The Protector

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  “I don’t think so,” Loyal said, slightly stung by his uncle’s attitude.

  “First of all, no one would have guessed that Dorothy would actually harm Ella. From what you’ve both said, for years Dorothy’s been her friend, yes?”

  Mattie nodded, “That is true.”

  “Now, next, there’s something to be said for that old saying about hindsight being twenty-twenty. It’s easy to look back and wish for things to be different. Or that you would have acted in a different way.” He swallowed as he turned right, then accelerated on the near-empty road. “I know I have many regrets about the things I’ve done. However, you both are forgetting something very important.”

  “And what is that?” Loyal asked.

  “None of us has been walking through life alone. God is with us, even when we aren’t holding out our hands to Him.”

  “You really think that?” Mattie asked.

  “I do. I think our Lord has been with me, even when I make mistakes.” He laughed dryly. “Maybe even especially when I make mistakes. Sometimes people think of Christians as people who try to be better than everyone else. Or people who don’t think they are as fallible as everyone else. But I think it’s just the opposite. I think Christians know they mess up and say things they shouldn’t, and can admit they hadn’t done things they wish they had.”

  Understanding dawned. “Because we aren’t looking for perfection,” Loyal murmured. “We’re simply looking for a place to belong.”

  John slowed the truck as flashing lights appeared in the distance. “That is right,” he said softly as the muscles in his cheek tensed. “All of us just want a place to live and to be happy, and to know that we’re accepted. And if we can get that—well, that should be enough for anyone, I’m thinking.”

  John’s words sunk in as they slowly approached a grouping of police cars, a fire truck, and an ambulance.

  And just as John was pulling the truck off the side of the road, Loyal spotted a mare. She was cut and bleeding but was on her feet. A good sign.

  However, the buggy was on its side.

  Mattie gasped. “That’s Dorothy’s horse. I’m sure of it.” The moment John pulled the keys out of the ignition, she unbuckled and unlocked her door.

  “Patience, Mattie,” Loyal said, stopping her quick exit with a staying hand. “All we’ll get for running into the mass of vehicles is to be asked to leave.”

  “I’m calm. But we need to get over there soon,” she said as she got out of the truck.

  After all three of them had exited, they walked on the grassy shoulder toward the accident site. Loyal’s heart was beating so fast, he was sure both John and Mattie could hear it.

  When they were at about five hundred feet away, a police officer approached them. “Stop.”

  Loyal took a breath. “But—”

  “No excuses. We’ve got enough going on here without people stopping to look. You all need to move along, folks.”

  “But I think we know the woman in the accident,” Mattie said. “There were women in the buggy, yes?”

  The policeman’s expression turned to one of compassion. “I’m sorry.”

  Mattie blanched. “Why? What happened? Where are they?”

  Loyal gripped her arm as tears started falling down her cheeks. Doing his best to remain composed, he swallowed hard. “Can . . . May we see them?”

  The policeman’s cheeks reddened. “No. I’m sorry . . .”

  John stepped forward. “Where are they?” Pointing to an ambulance he said, “Are they in there?”

  “One is. But we’re waiting on the coroner.”

  Loyal didn’t understand. “Who is that?”

  “One woman is already on her way to the hospital. And one . . . I’m sorry to tell you, didn’t make it.”

  Loyal wrapped an arm around Mattie when she swayed. “Can you tell us who is on the way to the hospital?”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but we must notify her family first.”

  “But Ella doesn’t have any family,” Mattie said.

  Loyal straightened his shoulders. “That’s not quite right. She has me,” he said, realizing he meant it with his whole heart. No longer would she be alone. If God would grant them another chance, he was going to ask her to marry him. To be his forever.

  But he couldn’t do that until he knew the truth. Steeling himself for the worst but hoping for the best, he stepped forward. Alone.

  Then he asked the question that had been burning in all their minds. “Officer, please tell me the truth. Is Ella Hostetler on her way to the hospital? Or did she die here today?”

  Chapter 28

  The first thing Ella noticed when she awakened was a tube attached to the top of her hand. Raising her hand close, she could see that clear tape fastened the tube securely. It looked scary and like it should sting as the medicine in the tube filled her veins, drop by drop.

  But, amazingly, it didn’t.

  However, every other part of body ached something terrible. She felt as if every bone and muscle had been jarred, pushed, and bruised. Even her head pounded. After wiggling her toes and stretching her fingers, she carefully patted her forehead. There she discovered a wide bandage across her hairline. With a wince, she put her hand down.

  And then discovered that her leg was impossible to move.

  Her eyes tried to focus, but of course without her glasses nothing could be discerned. All she was aware of was a tingly antiseptic smell and how comfortably warm the room felt.

  Oh, but she’d been so cold and wet.

  Where am I?

  “Ah, you decided to join us after all,” a woman suddenly said, her tone as bright as a brand-new day. She stood up from the chair she occupied and stepped close. Two cool, soft hands cupped Ella’s. “We were starting to get worried about you.”

  Ella shifted, trying to see where exactly she was. But she didn’t have her glasses on, and everything was only a blur.

  “Easy now,” the nurse murmured. “You’re in the hospital.” She paused. “Do you understand? You were in an accident. A buggy accident. An ambulance brought you here.”

  Ah, yes. She’d been in an accident.

  Ella gripped the metal bar on the side of her bed to steady herself as waves of pain mixed with flashes of memories. Now she remembered holding on for dear life while the buggy fell.

  She recalled the horse screaming.

  She remembered crying and calling for help as the rain soaked her skin. Of feeling completely alone in the world.

  She looked at the nurse again, this time squinting her eyes in an attempt to see her better. Oh, she hated her poor vision. It gave her the worst sort of disadvantage—made her feel completely dependent on other people.

  And so helpless. Like she was at everyone else’s mercy. “Glasses?” she muttered. Her mouth felt like cotton, and her brain didn’t seem to be working properly. But getting back her sight would be so wonderfully good.

  “Glasses? Oh! That, I can help you with, believe it or not.” Slowly, the nurse slipped Ella’s frames on her face.

  Ella blinked as her eyes became accustomed to the lenses. Right away, she saw that the room was painted a pale green and that the nurse was wearing a pink shirt and pants—and that the shirt had polka dots printed on it. The nurse had freckles and brown frizzy hair. And a beautiful, toothy smile. “Danke,” she murmured.

  Looking at Ella’s eyes, the nurse said, “The EMT set these on your gurney—no one could believe that the glasses didn’t shatter.” The nurse’s grin widened as she tilted her head and looked at Ella proudly. “And with lenses like these, we knew you would certainly need them.”

  Ella blinked again and took more notice of the room. There was a curtain hanging on one side, and lots of portable-looking cabinets. A few bottles and cups were sitting on a table; and across from where Ella was lying,
there was a television hooked up to the wall.

  Ella looked again at the woman. She was still smiling, but now her eyes held a new hint of worry. Like there was something on the tip of her tongue. As if there was much more that she wasn’t saying.

  Which created a panic in Ella. “What happened?” she asked, trying to sit up. But the nurse gently put a hand on her shoulder to hold her safely in place.

  “Don’t move so quickly, dear. I think it would be best for everyone if you took it easy. Your poor body has been through a lot, you know.”

  As Ella tried to process the words through her foggy brain, she felt a whole new rush of panic. “Horse . . . ?” she sputtered as more memories of the buggy accident crashed forward.

  The nurse shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t know the answer about that. We’ve been busy trying to patch you up. You’ve got a good bump on your forehead, a broken leg, a fractured collarbone, and stitches in three or four places.”

  Ella sighed. Well that explained her bandage and her leg. “Hurt. I hurt,” she murmured.

  “I know. I’m going to give you some medicine for the pain.” She stood up. “But first I need to let the doctor know you’re awake. And he’s going to want to see you.”

  “All right,” she mumbled, though she didn’t really know why she did. It wasn’t like she had a say in how things went.

  The nurse turned away, then turned back to her, her fluffy hair swinging with the motion. “Ella, I’m also going to ask if you can see your visitors.” Eyes shining, she said, “It would be a shame to make everyone wait much longer to say hello.”

  “What?”

  “Your fiancé is out there,” she said with a smile. “Why, he’s practically worn a hole in the carpet, pacing back and forth like he has.”

  She left before Ella could clarify things. To tell her that she had no fiancé. And that she surely didn’t have all that many people who would come all the way to the hospital to see her.

  Leaning back against the very hard pillow, she tried to review everything the nurse had told her. But nothing made sense.

  Why had she only spoken about the accident in the vaguest of terms? Did she really not know anything? And what about Dorothy?

  Her head started to pound worse. She closed her eyes, seeking relief. But none came. With each second her pain intensified and her confusion grew. Slowly, she inhaled and exhaled, hoping the slow and steady breathing would help alleviate some of her confusion, and maybe the worst of the pain.

  Breathe in. Out. Don’t think. Don’t guess. Don’t try to understand.

  “Ella?” A hand touched her forehead. Her arm. “Ella? Can you hear me? I hope you didn’t fall asleep on me again. Wake up.”

  Slowly, she opened her eyes. With a start, she realized she’d fallen asleep with her glasses on. “Oh,” she gasped.

  There was a youngish-looking man in a pair of green scrubs and a stethoscope around his neck. He smiled when she met his gaze.

  “Hi. There you are. I’m Dr. Roberts.” He paused. “Do you understand that you’re in the hospital?”

  Ella nodded.

  “Good. Beverly told me you are stiff and sore, hmm? And in a lot of pain?”

  “Jah. I mean, yes.”

  “Well, that’s to be expected.” He held up her wrist and took her pulse. After a moment, he murmured something to the nurse on his left. Next, he removed her glasses, looked in her eyes with a bright light, then gently set them back on her nose. “You’re pretty beat up, Ella; and I’m afraid this is one of those times when you’re going to feel worse before you feel better. But hang in there. Beverly’s going to give you some medicine through your IV to help make you more comfortable.”

  He paused and patted her forearm gently. “Now, the good news is that the break in your leg was a clean one, and can be set as soon as the swelling goes down. As far as your fractured collarbone, we’re just going to keep you bandaged. Understand?”

  Ella nodded.

  “Very good. So, if all goes well, you might even get out of here in two days.”

  Two days? The idea of staying in this strange place was upsetting, but she supposed it couldn’t be helped. “That’s fine,” she murmured, supposing some response was expected.

  “All right. I’ll come back in a while. But for the time being, I think we’ll go ahead and let your man in here. And your friends, of course. They seem like a real nice bunch.”

  Ella stared at him, stunned. Man?

  His eyes narrowed. “Ella, are you all right? Do you have any questions?”

  She had too many to count. So all she did was shake her head and hope that sometime in the future she’d be able to think again.

  The doctor grinned. “I’ll be back in a few hours.” As he passed the nurse on his way out, he said, “Beverly, keep the visit to a minimum, would you?”

  Ella hardly heard Beverly’s response because in walked Loyal. And Mattie. And Graham, and Corrine and her husband. Even Jayne Donovan was there. And Loyal’s Uncle John!

  Oh, but there were so many people, especially for a woman who had been feeling like she was virtually alone in the world just a few short months ago.

  Ella was so overcome, she merely stared at them all in wonder.

  Loyal got to her side first. Ella watched him approach, his expression stern and serious, and completely centered on her. Her gaze skittered around the room. Graham’s eyebrows rose as he watched Loyal. Mattie looked smug.

  John and Jayne were both smiling, yet also looked ill at ease standing next to each other.

  Then Ella had eyes for no one but Loyal—and he seemed incapable of doing anything but looking at her intently. She felt him examine every single nick and scratch and bandage.

  “Oh, Ella,” he murmured, his voice so soft, like a caress. “Look at you. We’ve been so terribly worried about you.”

  That caring tone of voice was all she needed for the tears to flow. Frustrated, she blinked them away.

  “What a state you’re in,” he murmured, leaning close and carefully wiping the tears with a gentle touch. Next he took her hand and folded both of his around it. Right there, in front of everyone!

  Quickly, Ella looked toward Corrine. But Corrine simply smiled.

  With effort, she tried to reply. “That’s what usually happens when a person is in a buggy accident.”

  His expression softened, his eyes looking languid—almost as if they were about to tear up. “We’re so glad nothing worse happened to you.” He looked toward John. “Things were pretty scary, weren’t they?”

  John nodded. “Ella, I hope I never see another buggy accident like that as long as I live.”

  “My heart was in my throat,” Mattie said.

  Ella felt her world spinning. Not a bit of what they were saying felt right. She’d been alone with Dorothy. How had John seen the accident?

  And furthermore, how did everyone even know she’d been taken to the hospital?

  And why was Loyal now acting as if she was his sweetheart? “Loyal, why are you here?”

  “That has to be the silliest question you’ve ever asked me, Ella Hostetler.”

  She couldn’t help it. Little by little, her lips curved upward, even though the cuts on her face hurt and it was an effort to do most anything. “Why?” she asked again.

  “Because I couldn’t stay away.”

  His words embarrassed her. Seemed like they were too much. But oh, how she did enjoy hearing them! Suddenly too shy to stare at him, she moved her gaze beyond. “Mattie, Corrine, John, Jayne, Graham—thank you all for coming.”

  Graham stepped forward. “I shouldn’t ask how you’re doing because it’s fairly obvious. But . . . how are you?”

  Loyal almost pushed his brother away, but Ella took the question seriously. “I’m alive,” she finally said. “And for that, I am grateful.�
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  Mattie slipped in between them both. “I was so scared, Ella, when we were driving with John trying to find you. I thought my pulse was going to go crazy! I worried we wouldn’t find you in time.”

  “In time?”

  Loyal shook his head as he carefully clasped her hand in his. “That’s nothing we need to think about now,” he said. “All we need to think about now is how we can make you feel better.” He held up a cup. “Would you like some water?”

  She nodded, but knew that she didn’t want to be shielded from the truth. “Please tell me the truth. What happened?”

  “Mattie’s the one who got us all looking for you,” Jayne explained. “And John Weaver drove Loyal and Mattie around in his truck.”

  “As soon as I discovered that you had left in Dorothy’s buggy,” explained Mattie, “I just didn’t feel right. I didn’t trust her.”

  Finally someone had mentioned Dorothy!

  “Mattie was sure that Dorothy had taken you against your will,” Loyal said. “Was that true?”

  “Jah.” The details were fuzzy, but little by little snippets of the storm and the ride and Dorothy’s words all came tumbling back. “The police asked me questions when I got into the ambulance,” Ella blurted, suddenly remembering all the flashing lights, sirens, the men who moved the buggy, and the other men who put her on the stretcher.

  More details flashed forward, but in no kind of order. She remembered the man identifying himself as a police detective and his questions. “Why do you think the police are involved?” Worry spiraled as her friends exchanged glances.

  Ella watched Loyal glare at Mattie, then look at John for guidance. Slowly John nodded in his direction.

  “Loyal, please tell me what you know,” she begged. “I really do want to know the truth.”

  Loyal pressed his other hand over her palm. “Well . . . do you remember Dorothy picking you up when you came home from work?”

  Ella started to nod, but it hurt too much, so she spoke. “Yes.” Remembering Ms. Donovan was in the room, she looked at her hands. “I quit.”