PAIGE'S P.O.V.

I was yet another character who ended up in the hospital and would surely not be the last. With the exception of my nose, my body was comfortable in the hospital bed. The sheets were up to my chin, and I tried my best to rest.

Unfortunately for me, I had more than a bloody nose. A doctor had checked out my nose and came to the conclusion that all the bones in my nose were broken. He did not have to show me the x-ray of my nose because my nose felt broken. Plus, every time that I would give it a gentle touch, pain would shoot throughout my body.

Did you know that the Forlot hospital treats patients for free? No money. No trades. Betsy should be blessed that she and her family did not have to pay. Speaking of Betsy, my mother and father were ashamed of her.

"If that girl wants to be an atheist, fine," Mom stated. "God will be the one to judge, not me. But that does not give her the right to launch her anger at our daughter."

"She has issues," Dad added. "I have been surrounded by atheists and people of different beliefs, and none of them act like her. She needs Jesus badly."

Because of her, I had to remain at the hospital for who knew how long and had to get my poor nose wrapped in bandages. I hoped that Betsy would get hers. I did not desire revenge on her, but at the very least, she needed to be punished for her actions.

The door to my room swung open, and the doctor who took me in and my parents scurried in. I was happy that I was no longer alone. Well, I was not alone in the first place, for God was and still is always with me.

"Hello, Paige," the doctor greeted. "How are you feeling?"

I sank my head into the pillow. "I feel like that a large wart is in the middle of my face."

"I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"The bad news. I want to get it over with."

"The bad news is that you will be wearing those bandages until your nose heals."

I uttered a groan and said, "I was hoping that taking the bandages off would be the good news."

"Cheer up, Paige. I am sure that you will like the real good news. You will be discharged from the hospital in an hour from now. I want to run some tests on you."

"Great. So I am now the missing white-nosed reindeer."

There was a soft knock on the door, and a man invited himself in. He wore a black, long-sleeved shirt with black slacks and dress shoes. His hair was white, and there were wrinkles on the backs of his hands. A yellow cross connected to a yellow chain was around his neck, and he was holding a Bible.

"Sorry if I am intruding," the man apologized. "I am visiting this hospital today and offering the patients hope."

"Are you a pastor?" Mom guessed. "You look like one."

"You would be correct, my dear. I am Pastor Max Hill. I have been doing this job for twenty-five years and have brought many people to Christ."

He immediately won my mom over. "Wow. That is awesome."

My dad went over to him, and they shook hands. "A pleasure to meet you, Pastor Hill. You truly are a gift from the Lord."

"I assume that you and your girlfriend—"

Dad interrupted him. "She is my wife."

"Oh! Sorry for the grievous error. You both look so young."

"It was love at first sight," Mom and Dad said in unison.

Pastor Hill's eyes laid upon me. "And I suppose that this girl is your daughter."

"Our oldest daughter," Mom corrected him with a grin. "We have two daughters." She gestured to me. "This is Paige. She is a Christian like her father and mother."

"Is that so?" The pastor came close to my bed. "In the world that we live in now, it is difficult to share our children about what Jesus did and how much He loves us. If they cannot be their sinful selves, they want nothing to do with God."

Mom stroked my hair. "We gave our daughters the materials and let them decide if they wanted God or not. It is a blessing that they chose Him."

He smirked at Mom and Dad. "Then you have done a fantastic job raising them and teaching them what is right and what is wrong." He looked back at me. "Did something go wrong with the nose?"

"I was hit by...somebody...and my nose broke as a result."

"If you do not mind telling me, who broke your nose?"

"A friend of mine."

"Your friend hit you?"

"That is not what I mean. My friend's sister hit me."

"Why did she? Is she jealous of you and your friend's friendship?"

As much as I did not feel like it, I explained to him what I knew about Betsy. What she looked like and the fact that she was not a good or respectful atheist. She punched me because she did not like that I was telling her the truth.

"Some nonbelievers will be like that," Pastor Hill said sadly. "It is a darn shame. What is her first name again?"

"Betsy."

"If it is not too much trouble, I would like to have a word with this Betsy girl."

"Please do. Just do not try to force her to believe."

"I would never do that. I just want to teach her the importance of respect and that violence is never the answer unless you are defending yourself."

"I pray that you get through to her, sir."

Dad's phone suddenly rang. He pulled it out and answered the call.

"Hello? Bailey? What is it?"