by D. L. Dennis
Everyone scurried off to see what they could find, but Jake stuck real close to Mrs. Miller. He was in awe of the child being cradled in Mrs. Miller’s arms. She was absolutely beautiful even if she was crying, and her face was all scrunched up and red. Little tears squeezed out of her eyes and rolled down the sides of her tiny face into her ears. Jake was distraught at the sound of the wails.
It did not take long before a warm bottle of milk was handed to Mrs. Miller. She looked at Jake to see if he wanted to give it to the baby, but Jake shook his head “no.” This one was too little for Jake to be comfortable with. Within seconds, the baby was sucking on the bottle and the tears had disappeared.
Within minutes, the baby’s eyes began to drift shut again. A wooden cradle with a pad and blankets had been placed close to the fireplace. Mrs. Miller gently laid the little girl in it and covered her up with the blanket. Everyone crowded around to watch the sleeping child. They were all mesmerized.
Jake stood by the cradle as close as he could get. He could not take his eyes off that little bundle in the cradle. All of a sudden, the baby’s eyes flew open. It looked like she was gazing straight at Jake with her large sparkling blue eyes. Their eyes locked, and she raised her little fists in the air. Jake reached down and put his finger on the baby’s hand. The second he did, her little fingers curled around Jake’s finger. It was almost as if she knew that Jake had rescued her, and he was her hero! Jake was speechless!
Everyone was peeping into the cradle and chattering softly at the same time. “What are we going to call her? Where do you think she came from? How old do you think she is? Will someone come for her and want her back?”
Chapter 10
JENNY
Of course, there were no answers to the questions, except they all were in agreement that she must be given a name. Mrs. Miller looked at Jake, then around at every one else and said, “Would anyone object to letting Jake pick out a name for this little one since he found her at the gate?”
Everyone murmured and nodded in agreement that this was a wonderful idea. Jake stood and stared, first at the baby then at Mrs. Miller and back at the baby. He was most generally a man of few words, but now he was absolutely speechless. You could have heard a pin drop in the room as they waited patiently for him to say something.
Names were flying through Jake’s mind – Jane, Sally, Ellen, Judy, Linda, Mary, Christy, Addie. No, those names were not right. It had to be just the right name. All of a sudden, Jake’s face broke into a wide grin. “Jenny, that’s it. She looks like a Jenny. We will name her Jenny.” Hesitantly, he looked around, and he asked, “Is that OK with everyone else?”
Everyone let out a sigh and several giggled. With smiles on their faces, they shook their heads in agreement that Jenny was what her name should be. Jake squatted by the cradle and said, “Little one, we don’t know where you came from or what you have been called, but your name is now Jenny. You are our little blessing.”
Watching Jake peering into the cradle and talking to little Jenny brought a tear to everyone’s eye. As the excitement of the evening started to dissipate, several of the staff members shuffled off to their rooms. A few of them stayed around chatting about the events of the evening and speculating about where Jenny came from. There were lots of exciting days at the orphanage, but not like this one!
Even though Jenny was sleeping soundly with a slight smile on her face, Mrs. Miller was sure that Jenny’s diaper needed to be changed. She pulled the blanket back and took off the knitted booties. As she did that, she and Jake both let out a little gasp. A few others who had not left the room and were standing close enough to see Jenny’s little legs and feet also let out a gasp. Jenny’s right foot was turned in toward her other leg at a very unusual angle. Her little toes which should have been straight up were almost touching the side of her left leg. No one said anything, but just looked at each other. Something was wrong with that little foot.
Even though Jake was a man of few words, he broke the silence and spoke firmly as he looked at the sleeping child and then at those who were standing around. In a very serious tone he said, “Jenny is a precious little baby girl that was delivered to us tonight. Whoever left her at the gate knew that this orphanage is a special place and that we will take good care of her. Jenny is going to grow up to be a special little girl. We will love Jenny just as much as we love all of the other children.”
No one had ever heard Jake say that many serious words at one time. Mrs. Miller looked around at everyone in the room and said adamantly, “I agree with Jake, and I am sure that everyone at this orphanage feels the same way. We have other children who have problems. We do not love them any less.”
That broke the tension in the room and a smile broke out on everyone’s face. They were all in agreement. At the orphanage, a deformity of any kind did not make the child any less important. Jenny would be loved! Everyone started chatting with each other.
It was always exciting when a child came to reside at the orphanage, but one had never been found in a basket! They all agreed that when the rest of the staff came to work the next day, and the children gathered for breakfast, they would be in for a big surprise. The story of how Jenny was found would be told over again and again.
Mrs. Miller finally got the diaper changed, and Jenny never made a peep. Those who were left in the room had to take one more peak at their new little resident before they went back to their rooms. Jake was distraught about Jenny’s foot and wondered how she was going to learn to walk. Mrs. Miller could see the concern on Jake’s face. His brow was furrowed, and he was pacing the floor. Mrs. Miller assured Jake that they would do all they could to help Jenny. Jake did not want to leave and wanted to know who was going to take care of Jenny. He would like to have taken her to his cabin, but he knew he could not do that. He did not know anything about changing diapers and fixing bottles!
Mrs. Miller convinced Jake that she personally would take care of Jenny, and he could go to his cabin. Before he left, Mrs. Miller had Jake carry the cradle to her bedroom. Once again, Jenny never made a peep. With her diaper changed and tummy full, she was sound asleep. Reluctantly Jake left, but told Mrs. Miller that he would be back early the next morning to check on Jenny and help her with the cradle. Mrs. Miller stifled a little chuckle as Jake left the room. He certainly was smitten by this little one.
Mrs. Miller stood and gazed out of her bedroom window. She saw the wind whipping the bare tree limbs to and fro. It even looked like it was spitting snow. Little droplets of water appeared on the window pane where the tiny snowflakes landed. She shivered as the cold air radiated from the window pane. She was so thankful that Jake decided to check the front gate one more time. That was a miracle in itself. She shuddered as she thought about what would have happened to Jenny if he had not. Even though Jenny was wrapped snugly in blankets and had a little cap on, she would not have survived through the night in this cold weather. Questions rolled around in Mrs. Miller’s mind. Who were Jenny’s parents? Were they from Calvary or from another town in the area? Why did they just leave her at the gate instead of trying to make arrangements for her care? What were they going to do about her foot? She had no answers, but she knew that the staff would love and care for Jenny the same way they cared for all of the other children.
Mrs. Miller always met the challenges at the orphanage head on and this would be no different. Jenny was not the first child to come to the orphanage with some type of disability, or with little known about the child’s background. The orphanage did not have a lot of extra money for special medical care or equipment, and sometimes they had a hard time finding the right type of equipment, but God always provided. Sometimes they would find a tiny wheel chair at their front gate or a tiny pair of crutches just at the time that they were needed. They rarely knew where the items came from, but put them to use and were thankful. She was confident that Jenny would somehow receive the care she needed.
Chapter 11
AN ANGEL ON EARTH –
THE DOCTOR
Dr. Carlson was one of the doctors in Calvary, and he made visits to the orphanage twice a month to see the children. He had approached the orphanage as soon as it opened and offered his services. Mrs. Miller was overwhelmed with his offer – he would assume care of the children at no charge. She just could not believe what he said, but as the time passed and she never received a bill, she once again knew that she was on the receiving end of a miracle.
Sometimes there would be a sick one or two for Dr. Carlson to see, and other times he would just visit for a short while. He never seemed to tire of talking to them and trying to make them laugh. The children loved to see him come because many times he had a sucker for them. Dr. Carlson would even come at any time during the night, or on a weekend, if there was an emergency. He was a real blessing to the orphanage.
Mrs. Miller often marveled at the blessings that were continually bestowed upon the orphanage – equipment, Dr. Carlson’s services, donations of clothing and the envelopes of money appearing just when it was needed most. All of these happenings just confirmed in her mind that Anderson Calvary Orphanage was a special place.
After feeding Jenny one more time and changing her diaper, Mrs. Miller decided that she would call Dr. Carlson in the morning and ask him to come and check Jenny over. She was sure Jenny was OK, but she just wanted to make sure. She would also talk to Dr. Carlson about Jenny’s foot when he came to see her. Maybe that would help to relieve Jake’s mind. She had never dealt with a deformed foot like Jenny’s and was anxious to hear whether Dr. Carlson had any suggestions.
When morning came, and the staff and the children found out about Jenny, there was a lot of excitement and commotion. It did not take long for everyone in the dining hall at breakfast to know that Mrs. Miller had a baby in her room that Jake had found by the gate in a basket. Everybody wanted to see the baby. Mrs. Miller chuckled at how excited everyone was. She had not left her room, but they were making so much noise she could hear the chatter. Several of the older children that had been there since they were small had seen many children come to the orphanage, but Jenny was different. Jenny had been found in a basket!
After giving Jenny a bottle and changing her diaper, Mrs. Miller wrapped her in her blanket and took her to the dining hall so the staff and children could take a peek at her. The level of the chatter got even louder as she started to enter the dining hall. Most of the children came running and tried to crowd around her. She was afraid that all of the noise was going to wake Jenny so she handed her to one of the staff and motioned for her to leave the dining hall with Jenny. Then all she heard were groans from the children.
Mrs. Miller had to get the children calmed down and into their seats at their tables. She had never seen them so excited. Once everyone was in their seats, she brought the baby into the room and walked around at each of the tables so the children could see Jenny. Their eyes got big when they saw how tiny she was. They were full of questions, and some of them wanted to touch her tiny fingers or rub her head. Mrs. Miller patiently answered their questions, if she had the answers. Finally, she told the children to eat their breakfast because Jenny was going to be staying with them. They would get to see her all the time.
Mrs. Miller had changed her mind about asking Dr. Carlson to come to the orphanage. She decided that she and Jake would take Jenny into his office after lunch to have her checked out and to talk about Jenny’s foot. Jake was elated that Mrs. Miller asked him to go to Dr. Carlson’s office. He could hardly wait to get finished with his morning chores and to have lunch. The time seemed to drag by.
About 2:00 p.m., Mrs. Miller found Jake in the storeroom where he was building some extra shelves and told him that it was time to go. He gladly put his tools away and washed his hands. Maybe he would get a chance to have Jenny take hold of one of his fingers again so he wanted to make sure they were clean. Jenny was back in her basket and seemed to be very comfortable so that is how she took her first ride in to Calvary.
The trip into town did not take long and soon the three of them were sitting in Dr. Carlson’s examining room. They were fortunate that Dr. Carlson was not extremely busy that afternoon and was able to see them. Mrs. Miller was quite anxious to have Jenny checked out even though she knew Jenny was OK. She was very protective of all the children in the orphanage. To her, they were God’s special, little children that had been entrusted to be cared for at the orphanage, and she was going to do her very best to take care of them.
They did not have to wait long for Dr. Carlson to come into the room. He looked at the bundle in the basket and said, “Well, what do you have here? It looks like you have someone new for me to see.”
Jake jumped right in and told Dr. Carlson about finding the basket by the gate with the baby in it. Mrs. Miller was amused at Jake’s eagerness to tell Dr. Carlson how he had found Jenny. Jake was usually not very talkative, but that was certainly not true where Jenny was concerned. Dr. Carlson frowned and thought for a few minutes without speaking. Before he could say anything, Jake’s face got red and he hurriedly said, “We don’t know who left her, but we want to keep her. We have named her Jenny and she is going to be our baby.”
“OK, OK, Jake. I am not going to try to take Jenny away from the orphanage. I was just trying to think if I knew of anyone who had given birth to a child in the past few weeks. I cannot think of anyone, so it must be someone from out of the area that knows about the orphanage. It was fortunate for this little gal that you found her when you did. She probably would not have survived the night with the cold weather we are having.”
Jake let out a sigh of relief! Mrs. Miller told Dr. Carlson that she was sure Jenny was just fine, but wanted him to check her out. Dr. Carlson asked Mrs. Miller a lot of questions as he examined Jenny. How was she eating? Did she have any trouble with the bottle? How were her diapers? Was she sleeping? Was she fussy?
When he finished examining Jenny, he said, “This little gal seems to be in good health. I know that you both have seen Jenny’s little foot that is turned in. This is going to make it difficult for her to learn to walk.”
Jake immediately chimed in, “We know she is not perfect, but that’s OK. She’s perfect to us, and we will help her learn to walk.”
Dr. Carlson looked at Jake with a smile and said, “Jake, it looks like this little one has already captured your heart.”
Jake’s cheeks turned a bright red as he glanced over at Mrs. Miller.
“That’s OK, Jake. She is a beautiful little girl, and I know that she will get along just fine. She is not going to be walking for many months. I would suggest that several times each day, you have someone massage her little foot and gently put some pressure on the ankle to try to turn it back so that her toes are pointing upward instead of toward her other leg. In time, it might help her bones to move a little in that direction. Work her ankle gently around in a circle and that might help a little also. I would suggest you have just one person work with her so that what is being done will be consistent. I know that all of your staff members are caring people, but pick someone that particularly likes babies. I will check her foot each time I come to see the other children to see if any progress is being made. That is about all we can do at this time. If you want to take her to another doctor in the city, then you can do that. Other than that, I think Jenny is just fine.”
He looked at Jake and said with a grin on his face, “And, I am sure that Jenny is going to get a lot of attention.” Jake’s cheeks turned red again, and he grinned from ear to ear.
Chapter 12
JENNY THRIVES
Little Jenny thrived with the care she received, as did all of the children at the orphanage. One of the younger staff members, a young lady by the name of Elizabeth, was assigned the task of massaging Jenny’s foot and working her ankle three times each day. Jenny was such a delightful, happy baby that Miss Elizabeth was more than happy to take time out of her morning and afternoon duties with the other children to spend time with Jenny. The rest
of the time Jenny spent in the nursery with the other babies.
Every time Jake walked by the nursery, he would pop his head in the door and ask about Jenny. The nursery workers, or Miss Elizabeth, gave him a progress report about every little thing that Jenny did – her first smile, her cooing, her first laugh and let him look at Jenny’s foot. Jake loved hearing every little tidbit.
As the weeks and months went by, Jenny’s foot began to respond to the massaging and her ankle was not as rigid as when Miss Elizabeth first started working with Jenny. It would never be normal, but every little bit of progress delighted everyone.
Jenny soon learned to recognize Jake and would squeal with delight when she saw him. It did not take long for a very special bond to develop between the two of them. Jake worried and fretted over Jenny’s little foot and wondered how she was going to learn to walk and run. He could see that some progress was being made, but he still worried about her.
All of Jake’s worrying was done in vain. By the time Jenny was two years old, she was scurrying around the nursery from one toy to another on her twisted foot. Everyone knew when Jenny was near because of the thump-thump sound her foot made as it struck the wooden floor when she was in a big hurry, and Jenny was most always in a hurry! At other times, they could hear her dragging it on the floor.
When Jenny fell down, and Jake was watching, you could see a pained look in his eyes. He wanted to rush over and help Jenny, but Mrs. Miller and Miss Elizabeth encouraged Jake to let Jenny learn to fall and get back up. Jake’s sadness did not last long though, because Jenny never cried when she fell. She would let out one of her heartwarming squeals and delight everyone with her infectious laugh. Then Jake would relax and enjoy his time watching Jenny. How could anyone be sad when they heard Jenny’s laugh?
Jenny had big round eyes as blue as the sky, long curls the color of a wheat field and did not have trouble keeping up with the other children of her age. She might look somewhat clumsy in her endeavors, but that never kept Jenny from trying to join in whatever activity was going on.
