by Molly Jebber
Jonah’s eyes got big. “Mark saved me. He shot the biggest bear in the whole world.”
Mr. Keim thanked Mark and the other volunteers. “I’m thankful I heard your signal shots out on the water. I came as fast as I could. I’ll never be able to express to you in words how much saving my son means to me. Danki.” His eyes swam with tears. “I should take him home. His mamm must be frantic.”
Mr. Blauch asked, “Would you like me to fetch your boat and bring it to you?”
“Danki, but two of my friends are already taking care of it.” He bid them farewell and headed home with the boy grasped tight in his arms.
Mark and Mr. Blauch studied Mr. Zook and Mr. Pine alongside two other men scrutinizing the bear.
Mr. Zook approached Mark. “I overheard the boy tell his daed you killed the bear. We appreciate what you did for Jonah. Danki.” He cocked his head. “Are you interested in the bear? If not, I’d like to have it. Several of the men have offered to help me with it. We’ll sell the hide and donate the money to the Amish community fund for those in need. We’ll deliver the meat to the widows.”
“I like both your ideas. You’re wilkom to the carcass.”
“Danki.” Mr. Zook returned to his friends.
Mark drew a breath. He thanked God for Jonah’s safe return to his parents. He hoped Mr. and Mrs. Keim would punish the boy. Jonah must understand the importance of obeying his parents. He and Mr. Blauch returned through the woods to their wagons.
“Son, danki for coming with me to find Jonah. Would you care to go target shooting sometime? I’d like you to give me some pointers on becoming a better marksman. Are you as good with a rifle as you are with a shotgun?”
“My daed was an excellent shot. When I reached eleven, he showed me how to use a shotgun, rifle, and pistol. We practiced every chance we got. We really had a good time. The woods in back of our haus provided the perfect place for target shooting. He’d save and line up empty tin cans on fallen trees. When I had mastered hitting them, he moved the cans to a spot farther away. His method is what helped me improve my distance shooting.”
“It must’ve been hard to lose him at an early age. Sounds like you were close.”
“Jah, I miss him. We were close. He was a good listener, teacher, friend, and confidante, in addition to being a loving daed.”
“If he was anything like you, I’m sure he was a fine man.” He swiped a hand through his hair. “I’m serious about having you show me how to improve my marksmanship. I’ll visit you at your store in a week or two, and we’ll pick a day.”
Mark’s heart leapt. He had not been in a favorable place with Grace’s daed a few days ago. He had worried it would be difficult to regain Mr. Blauch’s confidence. It was a blessing Grace’s daed had chosen him to partner with to find Jonah. They had gotten better acquainted. Shooting targets in the woods would be a way for them to cultivate a friendship. If Mr. Blauch didn’t kumme to the shop in a week or two, he’d approach him about setting a time for target practice. He’d start saving empty cans tomorrow.
He pictured how Grace’s lovely face would look when he told her about his afternoon with her daed. He had no doubt her face would beam. Laying eyes on her face couldn’t kumme soon enough.
Chapter Eight
Grace paused on the boardwalk Tuesday morning. Who was the woman running out of Mark’s shop with him? Something must be wrong. She ran to meet them.
“What’s the matter?”
Mark appeared happy to see her. “Mrs. Oyer came into my shop by mistake. She got flustered and thought she had gone into your store. What a relief to find you coming up the boardwalk. She needs your help.”
Mrs. Oyer squinted and her lips trembled. She grasped Grace’s arm. “Please kumme with me. My dochder, Marie, is having her boppli. Hester is on another call. Marie’s husband is with her. She’s bleeding and in pain. I’m afraid something is wrong.”
Mark faced her. “Grace, I’ll go with you. I can fetch water and sit with her dochder’s husband. I’ll lock my store and get our horses and wagons.”
Mrs. Oyer untied her horse from the hitching post outside Mark’s store. “I’ll wait here.” She climbed in her wagon.
Grace ran to the shop and stuck her head in the door. “Sarah, I’m needed to help with a birth. I might go home after I’m finished.”
“I understand. Don’t worry about returning here. I hope everything goes well.”
“Danki.” Grace darted outside and met Mark and Mrs. Oyer. She dropped her bag in the wagon.
Grace motioned for Mrs. Oyer to go ahead, and she and Mark followed in their separate wagons. Mark didn’t have to kumme. She had helped many a mamm birth their boppli. His assistance wasn’t necessary. She didn’t like taking him away from his shop. But again, he’d jumped in to assist her.
Mrs. Oyer stopped in front of a small white haus with a garden to the side.
Grace grabbed her bag out of her wagon.
Mark jumped out of his and accepted the reins from both women. “I’ll take care of the horses.”
Screams rang out. Grace lifted her long skirt and bolted inside, behind Mrs. Oyer, to Marie’s bedroom. Marie had sweat-matted hair and thrashed in her soiled gown on bloodstained sheets.
The terrified woman pressed her hands on her stomach. “Something’s wrong. Please help me. I’ve been with child only seven months. It’s too early.”
A man stood and hugged his arms to his sides. “This is my wife, Marie, and I’m her husband, Joel Brandenburg. Please help my fraa.” His face filled with fright and he kissed his fraa’s damp forehead. “I’ll be in the kitchen or outside.”
“I’m Grace Blauch. I’m a midwife. I’ll do my best for your family.”
Mrs. Oyer knelt by her dochder’s bed. She dipped a cloth in a bowl of water sitting on a bedside table and wiped Marie’s forehead. “Try and stay calm, my dear dochder.” Her pleading gaze held Grace’s.
Grace bit her tongue to hide her concern. Seven months. The boppli would be at risk. She poured witch hazel from her bag onto a clean cloth to clean her hands then checked Marie. Oh no, the infant’s feet were where the head should be in the birth canal. “Mrs. Oyer, please hold Marie’s shoulders firm against the bed. I need to reach in and turn the infant into position. Marie, what I have to do will hurt, but it must be done.” She eased her fingers as far inside Marie as she could and worked fast to turn the small body.
Marie gripped the white cotton bedsheet and paled.
Mrs. Oyer’s lips trembled. “The pain will be worth it once you lay eyes on your new little maedel or boy. Please take a deep breath and keep still to help your child.”
Marie whimpered, groaned, and cried but didn’t scream or kick.
Grace concentrated on the boppli and worked as fast as she could.
“You’re doing a fine job, Marie.” She eased her hands out. “I’m going to count to three. On three, push as hard as you can.” She nodded to Mrs. Oyer. “Ease her shoulders up to help her with this.” With arms out, Grace counted. “One, two, three, push.”
The new mamm grunted and her cheeks turned bright red. Beads of sweat dripped from her face.
The infant’s head emerged. Grace gently moved the infant’s shoulders and the rest of the tiny lifeless body slid out in her hands. The infant’s legs and arms twisted in the wrong direction. The little maedel’s right hand showed two fingers missing, and the left hand had none. The head appeared misshapen and her mouth twisted. Her color was ashen and her body limp. No movement or sound came from the newborn. Her tiny, grotesque, delicate body was like an injured bird. Tears pooled in Grace’s eyes. She closed them for a moment and fought to keep from trembling. She blinked several times and faced the distressed woman.
“Do I have a maedel or a boy?”
“You have a dochder.”
“Why hasn’t she cried or moved?”
Grace didn’t answer. She had to check the infant for her peace of mind and to stall for strength to tell Marie he
r boppli was stillborn. She held the infant with one hand and grabbed her stethoscope out of the bag with her other. The tips in her ears, she pressed the metal pad to the infant’s chest and listened for a heartbeat. She swallowed around the lump in her throat, removed her stethoscope, and set it aside.
The two pale and stricken women stared at her.
She held the newborn low, so they couldn’t see her. “I’m sorry. Your dochder is lifeless.”
Mrs. Oyer and Marie sobbed and held each other.
Grace’s tears dripped onto her cheeks. “Would you like to hold her? Her face and body aren’t normal.”
Marie parted from her Mamm’s arms and wiped her eyes. “Please give her to me.”
Grace held up her palm then carried the infant to a small table. “I’ll clean her first.” She grasped the pitcher and poured water into a bowl then washed the infant and dried her.
Marie’s voice quivered. “Please wrap her in the white cotton blanket on the dresser. Mamm sewed it for her.” She slumped back against her mamm. Marie looked like a picture of hopelessness.
Mrs. Oyer stroked her daughter’s hair. She let her tears fall. “I’m sorry, my sweet child.”
Would Marie be able to handle the sight of her abnormal child? She guessed some people might be repelled by her. She had empathy for the infant and couldn’t turn her head from her. Grace touched her downy cheek. Maybe her birthmark allowed her to gaze upon the newborn’s imperfections without wincing. All she felt was a deep sadness. She’d not faced a more disfigured boppli than this newborn. She placed the swaddled infant in Marie’s outstretched arms and waited.
Marie gasped, closed her eyes, and passed the bundle to her mamm. “I’m sorry. I can’t stand the sight of her.” She hung her head. “I’m so ashamed.”
Grace blinked back stinging tears. Marie had suffered losing her child and might be haunted by the sight of her for a time. Mrs. Oyer passed the bundle back to Grace and comforted and supported her dochder with love and compassion. How blessed Marie was to have such a loving mamm. Mark and the new daed came to mind. “I’ll find the stove and warm the water. I need to remove the afterbirth and clean you. Are you ready for your husband to kumme in?”
The bereft mamm cowered. “Jah.”
Grace left the room and entered the kitchen. Mark and Mr. Brandenburg sat at a round maple table.
The new daed stood and stared at Grace with worry in his eyes. “How’s Marie? How’s my boppli?”
Grace paused. It was hard enough telling Marie about her dochder, and now she had to repeat the sad story again. She swallowed. “Marie is fine physically. She’s upset and needs you. I’m sorry. Your dochder didn’t live. I suspect she died in the womb sometime during your fraa’s pregnancy.” She paused and swallowed hard. “I think it’s only fair to warn you that your dochder was born abnormal. Her head is misshapen, her hands are missing fingers, and her arms and legs are disfigured. I just want you to be prepared.”
He groaned, tore at his hair, and paced. “No! No! No! It can’t be! We’ve waited a long time to have kinner.” He strode to the bedroom door, pushed it open, and rushed to Marie.
Mark came alongside Grace. They watched the couple through the open doorway, both silent.
Mr. Brandenburg held Marie then stood. He stared at the infant. He gasped and ran from the room, past Grace, and out the back door.
Startled, Grace glanced at Mark. She opened her mouth, but no words came to mind. What should they do?
Mark whispered, “Are you all right?”
She twisted her hands. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry you’ve had to endure this hardship. I admire your strength and compassion, Grace. Stay here. I’ll go speak to him.”
What would she have done without Mark today? He never hesitated to kumme to her aid whenever she needed him. She could count on him to handle any situation. How would he find the words to say to the man?
At the stove, she poured clean warm water from the large pot into a smaller one to clean and wash Marie then carried it to the stricken woman’s bedroom.
Marie lay quiet and pale and stared at the ceiling with desolate eyes.
The infant lay in the oak cradle in the corner of the room, and Mrs. Oyer prayed to God to comfort the bereft parents and welcome the boppli into His loving arms.
Grace paused and bowed her head until the prayer ended. She approached Marie. “I wish I didn’t have to disturb you, but I must massage your stomach and remove the afterbirth.”
Marie didn’t take her eyes off the ceiling.
Mrs. Oyer wiped her damp cheeks. “Can I help?”
“You’re already helping by soothing your dochder. The calmer she is, the easier my job will be. I’ll not be long.” Grace worked to remove the afterbirth, inspected it, and ensured it was intact. She discarded it in an empty flour sack she’d brought and then covered Marie. She left to wash her hands in the kitchen then returned to bathe the heartbroken woman with the clean water.
She undressed and redressed Marie with Mrs. Oyer’s help into a clean gown. “I’m going to escort you to the chair. You can rest there while we change your bedsheets.” Grace circled her arm around Marie’s waist and guided her to the chair.
She and Mrs. Oyer changed the bloodstained and soiled bedding.
Marie and her mamm had worried and pain-filled faces. Mrs. Oyer’s cheeks were blotched. Marie’s were as white as snow. Tension and sadness swamped the small room. Shoulders slumped and her body heavy, Grace placed the dirty towels, bed linens, and gown in a tub and carried them to the kitchen. She poured the dirty water out the back door, pumped clean water in the tub in the kitchen, and added soap overtop the linens to soak.
The door banged open and the men came in. She stole a glance at them. The new daed and Mark appeared calm.
Mr. Brandenburg patted Mark’s shoulder. “Danki for your time and advice.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
The daed approached Grace. “Danki for everything you’ve done.”
Grace gripped her apron. “You’re wilkom.”
The man left to join his fraa. A few minutes later, he brought the infant to Mark. “Do you want to lay eyes on her?”
Mark held out his arms and accepted the light bundle. He peeled the blanket from the infant’s face and body. A tear escaped his eye. He didn’t cringe or turn from her. “I can’t imagine the anguish you must be going through. I’m sorry.”
Mr. Brandenburg gently reached for the lifeless tiny body. “You and Grace have eased our sorrow a little by being here with us. Danki.”
Mark’s gentle gaze at the malformed infant was another reminder of his compassionate heart.
Mark swiped his cheek. “I’ll ready our wagons and wait for you outside.”
“I won’t be long.” Grace gathered her things, bid the family farewell, and joined Mark out front. “I’m thankful you came with me today. What did you say to calm Mr. Brandenburg?”
“I prayed with him and told him Marie would need him now more than ever. I said I understood his sadness, but it was important for them to get through this together. He loves Marie very much, and he hadn’t thought of how his running out of the room might have affected her. Joel’s a good man.”
“I’ve not assisted in the birth of a boppli as disfigured as Marie’s newborn.”
“Now she has a healthy body and is in Heaven. A picture of her smiling and normal is what gets me through a wrenching experience like this.”
“Yes, I agree. I’ll do the same.” She stared at her feet and moved her shoe over a patch of thick green grass. “Do you want kinner someday?”
“Jah, I want a family. Do you want kinner?”
“Yes, at least two. A boy and a maedel would be perfect. And I’ll love my boppli whether he or she is healthy or not. My birthmark is insignificant compared to this infant’s infirmities, but it stands out as different from other women. The infant’s list of abnormalities reminded me I should be thankful and not complain abou
t a painless birthmark on my face.”
“It doesn’t bother me a bit. You’re beautiful, Grace.”
Her face warmed and she stared at the ground. Could he have said anything better? She thought not. “Danki.” She looked at her feet then back at him. “If you don’t mind my asking, Mark, how did you get the scar under your eye? I noticed it the first day we met. It’s not unappealing, but interesting. I’m curious as to what the story is behind it.”
He stared at the ground and rolled a small stone with his foot. “Abel and I were out playing. We were kinner. He had a slingshot, and he’d set up cans as targets. I dashed outside unaware of what he had in mind and got in the way. He blamed himself, but he shouldn’t have given the incident a second thought. I should’ve paid more attention. The wound didn’t hurt much at all. Sounds strange, but I’m glad I have it to remind me of our good times together.”
“It adds appeal to your handsome face. Your attitude toward it is a lesson to me not to wallow in pity over my birthmark.”
“It adds to strength to your character. You are intelligent and willing to do far more than most Amish women in working in a shop and assisting with birthing bopplin. I suspect your birthmark has made you stronger in coping with unkind people. It’s a trait I admire in you.” He lifted his eyebrows. “We haven’t talked about Jonah’s incident. Did your daed tell you how we found him?”
She patted her heart. “Yes! I understand you saved him by killing the bear. It must have been a tense situation.” She gazed at him. “Daed told me he asked you to take him target shooting. He was impressed with your aim and the way you handle a gun. Sounds like you two are becoming good friends.”
He grazed her hand. “Jah, I’m hopeful.”
She smiled. “I shouldn’t keep you any longer. Are you going back to the store? If so, would you mind telling Sarah I’m taking her up on her offer and heading home? I’m worn out.”
He reached for her bag and secured it in her wagon. “I’ll pass your message on to Sarah. If you need me, please don’t hesitate to ask.”