The Gift (11 page)

Arf! Arf! Arf!
Sparky chased after the black dog, barking and nipping at its heels.

Woof! Woof!
The Lab zipped around the yard twice then turned and chased Sparky.

Panting for breath, Leah ran after Sparky, who was now chasing the Lab. After calling several times, her ornery little dog would not stop. The overwrought animal either didn’t hear her or chose to ignore her commands, for he wouldn’t give up the chase. Desperate to find a way to bring it to an end, Leah picked up the garden hose. Turning it on full force, she sprayed both dogs with a blast of water.

Yip! Yip! Yip! Arf! Arf!
Sparky and the black Lab took off like a shot for the field of corn.

“Go ahead and run, you crazy critters!” Leah called, shaking her head. She sure wasn’t going to chase them into the field; she’d already gone there after Sparky, and once was enough. Leah pulled her dad’s shirt from around her neck, where she’d draped it before chasing the dogs. She wasn’t sure how, but Dad’s Sunday shirt was still in one piece. But it would need to be washed again.

Turning toward the house, Leah halted when a horse and buggy pulled in. Behind them, the sky was turning a brilliant orange as the sun began to set. Her brother and his family had arrived, and she was a hot, sticky mess. Not only that, but she hadn’t done a thing to help Mom get supper on. Because Nathan worked in the bulk food store and had to close it up for the evening, Leah was glad Mom had planned to serve supper later than usual—especially with this dog episode.

“What happened to you?” Nathan asked when he got off the buggy. “Your dress is dirty, and your face is flushed.”

Leah could see little Zeke’s arms going up and down on his mother’s lap. Holding out her own arms to greet Rebecca and Stephen, who were trying to get to her first, Leah smiled. “It’s a long story, and I’ll tell you all about it when we go inside.”

Adam sat in the hospital waiting room with his eyes closed and head bowed, praying fervently and waiting for news on the condition of Mary and her family. All he’d been told was that Mary and Amos were in serious condition and that the girls and their driver had minor injuries. He clenched his fists until his fingers dug into his palms. Mary and Amos had to make it. Their girls were so young and needed their parents. For that matter, Adam needed Mary, too, for she was his only sibling and his closest living relative. Adam’s father was dead, and for all he knew, his mother was, too. Not that he’d ever want to see her again. Even if she was still alive, in every sense of the word, his mother was dead to him. All Adam wanted right now was to see his sister and know that she would be all right.

How could something like this have happened?
he asked himself.
And whose fault was it, anyway? Was it the driver of the van they’d hired, or was the person in the other vehicle responsible for the accident? Oh, Lord, I can’t lose Mary, too.

Adam’s thoughts came to a halt when a young doctor entered the room and took a seat beside him. “Are you Mr. Beachy?” he asked.

Adam nodded. “Do you have word on my sister and her husband? Are they going to be okay?”

The grave look on the doctor’s face told Adam all he needed to know. “I’m sorry, Mr. Beachy, but Amos has died, and Mary is seriously injured. She’s lost a lot of blood. I’m afraid she doesn’t have long to live.”

Barely able to believe the doctor’s words, Adam sat in stunned silence. His chin quivered as he closed his eyes. It wasn’t possible. He felt as though he was in the middle of a horrible dream—a nightmare.

“Is… is she awake? Can I see her?” Adam asked when he finally found his voice.

“Yes. She’s been asking for you.” The doctor stood. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to see Mary now.”

Numbly, Adam followed the doctor down the hallway, which bustled with normal activity. Adam barely noticed.

“She’s in here,” the doctor said, leading the way into a dimly lit room, where a nurse stood beside a hospital bed.

The window blinds were tilted, allowing pink light from the sunset to flow between the slats onto Mary’s bed. How could something so beautiful be happening outside when inside this room everything was horrible? The silence at Mary’s bedside was broken only by the slow, erratic beep of the heart monitor.

Adam swallowed around the lump in his throat as he looked down at his sister’s battered body. “Mary,” he whispered, touching her hand.

She opened her eyes and blinked, tears trickling down her swollen, bruised cheeks. “Adam?”

“Jah, Mary, it’s me.”

“Amos is gone, and I… I think I’ll be joining him soon.” Mary’s voice was barely above a whisper, but Adam understood every word.

A chill ran through him as he leaned closer to Mary’s face. “Don’t talk like that, Mary. You’re going to be fine.”

“No, Adam, listen. I… I need you to promise me something.”

“Anything, Mary. Anything at all.” Adam’s throat felt so swollen, he could barely talk.

“Please, take care of my girls.” Mary drew in a shuddering breath.

“Promise me, Adam. Please say that you will. I’ll not be at peace till I know.”

Tears pricked Adam’s eyes as he slowly nodded. “I promise, Mary. Don’t you worry. I’ll take care of your girls.”

A faint smile played on Mary’s lips while Adam gazed at her, knowing it would be the last time. Then her mouth opened as she shuddered her last breath.

The monitor changed from a sporadic beep to an eerie flat-lined tone, and a sob rose in Adam’s throat. When the doctor announced that Mary was gone, Adam closed his eyes in grief. Mary’s hand was still warm in his, and even though the nurse had switched off the heart monitor, Adam looked down at his dear sister, barely able to accept the fact that she was truly gone. They would never again share precious moments on this earth.

Several minutes passed. As the truth sank in, Adam felt as though a part of him had died with Mary. How brave and thoughtful his sister had been, thinking only of her girls’ well-being, while facing her own death. His stomach clenched as the reality of the situation hit him. Mary and Amos were dead, and he had just agreed to be responsible for their children. Who would tell those sweet little girls that their mom and dad had died? Amy was ten years old, but even at that age, would she understand why her folks had been taken? How could she? Adam sure didn’t. The younger ones—Linda, who was seven, and Carrie, who’d recently turned four—how would they grasp this tragic news?

And what about me?
Adam swiped at the tears running down his cheeks. He loved his sister and would honor her wishes, but he knew nothing about raising children. Adam bowed his head and closed his eyes.
Lord, how can I keep my promise to Mary? I’m scared. Please, show me what I need to do.

A
dam placed four plates, knives, and forks on the table and sighed. Two weeks had passed since Amos and Mary’s deaths, and Adam’s world had been turned upside down. In addition to seeing that his sister and brother-in-law received proper burials at the Amish cemetery back in Nappanee, he’d brought Mary’s three girls and their belongings to his house last night and didn’t have a clue how to properly care for them. Carrie, who was small for her age, seemed timid and whined a lot. Linda was full of nervous energy and had a bit of a temper. Then there was stubborn Amy. Because she was the oldest, she liked to take charge and tell her sisters what to do.

When they’d arrived last evening, Amy had made it clear that she didn’t want to live with Adam. Even when he’d been with them in Nappanee, it seemed nothing he said or did was good enough. The girl’s belligerent attitude didn’t help at all. Of course, who could really blame her? She’d not only lost both parents, but she’d also been uprooted from her Amish community and the only home she and her sisters had ever known. He understood how lost they must feel, because he felt bewildered and misplaced, too. Adam was sure the girls would miss their paternal grandparents, who lived in Nappanee, but since Amos’s father had become disabled after a fall from his barn roof, there was no way their grandmother could be responsible for the care of three young girls. Amos’s brother, Devon, who wasn’t married, would see that Mary and Adam’s home and other things were sold, but he was in no position financially to take the girls in.

Adam knew from personal experience how difficult moving could be for a child. Even though he had only been five when his mother had left, he could still remember the shock and confusion over her leaving. A few months later, Adam’s dad had packed up and moved Adam and Mary from their home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to Ohio. After several more moves, they eventually settled in Nappanee, Indiana. Adam had not only struggled with resentment toward his mother, but he’d been angry at Dad for taking him and Mary to places where they didn’t know anyone and had to start over at new schools. Mary, being the outgoing one, had made new friends right away, but Adam held back and never allowed himself to get close to any of the other children. Mary was not only his sister but his best friend, so he’d never felt the need to develop any other friendships. Besides, with everything that had happened to him at such a young age, Adam wasn’t sure who he could trust. It wasn’t hard for him to understand what the girls were going through right now, even though he’d lost only one parent when he was child, not both at the same time.

Putting his thoughts aside, Adam concentrated on getting the girls’ breakfast made, knowing they would be waking soon and no doubt be hungry. He’d decided to fix pancakes this morning, so he set out a bottle of maple syrup. Adam was glad the girls wouldn’t have to start school for several more weeks. It would give them time to adjust to their new surroundings and hopefully help them get to know him better. Having the children home all day was a problem, since Adam needed to be at the hardware store. He certainly couldn’t take them to work with him every day, but he couldn’t leave them at home alone, either. After the girls had been released from the hospital and he’d taken them to Nappanee for their parents’ funeral, Adam had left Ben and Henry in charge of the store. But now that he was home, he needed to get back to work as soon as possible. At the very least, he planned to drop by the store sometime today to check on things.

Adam hated to admit it, but he didn’t want to be cooped up in the house on another rainy day with three nieces he didn’t know how to entertain. The girls would have to go with him to the store whether they liked it or not. Adam might not know much about parenting, but he wasn’t about to leave them home alone. He would need to ask around and see who might be available to watch the girls while he was at work. Once school started toward the end of August, they would only have to be watched for a few hours in the afternoon, until Adam came home from work. His evenings would certainly be different. The freedom he’d enjoyed to do whatever he pleased would now be replaced with the responsibility of caring for the girls’ needs. The only way to get through this was to take one day at a time and trust God to see him through.

Chicago

Cora Finley had never liked the rain, and today was no exception. She’d had trouble sleeping last night, thanks to the incessant raindrops beating on the roof of her house. She had finally succumbed to sleep well after midnight, and now it was six o’clock, and she needed to get ready for work. Glancing out her bedroom window, she grimaced. It was such a gloomy day. They’d had too much rain already this summer, and she was tired of it. Unlike some people, Cora didn’t find the continuous pelting sound relaxing at all.

In addition to that irritation, she was concerned about her fourteen-year-old son, Jared. He’d become a rebellious teen ever since the divorce, often trying Cora’s patience until she was at her wit’s end. He’d become friends with a couple boys from broken homes, and they seemed to find trouble at every turn. With Cora’s nursing job, she couldn’t be with Jared every minute, and since he was too old to leave with a sitter, he often hung out with his friends.

Cora punched her pillow and moaned. It was bad enough that her husband had left her for another woman. Did he have to abandon his only son, too? At least it felt like abandonment, since Evan spent so little time with their son these days. Didn’t he care how much Jared missed him? Didn’t it bother him that their son was without his father’s guidance much of the time?
I was a fool to believe I’d met my Prince Charming and that my future held nothing but good things. Now I have to try and be both mother and father to Jared, and so far, I’m failing miserably.