Read Online A Time for Peace by Barbara Cameron - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Barbara Cameron
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him standing there."
Matthew ran a hand through his hair, disordering it. " Lieb, that doesn't mean that she saw him." He took her face in his hands and made her look at him. "It doesn't mean that she's about to die."
Tears rushed into her eyes. "You don't think so?" She could hear the desperate hope in her voice.
Shaking his head, he used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. " Nee. I don't. But, you need to trust God. If He wants Phoebe to be with Him, we'll have to let her go."
"Come sit here with me," he said and drew her down onto his lap. "We need to pray and then we'll go see how Phoebe is doing together, allrecht?"
She nodded. They bent their heads and prayed and then she got up and he followed her.
"Let me see if she's awake first," she whispered.
When she walked in, she was surprised to see Phoebe not only awake but sitting up.
"How are you feeling?"
"I've been better," Phoebe said honestly.
Jenny picked up the thermometer and held it out. "I need to check your temp. You were really hot earlier but I didn't want to wake you."
"Don't know why you're not in bed," Phoebe grumbled. "I don't need taking care of."
"I know," Jenny told her tongue-in-cheek.
Phoebe glanced at her and started to say something but Jenny waved a hand at her and pointed to the thermometer.
"Matthew would like to say hello," she said quickly, trying to forestall her grandmother arguing with her that she didn't need caring for.
Jenny took the thermometer out and checked it. Phoebe had a fever but it was 102, not something outrageous.
"I'd love to see Matthew," Phoebe said and she leaned back against her pillows.
"Great. I'll get him."
Matthew had expected Phoebe to look ill but once he had a glimpse of her he saw why Jenny had been reacting so emotionally.
No one looked good when they were really ill but Phoebe seemed to have aged years since he'd seen her almost two days ago. Her skin was flushed with fever, her eyes glassy. Her cheeks were sunken in. She even seemed to have shrunk but maybe that was because she was lying in bed and looked smaller. A quilt was tucked around her shoulders, one that Matthew recognized as a special one Jenny had kept wrapped in a sheet on the top shelf of their closet since she returned from her last stay in the hospital.
But even though she was clearly feeling weak and sick, Phoebe's spirit was strong. She smiled when he sat in the rocking chair beside her and touched her shoulder.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I told Jenny, I've been better," she said. "But this too shall pass."
"Jenny was worried about your temperature but it's not as bad as she feared."
"Jenny worries too much." Phoebe smiled at her to show she meant no criticism.
When Phoebe's gaze returned to him, Matthew wondered if he was really seeing entreaty in them or if he were imagining it.
"Could you eat something?" he asked her.
"I'd rather you two went to bed than go to any trouble—"
"It's no trouble at all," Jenny insisted and rushed from the room.
"Thank you," Phoebe said. "I wanted to talk to you."
Matthew felt a trickle of alarm. "What is it?"
"You must get Jenny to go to bed. It's not good for her to sit up all night with me."
He patted her shoulder. "Now you know that no one can get Jenny to do something if she feels it's wrong. She loves you and wants to take care of you."
"She'll listen to you."
Matthew laughed. "I wish."
He felt a little guilty that she was asking him to convince Jenny to rest when he'd wanted her to do that the first night Phoebe came to stay with them. Jenny had been right to refuse to listen to him. If she felt her grandmother needed her care, if she felt she needed to watch over her to feel reassured that Phoebe wouldn't call out in vain or slip away without her loved ones close by, then he couldn't be upset that she wasn't a dutiful fraa. Instead, she was a dutiful granddaughter and child of God.
"Just get better quickly and she'll have to listen to you."
A fit of coughing
Matthew ran a hand through his hair, disordering it. " Lieb, that doesn't mean that she saw him." He took her face in his hands and made her look at him. "It doesn't mean that she's about to die."
Tears rushed into her eyes. "You don't think so?" She could hear the desperate hope in her voice.
Shaking his head, he used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. " Nee. I don't. But, you need to trust God. If He wants Phoebe to be with Him, we'll have to let her go."
"Come sit here with me," he said and drew her down onto his lap. "We need to pray and then we'll go see how Phoebe is doing together, allrecht?"
She nodded. They bent their heads and prayed and then she got up and he followed her.
"Let me see if she's awake first," she whispered.
When she walked in, she was surprised to see Phoebe not only awake but sitting up.
"How are you feeling?"
"I've been better," Phoebe said honestly.
Jenny picked up the thermometer and held it out. "I need to check your temp. You were really hot earlier but I didn't want to wake you."
"Don't know why you're not in bed," Phoebe grumbled. "I don't need taking care of."
"I know," Jenny told her tongue-in-cheek.
Phoebe glanced at her and started to say something but Jenny waved a hand at her and pointed to the thermometer.
"Matthew would like to say hello," she said quickly, trying to forestall her grandmother arguing with her that she didn't need caring for.
Jenny took the thermometer out and checked it. Phoebe had a fever but it was 102, not something outrageous.
"I'd love to see Matthew," Phoebe said and she leaned back against her pillows.
"Great. I'll get him."
Matthew had expected Phoebe to look ill but once he had a glimpse of her he saw why Jenny had been reacting so emotionally.
No one looked good when they were really ill but Phoebe seemed to have aged years since he'd seen her almost two days ago. Her skin was flushed with fever, her eyes glassy. Her cheeks were sunken in. She even seemed to have shrunk but maybe that was because she was lying in bed and looked smaller. A quilt was tucked around her shoulders, one that Matthew recognized as a special one Jenny had kept wrapped in a sheet on the top shelf of their closet since she returned from her last stay in the hospital.
But even though she was clearly feeling weak and sick, Phoebe's spirit was strong. She smiled when he sat in the rocking chair beside her and touched her shoulder.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I told Jenny, I've been better," she said. "But this too shall pass."
"Jenny was worried about your temperature but it's not as bad as she feared."
"Jenny worries too much." Phoebe smiled at her to show she meant no criticism.
When Phoebe's gaze returned to him, Matthew wondered if he was really seeing entreaty in them or if he were imagining it.
"Could you eat something?" he asked her.
"I'd rather you two went to bed than go to any trouble—"
"It's no trouble at all," Jenny insisted and rushed from the room.
"Thank you," Phoebe said. "I wanted to talk to you."
Matthew felt a trickle of alarm. "What is it?"
"You must get Jenny to go to bed. It's not good for her to sit up all night with me."
He patted her shoulder. "Now you know that no one can get Jenny to do something if she feels it's wrong. She loves you and wants to take care of you."
"She'll listen to you."
Matthew laughed. "I wish."
He felt a little guilty that she was asking him to convince Jenny to rest when he'd wanted her to do that the first night Phoebe came to stay with them. Jenny had been right to refuse to listen to him. If she felt her grandmother needed her care, if she felt she needed to watch over her to feel reassured that Phoebe wouldn't call out in vain or slip away without her loved ones close by, then he couldn't be upset that she wasn't a dutiful fraa. Instead, she was a dutiful granddaughter and child of God.
"Just get better quickly and she'll have to listen to you."
A fit of coughing
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