The Days of Redemption (62 page)

As the evening sun's rays filtered through the window blinds, creating broad stripes on the foot of Marie's hospital bed, Peter scooted his chair closer to his wife.

“I can hardly believe we're sitting alone. At long last.”

She smiled tiredly. “I have had a lot of visitors, for sure.”

After their first, sweet greeting, the doctors and nurses had shooed everyone out and examined her. About an hour later, they moved her to a different room on a different floor.

Then, explaining how exhausted Marie was, they sent everyone home. He, too, had gone home reluctantly—only his own exhaustion had prevented him from staying.

Now, here they were, together again, and the world seemed a bit brighter.

Pulling his gaze away from Marie, he looked around the room. This one was a bit bigger and had a more homey feeling. It was on the second floor of the hospital, and located at the end of the hall. Now, instead of being across from a nurses' station, they were across from an empty room. It was a far quieter environment.

Before his visit, Marie had been allowed to take a shower and even slip on one of her white cotton nightgowns Viola had brought from home. After she'd showered, a nurse had kindly brushed out her hair, then pinned it neatly at the nape of her neck.

Marie was pale but otherwise looked much like her regular self. No cords or tubes were attached to her now. The nurse said she could get all of Marie's vitals by hourly visits instead of electric monitors.

“I am mighty glad not to have so much commotion around me,” Marie commented.

“Do you remember much about when you were so sick?”

“I remember feeling exhausted and dizzy.” Raising her eyes to his, she added, “And I remember many people sitting with me. Especially you.”

“I hated to leave your side.” Even now, after his month's absence, he still gazed at her eagerly, anxious to reacquaint himself with her. They had so much to catch up on. So much to discuss when the time was right.

But for now, he wanted to keep things easy. There would be plenty of time to talk about things when she was home. At the moment, he wanted to concentrate on the present.

“I was so worried about you, Marie.”

She reached for his hand. “But I am better now.”

“The
doktah
said if you are fever-free tomorrow, you can go home on Wednesday or Thursday.”

“That will be wonderful-
gut
. I can't wait to be back in my own bed.” She shifted a bit, rearranging the sheets and blanket across her chest. “Tell me about the
kinner
, Peter.”

Afraid all of the news might worry her, he patted her hand. “There's time for all that later.”

“Tell me,” she coaxed. “Please? I want to think about something besides myself.”

He leaned back, stretched his legs. Debated the best way to tell her about all the goings-on. Then decided some things just had to be told without much preparation. “First off, Roman married Amanda.”

Her eyes widened. “What? Are you joking?” She struggled to sit up.

With one hand, he eased her back down. “Relax, dear. Don't get yourself worked up.”

“I'm not—”

“You are.”

Grumbling a bit, she eased back into the softness of her pillow. “I'm relaxed. Now talk. Are you serious?”

He grinned. “I like to tease you, wife, but I wouldn't tease you about this.” Taking a moment to weigh his words, he scratched his beard. “As soon as they heard you were in the hospital, they jumped on the first bus from Florida, Regina and Goldie in tow.”

“Goldie?”

“She's their dog. You'll meet her when you get home.”

“Why did they marry so fast?”

“Amanda and Roman wanted to be here with you, and they didn't want to wait for a wedding. Roman talked to Bishop Coblenz, the bishop agreed, and married them on the spot. None of us attended. . . . They just walked into the house and announced they were husband and wife.”

“We should have a party or reception or something.” Her fingers drummed the mattress. “Maybe we could host a dinner in two weeks?” A pair of lines formed between her brows. “Or, is that too late?”

“I'm sure they will enjoy a party at any time.”

“Maybe sooner than later . . . Maybe Lorene could help get things organized. What do you think?”

“I think your mind is already spinning.” Unable to help himself, he leaned over and smoothed the crease in her brow. “Relax, dear.”

“But there's so much to think about.”

She didn't know the half of it! With a foolish grin he couldn't seem to temper, he playfully curved a hand around her shoulder. Pretending to hold her in place. “Settle down, Marie. We must watch your blood pressure and your lungs.”

“My blood is fine. My lungs are, too—”

“Your lungs are hardly fine. And who knows what is going on with your pulse. You look like you're ready to leap out of the bed!” He hardened his voice a bit, just to let her know that he was serious. “Calm down or I won't give you another bit of information. You need to get better, not have a relapse.”

“Fine.” She coughed a bit, took a small sip of water with his help, then sighed. “I just can't believe they got married without me. Without any of us.”

“This was their decision, Marie,” he said patiently. “Remember, Amanda's already had a big wedding. And Roman? Well, he never was one for big events. They are both happy and living at home.”

A bit of hope flashed in her eyes. “They're living at home? Is that what they've decided to do, live with us?”

“To be honest, I haven't even thought to ask them. We've been otherwise occupied, you know. And Amanda's been a big help around the house.”

When she reached for her cup of water again, he leaned over and helped her sip through the straw. Her nurse had warned that Marie might tire easily. He gazed at Marie's face, searching for signs that she needed to rest.

She was starting to look drained. Already, her eyelids looked a bit heavy. “You should sleep now. We'll talk more when you wake up.”

“Not yet. First . . . How is Viola? How was her trip to Belize? I didn't get to ask her much when she brought me my gown.”

“From what I can tell, she said Belize was mighty different than Berlin. And I got the feeling that she didn't make the best first impression.”

“That seems hard to imagine. Our Viola is always so put together and kind to others. I had hoped that everything would go smoothly.” Marie frowned. “Is she going to go back? Maybe she'll want to live with us while Ed is away. Some married missionaries live apart, I think she mentioned.”

That was so like his lovely, tenderhearted wife. She wanted the children nearby always—even when they weren't children anymore. “Well, Edward is scheduled to come home in three months. They plan to get married then . . . and then both go to Belize.”

“August will be a
gut
time for a wedding,” she said drowsily.

Unable to stop touching her, he picked up her hand and squeezed it gently. “You know what they say—
any
time is a
gut
time for a wedding.”

She smiled at that, then shifted a bit. Yawned.

“Are you ready for a break, Marie? I don't want to tire you out.”

“I am getting sleepy,” she admitted. “But we still have one child to go. How is Elsie?”

For once, Elsie was the one he was most worried about. For a moment, he thought about not telling Marie about Elsie's latest development, but he decided no good would come from keeping any more secrets. “She went on a buggy ride with our new neighbor Landon Troyer, the other evening.”

“That's nice. I bet she enjoyed that.”

“No, you don't understand. It was a date.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my goodness. She's being courted? By a man?”

He chuckled at her phrasing. “I'm afraid so.”

“She shouldn't be courting. Should she?”

“It's out of our hands. She's a grown woman.”

“But her eyesight—”

“Is a concern. I agree. We told her she should talk to Landon and tell him about her eyes.”

“Did she?”

“She won't talk to us, but I don't think so.”

“My goodness. I need to get out of this hospital. I need to see Amanda. And meet Goldie . . .” Her voice was a bit slurred.

“You do need to get home. We need you
verra
much. But that is why you need to rest, dear. Why don't you close your eyes for a bit?”

“But we haven't even talked about you. Or your parents . . . Or Lorene . . ” She yawned, cutting off her other words.

“We will discuss all of that later. That's the best thing about our life now, Marie. We have all the time in the world to talk and plan.”

After another yawn, she opened her eyes halfway. “You really are back, aren't you? And . . . And you won't leave me again?”

He was back, both mentally and physically. As he watched Marie fall into a peaceful slumber, he was never so glad to have made that difficult call to seek help.

“I am back,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. “Now, dear Marie, don't fret. I promise, I don't plan to ever leave you again.”

The house was in an uproar. Marie was due to come home the next morning, and everyone had a different idea about what to do to prepare for her return. After watching far too many of her offspring discuss, plan, argue, and stew, Lovina knew it was time to get involved.

Her many children and grandchildren would probably never admit it, but sometimes they still needed her to be in charge.

As the voices rose to an uncomfortable pitch, Lovina held up a hand. “That, children, is enough.”

And, just like when she was far younger and had a houseful of
kinner
, the room fell silent.

She grinned. It was nice to know that she could still create order out of chaos.

Her second oldest son, Sam, stared at her like she'd lost her mind. “Mamm, did you just call us children? I'm forty-seven, you know.”

She fought back a sigh. That boy never could hold his tongue. “Samuel, are you talking back to me?”

“
Nee
, Mamm.”

Viola started to snicker, but Lovina put her fiercest glare on her face. Just as she'd hoped, Viola's expression turned contrite.

Now that the troublemakers had been tamed, the group stopped talking and waited for her to speak.

Pleased, she exhaled and began doing what she did best—ordering everyone around. “Elsie has been holding this household together long enough. I agree that we all need to do our part, but this is ridiculous.” Pointing to Amanda, Viola, and their cousin Beth, she said, “You girls are in charge of your parents' room. With your mother being so sick, everything needs to be spic-and-span and fresh. After that, clean up the front room and the bathroom, too.
Jah?
”

“Yes, Mommi,” Beth said obediently.

Satisfied, she turned to her daughter and daughters-in law. “Lorene, Rachel, and Mary Beth, you are in charge of the kitchen. Plan three days of menus, and divide up the work. When the girls finish their cleaning, they can help you.”

She paused for breath, and for good measure, cast a hard look on them. The women might be in their forties and mothers of adults, too, but sometimes they needed to be reminded of who was in charge. “Does that sound reasonable?”

“
Jah
, Mamm,” Lorene said.

“Gut.”
Now she turned to the men. “Peter, show the men what needs to be done outside, then go back to your wife.”

“Are you sure, Mamm? Would you rather take a turn at the hospital?”

Though the idea of sitting with Marie was tempting, she knew her company wasn't what her daughter-in-law needed. “I've sat in my fair share of hospitals over the years, son. Besides, I am clearly needed here. This
haus
is on the verge of falling apart.”

“We haven't been doing that bad of a job,” Lorene muttered.

“Hmmph.” Lovina folded her arms over her chest and did her best to look mighty put upon, practically daring them all to refute that.

Though she spied a couple of sardonic looks sneakily sent to each other, no one dared argue with that statement.

Until two of her boys grinned. “You haven't lost your touch, Mamm,” Aden said around a smile.

Samuel chuckled. “You still can have me shaking in my boots.”

She almost smiled. Instead, she raised her chin a bit, then eyed them the way she used to when they'd left their wooden blocks all over the floor. “
Gut
,” she said crisply. Then she clapped her hands. “Well, off you all go. Time stands still for no one.”

One by one, each went to his or her designated area, until only Regina remained by her side.

“Mommi Lovina?” she said while giving her apron a good tug.

Bending down, Lovina allowed her stern expression to soften as she met her sweet adopted great-granddaughter's face. “Yes, dear?”

“Are you mighty angry at all of us?”

Falling to one knee, she shook her head. “My goodness. I'm not angry at all. I was just pretending to be tough.”

Hope blossomed in her eyes. “Truly?”

“Jah.”
Reaching out, she gave little Regina a quick hug. “I knew if I didn't act stern they'd do something foolish and come up with their own plan. They may be old, but they're not so old that I can't tell them what to do.”

She giggled. “You even told my
mamm
what to do. And you called everyone
kinner
!”

“She might be your mother, but she's a child to me. They all are.” Solemnly winking as she straightened, Lovina added, “But she listens
gut,
don't she?”

Regina nodded, then giggled again as she tugged on Lovina's apron again. “Mommi?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Can I help, too? Or am I too little?”

“You are never too little to be of use.” Holding out her hand, she said, “Come with me. Regina. I have a mighty important job in mind for you.”

Regina slipped her little hand in hers. “What?”

“I want you to come with me to the
dawdi haus
.”

Her eyes widened. “What's there?”

“Dawdi Aaron and a new puzzle.”

“You want me to work on a puzzle with Dawdi?”

“Oh, yes. He can't put it together by himself. He's old, you know.”

Practically skipping by her side, Regina said, “I like being with Dawdi Aaron.”

“He likes being with you, too. I bet we could even make you both some hot chocolate.”

“I love hot chocolate.” Chuckling, Lovina opened the door and led the way to her little
haus
in the back of the bustling one. As Regina grabbed her hand, she murmured, “I love you, Mommi Lovina.”

Stopping, Lovina knelt down and gave Regina another hug. “I love you, too.” As she felt her great-granddaughter's slim arms wrap around her neck, Lovina's heart filled with love . . . and regret.

What she and Aaron weren't telling anyone was that while everyone was getting busy for Marie to come home, she and Aaron were packing to leave.

As much as it pained her to be leaving her family, it had to be done.

They planned to leave on the next bus to Lancaster County, which was in two days' time.

She knew it wasn't the greatest timing with Marie just out of the hospital. But some things couldn't be put off any longer. After all, they'd been ignored far too long already.

A
nother day, another job. After they'd overseen the staining of the Market Street house, Landon and Daniel passed the sealing on to Zip and Craig.

Now they were in an old home from the turn of the century that a fancy
Englischer
had purchased a few months ago. The plumbers and electricians had done their parts, and now Landon and Daniel were hired to patch walls and refinish the floors.

Although they refinished floors all the time, patching and repairing walls was a far trickier job. Especially for Landon. He had to rely on Daniel to give him step-by-step instructions, which, after ten hours of sweating and being corrected, were pushing his patience to the limit.

“
Nee
, Landon. You're applying the plaster too thick,” Daniel said over his shoulder. He stopped and scowled at him. “I tell ya, I should've had you work with Craig and asked for Zip to work with me. At least he can follow directions. You are doing everything wrong.”

“If you gave me better directions, I could follow them easier,” Landon snapped.

“If you listened, you might be able to follow them better,” Daniel countered, not putting up with Landon's testiness for one moment.

Landon felt his temper burn and threaten to erupt. Unfortunately, knowing his brother was right didn't make things any easier.

He needed to get his mind back to what he was doing, and off the problems that were spinning in his head.

After counting to five, he sighed. “You're right. I haven't been listening like I should've. I'm sorry.”

Immediately, Daniel's scowl smoothed. “What is wrong? You've been acting like an angry bear all morning, and for some reason, I don't think patching and plastering walls has made you so upset.”

It wasn't that at all. “It's personal.”

“So?” Daniel scoffed. “Since when don't we talk to each other about things that are personal? You're my brother.”

Daniel was his older, wiser brother. And usually Landon would have unloaded his problems on him and asked his opinion. But right now he wasn't so sure he wanted to hear his brother's advice. Even more important, he didn't want to risk creating a rift between them if he ignored what advice his brother provided.

Attempting to brush aside his worries, he shrugged. “Don't worry about it. It's just something I have to work out on my own.”

Putting down the crowbar he'd been holding, Daniel nodded. “
Jah
, you could probably work out this personal problem on your own. That is true. But . . . if you don't mind me saying so? It ain't going so well for you.”

That statement was so true, Landon couldn't help but grin. “You may have a point.”

“I know I do. So? What's going on? I can only imagine that it has to do with Elsie,” he said. “Only a woman can make a man feel like he's tied up in knots.”

“It actually does concern Elsie.” He should have known that his brother would be able to read his mind.

“What's wrong? I thought you had a nice time with her?”

With reluctance, he answered. “I did. I mean, I thought I did.”

“Why are you making it so complicated? If you had fun, you did.”

“Something happened afterward.”

“What happened? Did she decide she didn't like you?” he joked.

“
Nee
. It's, uh, something else. Something important.”

“You're driving me crazy. What happened?”

“Her brother told me something about her that she hadn't shared with me.”

“Well, what did he say?”

Daniel's exasperation mirrored Landon's own frustration with himself. “Roman said Elsie's vision is fading. Or becoming blurry or something.”

“You've told me she wears glasses.”

“Yes, but it's more than that,” Landon said. “He said in a few years she'll be completely blind.”

All traces of levity left Daniel's voice. “Landon, that's terrible news.”

“I agree.” Noticing how dejected his brother looked, Landon shook his head with a sad smile. “You're wearing almost the same expression I imagine I was wearing when Roman first told me.”

“Is he sure about this?”

Landon nodded. Now that he was sharing his load, he could breathe easier. “Elsie has thick glasses, but Roman said they don't help as much as most people think. I guess she's been losing her vision slowly for years and has learned to make adjustments for it. He thinks she'll be completely blind one day soon. I feel
verra
bad for her.”

Daniel whistled low. “I sure am sorry, Landon.”

“This is Elsie's disease, not my problem.” But even as he said the words, he knew that wasn't true. He was starting to really care about her. And even if nothing became of the two of them, he certainly didn't want Elsie to face a future like the one Roman described.

“Thank goodness Roman told you the truth about her. You know, before it was too late.”

Though he'd just been thinking that very thing, a small twinge of uneasiness crept into him. “Before it was too late?”

“Sure. I mean, before you did something stupid and really started to like her. Or worse, fell in love. Now you can start considering other women in town.”

“She's going blind, not becoming dangerous,” he snapped.

Daniel looked at him strangely. “Why are you getting angry? I'm only supporting you. I mean, you wouldn't want to marry a woman with so many problems, would you?”

“Daniel, I did really like her.”

“But you're going to have to forget about her, though—right? I mean, you're not going to see her anymore now, are you?”

He hadn't planned to see her again. In fact, the morning after Roman's visit, when he'd woken up, he'd been determined to stay as far away from Elsie Keim as possible.

But now, hearing his brother talk about her like this? When he hadn't even met her? Well, it did something to his insides that he couldn't deny.

He felt like leaping to her defense.

“I might see her again,” he said. “She really is a sweet woman. Pretty, too.” Then he added something that had been nagging him since he'd decided not to court her anymore. “To be honest, I would feel pretty horrible if I never saw her again because of something that's not her fault.”

Daniel looked incredulous. “Landon, you can't be serious. All you're going to do is hurt her feelings if you lead her on. That's almost cruel.”

“Who said anything about leading her on?”

“Landon, think about it. You can't court a woman who can't help you, who can't manage a house or raise your children. You have a job where you're away from home for hours at a time, sometimes even days!”

Everything Daniel said was true. But another part of him ached to put aside reason. Ached to be the person in Elsie's life who didn't define her by her blindness

And the only way to figure out if he could be that person was to go see her again.

“I'm going to stop by her house tomorrow and talk to her.”

“You're making a mistake. Leading her on when you don't have any intention of becoming serious is terribly mean.”

It would be mean. Heartless, even. But he was starting to suspect that, despite what his brain was trying to tell him, his heart had decided that he might already be serious about Elsie.

“Maybe I am becoming serious.”

“You hardly know her.”

“What I do know of her, I really like.”