[2016] The Precious Amish Baby

by Faith Crawford

  They watched her walk down the street.

  “She’s an attractive lady, Andy.” He said. “You did a good job, sendin’ in that advertisement. Maybe I should do somethin’ like that.”

  Andrew nodded. “Yeah, you should! I don’t know if you’re gonna have the kind of success I’ve had, though. You’re right. She’s a right sweet lady, isn’t she?”

  “Yep. I’d say so.”

  The two turned and went through the doors to the general store, the little bell above the door twinkling to signify their arrival.

  Rebekah went into the little parlor and walked up to the counter.

  “Hello, Rebekah.” She had made fast friends with Lillian, the pretty young girl who always worked the parlor serving ice cream and soda.

  “Hello, Lillian. How are you feeling today?”

  “I’m doing well. How about you?”

  “I’m all right. I’ve been feeling a little ill on occasion in the morning, which is a little strange for me. I’ve always been well. I don’t get sick often.”

  “How do you feel the rest of the day?” Lillian asked, leaning on the counter with a concerned look.

  “Oh, all right, I guess.” Rebekah pressed her lips together. “Do you think I should see the doctor?”

  Lillian giggled. “Well, you live with him, Rebekah. I think it would be a wise idea to mention it to him.”

  “You’re right.” She smiled. “I will. Can I get a scoop of vanilla?”

  “Of course you can! I’ll be happy to oblige.” She turned and picked up a scooper. “You just go on over and sit in that booth there, dear.”

  Rebekah turned, her eyes moving past the large window that fronted the store. Her heart squeezed and she suddenly felt sick when she saw a man staring through the glass at her.

  It was Gregory.

  She felt all the blood drain from her face. What was he doing here? How had he found her?

  She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. Lillian had turned back and was staring at her. “Rebekah? Are you all right?” The girl turned her eyes and looked out the window.

  Gregory had moved to the door. Rebekah felt like she wanted to cry. There was no back door to run through. She wasn’t going to escape. She wanted to tell Lillian who Gregory was but she couldn’t bring herself to. She turned with the small cup of ice cream and a little spoon. She hurried to the booth, sliding in and wishing she could become invisible.

  Gregory came through the door, his eyes intense and focused on her. He walked directly to her and slid into the booth across from her.

  “Here you are.” He leaned forward. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  Rebekah’s face was getting hot as it filled with blood. Her chest felt tight. She could barely breathe. “How…how did you find me?”

  “People talk.”

  Rebekah refused to believe the pastor had talked.

  “You were gone for two weeks!” Rebekah leaned forward and hissed, surprising even herself. “I was lucky that nothing happened to me! That I found a way to get away and survive!”

  “Oh? Well, I’m back so it’s time to come back. Time for you to forget whatever you were doing here and get back to the garden and the house.”

  “I’m not going back there, Gregory. I am very happy right where I am.”

  “Being another servant in a ranch? Not gonna happen. You are coming back with me.”

  “Nee, Gregory, I don’t want to. I’m not going to.”

  Gregory leaned forward, his face coming together in an angry scowl. “You don’t say no to me, Rebekah. Especially not in another language. My wagon is ready. We’re going back.”

  Rebekah shook her head. “How did you even find me? I know the pastor didn’t tell you where I was. There was no way he would tell you that.”

  “Funny thing. It wasn’t the old pastor man that told me. But he wasn’t the only one who came here when you did, was he?”

  Rebekah flushed. “Oh, I seriously doubt…are you trying to tell me Frank or Fred told you where I was? I don’t believe you.”

  “Well, you should.”

  “You can’t be telling the truth. One of them told you?”

  Gregory grinned, wickedly. “Eventually,” he hissed.

  Tears came to Rebekah’s eyes. She tried not to picture what might have happened to the brothers. They were much smaller than Gregory in stature and just growing boys. They weren’t big and strong. She tried to swallow her sobs. “Are they okay?”

  “They’re alive.”

  “You…you are a monster!”

  “Whatever you say, Rebekah. You’re done here. You can get your things sent from that ranch later.”

  “I don’t want to go anywhere with you, Gregory.” Rebekah pulled herself together and tossed the last of her ice cream down a tight throat, swallowing it quickly before it choked her. She hurried to slide out of the booth, giving Lillian a frantic look before turning narrow eyes to Gregory. “And I’m not going to.”

  He reached out and grabbed her arm. “You will, Rebekah. I’m not leaving this city until you come with me.”

  She wrenched her arm from his grip. “You’ll be moving here permanently then. You might want to close up that shack of a house you made me live in.”

  He pulled himself out of the booth and turned to face her. “You’re going to regret this, Rebekah. I’m not going anywhere. I will take you back with me. And thanks so much for putting my belongings on the ground outside the house in sacks. A lot of my clothes were completely ruined.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t have left them behind!” Rebekah said. “I would say it’s the same for me but I’m not worse off. I feel fine now and I’m not going to let you ruin my life. Not anymore.”

  “I’m not going anywhere!” Gregory yelled as she went through the door. It slammed behind her as she pulled it closed. Gregory looked over at Lillian, who turned on her heel and went into the restaurant kitchen without a look back.

  ***

  As soon as the door closed, Rebekah turned to the side, holding her hand over her mouth, her eyes squeezed shut. She was afraid she was going to be sick. When her eyes popped open at the thought that Gregory could easily be coming out right behind her, she looked directly into Andrew’s eyes. He looked confused. He had been looking into the restaurant through the window.

  “Rebekah?” He came toward her. “Who was that man?”

  “That was Gregory.” She said without hesitation. She reached out and grabbed his arm. “Please take me home, Andrew.” She said. “Please, can we go home?”

  Daniel came out of the timber store next to the parlor and walked up behind Andrew. “What is going on? Andrew?” He came up next to his friend, giving them both confused looks, moving from one to the other. Andrew didn’t turn to him.

  “Come on. We’re taking Rebekah home.”

  Daniel looked at Rebekah. “Are you feeling all right?”

  Rebekah nodded but it was obvious to both men that she was frightened and didn’t feel well.

  “She’s not feeling well. Let’s go.”

  Andrew quickly moved to one side of Rebekah and Daniel flanked her on the other side. The three of them rushed to the wagon. Rebekah didn’t cry but she wanted to the entire ride back. Her chest was still very tight, as well as her throat.

  Andrew leaned over to whisper to her when they were halfway down the road. “Are you going to be okay, Rebekah?”

  “Yes. I think so. I just…I was surprised to see him.”

  “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  “No, he just wanted me to go back with him. He insisted that I go but I said no. I...I don’t want to go.” Away from you, she finished the sentence in her mind. She wanted Andrew to give her a hug and not let her go. She was grateful when he put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her.

  “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, Rebekah. I promise. You are here to stay as long as you want to.”

  “I am glad you want me to stay. I don’t w
ant to go anywhere.”

  “I trust you, Rebekah. As long as you tell me you want to be here, you will be here.”

  He squeezed her shoulders again and she reached up to put her hand over his. “Thank you.” She whispered.

  Chapter Six

  Rebekah watched Andrew and Daniel in the field, leaning up on the fence with both elbows, one foot up on the bottom rail. She was wearing a long dress and apron, the way she had when she was with her community. Her hair was long and free, curling down over her shoulders. Every now and then the breeze blew through her locks, lifting them up gently. She enjoyed the small strands that blew into her face.

  Her serene outer appearance did not betray the storm that was going on inside her mind. It was chaos in her brain. Not only had Gregory spent the last week trying to get into her life, she was feeling ill more often than she wanted and she had not had her monthly yet. She knew what that probably meant. She was either extremely worried and anxious, causing a shift in her schedule, or she was with child. She knew that if she had a baby out of wedlock, she would never be allowed back to her community and her parents would probably never speak to her again, if they planned to in the first place.

  But her home with Andrew was more than satisfactory and going back to her community was something she was not really considering anymore.

  She watched them, pondering what she needed to do. The first thing was to verify whether she was going to have a child or not. The second was to decide when and how to tell Andrew. It wouldn’t be his child and he would know that. How would he react knowing that the child would have to be Gregory’s? And should she even tell Gregory? She didn’t want him to have anything to do with the child. She doubted that he would want it, either.

  She felt a little sick thinking that she would have Gregory’s child. The only good thing about it was that she knew she would be a good mother. She loved children and was waiting for one of her own. Her eyes followed Andrew as he moved the horse around, calling out commands. He was a master at breaking in new horses, teaching them to obey his gently-given commands. She hoped that someday, she would be having his children. That would be a real blessing.

  But that was her future. Her present was worrying her and she wasn’t sure what to do.

  “Hello, young lady,” she heard behind her, and turned to see Dr. Zimmerman standing there, his arms crossed over his broad chest, a smile beaming from his face. “How are you doing today?”

  She smiled back at him. “I’m doing well, sir. Thank you. And you?”

  “I won’t complain.” The doctor came to stand next to her, assuming a position much like hers, his arms up and one foot up on the fence railings. “Andrew is doing a fine job with Majestic, isn’t he?”

  Rebekah nodded. “He always does. Horses love him.”

  “Everyone loves Andrew.” He turned another grin her way and she giggled. “When will you two be getting married?”

  “We haven’t set a date. We are…still getting to know each other.” She looked up at him. “May I be honest with you, sir?”

  “Please do.”

  “I truly feel as if I’ve known Andrew all my life. I care so much for him…I…I think I love him.”

  “I’m sure you do. You’re making my point.” He chuckled. “I’ve been known to be an honest man. I’m not going to lie to you.”

  “May I ask you a question?”

  “Yes, of course.” He moved a little closer to her, a look of concern on his face. “You are very scattered, Rebekah. You usually aren’t. What is it?”

  Rebekah swallowed and paused for a long minute. Doc stayed quiet.

  “I think I will be having a child.” She said, quickly. “And I need you to verify it for me, if you would.”

  Doc turned his face away and looked out over the field at Andrew. He was surprised. He hadn’t seen any indication that Andrew and Rebekah had been that intimate. “You are? How did you know so soon?”

  “It isn’t Andrew’s child.”

  This time, Doc was quiet for a moment. “I will verify it for you, Rebekah. It is a child of your last relationship?”

  “Yes. And the man is in town.”

  “Why is he in town? You aren’t from here.”

  “He followed me here.”

  Doc looked down at the grass gently blowing in the breeze at their feet. “Are you going back to him?” He asked quietly.

  “I will never go back to him, sir. He was a mean man. He lied and broke a lot of promises…he really hurt me quite a lot.”

  Doc pulled in a deep breath of relief. He didn’t want to see Andrew get hurt. Especially since he had waited so many years to have a relationship with a woman. “I understand.”

  “I’ve been trying to make Gregory…that’s his name…go away since I saw him a week ago in the ice cream parlor. But he still pursues me. I don’t know why he would want to. He was never a good man, he was never devoted to me. He kept me in the house like a maid. He didn’t love me.” She felt tears rising to her eyes. “Oh, sir, I don’t know how Andrew will react. I don’t know what he will think.”

  “Does he know that this Gregory is here in town?”

  “Yes. He saw him at the ice cream parlor. I don’t know if he’s seen him since then.”

  “Rebekah, this man isn’t the one that was tossed off the property two days ago, is he?”

  “What do you mean?” Rebekah was confused.

  Doc shook his head, glancing at her. “There was a man here two days ago. I assume you were in town or somewhere in the cornfield wandering about.” He grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “Or perhaps you were just preoccupied somewhere on the grounds. But Patrick and Elliot had to toss him off the grounds forcibly. They said he was yelling and stomping around angrily. I wasn’t here, either. I was tending to patients at the clinic.”

  “Did they hurt him?” Rebekah asked.

  “No, I don’t think so. He was easily handled.”

  “That’s too bad.” She murmured, making him smile at her again.

  “Do you want me to be with you when you tell Andrew?”

  “No. I will do it. But I would need it verified first. When would you be able to do that for me?”

  He turned to her. “Do you have an hour right now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Come back to the ranch. I will give you a check-up in your room.”

  Rebekah felt a flutter in her chest. The moment of truth was at hand.

  ***

  She didn’t know whether to cry first and then tell Andrew or cry while she was telling him. When the doctor left her in her room, she’d gone to the large window and crossed her arms over her chest, staring out over the cornfield. She let a few tears cross over her cheeks, reaching up with one hand to viciously wipe them away. She didn’t want to cry. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to hold her chin up and tell Andrew that she didn’t care who the father was, she was happy to be giving birth to a child.

  But she did care who the father was. And she had a feeling that Andrew was going to, as well.

  The Doc had offered to take the news to Andrew but she had told him not to. She had asked him to let her tell him herself. He advised her not to wait too long. He said it was something Andrew was going to want to know. She’d asked him to request that Andrew meet her in the den as soon as he could get in there.

  She leaned forward to look out at the stable area when she heard the front door open and close. She could see the Doc crossing the grounds to the stable. Andrew and Daniel had finished with Majestic and were nowhere to be seen. That meant they were most likely in the stable now, brushing the horse and preparing the rest for the evening runs. She watched him disappear into the stable and come back out with Andrew. He said a few words to him. She watched Andrew nod and turn to the house.

  He was coming. She was going to have to tell him now. What would he think? What would he say? She was about to find out.

  ***

  He came through the door, coming directly over to he
r. She had left her room but resumed much the same position in front of the window in the den.

  “Beck? Doc said you wanted to see me. Everything okay?”

  She turned to him, wanting to fall into his arms. She knew that her face was taut and anxious. She hoped he didn’t think she was unattractive. “Andrew, I want to tell you something. Please come and sit down with me.”

  With a look of concern, he took her elbow and they sat together on the couch. He faced her, taking both her hands in his. “What’s going on, Rebekah?”

  “Andrew, I…I’m going to have a baby. It’s…it’s Gregory’s, of course. Doc says I’m about two and a half months along.”

  Andrew blinked and looked down at their hands together. “You…you’re going to have his baby?”

  She felt him squeeze her hands and release them from his grip. He stood up and placed both hands on his hips, his eyes moving to the floor. He walked to the window and looked out.

  “Yes.” She responded quietly. “I am.”

  He didn’t turn back to her. “Did you know you were pregnant?”

  “No.”

  “When did you find out?” He turned to glance back at her before dropping his eyes once more. “You had the Doc verify it for you?”

  “Yes.”

  “When?”

  “Today. Just now.”

  Andrew didn’t say anything. He pulled in a deep breath and turned to look out the window. Now his arms were crossed over his chest. Rebekah let him think about it in silence. She didn’t know what she had left to say.

  She was afraid to see Andrew’s jaw clenching. His fingers were tight around his upper arms and the muscles were tense.

  “What are you thinking, Andrew?”

  He finally turned to look at her. “Did you know this was a possibility when you saw Gregory?”

  She stood up. “No. I didn’t know.”

  “So you didn’t talk to him about this?”

  “No. I have tried not to talk to him at all. I don’t want to see him, Andrew. I really don’t. I don’t want to go back to him.”

  Andrew shook his head. “I don’t know what to think, Rebekah. For a week, I’ve been trying to handle the fact that he’s been in town and that it seems the first day he got here, you had to talk to him.”