CHAPTER 16

Mary and Natalie were back in the hospital waiting room, but this time it was Levi sitting between them and not Adeline. Earlier, when the doctor came out and asked if they were family, Mary followed Adeline’s lead from the last time they were at the hospital, and she answered yes. It wasn’t a lie. The foursome had become a family over the past couple months.

“Do you think the cat’s okay?” Natalie whispered even though no one else was in the room.

They were waiting for the doctor to talk to them. So far, all they knew was that Adeline had a tumor—“a mass,” the doctor called it at first—in her head. Mary had asked if it was related to her esophageal spasms. He’d said no.

“I think the cat will be fine.” Mary leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. They’d been waiting for almost three hours while Adeline had tests done. “I left a can of tuna open for him when they were loading Adeline into the ambulance.” She yawned, lifting her head. “And I tore up some paper towels and found the box you were talking about in the pantry.”

Levi’s head leaned against the wall, too, his hat in his lap. Mary wasn’t sure if he was asleep or not. They’d all been fairly quiet. The doctor had given them a name for the type of tumor Adeline had. A glioblastoma multiforme. Natalie used her smartphone to Google it. All she said when she was done was that they needed to pray. Mary had been praying since she saw Adeline on the floor.

“I want some coffee so bad, and I’m not even much of a coffee drinker.” Natalie stretched her arms in the air as she yawned.

It was only eight o’clock at night, but it felt much later. They were all exhausted with worry.

“I called mei parents to let them know where I am.” Mary barely nudged Levi to see if he was awake, and he opened his eyes. “Your parents are going to be worried.”

“There are twelve of us, including mei parents. I doubt I’ll be missed.” He grinned, then kissed her gently on the lips.

“Hey, we’ll have none of that goin’ on.” Natalie raised an eyebrow as she looked over a magazine she’d picked up from a nearby table.

They were all trying to keep things light, but Mary’s stomach churned, and impatience was building. She’d crossed her legs repeatedly, shifted her weight, and twirled the string of her kapp so much it was now a spiral on the right side. Her stomach growled, but she couldn’t eat if she tried.

Natalie put the magazine back on the table and paced the small room, which only made Mary more anxious.

It was another fifteen minutes before the doctor emerged. “I have some news to share with you, if you’d all like to follow me.”

Levi rose first. Natalie and Mary followed.

“If he takes us into a small room and there is a box of tissues on the table, then it’s bad news.” Natalie’s voice trembled as she whispered in Mary’s ear.

Mary fought the urge to cry when the doctor ushered them into such a room. He asked them to take a seat, and Mary slid into a chair next to Levi, who found her hand under the table and held it tightly.

Natalie remained standing. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

The doctor offered her a weak smile. “Please, have a seat.”

Natalie stayed where she was until Mary said, “Come sit by me.”

Once Natalie was seated, the doctor opened the file folder in front of him. He wasn’t very old based on his dark hair and sharp features. No wrinkles, shiny white teeth. Mary wished he were older and wiser, which probably wasn’t the way to think.

“Have you noticed Adeline becoming confused or losing time?” He glanced at each of them.

“She told me she put her slippers in the refrigerator once,” Levi said.

“Just a few little things.” Natalie twisted her hands together atop the table. “Is she going to get well?”

Dr. Parks, as he’d introduced himself earlier, closed the file and sighed. “Adeline’s tumor is inoperable. Over time, her cognitive issues will get worse. She’ll have more trouble processing information and become even more confused. Glioblastomas can be treated, but even with chemotherapy or radiation the patient usually has only a year, or maybe a little longer, to live.”

Mary choked back tears.

“If Adeline were younger, surgical resection might be a possibility, but at her age, we feel certain the surgery would be unsuccessful.” He paused, glancing at each of them. “Adeline has refused treatment.”

“Well, she can’t do that.” Natalie cried as she spoke.

The doctor looked at her with sympathetic eyes. “If I were in Adeline’s shoes, I’d probably do the same thing. It would be a tough road for her and only extend her life for a year or so.”

Gott ultimately controls Adeline’s destiny.” Mary lifted her chin as her lips trembled. “I’ve heard of people praying away illnesses.”

The doctor offered a slight smile. “And I’ve seen it happen, so I encourage you to pray, of course, but also to be prepared.”

“How much time does she have without any treatment?” Natalie’s shoulders shook as she spoke.

“A few weeks.”

Levi let go of Mary’s hand, lowered his head, and put a hand to his forehead.

They were all quiet for a while.

“Adeline said she lives alone, so it’s most likely that she will need to stay in the hospital for the duration of her illness.”

“She’ll hate that!” Natalie spat. “Not happening.”

Dr. Parks stood. “I’m going to let you have some time to let this sink in.” He paused. “The caregiving of someone in this condition is difficult because the patient slowly loses control of their faculties, and it’s very hard for loved ones to watch.” He pushed his chair in. “I’ll leave you alone for now.”

“Can we see Adeline?” Levi asked. His eyes were glassy and red, and as much as Mary wanted to comfort him, she was barely holding it together herself.

“Of course.”

After Dr. Parks left the room, Natalie sobbed and Mary let go of the tears she’d been holding back.

“She can’t stay in this place.” Natalie shook her head, swiping at her tears. “I could move in with her, but I’d have to quit my job, and I have credit cards and bills.” She looked at Mary, then Levi. “What are we going to do?”

“I could talk to mei daed and see if maybe he could pay for a live-in nurse, but I don’t think Adeline would like that.” Mary’s thoughts swirled and collided as she tried to think of a solution. But every time her thoughts circled back to the end result, she cried.

“I will talk to mei parents too. I know we don’t have money to donate to Adeline’s care, but I could probably stay with her two or three days a week.”

“So could I.” Mary felt a rush of hope. “She’d be happier having us with her.”

“I could take the weekends, Friday after work until Sunday night.” Natalie could barely talk through her tears.

Mary reached her hands out to each side of her. Levi took hold of one, Natalie the other. “Let us pray.”

“Can you pray out loud?” Natalie asked. “I’ve been praying all day, but I don’t know God very well. I imagine your people have a direct hotline.”

Mary half laughed through her tears. “Sure.”

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Adeline forced a smile when her young friends came into the room. She wanted to be strong for these kids she’d come to love. “Now, now. It’s all right.” She held out her arms, and Mary and Natalie both fell into them. Levi turned away, but his shoulders shook as he faced the wall.

“Are you in pain?” Natalie had her head buried on Adeline’s shoulder. Adeline stroked the girl’s long blond hair.

“No. I’m not in pain.” Adeline’s head throbbed, but she wasn’t sure it had anything to do with the tumor. She was still processing the fact that she’d be joining Percy soon. But she’d be leaving these children. She wouldn’t see them get married or have children of their own.

Adeline coughed, and Natalie and Mary stood up. Levi turned around, his eyes red and watery. “Come here, son.” She’d never called him that before, but it came as naturally as breathing. He swiped at his eyes and came to her slowly, then hugged her briefly.

“You three listen to me.” Adeline fought to control the tremble in her voice. “God gifted me with each of you. Late in life, he gave me the family I never had. After Percy died, not much joy filled my days until you all came along. What a glorious time we’ve had. Don’t be sad. I’ll be with Percy soon, even though I will miss you all very much.”

She took a deep breath. “If I could ask you a favor, though. There are some things I will need from my house for my stay here at the hospital.” Her bottom lip began to tremble. “And I would like to see the place one last time.” She managed to hold back her tears. These kids were upset enough.

Mary sat on the bed and reached for Adeline’s hand. “We’ve made other arrangements for you, Adeline. If you’ll allow us, we’ve arranged our schedules so that one of us can be with you at all times so you can stay in your home. We’ve already spoken to the social worker here at the hospital.”

Adeline lowered her head for a few moments, still resolved not to cry. When she looked up, she managed in a shaky voice to say, “I can’t let you do that. You have lives and jobs.” She shook her head.

Natalie folded her arms across her chest and huffed. “Just try to stop us.”

Mary squeezed Adeline’s hand. “It’s already decided. And the hospital staff is going to send home everything we need to keep you as comfortable as possible.” She smiled. “Before you go home to Percy, we are going to finish that puzzle of the beach scene. Natalie told us the other one wasn’t turning out the way we thought. We’re going to cook wonderful meals. And Levi can play the piano for you.”

Adeline couldn’t hold back anymore as the tears spilled down her cheeks. “I love each of you as my own.”

Natalie’s cheeks were also wet, but she smiled a little. “We have a surprise for you when you get home.”

Adeline couldn’t imagine. “What kind of surprise?”

“You’ll see.”

Her young friends smiled at each other. Adeline didn’t care what the surprise was. She knew she would love it.

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Levi had never struggled to control his emotions the way he was today. He would play the piano as often as Adeline wanted. He loved her, and he wasn’t going to deny her a dying wish. He would still consider the bishop’s words and decide what to do, but he wondered if maybe his musical ability had been a gift and not a punishment. Maybe the Lord had lent him the gift to use for this very purpose, to give Adeline peace and comfort before she went to be with Him.

He wanted to break down and sob as they said their goodbyes, but all three of the women were crying hard, and Levi was determined to stay strong for them, today and until the end.

As they exited the hospital, Levi wondered about Adeline’s house. They all stopped in the parking lot. “Should we make arrangements to get her electricity turned on? Won’t she need it, being sick and all?” Levi didn’t have the financial means, but maybe Mary or her father did.

“I’ve gotten used to no air conditioner.” Natalie blew her nose, then laughed through her tears. “I’m practically Amish now.”

Mary raised an eyebrow. “I think you still have a ways to go.” She pointed to her own maroon dress, black loafers, and then at her prayer covering.

Not to mention, Natalie seemed confused about her relationship with Gott.

“Point taken.” Natalie dug in her purse for her keys, and they started walking again. “But Adeline would be more comfortable with air-conditioning, I’m sure.”

Levi recalled when his brother, Lloyd, was really sick a few years ago. He’d been in bed for two weeks during August. “Have either of you been in Adeline’s basement?”

“I have,” Mary said. “There isn’t anything stored down there. She told me she had it all brought upstairs when she had the estate sale. Why?”

Natalie unlocked the car and they all got in. Levi climbed in the back seat, and it made him think of the cat. “Adeline won’t be released until tomorrow. We need to check on the cat and make sure it has enough food and water.”

Natalie nodded as she started the car. “Now, what about the basement?”

“The dirt around the basement keeps it cooler than the air temperature, especially in the summer. When my bruder was sick in August one time, mei daed set him up in the basement because it was cooler. And one summer when the temperatures stayed in the upper nineties for several days, our whole family slept down there.”

“I don’t think Adeline will want to sleep in the basement. That sounds depressing.” Natalie growled a little. “And I just remembered, even if we do get her electricity turned on, the air conditioner isn’t working.”

Mary lowered her head from where she sat in the front seat and started to cry again. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Then Natalie began to cry, which caused Levi to tear up in the back seat. He did his best to hide it, keeping his head turned toward the window so Natalie wouldn’t see from the rearview mirror.

“This reminds me of when my Mimi Jean, my grandma, died.” Natalie swerved a little, and Levi asked if she was okay to drive.

“Yeah, I can drive. It’s just hard to think about Adeline being gone. It’s hard to think about anyone else living in her house.” She was quiet for a few moments. “I hope whoever buys it will take good care of it and fill it with the family Adeline always wanted.”

Mary sniffled and lifted her head. “Adeline told me she was leaving the house to the church she and Percy used to attend.”

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Natalie’s ears perked up, and she smiled. Her mother was the last person who deserved that house. The only thing Natalie wanted from Adeline was love, and the thought of losing the woman brought on more tears.

It was almost ten by the time Natalie turned the car into Adeline’s driveway. They checked on the cat before Levi got in his buggy and headed home. Then Natalie drove Mary to her house before she went home and fell onto her air mattress and cried.

She allowed herself a complete meltdown and was in the throes of it when her phone rang. No one would call this late at night but her mother. She was tempted to let it go to voice mail, but she answered and told her mother about Adeline.

“That’s so nice, honey, what you and your Amish friends are doing for Adeline,” her mother said, ending with a sigh. “Even though I hate to see you going through this.”

Then why don’t you offer to help us by staying with Adeline some of the time? Natalie tossed the thought as soon as she had it. Her mother didn’t even know Adeline, and it would feel like an invasion if anyone outside their circle tended to her.

“How much time does she have?”

A ball of fire burned in the pit of Natalie’s stomach, and she was tempted to throw it at her mother, knowing good and well she just wanted the house. Natalie felt relieved that the church was getting it. If Adeline had left it to Natalie, she’d have felt guilty for the rest of her life, and she’d have to deal with her mother.

Natalie walked to the kitchen. “A few weeks.” She poured herself a glass of water and gulped it down while her mother offered sympathies that Natalie was only half hearing.

“Honey, I know you don’t want to take anything from home to use in your apartment, but is there anything that Adeline might need?”

Natalie set the glass on the counter. Hard. She wanted to throw it against the wall. Leave it to her mother to step in at the last minute in an effort to ensure any inheritance that might be coming their way. Natalie was on the verge of telling her mother about the house, but she changed her mind when another thought came to her.

There could be nights when she and Mary would be staying at Adeline’s together. She knew Mary and Levi wouldn’t stay under the same roof together, even if they were in separate rooms. If she and Mary needed to stay overnight, Natalie wouldn’t have minded sleeping on Adeline’s old air mattress, but the situation would be stressful enough.

“You know that tan couch in your study, the one you said pulled into a bed? Adeline has a horrible couch in her living room with springs poking out everywhere. She has the red furniture in the parlor, but that couch is more like a loveseat. If you wanted to loan us that sleeper sofa, that would be good. If I’m there at the same time as Mary, it would give me a place to sleep.”

Mary was going to talk to her father about getting the power turned on, but the only reason would be to run the air-conditioning, which wasn’t working, so they decided against it. The ruckus of having workers in the house would be bothersome for Adeline.

“Of course you can have the sleeper sofa. And not on loan. You can have it. There’s also an old coffee table in the basement and two end tables.”

Natalie swiped at her eyes. She wanted to believe her mother was being kind, and she certainly had her good qualities. Lately those attributes were buried beneath her grief over the divorce and lack of money. “Thank you, Mom. I’ll make arrangements for someone to pick it up and take it to Adeline’s.” If the church was going to use the house, at least it would already be furnished. Maybe the pastor and his wife would live there. Hopefully they had lots of children. Adeline would like that.

“You just let me know what you need.” Her mother ended the call, and Natalie sat on the kitchen floor.

This was the mother she remembered, a woman who did for others and loved her family. For a while, it had seemed like a memory. She would pray for her mother. And she would pray for Adeline. How were they going to handle it when Adeline’s mind started to go? How long would it be before she didn’t remember any of them? Two weeks? Three? A month?

She pulled her knees up to her chest as she leaned against the kitchen cabinets. Then she closed her eyes, wanting God to guide her, but not knowing what to ask for. She’d heard Mary say that all things were of God’s will, but her friend also prayed aloud for a miracle for Adeline when they last prayed together. Natalie wasn’t ready to commit to everything being God’s will. It scared her. What if His will had nothing to do with a miracle for Adeline?

God, I don’t know You very well, but I want to know You better. And right now, I have some specific requests. She thought for a few moments. I want a miracle, for You to completely heal Adeline. But if that can’t happen, I pray that You will keep her from having pain. No pain, God. Please. And when her mind starts to go, I hope she still feels joy in her heart. And please show me, Mary, and Levi the best ways to take care of Adeline, ways to make her last days on this earth happy ones.

Food didn’t sound good, but she made a slice of toast, slathered butter and grape jelly all over it, then refilled her glass of water and carried it to her makeshift bed. After she forced herself to eat it, she reached for a magazine on the nightstand. She never turned a page. It was the cover that sparked an idea. A wonderful idea that she was going to check into tomorrow. A warm sensation swirled around her as sadness mixed with joy and hope.

Natalie glanced up. “Is that You, God?”

She was weary, but she was sure she heard, “Yes, my child,” in her mind.

Her idea was approved by God. Of course it was. He’d put it into her mind. Tomorrow she’d put the plan into action.