One Child

by Barbara Cameron

  “I feel warmer already.” She sniffed. “The coffee smells so good,” she said wistfully. “I miss it. But I’ll do whatever it takes so the baby will be healthy.”

  “I’ll fix you some tea. Do you like chamomile?”

  Kate wrinkled her nose. “Not as much as coffee. But hot tea will taste good right now.”

  “Christmas cookies,” Sarah heard herself saying, as if she were standing outside her body. “Maybe some Christmas cookies will make it taste better.”

  “Thanks.” Kate pulled the quilt up around her. “It’s really incredibly kind of both of you to take us in.”

  Jason stroked his wife’s hair. “I shouldn’t have let you talk me into driving to your mother’s.”

  “I wanted to see my family,” she said simply. “Families are supposed to be together for Christmas. We didn’t know the weather would turn so ugly.”

  Jason sighed. “That’s just it. We know how the weather can be this time of the year. We shouldn’t have chanced it.”

  “It’ll be over soon, and we’ll be on our way,” Kate said optimistically.

  But they could hear the wind picking up, howling around the house, hurling snow against the windows. Jason shivered again.

  “Sit by the fire while I get you some dry clothes,” David told him, frowning.

  “I’ll be okay—” Jason broke off at the stern look David gave him, and seated himself in a chair near the fire.

  David looked at Sarah. “Make him stay there until I get him some dry clothes.”

  She nodded. It was worrying her, too, to see that Jason wasn’t warming up.

  David returned with a pile of clothing for Jason, then turned to Sarah. “Do you think the kaffi is ready?”

  Sarah excused herself and followed him to the kitchen. “What is it?” she asked.

  “I’m concerned about Jason. He’s not warming up, and he’s limping.”

  “Do you think he has frostbite?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s watch him for a while.” He leaned against the counter and watched her open a box of chamomile tea bags and place one in a cup for Kate. “Are you all right with this, Sarah?”

  “With their staying the night? Of course.”

  “You’re not upset?”

  She poured hot water over the tea bag. “I was surprised when she took off her coat, but no, I’m not upset. After all, I’m surrounded by children every day at school.” She opened a big plastic container of cookies and arranged some on a plate. “Could you have ever imagined two such people appearing on our doorstep on this night of nights?” Pausing, she looked at her husband. “God put them here tonight for a reason,” she said slowly, as if to herself. She tried to smile. “I don’t know the reason. But I don’t have to for now.”

  David touched her cheek, and his eyes were warm on her.

  “Let’s go meet our guests, shall we?” she said.

  He picked up the tray and followed her into the other room.

  “I can’t imagine living without electricity, can you?” Jason asked his wife. “It feels so strange. Even campgrounds have electricity these days.”

  “Honey, you’ll survive without your computer and cell phone for one night. Promise.” She looked around as she ran her hand over the arm of the sofa. “It’s so cozy here. Jason, look. I think someone made this sofa. And I don’t mean Rooms To Go.”

  But Jason was examining the clothes David had loaned him. “The pants don’t have zippers. They’ve got buttons on them, and there are hooks and eyes on the vest. That’s . . . different.”

  “Keep your voice down,” Kate told him. “They’re lovely people who probably saved our lives.”

  “I know. I wasn’t making fun.”

  He saw David entering the room, followed by Sarah. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  David set the tray on a nearby table. “You didn’t. I’m sure it’s not what you’re used to.”

  “It was kind of you to offer us dry clothes,” Kate said.

  “Fortunately, we’re near to the same size,” David said.

  Jason smiled and stuck out his feet to show the rolled-up hems. “Well, close . . .”

  “I don’t mind being without electricity or a phone,” Kate said. “I’d forgotten how nice it was to have an uninterrupted conversation.”

  Jason accepted his kaffi and cupped his hands around one of the thick pottery mugs David favored. Sarah carried the cookies to Kate.

  “Oh, the cookies look wonderful,” Kate said, sniffing the gingerbread man she chose before taking a bite. “Mmm, look out. I could eat the whole plate. I’m starved.”

  “I didn’t think,” Sarah said, distressed. “I should have asked if you were hungry. When did you last eat?”

  “Since she’s been pregnant, she’s been nothing but hungry,” Jason said, winking at Kate as he reached for a cookie.

  “Thanks a lot.” But she grinned. “He’s right, though.”

  “Eat as many cookies as you want,” Sarah told them. “But I’m going to make you something more substantial.”

  “Jason’s joking,” Kate said, but Sarah was already moving swiftly out of the room. “Really, I’m fine. The two of you have already gone to so much trouble!”

  “It’s no trouble,” David told her. “Sarah loves taking care of people.”

  “Man, what could be better than these?” Jason asked, stuffing another cookie into his mouth.

  “You’re not going to talk with your mouth full when the baby comes, are you?”

  “No, Mom,” he teased as he handed her the plate. “Oops, maybe I should be offering you some, David?”

  “I ate too many already tonight. Sarah’s been doing quite a bit of baking.” He poked at the fire and then straightened. “How are you both doing?”

  “I’m nice and toasty now,” Kate said.

  Jason nodded. “I’m fine, thanks.”

  David came out to the kitchen, where Sarah was making sandwiches and heating up some soup.

  “Jason is still limping,” he said. “He walked twice as far as I did, and in those dress shoes Englisch men wear. I’m going to ask him if I can look at his feet.”

  He watched her as she put the finishing touches on the two trays of food. “Why don’t you take one of the trays to Kate and send Jason in here to get the other one?”

  “Great idea.” She rose on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “You’re so smart.”

  Sarah settled beside Kate on the sofa and handed her a mug of soup.

  “Mmm. This smells so good. What is it?”

  “It’s not fancy, just vegetable soup I made for supper yesterday.”

  “Mmm,” Kate said again after trying a spoonful. “This is even better than my mom’s. Maybe I could have your recipe?”

  “It’s just a little of this and that. Whatever’s left of vegetables from the week.”

  “That’s how my mom cooks. I don’t have her knack. Then again, I didn’t really start cooking until Jason and I got married,” Kate admitted. “I’ve never been that interested. But we can’t eat out every night, you know? So I’ve been trying to cook more.”

  She picked up the sandwich and took a bite.

  “How is it?” Sarah asked.

  Kate swallowed. “Wonderful. Did you make the bread?”

  Sarah smiled. “It’s not that hard, really.”

  “Don’t tell Jason. He’ll want me to try it. And where am I going to find the time to do that around my work?” Kate stretched and winced, then glanced furtively toward the doorway to the kitchen.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “My back’s been hurting all day. I didn’t dare tell Jason, or he wouldn’t have driven us to see my mom.” Frowning, she shifted and rubbed at it.

  Sarah felt a chill race up her spine. “Kate, when’s your baby due?” she asked quietly.

  “In two weeks.” She looked over at the lone cookie on the plate. “I guess I’d be terrible if I ate the last cookie? I mean, Jason had to walk so f
ar tonight to get us help.”

  “Eat it. I have plenty more. But, Kate?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Is it . . .” Sarah hesitated, afraid to put her worry into words. “Is it possible you’re in labor?”

  Chapter Three

  Kate shook her head and bit into the cookie. “Still two weeks to go, like I said.” She finished the cookie and sighed, then realized that Sarah was looking at her. “What? Have I got sugar all over my mouth?” She wiped at it with a napkin.

  “Kate, babies don’t always come when they’re supposed to,” Sarah told her, choosing her words carefully. “Matter of fact, they don’t usually come when they’re supposed to.” She smoothed her dress over her knees. “We have big families here, and I can tell you that for certain.”

  “I just saw the doctor last week, and she seemed to think I was right on schedule.” But Kate was rubbing her lower back again. “Besides, the baby can’t come early. We could never get me to the hospital in this storm.”

  Sarah bit her lip to keep from laughing at this Englischer’s misguided “logic.”

  Kate looked at the doorway again. “Anyway, even if I were going into labor, our Lamaze coach says first labors usually take a long time. The storm’ll be over soon, right?”

  Sarah hesitated.

  “Listen,” Kate said, “promise me that you won’t tell Jason what I said. I mean, it’s probably just a backache from riding in the car so many hours today.”

  It was the first reasonable thing Kate had said in the last few minutes, thought Sarah. Her own friends complained about feeling uncomfortable when they were traveling in buggies and cars when their time grew near.

  But asking her to not say anything to Jason . . . to keep a secret? Sarah had never done that.

  Well, maybe never wasn’t entirely truthful. After all, hadn’t she been keeping her feelings a secret from her own husband? She was ashamed at how often she had been angry at God about the miscarriage. Although she and David shared all their concerns, she’d been too ashamed to tell him this. And wasn’t that a form of keeping a secret?

  “I won’t say anything unless your husband asks me directly.”

  “He won’t do that,” Kate said confidently. “Jason’s kind of introverted, you know? A little self-absorbed. And absentminded, because he’s always thinking about some problem he has to solve. He’s in IT. Information technology,” she added when Sarah looked blank. “You know, computers. And talk about being impatient. I tease him that he wants patience, and he wants it now! I guess he’s like that because computers move so fast.”

  She shifted to get comfortable again. “He’s a really great guy, and I love him to death, but we have to work on communication, you know?” Kate gazed at the fire and didn’t seem to expect an answer.

  “I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. I’m warming up.”

  Jason and David sat at the kitchen table, Jason finishing the soup and sandwich Sarah had prepared.

  “You walked quite a distance in the snow,” David said. “I just want to make sure you don’t have frostbite.”

  “People don’t get that sort of thing around here, do they? That’s for—I don’t know—mountain climbers in Nepal.”

  “Anyone can get hypothermia as well as frostbite when they’re out in bad weather like this long enough. If you’ve finished eating, let’s get those socks off and take a look.”

  Shrugging, Jason pulled off the socks and stared at his feet. “They look okay to me.” He shivered again and started to put the socks back on, but David stopped him.

  “You were limping earlier. We need to soak your feet.”

  Jason glanced at the doorway, then lowered his voice. “Well, I was practically carrying three people. I mean, Kate’s a small woman, but she’s gained some weight with this pregnancy.”

  David wasn’t sure how to respond to the other man’s humor. “You weren’t carrying your wife when you came into the kitchen a few minutes ago.” He frowned as he pressed a finger to the skin on Jason’s foot.

  “I feel like you’re about to put a new horseshoe on me.”

  David smiled. “I’m not a farrier.”

  “A what?”

  “A farrier. He’s the man who shoes horses.” He found a pan and filled it with warm water.

  “Oh. But you have horses?”

  “Yes. For our buggy. And for plowing.”

  “So you’re a farmer?”

  “It’s a small farm compared to most around here, but yes. And I’m a carpenter. I think you’re okay, but let’s try soaking your feet, okay?”

  Jason pulled out his cell phone and checked the display again. “Nothing,” he muttered. “Cars, computers, cell phones. They get you dependent on them, then what do you do when they don’t work?”

  David lifted his shoulders. “Afraid I don’t know.”

  “Oh yeah. Right. Sorry.” He stared down at his feet in the water. “So I’ve stuck my foot in my mouth again.”

  “No, it’s in the water.”

  “Uh—it’s an expression—” He stopped when he saw David grinning. “Oh, you’re joking.”

  “Feet feeling any better?”

  “Yeah, I think so. Thanks.”

  “You’re sure?” David saw the man’s Adam’s apple bob, and there was a suspicious gleam in his eyes as he stared at his feet. “If you’re in pain . . .”

  “I’ve never been so scared,” Jason blurted out. “I tell you, that was the worst time I’ve ever had in my life, walking and walking and looking for help, and my wife’s sitting back in the car, and who knew how long she could stay warm? And my baby. I’m supposed to be responsible for my family, and I almost let them down.” He stopped, choked up.

  David laid his hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Everything’s fine now. You’re all safe. God is with you.”

  Jason struggled for composure. “Well, I . . . yeah . . .”

  “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  “No, I know that. I’m sure it’s . . . it’s what you believe.”

  “You don’t?” David added more hot water from the kettle to the pan.

  Jason shrugged. “I don’t know. I went to Sunday school and all that when I was a kid, but my family stopped going to church.” He paused. “Kate’s mother was asking what religion we’re going to be raising our son in. I didn’t know what to tell her. I mean, it’s just not been something I’ve spent time thinking about a lot, you know?”

  David thought about how much his faith was a part of his life, his being.

  “Thing is, my family is Protestant, and Kate’s is Catholic. I guess we’ll be talking about that.”

  There wasn’t any such discussion in David’s community. And since most of the young men and women stayed and became attracted to each other, there wasn’t any chance of a marriage between people of two different religions.

  “Do you and Sarah have children?”

  “Not yet.”

  “The Amish usually have big families, don’t they?”

  David shrugged. “Compared to Englisch families, I suppose so. We have the size family that God gives us. There were ten in my family, but Sarah has just one sister.”

  “Our boy might be the only one for a long time,” Jason said. “It’s pretty expensive to raise a kid these days.”

  Children were a priceless gift from God, thought David. So what was this talk of what it cost to raise them? Before he could say anything, a yawn overtook him.

  “Man, I’m sorry we’re keeping you up. You probably go to bed early, right?”

  “Most of the time. But we were up tonight.”

  “Were you going to put up your tree? I know some people do that on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.”

  “We don’t have Christmas trees.”

  “I guess I don’t know much about the way you live.”

  “Let’s take a look at those feet again.”

  Jason lifted one from the water. “Looks much better. Sure feels a lot better.”r />
  “Let’s get your socks back on, and we’ll show you where you and Kate can sleep tonight.”

  But when they went to their wives, they found that Kate had fallen asleep on the sofa with the quilt tucked under her chin. Sarah sat in a nearby chair, staring into the fire.

  She looked up and smiled at them. “She was so tired, she dropped off right after she ate.”

  “She hasn’t been sleeping much lately. Says she can’t get comfortable.”

  His own wife wasn’t sleeping well either, thought David, but for the opposite reason.

  “Sure looks comfortable now.” Jason walked over and stroked her hair. “I hate to move her.”

  Sarah exchanged a look with David. “We could fix you a pallet on the floor.”

  “That’d be like camping, wouldn’t it?” David asked.

  Jason looked stricken, and then he saw the corners of David’s mouth lift. “Okay, you’re teasing me, aren’t you?”

  David just grinned.

  “I thought the Amish were kind of stern, didn’t have much of a sense of humor. Shows me not to make assumptions.”

  “We’re just people like you,” David told him, shrugging.

  “Not like me,” Jason said slowly. “If someone had knocked on my door like I did yours, I’m not sure I would have opened it. Oh, I’d have called for help for them if I could. But I’m not sure I could have extended the hospitality—the caring—that you two have.”

  “I don’t believe that,” Sarah told him. “I think you’d have done the right thing.”

  Jason shoved his hands in his pockets and looked thoughtful. “I don’t know, I think there’s so much crime out there in my world, people sometimes won’t help out strangers.”

  David and Sarah exchanged another look. He could tell she was remembering how she’d been afraid for him to open the door.

  Jason pulled out his cell phone and checked it. Shaking his head, he went to look out the window. “How much longer can this last?”

  “A friend who was here earlier said it’s expected to last through the night, maybe longer.”

  Jason sighed. “Well, maybe when we wake up in the morning it’ll be over with.”