A Pregnant Widow's Amish Vacation

by Samantha Price

  “I hope everything will be okay.”

  Jane buried her thoughts as she looked into Zac’s comforting brown eyes, which were staring into hers; she was sure they’d just shared a moment. Her ego needed that little boost after having her late husband leave her for another woman. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll leave you in my mother's hands and I'll see you a little later.”

  “At lunchtime. Don’t be late!” Lizzie said to Zac.

  “Yes, at lunch.” Jane stared after Zac as he walked out the door. Maybe she’d hit her head when she’d fallen; Zac certainly seemed more handsome than he had yesterday when she'd met him.

  At the sound of a car outside, Lizzie looked out the door. “That's her now.”

  “She’s not Amish?” Jane had expected an Amish midwife to arrive in a buggy, not a car. Or maybe the midwife wasn’t Amish at all.

  “She takes a taxi when she’s in a hurry. We’re allowed to ride in cars, but we mustn’t drive them ourselves.”

  “Yes, I knew that about the driving cars,” Jane said.

  The midwife came in carrying a large bag. She was a woman of around fifty with pale skin, blue eyes and a pretty smile. She looked small against Lizzie Yoder’s large frame.

  “This is our patient, Gracie.” Mrs. Yoder introduced the two women.

  “Hello, and goodbye, Gracie,” Tobias said. “You don’t need me around.”

  Gracie giggled. “Nee, we don’t need you right now, Tobias.”

  When Tobias was out of the room, Jane said, “I was explaining to Lizzie that I've been checked over fully. I've had two ultrasounds already, and my blood work was fine.”

  Gracie nodded and proceeded to pull things out of her bag.

  Jane licked her lips. “Before I fainted, I had a nasty couple of surprises.”

  “Yes, she had two phone calls that upset her,” Lizzie explained.

  “Would that have made me faint?” Jane asked Gracie.

  Gracie raised her eyebrows. “Yes, shock can do that, but I'll check you over to be on the side of safety.”

  As Jane was having her blood pressure taken, she wondered how experienced the woman was. “Do you deliver a lot of babies around here?”

  “Yes I do, but it might not sound like many to you. This year, I’ve been busy with twenty eight babies, but the year before it was twenty. I cover most of the local counties.”

  “That seems a lot to me. Are they all home births?”

  “Mostly home births, although some women prefer to have their babies in the hospital, and I'll go with them if they want me to. Some prefer to be in a hospital in case of emergencies.”

  “I've often wondered about having a homebirth. It seems to be a very natural thing to do.”

  “I agree. To my way of thinking, hospitals are for sick people not for women having babies. I’m afraid the culture is leaning more and more toward…” Gracie laughed. “You don’t want to listen to me prattle on about births.”

  “I do. I’m very interested.”

  “Let me say just this—modern ways are good for when things go wrong, but when things aren't going wrong, it’s best for a birth to go naturally.”

  Jane said, “I’ve read a lot about birthing over the years, and I’ve read that lying flat on one’s back is not the ideal position to give birth.”

  Gracie frowned and shook her head. “No. It’s best to squat as that gives a greater opening for the baby’s head to move through. Many hospitals aren’t designed to provide for that except for ones with birthing centers.”

  “I wish you were closer to New York. I’d love to have a birth at home.”

  “Is that where you live?” Gracie asked.

  Jane nodded.

  “Well, your blood pressure is normal, although a little on the low side. But that would be expected with your dizzy spell.”

  “My blood pressure has always been good.”

  Gracie said, “Surely there'd be midwives in New York willing to do home births?”

  “I haven't really had the time to inquire. I guess there would have to be.”

  “How long are you going to leave it?” Lizzie butted in.

  “I know I need to do it. It’s just another thing on my list.”

  “That should be on the very top of your list,” Lizzie said.

  “I've just had been preoccupied with other things.” She felt comfortable enough with Lizzie and Gracie to admit, “My husband died just recently. And I love my job, but it's pretty intense. I’ve been under a lot of stress.”

  “I’m sorry,” Gracie said.

  Lizzie pressed her lips together and nodded in agreement with Gracie.

  “I don't talk about myself to people very much. I’ve always been a bit of a loner and that’s probably because I’m an only child.”

  “How long are you here for?” Gracie asked.

  Lizzie answered for her, “Jane is here for four weeks. Her boss made her take four weeks off and made her come here.”

  “I hope to see more of you and we can talk about births. Is this your first?” Gracie asked.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “I thought so.”

  “I'd really like to talk with you some more. And I’d really like to know more about the pros and cons of having a homebirth. It’s something that I always thought I would do if I ever had a child.”

  “Why don’t we make a time right now? I’m pretty well booked up this week. What about some time next week?”

  “That sounds wonderful. I’ll fit in with whatever time suits you. I really do need to get things organized because once I get back to work…”

  “Work? You'll be seven months gone when you leave here. Are you going back to work?” Lizzie asked.

  “Don’t women work in the fields right up to giving birth and then they continue on after the birth?” Jane asked.

  Lizzie laughed. “Who are these people you're speaking of?”

  “Every mother needs a little rest and to be taken care of,” Gracie said.

  Who will care for me? I have no one. Jane had no family and her only friends were fair-weather friends, it seemed, by the way Trudy hung up on her so cruelly.

  “How about I come by next week on Tuesday?”

  “That sounds truly wonderful. Thank you very much. I’ll really look forward to it.”

  “Now take it easy and rest.” Gracie packed her bag. “Just no more stress.” She wagged a finger in her face.

  Lizzie said, “I'm going to take you under my wing, young lady, and see to it that you don't have any stress while you’re here.”

  Jane nodded at Lizzie who reminded her a little of her late mother.

  “Why don’t you go and have a rest, and I’ll knock on your door when lunch is ready. If you don’t feel you can make it to the dining room, I’ll bring a tray to your room.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be okay to come to the dining room. I’m feeling better now, but a rest does sound good.”

  “Come on.” Lizzie offered her hand. “I’ll escort you to your room.”

  Jane said goodbye to Gracie and headed to her room.

  Chapter 7

  For the which cause I also suffer these things:

  nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed,

  and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

  2 Timothy 1:12

  * * *

  Once Jane was in the warm bed of the B&B, she closed her eyes and tried to push her troubles aside. Her baby kicked, and she covered her belly with her hands. “It’s okay, baby. We’ll get through all our hard times and we’ll have a wonderful life—just you and me conquering the world together.”

  It didn’t take long before sleep overtook her.

  The next thing she was aware of was a gentle knock on her door. “Are you awake, Jane?” It was Lizzie.

  “Yes. I’ll be out in a minute. Thank you.” She assumed that lunch was ready. A quick glance at the bedside clock tol
d her it was one in the afternoon. Jane sat up slowly in case she was still suffering from dizziness. When she felt fine, she slowly stood. After she straightened herself up, and put on a little lipstick, she made her way to the dining room.

  The first person she saw was Zac, who jumped to his feet when she entered the room. “How are you feeling now?” he asked.

  “I’m a lot better. I really feel fine, thank you.” She sat down next to Lizzie where she’d sat the previous day.

  “That’s good,” Lizzie said, “And after a good meal you’ll feel even better.”

  “Are you still able to show me around today, Zac? Would you have time?”

  He nodded. “They called to say the delivery is going to be delayed. I’ll make time, as long as you’re sure you’re up to it.”

  “I am.”

  When their lunch was over, Zac said to Jane, “Come along; forget those troubling calls and I'll show you around the place.” When they walked through the back door of the living room Zac offered his arm. She looped her arm through his and they walked along the outside of the house.

  He pointed to the section made out of rock. “The original house is everything you can see that’s made out of river rock.”

  Jane looked up at the whitish gray stones that made up the building.

  “After the original owners' children were born—all fifteen of them, they needed more room and built on this area here. It was once bedrooms, but we turned it into the kitchen and the dining room.”

  “And these were your ancestors through your father’s line?”

  “That’s right. My father and his father built the rest of the house. It was my grandfather who first opened the house to paying guests. That was before there was any electricity to the house.”

  “So you're both builders? Both you and your father?”

  He shook his head. “Building is something most every Amish man learns to do. My father was a farmer who did a lot of building—so I guess you could say he's a builder.”

  “He's done a very good job of it. It certainly looks like it was all built at the one time. Nothing looks added on. Except for the original stone house.”

  He chuckled. “While I’ve got you alone I just wanted to say I hope you don't think I'm being too hard on Gia.”

  “Not at all. In what way do you mean?”

  “My parents aren't used to children talking at the dinner table; that's how we were raised. I’m the youngest of six boys. They never allowed us to speak at the table, and out of respect for them, I try not to allow Gia to speak at the table.”

  “That makes sense. I think you’re lovely to Gia.”

  He smiled at her. “I like chatting with Gia over dinner, and my wife and I... we used to all talk with each other.”

  “I hadn't really thought about it too much. I think it's an old-fashioned thing. I remember my grandmother saying she wasn’t allowed to speak at the table.”

  They continued walking while he pointed out more things around the place—the animals; the pigs, the few sheep, and a couple of milking cows.

  “Can you keep going or do you want to head back?” Zac asked.

  “I can walk further.”

  “Are you sure? I don't want to wear you out.”

  “I'm fine,” Jane insisted.

  He looked down at her and smiled. His smile turned into a good-natured laugh. “You seem quite different from the woman who showed up here yesterday.”

  “This is the relaxed me. The woman who showed up yesterday was the tense and stressed me. Apart from that, I was a little shocked when I arrived at an Amish place. It was all arranged for me by my work. There’s this one man at work who’s trying to take over my job.”

  Zac threw his head back and laughed. When she didn't laugh with him, he stopped. “Oh, you're serious?”

  “Quite serious! He forced me away and now he's taking over everything. And I can't do anything about it because he's got a hold of my boss’ ear. My boss, Tyrone, has ordered everyone to hang up on me when I call.”

  He nodded. “Is that what caused you to faint?”

  She nodded. “Yes, and right after that, I found out my late husband canceled his life insurance policy. I was expecting money for my child’s future and now it’s not going to come through.”

  “That’s dreadful.”

  She stared at him, and saw he seemed overly concerned. “Don't worry, my stay here is all paid for.”

  “I’m not concerned about that. In your condition, you’d want to feel secure wouldn't you?”

  “That's exactly right. I'd want to feel secure, and now I feel anything but secure.”

  “I'm sorry, and I hope I didn't make you feel worse.”

  “Don’t worry; nothing could make me feel worse than I already do.”

  He blew out a deep breath. “I guess we all have our burdens to bear.”

  On glancing up at his frowning face, Jane knew he carried his own private pain. It couldn’t be easy for him to move back in with his parents and be raising Gia on his own, without his wife.

  “I'm sorry. I'm very selfish talking about myself all the time. I'm sure you've got your own problems. It can’t be easy for you now that your wife has gone.”

  “I'm blessed that I have my parents who do most of the work looking after Gia. My brothers are all married and I guess if I didn't have my parents, my brothers’ families would all help out.”

  “Yes I've read about the Amish. I used to have a fascination for the Amish and I really liked reading about them.”

  He smiled at her. “Is that so? What did you learn about us?”

  “You have a community spirit and you’re all there to help one another. You'll take care of one another—offer a helping hand if someone has fallen and needs help to get back up.”

  Zac nodded. “That is what it's like; we do help one another.”

  As they walked few more paces in silence, fearful thoughts of how alone she truly was, ran through her head once again.

  “Do your parents live close to where you live?”

  She shook her head. “I never knew my father, and my mother died some years ago.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “That’s okay. I don’t mind talking about them. My baby and I will be pretty much on our own.”

  “No brothers or sisters?”

  “I’m an only child. My father was gone before I was born, and my mother worked constantly and never remarried.”

  He nodded. “Gia has many cousins around her age—she’s blessed in that regard.”

  “That’s really good. She’s a lovely little girl.”

  He smiled. “I think so. Can you walk to those trees over there?” He nodded his head toward a clump of bushes.

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll show you where my forefathers got the stones to build the house.”

  “From the river?”

  He nodded. “From the river and the surrounds.”

  “I’d love to take a look.”

  As she walked quietly alongside the handsome Amish man, she realized that this man wanted nothing from her except her company. He had nothing to sell her, he was not trying to date her, and neither was he trying to profit from her nor take what was hers. It was a refreshing change to be with a person who had no agenda.

  “That’s better,” he said.

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s nice to see you smile.”

  “I tend to do that accidentally from time to time.”

  He laughed. “Not too often from what I’ve seen.”

  “I’ll do what I can to change that. I don’t want to be stressed and on edge anymore. There are obviously a few things in my life I need to change.”

  “I’m sure you’ll figure things out.”

  “I will.” She looked down. “Oh, the rocks! They’re the same as the ones in the house.”

  He nodded. “They are. There was once a path built alongside the riverbank. It was a walking trail. It’s
grown over long ago. I’ve always wanted to restore it, but there’s always something else to do.”

  “Like the renovations?”

  “Yes. And since Gia and I have moved back here, I kind of have to do what my parents want me to do.”

  “That’s not such a bad problem to have.”

  “I know, but I do feel I’m being watched over, much like I’m a child again myself.”

  “I suppose that’s only normal. I’d feel like that if I was living with my parents, if they were still alive that is.” They walked a few more steps alongside the river. “Gia’s an unusual name; that’s not Amish is it?”

  He shook his head. “No. It was my wife’s idea to call her that. I wanted to call her Maize. My wife wasn’t a traditional kind of woman.”

  Jane raised her eyebrows. “I would’ve gone with Gia too.”

  Zac frowned. “Don’t be like that. Maize was my favorite aunt. She was my father’s sister; she died when I was ten. Aunt Maize and I just seemed to click.”

  Jane laughed with him and was surprised how comfortable she felt with him. “It’s so beautiful here. Maybe they were right to make me take a vacation.”

  “There’s a time for work and a time for rest and I’d say that you’re most certainly in a place where you need a rest.” He looked down at her. “Why don’t we sit down?”

  “Do I look like I’m going to fall, or something?”

  “You are a bit pale. I wouldn’t want to be held responsible for you fainting again.” He nodded at something over her right shoulder.

  She looked around to see a stone bench. Turning back to him, she said, “Did you put that there just for me?”

  “I did. Just before lunch. I carved it out of one rock because I knew you’d need to sit down.

  Jane gave a small laugh as he guided her to the whitish-gray stone seat.

  They sat down and looked out across the river.

  “I’m sorry I told you so much about myself. That’s something I never really do. I don’t know why it’s easier sometimes to talk with someone you don’t know.”

  “I’m happy to listen. As I said, I’ve had my fair share of pain.”

  “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but how did your wife die?”