Charity went home that night happy to cuddle her baby and talk to him. He was now almost six months old and was sitting up. He babbled lovingly at one and all and loved life. He loved the animals and reached for the kittens and dogs as if they were stuffed toys. They soon learned to dodge the baby.
He kicked and laughed gleefully when his uncle Matthew put him on a horse in front of him and went for a ride. Jeremiah would look at everything and point excitedly and babble as if he were trying to tell Matthew what he was seeing.
A few days passed and Charity forgot about Lisa Kennedy. The Sunday service was at the Kime residence. Charity gladly went over to help her in-laws prepare for the wonderful day. There were many hands to play with Jeremiah and keep him giggling while his mother cleaned and sewed. She baked and cooked in preparation for the dinner.
The Sunday service was well attended. They people were not only glad to worship, but this gave them a chance to eat together and socialize. They all worked so hard it was difficult to do much else.
Joseph Lehman, the song leader had led in two very long songs. Bishop Moses Yoder had read several scriptures. Ministers Joshua Chupp and Jude Nissley were ready to preach when the door burst open and a woman ran in. Her long, black hair needed combing. It was standing all around her head like several angry snakes. Her amber eyes were flashing wildly. She was in a long, pink silk nightgown and barefoot.
The woman didn’t look as if she were focusing her eyes. She began to moan and cry. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t kill anybody, but I know who did. I’m so sorry, so sorry, so sorry.” She kept yelling. She ran about half way down the aisle and began to pitch forward in a faint. Cathrine Yoder and Jenna Mae Startz were sitting on the end of a bench near her and both jumped up to catch her.
Bishop Yoder asked for everyone to stay seated and as quiet as possible. “Does anyone know who this woman is?”
Charity stood. “Ja. Her name is Mrs. Kennedy. Her husband is a dentist in town.”
“Poor soul,” Nadine Lapp said. “She seems to have had a mind breakdown.”
“What must we do?” Several voices spoke.
Jacob Startz came and picked her up. “Wife, let us go to the kitchen. Lawrence, go to the Morrison home, or any Englischer that has a phone, and call for Micah. He will know what to do. She needs a doctor.”
Jacob, Jenna Mae and Deborah hurried to the kitchen with the woman. Bishop Yoder was torn. He felt he should go to see about the woman and he should stay and continue the service. But if the service continued, they would be interrupted again when help came for the woman. He looked at his son-in-law, Matthew Startz.
“Matthew, please wait outside and bring Micah through the side door into the kitchen. We will go on with our worship.”
The Amish were still human and curious about the woman, but they followed the suggestion of their Bishop and continued with the service. The younger people were restless and curious. They had more than one adult glare at them and shake a head for their looking around and whispering.
There was a short pause in Minister Jude Nissley’s sermon when a siren was heard drawing near. They could hear voices from the other side of the house. Jude cleared his throat and talked on. When even the adults began to feel restless, Joseph Lehman stood and led in a song. This was followed by a silent prayer. Bishop cleared his throat to alert them that the prayer was completed.
The women hurried into the kitchen to get the food ready and to find out what was going on. The men gathered on the front lawn where they could talk and see around the building. The young people hurried out in hopes of satisfying their curiosity.
Micah was waiting and saw that the service was over. He came forward and asked Bishop Yoder if he could talk to the people. He was given permission. Everyone came back inside where they could hear.
Micah was well known and well liked. He first thanked everyone for their patience and cooperation and then apologized for the disturbance.
“I don’t know yet why Mrs. Kennedy was here, especially in the condition she is in. She has not been able to talk to us and tell us why she is so upset. Doctor Marcus Ford was called in to be with her and we have gotten in touch with her husband. I also called her minister and advised him of the situation. I can only thank you again for your valuable help and cooperation. It might be several days before we know the entire truth of whatever is going on. I’ll tell your Bishop as soon as I known what to say and he can inform the rest of you. I’m sorry your service was interrupted. God bless you all.”
Willfred Kennedy, his brother Orville and Orvile’s oldest son, Porter had been on a trip somewhere. Lisa had been in the hospital for three days, but was still unconscious. Willfred was more upset at what she might have said rather than the condition she was in.
“What has she told you? None of you can pay any attention to her. She’s crazy. I bet she was drunk.”
“Oh, no,” Dr. Ford answered angrily. “She had not even been drinking. My opinion is that she has been so upset with something she knows. She was thinking so strongly about it that she temporarily lost her reasoning ability. She’s under stress. She’ll be fine after she rests for a few days.”
“Well, when she comes to, call me,” Willfred demanded. “I don’t want anyone else talking to her.” He stomped out of the hospital.
“Humph! Can you imagine? I’ve known some hard-hearted people in my twenty-eight years of nursing, but I’ve never met one so uncaring about his own wife.” Nurse Carrie Fuller shook her head and went about her duties.
“What do we do now?” Nurse Doris Young asked. “I’ve only worked a year, but I’m appalled at his behavior. Do we notify him before the Sheriff? After all Sheriff Fleming did ask to be notified as soon as she was able to talk.”
Doctor Ford admonished all listening to not talk about this to anyone else and to call him as soon as she showed signs of rousing. He went into his office, bowed his head and prayed. He then picked up the phone and called Micah.
“Sheriff, I might be accused of being unprofessional, however, I don’t feel right about this. My patient comes first-- always. Mrs. Kennedy was afraid as well as upset over something when she came in. I will call you as soon as she’s able to talk, but ethically I have to call her husband, also.”
“I understand, Dr. Ford and I appreciate the position it puts you in. May I ask that you call me a few minutes before you call Dr. Kennedy?”
He sighed deeply. “Yes, I’ll do that, and I’ll write on her chart that no one is to talk to anyone about her condition until I’ve had a chance to examine her.”
“Thank you. I’ll be waiting for your call.” the two men hung up their phones. They would have smiled if they had known that both of them said a prayer before leaving their desks.
The following Sunday was not a worship day. The Amish did no work, but visited each other and rested. Jacob was outside the barn talking to two neighbor men when a car roared in spewing gravels and tearing up grass.
“Was est letz do mit demmkopp? (What is wrong with this dummy?)” Joseph Lehman sputtered.
“He est ob im kopp, (He is off in the head)” Benjamin Lapp answered.
Jacob just stood straight and looked at the car as the driver got out. Another man got out of the passenger side. The driver was slightly staggering.
“What fool owns this property? Is this where Jacob Startz lives? What a crazy name.”
“Of course it’s crazy. They’re Aim-esh, ain’t they?” The second man laughed uproariously.
The first man drew himself up as if he were going to make an important speech. “I’m Doctor Kennedy, and I want you to take a message to all your crazy Aim-esh people. Keep your noses out of my business and leave my wife alone or there’ll be trouble.”
Jacob spoke soothingly. “We do not tend to other people’s business and we have not bothered your wife. We did not even know who she was when she came into our worship service last Sunday. Please leave and don’t bother us.”
Willfred walked toward Jacob in a threatening gesture. At that moment a car pulled up with two deputies in it. Deputies Roy Braun and Harlan Moelus got out in a hurry. “Good. We’re just in time. We’ve been following this speed demon and trying to stop him before he caused a serious accident. You two men are under arrest.”
They walked toward Willfred and his brother, Orville. They knew there would be a confrontation.
Orville drunkenly squared off for battle. “Get away from me or I’ll put you in the ground. I know kick boxing.” He raised a leg and kicked out losing his balance and throwing himself on the ground. Roy quickly snapped cuffs on him. Harlan had no trouble cuffing Willfred.
The two prisoners were put in the back seat of the police car where a metal petition was between then and the front seat. Harlan drove them to the county jail while Roy drove their car to park it in the impound lot.
Micah drove in about a half hour later to apologize for the men getting as far as they did. “My men had no idea where they were headed. They only knew the car was being driven too fast and often swinging all over the road.”
Jacob assured him there were no hard feelings. “I don’t know why they came here. I’ve had nothing to do with any of them.”
“Jacob, it’s impossible to know what a drunk is thinking. Let me know if any of them give you more trouble.” He left and Jacob went into the house to discuss it with Jenna Mae. He knew she had observed it through the window and would be curious.
The following Wednesday, ten days after Lisa Kennedy’s breakdown, Micah got a call from Dr. Ford. “Mrs. Kennedy is awake and slightly confused. I’ll wait a few minutes and call her husband.”
Micah rushed over to the hospital and up to Lisa’s room. He eased into the room and stood where Lisa could see him, but he would not appear threatening. “Hello, Mrs. Kennedy. I’m glad to see you’re awake. You had me worried.”
She replied weakly. “I understand I’m in the hospital and have been here for several days. Do you know why I’m here?”
“I only know you were very sick and passed out. You seemed to be worried about something and felt you needed to tell someone about it. Will I do? I’ll be happy to listen to you.”
“I don’t know,” she said rubbing her temples with her finger tips. “I just can’t think. Maybe you can help me.”
He didn’t want to rush her or put pressure on her that would cause a further breakdown. “Let’s just take it easy and talk. Maybe it will come back to you.”
She relaxed and was just starting to say something when her door was pushed open. Willfred charged in staring angrily at Micah. “What are you doing here? What has she said to you? Pay no attention to what ever she might say. She’s a drunk and has trouble with her thoughts.”
Lisa began to cry. “How can you talk to me that way? You claim to love me. We have three children, or rather had three. Your temper and sinful example caused the death of our oldest, our only son. Now you pay no attention to your daughters or to me. You just run to Orville all the time. What are the two of you hiding? What are you guilty of?”
She was exhausted and fell back on the pillow looking pale and weak. Micah hurriedly pushed the button calling for a nurse. Carrie Fuller came rushing in taking charge of the situation. “Out! Out! Both of you. My patient needs her rest.” She was not intimidated by Willfred.
“She’s my wife and I have a right to be here,” he sputtered belligerently.
“I don’t care if you’re the President of the United States. You’re not going to stay in this room and upset my patient.” Micah left walking in such a way that Willfred had to leave ahead of him or get walked on.
Willfred sputtered, cursed and fumed all the way down the hall. “I’ll have the law on you.” He yelled at Micah. “No one treats me this way.”
Micah could hardly keep from laughing, but he knew it would just make Willfred more angry. Calmly he stated, “I am the law. We are both leaving and let the doctors and nurses work with your wife to make her better.”
“Nothing is going to make her better. She imagines a lot of crazy things. I need to talk to her.”
“You can do that when she is well enough to talk. At the present time she needs rest and free from stress.”
Grumbling, Willfred did leave looking back to glare at Micah. He said something to some nurses as he passed them that caused them to gasp and looked alarmed after him. Micah thought it best if he left, also. He couldn’t keep from thinking.
What was on Mrs. Kennedy’s mind that was so shattering? Did she know something about a death or someone breaking the law? Did she know something that would put Willfred in prison? Is that what worried Willfred? He hoped to get the answers soon.