Second Chances (23 page)

Not wishing to crowd around Leah while she was being examined, the remaining members
of the party gathered on the porch, Cris still comforting Hannah, who seemed in shock
at the sight of her lifeless sister. She wept into his shoulder. Mary continued her
pacing but, thankfully, her cries had ceased upon realizing that Leah was indeed
merely unconscious.

Anna waited with them. She leaned against the house by the door, her eyes shut as
she silently prayed for Leah's recovery. Seconds turned to minutes and the silence
of the group led her to believe that she was not the only one praying.

The door opened again, the harsh noise of a rusty hinge disturbing her prayers. Anna
looked up and saw Freman pass through the door, intent on joining them.

“What says the doctor, then?”

He shook his head, an indication that he did not have an answer yet.

For what seemed like hours, the small group waited in silence on the porch of the
farmhouse.

“A concussion,” the doctor announced as he pushed open the screen door. “No injuries
to her body save a blow to the head. She will be fine but needs rest for a few days.”

“Thank you, Lord!”

Anna felt the intensity of Freman's gratitude in those three words that he uttered.
His tone, so filled with relief and grief, would not soon be forgotten by Anna. Such
emotion could only confirm what everyone already suspected regarding Freman's feelings
toward Leah.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she joined the rest of the group as they stood in a
circle, their heads bent once again in a silent prayer, thanking God that He had
spared Leah from a more serious injury.

Chapter Thirteen

W
ITH THE
E
NGLISCHE
doctor suggesting that Leah not travel for a week, perhaps longer,
a discussion immediately ensued regarding the travel arrangements for the group.
Because the hired driver was scheduled to arrive in the early morning hours, and
some of the group needed to return to Ohio, it was clear that not everyone would
depart as planned.

Sitting next to Leah as she slept, Anna listened to the discussion on the other side
of the bedroom door. After the doctor left, Rebecca had suggested that Leah be moved
from the sofa to recover in her own bedroom, a larger room located on the first floor.
Besides being able to accommodate the women tending to her needs, the room was also
more convenient for bringing food from the kitchen to the patient. When Leah tried
to refuse, her voice weak and the side of her head swollen from being knocked on
the rock, both Rebecca and Jonas insisted.

“It will be better for everyone,” Rebecca explained softly, her hand placed gently
on Leah's arm. It was a motherly gesture, one that spoke volumes for the care that
she had taken in raising her own six children. “Let me just change
the bedding for
you and then the men can help move you,
ja
?” she pursued in a kind, yet firm tone
of voice.

“I'm such a bother,” Leah moaned, shutting her eyes and turning her head away so
that no one could see the tears welling in her eyes.

The doctor had left some medicine for her, a home remedy to address the inevitable
headache that would accompany Leah's injury. Because it would make her drowsy, he
also recommended for someone to sit by her side, at least for the first twenty-four
hours, and gently wake her every few hours. Immediately Anna volunteered to stay
with her while the others tried to figure out what to do.

Now, while Anna sat in the straight-back chair, she listened to the voices right
outside of the door. She could make out Cris, Hannah, and Freman, each one speaking
softly and their words almost inaudible. Benjamin, who had been surprisingly quick
in fetching the doctor, had appeared visibly shaken by the whole incident, pacing
outside as they waited for the doctor's prognosis. She presumed that now, knowing
that Leah was injured but would recover, he was busy assisting his father with the
evening chores.

“We should call
Maem
and
Daed
,” Hannah said, a pleading tone to her voice.

Upon hearing those words, Anna nodded to herself, wondering why no one had done so
yet. Who had made the decision to wait to inform the girls' parents? Surely they
would want to know, she thought.

“
Nee
,” Cris firmly objected. “
Maem
would panic and that would do no good for anyone.
She needs to be reassured that Leah is fine first. A phone call would surely
do
nothing more than worry her, and undoubtedly, they'd arrive just as the van is coming
to retrieve us.
Mayhaps
Leah herself, when she feels up to it, should be the one
to make the call.”

Anna heard Freman clear his throat. She could imagine him standing there, his hands
clasped behind his back, his composure regained and his leadership restored. “Someone
must accompany the others back to Sugarcreek to inform your parents,” he said firmly.
It was an obvious statement but one that had not been addressed as of yet. “They
will have questions and need answers in order to be confident that Leah will be fine.”
He paused. “I believe either you or I must tell them.”

The statement must have been directed toward Cris because she heard him mumble something
in response to Freman, the exact words remaining unclear to Anna.

Rising from her seat, she quietly crossed the room to the door. Not wishing to disturb
Leah while she slept, Anna slipped from the room to join the others. Carefully, she
shut the door behind them just in time to hear Freman's next words.

“So then it is settled,” he said. “You shall stay, Cris. She is, after all, your
schwester
. And I will accompany your sister home and speak to your parents. And,
because we agree that only one woman needs to remain behind to tend to Leah's needs,
I suggest that no finer care could be given to her than by Anna. You saw how quick
she was to take charge when Leah was injured. I'd feel more comfortable knowing
she looked after Leah.”

Startled by his suggestion, she must have made a noise for, in unison, the others
turned in her direction.

“Anna!” Surprised to see her standing against the closed bedroom door, Freman took
a step in her direction. There was a desperate look in his face and she realized
how concerned he truly was for Leah's recovery. “You will stay,
ja
? To take care
of Leah and nurse her back to health?” His words, spoken with deep feeling, revealed
respect and admiration, emotions that brought back memories from many years ago.
She had seen that look before, and for just a brief moment, she caught her breath;
she had never thought to see it again. The only problem was that the emotions were
reserved for Leah, not for her.

“I'll tend to her,
ja
,” she readily agreed.

Freman tipped his head toward her, an acknowledgment of his grateful appreciation
for her sacrifice. Then, returning his attention to Cris, he said, “I shall go make
the arrangements then,” and hurried to leave the room. She suspected that he was
going across the road to borrow the neighbor's phone because the Esh family did not
have their own. Freman would want to contact Bishop Troyer and his companion to alert
them about the situation.

“What's this about, then?”

All eyes turned toward Mary as she descended from the second floor and saw the three
of them gathered together. Pausing at the bottom step, she looked from one to the
next to the next. Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips, an indication of her
dismay at being excluded from their discussion and decision-making process, but for
once she remained silent.

Cris took a deep breath before he moved in her direction. “We've been discussing
our plans, Mary. It has been
decided that Anna will stay to tend to Leah,” he said.
“I shall stay too.”

Her feet stopped moving and Mary stared at him as if he were speaking in a foreign
tongue. “I don't think I understood you correctly,” she said. Her statement was clearly
rhetorical. “Why on earth should
you
stay?”

“I am, after all, her
bruder
.”

“And I her
schwester
and your
fraa
,” she quickly added, taking that last step so
that she no longer stood on the staircase.

“Why would I go home without you?” Her eyes darted to Anna. “And why should Anna
stay? She is nothing to Leah! Not like me. If anyone should stay, it should be me!
I am her sister too!”

Anna watched the rising of Cris's chest as he took a deep breath. Clearly Mary was
trying his patience. Again. “Now, Mary, it makes perfect sense that Anna should stay.
Hannah can hardly walk into Leah's room without bursting into tears. Besides,
Maem
will need Hannah to comfort her.”

“So you have decided . . . behind my back, nonetheless! . . . that I should return
to Ohio without you? You would leave me to myself, to sit and worry about our dear
Leah?” She wagged her finger in the air. “I think not!”

“Mary . . . ” Cris attempted to calm down his wife, but she would have none of it.

Lifting her hand, she stopped him before he could say another word. “I find this
a grave injustice. Once again, decisions are made without my consultation and my
consideration . . .
nee
, my emotions . . . are not taken
into account! How could
I possibly walk away from that injured dove with any sense of conscience?”

“The
kinner
— ”

“—Are just fine in the care of their grandparents,” she interrupted. “And they prefer
Anna's company anyway to mine! They'll be just fine if she tends to them while you
and I nurse Leah back to health!”

Anna shook her head. For once, she felt compelled to stand up to her sister. “
Nee
,
Mary, you should go home to little Cris and Walter . ”

“I insist upon staying!”

“I do not have a good feeling about this.” Anna felt herself weakening under Mary's
vehemence.

“Frankly I would find it rather inappropriate for you to stay here anyway!” Mary
added, casting a glare in the direction of her husband. “Without a female chaperone
in a house with a single man?” She clicked her tongue as she crossed her arms over
her chest. “Scandalous, to say the least.”

“Rebecca is here,” Anna countered, a bit more forcefully than she usually spoke.
“I dare say she is married,
ja
?”

Mary lifted her chin and stared at Anna, clearly unappreciative of her sister's
defiance. “Married or not, Rebecca is not Leah's family.” She narrowed her eyes and
added, “And since you are neither married nor family, you cannot stay here with her.”

And with that last cutting remark, a hurtful reminder of what Mary liked to make
so obvious, Anna looked away. She resigned herself to the fact that Mary would, once
again, get her way. Forcing herself to bite her tongue and hold back from replying,
Anna said a silent prayer
that God properly watch over Leah, because she doubted
that Mary would.

Indeed, Rebecca kept watch over Leah till midnight. Then, through the early hours
of the morning, Anna sat by Leah's side, praying fervently for her well-being. She
prayed that God would guide Mary to focus her attention on the young woman, and not
herself for once, while Leah healed. She felt a pain in her stomach knowing that,
already, Mary was being negligent to her proclaimed sisterly duties. Instead of taking
a night shift, Mary had quickly voiced her intentions of getting a good night's sleep,
telling Anna to wake Cris when she left at four o'clock in the morning.

In the hush of early morning Anna heard Jonas and Rebecca awake and move about the
kitchen, speaking softly to avoid disturbing their guests. When the smell of freshly
brewed coffee began to permeate the house, Anna heard the kitchen door open, likely
Jonas heading to the barn for morning chores. She also heard footsteps overhead and
suspected that Hannah and Freman were awake, preparing for the journey back to Ohio.
A few minutes later she heard a man's footsteps on the stairs, and once again the
door opened and closed. Certainly, she thought, that was Freman, ever so thoughtful
to offer his assistance to Jonas.