C HAPTER 1
Dover, Ohio
E lsie stood trembling at the foot of her sister’s hospital bed, listening to the doctor give Doris and her husband distressing news. In addition to a broken leg, plus a nasty bump on the head, the fall Doris took down the stairs earlier this evening had caused her to miscarry. It wasn’t fair. The broken leg would heal, but Doris and Brian had waited a long time for her to become pregnant. The joy they’d felt over the pregnancy, which Doris had seen as a miracle, disappeared before their eyes, like a glass of ice melting on a hot summer day.
Elsie glanced at Arlene, standing beside her with tears trickling down her cheeks. She, too, felt their sister’s pain.
When Doris had been taken by ambulance to Union Hospital, Brian rode along. Elsie and Arlene had hired a driver to take them, leaving their husbands at home with the children. Right now, and for many days ahead, Doris would need her family’s help and support.
It hurt Elsie to hear her sister’s anguished cries after the doctor left the room. Brian took the news hard as well, yet seemed unable to offer Doris the comfort she needed. Even if sometime in the future Doris got pregnant again, she might never get over her loss.
Elsie and Arlene moved to the other side of the bed, across from Brian. Elsie reached out to clasp her sister’s cold hand. “I’m so sorry.…” The words nearly stuck in her throat as she swallowed around the lump that seemed to be lodged there.
“I’m sorry, too.” Arlene placed her hand on Doris’s trembling shoulder. “Elsie and I will do everything we can to help you get through this.”
Doris just closed her eyes and continued to weep.
Brian looked up at Elsie with a distant stare. “Would you mind leaving us alone for a while?”
Elsie slowly nodded. Her body felt heavy as she let go of Doris’s hand. As much as she wanted to remain at her sister’s bedside, she understood Brian’s request to be alone with his wife. This tragedy was something the two of them needed to deal with together. At least for the time being. Hopefully Doris would eventually be more receptive to their sympathy.
“We’ll be in the waiting room if you need us.” Arlene turned toward the door, and Elsie followed. They took seats in the waiting room down the hall.
Dabbing at her tears, Arlene turned to Elsie with puffy eyes. “What if Doris never recovers emotionally from this? What if she’s unable to conceive again?”
“We must pray for her and try to think positive. If it’s meant for Doris and Brian to have a
boppli,
then it will happen in God’s time.”
“You’re right. Larry and I never expected to be blessed with another child after Scott was born. The doctor said due to the damage done to my uterus, it wasn’t likely I’d get pregnant again.” Arlene smiled, despite her tears. “Then eight years later, along came baby Samuel.”
Elsie nodded as she reached for her sister’s hand. “You’ve been blessed all right.”
“Doris is going to need our help when she leaves the hospital in a few days. That means we’ll have to put looking for Dad’s will on hold for a while.”
“It’s not a priority right now.” Elsie was sure their brother wouldn’t be happy about the delay, but it couldn’t be helped. Their sister’s needs came first. She would give Joel a call later on and tell him what happened.
Akron, Ohio
Joel had been sneezing and blowing his nose so much it felt raw. He hated being sick—especially while spending Thanksgiving alone with a less-than-exciting frozen dinner. With only the company of his television set during the holiday, he’d given in to self-pity. Kristi was probably at her folks’, eating a moist turkey dinner with all the trimmings, while he sat at home on the couch with a box of tissues and a bottle of cough syrup that was six months past its sell-by date. Joel didn’t care how old the stuff was; he needed something to relieve his nagging cough.
Pulling
Dover, Ohio
E lsie stood trembling at the foot of her sister’s hospital bed, listening to the doctor give Doris and her husband distressing news. In addition to a broken leg, plus a nasty bump on the head, the fall Doris took down the stairs earlier this evening had caused her to miscarry. It wasn’t fair. The broken leg would heal, but Doris and Brian had waited a long time for her to become pregnant. The joy they’d felt over the pregnancy, which Doris had seen as a miracle, disappeared before their eyes, like a glass of ice melting on a hot summer day.
Elsie glanced at Arlene, standing beside her with tears trickling down her cheeks. She, too, felt their sister’s pain.
When Doris had been taken by ambulance to Union Hospital, Brian rode along. Elsie and Arlene had hired a driver to take them, leaving their husbands at home with the children. Right now, and for many days ahead, Doris would need her family’s help and support.
It hurt Elsie to hear her sister’s anguished cries after the doctor left the room. Brian took the news hard as well, yet seemed unable to offer Doris the comfort she needed. Even if sometime in the future Doris got pregnant again, she might never get over her loss.
Elsie and Arlene moved to the other side of the bed, across from Brian. Elsie reached out to clasp her sister’s cold hand. “I’m so sorry.…” The words nearly stuck in her throat as she swallowed around the lump that seemed to be lodged there.
“I’m sorry, too.” Arlene placed her hand on Doris’s trembling shoulder. “Elsie and I will do everything we can to help you get through this.”
Doris just closed her eyes and continued to weep.
Brian looked up at Elsie with a distant stare. “Would you mind leaving us alone for a while?”
Elsie slowly nodded. Her body felt heavy as she let go of Doris’s hand. As much as she wanted to remain at her sister’s bedside, she understood Brian’s request to be alone with his wife. This tragedy was something the two of them needed to deal with together. At least for the time being. Hopefully Doris would eventually be more receptive to their sympathy.
“We’ll be in the waiting room if you need us.” Arlene turned toward the door, and Elsie followed. They took seats in the waiting room down the hall.
Dabbing at her tears, Arlene turned to Elsie with puffy eyes. “What if Doris never recovers emotionally from this? What if she’s unable to conceive again?”
“We must pray for her and try to think positive. If it’s meant for Doris and Brian to have a
boppli,
then it will happen in God’s time.”
“You’re right. Larry and I never expected to be blessed with another child after Scott was born. The doctor said due to the damage done to my uterus, it wasn’t likely I’d get pregnant again.” Arlene smiled, despite her tears. “Then eight years later, along came baby Samuel.”
Elsie nodded as she reached for her sister’s hand. “You’ve been blessed all right.”
“Doris is going to need our help when she leaves the hospital in a few days. That means we’ll have to put looking for Dad’s will on hold for a while.”
“It’s not a priority right now.” Elsie was sure their brother wouldn’t be happy about the delay, but it couldn’t be helped. Their sister’s needs came first. She would give Joel a call later on and tell him what happened.
Akron, Ohio
Joel had been sneezing and blowing his nose so much it felt raw. He hated being sick—especially while spending Thanksgiving alone with a less-than-exciting frozen dinner. With only the company of his television set during the holiday, he’d given in to self-pity. Kristi was probably at her folks’, eating a moist turkey dinner with all the trimmings, while he sat at home on the couch with a box of tissues and a bottle of cough syrup that was six months past its sell-by date. Joel didn’t care how old the stuff was; he needed something to relieve his nagging cough.
Pulling
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