The Missing Will by Wanda E. Brunstetter

her brother had to say about that, then smiled when he said, “Well, she had a good teacher. Our mother, your sweet grandma, baked cakes so good they made your tongue beg for more.” Joel reached up to his ear and gave it a couple of tugs.
    Scott snickered. “Sure is good to see ya smilin’, Uncle Joel. Don’t it feel good to you?”
    Giving a quick nod, Joel led the others in singing “Happy Birthday” to Scott.
    Arlene’s heart warmed. Seeing the sincerity on her brother’s face brought back memories of when they were young. It was the first time in a good many years when his defenses seemed to be down.
Maybe…just maybe, things are looking up in this family.

    Akron
    Kristi stifled a yawn as she prepared to take several of the patients their prescribed medication before they went to sleep. She’d worked a double shift again today but wondered if it had been a mistake. She would be getting up early tomorrow morning to go with her mother to another quilting class in Berlin, and she looked forward to it. But working the later shift meant she wouldn’t get to bed until well past midnight.
If it weren’t for me breaking things off with Joel, Mom and I probably wouldn’t be taking the quilting class because I’d be spending my Saturdays with him,
Kristi thought.
So I guess at least one good thing came out of it.
    Glancing at her watch, she noticed it was only eight o’clock, so she had a few hours to go. Unintentionally, Kristi thought of Joel again. When they were dating, they often went out on Friday nights, so she rarely volunteered to work the evening shift. Those had been carefree evenings.
    How could I have been so blind?
she berated herself.
Joel had me fooled for a long time. I’ll never allow myself to be taken in by him or any other man.
    With a shake of her head, Kristi pulled her thoughts back to the task at hand. It did no good to think about the past. She needed to focus on the needs of her patients and make sure everyone had what they needed before they went to sleep.
    After she’d distributed medication to all the patients but one, Kristi remembered the new magazines she’d brought for Audrey. She hurried back to the nurse’s station to grab them.
    When she entered Audrey’s room, she found the pleasant woman sitting in her favorite chair near the window. “Good evening. I have a few flower magazines for you.” Kristi pulled them out of the plastic bag she carried and handed them to Audrey.
    “Oh, how nice of you.” She smiled sweetly and began to thumb through the first one. “This has some lovely flower pictures.”
    “I hope you enjoy them.” Kristi watched as Audrey turned the pages. Then she glanced beyond her and looked at the window. Even though it was dark outside, the curtain was open.
    “I have your medication for you to take now.” Kristi handed Audrey a glass of water and the small paper cup with her pills. “How are you feeling this evening?”
    “I’m fine.” Audrey placed the magazine in her lap with the others and smiled. “Even if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t complain. I have much to be thankful about.”
    Kristi was amazed at this pleasant woman’s positive attitude. She always seemed to look on the bright side of things, despite the fact that she was dying of cancer. It was hard for Kristi to understand why Audrey had refused treatment. Perhaps it was because she’d had cancer before, and it had come back. Maybe Audrey was content to live out her life with nothing but pain medication to see her through until the end. It was an individual choice, and Kristi respected that. But it hurt her to know the dear lady had no living relatives or close friends to help her through this rough time in her life.
But she has the Lord,
Kristi reminded herself.
And I will be here for her as much as I can.
    “How are you, dear?” Audrey asked after she’d taken her pills. “I’ve been praying for you.”
    “I’m doing better and appreciate your prayers.” Kristi took a seat