but still, Caitlin again felt as if he were speaking right to her. His words brought her a sense of peace: he was right. Worrying would change nothing.
A thick silence pervaded the room, and Caitlin sat there, wondering what it all meant. When would he lead her to her dad? She felt as if she were closer to her Dad now than ever—there were no more keys to find, no more clues to uncover. All she had to do was follow Jesus. It seemed easy enough. Yet, at the same time, it also felt so vague. She wished there was something more concrete she could do.
She looked around the room, wondering if maybe one of these apostles could be her Dad.
She was burning with a desire to speak up, to ask Jesus questions about him, about what she was doing here, about what she should do next. She felt so overwhelmed, she could barely contain herself. But she felt it would be disrespectful, somehow, to speak up at this table.
Suddenly, Judas leaned over and whispered something in Jesus’ ear. Jesus slowly stood, and all the other apostles stood, too, out of respect. Caitlin did, too.
Jesus slowly exited the table, followed closely by Judas.
As Caitlin watched them go, she wondered what Judas had whispered into his ear. It sent a chill through her: she knew that Judas was betraying him somehow. And she wanted to stop it.
Caitlin knew it was not her place to get in the way of history; but still, she was burning up inside. She couldn’t just sit there and watch this happen.
So, despite herself, she jumped up, ran around the table, and stood before Jesus and Judas, right before they exited the room. She blocked their path, and they both looked up at her.
“I…uh…” Caitlin began, at a loss for words. “Please. Please don’t go,” she said.
She felt protective of him. She couldn’t stand to let this happen.
Jesus reached out and placed a palm on her shoulder. As he did, she felt a tremendous heat rush through her shoulder and body. It was a healing power, electrifying.
“Forgive them,” he said softly, “for they know not what they do.”
Caitlin felt tears welling up. It was all too much for her to bear. Here she was, so close, so close to finding her Dad. To fulfilling her mission. To finding whatever it was she needed to help her husband. And Aiden.
And yet, she was helpless. All she needed to do was follow Jesus. And yet, she knew that Judas was leading him to be betrayed. And that she might not ever see him again.
She wanted to stop all this. To prevent them from leaving. To stay by Jesus’ side. To protect him.
And yet she knew from his words that that was not what was meant to be. What was meant was for her to step aside and let them pass.
So she did.
Caitlin stepped to the side, and Jesus walked past her, followed by Judas, who scowled down at her.
And moments later, they were gone.
Caitlin turned back to the others and did as she was supposed to, taking her seat again at the table.
“Mommy?” Scarlet asked. “Is everything OK?”
Caitlin wiped away tears as she sat there, her heart pounding, waiting for them to return. She tried to put it out of her mind. She tried to be patient. She tried to have faith that everything would be okay.
But after several minutes of waiting, of knowing her destiny might be slipping out from under her, of knowing her husband was out there, in danger, she couldn’t take it anymore. She no longer cared if she got in the way of destiny. She felt she had to take action.
Caitlin jumped up from the table, grabbed Scarlet’s hand, and bolted from the room. She was determined to save him.
*
Caitlin ran out the room, leaving the last supper, ran down the corridor, clutching Scarlet’s hand, Ruth following, and ran down the flight of stairs. She ran past the courtyard, down another corridor, then finally burst out the rear door. She knew from history that Jesus had been betrayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, and she knew that the garden adjoined the house of the last supper.
She burst outside, out the back of the house, praying that she had found the right place.
She had. There Jesus stood, alone with Judas, in a small, ancient garden in the rear of the house, filled with olive trees. Behind them, the sky was filled with the most dramatic,