Love's Abundant Harvest Read online

  Lucy waited until he was done moving the metal disk from place to place and had just opened her mouth when Fannie stepped in. “Hallo. We were expecting a midwife.”

  “Yes, your father called and asked for me . . . which was surprising . . . but I’m willing to be your practitioner.”

  “Willing? You’re willing to be our doctor?” Fannie was obviously annoyed, but there was also a gleam in her eyes. She always did like a challenge, especially with men. She was a smart one who could keep the conversation going—the more so if it was something she was passionate about, like her sister.

  Without hesitation the doctor took out a glass tube and long piece of elastic and directed his attention toward Lucy. “Have you come in contact with anyone with chicken pox, the flu, or rubella?”

  “The Zehr boy came down with the pox.” Manny walked into the room, answering his question. After taking one look at the goings-on, he turned around and left.

  “Are you immune?” He wrapped the elastic around her arm and nodded toward Fannie to hand him the cotton and syringe by his bag. She frowned but did as he directed and watched as he drew a vial of blood.

  “Jah, she’s had the chicken pox and been around the others.” Her mamm answered. Mamm was watching his every move, but not with her usual puckered face. She seemed to be making sure he was doing what he was supposed to, but with favor, if Lucy was reading her correctly.

  “My daed called you?” Lucy finally got a word in edgewise. It was a good distraction from all the prodding and poking. Although his bedside manner wasn’t the best, he seemed to be confident about what he was doing, and he could handle her sister.

  “Yes, I met your father years ago when I was speaking to the community in Tennessee.” He took out a rubber instrument and tapped her knee. He stuck out his bottom lip and tapped the other knee. “Any itching, dizziness, or heavy breathing?” He pulled out a small flashlight and looked in her eyes, one after the other.

  “Nee. Do you always ask this many questions?”

  “Yes. You have swelling in your face and around your eyes, hands, and ankles. How much weight have you gained during your pregnancy?”

  “She eats like a bird, always has,” Mamm cut in. “What are you saying, Doctor?”

  “Cramping and burning irritation are common symptoms for edema, which is excessive amniotic fluid. If that’s all it is, it will pass after delivery. But it could be preeclampsia, which can cause complications.”

  “What exactly are you telling us, Doctor?” Fannie’s voice faltered slightly. Lucy didn’t know whether it was because of the diagnosis, but she was looking at him in an odd way.

  “There is no tenderness, and the swelling is equally dispersed, so I’m not going to treat Lucy in that direction, but I will be making frequent visits to make sure it doesn’t elevate.”

  Mamm and Fannie glanced at each other and then at Lucy. They must have expected a good report the same way she had, to judge from the same surprised look on their faces.

  She was about to ask him another question when he chimed in again. “Keep your feet up as much as possible and when you rest, lie down on your side, preferably on the left. Don’t cross your legs.”

  Lucy uncrossed her legs, making him grin. It was the only emotion she’d seen from him, and she decided she liked his smile.

  “Anything else I should know?” He stared into Lucy’s eyes intently, patiently waiting for her answer. For the few seconds she had a good look at him, she realized how good looking he was, now that his curtness was not distracting from it. “I’d like the room, ladies.”

  “Is there something wrong?” Lucy sat up, giving him her full attention.

  He took a step closer and let out a breath. “I am being overly cautious, but I want you to know there was a slight change in the heart rate. It’s common, but I wanted you to know.”

  She was flustered, unable to think, having expected a clean bill of health on top of what she was about to ask him. Then she thought of what was most on her mind. “Will this hurt the baby?”

  “You and the baby are in good hands. I want you to come in once a week from here on, starting as soon as possible.”

  Lucy instinctively put her hands on her belly. “I wish it just affected me.”

  “Take care of yourself, it’s the best thing you can do for the baby.” He said as the ladies came back into the room.

  “Take care of them.” He looked from one of the women to the other, as if asking their commitment to care for Lucy. He was curt, but at that moment she realized he really cared.

  “Both of them,” Doc said to Lucy, under his breath.

  He lifted one eyebrow and placed his utensils into his bag, oblivious to the gasps and jaw-dropping.

  “You mean there’s more than one baby?” Mammi’s voice was the loudest, so her question was heard first, as Mamm and Fannie looked at the doctor.

  Lucy’s heart skipped as she waited for his answer. This was all too much to process. The bed rest and now this?

  “Two heartbeats.” He snapped his bag shut and walked to the door. “Good day, ladies.” He turned to Fannie, a few steps away. Lucy caught random words that she couldn’t put together. Fannie’s reserve visibly dissolved. Her eyes never left his as he spoke. Whatever it was, he had her complete attention.

  Mammi was the first to come out of her shock. “Pay him . . . we have to give him money.” Her broken sentence only made the situation stranger.

  Lucy heard him refuse payment, saying they would work out the details after all was said and done. Mamm’s eyes were misty, and Fannie couldn’t stop smiling. Nellie and Rosy walked out of the kitchen, where they were cooking something up.

  Nellie stepped into the room first. “Is the doc gone?” She wiped her hands on a towel and threw it over her shoulder.

  Rosy was right behind her. “How’s the mamm-to-be?”

  “She’s having twins,” Mamm informed them with pride. “First ones in the family. Your daed will be thrilled.”

  Rosy’s jaw dropped, and she turned to Nellie. “And all this happened while we were in the kitchen starting to make scripture cake.”

  “Well, that’s a good way to celebrate the two little ones.” Mammi was right behind Rosy and Nellie.

  They all went into the kitchen, Lucy included, and settled in. Each one of them would find her place in preparing the special cake—all but Lucy. She found a comfortable chair to sit in, put her feet on another chair, and watched the women getting all the ingredients together. Mammi handed Lucy a piece of paper with Bible verses and the directions for the cake.

  “So how does this work again?” Lucy had watched her mamm make the cake a couple of times as a child, and only remembered how good it tasted, not how to make it. Both Mammi and Mamm started in to explain at the same time. But Mammi was the one who gave the explanation Lucy thought was appropriate.

  “As you add the ingredients to make the cake, you read a verse from the Bible for each item.”

  Mamm couldn’t help but chime in and added a little more to the process. “The whole idea behind the scripture cake recipe is to find out the ingredients by looking up the Bible passages and reading them. That’s how you know what goes in the cake. See here?” She handed the recipe card to Lucy and then took her place between Mammi and Rosy.

  ¾ cup Judges 5:25, last part of verse (butter)<
br />
  1½ cups Jeremiah 6:20 (sugar)

  2 tablespoons 1 Samuel 14:25 (honey)

  One whole Isaiah 10:14 (egg)

  2 cups 1 Kings 4:22 (flour)

  1 teaspoon Amos 4:5 (baking soda)

  1 pinch Leviticus 2:13 (salt)

  1¼ cup Judges 4:19, last part of verse (milk)

  ½ cup Numbers 17:8 (almonds, chopped)

  1 cup Nahum 3:12 (figs, chopped)

  1 cup 1 Samuel 30:12 (raisins)

  Season to taste with 2 Chronicles 9:9

  (cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices)

  Directions: Proverbs 23:14. (You can look up at least one!)

  Lucy smiled when she read the line in parentheses that was in her Mamm’s handwriting. It fit her personality so perfectly. No matter how controlling her mamm was, Lucy would miss her when she left. But she would still be in good hands. And she prayed that Doctor Kauffman would take good care of her babies. He was so thorough and knowledgeable that she was confident in his abilities and advice. She stood to help with the cake.

  “Nee, you sit and rest.” Nellie put up a hand to stop her from walking closer to the kitchen counter that was strewn with flour, eggshells, and a half a stick of butter.

  Mammi wagged a wooden spoon her way. “Don’t be stubborn, now. You tell us the directions, and we’ll do the baking.”

  Rosy just looked over and smiled when she started beating the eggs again. She hummed a hymn while she worked, and the others bickered over what temperature the cake should be baked at. Lucy appreciated Rosy’s deliberate lack of concern.

  She looked around the kitchen, taking in everything around her—the hardwood floors with paths worn from the counters to the large tabletop in the middle of the room, warmth from the oven that was heating to bake the cake, and the two little ones inside her who would share all of it with her and these wonderful women.

  Manny made a full circle around Sam’s farm. It was really Lucy’s, but it didn’t seem that way. She hadn’t so much as set her big toe on the place since she brought food to him back when it all happened. The place had such bad memories for her, he understood how she wouldn’t want to be here. But it did need to be taken care of. The animals had been transported to his place and Caleb’s, but Lucy hadn’t asked a thing about any of it. Not the farm, the livestock, or even the money, which still hadn’t been dealt with. If she wanted to sell the place, it would take a mighty well-off buyer to offer what it was worth.

  When he thought about Lucy, he didn’t worry about her. She was far from being alone, even with her mamm leaving. The women in her life doted on her around the clock, to the point he was starting to get annoyed. He wanted time with her, which was unpredictable considering he wanted that time with her alone. With her time to deliver so close, he knew it was now or never. He had to follow through with his plans. If she said nee, he was prepared now, unlike his last attempt. He didn’t have time to wait and wonder any longer.

  “I thought that was your buggy.” Caleb walked up behind him, still a ways away. Caleb slung his horse’s reins over the fence rail, slipped the leather through a loop, and gave a tug. That horse wasn’t going anywhere. He strode toward Manny. “Is Lucy here?”

  “Nee, I don’t think she wants to come back here, so I thought I’d see what was what.”

  “She’s got to decide something sooner or later. We’ve done all we can to get it cleaned up.” He stopped and turned to Manny. “She is selling it?”

  “She hasn’t said. I guess she needs more time to figure things out.”

  “Nee, she needs you to decide what to do.”

  “It’s not my place. I’m willing to help with whatever she decides, but I can’t tell her what to do. The minute I do, someone or something will step in, and I’ll be the scapegoat.”

  Caleb shook his head. “I don’t think so. She’s not used to making decisions, more so than most wives I’ve come across. Sam was an intimidating guy. She probably doesn’t have a clue about what to do.” He took a long look around the place. “That goes for more than just this farm.”

  Manny ignored his last comment. He knew he was referring to their relationship, but didn’t want to go there. “I suppose there’s something to that, but I don’t feel right making decisions for her.”

  “You are too much alike. Nothing’s gonna get taken care of if you don’t encourage her to take care of things.” He scanned the place again. “Somebody’s gonna get a good deal for this farm.”

  “For Lucy’s sake, I’d just like it to be over.” Manny meant that, but he worried about how things would look if he did go through with his decision. He thought about waiting until the farm was taken care of but shook it off. It was just another excuse not to do what he not only wanted to do, but also felt Gott’s urging to do. “How’s Emma? Haven’t seen her around.”

  Caleb grinned. “I didn’t want to say anything just yet, but she’s had some morning sickness.”

  Manny’s head whipped around to him. “Emma is having a baby?” He chuckled. “She’s still a child at heart herself.”

  “It’ll be nice to have our children grow up together.” Caleb said without even blinking.

  Manny thought about saying something to Caleb about his plans but decided he didn’t want anyone else to know of them before he’d talked to Lucy.

  They turned to each other, both deep in thought. “You making plans for me I don’t know about?” Manny said.

  Caleb shook his head. “I know how you and Lucy feel about each other. What are you waiting for?”

  “It’s not an easy thing to marry a pregnant widow, Caleb.”

  “How would you know? You haven’t even tried to find out yet. The bishop might go easy on you.”

  “I doubt the bishop would be so reasonable, the crotchety old goat.” Manny knew he shouldn’t have said it out loud or even thought it, for that matter, but it was true, and everyone knew it. The bishop was strict in his ways and would most surely not give them favor in this situation.

  “Jah, but he’s going to have to deal with a similar situation with one of his own. That might humble him a bit.” Caleb’s brows rose as he looked Manny in the eyes. “If you didn’t hear about his oldest daughter, I’m telling you now. If anyone should give you pardon, it would be him.”

  It wasn’t like Caleb to gossip, so Manny knew he was trying to help him prepare for the conversations that he would have, not just with the bishop but also with others in the community as well. Manny paused. He didn’t want to know such things, but this time it was a secret he actually did need to know about.

  There was gossip here and there, but he never paid much mind to it. He was too busy being alone and—Emma had made him realize—feeling sorry for himself. She was one of the main reasons he’d gathered the courage to approach Lucy. “Why didn’t I know about any of this?”

  “You don’t get out much.” Caleb smiled proudly, and Manny was happy for him. He’d be a great dad. “So are you gonna fill me in on this pregnancy stuff?”

  “You make me sound like an expert, and I’m far from that.” Manny thought back to when he’d first seen Lucy and didn’t even know she was with child. She still wasn’t as big as most of the women he’d seen. Toward the end, they shut themselves up and hibernated until the delivery day came. Most had midwives, but some with concerns were using some doc who had started showi
ng up around the communities nearby.

  “I’m just trying to figure out what to do and say. It’s starting to seem like I don’t do anything right.” Caleb’s brows drew together. “Come to think of it, maybe I don’t.”

  Manny grinned, which just seemed to irritate Caleb even more. Manny slapped him on the back to get him out of his daze. “I’ve got something to do, and I’m about to get it done.”

  Caleb snapped out of it with a shake of his head. “I’ll say a prayer for ya.”

  “I think I’ll need more than one.” Manny walked over to the post where Sweet Pea waited patiently. She was getting too old for many outings, but he wanted her with him for this excursion. He waved to Caleb as he tapped the reins on Sweet Pea’s hide and let the clip-clop of her hooves calm his nerves. He tried to distract himself by looking at the weather. He said a simple prayer for wisdom and courage, but his mind kept wandering, thinking about how he should phrase what he was about to say.

  When he got to Frieda’s place, he saw Lucy on the porch swing. Her head was down as she read or prayed. Maybe she was tired. She had to be more than ready for the baby to come. He couldn’t imagine how she must be feeling about now. He didn’t have the vaguest idea how to accompany her through this pregnancy, but he would sure give it a try if she’d let him.

  He climbed out of the buggy and took his time tethering Sweet Pea to the hitching post. Everything he had practiced in his head seeped away until he had nothing but bits and pieces of sentences he wanted to say. He stood in place staring at the top of Lucy’s kapp. She must have been really distracted, because she hadn’t even looked up to see who had come driving down the lane. He took his time walking up the stairs, hoping the sound of his boots would grab her attention. It was then he noticed her shoulders shaking and her hands cupping her face. He knew from being around Emma and her sisters that wasn’t a good sign. She was either laughing or crying, and he was hoping for the first of the two.