Winter of Wishes (20 page)

Rhoda clapped her hand over her mouth, refusing to believe this lively little boy
might die. Watching Andy she wondered, was this how God had breathed life into Adam
all those centuries ago? While that thought startled her, she was filled with gratitude
and relief that Andy had arrived when he did. Joey coughed, thank goodness, and gasped
for the next breath on his own.

“This little guy’s on his way to surgery,” Andy said. “Is Bishop Knepp around? He’ll
need to sign admitting papers and—”

“Somebody’s fetchin’ him,
jah
,” Rhoda said, “but we don’t know how long he’ll be. And he might not agree to that,
ya know. He’ll say it was the will of God that his boys got hit after they disobeyed
him by sneakin’ out in the sleigh.”

Andy’s eyes widened in disbelief, but he saw that Ben, Miriam, the Schrocks, and the
Brenneman brothers were nodding their agreement. “No disrespect intended, but those
emergency vehicles are nearly here, and I’m going to let the members of the EMS team
do their jobs. We’ll handle Hiram later.”

Rhoda’s eyes widened at the prospect that both Josh and Joey might need to be hospitalized,
yet she trusted in Andy’s judgment. He had a son not much older than the twins, and
he was caring for these boys in the same way he would his own children.

As a police cruiser pulled around to the car that had gone off the road, followed
closely by a wailing fire engine and then the ambulance, Rhoda wondered just how serious
the boys’ condition might be. She and Mamma and the men stepped away to allow the
ambulance crew more room to work as Andy waved them over to where the bundled boys
lay. He was talking in low tones, using big medical terms as he indicated that Joey
needed immediate attention, most likely. Rhoda didn’t dare interrupt him to find out.

Mary and Eva Schrock huddled with them, shivering in the wind. “I had no idea all
these folks would be comin’,” Mary murmured to Mamma beneath the scream of the three
sirens. “If Hiram sees what-all commotion they’re stirrin’ up, with the police gettin’
in on it, he’ll be mighty peeved.”

Rebecca joined them then, while the policeman questioned the driver of the car. “It’s
standard procedure to have all these vehicles come with the paramedics when you call
9-1-1,” she said. “That happened every time we called the ambulance to take Mom to
the hospital when her cancer pain got bad.”

Rhoda and Mamma grabbed Rebecca’s hands, sorry to recall that such sorrow had touched
her English life. It was a sobering sight when two of the ambulance men deftly shifted
each Knepp boy onto a stretcher to carry them one by one inside the vehicle as a third
fellow took down information from Ben. The men from the fire truck talked briefly
to Seth and Aaron, and then they pulled away down the blacktop. As one of the paramedics
was closing the ambulance doors, Rhoda caught sight of an approaching buggy.

“Wait!” she called out to them. “Here come a couple gals who should be there at the
hospital with Josh and Joey. Can ya give them a ride?”

“I’ll take them,” Rebecca offered quietly. “Might be helpful if somebody who’s had
some experience with hospital procedure goes along, and that way they’ll have a way
home when they’re ready. I’ll get my keys.”

Rhoda squeezed her sister’s hand and hurried toward the approaching buggy to tell
the Hooley sisters what was going on. After Jerusalem pulled into the café’s parking
lot and hitched the horse, she asked, “How bad is it?”

At the sight of the Hooley sisters’ frightened faces, Rhoda blinked back fresh tears.
“We’re not sure. Josh has been moanin’, but Joey quit breathin’ for a bit and Andy
had to bring him around. They’ve got broken bones, for sure, and Andy was sayin’ they’ll
need some surgery.”

“Should’ve seen this comin’,” Jerusalem murmured. Her brow furrowed as the ambulance
pulled away, and beside her, Nazareth pulled out a handkerchief and blew her nose
loudly. “The Zook boys went flyin’ by in their sleigh after school let out, wavin’
and hollerin’. Then Joey got the idea that the goats needed more straw and feed, cold
as it is today.”

“
Jah
, and quicker than a lizard darts behind a rock, they must’ve hitched up and raced
outta the yard,” Nazareth joined in. “We can’t see that side of the barn from the
house, so we hadn’t yet realized they’d slipped out on us. They knew their
dat
was over to Warrensburg, and probably figured to be back before anyone was the wiser.”

“Well, our prayers go with ya,” Mamma said as she approached. “Our Rebecca’s
gut
help, so don’t hesitate to ask for her cell phone or whatever else she can do for
ya. If Hiram stops by, we’ll send him to the hospital.”

“Or if ya know the number where he is, Rebecca can call and tell him you’re on your
way there,” Rhoda suggested as her sister’s red car purred to a stop beside them.
“Maybe that English client-fella will give him a ride.”

“Lord love us all, once the bishop hears about this,” Nazareth murmured, opening the
car door. “No doubt he’ll blame the two of us for not watchin’ the boys close enough,
and then he’ll be pointin’ a finger at you folks for gettin’ medical attention that
also brought the police into it.”

“God’ll get us through it, Sister.
Denki
, Miriam and Rhoda, for seein’ to things on this end.” Jerusalem ducked through the
sportscar’s door and squeezed behind the front seat to sit in the back with her sister.

As they pulled onto the blacktop, Rhoda waved good-bye.
Lord, I’m hopin’ You’ll be with us all as we do what needs doin’. Watch over Josh
and Joey while they’re hurtin’ and scared. They’re just ornery, Lord, and too young
to think about what they were gettin’ into . . .

The policeman was walking their way, with the car’s driver alongside him, and Rhoda’s
stomach tightened. What with the other emergency vehicles gone—and Rebecca, as well—she
supposed the officer needed to talk with her next . . . not that she really wanted
to think about the horrible accident she’d witnessed. The sense of unreality, the
shock, was wearing off now. Even though the Knepp twins were on their way to being
cared for, Rhoda was worried. Drained. So much had happened in such a short time,
and she was now caught up in a chain of events toppling like a line of standing dominoes.

The driver of the ditched car was a tall fellow about Mamma’s age with a bristly air
about him. His dark hair was cut short and he wore a suit and tie beneath his camel-colored
overcoat. “Please believe how sorry I am that those young boys were injured,” he said
as his gaze lingered on their black coats and bonnets. He handed Mamma a business
card. “I’m not at liberty to discuss details of the accident until I’ve consulted
with my attorney, but here’s my contact information. I hope you’ll pass this along
to the boys’ father, with my belief that it’s in everyone’s best interest to settle
this out of court.”

Rhoda frowned, baffled. How was it that this man was already concerned about legal
matters, when two little boys might be fighting for their lives?

“
Jah
, I’ll see that their
dat
gets this,” Mamma replied cautiously. She glanced at the card and passed it to Rhoda.
In fancy script, it said he was Conrad Hammond, CEO of Hammond Realty, and he had
a bunch of letters after his name. Rhoda had no idea what those initials meant, except
that he had probably become very wealthy in his real estate dealings.

“That’ll be all for now, Mr. Hammond. We’ll be in touch—and it looks like your tow
truck is here,” the officer said, nodding in the direction of his car.

Mr. Hammond strode off, obviously glad to see the truck, and to be free of further
questions. Ben and Andy, who had carried armloads of quilts back to the Schrocks’
shop, came up to join them. “We could’ve hauled that Hammond fella out of the ditch
just fine with Pharaoh and another horse or two, if he’d waited,” Ben remarked. “But
we’ve been busy tendin’ those boys.”

The policeman’s smile only curved on one side. “Something tells me he wouldn’t want
to risk more damage to his Jaguar,” he remarked. He looked at Rhoda then, with eyes
that seemed to take in every detail of her face. “I’m Officer McClatchey, and I understand
you were another witness to what happened in front of your restaurant. The young lady
I spoke with earlier said you are her . . . sister?”

Rhoda had to smile at that one. “
Jah
, that’s a long story, as our Rebecca didn’t grow up Amish. Can—can we go inside,
where it’s warmer? I’ve been out here a
gut
long spell in this wind.”

“Fine idea,” Mamma said. “I’ll put coffee on, and we’ve got sticky buns or pie or
what-not, too.”

Rhoda had no appetite, but she was pleased that Ben and Andy were coming inside with
them. Though Officer McClatchey didn’t seem mean or threatening, it eased her mind
to have her mother and two familiar men present while he was talking with her.

Within minutes, Mamma was pouring coffee and had a plate of goodies on the table where
the three men and Rhoda had settled. The policeman passed on the food, but after a
long sip of coffee he opened his notebook. “For the record, your name is Rhoda Lantz,
correct?”

She nodded, wondering how much she was expected to reveal . . . how much Rebecca might
have said already. “
Jah
, I’m Rhoda.”

“So what happened? Tell me what you saw after you first noticed that horse-drawn sleigh
going toward the road.”

Rhoda’s throat went dry despite the coffee she’d sipped. Was she supposed to include
what Jerusalem had said, about the twins slipping away when they’d seen the Zook boys
go by? What if her account didn’t match up with the story Rebecca had told him?

“Understand that you’re puttin’ Rhoda in a spot,” Ben explained quietly. “We Amish
don’t cotton to gettin’ involved with the law. Our bishop insists we settle our problems
amongst ourselves, and since those two boys in the ambulance are the bishop’s sons—and
he doesn’t much like doctors or hospitals, either—we’re already stretchin’ a lot of
limits here.”

“I’ve heard that about Plain people, yes,” the policeman said, “but Mr. Hammond isn’t
Amish. It’s my job to report what happened, to ensure that the insurance companies
have the information they need to settle claims, and to be sure everyone gets a fair
shake.”

“We Amish don’t believe in insurance,” Mamma pointed out. “We pay our way, and we
take care of our own.”

Officer McClatchey leaned forward, a wry expression on his weathered face. “According
to Rebecca, the bishop’s boys weren’t watching for traffic when they started across
the road—dangerous, but understandable,” he remarked. “Mr. Hammond wasn’t watching
for traffic, either, and when I quizzed him several times about it, he finally admitted
he was talking on his cell phone when he lost control of his car.”

Andy cleared his throat, gazing at Rhoda. “That explains why Mr. Hammond is so interested
in settling out of court. He doesn’t want Hiram to sue him—”

“What does that mean, to sue?” Rhoda interrupted. This was getting very complicated,
and her head was starting to pound.

Andy smiled kindly. “It means Hiram would demand a large sum of money to cover any
medical expenses and whatever else Hammond’s insurance company might pay him to compensate
for the harm done to his boys,” he explained. “And if one or both of the twins dies,
Mr. Hammond could be found guilty of involuntary manslaughter—which means he killed
someone, even if he didn’t intend to.”

Rhoda grabbed Mamma’s hand, wishing Andy hadn’t mentioned the possibility that Josh
or Joey might die. Even though this information was spinning in her head, sounding
very ominous, it suddenly seemed important to report what she had seen, no matter
what Hiram might think about it. After all, Rebecca had already given her account
of the accident. And Rhoda certainly wanted to help Josh and Joey any way she could.

“When we saw the Knepp sleigh comin’, racin’ with the Zook boys in their sleigh, Rebecca
and I ran outside, hollerin’ at them to get off the road,” Rhoda began. “But Josh
and Joey weren’t listenin’. And when Mr. Hammond’s car started spinnin’, his horn
started honkin’ and that spooked the Knepps’ horse.”

Rhoda paused, wishing these frightening images weren’t running through her mind again.
“The horse whipped around, so the sleigh slid on the ice and threw the boys out,”
she continued in a low voice. “And then the car hit the Belgian before it spun into
the ditch. It all happened so fast . . .” Her voice died away. She’d told the truth,
but she didn’t feel any better for it. Actually, she felt even worse about what those
little boys had gone through in the blink of an eye.

The policeman smiled. “That’s amazing. Your sister told the story in almost exactly
those same words, with the same details, while Mr. Hammond couldn’t seem to repeat
his own story accurately.” He drained his coffee mug and closed his notebook. “Thanks
for giving me your account, Rhoda. I know this has been a difficult day for you, and
I’m sorry—for all of you folks—that this accident happened right in front of your
place, and so close to Christmas.”

After Officer McClatchey took down the Sweet Seasons phone number and address, he
went off to file his report. Ben, Mamma, and Andy remained at the table with Rhoda
to finish their coffee, but they had little to say. It seemed everyone was still stunned
about what had happened to the Knepp twins.

Finally Andy took the last cookie from the plate. A dove it was, frosted in white
with sparkly white sugar accenting its edges. “The Holy Spirit, who came to live among
us at Christmas,” he murmured. “Almost a shame to eat this cookie, pretty as it is.”
He flashed Rhoda a lopsided smile that made her heart skitter. “The Christmas cookies
you made us are long gone. I’ve got a high school girl from down the street coming
to look after the kids when they get home from school, but it’s not the same as having
you there, Rhoda.”