I offered her coffee and a seat on the sofa while I went to find my husband. I found him in the kitchen already brewing a pot of coffee and setting cups and accessories on a tray to serve our guest.
I cupped my hand over my mouth and pulled on his shirt to bring his ear closer to me. “They sent a different person, and she has two kids with her. They could be hers, but I didn’t dare ask. Maybe they changed their minds about letting us take Luke.”
He whispered in my ear. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. Let’s listen to what she has to say. I’ll get some cookies and milk for the two little ones. You go back out there and keep her company for a minute until I can get this ready.”
I walked back into the front room and sat down quietly while I watched the woman pulling two files out of her shoulder bag.
“My husband is getting some refreshments. He’ll be here in just a minute.”
The woman smiled. “That would be lovely. I’ll wait for him so we can all talk.”
Her tone made me nervous, but I tried not to let it show. Normally, I fidget when I get nervous, but I made a conscious effort to still the instinctive impulse to jiggle one of my legs and wring my hands. I kept my breathing steady while pasting a smile on my face—not an easy task for me normally, but I knew there was a lot at stake, so I remained calm.
Finally, just when I thought I couldn’t take the awkward silence any longer, Bradley appeared with a tray full of goodies to occupy my nervous hands. I poured Mrs. Albertson a cup of coffee from the steaming pot, while my husband offered the children fresh milk and cookies. When everyone was settled, Mrs. Albertson opened one of the files on her lap.
She cleared her throat.
Oh, please hurry up and say something. The suspense is nearly giving me a stroke!
“I’m afraid there has been a bit of an oversight regarding the placement of Luke in your home. Mrs. Hannigan, though she means well, should have retired some time ago, but the agency has been unable to let her go since she’s been working there for forty years and happens to know the system far better than all of us. Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that she’s made a few mistakes recently that warrant putting her on tasks other than child placement—your placement being one of those mistakes.”
Bradley clenched my hand, which brought even more fear into my mind. If he was nervous, then maybe I had reason to worry.
“What is it that you’re trying very hard to explain?” I nearly choked on my words.
She pointed to the young boy to her left. “This is Luke, the child that was to be placed in your home…”
I couldn’t help but interrupt. “Has the agency changed their minds?”
She turned to the younger girl to her right. “This is his little sister, Lillie. When Mrs. Hannigan began the process of placing Luke with your family, she neglected to explain that he has a sister, and there was no paperwork done for Lillie.”
I smiled sincerely at the children, but I was on the edge of my seat by this time. I wasn’t sure where she was going with her roundabout explanation, but I wanted to jump up from my seat and offer to take them both.
Mrs. Albertson cleared her throat again. “Normally, we try to place siblings together in the same foster care home whenever possible, but I’m afraid our agency never prepared you for two children.”
I couldn’t take it anymore; I had to speak up.
“Does this mean you won’t place them both with us, or that you will no longer be placing Luke with us because you want to place them together in a different home?”
The woman barely looked me in the eye.
“Honestly, Mr. and Mrs. Davis, I brought Lillie here with me today hoping that you would forgive the mistake our office made and consider both of the children. I realize it’s a lot to ask, given the fact that you only prepared to accept one child today, but I felt it important to offer your family the opportunity to choose before we went through the trouble of changing the children’s placement altogether.”
Bradley and I looked at each other just long enough for me to see that the answer in his eyes was the same as mine.
“We would be honored to have them both. We would never think of splitting them up. If there is one thing this house has, it’s plenty of room.”
The woman smiled. “I’m so happy to hear that Mrs. Davis. I’ve actually brought both of their bags in case you agreed to the arrangement; I hope you don’t mind.”
I shook my head. “Not at all. We’re happy to have them.”
Mrs. Albertson pulled a document from each file and placed them on the cedar trunk in front of the sofa for us to look over. “Since you were already approved for Luke, I took the liberty of printing another form for Lillie. I will finish all the additional paperwork when I get back to the office. If you will each look over this form and sign at the bottom, then I will leave you to get to know your new family members.”
****
No sooner did Mrs. Albertson leave than my children came bursting in the family room to meet their new sister and brother. We knew the likelihood of the children ever getting adopted at their age was slim. Not to mention the fact that Mrs. Hannigan had given us a brochure that listed siblings as one of the hard-to-place adoption situations. We were very happy to have them. They seemed to be well-mannered and polite. I could tell they had come from a set of responsible, loving parents. The only issue now was making another bed and chest of drawers for Lillie—that, and talking to Elizabeth about sharing her room. I knew it was possible that Elizabeth would protest since, according to Lillie’s paperwork, she was nearly a year older. But if all else failed, I knew Abigail would step up to the task and offer to share her room.
We all went outside to show the children around the farm. Luke fit right in with the boys, while Lillie held back shyly. When the kittens came tumbling from the barn loft, however, Lillie went running to them and scooped one up in her arms and held it to her face. The kitten took to her immediately, and I made a mental note to let her name the kitten and keep it, though we hadn’t planned on keeping all of them. They had just been weaned from the momma, and the Belier’s had expressed an interest in having one. Out of the litter of nine, we hoped to give away at least six or seven of them. We intended to keep a few as mousers in the barn.
Bradley and I went to the porch and sat on the swing, allowing the children to get better acquainted. I was worn out by this time, and we needed to make additional plans for Lillie. We discussed plans for the furniture and dress-making, and he decided to go up the lane a bit later with the boys to have my father take them into town to get another mattress. He would send my mother and Nadine down to our house to meet Lillie, and to help with the planning for the additional work that needed to be done quickly.
For now, I was content to sit on the porch with my husband while he rubbed my already swelling feet. I knew the swelling would get worse before it got better. With summer nearly upon us, fall would be here before I realized, bringing the colder weather with it, and in turn, getting rid of the heat that made me swell during pregnancy. I leaned against my husband and watched our oversized brood running after each other as they engaged in a very loud game of tag.
****
By the following week, we had everything under control. Elizabeth had chosen to have Lillie share a room with her, but only after she became jealous over the thought of her older sister agreeing first. I knew it was going to come to that, but I didn’t care since it all worked out in the end. By the end of the first night together, they were best friends, as evidenced by the yawns at the breakfast table from staying up all night giggling and telling stories. I let the situation go since I knew they would eventually tire over staying up all night and the situation would take care of itself. Both children seemed to be adapting nicely to our family routine, and even conformed to the way of life on the farm.
****
On Monday, when Mrs. Albertson came to visit, she was amazed at the transformation in the children. In the short month tha
t the agency cared for them, they had been quiet and withdrawn. She commented on the choice in placement, saying that she’d not seen a better fit with a family in the seven years that she’d been with the agency. That made Bradley and me feel even better about our decision to take them into our home. We already loved them, and the children had accepted them as though they were their own siblings.
****
Two weeks later, the children finished school. Luke and Lillie had gotten a pass from having to return to their old school with only one week left at the public school. The principal had even sent their report cards to our house, which showed they were each promoted. I was grateful to the school for letting them off the hook, given their situation. I knew they would both be ready to attend school again once fall was upon us.
****
With the kids wading in the creek, I took the opportunity to sneak in a little nap. The heat of the afternoon had nearly worn me out. Just as I was about to lay my head on the pillow, Bradley entered the room with a box.
I sat up. “What do you have there?”
He set the package on the bed and began to tear at the heavily sealed edge. “It’s a tool that I ordered that will help me pick up fetal heartbeats easier. It’s for my pregnant patients, like you.”
He pulled out an instrument that was wrapped in bubble wrap, and two bottles of gel. He un-wrapped the box-like instrument that had a probe connected to a spiral cord. Then he unpacked a portable charger for the device and plugged it in behind the bedside table.
He looked eagerly into my eyes. “You want to hear our baby’s heartbeat?”
I’d heard the other children’s faint heartbeats through Dr. Belier’s stethoscope when I was carrying them, but this was something different. “Is it going to hurt the baby? Or me?”
Bradley chuckled. “The gel might be a little cold, but it won’t hurt you or the baby. I promise. We used these at the clinic I worked in and they’re nice because the heartbeat comes across loud and clear through this speaker.”
He showed me the side of the contraption which housed a tiny speaker. “You mean I’m gonna be able to hear it without earpieces?”
He nodded his head as he guided my head onto my pillow. He was right about the gel; when it hit my stomach, I flinched. He turned on the device and ran the probe across my abdomen. Within seconds, I could hear a strange sounding heartbeat emanating from it.
I lifted my head and perched myself on my elbows.
“That’s my baby? Is it supposed to echo?”
Bradley moved it lower, then to the side, making the echoing louder.
“What is it?”
He smiled. “I suspected earlier when I listened with the stethoscope, but I’m sure now.”
“What!” I interrupted him.
“That’s not an echo you hear. It’s a second heartbeat. We’re having twins.”
I sat up on the bed, my heart pounding fast.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It explains why you started showing so soon. We’re going to have twins.”
“You mean I’m gonna have twins.”
He sat on the bed and held me close. “I love you,” he whispered into my ear.
My heart was beating so fast, I wasn’t completely sure if it was because I was nervous or excited about the news.
SIX
A SAD FAREWELL
With the news of the twins, Eli had made a decision to take three extra classes over the summer so he could graduate early. He knew we needed the space, and I knew he was eager to go to college. I wasn’t sure how I would deal with having my first-born leave the nest, but I was trying really hard to accept it. I knew he wanted more out of life than just hanging around the farm. He was too smart to settle for being just a farmer. And even though I knew he would return to the farm at some point, he needed to go out into the world and explore all that it offered.
****
The first day of school was upon us; Abigail and I had worked diligently for a month making certain each of the younger children had two new sets of clothing to wear. Papa and Mam had taken them on Saturday to get new shoes since each of them had outgrown theirs, and had gone barefoot over most of the summer. Abigail and Josiah Beiler had begun to spend a lot of time together, but I knew I could count on her to be home when I needed her, since the girth of my pregnancy with the twins was bearing more burden than the previous pregnancies. Bradley had a phone installed in the house so his patients who had phones could call only if they needed something. The others, he would continue to see on his daily rounds, making for a shorter day for him. He monitored me closely to make sure everything was normal. He even advised me to take short breaks to stay off my feet as much as possible. I was all too happy to agree since I was experiencing more tiredness with this pregnancy.
Eva rushed to my side, wet hair flying.
“Lillie promised to braid my hair after my bath, but she and Elizabeth are braiding each other’s hair and she won’t do it.”
I took her by the hand. “Come sit down with me, and I’ll do it for you.”
She tugged her hand loose from mine. “But I want Lillie to do it.”
“It seems that she’s busy right now. So if you want to wait for the girls to finish then you can do that. But let’s get the tangles out first so you’ll be ready when they are, okay?”
She sighed as she followed me to the chair in my room. “Why didn’t I get to have a new sister in my room? It isn’t fair that Simon got a new brother and Elizabeth got a new sister and I didn’t get one.”
I suppressed a laugh. “Luke and Lillie are your brother and sister too. They just aren’t sharing a room with you.”
She crossed her arms. “It isn’t fair.”
I brushed her hair, but didn’t comment. I could have confided in her how much I hated sharing a room with two other sisters when I was her age, but it would have been pointless, so I let the matter drop.
****
Before long our daily routine had turned into a weekly one. Luke and Lillie had adapted to us just as much as we had adapted to them. Our family unit was strong, and I was happy that the children already had the basic foundation of faith in God. We were slowly preparing for Eli’s parting from our family. I tried hard to keep my emotions in check whenever he spoke of his impending adventure, for I truly was happy for him. Bradley had even given him some of his old medical journals which sparked excitement, and an eagerness to get his studies underway. As much as I normally looked forward to Christmas, this year I was almost dreading it because I knew Eli would be leaving in January.
I looked out the kitchen window, still lost in my thoughts when I felt Bradley’s gentle breath on the back of my neck. Shivers ran through me, and I wasn’t sure if it was from watching the heavy snow flakes falling onto the window’s ledge, or if it was from Bradley’s closeness that still excited me. He put his arms around me and rested his hands on my oversized abdomen, hugging his babies close that were due to be born any day.
I turned to him. “It’s a good thing I have the doctor living with me this time, because I’d hate to have to wait on old Doc Beiler to deliver these twins in all this snow.”
Bradley nuzzled my neck. “I’m just happy you’re my only expecting patient right now, so there’s no chance I’ll be away from you.”
Suddenly, I felt a really sharp twinge run across my back and then to the front of my lower abdomen. I crouched slightly from the pressure, though I was hoping to hide it from Bradley.
His arms went around me to steady me. “Was that a contraction? Do you need to sit down?”
I steadied his arms around me to hold me up. “I didn’t wanna say anything because it’s too early. The babies aren’t due until the eighteenth, and I think it’s only November seventh, isn’t it?”
“You’re right about the date, but twins usually come early. We talked about this, remember?”
I continued to stand despite Bradley’s coaxing me to sit in a chair, for I knew from past experi
ence that gravity was a helpful tool when laboring. While Bradley called Mam, I leaned over the counter, allowing the snowflakes to lull me during a painful contraction. I felt the twins shifting within me, which eased my worries regarding their safety. I’d always had a secret fear of having a stillborn child, especially after seeing what Mitchell and Rebekah had gone through after it happened to them. I prayed a silent prayer over my babies, begging God to let everything go smoothly yet again. I hadn’t planned on having these children, and given my age, I was determined to let these be the last additions to our family.
Bradley hung up the phone explaining that my mother and sister would be down the lane to our house within a few minutes. Through the thick snow I could see three figures making their way down the hill toward my house. I was grateful that my family lived so close because I wasn’t sure I could go through this alone. As the figures drew closer, I could see that Hannah had accompanied Mam and Nadine. I was happy to have the three women I counted on most to be present at this birthing, and I wouldn’t have trusted anyone else.
The Taming of a Wild Flower: Book Three (Amish Fiction/Romance, Christian Romance) Page 6
