A Time for Mercy (Jake Brigance #3) - John Grisham Page 0,104

when you finish law school I’ll still be here, suing people.”

“Thanks.”

“Please, go worry about something else.”

* * *

—

WITH HER MOTHER working sporadic hours at both the feed mill and a chicken-processing plant, Kiera got bored in the afternoons and hung around the parsonage tending to Justin, the McGarrys’ four-year-old. Meg, now eight months pregnant, was taking classes at a junior college and appreciated the babysitting. Often, when she was home, they went for long walks down a gravel road behind the church, with Justin ahead of them on his little bike. They liked to stop at a bridge over Carter’s Creek and watch him play in the shallow water.

Kiera adored Meg and talked to her about things her mother wouldn’t understand. The abortion had been off-limits for some time, but Meg and Charles were watching the calendar and knew the timing was becoming crucial. Kiera was mid-term and a decision had to be made.

Sitting on the edge of the bridge with their feet hanging down, Meg said, “Does Josie still want you to get an abortion?”

“She says she does, but we can’t pay for one.”

“What do you want, Kiera?”

“I don’t want to have a baby, that’s for certain. But I really don’t want to go through an abortion. Mom says it’s not a big deal. Can I tell you a secret?”

“You can tell me anything.”

“I know. Mom says she got an abortion one time, after Drew and I were born, says there’s nothing to it.”

Meg tried to hide her shock that a mother would tell her fourteen-year-old daughter such a secret. “That’s not true, Kiera, not at all. Having an abortion is a horrible thing to do and the damage lasts for many years. As Christians, we believe that life begins at conception. The two children you and I are carrying right now are living beings, little gifts from God. Having an abortion terminates a life.”

“So you think it’s murder?”

“I do. I know it is.”

“I don’t want to do it.”

“Is she pressuring you?”

“All the time. She’s afraid she’ll get stuck raising another kid. Can she make me get an abortion?”

“No. Can I tell you a secret?”

“Sure, that’s what we’re doing, right?”

“It is. I talked to Jake, off the record, and asked him what would happen if Josie took you to a clinic in Memphis and you objected. He said that no clinic, no doctor, will perform an abortion if the mother doesn’t want it. Don’t let her make you do it, Kiera.”

Kiera took her hand and squeezed it. Justin yelled and pointed to a frog at the edge of the water. Meg said, “You’re too young to worry about raising a child, Kiera, that’s why adoption is the best route. There are plenty of young couples out there who desperately want a child. Charles knows other ministers and he’ll have no problem finding the perfect home for your baby.”

“How about a home for us? I’m tired of living in a church.”

“We’ll find something. And speaking of church, there is another issue we need to chat about, with your mom too. You’re starting to show and we’re trying to keep this a secret, right?”

“That’s what Jake said.”

“It may be time to stop attending services.”

“But I enjoy the services. Everyone is so nice.”

“They are, and they like to talk, same as any small church. If they realize you’re pregnant, word will spread like crazy.”

“What am I supposed to do for the next four months? Hide in the church kitchen?”

“Let’s discuss it with your mother.”

“She’ll just say get an abortion.”

“That’s not happening, Kiera. You’re gonna have a healthy baby and make some young couple very happy.”

* * *

—

AFTER HANNA WAS asleep, Jake went to his car, grabbed a bottle of red wine, uncorked it at the kitchen counter, found two seldom-used wineglasses, stepped into the den, and said to his wife, “Meet me on the patio.”

Outside, she saw the bottle on the table and asked, “What’s the occasion?”

“Nothing good.” He poured two glasses, gave one to her, they clinked and sat down. “Here’s to our pending bankruptcy.”

“Cheers, I guess.”

Jake took a big gulp, Carla a much more reasonable sip.

He said, “Smallwood just got delayed by months. The county refuses to pay me more than a thousand dollars for a capital murder defense. The phone has stopped ringing at the office. Josie needs three hundred dollars a month to rent a place. And the backbreaker is that Stan Atcavage called today and his boss wants a payment on our litigation loan.”

“How much