“Know what?”

“You know I can’t give you that answer, not right now.”

At least Angie was talking to her now.  It was better than the silence, but the darkness was still there.  The darkness of not knowing something that Charity felt she should know.  It was her who had been shot. Despite all the precautions for that signing she had been shot.

Charity knew that her family was trying to protect her from something, but what?

“I know you would tell me if you could Angie, but I really wish I knew what was going on.  I feel like I am living in the middle of some dark secrets.”

“I guess you could put it that way.” Angie said.

Charity could not believe how weird things were getting.  It was like some badly scripted movie or something, or the plot to a book full of twists and turns that just did not make any sense.  The only difference was this was real they couldn’t change the channel or put down the book.

Lord I don’t know how I am supposed to deal with all of this, especially when I do not even know what half of this is.  I should be focusing on getting stronger, but I am worried about someone coming into my room and doing something to me.

Charity knew they had an officer posted outside of her room, twenty four hours a day, but that did not do much to appease her fears.  She had never imagined something like this even in the plot of her mystery novels.

Maybe I should try writing, but I can’t even sit up for more than a few minutes without feeling like I ran a marathon.  I never realized how the things we take for granted until we have to struggle one day simply to do them.  Is this some kind of humbling lesson Lord, because believe me I am humbled, and lost.  I know you are not the author of confusion, but I am just struggling right now.  .  It’s hard to make sense of all of this, when you don’t even know what all of this is.

“Charity I am sorry.” Angie said. “I wish I could tell you more, but the truth is I don’t even know everything.”

“Who does then?” I asked.

“They’re going to send someone from the police station in to talk to you tomorrow.  Maybe they can tell you more.”

“I sure hope so.”

“I don’t think you are going to say that when you talk to them.”

Angie kept throwing hints at me, but I could not peace them together.  I could not make sense of this yet, but who could make sense of getting gunned down in a Christian bookstore?  Your only crime signing your novels?

Did someone not like one of my books or something? 

That didn’t make sense though, if it were about something like that, someone could have just placed a bad review somewhere, not pulled a gun out and shot her.

I feel like I am living in the twilight zone at the moment Lord.