Plain Pursuit (27 page)

Carley wound around to the other side of the bed and put her arms around Esther. At first Esther did nothing but sob, her face still buried in her hands. Then, unexpectedly, she threw her arms around Carley’s
neck and tightly embraced her. Esther mumbled something in Pennsylvania
Deitsch
that Carley didn’t understand, but her hold on Carley never lessened.

It was nearing nine o’clock that evening when Noah was moved to an ICU room down the hall from David. No one was using the word
coma
, but no one could say if or when Noah would wake up. Carley hadn’t left his side. Lillian had reported that David was doing so well she was going to go home to spend the night with the baby and return in the morning. Samuel was staying in David’s room in a recliner chair similar to the one in Noah’s room where Carley planned to sleep.

Several times Samuel had ventured a few feet into Noah’s room. Each time Carley shook her head, and Samuel backed out of the room. No words were exchanged. No words were necessary.

It was a strange feeling to be at this man’s bedside. This man she’d known for less than a month. And yet she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. Still sitting in the chair next to Noah’s bed, she found his hand and squeezed.

“Please wake up, Noah.”

Carley heard footsteps and turned to see Dana and Jenna. She was startled, but warmly touched, when Jenna ran into her arms.

“Why hasn’t Dr. Noah woke up yet?” Jenna asked as she got comfortable in Carley’s lap. With her tiny little blue jeans, white cotton T-shirt, and white tennis shoes, she was dressed almost exactly like Carley. Her long blonde locks were pulled into a ponytail, and her eyes were wide and questioning.

“I don’t know,” Carley said. She turned her attention to Dana and prepared to lambaste the girl for her made-up tale about Noah’s girlfriend, but decided it best not to broach the matter in front of Jenna. She carefully stood up and placed Jenna on the chair. “Dana, I need to talk to you for a—”

“Have they said when he might wake up?” Dana interrupted, blinking back tears and stroking Noah’s arm from the other side of the bed.

Carley shook her head. “No.”

She’s in love with him
, Carley thought. Was it love? A teenage crush? Either way, Dana’s pain seemed equivalent to Carley’s, and now wasn’t the time to reprimand her for lying.

“I don’t get it,” Dana said. “People have surgery all the time. How can he just not wake up?” She dabbed at her eyes.

“I don’t know.”

“What if he never wakes up?” Dana’s sad eyes met Carley’s, and a maternal instinct kicked in for this girl almost a decade her junior.

“He will, Dana. We have to stay positive. He’s breathing on his own, and the surgery went fine. He
will
wake up.”

“Is someone taking care of Chloe?” Dana sniffled, tugged at the sides of her red T-shirt, and stood a little taller.

“Noah said the boy next door is feeding and walking her. He asked me to let the glass man in tomorrow to replace the glass on the clinic’s front windows. I don’t want to leave, though.”

“What time?” Dana asked.

“At ten o’clock tomorrow morning.”

Dana pulled a piece of paper and a pen out of her purse. She scribbled something on the paper and handed it to Carley. “This is my cell phone number. I’m
sure
Noah will be awake by then, but if he isn’t, call me. I can go let the glass man in.”

“Are you sure?” Carley knew her surprise was evident. She would have expected her to want to stay by Noah’s side instead. “Don’t you have work or classes to go to?”

“I’m only working part-time right now at the market, and my summer classes are over. Noah’s done a lot for me and Jenna. His clinic is important to him, and I don’t want to see things fall apart.”

Jenna tugged on Carley’s shirt. “I want Noah to wake up.”

“Me too, Jenna,” Carley whispered. “Me too.”

Carley had gotten comfortable in the reclining chair and fallen asleep sometime after midnight. If it could be called sleep; a constant flow of doctors and nurses going in and out prevented more than a few minutes at a time. She was feeling the exhaustion when she heard footsteps around five in the morning. It was Esther.

The older woman held back near the door as if afraid to approach. “Is he—?”

“He still hasn’t woken up,” Carley whispered.

“An
Englisch
friend brought me in her car. I knew it would not be
gut
news when I got here. Otherwise, the portable phone would have rung in the night.” Esther finally neared the bed and touched Noah’s arm.

“Everything is the same.” Carley hesitated. “Do you want to spend some time alone with him? I could use a break.” She didn’t need a break. If Noah woke up, she wanted to be there, but maybe it would be good for Noah’s mother to spend some time alone with him.

Esther nodded and took a seat in the chair opposite Carley. “I will stay with
mei
son,” she said, holding her head upward a tad, as if defying anyone who might say she couldn’t.

“Okay.” Carley stood up. She placed her hands on each side of Noah’s face and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll be back,” she whispered. Esther seemed shocked. Carley didn’t care.

It feels good to stretch my legs,
Carley thought as she exited the room—yet odd to leave Noah. She had been glued to his side. When her cell phone started ringing, she quickly snatched it out of her purse. It was Adam. She didn’t feel like dealing with her brother at the moment, but she answered anyway, slipping into the waiting room. Thankfully, it was empty.

“Why are you calling me so early in the morning?” Carley glanced at her watch.

“Carley, I left you three messages,” Adam said. “Thank God you’re all right, but couldn’t you have the courtesy to call me back?”

“I’m sorry, Adam. I really am. Sometimes my phone doesn’t get reception at the farm or in the hospital. I saw where you called once yesterday, and I was going to call you back. There’s just been a lot going on.”

She filled Adam in about David and Noah before he could reprimand her further. His response left her cold. “I’m sorry to hear about all that, Carley. That’s a terrible situation. But you have a flight to catch in a few days.”

That’s it? That’s all he has to say?
“Well, I definitely won’t be coming back in a few days.” She paused, planting one hand on her hip. “Actually, I don’t know when I’ll be coming back.”

“Carley, you have a job here. Did you forget that?”

“Uh, ya know what, Adam? My job is what landed me here in the first place—my forced vacation, remember? And as it turns out, I am very much needed around here.”
And not about to leave
Noah.
“So I wouldn’t count on me coming back any time soon.”

She could hear Adam sigh on the other end of the line. “Carley, I just worry about you, that’s all.”

“I know you do, Adam. And I love you for it. But I’m a grown woman. I’ve spent the last few months with everyone worrying about me, hovering over me. I need to take care of myself. I need to heal. I
am
healing. And taking care of Noah, helping Lillian and her family—this is helping me not to focus so much on my own issues.”

“So are you staying an extra week or what? How long?”

“I don’t
know yet. However long it takes. However long I’m needed.”

“And your job? What about your job?”

“There are other jobs. Besides, it’s just until things get better around here.”

Adam sighed again. “Well, you know I’m here if you need anything. Even if it’s just to talk. I love you, Carley.”

“I know. And I love you too.”

“Have you talked to Matt?”

Carley had missed several calls from Matt also. “No,” she answered, “but I will.”

“Well, don’t expect him to hold your job if this goes on much longer. He said a month.”

“I will talk to Matt.”

“All right, Carley. But keep in touch with me, please.”

“I will.”

She tossed the phone back in her purse and headed down the hall toward David’s room. As she entered, Samuel met her by the door and motioned for her to go back outside. David was sleeping, but the look on Samuel’s face indicated he had something important to tell her.

“We haven’t told David about Noah,” he whispered.

“I can understand that. I won’t say anything.” She peeked into the room. “I can see he’s sleeping now. Can you tell him I stopped by?”

Samuel nodded. He looked as though he wanted to ask her something, but they were interrupted by the man she recognized as Bishop Ebersol.

“Hello, Samuel,” the elderly man said, his long gray beard extending the length of his chest. He firmly clutched Samuel’s hand. “How is David doing today?”

The man tipped his straw hat in Carley’s direction but quickly turned back toward Samuel.

“David is doing
gut
this morning,” Samuel said as he released the bishop’s hand. “But Noah . . .”

Bishop Ebersol leaned in toward Samuel. “I do not think it
gut
to talk of your
bruder
.”

Carley gasped in surprise, causing Bishop Ebersol to glance in her direction, but again he refocused on Samuel. “Is the boy awake?” The bishop peered into David’s room.

Samuel. Be a man. Say something.

“No, David is sleeping.” Samuel stroked his beard. “But Noah—”

“I will come back in the afternoon with other members of the community. We have arranged rides with our
Englisch
friends for later. Is there anything you need?”

“He needs to tell you about Noah!” Carley snapped. “He hasn’t woken up from the surgery. That’s what he was trying to tell you. And everyone is very worried.
Everyone.
”

To her disbelief, Bishop Ebersol did not acknowledge her.

“I will see you in the afternoon, Samuel.” The bishop again extended his hand to Samuel, who reluctantly took it.

Carley threw her hands up. “Did you hear what I said?” she demanded of Bishop Ebersol. “It’s okay for Noah to give up a vital organ to save a life, but you can’t even acknowledge he’s in a coma?”

Realizing it was the first time the word had been used, Carley blinked back her tears.

“I am sorry for your troubles,” Bishop Ebersol said, nodding in Carley’s direction. “I must go.”

As Bishop Ebersol turned to leave, Carley fired Samuel a look she wasn’t sure she’d ever directed at anyone. Her eyes blazed with anger and hurt.

Glancing back and forth between Carley and the bishop, Samuel was clearly conflicted. The bishop had almost reached the elevators when he called out. “Bishop Ebersol!”

The bishop spun around.

Samuel motioned with his hand for the bishop to come back to where they were standing. When the bishop got close enough that Samuel wouldn’t have to yell, Samuel said, “Bishop Ebersol, we need to have a talk.”

16

SAMUEL STOOD A LITTLE TALLER A ND LOOPED HIS THUMBS under his suspenders. Carley watched the two men face off.

Bishop Ebersol’s eyes narrowed as he took in Samuel’s stance. “What is it, Samuel?”

“
Mei
boy is alive and doing
gut
because he has one of Noah’s kidneys. If Noah wasn’t able to give David a kidney, I don’t know what might have happened.” Samuel paused but continued when Bishop Ebersol didn’t interrupt him. “I believe God would want us to care for Noah during this time, despite his errors of the past.”

Bishop Ebersol appeared to be choosing his words carefully, taking his time to respond. “Samuel, this is a
hatt
situation for all to be in. Noah’s shunning is not a punishment to him, but an attempt for him to right his ways in God’s eyes. It is not our place to question God’s will. This selfless act by Noah will be judged by God, not by us. We must follow the
Ordnung
when it comes to these matters.” The bishop shook his head. “
Es dutt mir
leed
, Samuel.”

“I’m sorry, too, Bishop Ebersol.” Samuel placed his hands on his hips and looked toward his feet. Sighed. “Do what you must, then. I am going to go be with
mei bruder
.”

Samuel turned and walked away, leaving Carley with Bishop Ebersol. The bishop looked momentarily stunned but quickly excused himself and headed toward the elevator.