Read Online A Sister's Forgiveness by Anna Schmidt - Free Book Online
Authors: Anna Schmidt
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Guttural growling sounds interspersed with the kind of high keening such as she had sometimes heard emanating from women in Middle Eastern countries mourning the loss of a loved one. All the while her eyes remained dry. And in her mind she repeated, Please, please, please , as she continued to lock eyes with the stranger in the mirror.
The faith of her childhood had taught Jeannie to turn to God—even for small things, and this surely wasn’t small. Surely a loving God would understand her cry for help now. She was a mother, and her only child was even now surrounded by strangers—strangers holding scalpels and attaching machines to keep her breathing.
Please .
Chapter 9
Lars
A s Lars and Emma had driven Geoff to the hospital, Lars had resisted the urge to squeeze his brother-in-law’s shoulder once he and Emma were in the car. Everything about Geoff’s posture showed that he wanted—needed—to be alone, but Lars couldn’t resist offering some encouragement. “Tessa will be all right,” he said as he kept both hands on the wheel and focused on the road.
To his surprise, Geoff nodded. “There wasn’t a scratch on her—no blood at all,” he murmured. “I think she hit her head. Just dazed maybe.”
“We’ll all pray that you’re right,” Emma said. No one spoke again until they reached the hospital. Lars drove all the way hunched forward, squinting at the road the way he always did, as if operating a motorized vehicle were still foreign to him.
They arrived just behind the second ambulance that carried Dan and Sadie. Geoff leaped from the car and ran into the hospital.
“Where is she?” he demanded of the desk clerk as soon as they were inside the emergency reception area. “My daughter—Tessa Messner—fifteen—just brought in.…”
The gray-haired woman glanced toward the double doors and then back at Geoff. “Your wife is with her. I need to get some information.”
Geoff tossed his wallet to Emma. “Take care of this,” he said and headed through the doors.
Emma looked from Lars to the paramedic wheeling Sadie through the doors. She was holding an ice pack to her lip. Not ten seconds later, Dan Kline was escorted into the small reception area. His parents arrived a moment later, and Dan’s father brushed past Emma, demanding to see the person in charge immediately.
“Dad,” Dan moaned, but his mother took his protest for a cry of pain and began to cry as well.
“You need to wait your turn, sir,” the receptionist said even as she indicated that Emma should take a seat at her window. “And you are?” the exasperated clerk asked Emma.
“Tessa Messner’s aunt and godmother.” Emma rifled through Geoff’s wallet to produce insurance cards and other identification. “My daughter, Sadie, is—”
“One patient at a time,” the woman said. She made copies of Geoff’s cards and passed them back to Emma. She typed in bits of information on her computer and finally turned to Emma. “Now, what happened?” she asked, nodding toward Sadie.
Although Lars understood that the receptionist was looking only for information about Sadie’s condition and not seeking details of the accident, he also understood that this was a question they were all going to face time and again in the days to come. His wife gave the only answer she knew to be absolutely true.
“I don’t know.”
The clerk exchanged a look with the police officer who was right behind Dan, and then said something to someone behind her. A man in scrubs came to the door and called Sadie’s name.
“Can we go back there with her?” Emma asked. “And can we see our niece—Tessa Messner?”
The man in scrubs deferred to the desk clerk who picked up the phone and repeated the question. “Yes, godmother, I think. Amish, right?” She glanced at Emma.
“Mennonite,” Lars corrected automatically, although he could not think how their religious affiliation could possibly matter.
The clerk nodded and then hung up the
The faith of her childhood had taught Jeannie to turn to God—even for small things, and this surely wasn’t small. Surely a loving God would understand her cry for help now. She was a mother, and her only child was even now surrounded by strangers—strangers holding scalpels and attaching machines to keep her breathing.
Please .
Chapter 9
Lars
A s Lars and Emma had driven Geoff to the hospital, Lars had resisted the urge to squeeze his brother-in-law’s shoulder once he and Emma were in the car. Everything about Geoff’s posture showed that he wanted—needed—to be alone, but Lars couldn’t resist offering some encouragement. “Tessa will be all right,” he said as he kept both hands on the wheel and focused on the road.
To his surprise, Geoff nodded. “There wasn’t a scratch on her—no blood at all,” he murmured. “I think she hit her head. Just dazed maybe.”
“We’ll all pray that you’re right,” Emma said. No one spoke again until they reached the hospital. Lars drove all the way hunched forward, squinting at the road the way he always did, as if operating a motorized vehicle were still foreign to him.
They arrived just behind the second ambulance that carried Dan and Sadie. Geoff leaped from the car and ran into the hospital.
“Where is she?” he demanded of the desk clerk as soon as they were inside the emergency reception area. “My daughter—Tessa Messner—fifteen—just brought in.…”
The gray-haired woman glanced toward the double doors and then back at Geoff. “Your wife is with her. I need to get some information.”
Geoff tossed his wallet to Emma. “Take care of this,” he said and headed through the doors.
Emma looked from Lars to the paramedic wheeling Sadie through the doors. She was holding an ice pack to her lip. Not ten seconds later, Dan Kline was escorted into the small reception area. His parents arrived a moment later, and Dan’s father brushed past Emma, demanding to see the person in charge immediately.
“Dad,” Dan moaned, but his mother took his protest for a cry of pain and began to cry as well.
“You need to wait your turn, sir,” the receptionist said even as she indicated that Emma should take a seat at her window. “And you are?” the exasperated clerk asked Emma.
“Tessa Messner’s aunt and godmother.” Emma rifled through Geoff’s wallet to produce insurance cards and other identification. “My daughter, Sadie, is—”
“One patient at a time,” the woman said. She made copies of Geoff’s cards and passed them back to Emma. She typed in bits of information on her computer and finally turned to Emma. “Now, what happened?” she asked, nodding toward Sadie.
Although Lars understood that the receptionist was looking only for information about Sadie’s condition and not seeking details of the accident, he also understood that this was a question they were all going to face time and again in the days to come. His wife gave the only answer she knew to be absolutely true.
“I don’t know.”
The clerk exchanged a look with the police officer who was right behind Dan, and then said something to someone behind her. A man in scrubs came to the door and called Sadie’s name.
“Can we go back there with her?” Emma asked. “And can we see our niece—Tessa Messner?”
The man in scrubs deferred to the desk clerk who picked up the phone and repeated the question. “Yes, godmother, I think. Amish, right?” She glanced at Emma.
“Mennonite,” Lars corrected automatically, although he could not think how their religious affiliation could possibly matter.
The clerk nodded and then hung up the
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