Plain pursuit

by Beth Wiseman

  She drew in a breath, hoping Lillian would choose to make use of her somewhere other than in the hospital.

  “Lillian,” Sarah Jane interjected, “since Rebecca and Ivan are here, why don’t you go stretch your legs. Go take a walk with Carley.”

  Carley knew what Lillian’s mother was trying to do. Lillian looked like she was about to fall apart, and that wouldn’t be a good thing for David to see.

  Lillian nodded, and she and Carley moved toward the door.

  Once they were out of David’s room, Lillian doubled over at the waist and clutched Carley’s arm for support. Carley walked her to a bench down the hall.

  “I know he’s not my son, Lillian. But he feels like my son.” Lillian folded her hands tightly against her chest.

  “Lillian, he is your son.” Carley wrapped her arms around her friend. “You are his mother. You are reacting exactly the way any mother would. I know in my heart that everything is going to be fine.”

  “David looks so much worse this morning,” Lillian cried. “If anything happens, Carley, I don’t know what I’ll do. And Samuel . . .”

  “I know you’re worried about Samuel too. I think we need to get you a cup of coffee and something to eat. You’ve got to keep your strength up.”

  “I can’t eat,” Lillian responded, shaking her head.

  “Not even a pastry from the bakery down the street?” Carley heard Noah ask as he approached with a big white box. “No one makes a better pastry than Mary King.” He handed Lillian the box, which she accepted.

  “Thank you, Noah. Maybe I’ll have one later.” She dabbed at her eyes.

  Carley suspected Noah hadn’t left the hospital or slept either; he’d added another day’s stubble to his chin, and the shadows had darkened under his eyes. He was dressed in the same blue jeans and white T-shirt as yesterday, and Carley knew Noah was here to be with his family and not on the clock.

  “Are Rebecca and Ivan here?” Noah asked Carley.

  “Yes, they’re in David’s room.”

  “I’ll have one of the nurses take them to the lab to have blood drawn. I don’t want to upset Samuel any further by going in there.”

  Lillian looked relieved, but she didn’t say anything.

  “How long until we know if Rebecca or Ivan is a match?” Carley asked Noah.

  “We’ll know right away whether or not they have a compatible blood type.”

  13

  CARLEY FINISHED HER COFFEE OUTSIDE IN THE HOSPITAL courtyard then ventured back up to David’s room. Getting out of the building for a few minutes had helped, but the red Chevy continued to lurk nearby, along with the expression on her mother’s face when she’d looked at Carley for the last time.

  Carley was anxious to hear if Rebecca’s or Ivan’s kidney was a match for David, so she tried to focus on her friend’s needs. When she did, her own issues waned a tad, and she was able to endure the hospital smells and memories.

  She returned to find Ivan, Rebecca, and Sarah Jane sitting in chairs and glued to the television, along with an older Amish man she’d never met. David wasn’t in his bed, and Lillian and Samuel were gone.

  “Where are David, Lillian, and Samuel?” she asked as Noah trailed in behind her.

  “Lillian and Samuel went with David to have an echocardiogram,” Rebecca said. Guilt swept across her face at being caught watching the forbidden TV. The elderly man merely commented on the woman in the toothpaste commercial.

  “She’s a mite too skinny,” he said. “She’d be gut to fatten up before they put her back on the television.” He pushed his straw hat up slightly and took in Carley. “You must be Carley, no?”

  “Yes, sir.” Carley extended her hand to him and he latched on, glancing at Noah. “And I reckon you’re the wayward bruder?”

  “Pop, stop it,” Sarah Jane reprimanded. “Carley and Noah, this is my father, Jonas. Lillian’s grandpa.”

  “Pleased to meet you, sir,” Noah said. He offered his hand to Jonas.

  Without hesitation, the man firmly took hold. “You don’t look like such a baremlich man to me.” He arched his brows as if waiting for confirmation from Noah.

  “Depends on who you ask,” Noah said as he shrugged, then glanced at his brother and sister. Ivan wouldn’t look his way, and Rebecca fiddled with the string on her black apron.

  “Well, I don’t reckon I’d ask those two, then,” Jonas said. He cut his eyes in Ivan and Rebecca’s direction.

  “Pop!” Lillian’s mother snapped. “Stop it.”

  Jonas sat up a little straighter. “I think all you people need to lighten up a bit.”

  Sarah Jane scolded her father with her eyes. Carley stifled a smile. What a free-spirited character this man was, so unlike the Amish men she’d met so far.

  “That includes you, Sarah Jane Miller,” Jonas added. He lifted his chin toward his daughter, who rolled her eyes and shook her head.

  “Rebecca and Ivan, did you find out your blood type?” Noah asked.

  Rebecca turned toward Ivan as if seeking permission to speak to Noah.

  Ivan folded his arms across his chest and said, “Rebecca and me are neither one a gut match to give a kidney to David.”

  “Oh no,” Carley sighed.

  Before anyone could comment, the door to David’s room swung open and two doctors entered, one of whom was Dr. Bolton. He introduced the other as Dr. Lukeman.

  Noah seemed to tense up when he saw Samuel and Lillian walk in behind the two doctors.

  “Where’s David?” Carley asked. She could feel the uneasiness in the room.

  “The lab technician took him for another test,” Lillian answered wearily.

  “I thought this would be a good time for us all to talk,” Dr. Bolton said to the group. He motioned for Lillian and Samuel to take a seat next to each other on the edge of David’s bed. Noah kept his position, leaning against the far wall.

  “As some of you might have already heard, neither Ivan nor Rebecca’s blood type is the same as David’s, which eliminates them as potential donors,” Dr. Bolton said, focusing on Lillian and Samuel. “Unless there is someone else in the family who could potentially have David’s blood type, I’m afraid we’ll have to put David on a waiting list.”

  “No,” Lillian said, turning to Samuel. “Samuel, please . . .”

  Samuel held his chin high when he addressed Dr. Bolton. “How long before he would have a kidney?”

  Carley glanced at Noah. His arms were folded across his chest and he was biting his lower lip.

  “There’s no way to know, Samuel,” Dr. Lukeman chimed in. “It could be a week. It could be six months or even a year.”

  “Or I can give David a kidney now and save his life, Samuel,” Noah burst out, throwing up his hands in frustration.

  To Carley’s surprise, Samuel didn’t say anything.

  “I understand Noah has the same blood type as David,” Dr. Lukeman continued as he focused solely on Samuel. “Would you like for him to be screened as a possible donor?”

  “Please, Samuel,” Lillian whispered.

  The silence was deafening.

  It was Lillian’s grandfather who finally spoke up. “Samuel, you are a gut man,” he said. “You will make the right choice.”

  When Samuel locked eyes with Noah, it felt like the world stopped spinning.

  They all waited.

  Finally, Samuel nodded. “Ya. We will see if Noah is a match.”

  His tone was a mixture of gratitude and regret.

  “We’ll arrange for Noah to be tested,” Dr. Bolton said, relief washing over his face. He turned to Noah. “Perhaps you should go home and get some sleep first. You’ve been up all night.”

  Noah shook his head. “No, I’d rather know now if my kidney is a match. It will put everyone’s mind at ease.”

  Noah followed the two doctors out of the room.

  Lillian threw her arms around Samuel and whispered something in his ear. Then she glanced around the room. “We need to pray t
hat Noah will be a gut match for David,” she said. “We need to pray for both David and Noah.”

  Carley bowed her head, along with everyone else.

  It was two days before Dr. Bolton had Noah’s various test results. Having a compatible blood type had only been the first step toward determining if Noah’s kidney would be a good match. They’d been told that any number of things could prevent him from giving David a kidney—high blood pressure, heart problems, or health concerns Noah might not even be aware of. It had been a tense forty-eight hours, and Carley knew they were all on edge.

  No sooner had Dr. Bolton gathered the family in the waiting room than he was paged for an emergency and forced to leave.

  More waiting. The tension in the room heightened.

  With the exception of Noah, who was on the other side of the room, the men—Samuel, Ivan, and Jonas—stood eyeing a large fish tank, busying themselves with comments about the colorful inhabitants.

  “’Tis a fast little fellow,” Jonas said. He pushed back his straw hat and leaned down to have a better look.

  While the men might have been trying to mask their nervousness, the women were not. Lillian, Sarah Jane, Esther, Mary Ellen, and Rebecca were huddled together next to Carley. Lillian had a firm hold on her mother’s hand.

  Carley had yet to see Esther acknowledge Noah.

  An elderly couple occupied another section of the waiting room. The woman was crying softly. Carley wished she’d stop. She felt bad about having the thought, but each sniffle from the woman seemed to grow louder in Carley’s head.

  Hospital stench overwhelmed her senses. She tried not to breathe.

  The woman’s cries grew louder and drew attention from Carley’s gang.

  “I feel so sorry for that woman,” Lillian whispered. “Let’s pray silently for her.”

  Carley bowed her head with the other women, but she couldn’t seem to focus on anything but her own quickening pulse.

  Cool ocean breeze, calming waves . . .

  Her usual methods weren’t working. She took a deep breath, but that only filled her senses with antiseptic and she almost choked. And meanwhile, the woman cried harder.

  Slam! The red Chevy made impact. She grabbed her side.

  “Excuse me,” she whispered to Lillian. She stood up and headed toward the door.

  “Carley?”

  She heard Noah call after her, but the minute she rounded the corner she ran, weaving between doctors, nurses, wheelchairs, and gurneys. She kept running until she reached the elevators, pushed her way into one that was going down, and held her breath. She bolted from the elevator, flew through the exit door, and gulped the crisp, clean outdoor air—a welcome relief from the misleading sterile environment of the hospital.

  She’d been fighting off this moment for days, wanting to be strong for Lillian. But she finally broke.

  She made her way across the ER drop-off lane and sat down on the curb. When she looked up, Noah was walking briskly toward her.

  “I’m fine,” she said when he sat down beside her on the curb. “I just needed . . . I needed out of there.”

  “Did something happen? Are you sick?” The tender way Noah put his hand on her arm soothed her. Concerned eyes met hers. “Carley?”

  “You need to get back, Noah. You’re going to miss hearing the test results. I’m fine. Really.”

  “No, I’m not leaving you.” He paused and removed his hand. “Besides, I already know the test results.”

  “You can donate a kidney to David?” The smile on his face gave it away.

  “Yes.”

  “Thank God for that!” Carley’s shaking hands were beginning to still.

  “Thank God, indeed.” Noah smiled again.

  “Why didn’t you tell your family? Why are you making them wait?”

  “I thought it would be best coming from Dr. Bolton.”

  Samuel hadn’t a notion why Carley carted herself away so fast, nor why his brother felt the need to chase after her when they were waiting on such important news. But as he watched the two of them return, he started to get an idea. Hard to miss the way Noah looked at the Englisch woman. Trouble was brewing.

  He tossed the thought aside even though thinking about something else had been a short distraction from the worries in his heart. The thought of anything happening to David paralyzed him beyond understanding. He’d prayed hard that his brother would be able to save his son’s life, despite all that had happened. And that thought he didn’t toss aside. Save my son’s life, Noah.

  All eyes were on Dr. Bolton when he reentered the room.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Dr. Bolton began. “I know you’re all anxious, so let me just go ahead and tell you: Noah is a good match for the transplant.”

  Samuel didn’t hear or see the responses of those around him. Not even that of his wife, whose arms had wrapped around his waist. He only saw one person. One man. His brother. The man who would save his son’s life. He wanted to run to Noah, to embrace him. Instead, he stood proudly, holding his position. He’d been hurt for so long, he didn’t know how to move past it. P

  Dr. Bolton advised them all that David would be moved by ambulance to the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia later in the week since Lancaster General was not set up to perform a kidney transplant. According to Noah, Dr. Bolton had to call in some favors to get David’s transplant scheduled so quickly.

  For the next few days, Carley continued to go back and forth to the hospital as needed, bringing Samuel and Lillian more clothes since neither would leave. Some days she would bring Anna for a while, since she could tell that being away from the baby was taking a toll on Lillian. She tried to get in and out as quickly as possible, but she could tell Lillian needed the company, so she forced herself to stay at the hospital longer than she wanted to.

  Carley and the women in the community kept the farm running. She’d never been so busy in her life. It was exhausting, and some days she knew she was a tad cranky. But one miraculous thing was happening—no more flashbacks about the accident. Taking care of someone else was accelerating her own healing process.

  It was late afternoon on the day before David’s surgery when, while walking down the hall in the hospital, Carley caught a glimpse of a little girl who looked familiar. She peered through the glass windows surrounding the children’s play area and watched the girl balancing some blocks atop a small table. It was Jenna, the little girl who’d thrown herself into Noah’s lap at the restaurant the other evening. She recognized Carley and waved.

  Carley glanced around but didn’t see Noah or Jenna’s sister. She decided she’d better veer over to the playroom and make sure the child was all right.

  “Hi, Carley,” Jenna said when Carley entered the room. “Remember me?”

  “Of course I do. Hi, Jenna. Are you okay? Where’s your sister and Noah?”

  “Dr. Noah is in that office.” She pointed to a door across the hall.

  No sooner had Jenna said this than Noah came out of the office dressed in doctor’s garb. He made his way over to them.

  “Well, hello there,” he said to Carley. “Jenna, you remember Carley, right?”

  Jenna nodded her head, preoccupied with the fortress she was building.

  “Working today, huh?” Carley scanned him from head to toe.

  “Yeah, I decided to get a day in before the surgery. Tomorrow’s the big day.” He forced a smile.

  For the first time, Noah seemed nervous.

  Noah bent down to Jenna’s level. “That’s a very cool house you’re building.”

  Jenna smiled as Noah stood back up and motioned for Carley to follow him out the door of the playroom. “You can play a few more minutes, Jenna,” Noah said. “I’m going to talk to Carley.”

  As Jenna nodded again, they made their way out the door and into the hallway. Once out of earshot, Noah said, “Carley, I have a huge favor to ask of you.”

  “What?” She couldn’t imagine.

  “Dana and Jenn
a came up here to eat an early dinner with me. I was going to run them home, but the ER is packed. Any chance you could drive them home? It’s not far, about twelve miles from here.”

  “Sure,” Carley said. She glanced toward Jenna then back at Noah. She was wondering exactly what his relationship was with Jenna and her sister.

  As if reading her mind, Noah added, “Dana is raising Jenna by herself—a big responsibility for a nineteen-year-old. Their father was a good friend of mine who was killed in a car accident about a year ago. And they lost their mother just a few months ago to breast cancer.”

  Carley’s hand landed over her mouth. She felt a sudden connection with this nineteen-year-old girl she didn’t know. “That’s horrible.”

  “Yeah, they’ve had a hard time.”

  “Where is Dana?” She glanced around the hallway.

  “She’s in the restroom. Ah, there she is now.” Noah pointed to his left. He waited until Dana reached them. “Dana, this is Carley. She’s going to drive you and Jenna home. The ER is packed.”

  “We can wait until you’re done,” Dana said to Noah. She didn’t acknowledge the introduction.

  “No. It could be hours, and Carley said she didn’t mind.” Noah opened the playroom door. “Jenna, you ready?”

  Carley smiled at Dana while Noah went to get Jenna. “I was leaving anyway, so it’s no trouble.”

  During the drive, Jenna sat in the backseat and rambled on about her school, her classmates, and how much she liked to color. She seemed like a very happy child despite all she had been through.

  Dana stared out the window.

  “I’m sorry to hear about your parents,” Carley said when the silence grew uncomfortable.

  Dana’s expression was void of emotion as she glanced briefly in Carley’s direction. “Thank you.” She returned her gaze back to the window.

  More silence.

  “So how did you meet Noah?” Carley asked after a while.

  “We met him in Minnesota. My dad met him on the golf course. He was already a big-time doctor. It didn’t seem to make any difference to Noah that he was a doctor and lived in a big house, and we didn’t. Daddy used to invite Noah to our house for dinner all the time, since Noah didn’t have any family in Minnesota. When Noah moved here to be near his own family, he moved me and Jenna here too. He bought us a nice little house.” She combed her hands through her hair, pulling the long tresses above her head and holding them in a ponytail with her hands. “It’s too bad about his family.” She sat up a little taller. “But I guess me and Jenna are his family now.” For the first time since Carley met Dana, she smiled.