A Gift of Grace (25 page)

A lump lodged in her throat with the realization she’d now lost everyone in her life—Lindsay, Trisha, Aunt Rebecca, Morgan, and Brian. She was utterly
alone
.

“Jessica! Wait!” Morgan yelled.

Without listening, Jessica stepped into the street. By the time she saw the truck speeding toward her and hydroplaning on the wet pavement, it was too late to get out of the way.

Brakes squealed, and something heavy knocked her backward. She felt her head hit the pavement and then everything went black.

Rebecca rushed in through the back door of the shop.

“Rebecca?” Jake Miller rushed over to her. “Good morning.”

Rebecca scanned the room behind him, searching for her niece. “Have you seen Jessica?”

He frowned. “She didn’t come home last night?”

“No.” Rebecca glanced over at her husband. His eyes met hers and he scowled. She pushed aside her disappointment in him and concentrated on Jessica.

“We thought maybe she came to work early,” Lindsay said, standing beside Rebecca. “She’s not here?”

Rebecca shook her head while her stomach twisted with icy fear. “I have a bad feeling.”

Eli approached them. “What’s going on?” he asked.

Daniel’s younger brother Timothy also joined the group, a concerned expression clouding his face.

“Jessica is missing,” Lindsay said. Her voice quavered as tears filled her eyes.

“She’s missing?” Eli’s eyes widened.

“I don’t understand it,” Jake said. “I thought she went home last night.”

“Jessica was with you?” Eli’s eyes narrowed. “Do you have something to tell us, Jacob?”

Jake’s eyes widened. “What?” Recognition flashed through his eyes. “No, no!” He waved his hands. “Not like you mean. Jessica was upset last night. She walked to my house and asked me for a ride to the bus station.”

“The bus station?” Eli asked.

“Oh no.” Rebecca covered her mouth and groaned as panic gripped her. She did it! She ran away!

Daniel sidled up to his father, his eyes not moving from Rebecca. She met his stare, and intensity flashed between them. She wished he’d speak, say anything. But he remained silent, breaking her heart into tiny pieces.

Lindsay shook her head. “Why didn’t you stop her, Jake?” Her question wrenched Rebecca from her thoughts.

“I tried!” Jake said, gesturing with his hands for emphasis. “We talked, and I thought I had convinced her to go home. I offered to drive her back to the house, but she insisted on walking to clear her head.”

“She never came home.” Lindsay leaned on the counter behind her. “She went back to Virginia Beach.” Her eyes filled with anxiety while she gazed over at Jake. “What do we do now?”

“We wait,” Eli said. “We can’t do anything until we hear for sure that she’s in Virginia.”

“
Ya
, you’re right.” Rebecca sighed. “I should’ve talked to her more last night. Maybe if I had listened to her, she wouldn’t have run away.”

“It’s not your fault.” Jake touched Rebecca’s arm. “There’s nothing that any of us could’ve said to make her stay. Her mind was made up.” He pulled out his phone. “Why hasn’t she called us?”

“Rebecca,” a voice called from the other end of the shop.

Rebecca glanced over at Peter standing in the doorway.

“The phone is for you and Lindsay. It’s someone named Morgan,” her brother-in-law said.

“Morgan!” Lindsay yelled. “That’s Jessica’s best friend in Virginia.”

Rebecca and Lindsay maneuvered through the workers in the shop toward the front. Rebecca snatched the receiver from Peter. “Hello?” she asked. “This is Rebecca Kauffman.”

“Mrs. Kauffman,” a young feminine voice said. “My name is Morgan. I’m Jessica’s best—” She paused. “I’m Jessica’s friend.”

“Yes,” Rebecca said, her stare fixed on the desk next to her. “Jessica’s mentioned you. Please tell me what’s going on.” Her heart pounded with anticipation.

“There’s been an accident,” the girl said.

“What?” Rebecca trembled, and Lindsay touched her arm. “What happened?”

“Jessica got hit by a truck.” Morgan’s voice was thick. “She’s in the hospital.”

“Oh no.” Rebecca cupped her hand to her mouth, tears spilling from her eyes. Worry and guilt surged through her. She should’ve searched for Jessica last night. Maybe then she’d be okay. She should have stopped Jessica from running off!

Lindsay wrapped her arms around Rebecca. “What happened? Where’s my sister? Please tell me!”

Jake lunged for the phone and held it to his ear. “Morgan?” he asked. “My name is Jake. I’m friends with Jessica. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

He was silent while he listened on the phone. “I see,” he finally said. “We’ll be there as soon as we can. Thank you.” Jake glanced over at Rebecca. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll leave.”

“What’s going on?” Daniel asked as he stood in the doorway.

“Jessica’s in the hospital in Virginia Beach,” Jake said. “She was hit by a truck this morning.”

Lindsay gasped.

Jake touched her arm. “Go pack a few things. I’ll drive us all there.”

[Return to Table of Contents]

J
essica moaned. Her head felt like it was stuck in a tightening vise. Pain radiated from her right ankle to her knee. She opened her eyes and stared up at a long fluorescent light, which was buzzing so loud that it echoed in her aching head.

Where am I?

She opened her mouth to speak and a moan escaped.

“Jessie?” a familiar voice asked. “Are you awake?”

Moving to her side, more pain shot up Jessica’s leg, and she moaned again.
What’s going on? Why do I hurt so badly?

“Jessie, honey.” Trisha stood over her. “Don’t move. I’ll get the nurse.”

“Nurse?” The question came from Jessica’s lips in a hoarse whisper.

“You’re in the hospital.” Trisha pushed a button.

“May I help you?” a nurse appeared in the doorway.

“Miss Bedford needs some pain medication, please,” Trisha said.

“I’ll get it right away,” the nurse said, stepping back through the door. “I’ll be right back.”

Trisha leaned over Jessica and pushed her sweaty hair back from her face. “You really scared your family.”

“What do you mean?” Jessica asked.

“You don’t remember what happened?”

A wave of pain surged through her foot and stole her breath for a moment. Once the pain subsided, she shook her head.

“You were hit by a pickup truck in front of Brian’s house.” Trisha rubbed Jessica’s arm.

Memories flashed through Jessica’s mind like lightning. It all came back to her—her arguments with Lindsay and Aunt Rebecca, walking to Jake’s house in the rain, boarding the bus, and finding Brian and Morgan together.

Jessica licked her dry lips and rubbed her throbbing temple. “How’d you find out I was here?” Her voice croaked.

“Morgan called your aunt at the furniture store. Before they left Lancaster County, Rebecca called me and asked me to come to the hospital and stay with you until she can get here.” Trisha held her hand. “Your family is worried sick about you.”

Jessica closed her eyes while regret rained down on her. She shouldn’t have left without telling them. She was wrong to do that to Lindsay—and also to Rebecca.

“Brian and Morgan are in the waiting room,” Trisha said. “Do you want to see them?”

Jessica shook her head. The last thing she needed was to see those two liars. How dare they make a fool of her by saying they were her best friends and then cheating behind her back!

“I didn’t think so.” Trisha gave a weak smile. “Morgan told me what happened and admitted they’ve been seeing each other behind your back.” She shook her head with a disgusted expression. “They should be ashamed of themselves.”

“Can you help me sit up?” Jessica asked.

“Sure.” Her aunt pushed a button, and the bed creaked while lifting Jessica to a sitting position.

A nurse stepped into the room. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m sore,” Jessica whispered. “My head feels like it’s going to explode.”

“This should take the edge off.” The woman handed Jessica a small plastic cup with two pills in it.

Jessica swallowed the pills and sipped some water. “Why does my foot hurt so badly?”

“You broke your ankle in three places.” The nurse took the cup. “You’re going to be sore for quite a while.”

Jessica leaned back in the bed and moaned. A broken ankle. She wondered how she was going to get around. What a nightmare. She should’ve just stayed in Bird-in-Hand. No, she didn’t belong there.

Where
did
she belong?

“If you need anything else, just let me know.” The nurse smiled. “My name is Kelley.”

“Thanks,” Jessica said.

“Why don’t you close your eyes for a while? Lindsay and Rebecca won’t be here for a few more hours.” Trisha rubbed her arm again. “I’ll be here with you.”

“How are they getting here?” Jessica asked. “Are you picking them up at the bus station?”

Trisha shook her head. “Jake is driving them.”

“Jake?” Jessica asked.

“Yes.” Trisha raised her eyebrows. “Who’s Jake?”

“A friend.” Jessica’s cheeks heated. “We work together at the furniture store.”

“I guess he isn’t Amish if he drives a car, huh?” Trisha’s grin widened.

“No, but his grandfather is. His grandfather and Aunt Rebecca’s father-in-law own the store.” Jessica scanned the room for her purse. “If you can find my purse, I can show you a photo of him.”

“You carry a photo of him?” Trisha opened the closet and pulled out her purse.

“Not exactly.” Jessica took the purse and pulled out the new phone. “Jake gave me this for my birthday, and it has a camera in it.” She pulled up his photo and handed the phone to Trisha. “I took his picture at my party the other night.”

“Wow.” Trisha grinned. “He’s very handsome.” She glanced at Jessica. “He bought you this phone for your birthday? He must really like you.”

“I told you we’re just friends.” Taking the phone from Trisha, she glanced at Jake’s image. She missed him already. How silly was that?

“Jake seems like a very nice young man,” Trisha said, putting the purse back in the closet. “That means a lot that he’d drop everything and drive your aunt and sister here to be with you.”

Nodding, Jessica closed her eyes.

“I bet he’d treat you better than Brian,” her godmother said.

“We’re just friends.” Jessica yawned. “I think the pills are working. I’m so tired.”

“You get some sleep,” Trisha said.

Fading off to sleep, Jessica wondered when Jake would be there.

Rebecca stared out the window while Jake steered his pickup truck through the streets of Virginia Beach. Her mind raced during the long ride from Lancaster County. She contemplated the situation over and over again with Daniel’s and Jessica’s words echoing in her mind.

Guilt mixed with regret poured down over her like the big, sloppy drops hitting the windshield and windows of the truck.

Rebecca wished she’d stopped Jessica from leaving. She never should’ve left Jessica on the porch with Lindsay. If Rebecca had paid more attention during the gathering, she could’ve gotten Jessica to talk to her instead of running away.

She glanced over as Jake steered onto another busy highway. Virginia Beach was the complete opposite of Bird-in-Hand. Instead of beautiful rolling farmlands and lush pastures, the area was overgrown with close-knit neighborhoods and businesses. Claustrophobia gripped Rebecca at the thought of living in such a densely populated area.

The wet pavement glistened under the bright streetlights. According to what Morgan had told Jake, rain had played a part in the accident. If it hadn’t been raining, the truck wouldn’t have swerved to avoid that fallen branch, and it wouldn’t have hit Jessica after she’d stumbled into the street.

Her stomach twisted at the thought of Jessica in a hospital bed and injured from the accident. Rebecca hoped Jessica wasn’t in pain, and she prayed Jessica wouldn’t require surgery. She’d sent up multiple prayers that her niece would recover well and be able to come home soon.

Home
. Sighing, she wondered where home should be for Jessica.

If Daniel had his way, Jessica’s home would be here in Virginia Beach. Daniel hadn’t said a word to Rebecca before they departed for Virginia.

Although she was angry with Daniel, his last words to her still haunted her. She couldn’t help but wonder if he were right. While she was disappointed in her husband as well as in the rest of the community for not giving Jessica the patience she needed to adjust to their culture, she also wondered if it was time to let her go.

The thought caused her eyes to fill with tears and her heart to ache. Grace had relied on Rebecca to give the girls a good home. However, the home only seemed to agree with Lindsay.

Rebecca reflected on Jessica. The girl had said she was like her mother, and she needed to go back to her English life. Perhaps she was right, and making her stay to endure a life she hated was a mistake. She wondered if Jessica should leave as Grace had.

Elizabeth’s words rang through her mind. Rebecca needed to open her heart and listen to God. She needed to hear her husband. She needed to listen to Jessica.

Had Jessica been telling her the answer all along? Had Rebecca been too focused on her own needs to listen?

Closing her eyes, Rebecca sent up a prayer. She asked God to give her the answer. What had He been trying to tell her? Her heart and her ears were finally open to His Word.

Should she let Jessica live the life she yearned for in Virginia Beach or force her to live where she would be unhappy?

“This is it. Turn here,” Lindsay said, breaking through Rebecca’s thoughts.

The truck bounced into the parking lot of Sentara Princess Anne Hospital, and Rebecca’s stomach twisted. She hoped Jessica was okay. She couldn’t wait to give her a hug and tell her how much she loved her. All that mattered was that she was going to be fine, despite running away and the accident.

“Just park anywhere,” Lindsay said. “The lot is always full.”

“You used to come here often?” Jake steered into a space near the back of the lot.

“I’ve been here a few times,” Lindsay said, leaning over into the front seat. “It seemed like I always had a friend in the hospital for something a while back. My one friend had her appendix out, and another friend’s older sister had a baby here. It’s a nice hospital. Good doctors.”

“That’s good to know,” Rebecca said.

They navigated through the lot, parked, and walked into the hospital lobby. A nurse at the front desk directed them to Jessica’s room.

Rebecca’s stomach churned while they moved through the bustling hallway to the room. She trailed behind Lindsay and Jake, feeling uncomfortable in this strange environment. Rebecca hadn’t been to a hospital since her father passed away ten years ago.

They approached the door, and Jake knocked.

Trisha opened the door, and gasped as her eyes fell on Lindsay. “Lindsay!” She wrapped her arms around her. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You too.” Lindsay hugged her neck.

“Let me look at you.” Trisha held Lindsay at arm’s length, her eyes wild with surprise. “You’ve become Amish?”

Lindsay smiled, her cheeks turning a bright pink. “It helps me feel close to my mom.”

Rebecca smiled, tears filling her eyes. She was so proud of Lindsay. She hoped Jessica would find where she belonged just as Lindsay had managed to do.

Trisha hugged Lindsay again. “You look lovely.” Trisha glanced beyond Lindsay. “You must be Jake.”

“Hi.” He nodded. “How is she?”

“She’s okay.” Trisha nodded. “She took a little nap, and she’s feeling better. They’re going to release her tomorrow.”

“That’s wonderful.” Rebecca breathed a sigh of relief.

Trisha gestured for them to come into the room. “She’d love to see you.”

Jake and Lindsay entered the room, while Rebecca stayed behind.

“Rebecca?” Trisha asked, her eyebrows knitting in question. “Is something wrong?”

“I was wondering if we could go somewhere and talk.” Rebecca fingered her apron while taking a deep breath.

“Sure. There’s a waiting room just down the hallway.” Trisha nodded and closed the door to Jessica’s room.

Rebecca followed her down the short hallway to a small, empty room filled with chairs. A woman on the flat screen television screen hanging in the corner announced that the temperature would reach a sweltering one hundred and four degrees tomorrow.

“Can I get you a drink?” Trisha offered. “There are snack machines just around the corner.”

“No, thank you. We stopped for a drink when we got to town.” Rebecca lowered herself into a chair near the back corner of the room.

Trisha sat across from her. “So, what’s on your mind?”

Rebecca took another deep breath, mustering all the strength she had left after the long, draining six-hour ride. “I’ve been doing some thinking about the girls.”

“Oh?” Trisha asked, raising her eyebrows.

“While Lindsay has adjusted well to our lifestyle, Jessica has struggled. I love them both dearly, but I’m starting to wonder if what’s best for Lindsay isn’t the same as what’s best for Jessica.” Rebecca paused and glanced at the television, which featured a commercial for a car.