The Decision (19 page)

Sara looked this way and that. Mark was nowhere to be seen. Fear enveloped her, and she shivered involuntarily. Had he woken up and wandered off, or…God forbid, had someone come along and taken her child? She couldn’t believe that she’d fallen into such a deep sleep and hadn’t heard her son wake up.

Heart pounding and perspiration rolling down her forehead, Sara scrambled to her feet and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Mark, where are you? Please, answer me, Mark!”

No reply. As if life was normal, the only sounds were the wind whispering gently through the tops of the trees and several birds calling to their mates. But for Sara, life was far from normal.

She called her son’s name over and over, running up and down the length of the property line as she did so. There was still no sign of the boy. To add to her mounting fear, thunder rumbled loudly in the distance, and the sky turned darker toward the west. “Help me, Lord,” Sara prayed aloud, her panic mounting as she headed toward the house, hoping her little boy had gone there. “Please help me find my son. I lost Harley; I can’t lose Mark, too.”

C
ome on, Sassy, I know you can go faster than that,” Jonah called to his temperamental horse. He was heading over to see Elaine this afternoon and was anxious to get there. They hadn’t visited in a while, and he wanted to see how she and Edna were doing. Despite the fact that marrying Elaine was all he’d been thinking about, Jonah wouldn’t bring up the topic and had come to accept the fact that Elaine might not be ready until next year perhaps. Well, Jonah was a patient man, and he would wait for as long as necessary. After all, what other choice did he have?

As Jonah continued on down the road, he noticed the sky was darkening in the distance. Then he heard a far-off rumble of thunder. Jonah liked listening to thunderstorms, especially the gentler ones. When he was a boy, he’d enjoyed lying on the floor upstairs in his room and listening to the pouring rain pelt down on the tin roof of their home in Ohio. He remembered a few wicked storms, where the lightning was actually pink, and the air felt like it was charged with electricity. Constant lightning with claps of thunder, one right after the other, caused him to hide under the covers back then. Those kinds of storms, Jonah could do without.

This afternoon, Jonah could smell rain in the air, but fortunately, this approaching storm didn’t sound violent, and hopefully he would arrive at Edna’s place before the skies opened up.

Jonah’s thoughts came to a halt when he caught sight of a young Amish boy chasing a butterfly in a field near the road. The child looked like Sara Stutzman’s little boy. But if that were the case, where was Sara, and why would Mark be out here by himself?

Jonah guided his horse to the side of the road, secured him to a tree, and sprinted into the field, calling the boy’s name. He hadn’t seen any lightning yet. Only the sound of thunder in the distance, and for that, Jonah was grateful. He felt confident time was on his side.

When the butterfly landed on the stem of a wildflower, the child stopped chasing it. Then, turning to Jonah with a grin, he pointed and said,
“Die fleddermaus.”

Jonah nodded and said in Pennsylvania-Dutch, “Jah, Mark, that’s a butterfly, but where is your mamm?”

“
Schlaeferich
,” Mark replied, grinning up at him.

Jonah frowned. If the boy thought his mom was a sleepyhead, was Sara at home in bed? Could she be sick, and had Mark been wandering around her place unattended? Jonah hoped not. While Sara had been at her in-laws, taking care of Betty after she’d broken her leg, he’d heard that Betty was better now, so Sara had gone home. And this field bordered Sara’s place, so if Mark had meandered off by himself, he easily could have ended up here. With no hesitation, Jonah decided to get Mark home right away, especially in light of the approaching storm. The wind had started to pick up, and dark clouds nearly blocked out the sun.

“
Kumme
,” Jonah said, urging the boy to come to him. “Come now, I need to take you home.”

When Mark didn’t resist, Jonah bent down and picked him up. He was almost to his buggy when he heard Sara screaming in the distance, calling her son’s name.

“That sounds like your mamm.” Jonah smiled as little Mark pointed in the direction of Sara’s voice.

“He’s here, in the field!” Jonah shouted. “Stay where you are, and I’ll bring him to you.”

Sara’s heart pounded as she stood near the edge of her property. Had she imagined it, or had someone shouted that he’d found Mark in a field and was bringing him home?

With heart pounding and legs trembling, she waited.
Dear Lord, please let it be that I heard someone
, she prayed as a few drops of rain mixed with her tears.

Several minutes went by, and then she heard the distinctive sound of a horse and buggy approaching. When it drew within sight, she knew immediately that it belonged to Jonah, and she could see inside the buggy that Mark was with him.

“Oh, thank the Lord,” Sara cried as the buggy pulled up alongside of her. Happy tears welled in her eyes as Jonah handed Sara her son. “Where did you find him?” she asked, clinging tightly to Mark. It felt so good to have her son back where he belonged, held in the safety of her arms.

“In the field on the other side of the wooded area that borders your property,” Jonah replied. “He was chasing a fleddermaus. When I asked where his mamm was, he said you were a sleepyhead, so I was worried that you might be sick in bed.”

Sara shook her head, pointing. “I took Mark for a picnic out there by the trees, and after we’d eaten and taken a short walk, he fell asleep on the blanket. I foolishly laid down beside him and went to sleep.” She paused and kissed her son’s head. “When I woke up, he was gone. I was so afraid. I called Mark’s name over and over, with no response, and of course, I prayed and asked God to help me find my son. Danki, Jonah, for bringing my precious boy back to me.” Sara grabbed Jonah’s hand and squeezed his fingers; she was ever so grateful.

“No thanks is needed.” Jonah smiled. “I’m sure God must have directed me to head down this road on my way to see Elaine at just the right time so your prayers would be answered.

“Come on,” he suggested. “Hop in the buggy and I’ll take you and Mark back to your house before the rain really lets loose.”

Sara nodded in agreement, appreciative of his offer.

Because they had a little time yet to beat the storm, Jonah asked Sara where her picnic things were so she could take them home. As they headed to the grove of trees to retrieve the blanket and picnic basket, she was tempted to tell Jonah about hearing Harley’s voice in a dream, telling her to wake up, but she didn’t say anything, thinking he might not understand. Truth was, she didn’t understand it, either, but was thankful that it happened. If she hadn’t woken up when she had, there was no telling what might have happened to Mark. Of course, Jonah most likely still would have found him, but from now on, Sara would try to keep a closer watch on her boy and make sure she never fell asleep unless they were inside the house with the doors closed and locked.

Elaine sat beside Grandma’s hospital bed, thanking God that she was all right. They’d given her the insulin she needed and gotten her blood sugar stabilized, but they wanted to keep Grandma overnight for observation, since she’d hit her head on the floor when she’d passed out. Outside the window, Elaine could see a downpour from a thunderstorm.
What if Grandma had been trying to get home in the buggy during this storm?
Elaine thought. She was thankful that Grandma was safe at the hospital, although she wished Grandma had remembered to take her medicine and hadn’t gotten ill to begin with.

“How are you feeling?” Elaine asked, taking Grandma’s hand.

“Other than feeling foolish for passing out at the restaurant this morning, I’m fine.” Grandma offered Elaine a weak smile.

“What about your head? Does it hurt?”

Grandma reached up and touched her head. “Jah, just a bit. I don’t see why I can’t go home with you right now. Didn’t you say Leah and her driver are still in the waiting room?”

“They are, but the doctor wants to keep you overnight, just to make sure your blood sugar remains stable and there are no problems from your head injury. There may be a few more tests to run as well.”

Grandma wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like all the prodding and poking they’ve already done to me.”

Elaine gently patted Grandma’s arm. “I know, but I’m sure you’ll be able to come home tomorrow morning.”

“I hope so, because I don’t like hospitals one bit. Your grandpa didn’t like them, either.”

“I understand, but this is where you need to be right now.” Elaine sat quietly with Grandma until a nurse came in to take vitals.

“I think I’d better tell Leah and her driver they can go now,” Elaine said, rising from her chair. She was relieved when Leah had said that her brother had gone and taken Grandma’s horse and buggy back to their house.

“You should go with them,” Grandma said. “There’s nothing you can do here but sit and hold my hand.”

“Which is exactly what I want to do.”

“But really, there’s no need—”

Grandma’s words were cut off by the nurse placing a thermometer under her tongue.

“I’ll be back soon,” Elaine called over her shoulder as she hurried from the room. No way was she going home until she knew the results of all Grandma’s tests.

W
hen Jonah headed back down the road in the direction of Elaine and Edna’s place, he thought about Sara and her grief at losing her husband. It was a shame little Mark would never know his father. Life could sure be hard sometimes. But Jonah knew firsthand that when faced with adversity, with the strength, help, and guidance of the Lord, a person had to pick themselves up and move on, rather than giving in to grief and despair. It appeared that Sara had done that, although Jonah was sure it hadn’t been easy. Probably the support she’d received from her husband’s parents had a lot to do with her being able to cope. He wondered once more why she hadn’t moved back to Indiana to be close to her own parents.
Must be a good reason
, he rationalized.
Besides, it’s really none of my business
.

Jonah held on tight as a car sped past, spraying water on his horse and buggy. “It’s okay, boy,” Jonah said softly to Sassy, trying to calm him down after the inconsiderate driver flew farther down the road.

Sassy nickered as if he understood.

“What’s wrong with that guy, driving like there’s no tomorrow?” Jonah shook his head, muttering under his breath. “If he’s not careful, he’s likely to hurt someone, and it could be himself or some innocent victim.” How people could drive like that, when it was raining so hard, was beyond Jonah’s comprehension. Didn’t that fellow have a family or worry about hurting someone else’s family? Families were important, which was why Jonah was thankful he lived near his twin sister. If anything were to happen to Jonah’s parents, his sister, or anyone in her family, he didn’t know what he would do.

Jonah really wished his folks would move to Arthur so they’d all be in the same area. Now that he’d gotten busier with his buggy business, it would be nice if he and Dad could be partners again. Jonah had always worked well with Dad, and if things had turned out differently for Jonah back in Pennsylvania, they most likely still would be working together in Dad’s buggy shop.

Maybe I can talk Dad into moving
, Jonah thought as he turned his horse and buggy up the Schrocks’ driveway. He hadn’t spoken to his parents in a while and decided he needed to call them soon.
In the meantime, I’ll keep training Timothy and be thankful for the help he’s giving me
.

Jonah guided Sassy up to the hitching rack and secured him. Then he sprinted through the wet grass, which he noticed was getting a bit too long, and stepped onto the porch, making a mental note to see about cutting the grass for Edna. The rain had lingered, falling steadily after the initial storm had passed, but Jonah was grateful to have gotten Sara and Mark home before it really cut loose.

As Jonah waited, a siren wailed in the distance; then the sound grew louder as the rescue vehicle raced down the road. Jonah couldn’t help wondering if the car that had passed him moments ago might have been in an accident. Of course, with the slick roads, it could have been some other vehicle in an accident.