Anna's Healing

by Vannetta Chapman

  One of the security guards held a hand up to stop her from walking any closer. “Chaplain, this hall is supposed to be cleared.”

  “I know you wouldn’t tell me that I’m not allowed in the chapel, Mr.—” She looked more closely at his name tag. “Taylor. Besides, I know these people. At least, I know Anna and Chloe.”

  She glanced pointedly at Jacob.

  “Ya. We know each other. Jacob, this is Dora Smith. Dora, this is my friend, Jacob. Jacob Graber.”

  “Nice to meet you, Jacob.”

  “It’s so gut to see you.” Anna stepped forward and enfolded the woman in a hug.

  Dora held her for a moment. When she stepped back, her hands remained on Anna’s arms. “So it’s true. You are healed.”

  No one spoke, but Anna nodded.

  “I would like to hear about your experience, Anna. God has blessed you—”

  Before she could finish the thought, Taylor’s radio crackled again.

  “Two reporters have found a way into the building. They’re headed your way, sir.”

  The larger man, whose name tag said “Smith,” seemed to have gotten over the surprise of escorting Anna. He frowned at the voice coming over Taylor’s radio, and then he said, “Want me to take care of that?”

  “If we confront them, it will only confirm that they’re in the right part of the hospital. But we also can’t let them see her.”

  “The chapel—we can wait in there.” Dora hurried into the small room, and Chloe, Anna, Jacob, and the two security guards followed.

  Chloe heard the door shut behind them. Probably no one would realize the room was even occupied. The lights were dimmed. About ten chairs were positioned on each side of the room, and a prayer rail ran the width of the room at the front. No music played. When the door was shut, it blocked out the everyday noise of the hospital. Chloe realized they had entered a haven of sorts, a place where those who were feeling overwhelmed could stop and rest and pray.

  The thought had barely crossed her mind when Anna stepped toward the front of the room.

  CHAPTER 48

  Anna hadn’t been in the chapel before.

  She thought her aenti had. It seemed she remembered Erin saying she was going to pray for a few moments back when her mother had been visiting and able to sit with her. She remembered Dora. The chaplain had been a center of calm in the storm. She’d visited Anna nearly every day, and she’d always brought an encouraging word and kind smile. She hadn’t sugarcoated what Anna was facing. Instead, she’d offered an unruffled, reassuring presence.

  That might explain why Anna now relaxed at the sight of her. Dora Smith was someone she trusted. When Anna stepped into the chapel, all of the tension and worries she’d been carrying melted away. The room had been carpeted in warm brown shag, and the chairs were cushioned in a similar color. Dimly lit, the chapel provided a restful refuge. But those things weren’t what caught Anna’s attention. Rather, she was transfixed by the sight of the cross, made of stained glass, with some sort of light behind it. She walked toward it, her heart banging a rhythm against her ribs.

  And then she had to kneel, to fall to her knees and thank God for what He had done.

  She was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of complete and total love. Her heart ached as she sank to her knees in front of the prayer rail and raised her face to the stained glass. Anna closed her eyes, but she still felt warmth against her skin—as if she were sitting in a sunbeam of light.

  All of the things that had seemed so important became background to the love and joy and acceptance that surrounded her. It no longer mattered that people were chasing her to get her story, that the peace and tranquility of their farm had been shattered, or that her life had been turned upside down for nearly a year and then suddenly righted again. In that moment, the past ceased to exist and the future was something she could once again trust. In that moment, she found herself surrounded by total love, complete security, and quiet assurance. She felt herself caught up in her Father’s arms.

  She didn’t realize she was weeping until Chloe, Jacob, and Dora surrounded her—all going to their knees, all placing their hands on her.

  “What is it, child?” Dora’s face scrunched in concern, reminding her of Mammi.

  “Are you okay?” Chloe asked.

  “Maybe you should sit in one of the chairs.” Jacob’s expression was a study of concern.

  Anna wondered that they could be worried about anything. To her, everything was crystal clear, but she didn’t know how to explain that to them. She closed her eyes again, wanting to hold on to the moment. Already the emotions she’d felt were fading, but the certainty? The serenity? They remained.

  She brushed tears from her cheeks, reached toward the prayer rail, and used it as a support to help her stand.

  “I’m fine,” she assured them. “Better than that. Better than I’ve ever been.”

  “I think I need to sit down.” Dora went over to the front row of chairs and rearranged them so that they could sit in a circle. “We all should.”

  “Anna, what happened?” Jacob asked. “Why did you… why did you hurry forward and kneel at the railing?”

  “It seemed like… like something I wanted to do. Something I needed to do.”

  Dora wiped sweat from her forehead. “The need to thank our Father when we’ve been in His presence, when we’ve felt His touch—it’s not something that a person can resist. In the Gospel of Luke, Christ tells the Pharisees that if the people don’t praise Him, the stones will cry out.”

  “Is that what happened?” Chloe asked. “Anna, you’ve been so calm through all this. I don’t know how you’ve held yourself together. When you fell to your knees, I was afraid that… I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I was afraid you were paralyzed again.”

  “Nein.” Jacob shook his head. “There is not much about this that I understand, but I do believe your healing is permanent.”

  Anna nodded in agreement as she reached for his hand.

  “Any place set aside for worship is holy ground,” Dora said. “We designed the chapel to be a quiet, soothing place. Perhaps it’s the first time today that you’ve had a moment to truly appreciate what God has done for you.”

  “With so many in this world, in this hospital, hurting… I don’t understand why I was healed.” Anna pulled her kapp strings forward. “But I am certain that Gotte will use it to somehow glorify Himself.”

  “We don’t always understand the why of a thing,” Dora agreed.

  “I’m grateful that we had to hide here for a few moments. That we had this time together.” Anna reached for Chloe with her left hand, her right still holding fast to Jacob. She smiled at Dora, who reached forward and squeezed their hands. It seemed at that moment that they were bound together, the four of them. Caught up in some mighty work of God that they couldn’t begin to fathom.

  Dora glanced over at the security officers, who had remained at the back of the room. Standing, she hurried back to them and then returned.

  “We’re still not clear to go yet, but they expect to receive word at any moment that we are.”

  “I don’t mind resting here.” Chloe drummed the fingers of her left hand against her leg. “So much has happened so quickly.”

  Anna realized as she ran her fingers from the top of her prayer kapp strings to the bottom that she wasn’t nervous anymore. Though the intense emotions she had felt while at the prayer rail were gone, the peace remained. “Out in the hall, I was worried and a little afraid. The entire morning has had an unreal quality to it.”

  She leaned forward, so that she was staring down at the brown carpet. Silence permeated the room, allowing her to find the words to express what she needed to say.

  “We don’t have to be afraid of the news reporters or anyone else. It’s okay. It’s all going to be fine. Gotte has a plan, and…” She frowned before continuing. “I don’t understand it all, but I am sure there’s a purpose to all that has happened. It’s like the verse Mamm
i is always reading to me. The one from Jeremiah. God knows the plans He has for us—”

  “Plans for a hope and a future,” Dora added, finishing the Scripture.

  Anna looked up at them, a smile tugging at her lips. “Ya, but they’re not just words. They’re the truth. I’m more certain of them than I’m certain my name is Anna Schwartz.”

  “You’ve been touched by God, Anna.” Dora reached for her hands and clasped them.

  “I think you’re right. But the thing is, we all have been. Not only me because I’m healed, or us four because we are in this room, or even those men standing at the back ready to protect us. Nein, it’s not only us who have witnessed something extraordinary. We’ve all experienced God’s touch, and it is an amazing thing.”

  One of the security officers approached them. “We’re clear to leave.”

  The little group straightened the chairs and formed a line behind the guards. Anna paused to embrace Dora and whisper, “Danki.”

  Dora promised to pray for their safety.

  Anna held on to the memory of God’s touch, and the miracle of the blessing she had received. She felt no anxiety as they made their way down the hall, out of the hospital, and through the parking area.

  They managed to leave the hospital area unnoticed, but Chloe had barely pulled on to the freeway when she informed them that they were being followed again.

  “Why can’t they leave her alone?” Jacob muttered.

  Then Chloe’s phone rang. She asked Jacob if he wouldn’t mind answering it because she was driving. Anna could tell from the conversation that it was Bishop Levi. He was either calling them from the phone shack or using one of the officer’s phones at her onkel’s house. Jacob said goodbye and pushed the “End” button on the phone.

  “He suggests we not return to Cody’s Creek… not right away.”

  “Why?” Chloe asked.

  Anna leaned forward from the backseat. “Are Samuel and Erin all right?”

  “Everyone is fine, but the crowds have grown. He thought perhaps we should find a hotel or else return to the hospital, where the security guards can watch over you.”

  “But I don’t need security guards.”

  “I think I have a better idea,” Chloe said. She pulled off the freeway, through a parking garage, and back out the other side, then back onto the freeway heading in the direction they had come. “No one is following us now. We’ve lost those vultures, and I have the perfect place for us to lie low.”

  “Vultures, huh?” Jacob glanced back at Anna and then he smiled at Chloe. “Reporters after a big scoop can be ruthless.”

  “Are you teasing me, Jacob Graber? Because your girlfriend is in the backseat, and I’m pretty sure she’s on my side.”

  “Ya, Chloe isn’t that kind of reporter,” Anna agreed.

  The bantering felt like a soft gentle rain to her soul. Anna should have been worried. She had no idea where they were going, she couldn’t return home, and the day was once again spinning out of control. Only it wasn’t out of control. God had a plan, even in this. She reveled in the feeling of peace that continued to permeate her soul. She didn’t have any more answers than when they had driven with Dr. Hartman to the hospital, but she finally understood that those questions and their answers didn’t matter.

  What mattered were the people with her in the car, the people waiting back home, and the people she was about to meet.

  CHAPTER 49

  Chloe went to her mom’s.

  Where else could she go? The day had held entirely too many surprises. She longed for the quietness and security of her mother’s house.

  Teri met them at the door with her usual good mood and grace. She and Anna greeted one another like the friends they were. Other than shedding a few tears when Anna first walked up the front walk, Teri seemed to handle Anna’s miraculous healing better than most.

  “I’m sure you all are hungry after your long day.”

  “It’s too late for lunch and too early for dinner,” Chloe said, glancing at her watch. The digital display told her it was two in the afternoon, but it felt much later. It felt as if she’d received the call about Anna’s healing days or even weeks ago.

  Teri led them all into the kitchen. “I’ve set out some sandwich makings.”

  “We appreciate your taking us in.”

  “I’m happy to have you here, Anna. Chloe had left me a message earlier in the day, and then of course I’ve been watching the news.”

  Jacob shook his head. “Why can’t they leave her alone?”

  “That’s a good question. Unfortunately, I think the answer is probably quite complicated.” Instead of explaining further, she waved toward the food. “Help yourselves. Everything is on the table.”

  As they set about making sandwiches—turkey, ham, cheese, and all of the requisite fixings—Chloe realized that her mom was a real port in the storm. That shouldn’t have surprised her.

  “Will you go back to your apartment?” Teri asked.

  “I think I’ll stay here if that’s okay. I think we all should.”

  “That’s a great idea. You know I love it when you stay over. You and Anna can share the guest room, and I’ll make up the couch in the living room for Jacob.”

  Chloe’s room had long ago been changed into a guest room, something they had laughed about on several occasions. Many of her friends claimed that their room at their parent’s house had been enshrined, practically frozen in time. Teri’s mom was more practical. She’d quickly set about making the room more inviting for guests, adding new twin beds that could be pushed together for a couple or left separate when that was called for.

  “We don’t want to be too much trouble,” Anna said, as she took a giant bite of her turkey sandwich.

  “You’re no trouble at all. Jacob, fix yourself another sandwich. A big boy like you is bound to have a large appetite.”

  “I won’t deny that. Maybe one more. I want to leave room for those cookies you made.”

  Teri laughed and pushed the platter of lettuce, tomato, meat, and cheese closer to him. “I’m sure you have plenty of room for a second sandwich and dessert.”

  As they ate they were able to relax a little, and then each person began relating bits and pieces of the day’s events.

  “Sometimes being in the limelight isn’t what it’s cracked up to be,” Teri said.

  “No Amish person wants to be in a light of any kind—not if it means a lot of attention.” Jacob finished his second sandwich and refilled his glass from the pitcher of water. “We like things quiet.”

  “Ya,” Anna said. “I can’t imagine how my aenti and onkel are dealing with all of this, though I’m sure… I trust that they are fine.”

  “They are fine,” Teri assured her. “Your bishop called and told me no one had crossed the police barrier, and he hoped the size of the crowd would diminish by tomorrow.”

  “Either way, we’re going home in the morning. It’s where I’m supposed to be right now.”

  They all considered Anna’s words for a moment, and then Chloe turned to her mother. “When we first arrived, you said that the answer to why folks are flocking to Anna was complicated. What did you mean by that?”

  Instead of responding, Teri stood, walked across the room and popped a decaffeinated tea pod into the Keurig machine. After asking if anyone else would like a hot drink, she rejoined them at the table.

  “Many people are looking for a miracle. We don’t know exactly what happened to Anna, but we do know that it was beyond the simple explanation of an injury in her back recovering over time. I’m not giving my opinion there. The fact that you can walk supports that a miraculous healing took place. I don’t think there’s any doubt that this is the hand of God working in your life.”

  Anna nodded, Jacob broke his cookie into little pieces, and Chloe studied her mother.

  Finally Chloe said, “I agree with you, but not everyone out there does. Not everyone is a Christian or even religious.”

>   “True, but almost everyone is searching at some point in their life for answers to specific needs. And when they’re hurting? Or when someone they love is hurting? They often look to God, whatever they know about Him, for help. It’s natural that once they hear about Anna, they would be consumed with hope that the same thing could happen to them.”

  “Consumed is a good word.” Jacob frowned at the table. “The people surrounding the hospital were completely irrational.”

  “Some people have been living without hope for so long that when they finally have a glimpse of it they lose all sense of reason.”

  No one spoke as Teri seemed to gather her thoughts. Then she glanced up at them as she clasped her hands around her cup of hot tea.

  “I suppose I know a little of what they’re going through. Chloe’s father had what is called a ‘dread disease’—multiple sclerosis.” She glanced at Anna and Jacob, who each nodded their head acknowledging they had heard of it.

  “The majority of people with MS have a dormant type, which is not too debilitating as long as they stay on their medication. However, Gus…” She spread her hands out in a who-knows-why gesture. “My husband had the more active form. He didn’t present with MS until he was in his fifties, and then it progressed rather rapidly. Within five years, he couldn’t walk.”

  “I was in college when you first found out.” Chloe hadn’t thought about that phone call in many years. It had tilted her world. Her father had always been the rock solid center of her life.

  “Those years were difficult.” Now Teri sipped her tea and smiled over the rim of the cup. “I prayed for a miracle many times, but we didn’t receive one. I don’t know why. I still believe that God does at certain times work in miraculous ways, but that wasn’t His will for Gus.”

  Chloe reached over and hugged her mom. Anna and Jacob looked on sympathetically.

  “I bring it up now because I certainly can understand how people feel when they hear about you, Anna. Some will be hopeful. And others? They will probably remain bitter.”