A Kauffman Amish Christmas Collection (15 page)

“Be careful,” she mumbled, sinking back into the seat.

As Kellan climbed from the car, Anna Mae closed her eyes and rubbed her belly, praying that God would grant her a safe delivery for her precious baby.

After they returned to the house, Kathryn followed Mary Rose into the kitchen. “Can I speak with you alone?” she asked.

“
Ya
.” Mary Rose wiped her eyes. “Let’s go into the pantry.”

Once in the pantry, Kathryn shut the door. “I can’t believe Anna Mae left.”

“I wish she’d stayed.” Mary Rose sniffed. “I feel terrible that it ended so quickly. Last night I prayed that I’d get some time to really visit with her. I even dreamed about it.”

“Kellan said Henry really upset her.” Kathryn shook her head. “I’d hoped for better. I thought that God would open Henry’s heart and mind and inspire him to accept Anna Mae and Kellan’s life.”

Mary Rose sighed. “
Ya
, me too. But Henry is still the same stubborn old man he was yesterday.” She wiped her eyes. “It was like a cruel prank that I spent less than a day with her after all this time. We should’ve had at least a few days.”

“I know.” Kathryn gave a sad smile.

“But maybe we can go visit her in the spring. I’d love to see my new
kinskind
.” Mary Rose smiled.

Kathryn frowned. “I have a bad feeling that they shouldn’t have driven out into that blizzard. The snow is blowing very heavily. When I glanced out the window in the living room, I couldn’t see the trees down by the road.”

Mary Rose nodded, her eyes brimming with fresh tears. “I agree. It’s too dangerous to be on the road. I’m going to worry all night about them.”

“I think she may be in labor too.” Kathryn folded her arms. “She said she was having back pain and that’s what I had with Amanda. My back hurt so badly that it was as if our horse had kicked me.”

Mary Rose gasped and cupped her hand to her mouth. “Oh no. I never thought of that. This could be bad.”

“I didn’t mean to upset you.” Kathryn took Mary Rose’s hand in her hands. “But I can’t shake the feeling that she may
need to get to a doctor. I feel like we should do something to help them.”

“You’re right.” Mary Rose nodded. “But what can we do?”

Kathryn wracked her brain and then snapped her fingers. “David can take me to the phone shanty. I have Kellan’s cell phone number. I can give them a call and make sure they’re okay.”

“That’s a great idea.” Mary Rose smiled. “You’re always thinking.”

Kathryn chuckled. “That’s what David says. I think too much.” She opened the door to the pantry. “I’ll go talk to David.”

Kathryn located David looking at a book with Ruthie and Lizzie in the enclosed porch. He met her gaze and smiled, and she motioned for him to join her in the doorway.

“I need to talk to you,” she said as he approached.

He looked concerned.
“Was iss letz
?”

“I’m worried about Anna Mae and Kellan traveling in the snow.” She nodded toward the window, where the snow blew in waves through the trees. She couldn’t see beyond the fence around the pasture. “She was in pain and I’m worried she’s in labor. I’m afraid they’ll wind up stuck somewhere or get in an accident.”

Rubbing his beard, he glanced out the window. “It is bad out there. I’m not sure what you want me to do about it, though.”

She gripped his arm. “We need to check on them. I have Kellan’s cell phone number. We can go to the phone shanty at the corner and call. Maybe we can convince them to come back here and stay the night. It would be safer to leave after
the plows have cleared the road.” She gave him a pleading look. “Please, David. It would be terrible if something happened to them. I need to know they’re okay or I’ll go crazy with worry.”

He sighed. “You’re right. I’ll take Junior and go.”

“No.” She shook her head. “Take me. I need to hear it for myself.”

He raised an eyebrow in question. “Are you certain?”

“Ya.”
She took his hand and pulled him toward the door. “
Kumm
. Let’s go before the storm gets any worse.” Kathryn pulled David toward the back door and found Mary Rose and Henry standing near it.

Mary Rose wore a deep frown while Henry gave her a hard expression. She grabbed Kathryn’s arm. “Are you going to call them?” Her eyes were full of hope.

“Ya,”
Kathryn said with a nod. “We’re hoping we can reach Kellan in time to stop them from leaving. Maybe they’ll come back and wait out the storm. If Anna Mae will agree to come back.” She looked at Henry, who quickly cut his eyes toward the window.

David fetched his coat from the hook and pulled it on. “We better go before they get too far from the house.” He pulled on his gloves and then handed Kathryn her cloak, helping her wrap it around her body. “Do you have Kellan’s number on you?”

Kathryn pulled it from her apron pocket. “I stuck it in there when she sent it to me.”

David turned to the door. “Let’s go.”

“Be careful.” Mary Rose hugged David and then wrapped
her arms around Kathryn. “I’ll be praying for your safe return as well as that of Anna Mae and Kellan.”

Mary Rose sucked in a breath as Kathryn and David rushed through the snow to the barn. Turning to Henry, she narrowed her eyes. “I’m disappointed in you.”

He kept his eyes trained on the window. “You’ve made that perfectly clear, especially by spending the night on the sofa.”

“How could you let Kathryn go out in that snow with David?” she asked. “You should be the one heading out into that storm to check on our
dochder
.”

To her surprise, Henry’s expression softened slightly, but he remained silent. He looked at her, and her bottom lip trembled.

“I’m worried about Anna Mae,” Mary Rose said. “I think you’re afraid too, but you just won’t admit it to me.”

Henry turned back to the window, and Mary Rose silently prayed that God would protect Anna Mae and Kellan and also work on Henry’s heart.

A
nna Mae bit her lip and tried in vain to stop the tears spurting from her eyes while the pain increased. She practiced the breathing techniques her Lamaze teacher had preached during their classes, but nothing stopped the intense cramping from stealing her breath.

When the passenger door flew open, hope swelled within her.

“Did you call the paramedics?” she asked, gripping Kellan’s cold hand.

His brown hair had patches of wet peppered with snow, and his teeth chattered beneath his bluish lips.

“No.” He shivered. “I can’t get a signal out here.” He nodded across the street. “I found a house over there. You can’t see it beyond the snow. I banged on the front door, but there was no answer.” His eyes filled with concern. “How are you?”

“I’m in pain. The contractions are getting harder and closer together.” Her tears started again. “I’m scared. What should we do? I may deliver here in the car.” She glanced out the back window. “How close are we to my
mamm’s
house? Maybe we can walk back there and she can help me. She’s had five babies of her own and helped to deliver many more.” The
pain started again, and she sucked in a breath and gripped Kellan’s cold hands. Closing her eyes, she tried concentrating on something else, but the cramps burned through her mind and white-hot pain ran through her entire body.

“Annie,” he whispered, pushing sweaty wisps of hair back from her face. “Just hold on to me. You’re going to be just fine. I promise. Do you want me to count like we did in class? One … Two … Three … Four … Five …”

The pain stopped and she leaned back in the seat.

Kellan kissed her hands and then grimaced. “This is all my fault. We should’ve stayed at the house and just ignored your father. At least then you would’ve delivered with your mom and Kathryn there to help you.”

“Can we get back to the house?” she asked. “Maybe we can walk.”

“No.” He shook his head and glanced out the window. “I’m afraid something will happen if we try to walk there. I know I can lift you, but I’m not certain I can carry you that far.”

“Then I guess we have to stay here until someone comes by,” she said, her voice ragged with exhaustion from the pain. “Do you have that roadside safety kit? Can you put the flares out by the car? Maybe then someone would spot us and stop.”

“That’s a great idea. I’ll be right back.” He rushed to the back of the vehicle. The trunk opened with a whoosh, and the vehicle rocked back and forth while he rummaged through it.

After several minutes, the trunk slammed shut, and Kellan appeared by the door. “I set out the flares. Let’s pray someone comes by and helps us soon.”

“I’m sure most people are not going to venture out into
this blizzard,” she whispered. “But I pray someone comes by soon or this baby will be born here.”

Kellan’s countenance became pale. His eyes then flashed with an idea. “I saw a barn over there.” He jerked his thumb in the direction of the house. “We should move you there.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to go to a barn. I’d rather stay here. The seat is sort of comfortable.”

“I think we need to move you.” He took her hand. “I’m worried that someone will come along and crash into our car. Let me get the first-aid kit from the trunk and then we’ll move you to the barn.”

“But the flares,” she said. “Why would you set them up and then leave?”

“They’ll alert them that we need help,” he said. “Someone will see the abandoned truck and know we need help. I can even leave a note.”

He pulled a notepad from the glove compartment, and Anna Mae craned her neck to see what he was writing. He scribbled out a fast note, explaining that he had taken his pregnant wife to the barn nearby. He ended the note by asking them to call nine-one-one as soon as possible and get help. Folding the note, he wrote “HELP” across the front and placed it in the driver’s side window.

He kissed her forehead. “Trust me, Annie. This will work. Don’t move. I’ll go get the first-aid kit and a blanket.”

He disappeared for a moment and the trunk opened again. It then slammed shut, rocking the truck and causing the pain in her back to ignite. She sucked in a breath and rubbed her abdomen, praying that the discomfort would subside.

He reappeared with the first-aid kit in his hands and a blanket slung over his shoulder. “Ready?” he asked.

“I guess so.” She tried to move, but her legs buckled under her. “I need help getting up.”

“Hold this.” He handed her the first-aid kit. He then reached down and lifted her into his arms, closing the door with his leg. She held onto him while he carried her through the whipping snow and wind. Closing her eyes, she buried her face in his neck. She held her breath and bit down on her lip when the pain swelled again through her back and abdomen.

After several minutes, they reached the large red barn. Kellan gently placed her on her feet and then yanked the door open, grunting and groaning with the effort. They stepped into the large barn, and Anna Mae breathed in the aroma of wet hay and animals. Stables lined the wall, and a horse whinnied in the distance.

“I think I know how Mary felt,” she muttered.

Kellan gave a bark of laughter, his handsome face lighting up. He pulled her into his arms. “You are a trooper, Anna Mae.”

“Thanks,” she said. She then glanced around the large, open space leading to the stalls. “I guess I should sit here.” She took the blanket from his shoulder and placed it on the floor.

Slowly, she gingerly sat down, and the hay beneath the blanket gave her little cushion from the cold ground. She looked up at Kellan and opened her mouth to speak, but a sudden, gripping contraction tore through her, leaving her breathless. She rolled onto her side and gasped.

“Annie!” Kellan dropped to his knees and rubbed her back. “Count with me. One, two, three, four, five—”

“Oh,” she groaned, tears flowing down her cheeks as she hugged her arms to her chest. “I need my mother. Please, Kellan, go get her for me. I can’t do this alone.” She turned to him and pleaded with him. “Please, Kellan. Go get her before it’s too late. We’re not that far from home. You could be there in less than an hour.”

Looking confused, he opened his mouth and then closed it again. “But I can’t leave you.” He took her hands in his and his eyes filled with uncertainty. “What if something happens and I’m not here? What if you need me?”

She squeezed his hands. “If you hurry, I won’t be here alone. Besides, most women are in labor for hours and hours before they deliver, especially when it’s their first baby.” She pointed toward the door. “Go and hurry back.”

He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. He then stared at her, his eyes full of intensity. “I’ll hurry back as quickly as I can.”

“Thank you.” She gritted her teeth as another pang hit her and Kellan disappeared out the barn door. Closing her eyes, she prayed that she wouldn’t be forced to deliver her baby alone.

Kathryn shivered while she ran through the swirling snowflakes to the phone shanty, which was located on the corner between her mother-in-law’s home and the neighboring farm. The shanty, which Mary Rose shared with her neighbor, was a small shed containing a phone, stool, and phonebook. Her
heart pounded in her chest as she pulled out the phone number scribbled on the piece of paper. She lifted the receiver and punched in the number.

Cradling the receiver between her neck and shoulder, she glanced back at David standing in the doorway. He rubbed his gloved hands together and shivered.

Instead of a ring, a recorded voice sounded through the receiver, saying, “We’re sorry. The wireless customer you are trying to reach is not available.”

“Oh no,” she groaned. “It sounds like Kellan’s phone isn’t on or it isn’t able to find a signal.”

“Call the bed and breakfast,” David said. “See if they’ve arrived for their luggage.”

“Good idea.” Kathryn quickly looked up the number in the phonebook. Sandra Sheppard answered and said no, she hadn’t seen Kellan or Anna Mae since they left.

With a sigh, Kathryn replaced the receiver and glanced at David. “No sign of them at the bed and breakfast. If they haven’t arrived back there yet, then they’re probably in trouble. It’s been nearly an hour since they left.” She glanced past David toward the falling snow. “Hopefully they’ve stopped nearby.”