A Simple Hope: A Lancaster Crossroads Novel (41 page)

JULY

T
he purple of dusk still cloaked the sky as Fanny Lapp lifted her five-month-old son from the buggy and cooed to soothe him. “I know, I know. It’s too early to be awake. You can sleep when we get inside.” Shifting the little one onto her shoulder, she walked the small path bordered by red and yellow pansies and knocked on the door.

Today promised to be a warm one, with the wonderful good blessing of a new baby for Lizzy and Joe. Seeing a child into the world was the sweetest delight a person could know—though it came with its inconveniences. When she had agreed to help out Anna Beiler for a spell while the midwife went to visit her family in Florida, Fanny had not imagined herself traipsing through the night with her own baby in tow. How quickly she’d forgotten that babes came into the world on their own schedule, whether it be
stretched over three long summer days or as quick as a teapot comes to the boil.

First-time mothers could be a trial, not knowing what was to come, but Lizzy King was different. Maybe because Lizzy knew about the dark patch of sorrow and grief Fanny was working through. Or maybe because it had taken this couple longer than most to be blessed in this way. Lizzy was old by Amish standards, but that wouldn’t make her any less of a mother once her baby was born.

The door was opened by Market Joe, a young Amish man with a broad, friendly face and thick black-framed glasses. “It’s Fanny,” he called to his wife, opening the door wide. “Come.” With the excitement and nervousness of a first-time father, Joe scampered over to Lizzy, who stood leaning over a chair, breathing through a contraction.

Stepping inside, Fanny smiled at the young man and his wife. Ah, how dear they were to her heart! Although Joe King and his wife, Lizzy, were not family, Fanny felt a special attachment to the couple, who had shared her family’s fears and grief after the tragic accident six months ago. Joe and Lizzy had been in the van with Fanny’s husband, dear Tom, who had been taken by Gott.

The house smelled sweet, like cinnamon and sugar. “Someone’s been baking,” Fanny said.

“Lizzy made cookies, in the middle of everything,” Joe said. “And you brought little Tommy this time. Come. We’ve got a place for him.” He scrambled back behind Fanny to close the door.

“Lizzy.” Fanny rocked Tommy back and forth as she made a quick assessment of Lizzy, who wore exhaustion on her pale face. A midwife had to learn much from the first look at a mother, especially since a husband, who was the one to call in a fit of jitters, rarely passed along details of his wife’s condition. Instincts told Fanny that the baby was still a good two hours away. “Looks like you’re coming along fine.”

“You were right about staying on my feet.” Lizzy gripped the top of the ladder-back chair so firmly her knuckles were white. “I baked a batch of snickerdoodles. That got things moving along.”

When Fanny had come out last night around ten o’clock, Lizzy had been resting in bed, still in the very early stages of labor. Since her pains had been nothing more than occasional cramps, Fanny knew she need not stick around. She had left the couple with instructions that Lizzy do some walking, and a promise that she would return before dawn.

Fanny felt her son’s head stirring on her shoulder as she spotted a pile of quilts set up on the living room floor.

“We made a
Budda Nesht
for Tommy,” Joe said.

“Looks cozy.” Fanny squatted down beside the nest of blankets and placed her son in the center of the thick bedding. His lips formed a pout, then opened slightly as a look of peace softened his face. Covering him with a soft blanket, she bent down to kiss his forehead. “Sleep well,
Liebe
.”

“It’s good you’ve returned.” Joe stood at Lizzy’s side, rubbing her back. “She’s been walking and standing most of the night, just like you told us, Fanny.”

“I knew you would follow advice. You’re a good patient, Lizzy.”

“Maybe not so much. I’m sorry for getting you out here last night, what with the baby not really coming yet. When everything started, I got a little scared.”

“It was no problem at all,” Fanny said, comforting the younger woman. “The first baby usually takes its time, but this is all new for you. I liken it to a road you’ve never traveled before. You need good directions and a companion at your side. Joe has taken good care of you. Now it’s my turn.”

With her little one tucked away, Fanny took charge of the situation. The house was tidy, but Lizzy looked tired, and she needed to be strong for the pushing part of labor. “You go into the bedroom
and change your clothes. You’ve done a good job walking around, but now you need some rest.”

As Lizzy waddled into the bedroom, Fanny turned to Joe and asked if Doc Trueherz was on his way. Fanny was happy to help Amish mothers bring their babies into the world, but the doctor was always in charge.

“I called, and Celeste said Dr. Minetta was coming.”

“Not Doc Trueherz?” Lizzy paused in the hall, strain showing in her face. Most everyone liked Henry Trueherz, the country doctor who had served the Amish for years.

Joe readjusted the black-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose. “The regular doc’s gone to the city. This Minetta fella is filling in.”

“He’s a good doctor, too,” Fanny said, holding back her concerns. Both times she had encountered Dr. Minetta, she had been assisting Anna, and both times he had been late. Most doctors were not familiar with the farm roads and unmarked lanes of Lancaster County, which Doc Trueherz knew well from twenty years of house calls. Dr. Minetta had arrived so late to one of the births, the baby had been diapered and wrapped. Fanny hoped he would be prompt today.

Fanny sent Joe out to the buggy to fetch her things—two heavy cases of supplies and medical gadgets that Anna had loaned her. As she washed her hands at the kitchen sink, Fanny was startled by her reflection in the window with the dense night still behind it. Her dark hair was neatly pulled back under her white prayer
Kapp
, but her cheeks seemed hollow, her eyes wide and dark like a wise old owl. My, oh my, but she could use a good night’s sleep. She was beginning to understand why Anna was always yawning at quilting bees. Ah, but to hear a baby’s first cry, to bundle an infant in flannel and hand it over to the mother—those sweet moments were worth a little lost sleep.

In the bedroom, Lizzy had changed into a robe that stretched
over her wide belly and had slipped fluffy socks on her feet. Her kapp hung from a peg on the wall, and her golden-blond hair was unpinned, still twined in a braid that ran down her back. The bed was already covered with a mattress pad and clean sheets.

“Look at that. The bed’s all ready to go. Now we just need your baby to come,” Fanny said as she motioned Lizzy to sit on the bed.

“We’ve been waiting so long,” Lizzy said as she scrambled back on the mattress, then quickly looked away. Amish women didn’t usually talk about such things—pregnancy and the like—but certain things had to be told to a midwife or doctor, and Fanny knew about how Lizzy and Joe had waited. Most Amish women had their first babies within a year of marriage, but Gott had given Lizzy and Market Joe a different path. Lizzy was in her mid-twenties and having her first child.

Fanny propped up some pillows and had Lizzy lean back. Smoothing a hand over the young woman’s forehead for a quick check of her temperature, Fanny was relieved to see Lizzy relaxing between contractions, drawing in a smooth breath and sinking back against the pillows.

“No sign of fever, and it’s good for you to close your eyes. You’re going to need strength for what’s ahead.”

“Where do you want these bags?” Joe asked from the doorway. He hung back sheepishly, knowing a man’s place was not in this bedroom right now.

“Here.” Fanny pulled one of the heavy bags close to the bed, thanked Joe, and sent him back out to the kitchen. “Why don’t you go put some water on to boil?” she told him. The tradition of boiling water was steadfast during Amish home births, though the most practical use for it was making tea.

Guiding her hands over Lizzy’s taut belly, she felt the baby’s head pointed down and securely engaged. “All good. Let me just count the baby’s heartbeats.” The listening piece of the stethoscope was
cold, so Fanny rubbed it with her palm. “Don’t want to send you and the baby jumping,” she teased.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Lizzy murmured.

With the cup of the stethoscope pressed to Lizzy’s belly, Fanny found the rapid thud of the infant’s heart. Using a stopwatch from Anna’s black bag, she counted the beats. “A hundred and forty,” she said aloud. “A good, strong heartbeat.”

Lizzy smiled, though her lips thinned as a contraction took over. “Ah, Fanny, I need this baby to be born,” she said, wincing. “Please! Give me my baby now!”

Fanny helped Lizzy move to her knees so that she could rock her way through the wave. Tears glimmered in Lizzy’s blue eyes as she searched the room for relief.

“Look at that calendar over there. What a lovely picture. Looks like Niagara Falls. That’s it.”

“I didn’t think it would …” Lizzy moaned. “I didn’t think it would hurt so.”

“No one knows until it happens,” Fanny said gently, but she doubted that Lizzy could hear her. Although Lizzy had been told what to expect from her dutiful visits to the clinic in Paradise, Fanny had always found that all the well-told stories and directions flew out the window when a woman was in the throes of labor. A midwife’s simple words and calm explanations could wash over a laboring woman like a warm balm. Fanny stayed close until the pain subsided and Lizzy closed her eyes again.

“The contractions are getting closer. I’m going to send Joe to watch for the doctor. You rest.”

“Got to go.” Lizzy pushed herself up on her elbows and edged off the bed. “I need the bathroom.” She took two steps, leaned forward, and gave a cry of pain. She gathered her robe up and peered down at the linoleum floor. “My water.”

“It’s clear. That’s a good sign, and it also means that your baby will be here soon.”

“Oh, Fanny, it’s taking so long and I’m about spent.” Lizzy dropped down to a squat, her head resting against the bed. “This little one will never come.”

“Your baby will come.” Fanny smoothed a strand of blond hair away from Lizzy’s forehead. “They always do.” She helped Lizzy to her feet. “Off you go. After that, you come back in here. This room is your little cocoon, ya? We’ll spin a warm, soft nest of love around your baby as it comes into the world.”

Lizzy gave a wan smile, then headed down the hall as Fanny quickly fetched a rag to wipe the floor. Attending any birth was an act of charity for Fanny, but she didn’t want to overstep her bounds. Where was that doctor?

Keeping a calm way about her, Fanny cleaned up the floor and started two cups of tea brewing. Joe asked how it was going, and she told him there was time to go down the road to get someone in the family to cover for him at the King Family Cheese stand in the city. Joe wanted to be here when his baby was born, but he was a bit squeamish about hanging around now. “Go,” Fanny told him, “and keep a look out for the doctor when you’re on your way back.”

Inside the bedroom, Lizzy was curled on her side. Fanny helped her up to a sitting position and handed her a cup of honeyed tea with a dose of blue cohosh, an herb that stimulated labor.

“Denki.”
Lizzy sipped gratefully. “The doctor … he should be here soon, ya?”

“He’s probably trying to find his way on the back roads.” Fanny perched in the chair beside the bed. “I do wish we had a birth center here. That’s how things are done back in Ohio. All the doctors and Amish know where to go when the time comes. Makes for
fewer mixups, and it can be a lot of fun, women together with their newborns for a few days.”

“That sounds like a very good thing, Fanny.” Lizzy’s face was puffy from strain, but she didn’t complain. Her amber eyes focused on the picture of the waterfall.

Fanny recognized that look: the turning point when a woman realized she must give herself over to the pain, trust it, ride it out.

Sitting nearby and cradling a mug of tea, Fanny remained quiet as Lizzy’s pains ebbed and flowed. This was the bulk of Fanny’s duties: watching and waiting, serving and cleaning up.

Not so long ago, Fanny herself had been attended by Doc Trueherz and Anna when Tommy had been born. At the time, Fanny’s heart had been heavy with sadness over Tom’s death. But the minute she held the baby in her arms and kissed his wrinkled brow, she had recognized the blessing of family that Gott had granted her.

Every day she thanked Gott for the older ones, who helped keep the household running smoothly. Twenty-one-year-old Caleb was a man now, a good Amish man with the same patience and strength his father had possessed. Emma, head teacher in the one-room schoolhouse, had won over the hearts of the children of Halfway with her steady, serious manner. Elsie knew how to make chores into fun for her younger siblings, who couldn’t resist her bubbly laughter and big heart.

And then there were the little ones, the children Gott had blessed Tom and her with. Five-year-old Will was a typical boy, rambunctious and full of questions about everything under the sun. Beth was Fanny’s little helper around the house, rolling cookie dough into balls and sweeping up a dust storm with her tiny broom. And the baby—a strong little thing with a sweet smile for his siblings, who loved to hold him and tell him stories. How Fanny loved being mother hen to her brood of chicks!

Lizzy let out a little cry, then scraped in a deep breath and
moaned quietly as the pain took her. Willing the young woman to blossom with the pain, Fanny slipped out of the room to check on Tommy. He was up on his little fists, rocking and crooning.

“Time to eat, little one.” She took him into her arms and sat down in a rocking chair. His eyes soaked up her face as she smiled down at him and got him nursing. “Such a good boy, plucked from your crib in the middle of the night without a fuss,” she cooed. Of course, babies didn’t seem to care much where they were, as long as Mamm was near.

She ran a thumb over the crease in his little forehead. “What have you to worry about?” she teased as he nuzzled into her.