The PIECES of SUMMER (8 page)

The babe kicked, as if in response to what Meredith had just said. “Feel this,” she
said, taking hold of Laurie’s hand and placing it against her stomach. “I do believe
my little one’s as anxious to make his appearance as I am for him to get here.”

“It’s a warm day, isn’t it, Eddie?” Anne asked as the two of them sat on a bench on
the hospital grounds.

He gave a slow nod. “But it feels good to be outside in the fresh air.”

Anne smiled. “Since part of your therapy is getting you back on your feet, walking
and spending time outdoors is a good thing.”

Eddie glanced around and breathed in deeply. Humid as it was, the air smelled so refreshing—not
like it was inside the facility. Oh, it was nice and comfortable in the rehab center,
and so clean you could probably eat off the floors, but he didn’t enjoy the medicinal
odors in some parts of the hospital.

Outside where they sat, flowers and bushes were in full bloom, and a small pond a
short distance away reflected the beauty of their surroundings. Eddie could see several
goldfish swimming around in the shaded part of the pond, and he wished he could join
them in the nice cool water. It would be better than sitting here doing nothing at
all and knowing that he didn’t have anything to look forward to when they went back
inside. It was lonely in his room, and he felt frustrated seeing other patients in
rehab receiving visits from family members. Eddie had no family to encourage him,
but he was thankful for Anne and her sister, Susan, who continually offered their
support. He enjoyed Susan’s chatter when she came to visit, which wasn’t often enough
to suit him. Of course, Eddie realized that she kept busy with her nursing duties,
but he wished she could come to see him every day. Anne was nice, too, but she didn’t
talk to him as much as Susan did, and she seemed a little older and more serious about
life than her sister.

“See that birdhouse over there?” Anne said, pointing.

Eddie nodded.

“A pair of bluebirds raised their babies in it last summer, and I’ve been watching
to see if they’d return to their little home again this year.”

Eddie just kept staring at the fish. They really had no place to go, except around
and around the circumference of the pond.
Kind of like me
, he thought regrettably.
I have nowhere to go but here
.

“Well, would you look at those two?” Anne giggled.

Eddie looked toward a big rock that was nestled in one of the flower beds. Two wrens
in front of the rock were taking turns trying to snatch a scrap of food away from
each other. It looked like they’d found a piece of bread crust, and it was too big
for either one of the birds to fly away with it. One of the birds would steal it from
the other and run a few feet away from the one competing. Then the other wren did
the same, with neither of them wanting to give up the precious morsel they’d found.
This rivalry between the two little birds went on for several minutes until the scrap
of bread was small enough for one bird to fly away with it. Not far behind, was the
other wren, flying close to its competitor’s tail.

Eddie smiled, until another thought popped into his mind. “Who’s gonna pay for all
my hospital bills?” he asked, turning to look at Anne. “I have no money.”

Anne placed her hand gently on his arm. “You don’t need to worry about that, Eddie.
The hospital will absorb your expenses, just like they do with others in your situation.”

Eddie sat, trying to digest that piece of information. It didn’t seem right for him
not to pay. If he knew who he was, maybe there’d be a relative who’d be willing to
help out with his expenses. If he could just remember something—anything at all, it
would be better than the way things were right now. All he had was a big blank hole
in his life that might never be filled with memories from the past. His future looked
pretty bleak and frightening.

I
t was the first Monday of July, and as Meredith took a seat in the hickory rocker
on her front porch, she looked up at the gray clouds overhead and yawned. She’d had
a hard time sleeping last night, and tonight would probably be the same, because the
air was warm and thick with moisture. In this kind of weather, a person didn’t have
to do much of anything to break out in a sweat.

Alma was inside, taking a nap, and would be here with Meredith until Laurie got home
this evening. Meredith had gotten used to having either her sister or Alma staying
with her. She appreciated their help, and it was nice to have someone other than Fritz
to talk to. Eventually, though, that would come to an end. Laurie would no doubt marry
Kevin, and Alma was getting up in years. Besides, Meredith wanted to be on her own
once the baby came; although there would be some chores she’d still need help with.

Maybe Jonah will continue to help out once he gets his cast off
, Meredith thought. Between Jonah, Dad, and Luke’s father coming by to do the outside
chores, Meredith was sure she could manage the inside things on her own.

She glanced at the garden, overflowing with produce.
I really should pick some tomatoes and cucumbers
. It would be nice to have them along with the fried chicken and pasta salad Alma
said she would fix for supper.

Meredith bent to pick up the wicker basket on the porch and winced when a sharp pain
shot through her back. She stood, drawing in a deep breath and releasing it slowly.
It would be a relief when the baby came and she could do things easily again. Based
on what she’d learned about the final weeks of pregnancy at the childbirth classes,
it wouldn’t be long now.

When the pain subsided, Meredith headed for the garden. She was tempted to get on
her knees to pick the beans but was afraid she might not be able get back up on her
own. Placing the basket on the ground, she leaned over the best she could and started
picking.

Meredith had only pulled a few beans from the vine when her friend DorineYoder rode
in on her scooter.

“Wie geht’s?” Dorine asked, parking the scooter near the porch.

“I’m doing okay,” Meredith replied, making no mention of her painful back. There was
no point in complaining about it. “What brings you by on this hot afternoon, and where
are your
kinner?”

“Merle and Cathy are with my mamm.” Dorine smiled. “And since the children are well
occupied, I decided to come over here and see how you’re doing.”

“I’d be better if this weather would cool down some,” Meredith said. “Even standing
still makes me sweat.”

Dorine wiped the perspiration from her forehead. “I know what you mean. Unfortunately,
we still have over two months until fall’s officially here, and we could have hot,
humid weather even into September.”

“I know.” Meredith blew out a puff of air. “The heat probably won’t bother me so much
once the boppli is born. All this heat is beginning to get to me, though. I think
the dog days of summer are definitely upon us.”

“Which is why you shouldn’t be out here in the hot sun.” Dorine picked up the basket
of beans and motioned to the porch. “Now go sit and rest while I finish picking these
for you.”

Meredith didn’t argue. She was more than ready to return to her seat on the porch.
“Danki for being willing to help,” she said, giving Dorine a hug.

Dorine gently patted Meredith’s back. “That’s what friends are for, you know.”

As Meredith made her way back to the porch, she thanked God for the wonderful friendship
she and Dorine shared. They’d been close for several years, and Meredith had always
enjoyed Dorine’s easygoing ways and pleasant company.

“How’d things go with Eddie today?” Susan asked her sister as they rode home from
the hospital that afternoon.

“He’s progressing,” Anne replied. “What he seems to enjoy most is the therapy walks
outside, getting fresh air, and especially sitting at the nature gardens. I think
sometime within the next few weeks he might be strong enough to be seen as an outpatient.
Of course, that will be up to his attending physician.”

Susan felt immediate concern. “Where will Eddie go? He doesn’t have a house, a job,
or any family to go home to. The poor man doesn’t even know who he is.”

“You’ve formed an attachment to him, haven’t you?” Anne asked, glancing over at Susan.

“I’m concerned, if that’s what you mean.”

“I think it goes deeper than that.” Anne tapped the steering wheel a couple of times.
“I believe you’ve formed an emotional attachment to Eddie.”

Susan sat a few seconds; then she finally nodded. “Okay, yeah; I guess maybe I have.
He seems like a really nice person, and it saddens me to think he may never know who
his family is or be able to contact them. It’s hard not being able to be there for
him as much as I’d like to.”

“I understand. It saddens me as well that he’s in such a predicament.” Anne turned
her blinker on to change lanes. “What would you think about us asking Grandpa and
Grandma if they’d be willing to take Eddie into their home in exchange for him doing
some work around the place?”

“Are you kidding me? That would be great, if they’re willing. But how would Eddie
get to and from the hospital for his therapy sessions?” Susan questioned.

“If any of the sessions should fall on your day off, maybe you could take him to the
hospital, or we could see if Grandpa would be willing.”

Susan smiled. “I like that idea, and if I know Grandma and Grandpa, they’ll be happy
to take Eddie in. I can already imagine Grandma’s eagerness. You know how she is.
The more people she can cook for, the better she likes it.”

“Great. We can talk to them about it as soon as we get home.”

Norma Bailey hummed as she sliced a hefty beefsteak tomato for the BLTs they would
have for supper. It was a warm summer evening—too hot to heat up the kitchen with
the oven. Anne and Susan would be getting home from work soon, and then they’d eat
outside under the shade of the maple tree while they visited about their day and made
plans for the weekend.

Norma had talked to her friend, Mary Hagen, today, and she was looking forward to
following through on the invitation they’d been given to visit the Hagens’ home for
a meal after church this coming Sunday. The best part was that Mary and Ben’s grandson
Brian would be there. Norma had been hoping Susan would get the chance to meet Brian
while he was visiting his grandparents this summer, and this looked like the perfect
opportunity.

She smiled and set the plate of tomatoes aside. If the young couple should hit it
off, maybe Brian would decide to stay in the area permanently.
And maybe
, Norma thought, feeling hope well in her chest,
at least one of our granddaughters will get married and give Henry and me some great-grandchildren
.

“Is there anything I can do to help you, Norma?” Henry asked when he entered the kitchen
a few minutes later. “I got the picnic table wiped off, so that much is done.” He
chuckled. “And you should have heard George out there, chattering away at me. I think
he knows we’ll be eating outside this evening.”