Forever

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  “Who are these people?” screeched Summer.

  “Dwayne, stop it. We don’t need this kind of trouble on top of everything else,” the woman pleaded with her husband as she wrestled with him in the yard. He was a lot bigger than her, but she was one of those scrapper types of women who had more strength than she looked like she had. Slowly, she pulled Dwayne to their house.

  Right before they went inside, Dwaye turned back and, in a strangely calm voice, said, “You’re all going to regret this.” And then he disappeared into his house.

  Sam turned to me and said, “You need to move.”

  Maybe it was relief that we’d survived the encounter with my crazy neighbor, but I was overcome with sudden mirth, and I started laughing. The laughter continued to build until I was making hysterical sounds. When Sam and Summer looked at me, frowning, all the emotions I’d been holding at bay for the past several hours hit me.

  I began to sob, and Sam pulled me under his arm and guided me into the house.

  “Please, don’t leave, Sam. Stay the night with us.” I choked the words out and looked up at him.

  “Of course we’re staying. It’ll be like a slumber party—don’t you worry about a thing.”

  * * *

  I had my pajamas on and a cup of hot chocolate perched on my belly. Summer was brushing my hair, and Sam and Noah sat in the chairs at the table playing chess. Fear still had a slight hold of me, but Summer’s soft downward strokes with the brush were distracting me in a nice way.

  When my baby’s foot jabbed my insides, I quickly grasped Summer’s hand and brought it to the swell. I turned to watch her face light up in astonishment.

  “Holy cow, that little booger is strong. How do you put up with being kicked like that all the time?”

  I smiled. It didn’t bother me in the least that Summer called my baby a booger. I knew she meant it in the nicest way.

  Noah must have thought differently, though. He said, “Summer, please don’t call my child a booger.”

  “Well, maybe if you’d tell us what you’re having and its name, I’d know what to call it,” Summer replied.

  “It’s going to be a surprise for all of us,” I said cheerfully.

  “I can’t believe you haven’t cheated and found out what the sex is yet. How can you be so patient?” Summer demanded.

  More quietly, I said, “I want to be surprised, but I have a feeling what it is.”

  Summer’s green eyes brightened instantly. “Really—what?”

  I rolled my eyes at her intensity and said, “I’m not saying a word. Besides, it’s just a feeling and probably doesn’t mean a thing. We’ll all know in six weeks, anyway.”

  “It’s hard to believe that I’ll be an uncle before Christmas. The months have gone by so fast,” Sam said.

  “You aren’t kidding,” Noah said, and then his voice became softer and he changed the subject. “Sam, I don’t know how I can thank you enough for driving all this way to be here for Rose when she needed you. If you hadn’t shown up, who knows what that awful man might have done?”

  Sam shook his head and said, “First off, you can stop thanking me. Rose is my sister, and even though she’s given me a hard time ever since she was big enough to start running around, I’ll always be there for her and you and the baby.”

  Noah looked at me with a tight face and said, “I just wish you’d called me, Rose. I could have gotten here within minutes.”

  “You need your job. You’ve already missed too much work as it is, staying home with me so I wouldn’t be alone. I couldn’t jeopardize you being fired.”

  “The job means nothing if something happens to you.”

  The worried look on his face sobered me. He was right. I should have called him.

  Before I had a chance to respond, Summer tugged me off the couch and said, “It’s late for a pregnant woman to be up. Let’s hit the hay.”

  Sam said, “Ah, babe, are you sleeping with my sister instead of me?”

  Noah didn’t catch the teasing ring to Sam’s voice and said firmly, “It wouldn’t be appropriate any other way.”

  Sam rolled his eyes, and Summer said, “Don’t you worry, Noah. I’ll make sure Sam behaves himself.”

  I couldn’t help grinning when Sam clutched at his heart in mock distress.

  Summer wagged her finger at him as she pulled me into the bedroom.

  When Summer closed the door and then climbed onto the bed beside me I knew something was up.

  “What?” I asked with extreme reluctance.

  “Oh, don’t go getting your panties in a wad. It’s nothing about you…or even me. I was just wondering what’s going on with Justin. Sam only told me a little bit, said something about you laying down the law to him about Noah’s little sister.”

  I leaned back against the headboard and rubbed my belly absently. At the moment, the pressure was almost unbearable. I felt like I was about to explode. Breathing in deeply, I waited until the sensation passed, and then I said, “My friends told me he was flirting with Rachel. I just don’t want them to get in trouble. Honestly, maybe I overreacted. Justin has always been difficult to read. He seems zombielike most of the time, and then out of the blue he’ll surprise me with how very aware he is. Maybe he can handle it.”

  Summer said, “But Sam said he wasn’t even sure if Justin had ever talked to Rachel.”

  “I don’t know. One of the Amish must have noticed something or Suzanna wouldn’t even have heard about it.”

  I stopped and pictured Rachel’s wide-spaced brown eyes and her dark hair. She was definitely a pretty girl, but her gloomy temperament had always lessened her beauty in my eyes.

  “Justin wouldn’t go for a bitchy girl like her. He was just being nice. One of Noah’s little brothers probably misunderstood and began spreading gossip, is my guess.”

  I sighed. “I hope so.”

  Summer frowned and said, “It really isn’t any of your business, anyway.”

  Anger coiled in my gut but passed quickly. She was right.

  “Yeah, I know. I just don’t want to see Justin make the same mistakes I did.”

  “Aren’t you happy with the way it all turned out?”

  I looked at the concern on my dear friend’s face, and I had to be honest. I’d kept my true feelings hidden for so long that I wasn’t sure how to begin. After returning from Meadowview, I’d had fewer nightmares, but a deep melancholy had spread inside of me.

  “Yeah, I’m happy and all, but there’s something missing. It’s like I’m still waiting, and I don’t even know what I’m waiting for.”

  “My mama once said, life isn’t much fun most of the time, and for once I agree with her.” She bumped softly into my shoulder and patted my leg. “You’ve got a lot going on, Rose— About to have a baby, and all the crap with Noah being shunned by his family is enough to bring any girl down. Heck, you have psychopaths for neighbors. It’s no wonder you’re depressed.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I muttered.

  “All I’m saying is it can’t get much worse.”

  I turned to her and exclaimed, “Oh, please don’t say that. I’ve learned from personal experience that it can always get worse.”

  Summer shrugged and then rested her head on my shoulder. For a long time we sat their together in silence until she began breathing deeply, and I knew she’d fallen asleep.

  Sleep wouldn’t come for me for a long time, though.

  53

  Noah

  I didn’t care that I’d let Sam have the couch, but as I lay awake on the hard, carpeted floor, I quietly complained about his loud snoring.

  Throwing a pillow at him hadn’t worked, and I’d given up getting any sleep an hour ago. Still, I had to work the following morning, one of the rare day shifts, and
I kept my eyes closed, desperately trying to drift away.

  My mind was distracted, though. Too many worries were floating around in my head. As if it wasn’t bad enough to have my first child about to born, now I had to worry about a crazy, drugged-out neighbor.

  After going over every possible scenario for several more minutes, I decided that I’d contact the police first thing in the morning—and after I got home from work, we’d begin the search for another place to live. It would be difficult to move with Rose being less than two months from delivery, but we couldn’t stay here any longer.

  I felt a rush of relief for having made the decision, and the incessant ramblings of my mind began to ebb. When the heaviness of sleep pushed in, I welcomed it, relieved that our lives would be changing real soon.

  * * *

  The smoke parted, and I saw Rose. She was standing beneath a tree, and she was holding our baby. Hope nuzzled her legs, and her horse, Lady, grazed beside her. She smiled and held the child out to me.

  I took a step forward, but the air clouded again, and I couldn’t see anything.

  Frantically, I clawed at the haze, trying to reach Rose and the baby, but I couldn’t get through the thick smoke that surrounded me.

  My throat was on fire, and my eyes burned.

  With sudden clarity, I realized that it was real. My dream was real.

  Pushing off the floor, I saw the red flames leaping through the air in the kitchen. I could hear the crackle and hiss of fire burning and feel its heat. My mind froze in fear, but my body acted on instinct.

  Grabbing Sam’s shoulder, I jerked him off the couch, shouting, “Fire, there’s a fire.”

  Sam sputtered and cursed, but I quickly turned away, racing to the bedroom.

  I opened the door, and the smoke that was flooding the rest of the house exploded into the room that had been untouched until that moment.

  “Summer, Rose, come on, wake up,” Sam shouted from behind me, but he was by my side when I reached the bed.

  Rose coughed, “What’s going on?”

  I put my arm around her and gently pulled her away from the bed.

  Summer was instantly awake and shrieking, “Oh, my God, is it a real fire?”

  Sam didn’t answer her. Instead, he pulled her off the bed and then extended his arm to help me with Rose.

  The four of us left the temporary shelter of the first-floor bedroom and entered the family room, but the fire had spread there, and the flames were licking the ceiling. I was shocked that in the minute we’d left the room to get the girls, the inferno had grown rapidly. The way to the front door was blocked, and the kitchen was already engulfed.

  Sam looked at me over Rose’s head with terror, shouting, “We can’t make it to the door.”

  The thick smoke made it impossible to breath, and I coughed out, “The window—we’ll break the window in the bedroom. It’s only a first-floor drop.”

  Rose and Summer hugged each other while I pulled the blinds up, and Sam brought his foot up and kicked at the window. The glass shattered, and I used my foot to help Sam knock the remaining shards away.

  The window was reasonably safe when Sam helped Summer through. The blaring of sirens filled the cold, early morning air, accompanied by the flashing of lights. Silently, I prayed that the firemen would work quickly and save some of the house, but as fast as the blaze was spreading, I knew it was hopeless. The house and all of our belongings were as good as gone.

  Rose began to put her leg over the sill but then hesitated and glanced at me with wide eyes. “I can’t do it. The drop is too high.”

  Normally, Rose would have jumped the same way Summer had, but in her condition, she was awkward and had difficulty tying her own shoelaces.

  “Sam, you go first and help catch her.”

  Sam went through the window in a fluid motion and yelled, “All right, come on, Rose, I’m here for you.”

  I helped her put her legs through the window and grasped her beneath her arms. The smoke rushed past us out the opening, and blazing heat touched my back. I didn’t dare turn around, though. Even when I heard the crash of the ceiling caving in behind me, I focused on gently holding Rose out the window as Sam reached up to help her down.

  By the time Rose’s feet touched the ground, several firefighters had come around the corner of the house. I’d barely cleared the window when a portion of the house exploded. The rush of hot air and debris whipped out, hitting my back as I fell onto the grass. As I went down, I could see firemen shielding Rose, Summer and Sam out of the corner of my eye.

  There were several seconds of complete silence, like a vacuum in my ears, until suddenly the world had sound again. The sirens and shouting mixed together as I was pulled away from the rental house by strong hands. Other firemen were dragging hoses through the yard, and I watched as they aimed the water streams at the neighboring houses. There was only one hose on our rental house, because there wasn’t anything left of it. They needed to keep the fire from spreading through the neighborhood.

  The scene blurred, and my eyes saw only Rose as she huddled beside Summer and Sam near the ambulance. Pulling away from the fireman who was helping me walk, I sprinted over to Rose quickly.

  When I had her in my arms, I finally breathed again. Pressing my face to the top of her head, I said, “It’s going to be all right. We’re all alive and that’s what matters.”

  She pulled back suddenly and gripped her stomach. The way she looked down between her feet made my heart race once again.

  She glanced up in terror and cried, “I think my water broke.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked, stepping back in disbelief.

  The closest paramedic must have heard Rose’s shout. She jumped from the back of the vehicle and rushed over to us. I stepped aside and let the woman do her job, but I continued to hold Rose’s hand, not willing to release her until it was absolutely necessary.

  Panic began to spread through me as Rose was guided into the ambulance. She still had six weeks to go…it was too early for her to have the baby.

  “Are you the father?” the lady paramedic asked, and I nodded, stepping up into the vehicle.

  Right before the door shut, Sam reached in and grabbed my arm.

  “I’ll call Dad. It’ll take him some time to arrive from Meadowview, but I’m sure he’ll hurry.”

  “It’s too early, Sam. She can’t have the baby.”

  Sam’s face looked grave when he said, “Bro, I don’t think she has a choice. You’ve got to be strong for Rose. Whatever happens, be there for her.”

  Then the paramedic asked Sam to back away, and she shut the door.

  I moved forward and knelt beside Rose and pushed damp hair on her forehead aside. I forced a smile and said, “Are you excited to meet our baby?”

  “It’s too soon.” Her voice trembled, and she sucked in a breath and said, “It hurts really bad— I thought the pain would build slowly.”

  The paramedic began taking Rose’s blood pressure and said, “Because of the trauma of the fire, you’ve gone into sudden labor, young lady. Basically, you skipped the beginning of the process entirely.”

  As Rose asked the woman questions and the ambulance moved through the still-darkened morning streets, I couldn’t help but wonder about the fire and how it started. I had the bad feeling that it wasn’t a random thing at all. I remembered what Dwayne had said to us.

  I knew that when I left the Amish community, I was taking my family into a more difficult world, but I’d never imagined it would be so dangerous.

  54

  Rose

  Thank God for the epidural. Instead of the painful cramps that twisted from my back across to my groin, I now had the wonderful feeling of nothingness. Well, there was some pressure along my lower back when the monitor would begin to rise
in higher, more spastic lines, letting me know that I was indeed having a contraction, but other than that, I felt pretty good.

  Dad had arrived on the scene an hour ago, and I had to give the man credit for getting the hospital staff in high gear. His personal call to the anesthesiologist brought the man quicker than the request of my real doctor.

  They were trying to be discreet, but occasionally, either my dad’s or Doctor Puzzo’s voice would rise, and I’d catch the gist of what they were saying. Dad wanted to waste no time and prep for a C-section while my doctor believed that I could have the baby naturally. I liked my doctor and was rooting for her, but in the end, I was betting that Dad would get his way. Although, I was impressed that she’d stood up to Dad as well as she had so far.

  Noah walked through the doorway with the pitcher of chipped ice when Doctor Puzzo approached the bed. Dad was one step behind her.

  I eyed Dad for only an instant before I focused on Doctor Puzzo’s face. She was younger than Dad and kept her blond hair pulled up in a ponytail. When she smiled, I relaxed, thinking that maybe she’d won the argument, after all.

  Noah sat on the edge of the bed and took my hand into his, but he didn’t say a word. Smudges of soot still stained his face and the scent of smoke clung to his clothes. I wrinkled my nose at the smell and looked back at the doctor.

  “Rose and Noah, as we’ve already discussed, it’s not the ideal time for you to have the baby, but now that your water has broken and you’re already dilated at nine, there’s no stopping the arrival. The baby will be almost six weeks premature, so it’s borderline how developed its lungs will be. If we’re lucky, it might not need a ventilator at all or only for a short time, but we’ll be prepared for the worst.”

  Noah must have read my mind when he asked, “How long will the baby need to stay in the hospital?”

  “I can’t tell you that for certain at this time. We’ll need to wait and see how the delivery goes and its size.” She paused and glanced at Dad and then back at me again. “Are you ready to have this baby naturally, Rose?”

  I nodded my head and said, “Yes.”