Love Inspired June 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: The Cowboy's Homecoming\The Amish Widow's Secret\Safe in the Fireman's Arms (36 page)

Chapter Nineteen

M
ose unfolded his napkin, wiped food off Mercy's mouth and sat her on the quilt next to Beatrice. “You share those toys. If I see you taking anything from your little sister's hands, it's early to bed for you.”

“Sarah told me I'm a big sister now. I have to be good.”

“Yes, you do. Now play with your doll and I'll read you a book in a moment.” He looked over at the couch, his gaze on Sarah. She leafed through a magazine on child rearing. She seemed okay now, looked normal enough. No pale skin, or grimace. Nothing to indicate something was physically wrong.
So why am I still so worried?

Coming home and finding an ambulance in his drive had shaken him. He had thought one of the
kinder
had been hurt, but it was Sarah the two medics were leaning over when he rushed in the door. They explained she'd passed out for a few seconds but checked out fine. Nothing to warrant a trip to the hospital.

She'd been alert when he'd asked her how she felt. While the medic took her blood pressure again she'd reassured him everything was fine. “I heard about the Hochstetler man killing Joseph and later himself. I think I hyperventilated. That's all. Nothing more to worry about.”

Now he watched her and prayed. “Can I get you anything? Maybe a cold drink?”

“
Nee
, I'm good. You sure you don't want me to clear the dinner table, Mose? I'm perfectly fine. Really. You're treating me like I'm sick, and I'm not.”

“You sit there and relax. I'm good at clearing up, and Beatrice can help me throw away the paper plates, right?”

“But I'm playing.”

“It's bath and bed for you. That mouth of yours is getting you into a lot of trouble lately.” Mose scowled at his oldest child, his temper already fired up by the policeman he'd almost thrown out of the house. He wiped down the table and counters. “Those police officers should have made sure you had someone with you before they broke the news about Joseph and what happened to Hochstetler. They could see you're pregnant. No wonder you fainted at their feet.”

“You're cleaning the color off that countertop.”

A grin tipped his lips and he took a final slow swipe. “I'm in a hurry to get the kids to bed. Mercy's tired.” On cue, Mercy yawned, her mouth opening wide. He grinned. “See, I told you.”

“I can bathe both of them while you finish.”

“You're eight months pregnant, Sarah, and stressed out. You've had a shock, need to rest.” He loved her spirited personality, but sometimes he wished she was less argumentative...
like Greta?

Something hit the house with a thump. He turned on the back porch light and groaned. The deck was soaked, the wooden lounge chair he'd made for Sarah blown up against the house. Sarah's newly seeded flower pots were full of rain and overflowing in muddy streams. “Noah, where's that Ark? Looks like we might need it tonight.” Mose turned off the outside light and turned to an empty room. Sarah and the girls were nowhere to be seen.
Stubborn woman.
He headed down the hallway.

* * *

Warm water gushed into the tub. Sarah tipped in a capful of pink liquid soap and swished her hand back and forth, enjoying the feel of frothy bubbles creeping up her arm. The heady fragrance of strawberries rose with the steam.

Two fluffy towels sat on a stool next to her, along with a soft plastic frog with bulging eyes. Water in her face scared Mercy, and the frog was a great distraction when it came time to rinse the girl's hair.

“Can I sit up front this time?” Beatrice stripped down, her clothes thrown in an untidy pile on the floor instead of in the laundry basket. Sarah gave her nod and the five-year-old jumped in, splashing water on the tile floor with her tidal wave. Soaked, Mercy screamed and wiggled out of Sarah's arms. She slipped on the wet floor and almost joined her older sister in the foamy water with her dress and diaper still on.

“I usually take their clothes off before bathing them.” Mose leaned against the bathroom door, his hands in his pockets. “You need some help?”

“
Nee.
I'm fine.” Sarah unsnapped Mercy's dress and threw the cotton frock in the basket. Carefully she unpinned her dry diaper and lifted the lightweight child into the bubbles.
There'll be two babies in diapers soon.
A knife-sharp pain pierced her back and Sarah paused before she straightened, waiting for the contraction to pass.

“What's wrong?” Mose stepped forward.

“Just one of those pains Linda warned me about. I get them once in a while. There's nothing to worry about.”

“You should have waited for me to do this. I wanted you to rest. You know you're tired.”

“
Ya
. But this is my job and I'm fine.”

“You're stubborn. You know that?”

Mercy's squirmed and Sarah let go of her arm. “
Ya
. I've always been.”

Mose laughed. “What smells so good?”

Sarah shifted to a more comfortable position, her hand reaching for her back when another pain slammed her. She took in a deep breath, held it and then slowly pushed the air out.

Beatrice piped up. “It's me that smells good. My bubble-bath soap makes me smell good enough to eat. Sarah told me.” She twisted around to grin at him and almost knocked her sister over with her sudden movement. “I need my bathtub toys,” she sang out in a high-pitched tone.

“Use your indoor voice, please.” Sarah steadied Mercy. With gentle pressure she began to scrub Mercy's neck and back with a washcloth. She wished she wasn't so tired. “No toys tonight. I'm tired and want an early night. You can have an extra-long bath tomorrow night with lots of toys. I promise.”

Beatrice glared at Sarah and silently began to wash herself. Encouraged by the child's cooperation, Sarah decided against washing their hair and grabbed the towels. She dangled one in the air. “Who's ready to get out first?”

Mercy grabbed the edge of the white towel. “Mine.”

Mose watched Sarah handle the child with ease, the big towel swallowing up Mercy as Sarah patted her dry. “I have good news for you.”

Preoccupied, Sarah murmured, “
Ya
, what is it?”

“
Mamm
called today. Linda and the baby had their doctor's appointment and both checked out fine. The baby weights nine pounds already and is starting to look like Kurt, or so
Mamm
says.”

Sarah looked over at Mose and smiled. “I'm so happy for them. It went well for her? No problems with her labor?”

Mose smiled back. “
Daed
said there were no bumps in the road.”

Sarah went back to drying Mercy. “Didn't Kurt want a son?”

Mose grinned at her, ignoring her question. “I think I'll go check the water levels in the yard again. Be right back.”

* * *

Under the streetlight, windblown rain pelted down at an angle.
When will this rain stop?
Mose dropped the blind slat and put his empty glass in the sink. He padded barefoot through the dining room, flipped on the light in the hallway and pushed open the girls' partially closed door. Both slept soundly, Beatrice sprawled out on her stomach, her head in the middle of her pillow. Mercy lay curled on her side. He covered the baby's bare legs with the light blanket bunched at her feet and touched one blond corkscrew curl before he wandered down the hall to his own bed. It had been a long, stress-filled day. He looked forward to some sleep and a hot meal in the morning.

Sarah had left the bedside lamp on. She lay sleeping in a fetal position at the edge of the mattress, her hand partially covering her face, her long hair in a thick plait on her pillow.

He sat on the edge of the bed across from her, listening to the rain. All he could hear was the downpour and the steady beat of his own heart. Sarah moved. His hand searched for the lamp switch and twisted it back on. He looked across the bed. She lay on her back, her body rigid, as taut as a bow. “Sarah? Are you awake?”

“
Ya
. The thunder woke me.”

“I love thunderstorms.
Daed
and I used to stand on the porch and watch the sky light up.
Mamm
always fussed at the door until we came back in.” He waited for a laugh, some kind of reaction, but got none. “Am I keeping you awake?” He wanted to make sure she was okay after her difficult day.

“I can't sleep with the storm overhead.”

Mose liked the way the soft artificial light made her skin seem to glow. “I'm sorry I was late for lunch today. I had to drive home slow. The streets were flooded past the sidewalks. I wish I had been here with you when the officers brought the news about Joseph's killer.”

Sarah looked at him, her eyes intense and bright. “I had to hear what they had to say. Hearing it was hard, but knowing the truth makes a difference.”

“Months ago you blamed yourself for Joseph's death. Do you have peace now?”

Her bottom lip quivered. “For so long I've believed I caused the fire. That he died because of my carelessness. I've punished myself because of it. When I heard the truth, I was relieved and horribly angry. I wished his killer dead, Mose. I wished Benjamin Hochstetler would die, and then I learned he had. He'd killed himself.” A sob escaped her. Her shoulders started heaving in great, gulping sobs.

Mose scooped her in his arms. She burrowed close, her tears dampening his shoulder. “Don't cry, Sarah.” He rubbed her back, the baby kicking at the pressure of his body so close. “
Gott
understands why you were angry. He made us all fallible, with good and bad thoughts. You didn't cause the man's death. He killed himself, probably because his shame was more than he could live with.”

“I thought for so long that Joseph had died because of something I didn't do. All those months I grieved, and this man knew the truth and said nothing.”

“Be angry, but forgive. For yourself and the baby,” Mose murmured softly. “Hatred does horrible things to a person's mind. It burns a hole in your soul. Don't let him steal your peace.”

Sarah took in a shuddering breath, her body beginning to relax. Minutes ticked by and as she spoke she pulled away. “
Danke
, Mose. I needed to talk. You are so kind to me, mean so much to me.”

The loss of her embrace overwhelmed him as she laid back down on the bed. His eyes watered with unshed tears. She needed comfort but still didn't trust him to understand.

“I think I can sleep now.
Gut
night.” She turned onto her side, away from him.

Mose watched the rise and fall of her back become regular and deep. He stood up and got ready for bed.

* * *

Something was wrong. Sarah woke with a start. Pain tore at her, her stomach growing hard. Had she wet the bed? Her gown clung to her body, cold and damp. Pain ripped through her back and circled around to the lower part of her stomach. She sucked in a breath, waiting for the heavy cramps to ease. She flipped on the lamp and lifted the light sheet across her legs. Pink fluid circled the sheet and soaked her gown.
Did my water break?
Another pain hit, this one more intense, forcing her to moan. She took in a breath and pushed it out.
Is this labor? I'm not due for days.
Panic grabbed at her throat, made it hard to swallow. She called out to Mose, but her voice was a whisper. She inched across the bed, waiting for each pain to pass. Finally, she could touch his shoulder. She shoved with all her might. Mose murmured something low, unintelligible. She shoved again, over and over until he stirred and turned her way, his eyes opening.

“You all right?”

“I think my labor started.” She cradled her stomach as it tightened, prepared for the next round of pulsing pain.

* * *

Mose shot out of bed, grabbed his work pants from the closet and pulled them over his pajama bottoms. “I'll be right back.” He grabbed his cell phone and dialed his father's number. On the fourth ring he picked up.

“Otto Fischer here.”

Mose opened the blinds in the kitchen and looked outside. The storm had calmed, but hours of heavy rain had completely flooded the street. Water lapped at the sidewalk in his yard. “
Daed
, its Sarah. She's in labor. Our roads are too flooded to drive. I can't get her to the midwife. Do you think you and
mamm
could walk over here? I need help fast.”

“Mose. Remember, your
mamm's
not here. She left for her sister's yesterday.”

“
Ach
. I forgot. I've got the girls asleep and no way to get Sarah help. What can I do?”

“Did you call the hospital, or fire department? Maybe a fire truck can make it through the water.”

“I'll call, but I don't think there's time for them to get here. Her water's already broke and I don't have a clue what to do next.”

Otto cleared his voice. “I've got a suggestion but you're probably not going to like it.”

“I'm desperate. Tell me.”

“I can get Ulla.”

Mose looked at his cell phone, wondering if his father had lost his mind. “Are you serious? Ulla'd never come, and I don't think Sarah would let her anywhere near her, or the baby.”

“Ulla was a midwife for over twenty years. I think you better reconsider your situation before you throw stones.”

Mose looked toward the only light on in the house and sucked in his breath. “Okay, ask her if she'll come, and,
Daed
, please be careful. It's bad out there.”

“I'll do my best. You call the fire department, quick.”

Mose stood looking at his phone. He tore the fire department calendar out of the kitchen drawer and started pushing numbers as he ran to the back of the house.
Gott, don't let her die. I love her. Please don't let her die.

* * *

Sarah watched from a chair as Ulla and her daughter, Molly, worked as one. It was if they knew what the other wanted before being asked. The bed was stripped, remade and a plastic sheet tucked under the bedding. Silently the soiled gown was pulled over Sarah's head and a fresh gown replaced it. She was helped back into bed without a single word being spoken. A fresh wave of pain hit and Sarah lay still, enduring what must happen to deliver her baby.