The Healing (21 page)

I wonder if Samuel gave up his search and came home. If I feel this bad about Leon, I can only imagine how terrible Samuel must feel
.

Esther folded her arms across her chest. She knew Samuel loved his children, even though he often ignored them. Perhaps the pain of losing his wife had caused Samuel to pull so far into himself that he’d forgotten that his children missed their mother and needed their father. During the time Esther had spent taking care of them, she’d seen how needy they were—especially little Jared, who often called her “mammi.” The poor little fellow still sucked his thumb and had a hard time falling asleep unless he was rocked. Not that Esther minded rocking him. She enjoyed holding Jared on her lap and stroking his soft skin. His hair smelled so good after a bath, and his warm, steady breathing nearly lulled her to sleep. She enjoyed everything about caring for Samuel’s children, and the more she was with them, the more she longed to become a mother.

Heavenly Father, she prayed once more, please, please keep Leon safe
.

Paradise, Pennsylvania

The sound of heavy footsteps woke Fannie from a restless sleep. In the darkness of the room, lit only by the glow of the moon shining through their bedroom window, she could see her husband’s silhouette.

“Abraham, what are you doing up?” she whispered.

“I’m standing by the window.”

“I can see that, but why?”

“I couldn’t sleep. I’m worried about Samuel and think we ought to go to Kentucky to be with him.”

Fannie slipped out of bed and made her way across the room to stand beside Abraham. He was in the middle of planting season and never would have considered going anywhere unless it was an emergency. “I’m worried about Samuel and Leon, too,” she said, “but when Titus called to tell us about Leon, he said we should wait until tomorrow to make a decision about going there. By morning, we may have received word that Leon’s been found.”

“Maybe some stranger will find the boy and take him away. Maybe our family will have to suffer through yet another kidnapping.”

Fannie could hear the fear and desperation in Abraham’s voice. Even after all these years, the pain of having his own son kidnapped had truly never left him. It was as if Leon’s disappearance had stirred up all the old hurts and doubts from the past.

She slipped her arm around his waist. “We must trust God, Abraham. He knows where our grandson is, and if it’s His will, then Leon will be found.”

“And if it’s not?”

“Try not to think about that,” she said. “Let’s keep our thoughts positive and pray for the best. If we don’t have some good news by tomorrow morning, we’ll call our driver and head to Kentucky.”

Abraham grunted. “Let’s hope we’re not too late.”

A
knock sounded on the front door, causing Bonnie to jump. She’d been lying on the sofa, reading a book, and hadn’t expected any company this late at night.

She rose from the sofa and padded across the room in her bare feet. Peeking out the little window near the top of the door, she was surprised to see Allen standing on the porch. Quickly, she opened the door.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you,” he said. “I went by Titus’s place, but it looked dark, so I figured they’d probably all gone to bed. Then when I came by here and saw a light in your window, I decided to see if you’d heard the news about Samuel’s boy.”

Bonnie nodded. “Esther stopped on her way home from Titus’s this evening and told me Leon was missing, but I haven’t heard anything since then. Have you?”

He shook his head. “I can only imagine how Samuel must feel.”

“I know, and I’ve been praying for him, as well as Leon.”

“Me, too.”

“Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee or some hot chocolate?” she asked.

“Hot chocolate sounds good. I could use a little pick-me-up before I head home.”

Bonnie led the way, and Allen followed her into the kitchen.

“Have a seat,” she said, motioning to the table. “I’ll heat some water for the hot chocolate. All I have is the instant kind, but with a couple of marshmallows on top, maybe you won’t know the difference.”

He chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“I was just thinking about how Samuel’s brother Zach and I used to get into his mother’s cupboards when we were kids. One of our favorite things to snack on was marshmallows. We’d eat ‘em till our stomachs were nearly bloated.”

She smiled and tossed the bag of marshmallows on the table in front of him. “Here you go. Take as many as you like.”

“I’ve got better sense than to eat the whole bag, but I will have one while we’re waiting for the water to heat.” Allen opened the bag, reached inside, and popped a marshmallow into his mouth. “Yum. It’s been too long since I’ve had one of these.”

Bonnie took two mugs down from the cupboard and emptied a package of hot chocolate mix into each. When the teakettle whistled, she poured the hot water in and stirred it well. The delicious aroma of chocolate wafted up to her nose as she handed Allen a mug.

“I assume since you knew Samuel’s brother when you were a child, you must have grown up in Pennsylvania,” Bonnie said, taking a seat across from him.

Allen shook his head. “I grew up in Washington State. So did Zach.”

She tipped her head in question.

“It’s a long story, but to give you the shortened version, Zach was kidnapped when he was a year old, and the man who took him lived in Washington. Zach grew up thinking his name was Jimmy, and that Jim and Linda Scott were his parents.”

Bonnie’s eyes widened. “That’s terrible! No one in their right mind would steal a baby from his family. How did Zach end up back in Pennsylvania?”

Allen added a marshmallow to his hot chocolate and stirred it around. “After Linda died from cancer, the truth came out, so Jimmy, who was twenty-one at the time, went to Pennsylvania in search of his real family.”

“Did he find them right away?”

“Nope. He didn’t even know their names, so he had no idea where to look. I believe it was God’s divine intervention that brought the pieces of the puzzle together for Zach. In the end, the bishop in their church district identified him by a birthmark on his neck.”

Bonnie leaned back in her chair. “That’s the most incredible story I’ve ever heard! Someone should write a book or make a movie about it.”

“Yeah, it probably would make a good story.” Allen’s forehead wrinkled. “I missed Zach after he moved to Pennsylvania, but I knew he was where God wanted him to be, and he seems very content to be Amish.”

“You’ve mentioned God twice now. Do you have a personal relationship with Him?”

He nodded. “I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was a boy, and Zach did, too.”

“So do you have a church home?”

“Yeah. I attend a great Bible-preaching church in Hopkinsville. How about you? Have you found a church to attend since you moved here?”

She nodded. “I’ve been going to the church my grandma attended in Fairview. The people there are nice, and I enjoy the sermons, as well as the music.”

“Have you gone to church most of your life?” he questioned.

“No, not really. My mother took me a few times when she was still alive, but it wasn’t until I was seventeen that I found the Lord,” Bonnie said. “I went to church with a friend of mine, and when the pastor talked about the need to seek God’s forgiveness for our sins, it was as though he was speaking directly to me, because I felt so terribly guilty.”

He leaned forward and stared at her intently. “I know we’ve all sinned and need God’s forgiveness, but I can’t imagine that a woman as nice as you would have anything to feel terribly guilty about.”

She dropped her gaze to the table, unable to share the details of her shameful past with him. Instead, she changed the subject. “After my mother died, my dad became bitter and angry. I was worried at first that he was going to drink himself to death and I’d become an orphan, but then he got control of his drinking and became a workaholic instead.” She lifted her gaze and picked up her mug. “Dad and I had never been very close, but after he started working long hours at the bank he manages, we drifted even further apart.” Tears sprang to her eyes, and she blinked to keep them from falling onto her cheeks. “To make things worse, he’s had a grudge against his parents for many years, so when Grandma died, he wouldn’t even come here with me to attend her funeral.”

“Sounds like what your dad needs is the Lord.”

She nodded. “I’ve been praying for that since I accepted Christ, but Dad’s so stubborn and thinks he can do everything in his own strength. He won’t even go to church, much less talk with me about spiritual things.”

“Well, don’t give up praying,” Allen said. “In 2 Peter 3:9, God’s Word tells us that it’s not His will that any should perish, so maybe God will bring someone into your dad’s life or cause something to happen that will open his eyes and give him peace.”

Yes, Bonnie thought, and I hope that someday God will give me a sense of peace
.

Samuel’s eyes snapped open, and he glanced at the clock on the far wall. It was almost midnight. Apparently he’d dozed off. He looked over at Titus, sprawled out on the sofa with his eyes closed. He’d obviously fallen asleep, too.

I wish we’d hear something from the sheriff, Samuel thought. I wish God would answer my prayers
.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Someone was at the front door. What if it was the sheriff and he’d brought bad news?

Samuel rose to his feet and hurried to the door. Good or bad, he had to know.

When he opened it, relief flooded his soul. There stood the sheriff with a tired and very guilty-looking Leon at his side.

“Oh, thank the Lord!” Samuel scooped the boy into his arms and hugged him tightly. “Where was he? Where’d you find my son?” he asked the sheriff.

Before the sheriff could respond, Titus woke up and joined them. “Praises to God, our prayers have been answered!” He put his hand on Leon’s head. “I’m going out to the phone shanty and leave another message for the family in Pennsylvania, letting them know you’ve been found.” He slipped past them and hurried out the door.

Samuel turned to the sheriff and asked again, “Where’d you find my son?”

“Inside Walmart. One of the employees found him in the men’s room about an hour ago,” the sheriff replied. “The man called me, and I went there right away. After questioning the boy, his story was pretty much the same as what the man who’d picked him up in his car earlier today told me.”

“What were you doing at Walmart?” Samuel asked as he seated Leon on the sofa.

The boy dropped his gaze to the floor. “I—I was hungerich and
vergelschdere
. Figured I could find somethin’ to eat in the store. When I got there, I had to go to the bathroom.”

“Well, if you were hungry and scared, you should have told someone you were lost and needed to go home. What possessed you to run off like that?” Samuel’s voice shook with all the emotion he felt.

Leon’s chin trembled. “I—I thought you didn’t love me no more. I was gonna head on back to Pennsylvania.”

“Pennsylvania’s a long ways off, and you would have gotten lost for sure. You should have known better than to try something like that, and you ought to know I still love you.”

Leon’s eyes filled with tears that quickly spilled onto his cheeks. “I’m sorry, Daadi. You’re always hollerin’, and after you gave me a
bletsching
this mornin’, I figured you’d be better off without me around.” He sniffed and leaned his head against Samuel. “I’m sorry for spoutin’ off and callin’ you a schtinker. Guess I deserved to be punished.”

Guilt as heavy as a load of hay weighed in on Samuel. “I’m the one who should be sorry, son.” Choking with emotion, he pulled Leon into his arms. “I’ve been hurting so much since your mamm died, and because of my grief, I haven’t been a good daed to you, Jared, or your sisters. With God’s help, I promise to do better from now on.”

H
as there been any word on Leon?” Suzanne asked when she arrived at Titus’s house on Sunday morning and found him standing on the porch, looking out into the yard.