The Amish Midwife's Secret

by Rachel J. Good

  Esther stepped past him and hurried onto the wooden porch. “Yoo-hoo,” she called through the screen door.

  A little boy of about four, with a bowl haircut, pushed open the door. His black pants and suspenders signaled they’d come to an Amish home. Kyle’s stomach clenched. Not only his first house call. His first time entering an Amish home since…

  “We left the door open so you could come in.” The boy’s eyes widened as they traveled up Kyle’s height. “You’re tall.”

  “Yes, he is.” Esther stepped into the living room. “How’s baby Aaron?”

  His older sister, who appeared to be about eight, came up behind him and smiled shyly. She wore a long dress and had her hair twisted on the sides and pulled back into a bun. “He’ll get better now that Leah’s here. She brought some ingredients to help Mamm. They’re in the kitchen.”

  “Oh, good. Did you stay home from school today?”

  The young girl shook her head. “I only came home during lunchtime to watch Aaron while Mamm and Daed meet with Leah.”

  Esther motioned for Kyle to follow her down the hall. “You’ll get to meet Leah, our midwife-in-training. The two of you will work together on high-risk preg— um, high-risk cases.” She leaned over and whispered so the children couldn’t hear. “Amish women never mention they’re expecting, especially not to men and children.”

  Kyle frowned. “I’d think it would be obvious.”

  “That may be, but no one talks about it. I hope you’ll respect that.”

  Once again, Esther acted as if he’d already agreed to take over the practice. They crossed the threshold to a large, spacious kitchen with a hand-hewn wooden table capable of seating ten. Dr. Hess sat on one of the chairs, waiting patiently as several women and girls bustled around.

  Whew! Onions and cayenne pepper stung Kyle’s nose and eyes. The odor didn’t remind him of typical Amish cooking. A young woman who appeared to be in her midtwenties and about eight months pregnant stepped over to the stove carrying what looked like a piece of nylon stocking.

  “Are you ready for this, Leah?” she asked an attractive Amish girl stirring a pot on the stove.

  “Not quite. Could you hand me the herbs and essential oils?”

  The young mother obliged, and the girl—Leah?—took the pot off the stove before adding some ingredients to the mixture she was stirring.

  A small girl who couldn’t have been more than five staggered into the kitchen, carrying a heavy bundle wrapped in blankets. “Here’s Aaron, Mamm.”

  She was holding a baby? Sucking in a breath, Kyle rushed across the kitchen floor to rescue the dangling infant. Before he reached them, Dr. Hess turned around and held out his arms.

  “I’ll take him.” The doctor slid a hand under the baby. He didn’t seem at all perturbed that the girl could have dropped the child.

  Kyle’s heart banged against his chest at the near accident, but the expectant mother only smiled and thanked the little girl for bringing her brother to the doctor. The girl had called her Mamm, so she and the baby must both belong to this woman.

  “This baby is yours?” Kyle could barely keep the shock from his voice. “He’s only about a year old.”

  “Eleven months,” the mother corrected, her words soft and gentle.

  Eleven months? And she was about to have another soon. Kyle almost asked when her next baby was due, but recalling Esther’s caution, he clamped his mouth shut.

  After the little girl partially undressed the baby, Dr. Hess lowered the stethoscope to the infant’s chest. His face grave, he slid the chest piece around several times. Then, while propping the baby’s chest against his hand, he touched the stethoscope to various spots on the baby’s back. He rewrapped the child in blankets and beckoned for Kyle to take his place on the chair.

  “See what you think.” The doctor set one hand on the baby to keep him from rolling off the table and held out the stethoscope with the other.

  The look in his eyes challenged Kyle. Was this a test of competence? His nervous fingers closed around the earpieces. Overcoming his squeamishness about using someone else’s equipment, he fumbled to insert the ear tips and then set the diaphragm against the infant’s tiny chest. The crackling, bubbling, and rumbling coming through the chest piece as the baby wheezed left no doubt of the diagnosis.

  To keep from blurting out the answer, Kyle fiddled with the earpieces as he waited for Dr. Hess to reposition the baby. Kyle had no need to listen to the child’s back, but to look professional, he finished the exam. His eyes sought Dr. Hess’s before he announced, “Pneumonia.”

  Dr. Hess nodded.

  “I know.” Leah, who’d been stirring the smelly mixture in the pot, motioned for the mother to hold out the nylon bag so she could spoon the mush into it. “That’s why we’re making this poultice.” With a quick motion, she wrapped the nylon in a towel and hurried to the table.

  She practically elbowed Kyle out of the way as she reached for the baby. With deft movements, she placed the stinking mixture on the baby’s chest, quickly redressed him, and swaddled him in warm blankets. “This should help.”

  “Help?” Kyle’s eyes burned from the sharp stench rising from the infant’s body, and he choked. “That child belongs in a hospital.”

  “Hospital?” Leah shot him an incredulous glance. “How could his mamm be with him? She shouldn’t be jolting all that way to the hospital, and who’d care for the children?”

  Kyle couldn’t believe his ears. “Children under age two are at the greatest risk—” He broke off when Dr. Hess jiggled his arm. Snapping his mouth shut, Kyle waited for the doctor to speak. This was still Dr. Hess’s case, after all. Just because he’d allowed Kyle to offer a diagnosis, it didn’t mean Kyle should take over.

  “I’ll put the baby in the cradle.” Leah looked at the mother, who nodded.

  Dr. Hess held out a hand to stop her, and Kyle released a pent-up sigh. The doctor would explain the need for hospitalization. Instead he gestured toward Kyle. “Before you go, Leah, I’d like you to meet Kyle. I’m hoping to convince him to take over my practice.”

  Leah ducked her head and mumbled a brief greeting. She refused to meet his eyes, which might be just as well, because his face likely would reveal how upset he was about the home remedy. Pneumonia wasn’t something to fool around with, especially not in infants.

  “Kyle, you’ll be working closely with Leah. She’s in training to be a midwife, and she makes many effective herbal remedies.”

  Kyle managed to say, “Pleased to meet you,” but he wasn’t sure how true that was.

  Dr. Hess might trust Leah’s homemade brews, but when Kyle graduated from medical school, he’d taken an oath promising his patients’ health would always be his foremost consideration. So how could he stand here and let her smear a stinky concoction on a baby’s chest when that child should be taken to the hospital?

  He could never allow anyone to harm a baby. Never.

  Chapter Three

  Kyle. Leah’s arms tightened around the baby, and her heart quickened. She averted her gaze because, if she met Kyle’s eyes, he might read the guilt in hers. Or worse yet, remember the part she’d played that dreadful night. After he’d left town years ago, she’d buried her fear that he’d discover the truth. Now he was here in this kitchen, close enough to touch. Leah struggled to control her trembling, to put the past out of her mind, to concentrate on the darling baby in her arms.

  Although she avoided meeting Kyle’s eyes, she couldn’t help noting his pursed lips. He appeared to be pinching back a retort, and his nose had wrinkled when she’d put the onion poultice on baby Aaron’s chest. She suspected Kyle’s expression wasn’t only a reaction to the strong smell. Definitely not a good sign. The last thing they needed was a doctor who didn’t understand Amish ways.

  His half-hearted greeting proved he felt as wary of her as she did of him. Having Kyle Miller back in the community would be difficult enough, but having to work with him during deliveries w
ould be torture. Any moment he might glance at her and…

  The baby emitted a phlegmy cough, and Leah tipped him upright and patted his back to ease his breathing. Beside her, Kyle’s body tensed as if he wanted to snatch Aaron from her. Leah swished past him before he could make a move and headed for the cradle in the back bedroom.

  When she reached the room, she shut the door behind her to give herself some time to recover. Her breathing was as labored as the baby’s. Kyle hadn’t looked at her closely. If he did, would he remember that time their eyes locked and both their worlds changed forever? Leah didn’t want to take that chance.

  From the brief glimpse she had of him, Kyle looked too slick and polished to return to a small farming community. Why would he even want to come back after what happened? Although the Amish would never hold his past against him, few in their area would visit his office or invite him into their homes if he refused to accept their way of life.

  As much as she wanted to see Dr. Hess enjoy retirement—he worked much too hard—Kyle Miller was the last person she’d want to take his place. The first chance she got, she’d recommend that Dr. Hess find a different assistant. Seeing Kyle again made her realize she couldn’t work with him. Not only did they have totally different ideas on how to handle illness, but being around him sent waves of guilt over her. Kyle might never remember what she’d done, but the shame of that night was burned indelibly into her memory.

  Rather than settling baby Aaron in the cradle, Leah sank onto the nearby bed and cuddled him close. For years, she’d yearned to have a family of her own, but holding babies like this had been her only chance to hug little ones. Blinking back tears, she patted Aaron’s back as he coughed. Now that she’d started dating Ben, she’d begun to hope someday he’d be her husband and they’d have a family. That possibility could become a reality…if only they could start agreeing on things.

  Ben didn’t want her being a midwife, but Leah was determined to show him she could make their relationship and her career work. So far, they’d crossed a few hurdles and managed to stay together. The fall months would be busier than usual with weddings, babies, and illnesses, making it a challenge to find time to be together.

  “Leah?” Dr. Hess’s voice boomed through the house, and she jumped, startling baby Aaron, whose thin wail came out choked.

  She lifted him to her shoulder, breathing shallowly to avoid getting a strong whiff of the onion, and rubbed his back. “Be right there,” she called back as she waited for Aaron’s spate of coughing to subside. When he’d quieted, she propped him in the cradle to make it easier for him to breathe. She had no desire to subject herself to Kyle’s withering looks or take a chance he might recognize her.

  When she entered the kitchen, Kyle’s clenched fists and tight jaw made it clear he was holding back anger. Anger he probably wanted to direct at her for disregarding his advice about the baby. She hoped Dr. Hess would explain about Amish ways. Kyle, though, didn’t look as if he’d listen.

  Leah nibbled on her lower lip. She had no right to judge him. She herself had been guilty of the same fault. She wanted her own way too. She’d ignored his advice about taking the baby to the hospital, believing her poultice was the correct solution. Talk about hochmut! If she hadn’t been so prideful, she would have considered Kyle’s recommendation as well as his feelings. Instead she’d not only dismissed it, she’d pointed out how wrong he was. Leah’s conscience insisted she apologize, but the stubborn part of her refused to give in.

  Before her better side could convince her to do the right thing, Dr. Hess rose from the table and beckoned to Kyle.

  “We’d better get going. I have a lot to do and plenty to show you.” The doctor picked up his black leather bag and smiled at Leah. “Kyle’s only here for three days, but when he comes back, I’ll make sure to get the two of you together so you can get to know each other.”

  Kyle looked as if that were the last thing he’d ever want to do. Not that she blamed him. Maybe being here had made it clear this job didn’t suit him. Perhaps she’d never see him again, which Leah would consider a great blessing.

  * * *

  Kyle held his tongue until the front door closed behind him and the Hesses. “You’re leaving that baby here?”

  Dr. Hess slowed and put a hand on Kyle’s arm. “The Amish around here prefer chiropractors. They rarely consult a doctor unless it’s a medical emergency.”

  “Like this baby?”

  Dr. Hess sighed. “I know most people would rush that child to the hospital, but the Amish don’t do things the way we Englischers do.”

  “If the parents plan to ignore what you tell them to do, why do they bother to call you in the first place?” In his worry for the baby, Kyle’s words came out more sharply than he’d intended.

  “Actually, the parents weren’t the ones who contacted me. Leah asked me to check the baby. She was convinced he had pneumonia.”

  “The midwife diagnoses people?”

  Esther chuckled. “I don’t imagine all midwives do, but Leah’s different. She’s been running her family’s natural products store for years. She has an extensive knowledge of herbs and alternative medicine.”

  Kyle’s fear for the baby’s health boiled over and spilled out into his words. “So she not only diagnoses diseases, she recommends quack remedies?”

  “I wouldn’t call her treatments ‘quack.’ In fact,” Esther said, “she’s quite knowledgeable. By the time Martin gets called in, she often has the cases pretty well in hand.”

  “Esther’s right.” Dr. Hess flashed his wife a loving smile. “One other thing you need to know is that the Amish come to me for a diagnosis, but most of them ignore the prescriptions I write.”

  Kyle stopped and stared at him. “What’s the point of going to a doctor if you’re going to ignore the advice?”

  “They mainly want to confirm the diagnosis. Then they’ll get products at Leah’s family’s store to treat whatever I tell them they have.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  Dr. Hess reached his car, opened the trunk, and set his bag inside before he turned and pinned Kyle with a look that pierced his soul. “I believe in honoring God by doing my job and leaving the rest up to Him.”

  Kyle squirmed and looked away. God had ignored his pleas for his mother’s life, so it seemed foolhardy to trust Him—or the Amish midwife—with patients’ lives.

  When Kyle didn’t answer him, Dr. Hess continued, “You might be surprised at how well the natural treatments work. Some of the remedies the Amish use might seem odd.”

  “Yes, indeed,” Esther said. “Like BEMER treatments or reflexology or—”

  Her husband held up his hand. “Maybe we’d better not overwhelm the boy with that information right now.” He and Esther exchanged glances that seemed to convey deep messages between them.

  Esther’s lips quirked. “You’re right, Martin. We don’t want to scare him off.”

  She needn’t worry about that. If he hadn’t already planned to turn them down, his encounter with the Amish midwife would have been enough to change his mind. Hearing the patients would ignore his advice only confirmed his decision.

  Dr. Hess opened the passenger door and looked at Kyle. “Why don’t you ride with me so we can discuss some of our plans?” He turned to his wife. “If you’ll be all right, dear? You just took that long drive to the airport.”

  “Of course I will. Don’t worry about me, Martin. I’m not tired.”

  “I just want to be sure you’re safe.” He moved closer to her, took her hand, and squeezed it. “You’re precious to me.”

  Esther beamed up at her husband. “I pray God will watch over all of us as well as the Fisher family, especially the unborn baby and little Aaron.”

  He bent and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Till we meet again.”

  Kyle turned away, a lump blocking his throat. He had no idea how long those two had been married, but they acted like young lovers. His heart longed for a relations
hip like that. A relationship he’d never have. Once he’d loved someone with his whole heart, but anger and carelessness had destroyed both their lives.

  “Are you ready, Kyle?” Dr. Hess’s words startled him from his grief.

  After he and Dr. Hess got into the car, the doctor turned on the engine but motioned for his wife to pull out ahead of them. “That way we can keep an eye on her.”

  “You don’t trust her driving?”

  After turning a shocked glance in Kyle’s direction, Dr. Hess said with a touch of sternness, “Esther’s a wonderful driver. You’ve ridden with her, so you should know.”

  “Yes, she is. But when you said you were keeping an eye on her, you were worried—”

  “Cars can break down. Drunk drivers can cause accidents.”

  The word accident stabbed Kyle, and he winced.

  “As a doctor, I’ve realized how fragile life can be. And if it’s in my power, I want to protect my wife.”

  Kyle pressed his fingers against his eyelids to ease the stinging. He certainly knew how fragile life could be.

  Dr. Hess continued, “I consider every moment with Esther as a gift.”

  His throat tight, Kyle asked, “How long have you been married?”

  “We’ll be celebrating our forty-sixth anniversary this spring.” Dr. Hess kept his gaze trained on the rutted lane as they bounced along. “Which means I’m no longer a spry chicken. That’s why I need some help in the practice. Esther’s been by my side all this time, but we had to be apart for many holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, and other special occasions. And I can’t count the number of dates I’ve broken.”

  After they pulled out onto the main highway, Dr. Hess stayed right behind his wife, even though she drove well under the speed limit.

  “When you’re the only doctor in an area like this,” he continued, “you make a lot of sacrifices. Esther’s made all of them and more. She deserves my full time and attention now. That’s why I’m ready to hand over the practice to a deserving young doctor.” He shot Kyle a look.