Colton

I sit with my head in my hands, my leg shaking and my thoughts racing. It's been two hours since we got here. Two hours, and we've heard absolutely nothing. I called Annie, but there wasn't much to say. And everything I could tell her was bad news. Still, it's nice to know that she, as well as Mike's wife, and Courtney, are covering us in prayer.

We're all trying, but if everyone else is feeling anything like me, they don't even know what to ask for. I can't get my thoughts together. I can't focus. I just want to see Lexi alright.

I knew that I cared about her so, so much, but with every passing moment that I've known her, I've learned that I love her even more than I thought I did before. I don't really know how to explain it. It's just... I feel like she's a part of my family. Not quite like my daughter, but close. Almost like Skylar is to me... a little sister. Someone who I just want to protect. Who I can't bear to see in pain.

And Lexi's been in so much for so, so long.

The silver doors open again, and I look up, not daring to hope. After all, the last seventeen times haven't been for us. Why should this one be?

But the nurse locks eyes with me, and I feel a flicker of hope, joined by more blind terror.

Oh, Jesus, please help her to be okay!

"You guys are here for Alexis Greggors, right?" the nurse asks, and we all nod, none of us able to speak.

The nurse returns the gesture. "Follow me."

As I get up, I find that my knees are weak, and I can barely keep from trembling.

Please, Jesus. Please.

The silver doors that have mocked us for the past two hours lead to nothing but a short stretch of hall that gives way to another, with a closed door on either side of it.

The nurse leads us into the one on the right and closes us inside again.

I can barely breathe. Please, Jesus. Don't take her. She's not ready. We're not ready. I'm not ready.

After a silence that seems to me to be way too long, the nurse finally speaks. "Alright. I understand that none of you are related to Alexis in any way, but you're all she seems to have tonight, so you get to know anyway."

Jesus...

"She's alright."

It's like all of the air in the room was frozen as all of us held our breaths, and it starts to move again when all of us let those held breaths out in the same moment, as the same barely-audible prayer passes all of our lips.

"Thank you, Jesus."

"We'll be watching her for liver damage for a day or too," the nurse continues, "and then she'll be sent to inpatient treatment for suicide attempt."

I feel sadness wash over me, not only at the reminder, but also the treatment. Lexi is going to hate that more than anything.

"We can't find any living relatives of hers on record that would be suitable to take her after that's completed, so she'll go into the foster care system most likely."

"Can we take her?"

The nurse looks at me, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"Can we take her?" I repeat. Annie and I already talked about it. I know that's what I want to do. "My wife and I. We've already spoken about it... I know we don't know Lexi well, but we love her."

"Where do you live?" the woman asks.

I bite my lip. "Um... Nashville."

Her eyebrow shoots up. "May I ask what you're doing here?"

I sigh. "It's a long story, but basically I'm a touring musician in the Christian music industry. Everyone in this room is. We met Lexi at a show we did here in January. She was posting some heartbreaking things on social media, and after I called her this morning and the phone call ended in a scary way, we flew out to see if she was okay. That's why we're here."

"I see," the nurse says uncertainly. "Well, Nashville is a long way away, but we'll have some time while she's in treatment. I'm not making any promises, but I think we can at least move forward in seeing that you and your wife are a good home for Alexis."

"Thank you," I tell her, feeling a weight lift off of my back at the news.

"In the meantime," the nurse goes on finally, "Alexis is still under, but they've gotten her settled in a room. You all are welcome to wait with her in there for her to wake up."

"Thank you," I repeat. "Where's her room?"

"Follow me."

Time-Skip sponsored by Captain America

The entire night comes and goes before Lexi wakes up. We all drift off periodically, but none of us sleep well, and it's more because we're still worried than because we're not comfortable. But, finally, as the sun is peaking over the Rocky Mountains, Lexi stirs.

All of us immediately straighten from our tired slumps, instantly awake.

She stirs again, and this time, her eyelashes flutter once, then open.

She blinks a few times, taking in the room with confusion in her gaze. The moment understanding dawns in her eyes, they snap shut again, and she swears under her breath.

"No." The word is terrified, frustrated, and utterly pain-filled. "No, no, ****** no!"

"Lexi..." I start, but those eyes snap open again, a fire igniting inside of them.

"No! This is your fault, Colton! If you had just minded your own ******* business, if you had just left me alone, I would be dead right now!"

"I know," I say quietly. "I know. And I know that's all you want right now, Alexis, and I'm sorry. But it wasn't actually me that kept you alive last night. It was God. He still has amazing plans for your life, Lexi, and He couldn't let those plans go to waste."

"Just ******* shut up!" she snaps. "I don't want to hear it! I just..." She stops, suddenly choked, and her eyes squeeze shut again, barely holding back the tears that were filling them before. "I just want to ****** die."

I open my mouth, but no words come out. I just don't know what to say. What can I say? I have no idea how to speak into her life right now.

"I..." I falter. "I love you, Alexis. I know you just want a way out of all of this pain right now, but I love you way too much to let that way be death."

"Stop," she whispers. "Stop saying that."

I feel my eyes fill with tears. "I can't. I love you, Alexis Greggors. And there is nothing that you can do to make me stop."

"We all do," Luke adds, his low voice soft and gentle. "I know you don't understand, Lexi. I know your experience with love has only ever led to pain. But we're here for you, and we love you, and neither of those things are ever going to change."

"You... you can't..." She's crying now, unable to fight the tears back any longer. "Why?" The question come out desperate and agonized.

"Because that's what happens when you know Jesus," Mike tells her simply. "If you let Him, He'll allow you to see people like He sees them. And do you know how He sees you, Alexis?"

He glances at Joel, who takes over without missing a beat. "He sees you as more valuable than all the money in the world, my dear," he tells her quietly. "He's made so many billions of people, but He has only ever made one you. You are unique. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. And you deserve to be treated so much better than you have been. I know I've said this to you before, but you are priceless. You have been told, treated like, convinced that you are cheap. But, Darling, you are not. Jesus would not die for a cheap person, Alexis."

"Jesus wouldn't die for me!" she tries to say it angrily, but it comes out in tears instead.

"Alexis" I whisper, barely loud enough for her to hear me. It gets her a attention, and her terrified, frustrated, pain-filled eyes lock with mine. So I go on, my voice at the same volume. "He did."

And that's it. She breaks. Her eyes snap shut, but not before tears start running freely down her face. She starts to shake, and I reach out carefully, taking her hand. It hurts to see her in so much pain. But at the same time, there is nothing more beautiful than this moment. Because this is the moment when Jesus is reaching out and grabbing her heart.

"All you have to do is say yes to Him, Lexi," I murmur. "He is knocking so diligently, so desperately on your door. All you have to do is let Him in."

Her tear-filled eyes open, locking with mine again, desperately crying out to me for help. Before she utters a single, beautiful word.

"How?"