Sisters of the Quilt

by Cindy Woodsmall

  Matthew waited on customers and ran the register. Sid kept the baked goods coming until it was time to shut off the ovens and clean up the kitchen. The place was quiet during the afternoon lull when the bell on the front door rang.

  Elle breezed in, all smiles as she slid out of her jacket. “Sorry, the photo shoot took longer than we expected.”

  Sid came out of the kitchen and looked at Matthew. “You won.”

  Matthew nodded. “Yep.”

  Elle huffed. “Won what?”

  Sid wiped a wet cloth across the counter. “He said you’d be here around two. I said closer to four. You’re always late. We just bet as to how late. You’re not nearly as late as usual since Matthew’s around.”

  Elle slid the apron strap over her head. “Are you betting, Matthew?”

  “Won a loaf of stale bread to feed to the ducks and the right to leave thirty minutes early.”

  “Well done.” Elle kissed his cheek.

  “Think so? It seems a bit stiff for a man who’s not actually employed by your father.”

  She giggled. “I guess I didn’t think about it like that.”

  Sid passed the wet cloth to Elle, a teasing gleam in his eye. “But you have to stay late to make up for the time you’ve missed.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him. “Be nice, Dad. We have company.”

  He moved to a table and sat down. “Matthew, I know you didn’t like it when Elle left Owl’s Perch, and I probably should’ve handled that better, but I think you should consider moving in with us. We got plenty of room and plenty of work.”

  Matthew pulled out a chair from a nearby table, turned it around, and straddled it. “Why me?”

  Sid frowned. “What?”

  “Why me? There are plenty of people needing jobs.”

  “Because it’d make Elle happy.”

  Nodding her head, she smiled broadly, making Matthew wonder if she was in on this with her dad or just an innocent bystander.

  Either way, they both knew he was a baptized member of the faith, so this request meant they were asking him to leave the faith, didn’t it? He laid his arms across the chair’s back. “What made ya want me to come here rather than Elle comin’ to Owl’s Perch and joinin’ the faith as she agreed?”

  “Well, I’ve thought your joining us here was a good idea for over a year, and when your shop burned down, I thought maybe you’d be open to the idea of coming here.”

  The man made it sound like he’d offered this while considering Matthew’s feelings or best interests, but he doubted if Sid was anyone’s friend. The man was nice enough outwardly, but from Matthew’s perspective every bit of niceness was wrapped around a selfish motive. He seemed to only know the fine art of using people. He’d bailed on his daughter, leaving her to be raised by an Amish family that had befriended her mother before she passed. Never once did he make contact or pay the Zooks anything for childcare. Then he showed up when he needed Elle’s help with the bakery, and now—

  “You want me to move in?”

  Sid nodded. “Sure. I’d love it.”

  “And if I remove all signs of being Amish, would ya love it then?”

  Elle wheeled to face him, shock written across her features. “Matthew.”

  Matthew shrugged. “It’s a fair question.”

  Sid strummed his fingers on the table, looking as if he’d expected this conversation. “This is a good business, and I’m willing to bring you into it because Elle loves you. You can live rent free and have all the time you want with my daughter. But for this arrangement, wearing your Amish garb is little to ask of you.”

  “Dad, you’re assuming I’ll stay here. I invited Matthew so we could have some time together, but I might move back and become Amish.”

  Sid rose. “You’ve been saying that for over two years, Elle. Face it, you like it here more than you like the Plain life, but the decision is yours.”

  She scowled at her dad before she held her hand out for Matthew’s. “We’re leaving for the afternoon, okay?”

  “You guys have fun.”

  Matthew rose and helped Elle on with her jacket before sliding into his own. As they stepped onto the sidewalk, the afternoon sun against their backs helped take the edge off the cool nip in the air.

  She slid her hand into his. “I’m sorry about that. He learned a few months back how much better the Amish bakeries do. I guess he thinks we should try to use that pull if we can. He’d have me wearing the Amish clothing if I would, but I won’t. If I wore the dress now after being established as not Amish, it’d come across as fake and offensive to our customers.”

  Matthew wasn’t impressed with her stance. She had known how her father felt, his reasoning and motives, when she invited him here. He freed his hand and slid it into his jacket pocket.

  She grabbed his arm, stopping him from walking, and stared into his eyes. “I … I wanted to give you as much time here as I could before we talked, but if you don’t like it here and want us to return to Owl’s Perch, I’m ready to join the faith and make that commitment.”

  It seemed he should feel excited, but he did at least sense a break in the fog of confusion.

  “Matthew?”

  He gazed into the eyes that used to mean hope and a future. Pulling away, he started walking again. She quietly strolled beside him. He’d come here wanting something he thought might still exist, love for Elle. But the longer he stayed, the more he knew that whether she was here or in Owl’s Perch, whether Englischer or Old Order Amish, he had no desire to marry her anymore.

  Tired of looking for distractions and a way to ease his pain, Matthew felt something click into place. Odd as it seemed, he almost sensed that he heard something click into place. Maybe he hadn’t really been waiting for Elle to return but only thought he was. Maybe that was the distraction God had used or allowed, but in reality he was waiting for something else.

  Someone else.

  Elle tugged on his arm. “Hey, let’s go to the Inner Harbor tonight.”

  He gazed down at the most flawless beauty he’d ever seen, fully aware that he wanted more than what she could give him. “Elle, we need to talk.”

  Mary shoved a clothespin over the edges of the last wet towel before bending to grab the empty laundry basket. A pain caught in her side, stealing much more than just her breath. Cold fear ran through her as she released the basket and waited for the pain to subside. Comparing her due date to today’s date, Mary tried to think clearly. According to the midwife, she was due the week before Thanksgiving. It was only the eighth of October.

  What have I done?

  The doctor’s warning not to conceive a child this soon after her injuries from the horse-and-buggy accident rang inside her head. Although she was at risk, he’d said the baby would be fine, hadn’t he?

  Mary leaned against the clothesline pole. How could she be this stubborn?

  Thoughts of sharing this burden with Hannah released a bit of her anxiety. She’d cut ties with the doctor because he’d wanted to control her life. The midwife … well, no one wanted to say it aloud, but the woman was a gossip. Mary couldn’t confide anything in her. But she trusted Hannah completely. Besides, if anyone could understand what she’d done and why, Hannah could. Easing herself upright, she searched the place for her husband. Not seeing any sign of him, she made her way to the phone shanty. With Hannah’s business card in hand, Mary dialed her cell.

  “Hannah Lawson. Please leave a message.”

  “Th-this is Mary. I … I need to talk to you as soon as you can.” Mary started to hang up but changed her mind. She stole another glance across the yard to make sure she was alone. “I’m scared, Hannah.” Feeling an awful pain down her right side, she hung up the phone. Maybe she should call the midwife. She thought about visiting her surgeon, the one who’d seen her through the physical traumas of the horse-and-buggy accident, but he’d be furious when he realized she’d ignored his instructions. Besides, he always seemed to hold back more information than
he actually shared, as if her life was his to understand and make decisions for.

  Suddenly all her desire to get Luke to the altar paled as the reality of what she’d done closed in around her. Surely Hannah would have answers for her and could get them through this with both her and the baby safe and Luke none the wiser. Surely. How could she have been so brazen in her decision while hiding secrets and convincing herself she was choosing to trust God over doctors?

  This wasn’t the first time she’d doubted her actions, but now it was impossible to convince herself the baby and she would be fine. Knowing nothing else to do, she headed for the house. After opening the window nearest the phone shanty, she lay on the couch, waiting for Hannah to call.

  Closing her eyes, she counted the beats of the clock, the only noise inside her Mammi Annie’s home.

  The phone rang, and she pushed herself upright, trying to hurry and be cautious at the same time. Just as she rounded the outside corner of the house, she saw Luke grab the phone.

  He motioned for Mary and shifted over, offering her the small bench seat inside the phone shanty. “Last I talked to Paul, Sarah was doing much better, but I talked to Mamm this morning, and she said that Daed was planning to take the church leaders to the Better Path to try to meet with Sarah today. I’ll find out from Paul how it went when he comes by here later.” Luke talked on, making anxiety ripple through Mary.

  There was a time when Hannah knew Mary’s hopes and dreams without words needing to be spoken, but were they still that bonded? Surely Hannah wouldn’t ask Luke any questions about why Mary had called earlier. She rubbed her stomach, trying to assure herself all was well. About the time she feared she might just scream and jerk the phone from him, he finally passed it to her.

  Hoping her voice didn’t give anything away to her husband, Mary lifted the phone to her ear. “Hi, Hannah.”

  “Mary, are you okay?”

  “Sure, I’m fine. How are you?” Figuring Hannah thought she was nuts, Mary ached for her husband to go on about his day and let her have a few minutes alone. Of course, that wouldn’t be near enough to explain what was going on, but it’d give her a moment to get advice concerning the pain in her right side.

  God, please don’t let my sin hurt our baby.

  “Mary, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”

  “I … I bet it’s been busy since you returned to Ohio, ya?”

  Hannah hesitated. “It’s been busy, yes.” Her voice was a mixture of softness and worry. “Is Luke still there?”

  “Yes, he is. Did you want to talk to him again?”

  “No, just give him a hug for me. Mary,” Hannah spoke softly, “if you’re having any sort of trouble, you need to call the midwife. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes. It was good to hear from you. Bye.” Mary hung up the phone, feeling like a ball of anxiety, but at least Hannah had understood her unspoken words.

  Inside his office at the Better Path, Paul read over two weeks of notes on Sarah. He’d worked with her intensely, and even though they had quite a journey ahead of them, her future held promise. That was the good news. The bad news was that the lines in Sarah’s mind that separated reality from thoughts, dreams, or feelings did more than just blur. They controlled her actions and motivations. When Sarah had learned of her sister’s trauma and the death of her baby, she emotionally experienced the trauma as if it’d happened to her. And she carried a lot of guilt for the trouble she’d caused Hannah. The medications Dr. Stone prescribed for her helped, but she had quite a ways to go.

  Using Hannah’s business card as a reference, he’d e-mailed a status report to her at the end of each week, not sharing anything confidential, but letting her know Sarah was doing well and continuing to improve. Hannah sent back three words: “Received it, thanks.” He’d covered similar info with Luke and Mary in person, and he looked forward to seeing them again this evening. With Sarah moving in with them soon, a discussion at their place would help Sarah adjust back to her world more easily.

  “Paul.” Halley’s voice came through the intercom.

  “Yes.”

  “Zeb Lapp is here to see you.”

  He could have bet money this day was coming. “Send him up.” He put Sarah’s file away and went to the landing just outside his door to greet Zeb.

  “Mr. Lapp.” Paul motioned to his office, followed the man inside, and closed the door. “What can I do for you today?”

  “I want to see Sarah.”

  Paul took a seat at his desk. “I’d like to put that on hold for a little longer. She’s feeling less confused right now and is making progress. Unfortunately, how we feel about our relatives, even ones we love dearly, can cause a lot of confusing emotions.”

  “We aren’t interested in confusing her. Just the opposite. We want to ask her to shed some light on a few things. It should help her.”

  “Is Ruth with you?”

  “No.”

  “Who are the ‘we’ you referred to?”

  “She’s my daughter, and this really isn’t any of your business.”

  Paul rose and went to the far window. In a buggy sat three stiff Amish men dressed in black. He returned to his seat. “As I said, in the two weeks Sarah has been here, she’s shown a lot of improvement, but she’s not ready for any visitors. My professional opinion is that it is not a good idea for you and the church leaders to meet with her anytime soon unless you allow an outside moderator to be present.”

  “We will meet with her today, without anyone else in the room. They’ve put everything aside to come here, and you will let me see her.”

  So the men in the buggy were the church leaders. “Mr. Lapp, I apologize for the inconvenience, but this is about what’s best for Sarah. I’ll not budge on the issue as long as she’s staying here.” The meeting with her Daed and the church leaders seemed inevitable, but he needed time to talk with Sarah and prepare her. “If there’s nothing else …”

  “And she’s set to be released when?”

  “Well, originally we thought maybe by tomorrow, but that currently doesn’t appear to be in her best interests.” Not since Zeb and the church leaders were planning on questioning her.

  “As her father, can’t I have her released early?”

  Paul shook his head. “No. She’s an adult, and the decision is hers.”

  “Then let me talk to her.”

  “I’m sorry. That isn’t a good idea for today. I don’t think she’s ready just yet.”

  Zeb stood. “I came here in good faith, wanting to meet with my daughter before she was released to start any more fires, and this is the stand you take?”

  “We all want what’s best for Sarah, but I’m concerned that being asked questions like this will undermine her new sense of having control over her life. Perhaps you could mull over my concerns and we could talk again.”

  Zeb stood. “We’ll be back.” He turned and walked out without saying anything else.

  Not yet sure how to handle this, Paul checked his watch, gathered his schedules and time sheets, and headed for the board meeting that had begun five minutes ago. If he wanted Sarah’s time extended, it’d take some amazing powers of persuasion. Since the Better Path rarely had people who required the kind of watchfulness Sarah did, the staff wanted her released. Although occasionally Rita needed to stay overnight when dealing with patients, this longer-term stint with Sarah had been hard on Rita’s family. Ethics and rules didn’t allow men to stay with female patients, so Paul couldn’t take over for her, and there was no one else trained or available.

  Without knocking, Paul walked into the meeting and took a seat.

  Bob pushed a paper across the table. “Paul, here’s the agenda for today. We didn’t start without you, in hopes you had some ideas concerning the—”

  A beep came from the intercom. “Paul, there’s a call for you from Hannah Lawson on line three. I told her you were in a meeting, but she’s insistent that you take the call anyway.”

  Paul gathered t
he papers into a pile and left them on the table. “Not a problem, Halley. I’ll take it in my office. Thanks.” He stood. “I’m sure it won’t be a long call, but I need to take it.”

  Bob leaned back in his chair. “Okay.”

  Paul went to his office and closed the door. “Paul speaking.”

  “Listen, I just got off the phone with Luke. Daed is on his way with the church leaders to meet with Sarah. Do not let that meeting take place.”

  “I didn’t. He’s already come and gone. When you called, I was in a meeting with the board to see if Sarah’s stay can be lengthened so I can keep her environment controlled while I figure out how best to deal with this.”

  The line remained quiet.

  “Ms. Lawson?”

  “I really appreciate … and you … should call me Hannah.”

  “Sarah’s safe, Hannah.”

  There was another pause before she cleared her throat. “I hate to ask, and you’re doing plenty already, but I … I need a favor. If I knew someone else to ask, I would.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Mary called my cell and left a message. She sounded really upset, but when I called her back, she acted nonchalant. Luke was there, and I get the feeling that whatever she called about, she didn’t want him to know.” She clicked her tongue. “I know how this sounds, and it’s not a trait of my entire community to hide things from their spouse or … fiancé.”

  “I’m not anyone’s judge, and I wasn’t thinking that.”

  “It’s just that if something isn’t going well with the pregnancy, she wouldn’t want to alarm Luke, and she’s not one to trust Englischer doctors any more than most of the community, and …”

  “Yeah, I’ve come to realize over the last few weeks that’s quite an issue around here.” Paul checked his watch. “I’m supposed to see them tonight about Sarah. I’ll go on by their house when I get off the phone and check on Mary.”