A Daughter's Dream (17 page)

Thursday, September 24

I
t was only the middle of the afternoon, but Jacob and most of the men on his team had already been working for hours. A builder down in Cincinnati had placed a large order for shells, but needed the job rushed, on account of their better than expected sales.

Marcus, their team leader, had called them all together for an informal meeting two days ago. There, he'd offered a good-natured competition: The man who completed the most shells by the end of the week was going to get a bonus of two hundred dollars. It was a good sum, for sure. But Jacob knew that the amount had been chosen carefully. It was enough to be enticing, but not so grand that any of them would do something foolish in order to attain it.

As Marcus had no doubt anticipated, the tease of that bonus had been all the men needed to work even harder. Though they all talked about the extra money, it was soon apparent that the
winner would have bragging rights, which trumped any extra cash in his pocket. The contest had also instigated a certain amount of trash-talk, which made the long hours and sore muscles easier to bear.

“What are ya going to do when I get the bonus, Jacob Yoder?” Samuel called out from his station. “Cry? Or resign yourself to feeling inadequate?”

“You should be asking yourself that,” Jacob countered.

“You sound awfully prideful for a man new on the job.”

“I may be new, but I'm no stranger to building shells quickly.” Looking at the five frames he'd completed since he'd arrived that morning, he gloated. “Maybe when I get the bonus, I'll buy you a ticket to Pinecraft. You can hop on the Pioneer Trails bus.”

“You gonna send Sam on vacation?” another man called out.

“No way. I'm gonna send him down to my old crew leader. Justin will teach Samuel a thing or two, and all while the sun is shining on his shoulders and he's sweating like the devil.”

Laughter rang out as Samuel said something just bad enough that the men were glad that no women were nearby to hear.

Jacob smiled to himself as he adjusted his protective glasses, turned on the saw, and focused on his work again. Though he missed his brother every day, it was moments like this when he was careful to give thanks to the Lord for creating his silver lining. He loved his new job. Loved it. Ever since he'd started at Kinsinger's, he felt like he'd found a place where he belonged.

Actually, his entire life in Charm was
gut
.

Better than that, even. He was closer to his parents than he'd ever been. Though he'd worried that having supper with them every night might feel confining after years of living his bachelor lifestyle, he soon realized that nothing could be further from
the truth. He liked his parents. He liked getting to know them as adults. And he couldn't help enjoy being spoiled a bit. There was something to be said for having a home-cooked meal every evening.

Just as special to his heart was his relationship with Lilly. Watching her come out of her shell was a joy to behold. She smiled more, teased him often, and now hugged her grandparents all the time. He knew their love and patience had made a huge difference in her life, but her happiness at school had also. She loved the new challenges of her schoolwork and was also happy to finally be accepted for who she was.

Lastly, Jacob would be lying if he didn't give Peter quite a bit of credit for her happiness as well. The young man doted on her.

Though Jacob had been taken aback by the idea of Lilly being so close to a boy when she was only thirteen, his parents had taken the development in stride. “Let her be, Jacob,” his mother had said. “
Got
placed this boy in her life when she needed someone to trust. Only He knows what will happen in their future, but for now, it is a blessing.”

It surely was.

Besides, Jacob knew he wasn't one to talk. He was in his own romantic relationship, and her name was Rebecca. If he had his way, Jacob knew he'd think about her constantly. He couldn't seem to help it. Actually, he didn't even want to try not thinking about her.

Over the years, he'd been attracted to other women. He'd even been smitten with a couple of them. But he had never felt like he did now.

Now he knew what love felt like. He was smitten and captivated. Unsure and tentative, both at the same time. To feel so
many emotions, all wrapped around a band of hope? It was a glorious thing.

Smiling to himself, he turned off the table saw and picked up the plank, tilting it right then left, eyeing it carefully. At last he discovered the flaw. One corner hadn't been cut perfectly. It sloped, creating a noticeable bump in its line. The plane of the wood needed to be leveled and the corner adjusted.

Jacob picked up a favorite old tool of his—a narrow blade that he kept deadly sharp. It could cut through the hardest strip of wood like butter. Carefully, he made one minuscule stroke with the hand saw. After the offending portion fell to the floor, he smoothed the plank. Running his hand along the grain, he nodded, then noticed another imperfection. Lifting the blade, he positioned it carefully. With one sharp motion, he began the cut.

Suddenly a loud cry pierced the air. His hand jumped, and right then and there, the blade jumped, too. Instead of slicing through the piece of pine, the sharp blade neatly sliced his forearm.

He dropped the blade with a curse.

Holding up his arm, he stared at it with an increasing sense of detachment. It was a good long cut and bleeding heavily. Drops of blood were staining his skin, soaking into his shirt. It was a real mess. He was going to need stitches. Quite a few of them.

The moment that reality hit him, sharp, stinging pain erupted across his arm. It felt like it was on fire. As the wound continued to bleed, it occurred to him that he should call for help. But when he turned to do that, he suddenly realized that there was another person in the room whose condition was far worse than his own.

Reaching for a rag, Jacob hastily wrapped it around his arm and hurried out of his station, anxious to see how he could be of help. But when he got closer, he drew up short. His pain was forgotten as his mind came to grips with what he was seeing.

Amos was on the ground. He was one of the senior men on their team, though no one he knew would call him old. Jacob reckoned he was around fifty.

Peering through the crowd of men, Jacob noticed that Amos was lying motionless and that the skin around his lips was turning blue.

A few steps away, Marcus was talking into his cell phone. His expression was intense and he kept glancing at Amos, then speaking into the receiver. It was obvious that he was talking to the emergency first responders.

“What happened?” Jacob asked Samuel.

“Not sure.”

The door to the warehouse opened and both Lukas and Rebecca Kinsinger came running inside. Right behind them was none other than Peter, whose eyes were fastened on Lukas. It was obvious the boy was completely focused on his boss and ready to assist in any way he could.

“Talk to me, Marcus,” Lukas called out.

Marcus passed the phone to Frank, his second-in-command. “That was a dispatcher. Ambulance is on the way.” More loudly, he said, “We think Amos suffered a heart attack.”

Lukas turned to Peter. “Two things. Go stand outside and direct the ambulance workers to this entrance. Then, as soon as they get here, go to Roman Schrock. Do you remember where he is?”

“Warehouse Two.”

“That's right. Go to Roman, ask him to get a driver, then hurry to Amos's farm. Amos's
frau
, Beverly, will need to be brought to the hospital. You understand?”

Peter nodded.

“
Gut
. Now go.” Lukas knelt beside Amos.

Jacob noticed most of the other men were like him, trying to see what was going on but staying out of the way. He'd just closed his eyes to say a prayer for Amos when he heard his name being called.

“Jacob! What happened to you?” Rebecca called out.

His eyes popped open. “Hmm?”

She was at his side. “Your arm! Jacob, you're bleeding something awful.”

With some bit of shock, he looked down and realized that the rag he'd wrapped around his arm had a sizable red stain on it. “Huh,” he said. “I'd forgotten about this.”

“Jacob, sit down, man,” Samuel said, pressing his shoulders.

Aware that he was about to stumble, Jake did as he was told.

Suddenly feeling a bit foggy, he heard Marcus talking on the phone again. “Looks like we're gonna need another ambulance,” he said. “
Jah
,” he continued, his voice turning more weary. “
Jah
. Same place. We got a man with a good cut on his arm. It don't look life threatening, but he might need surgery.”

Surgery
? Jacob groaned. This was the last thing his parents and Lilly needed to deal with.

When she heard his groan, Rebecca reached out and pressed a hand to his cheek. “Oh, Jacob, I hope you'll be all right.”

He was fine. Well, kind of. “I don't need no ambulance.”

Standing over him now, Lukas shook his head. “Don't argue. We don't take chances around here. Not anymore.”

Knowing the history, Jacob didn't protest. He merely sat still until sirens were heard and a team of four EMTs arrived with a stretcher, a pack of supplies, and a portable defibrillator.

All the workers watched in respectful silence as they knelt around Amos, who was barely conscious.

Ten minutes later, they were carrying him out. Lukas followed. His voice was clipped and sure as he told the EMTs Amos's full name and age.

Rebecca grabbed Jacob's good hand. “I'm so sorry you got hurt,” she whispered as she pressed a fresh cloth someone had handed her to his cut.

“Don't worry. I'll be fine.” He attempted to smile and reassure her.

Sirens rang through the air again. Moments later, another team ran in. Immediately, Marcus escorted them to Jacob's side. After motioning Rebecca to move, two men knelt next to him. “What happened?”

“Saw got the best of me. I'll be all right.”

“Can you stand up or do you want a stretcher?”

“My arm's hurt, not my feet. I can walk.”

Rebecca pressed a hand to his good arm. “Jacob, are you sure?”

There were some things a man had to do. And one of them was walk when he could. Another was not to look weak in front of the woman he loved.

“Don't worry,” he said as he climbed to his feet. “Like I said, I'm fine.” Feeling more than a little light-headed, he took some time to reassure her. “It's just a cut. I'll be better after a doctor patches me up.”

“Grab his arm,” one of the EMTs said. “He looks like he's about to go over.”

“I'm fine,” he said. But the room kept spinning.

Marcus got under his other arm. “If you faint, we're never gonna let you forget it,” he said. “Focus.”

“I'll follow you to the hospital, Jacob,” Rebecca said. Leaning close, she whispered, “Please listen to the doctors. I love you.”

Rebecca loved him?

Jacob jerked his head to meet her gaze, realized the motion was too fast, and then slowly came to the conclusion that he was going to get ribbed about his weakness for years. Then he didn't care anymore, because the whole room went black.

J
acob was the one who had just gotten carried off in an ambulance, but it was Rebecca who couldn't breathe. She was frozen in the warehouse's doorway, gripping the frame like it was the only thing keeping her upright.

Maybe it was.

“Rebecca? Rebecca, listen to me.”

She knew she should answer but couldn't seem to find any words. Instead, she kept her eyes fastened on the EMTs as they loaded Jacob's gurney into the ambulance.

“Rebecca!”

“What?” she blurted, finally realizing that two strong hands were gripping her shoulders hard. “Lukas, that hurts.”

Instead of removing his hands, he turned her to face him. His icy blue eyes—the ones he shared with Amelia—looked at her intently. “Becky, get ahold of yourself. We got no time for female dramatics in here.”

His tone was less than kind. And, she supposed, completely warranted.

Though she yearned to watch Jacob's ambulance disappear from the property's back entrance, Rebecca forced herself to
inhale deeply and then exhale slowly. Her brother was right. She also claimed the Kinsinger name and she wasn't about to put it to shame.

“Sorry, Luke.”

“No need for apologies.” His tone was far softer now. Far more gentle. Bending so he could stare into her eyes, he said, “Are you better now or do you feel faint? If you're dizzy, grab hold of me. I don't think the men can take the sight of one more person falling to the ground.”

He wasn't joking. He really was worried that she was going to collapse on him.

That was all she needed to get her attitude back. “I'm fine now. I promise, I'm not going to faint on you.”

Exhaling in relief, he let go of her shoulders at last. “
Gut
. I need you too much for that.”

His admission felt good. This was why she'd come back to work. She wanted to be needed. She wanted to feel as much a part of the family business as her brother was. “Are you going to be all right?” she whispered.

“Of course.”

Of course. Lukas would say that even if he had been the one with a sliced arm. He simply didn't let himself show weakness to anyone but, she suspected, his wife.

Looking around the warehouse, and at the group of men still standing in pairs looking shocked, he said, “Rebecca, I think I'm going to need to stay here for a little bit. I need to figure out what happened with Amos.”

“It was a heart attack, Luke.”

“I know it was.” Frowning, he continued. “However, he's not that old, and Marcus told me that he couldn't remember Amos
ever saying he had heart problems.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he said, “Then there's Jacob's accident. He was skilled and came here with a lot of experience. For him to get a cut like that? It don't make sense.”

“I understand.” For both Lukas's peace of mind and the men's families he needed to understand the cause of both men's emergencies. “What would you like me to do first?”

“I need you to go to the reception area and type up a note for all our workers saying that Amos and Jacob have gone to the hospital. Don't give more details. I don't even want to chance giving out wrong information. Understand?”

“Jah
.
”

“As soon as you get that printed, send Mercy out to deliver that note to every department head.” His voice hardened. “Becky, you tell her in no uncertain terms not to stand around and linger and gossip. Everyone needs to know what's going on, but I don't need any silly girl deciding to add her own spin to things.”

“I'll do that right now.”

“
Danke
. And when the phones start ringing, don't give anyone information who isn't family or an employee.”

She shook her head. “I won't.”

He snapped his fingers. “As soon as I see Peter, I'm going to send him your way. He needs to go see Jacob's family and tell them what happened. But make sure you have him tell them that it's just a cut. It's a bad one, but he's gonna be all right. We're just being extra careful.”

“
Jah
, Lukas,” she replied, though a part of her was dismayed. She had hoped to eventually get to Jacob's side at the hospital, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

“
Danke
, Becky.” Lowering his voice, he said, “Look, I know
you're worried about Jacob. I know you told him that you were gonna go to the hospital.” His voice cracked from the strain. “But I can't let you go just yet.”

“I understand.” That was true. She completely did understand.

He continued as if she hadn't spoken. “I'm real sorry, but with Daed gone and Levi, too . . . I just don't think I can get through these next few hours without you.”

“I won't leave you, Lukas.”

His eyes watered before blinking it away. He was rattled. No doubt, the sirens had brought back memories of the fire—of losing all those men. Of losing Daed. Rebecca knew how he felt because she felt the same way.

After smiling weakly, she turned toward the front door, just as she heard Lukas say, “Men, I need to know what happened. Marcus, you start.”

As she walked the short distance from Warehouse Four to the main office building, Rebecca blinked quickly before she dissolved into tears.

Now she understood why her dream to teach school hadn't come true. Her brother needed her here. Sometimes, only family could make a person feel like everything was going to be okay.

Sometimes only family would do.

R
ACHEL
'
S HEART CLENCHED
the moment Meghan told her about the two ambulances that were seen at the lumber mill.

“Do ya know what happened there?” she asked, barely able to keep her voice from shaking. “Was . . . Was it another fire?”

The teenager shook her head. “I don't think so, Mrs. Mast. All I heard was that there were two ambulances. No one said a word about fire trucks. There's no smoke, either.”

Rachel pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, of course there isn't.” How could she have forgotten the great billowing cloud that had seemed to blanket Charm the day of the fire?

“Your husband works at Kinsinger's doesn't he?”

“
Jah
. He's a team leader in one of the warehouses.”

Immediately, Meghan opened her teal backpack and pulled out a cell phone. “Would you like me to call Kinsinger's and ask if your husband is okay?”

She would, but Marcus would be so embarrassed if she asked an English teen to check on him. “
Nee
, but thank you. If every employee's family called up the main office, no one there would get any work done.” Attempting to look calmer than she felt, Rachel said, “If something happened to Marcus, the Kinsingers would send someone here to tell me.”

“Oh, all right. Can I get Lilly now?”

“Of course.” Rachel had kept Lilly and a couple of other students after school to give them some individual attention. Lilly had offered to help them prepare for a spelling bee. Raising her voice, she said, “Lilly, go on out with Meghan and do your studies. The rest of you, get out a sheet of paper. I'll call out some new words for you.”

But just minutes after Lilly walked out the door, Rachel spied Peter running toward the schoolhouse. He'd taken the day off to work at the mill.

Not even caring that she was in the middle of a spelling test, Rachel tore open the door and ran out to meet him. “Peter, what happened?”

With obvious reluctance, he turned his attention from Lilly at the picnic table to her. “Hiya, Aunt Rachel. I'm sorry, but I've got to tell Lilly something.”

“Is it about the mill?”

“I told them about the ambulances I heard were there,” Meghan supplied from Lilly's side.

Peter nodded. In a serious tone, he said, “One man had a heart attack and had to be rushed to the hospital.” He inhaled, then said in a rush, “But Lilly, the other ambulance was for your Onkle Jacob.”

Rachel's hands shook as she processed that her husband was safe . . . but her poor student was facing yet another crisis.

“What happened?” Lilly's voice was barely a whisper.

“He cut himself.”

Tears filled her eyes. “Is . . . Is he gonna be all right?”

Just as Rachel was going to give her a hug, Peter stepped toward the girl. “
Jah
. But your grandparents want you to come home right now. When you get home, they're going to hitch up the buggy and go to the hospital.”

Lilly paled. “He needed to go to the hospital?” Lilly glanced Rachel's way. “Mrs. Mast?”

“Of course you can go, dear. Grab whatever you need.”

“I'll be right back, Peter,” Lilly said.

“I'll drive you both,” Meghan interjected. “Then, if you and your grandparents need a ride to the hospital, I can take you there, too.”

After swallowing hard, she nodded. “Okay. I'll be right there.” Then Lilly darted inside to grab her things.

Noticing that Peter was looking increasingly worried, Rachel attempted to soothe him. “Thank you for coming to get Lilly, Peter. You did a fine job telling her about her uncle. I can see why Mr. Kinsinger says you're such a
gut
employee.”

Looking pleased, Peter nodded but didn't say anything. When
Lilly rushed back outside, the three of them started walking to Meghan's car. “
Danke
, Mrs. Mast,” Lilly said again.

“I'll be praying for your uncle,” Rachel assured her. “Take care.”

After quietly sharing with the remaining students inside the classroom that Lilly's uncle had an accident but that everything else was all right, she picked up her clipboard again. “Let's continue our spelling words now. Our next word is
Pennsylvania
.”