Second Chances

by Sarah Price

  “Indeed! Fishing is a wunderbarr gut idea. If I had known, I’d have brought another pole to join him,” Benjamin added. “Nice size fish in the pond too. I think I shall stroll over there to see what he’s caught.”

  With a nod of his head, Freman approved of the suggestion. “We should all go, ja?” He glanced at Leah, his eyes barely skimming past Anna. The answering flush on her cheeks and glow in her eyes told Anna all she needed to know: the pairing was finalized and she need speculate no further regarding which of the Musser sisters interested Freman. Clearly Leah and Freman were courting.

  The group began to walk toward the pond, Leah walking beside Freman and Hannah lingering behind. Despite her discomfort, Anna was left to walk with Benjamin. Just as they had the other day, they walked with an uneasy silence between them for a few paces. While others might have found his far-too-public (and lengthy) mourning a bit morose, Anna felt a kinship with Benjamin. After all, they had both lost in love and suffered greatly because of it.

  “‘I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, for my days are but a breath.’”

  Anna blinked and turned her head to stare at him. “I beg your pardon?”

  The hint of a smile, one that was filled with sorrow and grief, touched his lips. “The Book of Job?”

  Recognition flashed through her mind. “Ah, Job 7:16.” Yet, she could not help but wonder at his word selection. “That does not sound like the King James Version, however.” Searching her memory, she stared into the sky. “I loathe it: I would not live alway. . . ”

  “What is it anyway?” Benjamin replied. “Did you ever wonder about that? One word with no clear, definitive explanation. It is left open, for each individual to interpret. To fill in their own meaning.”

  Anna laughed. “That’s an interesting observation, Benjamin!”

  “For me, it is life.”

  “Oh, Benjamin,” she said softly. “Loathing life is not the answer. Life is God’s gift to each and every one of us. While losing someone you love is never easy, it is part of the journey that each of us faces. God has plans for you, and even though they seem bleak now, I can assure you that something glorious awaits you, if not here on earth then in heaven when we join Him.”

  He remained quiet as they walked, his hands clutched behind his back. She wondered if he was reflecting on what she said. She certainly hoped so. Her belief in those words had sustained her through many rough years, years filled with sadness and heartache. Even now, as she saw Freman beside Leah, she felt the all-too-familiar pangs in her heart.

  Finally, he broke the silence. “I’m quite impressed that you recognized not just the verse number but the version of the Bible.”

  Stepping over a large rock, Anna shrugged her shoulders at his statement. “It is not so impressive when you realize that we only read the King James Version of the Bible.” She looked at him again. “It sounds as though you are reading another?”

  He nodded. “I read different versions, ja. I find that some verses are written just slightly different, helping me to better understand God’s Word.”

  “And your bishop permits that?” Anna could hardly imagine Bishop Troyer’s reaction if he learned that anyone in his g’may read other versions of the Bible. Still, she admired Benjamin’s curiosity as well as his determination to satisfy it by reading other versions of the Bible. God’s Word was God’s Word; as long as people read it, He must be pleased.

  This time, it was Benjamin who shrugged. “I never thought to tell him.” There was a slight pause in the conversation as they continued walking after the others.

  Leah ran ahead, her laughter lingering in the air behind her. Anna couldn’t help but think that she had never seen Leah so gay and lighthearted. Nor had Anna seen her demonstrate such a whimsical attitude toward life. Clearly she was intending to impress someone, the emotions of her heart overtaking the control of her head.

  As they neared the pond, Leah jumped onto the trunk of a large tree that had fallen by the edge. The massive roots torn from the ground indicated that the damp earth and a recent rainfall most likely contributed to its collapse. She held out her arms for balance as, with as much dainty poise as one could muster atop a tree, she walked the length of the tree trunk.

  “Be careful, Leah,” Mary snapped.

  Mary’s warning seemed to fall on deaf ears. Hannah paid no attention, having paused to admire the view. A nearby farmer had recently shocked his tobacco, and the long, even rows of drying leaves created a landscape the likes of which was never seen in the hilly fields of Holmes County. Freman, however, appeared concerned and quickened his step as he approached the tree, his hand raised for Leah to take.

  “Now, Leah,” he said solemnly. “You’ll get hurt if you fall. There are rocks everywhere.”

  She spun around and laughed again. Stretching out her arms, she shook her head. “I won’t get hurt,” she replied. “Not if you catch me!”

  Before he could respond with a firm “Don’t!” she leapt from the tree toward him, just as she had the previous day. Only this time, her foot became entangled with a thin branch and she stumbled. Instead of landing in Freman’s arms, she tumbled to the ground. There was a sharp crack, and even though the tall grass hid her fallen body, the noise alone made it clear that her head had struck a rock.

  “Leah!”

  Freman was the first to get to her side. He fell to his knees and lifted Leah from the ground, cradling her head in his lap. His silence, coupled with the expression on his face, spoke of the agony he felt for not having been firmer in discouraging her behavior the previous day. “She’s not moving!” he exclaimed.

  Seeing the accident, Cris dropped his pole and came running, followed closely by Hannah. Meanwhile Mary wrung her hands and cried, “She is dead! She is dead!”

  Upon hearing Mary’s words and seeing Freman’s agony, Hannah sank to her knees and began weeping into her hands. Both Benjamin and Anna were quick to approach her, lifting her up so that she could be comforted properly.

  “What have I done?” Freman mumbled, his eyes staring into Leah’s face. “If only I had caught her!” The desperation of his words caused another round of screaming from Mary, who collapsed into her husband’s arms. Hannah sobbed openly.

  Anna turned to Benjamin and motioned toward Freman. “Help him with Leah. Check her pulse. I can handle Hannah.” Without a question, Benjamin did as she instructed, taking Leah’s limp wrist and bending over it intently. Everyone held their breath while he checked for a pulse, then sighed in relief as he nodded, indicating he had found it.

  Anna continued. “Rub her hands, talk to her. See if you can awaken her!” Again, Benjamin followed her instructions, rubbing Leah’s hands and murmuring in her ear.

  Anna turned to Cris. “We must move Leah to a more comfortable position.”

  Disengaging himself from Mary, an act which increased rather than softened her wails, Cris nodded and hurried to join Benjamin. Together, they lifted Leah and transferred her to a grassy patch while Freman staggered to his feet, watching Leah’s lifeless body.

  “Her parents!” he said, his voice thick with grief. “What shall I say to them if she . . . ?” His words faded, the sentence left incomplete.

&n
bsp; Leaving Hannah’s side, Anna turned toward the men. “A doctor!” She clapped her hands, trying to get one of them to focus on what she had said. “We must fetch a doctor!”

  Immediately Freman snapped out of his shock. He nodded his head at the wisdom of her words. “A doctor! I shall go at once!” he said. He started toward the farm.

  “Freman!” Anna called out. “Would it not be better if Benjamin went?”

  Her words stopped Freman, and he quickly turned back toward the group. Although Freman used to live in the community, Benjamin knew the area best and could fetch the proper people to help Leah. Without further instruction, Benjamin relinquished his hold upon the injured woman and ran as fast as he could toward the farm on the far side of the fields. Anna hoped the doctor lived nearby, or that he could be summoned quickly from the phone that was shared between the neighbors’ farms.

  Mary fretted as she paced behind Leah. “I told her not to run! I told her that she would fall!” Mary reached for Anna, clinging to her as she sobbed into her sister’s shoulder. “Why would she not listen to me? She never listens to me!”

  Quietly Anna held Mary, whispering softly to the young woman, partially to comfort her and partially to stop her from rambling. Freman returned to Leah, taking Cris’s place and supporting her head in his lap, his eyes staring into her pale face, his lips pressed together in a tight line. Worry was etched on his forehead and he briskly chafed her hands as Anna previously instructed.

  Cris rubbed his chin with his hand, a look of distress upon his face as well. The older brother of both Leah and Hannah, he always felt a strong need to protect them. Clearly he felt as if he had failed. With Hannah and Mary lost to hysterics, he seemed torn between comforting his wife and youngest sister and helping Freman with Leah.

  “What shall we do next?” Cris asked, the question directed toward the most rational thinking member of the party: Anna.

  Surprised by the question, Anna stumbled over her words, but not before she felt the heat of Freman’s eyes flicker from Leah to her. It took all of her willpower to focus on the injured woman and not lift her eyes to meet his. She wondered what he was thinking and why, in a moment when his intended needed his care, he would spare her a second’s consideration.

  “I . . . I suppose we might carry her to the farmhouse,” she suggested softly. “It does not look as if her neck is injured.”

  “I will carry her.” Freman quickly offered. “Cris, see to your fraa.” He wasted not one moment and lifted Leah into his arms. Gently, he shifted her weight. Just then, a soft moan escaped the woman’s lips.

  Mary gasped, reaching for her husband. “She’s coming to!”

  Shortly after they managed to carry Leah back to the farmhouse and settle her onto the couch, a van pulled down the lane with an older, non-Amish man seated in-between the driver and Benjamin. The latter leaped out as soon as the van stopped and held the door open for the doctor. Rebecca stood on the porch, concern and worry etched in her pale face. The man hurried inside, a big brown leather bag in his hand.

  Not wishing to crowd around Leah while she was being examined, the remaining members of the party gathered on the porch, Cris still comforting Hannah, who seemed in shock at the sight of her lifeless sister. She wept into his shoulder. Mary continued her pacing but, thankfully, her cries had ceased upon realizing that Leah was indeed merely unconscious.

  Anna waited with them. She leaned against the house by the door, her eyes shut as she silently prayed for Leah’s recovery. Seconds turned to minutes and the silence of the group led her to believe that she was not the only one praying.

  The door opened again, the harsh noise of a rusty hinge disturbing her prayers. Anna looked up and saw Freman pass through the door, intent on joining them.

  “What says the doctor, then?”

  He shook his head, an indication that he did not have an answer yet.

  For what seemed like hours, the small group waited in silence on the porch of the farmhouse.

  “A concussion,” the doctor announced as he pushed open the screen door. “No injuries to her body save a blow to the head. She will be fine but needs rest for a few days.”

  “Thank you, Lord!”

  Anna felt the intensity of Freman’s gratitude in those three words that he uttered. His tone, so filled with relief and grief, would not soon be forgotten by Anna. Such emotion could only confirm what everyone already suspected regarding Freman’s feelings toward Leah.

  Pushing those thoughts aside, she joined the rest of the group as they stood in a circle, their heads bent once again in a silent prayer, thanking God that He had spared Leah from a more serious injury.

  Chapter Thirteen

  WITH THE ENGLISCHE doctor suggesting that Leah not travel for a week, perhaps longer, a discussion immediately ensued regarding the travel arrangements for the group. Because the hired driver was scheduled to arrive in the early morning hours, and some of the group needed to return to Ohio, it was clear that not everyone would depart as planned.

  Sitting next to Leah as she slept, Anna listened to the discussion on the other side of the bedroom door. After the doctor left, Rebecca had suggested that Leah be moved from the sofa to recover in her own bedroom, a larger room located on the first floor. Besides being able to accommodate the women tending to her needs, the room was also more convenient for bringing food from the kitchen to the patient. When Leah tried to refuse, her voice weak and the side of her head swollen from being knocked on the rock, both Rebecca and Jonas insisted.

  “It will be better for everyone,” Rebecca explained softly, her hand placed gently on Leah’s arm. It was a motherly gesture, one that spoke volumes for the care that she had taken in raising her own six children. “Let me just change the bedding for you and then the men can help move you, ja?” she pursued in a kind, yet firm tone of voice.

  “I’m such a bother,” Leah moaned, shutting her eyes and turning her head away so that no one could see the tears welling in her eyes.

  The doctor had left some medicine for her, a home remedy to address the inevitable headache that would accompany Leah’s injury. Because it would make her drowsy, he also recommended for someone to sit by her side, at least for the first twenty-four hours, and gently wake her every few hours. Immediately Anna volunteered to stay with her while the others tried to figure out what to do.

  Now, while Anna sat in the straight-back chair, she listened to the voices right outside of the door. She could make out Cris, Hannah, and Freman, each one speaking softly and their words almost inaudible. Benjamin, who had been surprisingly quick in fetching the doctor, had appeared visibly shaken by the whole incident, pacing outside as they waited for the doctor’s prognosis. She presumed that now, knowing that Leah was injured but would recover, he was busy assisting his father with the evening chores.

  “We should call Maem and Daed,” Hannah said, a pleading tone to her voice.

  Upon hearing those words, Anna nodded to herself, wondering why no one had done so yet. Who had made the decision to wait to inform the girls’ parents? Surely they would want to know, she thought.

  “Nee,” Cris firmly objected. “Maem would panic and that would do no good for anyone. She needs to be reassured that Leah is fine first. A phone c
all would surely do nothing more than worry her, and undoubtedly, they’d arrive just as the van is coming to retrieve us. Mayhaps Leah herself, when she feels up to it, should be the one to make the call.”

  Anna heard Freman clear his throat. She could imagine him standing there, his hands clasped behind his back, his composure regained and his leadership restored. “Someone must accompany the others back to Sugarcreek to inform your parents,” he said firmly. It was an obvious statement but one that had not been addressed as of yet. “They will have questions and need answers in order to be confident that Leah will be fine.” He paused. “I believe either you or I must tell them.”

  The statement must have been directed toward Cris because she heard him mumble something in response to Freman, the exact words remaining unclear to Anna.

  Rising from her seat, she quietly crossed the room to the door. Not wishing to disturb Leah while she slept, Anna slipped from the room to join the others. Carefully, she shut the door behind them just in time to hear Freman’s next words.

  “So then it is settled,” he said. “You shall stay, Cris. She is, after all, your schwester. And I will accompany your sister home and speak to your parents. And, because we agree that only one woman needs to remain behind to tend to Leah’s needs, I suggest that no finer care could be given to her than by Anna. You saw how quick she was to take charge when Leah was injured. I’d feel more comfortable knowing she looked after Leah.”

  Startled by his suggestion, she must have made a noise for, in unison, the others turned in her direction.

  “Anna!” Surprised to see her standing against the closed bedroom door, Freman took a step in her direction. There was a desperate look in his face and she realized how concerned he truly was for Leah’s recovery. “You will stay, ja? To take care of Leah and nurse her back to health?” His words, spoken with deep feeling, revealed respect and admiration, emotions that brought back memories from many years ago. She had seen that look before, and for just a brief moment, she caught her breath; she had never thought to see it again. The only problem was that the emotions were reserved for Leah, not for her.