A Christmas for Katie Read online

  But then she realized that there was now someone new in her thoughts. Someone whom she happened to have quite a bit in common with, and who also made her pulse race a bit.

  And he was looking forward to seeing her later that evening.

  There was something to be said for moving on, after all.

  TWO HOURS LATER, when they got to the hospital, Katie’s world turned dark. After signing in, she and Uncle John had taken the elevator to the third floor, then were shown to a waiting room for family members by the maternity ward. Everywhere Katie looked, there seemed to be big stainless carts filled with machines and linens and towels. Lots of women and men were everywhere, too, bustling around, looking extremely busy. Most wore green or pink loose outfits. But what she noticed the most was the pungent odor of disinfectant and bleach.

  “It smells funny in here, Onkle,” she whispered.

  “I know. It’s supposed to,” he said as they walked through the waiting room’s doorway.

  Right away, Katie spied Mattie and Graham and Lucy and Calvin. “Where’s Mamm and Loyal?”

  “With Ella,” Lucy said.

  “Oh.”

  Tension was in the air, but Katie didn’t understand why. She’d have thought it would be a time for smiles. Seeking comfort, she slid her hand into her uncle’s softly calloused one.

  He gave her hand a squeeze before turning to the rest of the family. “How is Ella doing?”

  After a glance in Lucy’s direction, Calvin answered. “She’s having a time of it, I’m afraid.”

  “What’s wrong?” her uncle asked, a line of worry forming between his brows.

  Calvin started to speak, looked at her, then cleared his throat. “Katie, you’d best go sit down. I need to speak to John privately. Come out into the hall, John.”

  Katie tightened her grip on John’s hand. “But I want to hear, too.”

  Calvin shook his head. “Not this time, Katie. This isn’t news for your ears.” When she opened her mouth to argue, his expression turned hard. “Go sit by Graham now.”

  Only Calvin could speak to her like that. It seemed when their daed passed away, each of them took over a different part of raising her. Loyal was the best at talking about feelings and giving hugs. As the youngest son, Graham drove her places in the buggy and laughed and played games with her.

  Calvin? He was the one person she could always count on. He remained firm and solid and strict with her, which was both a good and bad thing. She trusted him like no one else, and because of that, she didn’t try to sway him to her way of thinking very often.

  With regret, she let go of her uncle’s hand and sat down next to Graham, Mattie, and Lucy.

  But she wanted to make sure Calvin knew she wasn’t happy about it. She kept a frown on her face as she shifted and squirmed in one of the light blue chairs near the hallway as she watched Calvin and her uncle talk. Uncle John’s expression turned worried, then his mouth looked pinched when he looked her way.

  At last, after a brief hug, Calvin went back to Lucy, who was hovering near the doorway, and John walked back to her. Without a word, he took the chair on her right.

  Normally she would have pestered him with questions. But now all she wanted to do was have this moment last a little longer. Then she could keep pretending that everything was going to be fine.

  Feeling worry flit through her, she squirmed a bit. Listened to the ticking of the big white clock over the quiet television.

  After a couple of seconds, he looked her way. “Well, it’s like this, Katie. Ella’s blood pressure is getting a little high and the baby of hers doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to meet the rest of us.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means we have two choices. We can go back to Mary and Abel and wait for the new baby there, or we can wait here.”

  “If we go back to your haus, how will we know what is happening? You don’t have a phone, do you?”

  “No. We’d, uh, just have to wait for Calvin or Graham to stop by.”

  “But that could be a really long time.” It already was hard sitting in her chair, waiting for John to tell her news.

  “Yes, but at least you’d be out of the hospital waiting area.” He folded his arms across his chest. “It might be best, all things considered.”

  “Why is that?”

  “You wouldn’t have to be sitting quietly for hours. You’d be able to sit with Mary, maybe play a game with Abel. Have a snack.”

  Katie realized that her uncle John and Calvin didn’t think she would be able to sit quietly here.

  Usually, she wouldn’t. But this was Ella, whom she loved so very much. And because of that, she didn’t want to go anywhere. “I want to stay here.”

  “Are you sure? I mean it, Katie. You won’t be able to do much of anything. Just sit here.” His voice lowered. “And none of us is going to be able to entertain you much.”

  She wasn’t a baby any longer! She pointed to the television perched on a shelf in the corner of the room. “I’ll be fine. There’s a television in here.”

  “It’s on SportsCenter. Not a cartoon show. You’re going to be bored.”

  “Onkle John, I don’t want to leave Ella. I’ll be good, I promise.”

  He looked relieved. “All right then.” He picked up an old magazine. “So now, we wait.”

  Relief flowed through her, making her feel like a wet noodle. Curling her legs underneath her, she got more comfortable, and watched the black hands on the white clock above the doorway slowly inch around the dial.

  A whole hour passed. Loyal came out.

  They all stood up, anxious. Not a one of them said a word, just looked and waited.

  Then, to her surprise, Loyal walked right over in front of her and crouched down. “Katie, I heard you were out here. And being awfully quiet, too. I’m proud of you.”

  “I’ve been trying my best.” She bit her lip. She wanted to ask how Ella was doing, she wanted to ask about Ella’s baby too, but she was afraid. Was her brother trying to find a way to tell her that something was terribly wrong?

  “Katie’s been a gut girl, we’re all mighty proud of her,” John said. “But I’m afraid I’m going to be the one asking pesky questions now. How is Ella? How is your baby?”

  Loyal looked to be gathering his thoughts, then, after clearing his throat, he spoke. “The doctor says if the baby doesn’t come within the next hour, he wants to operate. Ella is in a lot of pain, and her blood pressure is rising.” He bit his lip before glancing at them all. “I have to admit that this has been a mighty difficult day. It’s hard to watch my Ella in so much pain.”

  “What can we do?” John asked.

  “Pray. Please, just pray,” Loyal said simply before turning around and walking back down the hallway.

  Katie felt her lip tremble. She bit it, but all that did was cause her tears to start falling faster.

  Onkle John noticed and reached for her hand. “Katie, I’ve always thought you had a real close relationship with our Lord. We need to pray for Ella and her boppli, okay?”

  “Okay,” she whispered. She didn’t understand why her uncle thought she had a special relationship with God, but she did understand what it meant to pray real hard.

  And then she remembered what she’d been praying for every night: a perfect nativity. She’d prayed and wished and asked God to let the nativity be perfect, because then her Christmas would be perfect, too.

  She’d ignored Miss D.’s wishes, deciding that Miss Donovan needed to be happier in order to give Katie what she wanted.

  She’d been wrong.

  She’d ignored her mother’s reminders, about how Christmas wasn’t about decorations or fancy Christmas plays or “real” nativities. It was about celebrating Jesus’s birth, and giving thanks for all the blessings and love in their lives. Katie hadn’t really believed that, though. She’d been sure there was more to it than her mother’s simple explanations.

  She’d been wrong.

&n
bsp; She’d even asked Ella and her brothers to help her get her way . . . because she was used to getting her way. She was used to being a spoiled girl.

  The tears fell harder and her nose started to run, too.

  “Ach, Katie, don’t cry, sweetheart.” Onkle John handed her a white handkerchief. “Ella will be all right. The doctors and nurses are helping her. I promise, they are. Even though this hospital seems like a scary place, it’s the best spot for her. Loyal was smart to insist that she have the baby with doctors and nurses nearby.”

  “I know.”

  “Gott has helped me through some mighty difficult days,” Lucy said, her sweet voice floating through the room like a soothing balm. “He was with me when Timmy was born, and He’ll be here for Ella now, just like He’s been with her all along. Try to remember that, dear.”

  “I will.” Katie wanted to say more, but she didn’t dare. Everything she was feeling was so new and scary, she knew she wouldn’t be able to explain it to her uncle in just the right way.

  Instead, she brought her feet up on the chair and curved her arms around her knees. Then she tucked in her face, closed her eyes up tight, and started talking to God in earnest.

  “I finally understand,” she whispered. “I know now what Christmas is all about. It’s about family and love and Ella being safe. It’s about being happy with what you already gave us. It’s about thinking about what other people want instead of myself. It’s about you, God.”

  She hiccupped into her skirts and waited for Him to talk back. But all she felt was her uncle John’s hand on her back, gently rubbing circles around her shoulder blades.

  She closed her eyes and kept praying. She prayed as hard as she could, and then when she said everything she could think of, she snuggled closer to her uncle’s side and let herself relax.

  There was nothing to do now but wait.

  Just as Katie was starting to feel drowsy, leaning into her uncle John, she felt him tense as he dropped the magazine he was reading and sat up straight. “What’s happening?” he asked.

  Katie peeked and saw Loyal had come back. His eyes looked tired, and he looked kind of sweaty, too.

  She sat up and stared.

  When he met her eyes, he curved one hand, motioning her toward him.

  She scooted off the chair and walked toward him with shaky knees. To her surprise, the moment she stood right in front of him, he knelt down, kissed her forehead, and then hugged her tight. “You have a niece, Katie,” he said, his voice so happy and pleased that it sounded like melted butter on warm toast.

  She pushed out of his embrace. “And Ella?”

  “Ella is fine, too.” He rocked back on his heels so he could see her face. Then smiled so bright. “They’re both fine. Better than fine. They’re wunderbaar! I promise.”

  “I’m glad.”

  Behind her, Lucy and Mattie and Graham and Calvin and John were all cheering. “Don’t be shy, Loyal. Tell us the news. How much does she weigh? What’s her name?”

  “Our daughter is a perfect seven pounds, four ounces, and twenty inches in length,” he stated. “She has blue eyes and lovely blond, wispy hair. And . . .” he added, with a meaningful look at Katie, “her name is Katherine Weaver.”

  Everyone else gasped and then cheered.

  Katie smiled, too, but she really only felt relief. Ella was okay. And her baby was, too! God had answered her prayers!

  With a creak and a groan, Loyal got to his feet, smiling softly at her all the while. “Katie, you don’t understand why Ella named her baby Katherine, do you?”

  She shook her head. Did it even matter?

  “She named our little girl after someone special. After a certain Katherine she is mighty fond of. A Katie who she loves very much.”

  “She did?” Loyal’s words hardly made sense. Could she really mean so much to Ella? It didn’t seem possible.

  Leaning a little bit closer, Loyal said, “Ella named our baby after you, Katie Weaver. The baby is your namesake.”

  “I’m that special?”

  “Yes, shveshtah. You are that special, indeed.”

  Katie thought about saying something, but she had no more words in her head. All she could think about was that Ella was okay, and that God loved her so much that He gave her a little girl, a little niece to take care of and play with.

  For some reason, the tears came back. But this time, they were happy tears. Giving in to temptation, she wrapped her arms around Loyal and hugged him tight.

  With a chuckle, Loyal hugged her right back, just as if he never intended to let her go.

  Chapter Twelve

  AFTER MUCH DEBATE, Connor decided to take Jayne to the Dutch Inn for dinner. They specialized in Amish home cooking, and since the Amish were such a big part of the Geauga County community, he figured they might as well enjoy the specialties of the area.

  But though she’d agreed to his choice, he noticed that she barely looked at the menu and didn’t seem to be all that happy to be in the restaurant. He couldn’t understand why—until she told him her reason.

  “Last year, I dated an Amish man. It wasn’t really serious, but I really liked him.”

  “I didn’t know the Amish dated outsiders.”

  “Well, it’s complicated. His name is John Weaver. He’s, uh, Katie’s uncle. He never joined the order. He left when he was eighteen and lived in Indianapolis for twenty years. But then his brother died and he wanted to be there for his brother’s family. When we dated, he didn’t intend to return to his childhood faith. But then he did.”

  “Wow. So, he’s still around?” With a bit of a shock, he realized that he was feeling jealous. Mentally, he shook his head. He needed to concentrate on keeping his expression schooled and open. Jayne needed to know that she could trust him to be a good listener.

  “Yes. He owns the Kaffi Haus.”

  “Wow,” he said again. “I’ve been in there a lot. And I’ve talked to . . . John, though I didn’t know his name. He’s a nice guy.”

  “Yes, he is.” Looking a bit miserable, Jayne added, “Not too long after we broke things off, he married an Amish woman. I didn’t mean to feel hurt, but I guess I did.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “Can you?” Her lips turned up slightly, as if she was pleased by the news. Then she took a sip of water. “So, that’s why I’m not a big fan of Amish cooking,” she said, looking a little flustered. “It’s stupid, but it just seems to remind me of what I didn’t measure up to. Aren’t you glad you asked?”

  He noticed that she looked embarrassed. “I’m glad you told me, but I’m sorry if was I asking you too many questions about something you didn’t want to talk about. It’s a bad habit of mine—the nature of the job, I’m afraid.”

  She reached out and pressed her hand against his. “Actually, I’m glad we talked about it. Not everyone knows we dated, but enough people do that I’d feel terrible if you found out about it from someone else.”

  “Are you okay now?”

  “You know what? I think I am. I saw him today. I needed to drop off Katie. What I discovered was that the two of us are okay. We might never be good friends again, but I think enough time has passed for me to go to his coffee shop every now and then.”

  “And maybe one day you’ll like broasted chicken. I mean, you don’t have anything against chicken, do you?”

  To his delight, she laughed. “Not a single, solitary thing. You’re right, I need to give broasted chicken another try.”

  He flipped his hand over so that he could grasp hers more securely. This was nice, talking about their pasts, about things that mattered. Teasing her just enough to make her smile.

  Still staring at their linked hands, she murmured, “So, Connor, have you ever been in a situation like mine?”

  “Dating an Amish man? Never.”

  She chuckled. “Connor, you know what I mean.”

  “You’re right, I do,” he replied, turning more serious. “And the answer is no. I mean,
not really. The last serious relationship I had ended when I decided to enter the police academy. My girlfriend didn’t want to date a cop.”

  “I’m shocked! You’re in such an honorable profession.”

  “I think so . . . but being a cop’s wife wasn’t the future she had in mind.” Her rejection still stung, so he covered it up with a grin. “Don’t know why—long hours, little pay . . . me spending my days dealing with drug addicts and criminals . . .”

  As he’d hoped, she smiled. “Put that way—”

  He shrugged. “The job is hard enough without having no support at home. It all worked out for the best. Some women don’t want to date cops. Not even sheriffs or deputies.”

  “I don’t mind it. Actually, I kind of like dating a deputy. Don’t forget, my dad was a cop.” Looking almost shy, she added, “You make me feel safe.”

  He squeezed her hand. “I was hoping you’d say that.” He was going to say more when the door opened and Jayne lit right up. “Oh, excuse me, Connor,” she said before she rushed over to the four newcomers.

  Connor leaned back in his chair and watched her scurry over, exclaim, then start hugging both women and beaming at the men. Then she pointed at him. He waved.

  “Let me introduce you,” she said to her friends, then brought them over. Connor stood up when they approached.

  “Connor, this is Lucy and Calvin Weaver, and Mattie and Graham Weaver. Ella is married to Calvin and Graham’s brother.”

  He shook hands with them all. “Nice to meet you.”

  Jayne smiled. “Ella had a little girl! She’s naming her Katherine after our little Katie.”

  He laughed. “That’s wonderful news. Now, Katie I’ve definitely met.”

  One of the men shook his head in mock frustration. “Who hasn’t met my little sister? She could run the whole town if she had her mind set on that.”

  Jayne shook her head. “She’s not that precocious. Not yet, anyway.”

  “Well, congratulations to you all. Would you like to join us? We’re just about to have coffee and pie.”

  “Danke, but we’re only picking up pies to take home,” Calvin said. “It’s been a long evening.”