Reunion by Karen Kingsbury Page A

silly times and funny stories, a time when it felt wonderful to be part of a family like theirs.
    The scene after a Baxter dinner was one Ashley had painted before, one that appeared on a canvas that hung in her own dining room, where it would always hang. The painting had come together in a way that surprised Ashley. In it, the faces and emotions and hearts of her family members all seemed perfectly cap 79
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    tured in an array of colors. In the background, a cross hung on the wall and from it emanated a light that cast warmth over the entire scene. The painting was a gift from God, one Ashley couldn’t have duplicated if she’d wanted to.
    Ashley loved that piece because it reminded her of all that was important in life. Not too many years back, she would’ve considered dinner like this one. But now.., now she knew the truth. No matter how far she had wandered, their
    love for each other would never die. The painting exhibited that very love, and Ashley wouldn’t have sold it for a million dollars.
    Usually their mother would put the kettle on for coffee and conversation would drift in a dozen different directions. But this time Ashley saw her mother and father leave the room together. Something was wrong; Ashley was sure of it. But she
    couldn’t imagine what. Not after the good news they’d already shared tonight.
    She joined her sisters and the men in clearing the table and the dishes. The whole time, she seemed to be the only one who noticed that her parents were no longer in the room. Maybe she was wrong, after all. Maybe they had only stepped out-to revel in the wonderful turn of events that had presented
    today.
    maybe they were figuring out how to call Luke and Erin at the same time and share the news with them.
    it couldn’t be bad news.
    of on a day when all of heaven seemed to have come to-and smiled down on the Baxter family.
    to Elizabeth in the next room while her tears came. can’t tell them, not now.”
    They’d excused themselves at Elizabeth’s prompting. They had been going in circles ever since. Elizabeth 80
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    didn’t want to ruin the evening, didn’t want to cast a shadow over the news that Ashley was well and Kari was pregnant. Especially a shadow as dark as cancer.
    But John was adamant. “The surgery’s tomorrow; we have to tell them.”
    “Let’s tell them afterwards.”
    “We can’t do that, Elizabeth; you know we can’t.” He wanted nothing more than to agree with her, to let the kids go home reveling in all the good news. But they would never accept the idea that their mother had undergone such major surgery without their even knowing about it. “It’ll be okay.”
    “It won’t.” She sniffed and dragged the back of her hand beneath her eyes. “It’s not fair.”
    “No—” John gritted his teeth—”it’s not. But it would be worse to keep the truth from them.”
    For a long while neither of them said anything, and John knew he’d won. He was the leader of this family, and Elizabeth respected him as such. When her “crying subsided, he spoke in soft tones near the side of her face. “I’ll tell them; all you have to do is go out there and stand beside me.”
    She squeezed her eyes shut, and after a few seconds she nodded. No matter how badly they wanted to avoid the next ten minutes, there was no way around it.
    “We’ve always shared the good and the bad, Elizabeth. The kids wouldn’t want anything less.”
    “I know.” She straightened herself and looped her arm through his. “Let’s do it.”
    As soon as they entered the dining room, Ashley spotted them. When she saw Elizabeth’s tearstained face, her expression changed, and she tapped her sisters until they, too, saw that something was wrong.
    John cleared his throat. No matter how strong he looked, he was dying inside.
    Only the grace of God kept him from buckling to his knees. “Your mother and I have something to tell you.” He
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    gave them a sad