The Doctor's Blessing

by Patricia Davids

  As he walked to his SUV with Amber at his side, he said, “My grandfather told me the Amish don’t believe in health insurance. How are Martha and her family going to pay for her care?”

  “It’s true that they don’t believe in insurance of any kind. If a man gets insurance, that means he doesn’t have faith in God’s protection. Whatever happens is God’s will. On the flip side of that, they don’t sue for bad outcomes. Such a thing is also Gottes Wille.

  “As far as the Nissleys are concerned, the Church community will take up a collection for them. A notice will be sent to the Amish newspaper and donations will come from all over. Their bills will be paid.”

  Phillip had to admire people who cared so well for their own. While he thought they were some of the most backward people on the planet for refusing modernization, he had to admit that their sense of community was impressive.

  The drive back to Hope Springs was made in silence. They were both too tired to make small talk. The only time Amber spoke was when she gave him directions to her home. It was nearly dark when he pulled up in front of her house.

  She hesitated before getting out. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I’m glad you came to Hope Springs. We needed you.”

  “It’s not the type of medicine I want to practice, but I’ll admit it isn’t boring.”

  Turning to face him, she asked, “What type of medicine do you want to practice?”

  He sensed her unwillingness to leave, and it made him feel good. “I want to practice cutting-edge medicine. I want the newest and best equipment and procedures available for my patients.”

  “We don’t have that here.”

  “No, but you’ve got mighty big horses.” That coaxed a tiny smile from her. She looked beautiful in the fading light.

  She acted as if she wanted to say something else. Instead, she abruptly got out. She gave a little wave and said, “Good night, Dr. White. See you on Monday.”

  He watched her walk inside the white, narrow, two-story Victorian and felt a sharp sense of regret. He’d missed his chance to escape her dangerous undertow. He was well and truly in for a nasty dunking. Amber Bradley was as beautiful as the sea and every bit as dangerous to his peace of mind. Shifting his SUV into reverse, he backed out of her drive, determined not to think about her the rest of the night.

  He hadn’t gone half a block before the memory of her last little smile slipped into his mind and stayed there.

  Chapter Seven

  Beside Amber’s front door, Fluffy sat waiting to get in. She picked up the overweight white cat. “How did you get out?”

  A yellow tabby darted past her feet and raced down the steps. Amber recognized Ginger, her neighbor’s cat. Apparently, she had broken up a feline tryst.

  Inside her house, Amber put the cat down and flipped on the kitchen light. Crossing the room, she dumped her purse on the table. Fluffy began rubbing against Amber’s legs. She picked up the big cat again and cuddled him close, taking comfort from his happy, rumbling purr.

  “Did you see the guy in the car? This is nuts, Fluffy. I don’t understand why I’m so attracted to that man. He’s standing in the way of my life’s work. One minute I want to strangle him, the next minute I’m wondering what kissing him would be like. What is wrong with me?”

  Putting the cat down, Amber puttered around her cheery yellow kitchen. She had only one object in mind, to get so tired that she couldn’t think about Dr. Phillip White anymore. On the one hand, she was furious with him for stopping her midwife practice. On the other hand, she was honest enough to admit she was deeply drawn to him.

  Why, she had no idea. Sure, he was a good physician, but she’d met plenty of those. He wasn’t the best-looking man she’d ever met. Close maybe, but looks weren’t everything. Phillip had more going for him. Even if he didn’t understand the Amish, he seemed willing to learn. Could he learn to love this place as she did?

  She banged her hands on the countertop. “Stop obsessing about him!”

  Her shout startled Fluffy and sent the long-haired white cat dashing out of the room.

  “Great. Now you’ll be stuck behind the sofa, and I’ll spend the night listening to you yowl. One more mark against the oh-so-handsome Dr. Surfer Boy,” she shouted after the cat.

  Fluffy’s ample girth made it impossible for him to turn around and get out of his favorite hiding place. He would simply yowl until someone moved the heavy sofa away from the wall or pulled aside the even heavier bookcase that blocked one end of his tunnel.

  Ignoring her cat, Amber began vigorously scrubbing her kitchen sink. Unfortunately, the exercise only took a couple of minutes. Next, she washed the kitchen floor. Another ten minutes gone. By now, Fluffy had started mewing loudly. “All right, I’m coming.”

  After freeing her pet, Amber glanced at the clock. It was time to call Harold. Settling herself in her favorite chair, she dialed the long-distance number.

  Each day she called and got an update from Harold to share with his friends. The entire county was praying for his recovery. He was improving slowly but not as quickly as he wanted.

  As she listened to the phone ring, she wondered what she could tell Harold that wouldn’t upset him. Should she mention that things in Hope Springs weren’t the same without him?

  It was true, yet if the accident hadn’t occurred, Amber never would have met Phillip.

  There was no way she was going to tell Harold she might be falling for his grandson. Even a hint of that would have him planting a whole garden of celery. She had stopped counting the number of times he’d told her she needed to find a husband and raise some kids of her own.

  Like it was as simple as picking out a ripe melon at a roadside produce stand.

  Amber wasn’t opposed to finding a man who could win her heart and soul, but she didn’t want one who lived in Hawaii. She wanted someone who loved this community the way she did.

  When Harold answered at last, she knew what she would do. She’d fill Harold in on the things happening in Hope Springs. That was the truth. She could only hope that he wouldn’t dig deeper.

  “Keep it about the work,” Phillip muttered as he entered his grandfather’s house and closed the heavy oak door behind him. Sure, Amber was cute, intelligent, quick thinking and dedicated. What was so unusual about that?

  “Okay, she’s the kind of woman any man would want to know better, but she’s completely off-limits.”

  Talking to himself about it sure wasn’t a good sign. With the pressures of school and setting up his practice, the only relationships he’d had in the past few years were uncomplicated. Short-term relationships where both parties wanted nothing deeper than an occasional movie date, a dinner partner or someone to go surfing with. Amber was anything but uncomplicated.

  He’d ruled out taking a wife a long, long time ago. Too many times as a kid he’d seen his mother weeping uncontrollably when her latest lover left her brokenhearted. He’d seen it often enough to know he’d never risk doing that to any woman. If his father had lived, would it have been different? He would never know.

  At least his mother was happy now, or as happy as she could be. Her current husband, Michael Watson, was a good and decent man. After spending years with one toad after another, she’d finally found her prince. However, the emotional toll of her former life stayed with her. She suffered from a deep-seated fear of abandonment.

  His mother met Michael when Phillip was a junior in high school. Michael provided the things she desperately longed for—safety, security, a nice home and a man who loved her. Although Phillip wasn’t sure she truly loved Michael in return, she worked hard to be a good wife.

  Phillip owed his stepfather a great deal. Without Michael’s help, med school would have remained a pipe dream. Phillip never would have come to know God without his stepfather’s gentle encouragement. That had been Michael’s greatest gift, but one Phillip had let slide recently. He would remedy that while he was in Hope Springs.

  He glanced at the clock ab
ove his grandfather’s mantel. With the five-hour time difference, his stepfather should be getting home from work in another twenty minutes. That left Phillip enough time to check on his grandfather first.

  After dialing the number to his grandfather’s room in the rehab hospital in Honolulu, Phillip settled himself on the sofa and waited for Harold to pick up. When he finally did, he was anything but cordial.

  “It’s about time you called. How are things? I want to know what’s going on.”

  “Things are fine. Like they were yesterday when I spoke to you. I came to Hope Springs so you would stop worrying. If you’re not doing that, I might as well go home and get a little surfing in.”

  “And then what would become of my people?”

  It was a good question. One Phillip hesitated to suggest an answer for, but he did anyway. “You could advertise for a partner or for someone to take over the practice.”

  “Ha! Don’t you dare try and sell my practice out from under me. I’ll fight you every step of the way.”

  “I’m not trying to sell your clinic out from under you. It’s just that I’ve seen how much work is involved here. You’re not a spring chicken anymore.”

  “There’s a little crowing left in this old rooster. I’ll be back there before you know it.”

  “I hope so. I really do. How’s the physical therapy going?”

  “They just like to torture people here. I might have fractured my skull but my mind still works.”

  “I can tell. What did you do today? Besides grump at the therapists.” Harold chuckled. Phillip was happy to hear that sound again.

  “I’ve been putting square pegs in round holes. I picked up numerous small objects and transferred them to different types of containers. Joy, joy. I went up three steps with my crutches but that was all I could manage. I can’t seem to make my legs work right.”

  “Harold, that’s a lot more than you could do a week ago. What did your doctor have to say?”

  “He says I can’t come home yet. What does he know?”

  “He’s one of the best in Honolulu. He knows a lot. You’re making progress.”

  “Maybe so. It’s just hard to be here and not there. Everyone writes, though. I’ve gotten lots of mail. So tell me, who did you see today?”

  After describing the patients he’d seen in the clinic and their conditions, he recounted Martha Nissley’s accident.

  “Yes, Amber told me about that. It’s a shame. Martha kept house for me years ago, before she was married. I don’t know why some teenagers think it’s fun to torment the Amish. They are such gentle people. They’d never hurt anyone. I will pray for her recovery.”

  “The family wouldn’t make a police report.”

  “It’s their way.”

  “That’s what Amber told me.”

  There was a long pause on the line, then Harold asked, “How are the two of you getting along?”

  “Fine.” Phillip wasn’t about to get into details when he wasn’t sure what his feelings were.

  “Yes, that’s what Amber said, with exactly that same tone in her voice.”

  Phillip felt like a college freshman pumping his best friend for information about the cute girl in English class. “What did she have to say about me?”

  “Nothing much.”

  “Oh.” He hoped he didn’t sound as disappointed as he felt.

  “She did mention you were a nice-looking guy.”

  “She did?” That was promising.

  “I think what she actually said was that you look a lot like me.”

  “Gray-haired and wrinkled? Oh, joy!” he replied with teasing sarcasm.

  Harold laughed out loud. “Tell me what you think of her.”

  “Are you going to repeat this conversation to her?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Then I’m not telling you a thing. Except she’s a very good nurse. She’s brave, incredibly foolish, stubborn to a fault and—”

  “And what, Phillip?”

  He searched for the right word but came up short. “I don’t know. Sweet.”

  “She’s pretty as the day is long, too. Don’t you think?”

  Now Phillip was sorry he’d gotten himself into this conversation. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  The sound that came through the phone had to be a snort. “Didn’t know you were thickheaded, boy.”

  “Okay, she’s cute, but being a skilled nurse is a lot more important to me.”

  “She’s the best midwife I’ve ever worked with.”

  Phillip decided it was best to avoid that topic. “Is there anything you need, Harold?”

  “No, your stepdad has been here every day to check on me and bring me some decent food. Some of this Hawaiian stuff is good. Have you had poi?”

  Phillip chuckled. “Many times.”

  He hesitated a moment, then asked, “Has my mother been to see you?”

  “No, and she won’t.”

  “Don’t you think it’s about time one of you told me what happened between you?”

  A long silence followed Phillip’s question. Finally, Harold said, “That’s between her and me.”

  “It certainly affected me. We could have known each other for thirty additional years. I could have learned so much more about my father from you!” He was almost shouting as his resentment surged to the forefront.

  Calmly, Harold said, “Phillip, you have to let go of your father. Nothing you learn can bring you closer to him or bring him back. All you can do is live your life for God and others and pray you will see him in heaven.”

  Sighing heavily, Phillip struggled to gain control of his raw emotions. It was hard to admit, but he said, “I know you’re right.”

  “But you can’t accept it.”

  “Not until I know why my mother kept me away from you all these years. Nothing you tell me can be worse than the things I imagine.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure of that. Tell Amber I’m thinking of her and hoping Sophie Knepp has an easy delivery. The poor woman has already lost two of her seven children before they turned two.”

  “You’re changing the subject, sir.”

  “Yes, I am. Good night, Phillip.” The line went dead.

  Chapter Eight

  By Sunday morning Amber had complete control of her emotions. Her feelings for Phillip were a silly infatuation and nothing more. Once she had spent a few more days working with him, this odd attraction would die a natural death. They had bonded because of their danger-filled rescue of Martha Nissley. It was a common occurrence between people in tension filled situations. Such intense emotions rarely lasted. Satisfied that she understood what was going on, she headed with light steps toward the Hope Springs Fellowship Church.

  It was a beautiful summer morning. Late July could be frightfully hot in Ohio but the temperature had been mild lately. The sky was clear except for rare fleecy clouds floating past.

  They reminded her of Fluffy. The cat who was most likely curled up at home asleep on Amber’s blue sofa. A few white hairs on the furniture were a small price to pay for such a loving companion. Looking toward the white spire of the church silhouetted against the sky, Amber allowed the peace she always felt on this day to soak into her soul.

  That peace lasted until she reached the church steps. At the top of them, Phillip stood talking to Pastor Finzer as he greeted his flock. Her hope to slip inside unnoticed was dashed when the minister caught sight of her.

  “Amber, look who’s joining us this morning.”

  She nodded in their direction and slowly climbed the steps. “Pastor, good morning. Dr. White, nice to see you.”

  Beaming a bright smile at the two of them, the friendly young pastor said, “We’re delighted to have Dr. White as a visitor to our church while he’s in town. I’m sure Amber will introduce you around, Phillip, and help you feel at home. Won’t you, dear?”

  “Of course.” The smile on her face was fake. She hoped neither of the men realized it.

  As they pas
sed through the doors, Phillip leaned down and softly said, “Sorry about that. I know you didn’t want to get stuck with me on your day off.”

  Was that how he was feeling? That he was stuck with her? She couldn’t hide the sting of disappointment she felt. “Don’t worry, Dr. White. I’ll find somebody to pass you off to quickly.”

  “That wasn’t what I meant.”

  Amber spied the perfect candidate sitting to the left of the aisle. Stopping beside an ample woman in a pink suit with a matching pink hat, Amber said, “Mrs. Curtis, how lovely to see you’re feeling well enough to attend church today.”

  “Thank you, Amber dear. I struggled this morning. I don’t know how I managed, but the Lord gave me strength.”

  “Mrs. Curtis, I’d like you to meet the new doctor in town. Dr. White, this is Gina Curtis. She’s one of your grandfather’s most frequent visitors.”

  “Dr. White, do have a seat.” Gina scooted over to make room for him, her eyes bright with interest.

  After he sat she said, “You know, I’ve been having this terrible pain in my neck. What do you think it could be? Oh, and my left heel hurts dreadfully when I stand up in the mornings. What can cause that? Your grandfather has never been able to figure out what ails me.”

  Amber felt a little ashamed, but if Phillip was going to be practicing in Hope Springs, he had to take the good with the bad. He might as well get his first meeting with Gina over with. She’d stop listing her ailments as soon as Pastor Finzer began the service.

  Amber suspected the spinster harbored a secret crush on the good-looking blond preacher who was at least thirty years her junior.

  Amber started to turn away, but Phillip grasped her wrist. “Please, sit with us.”

  It wasn’t so much a request as a command. Unless she wanted to make a scene by twisting away from his firm grip, she had no choice. With another false smile in place, she said, “I’d be delighted.”

  He stood to let her in the pew. “I doubt it,” he muttered as she slipped past and sat down