Tales from Grace Chapel Inn

by Sunni Jeffers

  She felt up and down the bone just above and below the cut, then pressed right against it with their father's handkerchief. Jane bit her lip so she wouldn't scream.

  “I don't think it's broken. We can't do stitches on the shin. The skin is too tight. I can make butterfly bandages. I have my nursing bag in the car. I'll go get it and we'll clean you up.”

  “Let's get her down from the loft first,” Father said.

  “I think we should get it bandaged first,” Alice said. “Moving her first will start the bleeding again.”

  “All right. We'll wait here.”

  Alice went back to the ladder and descended. Jane could hear her talking to the others.

  “Is she all right?” Jane recognized Rose's voice.

  “She has a nasty scrape on her shin, but otherwise, I think she's all right.”

  “I told you she would figure out a way to ruin the nativity,” Jane heard, and couldn't mistake the voice of Florence Simpson. As much as she hated it, Mrs. Simpson was right. She had ruined it.

  “That's not true,” Samuel's voice said. “Jane was a fine angel. No one will ever forget her announcement.” Jane heard him laugh.

  “I suspect it was my fault,” Louise said. “I coached her and told her to create an emotional experience for the audience.”

  “She certainly did that,” Rose said. “I think she's a natural actress.”

  “She's a natural hoyden,” Florence said.

  “Florence, let's get out of here and let these people take care of what they need to do,” Ronald Simpson said.

  “I just wanted to help,” she objected.

  “Yes, dear.” Their voices were fading. Jane was glad. She felt embarrassed enough without having to face Mrs. Simpson. She didn't want to ever face her again.

  “I've got to get my medical bag,” Jane heard Alice say.

  “How can I help?” Louise asked.

  “I need some clean, damp cloths.”

  “We'll use clean burp cloths. I have plenty of them,” Rose said. I'll come with you and take Caleb inside. He's so tired.”

  “He was a wonderful baby Jesus,” Louise said.

  “He was, wasn't he? And while you get Jane fixed up and bring her down from that loft, I'll make some tea and cocoa. Bring her in the house and she can rest while you all get ready to leave.”

  “I'll rig a sling,” Samuel said. “That'll be the best way to get her down without hurting her.”

  Alice returned in a few moments and climbed up to the loft. She spread a clean receiving blanket beneath Jane's leg, then cut away the torn white tights.

  “This is going to sting, I'm afraid, but I've got to clean it up. Hold still.” She wiped the leg with a damp cloth, then dabbed and wiped the wound with cotton soaked in alcohol.

  “Ouch. That hurts,” Jane cried, trying to keep from jerking her leg away.

  Alice looked more closely. “It's hard to see in this light, but I think you're full of splinters. I can't get them out now, though. I'll have to do that at home. For now, I'm going to bind this up.”

  Alice smeared antibiotic ointment on the cut, then covered it with gauze. She cut butterfly bandages out of tape and stretched six of them across Jane's shin, pulling the skin together. Then she wrapped Jane's lower leg with an Ace bandage.

  “There. That should hold it for now.”

  Samuel appeared up the ladder with a canvas sling and rope. Jane had seen it before. Samuel used it to hold the sheep when he weighed them.

  “Lloyd and Cyril are down below ready to help. We'll lower Jane in the sling.”

  Samuel spread the sling on the ground, then Father carefully set Jane in it.

  “We're going to tie you in, so you can't fall out,” Samuel said. He threaded rope through rings in the edge of the canvas and pulled it taut, then knotted it.

  “Ready?”

  Jane nodded.

  “Rev. Howard, if you'll take that end of the rope and wrap it around the post once, so you can control it, I'll take this side and we'll lower her down. Just take it slow. We need to be careful not to bump her leg. And Jane, hold on, and no swinging.”

  “I won't. I promise.”

  “Good. Ready?”

  “Ready,” Father responded.

  As the sling slowly lowered, Jane could hear two men talking in the stall where Alice had been with the animals.

  “Good thing you saw that lamp hit the hay,” one said. “How did it happen?”

  “The angel kicked it with her foot when she landed against the loft. It was hanging from a wire hook. It came off and went sailing into a pile of hay. I had my eye on those lamps, since we had so many people in here. I was afraid some kid would bump one, and I'm supersensitive to those lamps since that fire over at the Walden place last week. Burned the barn to the ground. It started from a heat lamp. They run hot and that hay is dry.”

  “Well, it was a kid. Jane. I heard about the Walden place. Bad luck. Gotta be so careful.”

  “Yeah. Their barn wasn't full of people, though, and that hay was already hot when I got to it.”

  “Phew. Then I guess you just saved some lives.”

  “Naw. It wasn't anything.”

  “Not true. If I haven't told you before, it's great to have you back.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Horn.”

  “Call me Oscar.”

  When she was nearly down, Jane looked over to see Oscar Horn talking to Derek Grollier, who had just returned from the war in Vietnam. From the sounds of their conversation, she nearly had burned the barn down. That was worse than any bump on her leg. Jane felt terrible. All their friends. Baby Caleb and Rose and Samuel and all the people from town and her own family and all the animals. The thought of what could have happened crushed her. Did Samuel and Rose know? Had Samuel and Father overheard? Had Lloyd and Cyril heard the men talking? If not yet, surely they would all find out. She needed to make amends, but she didn't know what to do.

  After they set Jane in an overstuffed chair with a footstool to prop up her injured leg, the men went back to the barn to finish their work. Alice took another look at her leg, which had started bleeding again, and Louise helped Rose in the kitchen. Rose brought an ice bag, which Alice placed over the wound on Jane's shin. Louise brought a cup of hot cocoa for Jane, but she couldn't drink it. She couldn't get it past the lump in her throat.

  She started to cry.

  “Does your leg hurt?” Alice asked.

  Jane sniffled and shook her head. “I ruined the angel costume you made,” she said. “It was so beautiful.”

  “Don't be upset about the costume. We can always make another one. I'm more concerned about your leg. I think you'll be all right tonight. You could have a hairline fracture, but it doesn't appear to be broken. I'll take you to the hospital tomorrow so you can get an X-ray and have a doctor look at it.”

  “I'm all right, Alice. It's just a bruise. You don't need to take me to the hospital. It'll be fine by tomorrow.” Jane didn't know if that was true, but she was determined not to cause any more trouble. Why had she thought she had to fly across the barn?

  Rose went upstairs to put Caleb to bed. Father came in. Lloyd and the others had left. Samuel was still in the barn, finishing nightly chores.

  “Let's get you home, Jane. I'll carry you to the car,” her father said.

  “I can walk, Father.”

  “Perhaps you can, but this time, I will carry you.”

  Though he spoke with a gentle voice, Jane didn't argue.

  Alice helped her put on her coat. Then her father lifted her into his arms. He was tall and strong, but Jane felt silly. She was twelve—too big to be carried. She put her arms around his neck and leaned her head against his shoulder. She was so tired and her leg had begun to throb again. She needed to talk to him and to Rose and Samuel and apologize, but it would have to wait. She didn't want to delay too long, or she would lose her courage to face them. Perhaps tomorrow.

  The next morning, explaining to the doctor how she had i
njured her leg embarrassed Jane all over again. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. Swinging from that rope up into the loft should have been easy. She had swung from trees, branch to branch, before. She still needed to apologize to Samuel and Rose and Father, and that thought made her stomach ache.

  “You are fortunate,” the doctor said after he'd seen the X-ray. “The bone is bruised, but not broken. Your sister has taken good care of you, getting the wound clean and bandaged. I want you to keep the leg raised and keep ice on it for a couple of days, and stay off of it. When you have to move around, use the crutches until the swelling goes down. Walking on it will hurt for a couple of weeks, but you can resume normal activity.”

  The doctor wrapped Jane's lower leg, from the ankle up to her knee, with an elasticized bandage. “This will help the blood flow away from the injured site.” He looked at Alice. “Rewrap this every day as needed.”

  Alice nodded. Jane knew with Alice taking care of her and Louise at the house, she would not be able to get out and play. She would have preferred a cast. At least then she could collect signatures and draw pictures on it. A bruise wasn't as exciting as a broken leg. Jane knew she was in for a boring time. At least she had one more Nancy Drew book from the library to read. She would have to read slowly.

  Jane was sitting in the parlor in an easy chair, her leg propped up on an ottoman and pillows. She loved hearing the fire crackle and pop and the flames dance in the fireplace, but sitting still was harder than she'd expected. She felt like an invalid, and wasn't happy about it. She supposed her confinement was just penance for ruining the living Nativity and nearly burning down the Bellwoods' barn. Guilt was gnawing at her stomach.

  Louise had brought a tray with tomato soup and crackers for lunch. She'd tucked a towel under Jane's chin as a bib. She ate, though she wasn't hungry. She had finished and the tray was still on her lap. She wanted to get up and take it back to the kitchen so she could read her book, but she wasn't supposed to get up, and she didn't want to upset her sisters or bring attention to herself. She had caused enough trouble.

  Jane heard voices coming from the kitchen. Friends usually parked in back of the house and used the back door.

  Louise appeared in the doorway. “Jane, look who's come to see you? Oh, let me get that tray out of here.” She swooped in and lifted the tray and towel. Rose and Samuel Bellwood were right behind her. Samuel was carrying a portable bassinet with a handle. He'd made it out of wood, and Rose had lined it with a pad and quilts. Caleb was sound asleep in it. Samuel set it down between two chairs.

  “Have a seat,” Louise said. “I'll put this in the kitchen and make tea.”

  Jane heard Louise announce their visitors to their father, who was in his study.

  “How are you feeling, Jane?” Rose asked. “We heard the good news that your leg isn't broken. But I'm sure it hurts.”

  “It's not too bad,” Jane said, blushing.

  Samuel stood when her father entered the room.

  “Good afternoon,” Father said. “How nice of you to stop by to cheer up our Jane. It's rather quiet around here. Not much entertainment for an invalid.”

  “I don't need to be entertained, Father. But I'm happy to see you,” she said, turning to address their guests. In truth, she had dreaded facing them. Now she must. Especially with Father there.

  “I brought some custard for you,” Rose said. “It's rich, with fresh cream and eggs. My mother always made it whenever one of us kids was hurt or sick. I believe it helped us heal faster. In any case, it's a treat. I made enough so you could all have some.”

  “Thank you,” Jane said. “I love custard.” Jane smiled to cover up her distress and hoped no one would notice. She didn't deserve Rose's kindness.

  Alice and Louise came in carrying the teapot and a tray with cream and sugar and Linzer cookies that Louise had made for Christmas.

  Louise gave Jane an odd look when she passed up a cookie and a cup of tea. When everyone was served, Jane cleared her throat.

  “I am sorry,” she said, hanging her head and almost hoping no one would hear her.

  “What did you say, Jane?” her father asked.

  She looked up. They were all staring at her. She cleared her throat again. “I—I…” She took a deep breath. “I'm sorry that I ruined the living Nativity and almost burned down the barn. I wanted to make the angel's part rememberable.”

  Rose shook her head side to side, but didn't speak. Samuel leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his large hands fisted against his chin. He didn't frown or smile—just listened. Alice had on her nurse look—concerned and nodding with sympathy. Jane knew that look well. And Louise sat back and listened with one eyebrow raised. No frown. No smile. Nothing to indicate what she was thinking. Jane looked at her father. His head was bent slightly to one side. He was watching her and listening. His expression gave away nothing, but his eyes held kindness, and that was her undoing. A tear leaked out the side of her eye. She rubbed it away with the back of her hand.

  “I shouldn't have swung on the rope. But I knew I could do it. I've swung on lots of ropes before. I won't do it again.”

  “Jane, you didn't ruin the nativity,” Rose said, reaching her hand out toward Jane. “You made the announcement with clarity and a great deal of enthusiasm. Then you got everyone's attention turned onto the stable, and you disappeared from view. That was the angel's role, and you did it well. Although the flying through the air part was unexpected, it was what an angel would do. I admit I was concerned about you. Your leg hit that beam hard. I could hear it.”

  “Apology accepted,” Samuel said. “But you don't need to promise not to swing on ropes again. Although please don't try it without having someone examine the rope.”

  “Thank you. I won't,” Jane said. “But I heard that I knocked down a lamp and almost started a fire. If Derek Grollier hadn't seen it fall..” Jane shuddered, thinking what could have happened.

  “That was my fault for hanging the lamp so close to the where someone could bump into it. I know better. And I talked to Derek. Thanked him. He'd been looking for work since he got out of the army and came home. I guess word got around about his quick thinking at the barn. This morning the fire chief offered him a job with the fire department and they're going to train him. He said it was odd the way things worked out. He'd been applying for jobs and praying for something to open. He's very excited about getting the job.”

  Jane exhaled. “That's good. I'm glad. He's real nice and treats me like I'm his age, although I know he's a lot older than me.”

  “Yeah, like almost my age,” Alice said.

  “And mine,” Rose said, smiling.

  Their smiles lifted some of her guilt, but she glanced at Samuel, and he wasn't smiling.

  “Jane, I went into the loft this morning. I hadn't paid attention to that rope before. It was dark in there last night, so you wouldn't have seen, but today the light was streaming in through the cracks in the walls. Where it looped over the roof beam, the rope was rubbing against a big spike. I gave it a little tug and the whole rope came crashing down. Why it didn't break under your weight last night…” He shook his head as if in disbelief. “I don't know. The slightest weight should have snapped it. Doesn't make any sense to me. You could have been—probably should have been seriously hurt. But I thank the Lord you weren't.”

  Rose's smile vanished. Her face paled. “Samuel, you didn't tell me.”

  “I knew you'd be upset,” he said. “But Jane needs to know how dangerous ropes and barns can be. I'd have had a hard time forgiving myself if something had happened to you.”

  Or someday to little Caleb, Jane thought with horror. If she hadn't swung on it, Samuel might not have noticed it until it was too late. She had felt completely secure on the rope, until she couldn't swing hard enough to reach the loft. She had wiggled and tugged, never considering the rope might be old and frayed. She looked to see her father's reaction.

  All the color had drained from Father's
face. He closed his eyes a moment and sighed. Then he looked at her.

  “My dear, impetuous Jane. You have such enthusiasm for life, I have wondered more than once how your guardian angels can keep up with you. Perhaps you weren't the only angel in the loft last night. The Bible says in Psalms 91:11-12, ‘For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.'

  “Father, do you really think an angel protected me?” Jane considered it for a moment. She remembered how bright the stars were the night before, making her think of angels. She remembered the shooting star that streaked straight at the barn.

  “I don't know, Jane. I can only tell you what the Bible says, and what I see. This isn't the first time you have avoided dire consequences. Last night you were saved from serious injury, and the barn was protected. Someone must have been watching out for us all.” He shook his head. “Do take pity on those poor angels, though.”

  “At least they get a few days to rest while you are off your feet,” Louise said.

  “I love the thought of angels visiting our barn and protecting us all,” Rose said. “When I think what could have happened…” She shuddered, then looked at Jane and smiled. “But it didn't. I am very thankful for such a wonderful night for our living Nativity. I heard lots of people enjoyed it. And I am going to believe that our living Nativity had a real-live miracle.”

  Jane looked around, wondering if an angel was watching now. Father was right. From now on she would be more careful. Angels were mighty powerful, but she didn't have to make them work so hard.

  P erhaps in retrospect, that night was a bit eventful,” Jane said. “I'm sorry if I gave you gray hair, Louie. I didn't mean to.”

  “You gave Mother her gray hair? I thought I did.”

  The sisters turned to see Cynthia enter the living room. She was dressed in herringbone wool slacks and a teal-green cashmere sweater. Her dark hair was sleek and smooth and her blue eyes shiny with the anticipation of the holiday. Jane jumped up and gave her a hug. “Happy Christmas! Come sit with us and I'll get you some coffee. We were just reminiscing. And I only gave your mother her first gray hair. You must have given her the rest.”