Plain Pursuit (17 page)

“I’m fine. It’s Samuel and Lillian’s son. He’s really sick. They just found out there’s something seriously wrong with his kidneys. We’re taking him to a specialist tomorrow.” She paused. “And if that isn’t enough, a long-lost shunned brother has entered the picture.”

Adam listened as Carley went into further detail.

“You must be getting some good information for your article,” he commented finally.

“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” The story had been the last thing on Carley’s mind.

“You’re sure you’re okay, though?”

“Adam, I’m fine.” She let out a sigh of frustration.

“Okay,” Adam said as if he understood he didn’t need to keep asking her. “So what’s with the shunned brother?”

Noah’s face kept flashing before her as she filled Adam in.

“Sounds like you’ve taken a keen interest in this man.” Carley could tell that this concerned Adam.

“He’s an interesting person,” she said, choosing her words carefully. No need to fuel Adam’s concern by discussing feelings she wasn’t even sure about. “And he wants to have a relationship with his family. It’s all very sad.”

“Carley, it sounds like Lillian and her family have a lot of personal stuff going on. Maybe you should come home.”

“No, I’m not coming home.” She rolled her eyes. “Besides, I want to be here in case Lillian needs me.”

“So you don’t know yet if they’ll put Lillian’s son in the hospital?”

Carley took a deep breath. “No, I don’t.”

“Seems you wouldn’t want to be involved in all that, Carley.”

It would be fine with Carley if she never set foot in a hospital again. Just the trip to the emergency room with David conjured up vivid, painful recollections of her time in the hospital. “I wouldn’t
want
to be involved, Adam, but if I’m needed . . .”

“Let me send you a ticket to come home, Carley. A month is too long for you to be away. And now with all this happening, I think you—”

“Adam—stop. I’m not coming home.”

He continued to try to change her mind. He didn’t.

Noah propped several pillows
behind his back and motioned for Chloe to take her position at the foot of the bed. They settled in and he began flipping channels on the TV, not really noticing what was on. It was just something to do until Carley called. His mind was awhirl with thoughts of his family, and his heart was heavy.

Mary Ellen’s rebuff—especially in regard to her children—replayed over and over again in his head. The way she withdrew from the hug and looked around to make sure no one saw her talking to him. That wasn’t the Mary Ellen he remembered. The sister he had known was warm, affectionate, never met a stranger. Had she changed so much, or only with regard to him? Would Ivan and Rebecca respond with the same apathy?

And what about his mother? He wished he could have spotted her at the auction, but now worried her reaction might have mirrored Mary Ellen’s.
Surely not
. She was his mother, for goodness’ sake.

He crossed his legs, gave up on the channel surfing, and folded his hands behind his head. The image of his brother was clear in his mind. It had pained him to see such worry on Samuel’s face at the mud sale, and the vision furthered his regret at not being around to know the man Samuel had become. Samuel was solid in his faith and stubborn as a mule. But one thing was certain—he loved his children.

The following day would be rough for all of them.

He grabbed the phone on the nightstand after only one ring.

“Hi, it’s Carley. Are you sleeping?”

“No. Chloe and I are all tucked in. I was just waiting for you to call. How is everything over there?”

“No one said anything about David, but, Noah, I did notice he’s really pale, and he has dark circles under his eyes. He didn’t eat much either. Actually, no one did.”

“I can’t get that kid off my mind. As a doctor, we know how to distance ourselves. Clearly, this is different.” Deciding to lighten the mood, he asked, “Are you tucked in under your new quilt?”

“Let’s talk about this quilt,” she said, indicating perhaps she
was
tucked beneath it. “I can’t accept it, Noah. It costs too much.”

“Consider it repayment for trying to ease the way for me and Samuel.” Fifteen hundred dollars was nothing to him, and Carley sure seemed to want it. He had spied her bidding for it, then noticed she relinquished when the price hit six hundred dollars.

“I wouldn’t say I eased the way very much at all.”

Noah sighed. He didn’t really want to talk about the events of the day. He didn’t want to talk about David’s grim outlook, either, but he should probably prepare her. “Carley, I think Ken—Dr. Bolton—will probably admit David into the hospital tomorrow.”

“I was wondering about that.” Carley sighed. “Lillian broke down tonight. She loves David like he’s her own child.”

“She seems like a good woman. Are they planning to have more children? Amish believe in big families. I guess that part of the culture remained with me, because I can’t imagine not having a bunch of kids running around the house. What about you?”

“Lillian said they want more children. As for me, I don’t think . . .” She stopped midsentence.

“Don’t you want a bunch of little ones running around?” Noah asked.

“More than anything in the world,” she said softly.

“I saw the way you are with Anna. I’m sure you’ll be a great mom someday.”

An awkward silence followed. He cleared his throat. “I’m sure this isn’t how you envisioned your vacation.”

“No, but I’m glad to be here for Lillian and Samuel. It’s just that . . . I really hate hospitals.”

“Hospitals are where lives are saved.”

“Or where lives end.”

The coldness in her tone silenced him for a moment. “Sometimes it’s difficult to understand God’s will.”

“How right you are. I certainly don’t understand it.”

He knew that God was not her favorite subject, so he changed it. “Do they have you up at four thirty helping to milk the cows?”

“There is nothing about a sick child that is God’s will,” she said as if she hadn’t heard him.

“Why is it, Carley, that you say you don’t like talking about God, but every time I give you an opportunity to back out of a conversation about Him, you keep talking about Him?”

“Forget it,” she huffed. “I don’t want to talk about God.”

“I think you do.”

“I believe in God, Noah.”

“I know. I never said you didn’t.”

This was heading down a bad path. Again he tried a new subject. “I’d like to meet you all at Ken’s office tomorrow.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea? You know how Samuel feels, Noah.”

“Right now there’s a bigger issue to focus on than me and Samuel.”
Besides, David is my nephew.

“I know, but it might make things worse.”

Her voice was sympathetic. He knew she was right, but he also knew he couldn’t stay away. “I’ll think on it tonight.”

Noah heard her yawn and reluctantly told her good night. He wanted to keep talking. He wanted her to listen. He wanted her to understand . . .

The phone clicked and he was alone again with his thoughts.

He flicked off the TV and his bedside lamp. Then he fluffed his pillow and got comfortable. But he couldn’t stop thinking about Samuel, David, and what the next day might bring.

And he couldn’t stop thinking about Carley.

Lillian knew that as worried as she was, Samuel was beside himself. She slid into bed next to her husband and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m sure everything will be fine, Samuel.” She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

“Ya,”
he whispered as she repositioned his arm around her neck. He pulled her close. “I don’t want Noah involved with my family.”

“I know you don’t, Samuel. But he was wise enough to recognize there was something seriously wrong with David. What if he hadn’t diagnosed this?”

Samuel didn’t say anything. They lay quietly for a few minutes.

Lillian tilted her chin upward and saw the whites of Samuel’s eyes when a hint of moonlight streamed into the room. Normally her husband would be sound asleep by now. She draped her arm across his belly. “I love you, Samuel. And I know everything is going to be just fine.”

Samuel stroked her tenderly. “Lillian . . .”

She propped herself up on one elbow and pulled herself closer to him.
“Ya?”

Even in the darkness, Lillian could make out the distraught expression on Samuel’s face. “What is it, Samuel?” She felt his chest rising and falling beneath her arm. His breaths were long and labored.

“Why is Noah doing this? Why is he infecting our lives with all this sadness?”

Lillian knew Samuel well enough to know what was happening. Even though he believed with all his heart that all things were God’s will, being human, he still needed someone to blame. “Samuel”—she reached for his hand and intertwined her fingers with his with a squeeze—“you know this is not Noah’s fault. He didn’t make David sick. He just diagnosed
the problem.”

“He was just a boy last time I saw him. Not much older than David.”

Such regret in his voice. Lillian wished there was some way to ease her husband’s suffering. “I know,” she whispered.

Samuel turned toward her. With his face barely visible in the darkness, she reached up and touched his cheek. Her fingertips came away moist. “Samuel, my love . . .” She wrapped her arms around him.

“If anything were to happen to my boy—”

“David is going to be fine, Samuel.” She squeezed him tighter.

“The good Lord took Rachel. You don’t think He’d see fit to . . . to take David too?”

At a time like this, Lillian knew better than most how easy it was to question God’s will. When her grandmother died, her faith had been shaken, but there was only one answer she was willing to give Samuel. “No, Samuel. God is not going to take David too.”

It was one o’clock in the morning when Lillian awoke to a shuffling noise. She reached across the bed. No Samuel. Light from a lantern across the room drew her eyes to the wooden floor, where Samuel sat amid piles of papers. A wooden box was open next to him.

She sat up in the bed and brushed back tangled strands of hair. “Samuel, what are you doing?”

“I can’t find the letter.” His tone was frantic.

“What letter?”

“The letter from Noah.” He continued to scramble through the papers on the floor, opening envelopes and tossing them to one side.

Lillian knew about the box Samuel stored under the bed—the keeper of his memories. She’d never looked in the box. He had told her once it housed important documents, deeds to the property, and . . . keepsakes from Rachel.

“What letter from Noah?” She was more curious than ever about what Samuel might have stashed in the box.

“I kept one letter.” He scanned a piece of paper and set it aside. “I usually sent the letters back unopened or just threw them away.” He shook his head and looked hard at Lillian. “But there was one letter Noah sent after Rachel died. I kept it and now I can’t find it.”

“Samuel . . .” She walked across the room and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s one o’clock in the morning. Can this wait until later?”