Under the Mulberry Tree: Book Three

by Samantha Jillian Bayarr

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  CHAPTER 14

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  Jonah rushed through his day, trying to finish the last two buggies he’d been making to fill his existing orders. He’d turned down four orders for new buggies in the past two days, and he hoped he wouldn’t regret it. He knew he could use a little extra money to relocate to Florida, but if he stayed to make four more buggies, it would be Spring before he was able to leave the community. And that would mean more chances that he’d fall back into sinful desires for Abby, which would, in turn, lead to being excommunicated. Then he wouldn’t have anywhere to go after his onkel in Florida heard of his actions. No, it was best to finish what he’d started, and leave as planned.

  For the past few days, Jonah had rehearsed what he’d say to the Bishop when he went to confess. He was sure the Bishop would demand discipline, but would probably wave it in lieu of his departure from the community. Jonah wished it could be another way, but he didn’t see how. But what was it Abby had said about trusting her? Did he dare hope there was a way out of having to confess to something he wasn’t sorry for? And was it too much to hope that Gott would bring a miracle to their lives? After all the praying he’d done, he could only hope.

  Kneeling down, Jonah double-checked the rear wheel to be sure it would not come loose from the axle. Distracted by his thoughts, Jonah didn’t notice the buggy door slipping from the clutches of the vice above his head before it was too late. He knew better than to leave the door teetering on top of the buggy while he jostled the carriage, but it was too late to rethink his error in judgment. Pain seared through his skull as the heavy wooden frame of the door fell from the roof of the buggy and connected with his head.

  Taking a deep breath, Jonah pushed to his feet, feeling a sudden need for fresh air. He staggered out of the barn and into the snow-filled yard, feeling as though his wobbly legs couldn’t carry him any further. The corners of his vision began to turn dark, but as hard as he fought to keep focus, it was no use. Coldness assaulted him as the darkness engulfed him.

  ****

  Abby boxed the last of the heart-shaped, frosted sugar cookies and set them aside for Jonah. She hoped that the distraction of the cookies would give her enough time to talk him into changing his mind about leaving the community.

  When she was satisfied with the cleanliness of the bakery, she turned off the lights and locked the door behind her. Pulling her scarf tightly to shield her face from the wind, Abby headed up the long drive toward Jonah’s barn at the other end of the property. Knowing it would be dark soon, she hoped her visit would also gain an offer from Jonah to drive her home after they talked.

  As she neared the curve of the drive, just beyond the large oak trees that stood like sentinels at either side of the footpath, she noticed Jonah exiting the barn. Happy to see him, she picked up her pace a little. She waved, but he didn’t seem to notice her. His gait seemed off balance, and bright red smeared his blonde hair like paint from a barn. But how would he have gotten paint in his hair, and where had it come from?

  Was it blood?

  Abby dropped the box of cookies and ran the rest of the way toward Jonah, but she did not reach him in time. She watched helplessly as he collapsed face-down into the snow. Her feet struggled to gain any headway on the icy path. When she reached him, his face was half-buried in the snow, his body too calm. She dropped to her knees and began to push frantically at the snow, fearing it prevented him from breathing. A low groan escaped his blue lips. A good sign.

  “Jonah, can you hear me?”

  Abby jiggled him. “Jonah, please; open your eyes.”

  Abby pushed with all her strength to roll Jonah onto his back, hoping to get a better look at his injury. Pulling a handkerchief from the pocket of her coat, she gently mopped at the icy blood that dripped down his forehead. She looked around, knowing there was no one within shouting distance to help her, and decided she would have to drag him into the barn alone. She needed to get him out of the cold wind and warmed up so he didn’t go into shock. She also knew Jonah had a phone in the barn for his business. She hoped he hadn’t disconnected it in preparation for leaving.

  Abby’s legs felt weak, her breathing ragged from a combination of being cold and fearing for Jonah’s safety. But she was determined to get him inside the shelter of the barn no matter what it took.

  Gott, please give me the strength to move Jonah into the safety of the barn, and please don’t let him die.

  Crouching behind him, she looped her arms under his armpits, heaving him a step at a time until he lay just inside the barn. Grabbing a wool blanket that hung over the horse stall, she tucked it around Jonah, and then she wriggled out of her coat and placed it under his head. When she moved his head, he groaned again, and it was a sound Abby was happy to hear. She’d been happier if he’d opened his eyes. She prayed it would happen soon.

  When Jonah was settled comfortably, Abby stood, picked up the phone, and held it to her ear, relieved to hear a dial tone. But who should she call? Every minute care was delayed; Jonah was losing blood from the deep gash in the side of his head. She dialed Dr. Davis’s haus first, hoping he would advise her. After what seemed like an eternity on the line with the doctor’s wife, she learned he was at the B&B checking on Ellie. She hung up and dialed her aenti Bess, happy that the doctor was there. She knew the trip to Jonah’s place would only take the doctor a few minutes to reach them instead of nearly an hour form his own farm.

  Tears welled up in her eyes as she waited for the doctor to come to the phone. Jonah seemed lifeless as he lay on the floor of the barn, and that frightened her.

  “This is Dr. Davis.”

  “This is Abby Yoder. I’m at Jonah Beiler’s haus. He passed out and he has a deep cut on his head. It’s bleeding a lot. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Is he awake?”

  “No! He’s breathing, but the cut won’t stop bleeding.”

  “I need you to apply pressure to the wound, and try to wake him up. I’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

  “Please hurry!”

  Abby hung up the phone and rushed to Jonah’s side, praying the doctor would make it in time to mend him.

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  CHAPTER 15

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  Jonah moved in and out of consciousness, trying desperately to cling to Abby’s angelic voice. She was praying in between crying and whispering declarations of love in his ear. Did he know why she was crying? Was he dreaming? He wished he could open his eyes and comfort her, but the pain in his head kept him from reaching out. The pressure in his head caused him to groan.

  “Stay with me, Jonah. Please don’t leave me. I love you.”

  Her voice was like butterflies fluttering above his head, but he was too cold for that to be the case. Maybe it was more like snowflakes. Jonah shivered and groaned from the pain.

  “Jonah please wake up. I need you to know how much I love you.”

  Jonah tried to open his mouth to say it back to her, but he just couldn’t form the words. He felt her love in the warm clutches of her hand on his. Was she really next to him, holding his hand? He could feel her warm breath in his ear, and smelled the baking spices he always enjoyed whenever she was near. A muffled noise that sounded like the door to his barn opening startled him out of his reverie. Then there was another voice—a male. The voice was familiar, but he struggled to place it. Abby was telling the man he’d gotten hurt. It was Doctor Davis.

  Jonah suddenly remembered the buggy door falling on his head. The last thing he remembered was trying to get a little fresh air. Was he bleeding? A vague memory plagued him of feeling blood dripping down his face before seeing it land in the snow at his feet—just before he fell. And now he could hear Doctor Davis asking Abby to help him clean his head wound. Is that why his head hurt so much? Had the door cut open his head when it landed on him?

  ****

  Abby watched Doctor Davis sponge a cl
eansing solution over the wound on Jonah’s head while she tried not to become squeamish. “Is he going to need stitches?”

  “I’m afraid so. He’ll also need to be monitored for the next twenty-four hours. If he doesn’t wake up, he could slip into a coma. The fact that he’s groaning means that he can feel some of the pain, and hopefully that’s enough to keep him out of danger. I’ll let him sleep until I’m done stitching him up since I don’t have any Novocain to numb him.”

  Abby gasped. “Does that mean he’s going to feel it when you stitch him up?”

  “It’s possible, but he probably won’t remember it when he wakes up.”

  Abby hated the thought of Jonah being able to feel the doctor stitching up his wound, but she knew it couldn’t be avoided. If he didn’t get the bleeding under control soon, it could put him at further risk.

  When the doctor tied the last stitch, he reached into his bag and retrieved smelling salts. “You might want to take a step back. I’ve seen patients flail around when this stuff is placed under their nose.”

  Abby did as she was instructed, hoping it would work to wake Jonah without startling him.

  Please, Gott, let him wake up.

  It took a minute, but Jonah soon stirred. He groaned as his eyelids fluttered. His hand reached toward the wound on his head, but the doctor stopped him from touching the stitches.

  “Hold on Jonah, I need to bandage your head to keep infection out. Lie still for just another minute.”

  The sound of Jonah’s phone ringing startled Abby. She looked to him. “Should I answer that?”

  Doctor Davis nodded and chuckled. “It could be someone looking for me since my services seem to be much needed today.”

  Abby answered it. “This is Abby Yoder.”

  “This is Levi Graber. Your aenti at the B&B told me Doctor Davis went over there because Jonah is injured. Is everything alright?”

  Abby wasn’t sure how much she should tell Levi, fearing it might worry Becca unnecessarily. “He got a few stitches in his head, but he’s talking to the doctor now. How is Becca?”

  “That’s the reason I’m calling. Becca is in labor. We need the doctor over here as soon as possible.”

  “Hold on a minute.” Abby put her hand over the receiver and told Doctor Davis what was going on.

  Jonah struggled. “I need to get up. I have to go to my schweschder.”

  Doctor Davis put a firm hand on Jonah’s shoulder.

  “You won’t be going anywhere for a few days, so be still while I bandage you up.” He looked to Abby. “Ask Levi how far apart the contractions are.”

  After talking with Levi another minute, Abby put her hand back over the receiver of the phone. “He said about thirty minutes apart.”

  “Tell Levi I’ll be there in about an hour. It sounds like she has a while to go yet.”

  Abby relayed the doctor’s message to Levi, and told him to send her love to Becca, and for her not to worry because her bruder was in gut hands.

  Jonah groaned again. “How bad is it, Doc?”

  The doctor looked at him over the glasses that rested low on his nose. “Thirty-seven stitches. And on top of that, you have a concussion. You’ll be off your feet for at least three days. That is if we can keep this cut from getting infected.”

  Jonah tried to smile, but winced from the pain.

  “Thirty-seven, huh? That’s ten more than my knee when I was twelve, remember?”

  Doctor Davis chuckled. “I see your memory is intact. That’s a good sign. But you’ll still have to be watched. I imagine since your sister seems to be in labor, and you don’t have any other family here, you could probably talk your cousin here into staying with you for a couple of days. She’s the one that found you. She’s an excellent nurse-maid. You’re lucky she found you as quickly as she did, or things might have been worse.”

  Abby blushed at the thought of staying with Jonah. She knew her parents would never allow her to stay with Jonah without a chaperone, but she couldn’t let him down. Caleb would not be able to take time from work to stay with him, and that left only her. She knew it would mean closing the bakery for a few days, but maybe this was all part of Gott’s plan. She hoped Lillian would agree to go back to the bakery in her absence, knowing her aenti would heal faster with the bakery to tend to. And Jonah would heal faster with Abby to tend to his care. After all, the doctor himself had suggested it, but perhaps if Rachel came along, her parents would permit it.

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  CHAPTER 16

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  “I’m a grown woman, and capable of making my own choices, Mamm. I’m going to stay with Jonah while he heals, and I’ll bring Rachel with me as a chaperone. You might be able to get in the way of my marrying Jonah, but I cannot let you prevent me from making certain he survives this crisis.”

  Her mamm sank onto the bed while Abby packed a few of her belongings. “I didn’t know you wanted to marry him, Abby. Why didn’t you tell me things were so serious between the two of you?”

  Abby pursed her lips. She did not want to have this conversation now. She needed to hurry back to Jonah and relieve Doctor Davis so he could get over to Becca’s haus to deliver her boppli.

  “It doesn’t matter because we can never be together since the community thinks we’re cousins. Do you have any idea how guilty Jonah feels for loving me the way he does? He thinks he’s a sinner! And I can’t do anything to make him stop from feeling that way unless I betray your honor.”

  Abby began to cry. “I will never love another mann the way I love Jonah, so I am destined to become a spinster. So I will be a burden on Daed for the rest of my life—or the rest of his, whichever ends first. But I’m certain it will be me because I will probably die from a broken heart before old age can claim me.”

  Lizzie tried to comfort her dochder, but there were no words that would undo the damage her lies had caused. How had she missed the new developments in their relationship since Abby had returned? What could she do to make up for the damage? Could she possibly go to the Bishop and confess? Was it too late to salvage things for Abby and Jonah?

  “I’m sorry, Abby. I never meant for you to be hurt in any of this.”

  “Well I am hurt, Mamm. And Jonah and I continue to be hurt. The only thing that will fix this is having the truth out in the open to the Bishop and the entire community.”

  There. She’d said it. She wasn’t proud of her disrespectful suggestion, but she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

  Lizzie hung her head. “I’m not sure I can do that, Abby. It might make things worse—especially for your daed.”

  Abby gathered her things in her arms and placed them in her childhood suitcase. “He isn’t my daed. My father is a dead drug-dealer. Say it mother. I want to hear you say it out loud to me. You couldn’t even say it five years ago when I found out the truth. I’m still surprised you admitted it to me at all. Why did you? It would have been better if I’d never known. At least that way I would know there was nothing keeping me from marrying Jonah.”

  “I’m sorry, Abby.”

  “Sorry doesn’t fix this mess. Sorry doesn’t allow me and Jonah to marry. Sorry won’t mend my broken heart.”

  Abby picked up her things and went to the door.

  “Are you going to let Rachel go with me?”

  Lizzie nodded her consent, tears filling her eyes when Abby walked away without saying another word.

  Abby left word with Aenti Bess to have her aenti Lillian stop by Jonah’s haus after she and Onkel Seth left the B&B so she could let her know she wouldn’t be able to work at the bakery for a few days. She hated to let Lillian down after she’d promised to work for her, but it had already been closed more than a month before she’d returned from Ohio.

  After settling herself and Rachel into the room Jonah assigned to them, the two of them busied themselves in the kitchen preparing a light meal for Jonah. The doctor had suggested a diet consisting of mostly liquids until tomor
row. Abby found ingredients to make chicken soup and biscuits with honey. Feeling comfortable in Jonah’s modest haus, Abby wondered what it would be like if she was able to live there with him as his fraa.

  Please Gott, make a way for Jonah and me to be married. I want to be his fraa more than anything.

  Abby carried a tray to Jonah’s room and knocked lightly on the door. It hadn’t been easy helping the doctor get Jonah up the stairs, especially since he had to stop frequently to quell dizziness and nausea. But Jonah had stubbornly insisted he be able to convalesce in his own bed. She didn’t blame him. He would never have been comfortable on the sofa downstairs, and he would probably not be a cooperative patient without proper rest.

  At Jonah’s groan, Abby entered the room cautiously. Setting the tray at the end of the bed, she blushed at the sight of him lying helplessly in the bed built for two. The doctor had removed Jonah’s blood-stained shirt, and he lay there with his torso exposed. Abby admired his muscular build, noting that he was no longer the young boy she’d fallen in love with as a teenager. Thankful his eyes were closed so he couldn’t see the deep blush that painted her cheeks with fire, she continued to admire him until he cleared his throat. The noise startled her, bringing more heat to her already pink cheeks.

  Abby straightened, rethinking her decision to stay with Jonah. If not for her mamm’s lies, she would already be his fraa, and she would be able to lie next to him and cradle him in her arms. She had to keep a clear head or she was going to fall into temptation, and she didn’t want that any more than Jonah would.

  Seeing that his eyes were now wide open, she motioned to the tray at the foot of the bed. “Can you sit up for a few minutes and eat a little something? I made you some chicken soup and biscuits.”