Read Online Blessed Child by Ted Dekker - Free Book Online

Hollister ten minutes later. Fifty-four hours had expired since Father Matthew had rushed them out of his monastery.
    Caleb was asleep and Jason carried him in without waking him. The house had sat empty for four years now, except for several short visits, and it smelled musty. But the linens were clean—he always left with freshly made beds in the event of his return. He walked down the hall and tucked the boy into the same bed his son had occupied seven years earlier.
    When he returned to the living room, he found Leiah waiting by their duffle bags. During their layover in London she’d used most of her money to purchase Western clothes for her and the boy. When she’d approached Jason after changing in the airport, he’d hardly recognized her out of the tunic. The blue jeans she wore now fit her thin frame well. The turtleneck was maybe a bit warm for Los Angeles, but he understood why she would choose it. Either way she looked quite striking.
    â€œWant a drink? I’ve got warm soda pop in the kitchen.”
    Leiah smiled thinly. “I’ll pass.” She opened the top of her duffle, pulled out Caleb’s dirty tunic, and zipped the bag back up. She held up the tunic. “His possessions.” She tossed it to him. “That’s all he has. You might want to give it a good wash. We should get him some more clothes as soon as possible.”
    â€œMaybe I should burn it. Either way, it’s a bit late for laundry, don’t you think?”
    â€œNo, don’t burn it. It’s all he has from Ethiopia now. Wash it.”
    Jason stepped down the hall, tossed the tunic into the laundry room, and walked to the kitchen. He flipped the refrigerator on and dug out a lukewarm Coke.
    â€œYou can sleep in the guesthouse out back until you leave Tuesday. It’s not much, but it’ll beat an Ethiopian shanty any day.”
    â€œI still think he should go with me,” Leiah said. “The poor child’s in shock. An orphanage will have no clue how to deal with someone in his shoes.”
    Jason straddled a dining chair. “Like I said, his case has already been assured by World Relief ’s Garden Grove office. We’re restricted by the immigration laws, and in this case they’ve allowed him into the country with the understanding that he’ll be in the custody of World Relief ’s assignment. Don’t worry; they’re good people. We’re not talking Oliver Twist here.”
    â€œHe’s no ordinary refugee, and you know that. For starters, he’s an orphan—”
    â€œWhich is why he’s been assigned to an orphanage. One run by an Orthodox church, for that matter. John Gardner, the director of the World Relief office, assured me that he couldn’t think of a better place for an orphan from an Ethiopian Orthodox monastery than in an orphanage run by a Greek Orthodox church. Orthodoxy has its similarities. It’ll be good for the boy.”
    â€œHe’s no ordinary orphan either. You see him, Jason. He’s beyond himself. No orphanage could be prepared to handle a case like his. Can’t we talk to the INS about transferring him into my personal care until we understand his needs better?”
    â€œSend him to Canada? With someone who hasn’t lived there for over five years? I don’t think so. Besides, one of the reasons he’s been granted Temporary Protective Status is because of the fact that he may have citizenship rights.”
    â€œAnd while they’re deciding his rights, he may very well lose himself. Have you considered that? You see him now and you see a cute little ten-year-old who makes you want to cry. But put him under the wrong care and he could snap. He’s never seen the outside of a monastery until a couple days ago, for goodness’ sake!”
    â€œI know, Leiah!” Jason surprised himself with his tone. “I know. I like him too. But this isn’t Ethiopia. We have