by Aqua Allsopp
Pennsylvania had the most beautiful summers, Becca thought as she walked out the back door to the clothesline. Even though the clouds were beginning to roll in to provide one of those sudden afternoon rainstorms the valley was prone to having. Her laundry had been especially large today with three loads. No thanks to her brother, Ethan, who never seemed to stay out of a mud puddle or other dirty projects. Becca knew she shouldn’t complain. It was not Christian to worry over such mundane things, but she was a bit grumpy as there were so many things to get done and washing took a whole day. She silently asked the Lord to forgive her sour mood. Becca began to sing as she hung the clothes one at a time on the long lines her father had built so many years ago. Looking out toward the barn, she could see her father and brother working hard to put up the hay from the first cutting of the year. Ethan waved at her and Becca waved back. It was hard to stay mad at Ethan anyway. He was such a clown.
The storm began to rumble as it swept in over the farm. “These clothes will just have to hang a little longer to dry tonight. Hopefully, the rain will be short and light,” Becca thought to herself as she finished hanging the last piece. She jumped as a crack of lightening hit the ground and the thunder rolled right on top of it. “That was close,” Becca thought as her stomach went back down where it belonged. She heard Ethan yell and Elijah scream just as she was turning to go into the house. Looking toward the barn Becca could hardly believe her eyes. The hay mow was on fire, her father was lying still on the ground and Ethan was screaming as the fire began to cover him in flames. Becca dropped the basket and began to run with all her might. Ethan had pulled Elijah from the fir, but now he lay on the ground with his clothes continuing to burn. Becca grabbed him without thinking about herself. “I’ve got to get him away from the fire,“ she thought desperately. She pulled with all her might, but didn’t notice that her hands were blistering and her smock had begun to smolder as well. Ethan was solid and weighed a ton compared to Becca’s slight frame. It was all she could do to move him. “Please, God, give me strength,” Becca prayed as she tugged at his body.
Cameron was cruising down Route 85, enjoying the gentle patter of the rain on his windshield competing with the slap of the wipers as they swung back and forth. He glanced through his rear-view mirror and then back out the front of his truck when he noticed the smoke rolling over the thick growth of trees at the top of the hill. That looked suspiciously like a fire. He should know, as he had worked for the county fire department for six years. He gunned the truck and flew over the hill, shaking his head as he saw the image before him. The hay mow at the barn was burning bright orange, smoke rolling over the barn as the fire ate away at the pile. He grabbed the mic to call in the blaze at mile marker 136 and told dispatch that he was on scene and would check out the damage while he waited for back-up. He tore over the hill and slammed the truck into park in the yard, bolting out of the door before the vehicle could stop rocking back and forth.
Hurrying over to the barn, he could see that things were looking pretty grim. One man was lying lifeless in the dirt, another’s clothes were still smoking as a diminutive girl, brown hair falling out of her bonnet, was struggling to pull him to safety. She was unaware that her dress was beginning to burn as well. Cameron rushed to the young woman’s side, grabbing the young boy away from the flames and pulling her down to the ground, rolling her in the dirt to put out the fire. She was screaming incoherently to help her brother and father.
The fire truck and ambulance had arrived as Cameron held the girl’s head and tried to calm her. The EMTs had checked the other two men, the one barely conscious and the other moaning softly. Brad came up to Cameron, patting him on the shoulder to get his attention.
“Say, man, the other two look worse than her and we need to get them to the hospital ASAP. I’ll leave a bag here if you could take care of her for a bit. The other bus is rolling and should be here shortly. Appreciate it.” Brad left the bag and went to help load the other injured.
Cameron began doing what he knew best. He took her blood pressure and pulse which were climbing, her pupils were fixed and dilated, and he knew she was going into shock quickly. He started an IV in her arm and began slowly running fluids. The burns on her hands and legs were not too bad, maybe some second and a few third degree, not like what could have happened if Cameron hadn’t been there. She was becoming more and more quiet, so Cameron began to ask her questions to keep her awake.
“What’s your name, ma’am? Can you hear me?” Cameron asked gently, leaning in close to hear her responses. Her eyes opened suddenly, a startling cerulean blue, with the pain of her burns evident in the tears that began to fall.
“Becca,” she whispered through cracked lips. “Please, I’m so thirsty.”
Cameron nodded. “Yes, I know. I have some fluid going into you through a tube. I can’t give you anything to drink yet. I’m sorry. The ambulance will be here shortly, and we will get you to the hospital.” He wiped away some of the tears that were falling down her cheeks.
Becca tried to sit up. “My father and brother, where are they?” she gasped. “Are they okay? I need to go to them. They will need prayers for healing.”
“Oh, no, you lie back down. You’re in no shape right now. Rest and we’ll see about them when we get to the hospital.” Cameron knew that these Amish people had a tight community and prayer was their answer for everything. He didn’t believe that way himself. Why worry about what’s going to happen after you die? There was too much to mess with here while you had to walk through all the pain. And who really knew if there was a God? He didn’t seem to take care of the ones who prayed to him, as far as Cameron could tell.
Becca got loaded up into the ambulance. So with the EMTs short on help, Cameron agreed to ride with her to the medical center. She seemed to be calmer with him next to her head and he wanted to find out about the men, anyway. That’s what he told himself.
*****
Becca was checked out in the ER and was treated for her burns, bandaged up and given some pain meds. Cameron found the doctor who had treated her father and brother and pulled him to the side.
“What happened to the men who came in before her?” Cameron asked out of Becca’s earshot.
The doctor shook his head negatively. “The older man died. I presume he was her father? And the younger one is going to be in the hospital a while, if he makes it through the night. Severe third degree burns over two-thirds of his body. It doesn’t look good. She’s the sister, I take it?” He pointed to Becca slumped over in the chair, her eyes closed in prayer.
“Yep,” Cameron nodded. “I’ll go with you to tell her.”
Becca heard the two men coming down the hall. She stood and grimaced as the pain in her legs spiked.
“Do you know about my father and brother? Please, I have to know.” Cameron’s heart lurched as the doctor gave her the news. Becca slumped down into the chair and began to sob quietly. Cameron sat next to her with his arm around her as the doctor turned and walked away, his job over.
Cameron was going to mutter some words of comfort, the same ones he said with any tragedy, but instead just handed Becca tissues until her sobs settled down to just tears.
Sniffling, she looked up at him and said, “Thank you. You have been so kind. I feel so lost right now. I’m not sure what to do at this point. Do you think I could see my brother? I want to pray with him, please.”
“Sure,” Cameron replied. “Let me see what we can do about that.”
He went to check at the desk, then took her to the fourth floor ICU. He asked at the desk there and they told him only family could go in.
Becca asked if Cameron could go with her as she didn’t want to go alone. “Please, nurse, we won’t be long, “she begged.
The nurse said oaky, but only for five minutes. The two entered Ethan’s ICU cubicle. Ethan was hooked up to a respirator and had tubes running everywhere. Becca looked shocked as she had never seen anything like that. Cameron explained that Ethan nee
ded to rest so they had put him in a medical coma and were giving him pain medication and antibiotics to treat his burns.
Becca took Ethan’s hand in hers and told him that she was there, that God was with him and she was anxious for him to come home to her apple pie, his favorite. Her voice was steady, but the tears fell quietly onto the bed as she talked. Cameron felt a hitch in his heart, but couldn’t figure out what it was. This small Amish woman was doing something to him.
They were asked to go back into the waiting room for a while. Becca felt the need to talk to calm her aching heart, so Cameron just listened. He found himself with her hand resting in his as they sat there. It was a calloused hand, and he thought that no woman should ever have to work that hard. She was a pretty little thing, though, with that dark brown hair and those vivid blue eyes that searched your heart when she looked at you.
Becca was thinking of Cameron too, as they talked. At six feet, four inches, he was much taller than the men in her family. His black hair and deep brown eyes, all that muscle clearly pushing through his polo shirt gave him a rugged, outdoorsy look that few of the men in her community possessed. Well, maybe Timothy Barons, but he was so prideful that he couldn’t compare to this man before her. He said he had been here in Lancaster County for six years. She had been here all her life. He didn’t want to talk about family. She told him her mother had died shortly after Ethan was born and that her father had raised the two children with help from other family members. He thought about asking her how that worked out for her when an older Amish couple came rushing down the hall. Cameron stood up quickly as he didn’t want to offend them. The woman grabbed Becca in her arms as she sat next to her.
“Oh, Becca. We came as soon as we heard. How is Elijah? And Ethan? Have you heard anything yet?” Becca just began to sob harder. Her aunt looked at her husband and then Cameron. “Well, is someone going to tell us what’s going on?”
Cameron nodded slowly and took a deep breath. “Her father has passed away. The brother is in critical condition with burns over most of his body. I’m sorry. It was too late when we got there to prevent any more injury.”
The man held his hat in one hand as he looked at the floor. With tears in his eyes, he took his wife’s hand and held it while the women sobbed quietly.
The man took Cameron’s hand in his. “Thank you for taking such good care of our Becca. I am Lyle Geist and this is my wife, Mary.” Cameron noted that the handshake was firm and strong. He liked this man already. Mr. Geist put his hand on the women’s shoulders. As they looked up, he said, “Let us pray.” He then knelt there in the hall of the hospital. Cameron looked around to see if anyone was watching. He closed his eyes and folded his hands together and held them at his waist, unsure of how to act. At least they weren’t all wailing in the hallway. He’d seen that before and it was hard to deal with. Maybe this quiet grief was worse. He didn’t know. Becca went with her aunt and uncle after they had been in to see Ethan shortly. All three thanked Cameron again for his kindness, then left in a horse-drawn buggy from the front door.
The following day, Ethan passed away from his trauma.
Two funerals were planned for that week. The district came together and several of the ministers helped Lyle prepare the bodies in the traditional white clothes after the funeral home had prepared the two men.
Becca was able to help with the meal preparation somewhat, but her hands were painful and it hurt to stand on her legs for any amount of time. The physical therapist was coming out to the farm to work with her as it was embarrassing to think of being undressed in front of others at the hospital. She sat and the other women found simple tasks for her to do to help them. They felt so bad for the orphaned child, but she would live with her aunt and uncle now. Uncle Lyle was to take over the smaller farm that Elijah had worked so hard to keep going while raising two small children. Preparations were completed. The horse-drawn hearse pulled up to the side of the house. Everyone gathered in the kitchen and living room on benches that were used for the church services. Some paid their respects to the Geist men by filing quietly past the caskets in the living room. The quiet weeping and murmurs of the group were hushed as they noticed an “English” standing at the front door. The deacon quickly walked over to ask the tall dark-haired man what he needed today.
Cameron felt his face flush. “I came to pay my respects to these men who died trying to save their farm. I helped with getting everyone to the hospital.”
The deacon nodded his head and directed Cameron to the back of the living room to stand with those who didn’t have a seat. Cameron nodded to some of the men whom he had seen in Manheim getting supplies and tack. The men nodded back silently.
The service began with prayer, then a sermon about heavenly rewards for those who worked for God doing the “plain life” the Amish had adopted and upheld. Cameron was surprised that nothing was mentioned about the men who had passed. Usually a eulogy was given. “Apparently the Amish don’t do that.” Cameron thought to himself. He tried not to shuffle too much, but the service did seem to last quite a while. Finally, the ministers were finished and everyone began to move outside to their buggies. It was an impressive sight to see the immense line of buggies as they slowly made their way to the cemetery. Cameron was at the end of the line in his pickup. Everyone was gathering around the site once he parked. He made his way over to where the burial would be and saw Becca standing next to her aunt. The two women were crying quietly as they held each other by the arms. Cameron was able to catch Becca’s eyes and she widened them in surprise to see him, then looked back down at the ground. The deacon led the prayers again, while several of the men covered the caskets with dirt. Once the burial was completed the community turned to go back to the house for the meal.
Cameron made his way through the quiet crowd to Becca’s side. She looked up at him, her blue eyes rimmed with red and slightly swollen from the tears.
Becca said in a slightly tremulous voice, “Thank you for coming today. My family appreciates your attendance.”
Cameron wanted to take her right there and hold her until she stopped shaking, but knew he couldn’t touch her which made the urge more unbearable.
“I wanted to come and make sure everyone was doing all right. I need to go now, but I’m sure I will see you around.” He nodded to Aunt Mary who nodded back with a small smile as she led Becca away. Cameron hoped that wouldn’t be the last he would see of Becca. “Maybe that is the best, for us not to have contact. She and I are from such different worlds, it would be hard to change our beliefs to even begin to make a start in a relationship,” Cameron thought as he walked away. Lyle Geist was waiting for him when he got to his pick-up.
“I know you think it is good to check on Becca, but let me tell you something to understand right now. Becca is vulnerable right now and doesn’t need some English to come around and confuse her in her grief. You need to stay away from her. She is not for you and your ways.” With those words firmly spoken, Lyle walked away to the buggy where Becca and Mary sat waiting for him. All Cameron could do was watch Lyle walk back to the buggy and climb in.
*****
Cameron returned to his next shift several days later. He was more quiet than usual. When the guys asked him what was wrong, he snarled and told them not to worry about him. He could take care of himself. They knew he had taken a bit of a liking to the young Amish woman he helped that day, but no one was going to say much given his response.
Becca would see Cameron on the street when she was shopping and he saw her as well. They would wave politely, have a bit of small talk and go their own ways. Becca was almost always with her aunt or uncle, or both, so they really couldn’t talk. Every time they would run into each other, Cameron would be thinking about her for the next week. He knew he wasn’t the right man—he wasn’t Amish for one thing, but that didn’t stop him from thinking about her more than he wanted to.
Several weeks after the funeral, Cameron decided he would go to check on Becca on
e more time. As he pulled into the yard of the Geist farm, several dogs rushed out to bark around the truck and greet him wildly as he stepped out. Becca came out into the porch as Cameron strode up, his long legs eating up the ground. She whistled at the dogs to call them away.
“Go chase a rabbit and leave the man alone,” she scolded. The dogs looked up at her then ran toward the back of the house, falling over each other in their hurry to find a rabbit. Cameron laughed at their antics, a deep throaty laugh that made Becca smile in spite of herself. Those beautiful blue eyes were the same color as her dress.
“What brings you to the farm today?” Becca asked.
“Well, I was driving by and thought I would come see how you were doing. He paused. “So…how are you doing?”
“As well as can be expected,” Becca replied with sadness in her voice.
Cameron got that funny feeling in his chest again and couldn’t find his words. While he was trying to get his sensibilities about him, Becca’s uncle came around the side of the house and stopped dead in his tracks. His voice was loud, not really yelling, but close as he cut Cameron off from trying to say hello.
“I told you once, English, that Becca is not to be seeing you, especially without proper escort! Now, get off my property before I have to remove you. Now!” Lyle waved his hand toward Cameron’s truck as his face began to turn red.
Cameron held his hands up at the angry man. “There was nothing going on, sir. I just stopped by to see how you folks were doing after the fire. But I’ll leave and you can trust that I won’t return.”
Cameron looked up at Becca and nodded his head, then turned to walk quickly back to his pick-up. He spun his tires as he drove out of the yard, glad to be away from there. “Guess that settles it. I will stay away. Becca will be fine on her own. I should have known that in the first place.” Cameron thought to himself, noticing that the tightness in his chest was still there when he thought about Becca. He really thought there might be something there. She looked at him like she wanted to be together too, but maybe he was just wishing. “Enough of that,” he thought. “I need to move on.”