A Lily Among Thorns

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙵𝙾𝚁𝚃𝚈-𝚂𝙸𝚇

✞ C E L A I   L a C R O I X ✞

"He what?"

"He passed away, Celai. He had a brain aneurysm that burst. Lady Edmonds just broke the news to us while we were on the way home," Brian says.

Celai is speechless at first, but she has to quickly come to her senses. She doesn't have time to be surprised.

She grabs the first pair of keys her hands land on. "I gotta check on Julian," she says.

Kassima nods. "Yes, go check on him. Tell him we're sorry for his loss and he can stop by if he needs anything at all."

Celai barely acknowledges them. She just grabs her phone and leaves the house. Her mind is racing and she has no idea if Julian knew yet or not. She just knows she wants to be there for him; she knows well enough how it feels to lose someone who's a parental figure.

She looks down at the keys she grabbed in her haste and she groans. She picked up Brian's Tahoe keys. It's the biggest vehicle she'll have to drive since her accident, but she doesn't have time to be nervous and afraid. She wants to get to Julian.

Celai gets into the large SUV and starts it. She lets out a sigh. "Lord, I don't know why You did it, and it's not for me to know, but I ask that You deliver Julian from any evil spirits and demons that have and will attack because of Bernard's passing. In Jesus' name. A-and help his family. Help the congregation and everyone else who loved Bernard. Including me. Thank You, Father God. Amen."

She wipes a tear that rolls down her cheek and she leaves the driveway. Celai continues to whisper prayers to the Lord, most of them for Julian, but some being for others. She just knows in her heart that it wasn't going to be an easy recovery for anyone. Bernard was important to a lot of people.

Celai takes every shortcut she can and speeds through traffic lights to get to Julian as fast as she can. But there's one light she can't speed pass: the blue lights.

She looks in the rearview mirror and sees a police car tailing behind her. "Dammit!" She groans. "God, make a way, please," she pleads.

Celai finds a spot to pull over on the busy roads and the police car parks behind her. She sighs and pushes the hair out her face as she watches the policeman walk toward the side mirror.

Noticing the familiar figure, Celai squints in the mirror before letting down the window and poking her head out.

"Wes?!"

Wes freezes and squints his own eyes, his hand on his gun holster. "Celai? Why the hell are you doing sixty in a forty-five?"

"I'm... Wes, Pastor Edmonds just died. I'm trying to get to Julian. You know he was like a father to him," she says as Wes stands at her window.

His mouth drops. "What? How? Yesterday he was announcing he was retiring, today he's dead?"

"I-I know, but God obviously had other plans. He passed away from a brain aneurysm. Can you just give me a ticket later? I really need to make sure Julian has someone. Everyone is different when they learn someone so close to them has passed."

Wes nods his head. "I've got something better. Send me his address. I'll make sure you get there without traffic." He walks back to his police car and Celai sighs in relief as she texts Julian's apartment address to Wes.