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Authors: Lurlene McDaniel
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you.”
“There’s noplace else to go,” Leah said with a heavy sigh.
“Where would you go if you could go anywhere?”
Leah paused, struck by the question.
Where would I go?
“I’m not sure.”
“You’re not unhappy here, are you?”
Leah thought about Rebekah, Charity and Ethan. “I’m not unhappy,” she said.
“Come,” Gabriella said, taking her hand. “You should go back to bed.”
Obediently Leah followed her out of the rec room and down the hall. “What’s bothering you? Why can’t you sleep?” Gabriella asked.
“I—I think I’m worried about Monday,” Leah confessed. Until that moment, she hadn’t consciously been thinking about the biopsy at all.
Gabriella stopped, rested her hands on Leah’s shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. “Don’t be afraid, Leah. Everything will work out for the best.”
“But how do you know?”
“Things happen for a purpose. Even if we don’t understand them.”
Leah sighed. “You sound like Molly.”
“Molly likes you very much.”
“I like her too,” Leah said. “She’s nice. And she really cares about people.”
“You remind her of someone.”
“Who?”
“That’s for Molly to tell you.”
Curious, Leah started to question Gabriella, but the nurse took her hand and led her back to her room. Together they checked on Rebekah, who was sound asleep. The child’sskin was cool, and Leah realized that Rebekah really was getting well.
Gabriella smoothed Leah’s bedcovers and, reluctantly, Leah crawled between the sheets. “I’m still not sleepy,” Leah insisted.
“Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?”
Leah started to say
“I’m no baby,”
but stopped. “My grandma Hall is the only other person who’s ever done that for me. But that was a long time ago.”
Gabriella took her hand. “Then it’s my turn now.”
Leah found the woman’s touch comforting, and soon a feeling of serenity and contentment stole over her. Her eyelids grew heavy. “Gabriella, why are the Amish so different?”
“It is their belief and their custom to be different.”
The answer didn’t satisfy Leah. “I like them, but I don’t understand why they live the way they do.”
“Sometimes simplicity is a good thing. It keeps people focused on what’s important.”
Leah yawned, and her thoughts turned again to her upcoming surgery. “Things will be all right with the biopsy, won’t they?”
“God never puts more on a person than the person can bear.”
Leah fell asleep and dreamed of Amish buggies, of men who looked like Ethan, and of huge pieces of medical equipment towering over her like birds of prey, intent on devouring her.
“Will you read to me from my book?”
Rebekah’s question pulled Leah from her deep sleep. Sunlight spilled through the window, and her breakfast tray sat on her bedside table, the plate still covered by a stainless steel dome. She’d slept so soundly, she hadn’t even heard it being delivered. She shook her head to clear it and struggled to a sitting position. “What time is it?”
Rebekah stood beside Leah’s bed, her eyes level with the mattress. The IV line had been removed from the girl’s hand, and a Band-Aid covered the place where the needle had been. Rebekah shrugged.
Still groggy, Leah smiled. “That late, huh? I’d better get moving.”
“You were sleeping so long.”
“Yeah. I guess I stayed up too late. Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because Gabriella said not to.”
“You talked to Gabriella?”
Rebekah nodded and offered a bright smile. “She told me goodbye. She said I’d be going home tomorrow.”
Leah felt jolted. Gabriella wouldn’t have told Rebekah that unless it was true.
Going home
. And away from the world Leah was a part of.
L eah mumbled, “Well, I guess after you leave, Gabriella and Molly will be my only friends.”
Rebekah looked stricken. “You will be lonely.”
Leah tousled the child’s hair. “Don’t worry about it. My mom
“There’s noplace else to go,” Leah said with a heavy sigh.
“Where would you go if you could go anywhere?”
Leah paused, struck by the question.
Where would I go?
“I’m not sure.”
“You’re not unhappy here, are you?”
Leah thought about Rebekah, Charity and Ethan. “I’m not unhappy,” she said.
“Come,” Gabriella said, taking her hand. “You should go back to bed.”
Obediently Leah followed her out of the rec room and down the hall. “What’s bothering you? Why can’t you sleep?” Gabriella asked.
“I—I think I’m worried about Monday,” Leah confessed. Until that moment, she hadn’t consciously been thinking about the biopsy at all.
Gabriella stopped, rested her hands on Leah’s shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. “Don’t be afraid, Leah. Everything will work out for the best.”
“But how do you know?”
“Things happen for a purpose. Even if we don’t understand them.”
Leah sighed. “You sound like Molly.”
“Molly likes you very much.”
“I like her too,” Leah said. “She’s nice. And she really cares about people.”
“You remind her of someone.”
“Who?”
“That’s for Molly to tell you.”
Curious, Leah started to question Gabriella, but the nurse took her hand and led her back to her room. Together they checked on Rebekah, who was sound asleep. The child’sskin was cool, and Leah realized that Rebekah really was getting well.
Gabriella smoothed Leah’s bedcovers and, reluctantly, Leah crawled between the sheets. “I’m still not sleepy,” Leah insisted.
“Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?”
Leah started to say
“I’m no baby,”
but stopped. “My grandma Hall is the only other person who’s ever done that for me. But that was a long time ago.”
Gabriella took her hand. “Then it’s my turn now.”
Leah found the woman’s touch comforting, and soon a feeling of serenity and contentment stole over her. Her eyelids grew heavy. “Gabriella, why are the Amish so different?”
“It is their belief and their custom to be different.”
The answer didn’t satisfy Leah. “I like them, but I don’t understand why they live the way they do.”
“Sometimes simplicity is a good thing. It keeps people focused on what’s important.”
Leah yawned, and her thoughts turned again to her upcoming surgery. “Things will be all right with the biopsy, won’t they?”
“God never puts more on a person than the person can bear.”
Leah fell asleep and dreamed of Amish buggies, of men who looked like Ethan, and of huge pieces of medical equipment towering over her like birds of prey, intent on devouring her.
“Will you read to me from my book?”
Rebekah’s question pulled Leah from her deep sleep. Sunlight spilled through the window, and her breakfast tray sat on her bedside table, the plate still covered by a stainless steel dome. She’d slept so soundly, she hadn’t even heard it being delivered. She shook her head to clear it and struggled to a sitting position. “What time is it?”
Rebekah stood beside Leah’s bed, her eyes level with the mattress. The IV line had been removed from the girl’s hand, and a Band-Aid covered the place where the needle had been. Rebekah shrugged.
Still groggy, Leah smiled. “That late, huh? I’d better get moving.”
“You were sleeping so long.”
“Yeah. I guess I stayed up too late. Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because Gabriella said not to.”
“You talked to Gabriella?”
Rebekah nodded and offered a bright smile. “She told me goodbye. She said I’d be going home tomorrow.”
Leah felt jolted. Gabriella wouldn’t have told Rebekah that unless it was true.
Going home
. And away from the world Leah was a part of.
L eah mumbled, “Well, I guess after you leave, Gabriella and Molly will be my only friends.”
Rebekah looked stricken. “You will be lonely.”
Leah tousled the child’s hair. “Don’t worry about it. My mom
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