Holly studied the handsome man as they knelt in front of each other. His eyes held kindness, shining bright in the flickering candlelight. His hand was warm on hers. Was this a dream? She never, ever wanted to forget one detail of their wedding day.
The Zook house was lit by dozens of evergreen-scented candles. This twentieth day of December was gray and snowy. But inside her home that was packed with hundreds of Amish and a few Englischers from Greene’s, Holly couldn’t imagine anything more vibrant and warm. How long they’d yearned for this moment, their hands together in front of Holly’s bishop, their wedding vows said, and the closing prayer still echoing in her mind.
Benuel finished the prayer. Josh and she rose and faced the gathering of their beloved friends and family. The bridal party—their side sitters—beamed at them, some wiping tears of joy. Holly spotted Magda on one of the benches. She was grimacing.
Labor pains.
Before sunrise this morning Magda had come to Holly and let her know that she was having painful contractions. But Magda wanted to see the wedding if she could. Even though Esther, the Amish midwife, had been invited to the wedding as a friend, Holly called her to verify she was coming today. Esther had arrived early to check on Magda’s progress.
The plan was for Magda to go to the room above the carriage house when her labor pains became more intense. There she would have privacy from the many visitors who would be in this home until sundown. Judging by Magda’s face, Holly was sure she would head there soon.
Holly and Joshua were ushered into the parlor, and the next half hour was filled by chatting with some of the guests while family and friends in the next room rearranged the rows of benches, turning some into tables and using the others as seats. Josh and Holly didn’t have to help with the work for the rest of today, and the festivities would go on until after sundown. But tomorrow they’d make up for it—waking before dawn to start washing the tablecloths and napkins, bringing furniture back into the house and putting it in place, and taking care of the gazillion other things people had to do after hosting hundreds of people for a wedding and two meals.
Holly spotted Jules, Lyle, and Brandon working their way through the throng of Amish people toward her and Josh. Every room in the house was bursting with people. How many Amish were in the barn, staying warm and out of the way until their time to eat?
“Holly.” Jules had her arms out as she approached. “Congratulations.” Holly pulled Jules into a tight hug.
Lyle winked at Holly as Jules released the embrace. “We’re thrilled for you, kiddo.”
Brandon grinned. “My Amish little sister, all grown up and married.”
Josh put his hand on Holly’s arm, grinning. “Thank you all for everything you’ve done for her. I’m so sorry she can’t continue working for Greene’s.”
Lyle gave a slow nod. “We understand.” He leaned in closer. “Just so you know, Holly Noelle, you’ll always have a place at Greene’s if your new bishop ever changes his mind.”
Jules glanced at a text on her phone. “I’m sorry to have to leave, but there’re some problems at the clinic and my team needs help. You’ll call me later to update me on Magda, right?”
“I will.” Holly hugged Jules.
Lyle shifted from one foot to the other. “We all rode together, so we need to go too, plus”—he pointed out the window—“it’s snowing again, and the weather report says there’s quite a bit of snow on the way. The roads will be okay for buggies, I think.”
“Ya, horses and buggies are much better equipped for winter travel. Besides that, the Amish guests can make themselves a pallet and stay overnight if it gets too bad. That’s part of the reason we didn’t mind having the wedding so late in December.” She hugged Lyle and Brandon. “Thanks, everyone, for being here.”
As they said their goodbyes, an aunt came into the parlor, smiling. “It’s time.” She held out her arm, and Josh took it. Her aunt was honored with seating the bride and groom at their table today, and then she would return for the other side sitters, each one entering the room in a set order.
The long table, which was big enough for the bride and groom and their side sitters, was covered in a crisp white cloth with blue trim. Josh was seated at the head of the table, and Holly was to his left. Next to her was Ivy, and next to Josh was Arlan, because all side sitters had to be single. Besides, Josh and Arlan had become close.
Bishop Benuel was hoping Arlan would join their Old Order church and thought that Arlan being at the bride-and-groom table would help him feel like a part of the community. Holly would pair him with Ivy in the wedding games as the day proceeded. There was definitely a spark between the two of them, and Holly wanted to nurture it.
The sound of glass breaking echoed through the room, and Holly started to get up, but Josh put his hand over hers. “You’ve done enough for today.” He winked.
Holly relaxed, glad for time off her feet. The wedding preparations had been a huge undertaking that included moving most of the furniture out of the house and into the carriage house yesterday, cooking for the past several days and finishing a dozen tasks, like sewing and cleaning. Today had begun at three in the morning with milking cows, fixing breakfast, and finishing up preparation of the house and food for about four hundred guests.
Women set large platters of food on their table—a bounteous feast of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, cooked celery, bowls of fruit, platters of cheese, and homemade bread.
With each bite Holly tasted the love from a community of married women—aunts, cousins, and church members—who’d cooked today’s feast. Guests ate in rounds, and while a few tables were still being served, one of Josh’s side sitters began singing. Everyone around the wedding table joined in first, and then others added their voices.
She and Josh soon cut their beautiful wedding cake, and the women servers also sliced or dipped other desserts and filled mugs with coffee or hot chocolate. The single men at the wedding table began singing various songs, and everyone joined in. Then Ivy and Arlan got the wedding games started. They played a lot of guessing games, some while blindfolded. Laughter filled the house, and Holly’s cheeks hurt from nonstop grinning. The carolers stood in front of the large window in the parlor next to the roaring fire and sang while the snow came down in huge flakes.
Holly’s heart soared as she and Josh sat on the couch, watching and listening, and it seemed she had hardly blinked before the guests were leaving. More than half of the people had said their goodbyes before the evening meal, as was the tradition. This was a time for more intimate friendships and relatives. Her aunts served heated leftovers, cold cuts, cheese, and more homemade bread, and, of course, church spread, the peanut butter concoction the Amish loved.
Winter’s short day caught her off guard. It was dark now. The midwife, Esther, had come in from the carriage house several times throughout the day to update Holly on how Magda was doing. But the last time she had updated Holly was more than two hours ago, when she’d said that Magda was doing well and was almost at the pushing phase of labor.
Holly moved to the window and looked toward the carriage house. The white, snowy landscape of the Zook farm looked peaceful and clean. Beautiful. Huge flakes were still coming down from the dark, cloudy sky. How many inches had fallen already?
Mamm came to her side and put an arm around her shoulders. “A Christmastime baby is meant to be on our farm, ya?” She must’ve noticed that Holly was staring at the carriage house.
“Seems so, doesn’t it? You delivered each of your three babies at Christmastime. Should we go to the carriage house? Just to check on Magda?”
Mamm nodded, a tender smile glowing on her face. “Ya.”
As they walked toward the back door to grab their coats, Josh’s bishop, Stephan, came toward them with his wife at his side.
“Denki for everything, Betty, Holly. It’s been a day filled with God’s glory, but it’s time for us to go.”
“Denki.” Holly slid into her coat. “We’re going to check on Magda, so we’ll walk out with you.” She peered through the glass on the back door, seeing a figure walking toward the farmhouse.
Holly opened the door, and Esther stepped inside. “Before anyone asks, it’s a healthy boy. He’s breathing well and is already nursing. My helper is sitting with Magda.”
Esther paused, and Holly’s heart skipped a beat. “Is everything okay?”
Esther glanced at the numerous guests beyond this small gathering at the back door. She leaned in. “I don’t want to alarm anyone.”
Holly’s chest tightened. In the last few months, she’d had more than one nightmare about a teen delivering a baby during a snowstorm, and that had prompted her to talk to Jules and Lyle and Brandon about her concerns about Magda’s labor and delivery.
“What’s going on?” Stephan asked while putting on his coat, looking as if he was ready to dash to the phone shanty and call for an ambulance.
Esther pursed her lips. “Magda delivered the placenta about half an hour after the babe was born, but she’s been bleeding more than I like to see. If it doesn’t stop soon, we’ll need to call an ambulance.”
“With these road conditions I’m not sure an ambulance could get through, and if it does, a ride would be a risk for Magda and her new baby,” Holly said. “I talked with Lyle, Brandon, and Jules a few weeks ago about what might happen at the birth and what we needed to have on hand in case something went wrong. We might need the ambulance, but before we call them, I have a medicine they recommended that I’d like to try.”
The midwife looked at the bishop as if waiting for permission.
“Ya, of course.” His eyes held concern. “Although this isn’t my district, you do what needs to be done and waste no time.” He seemed like a different man as he gestured for Holly to go. He turned to his wife.
She nodded and looped her arm through Mamm’s. “How about we go mingle and do what we can to keep everyone distracted and thinking everything is just fine?”
Mamm nodded. “Ya. Good thinking.”
When Holly turned to go after the needed items, Josh was there. She squeezed his hand before hurrying through the house, up the stairs, and to her room. She grabbed her prepared birth bag and opened it to double-check its contents. Inside was her stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, two large bottles of an electrolyte drink, a large plastic cup with a straw, nonprescription Tylenol and Motrin tablets, and a white prescription bag that held six tablets of Methergine, a medicine to stimulate the uterus to contract—and hopefully stop excess bleeding after childbirth without a trip to the hospital.
She slung the bag over her shoulder and flew down the stairs and out the door. Esther was going toward the carriage house, and Holly quickly caught up to her. Esther had been a young woman of twenty-eight when she delivered Holly. The two trudged across the snowy yard, and Holly glanced behind her, noticing a coatless Josh and his bishop following them.
Esther looked at the men behind her. “I’ve set up a curtain to divide the room, and I’ve put chairs in place. Magda said any visitors are welcome to that area.”
They went up the stairs to the carriage house and Holly hurried inside. “Magda?” Holly paused outside the curtain Esther had hung. “May I come in?”
“Ya, Holly. That’s fine.”
Joshua and Bishop Stephan took a seat outside the curtained-off area.
Holly entered Magda’s half of the room. Esther’s helper, an Amish girl named Rose, who was a few years younger than Holly, was in a chair near the window.
Magda looked up at Holly, radiant despite her slightly pale face and her mussed hair under her prayer Kapp. Her body was covered from the chest down in blankets, and her tiny newborn was wrapped in a swaddle and asleep in her arms. She grinned. “Holly, look at him. Last night I had a dream of God’s hands touching my baby’s chest with a blessing of gold before He placed this little one in my arms. And here he is.”
Holly’s eyes misted as she leaned in. “He’s beautiful, Magda. Now I need you to take some medicine for me, okay? For your bleeding.”
“Okay.”
Holly opened her bag and quickly set up everything as Jules had taught her.
She motioned to Esther’s helper. “Would you hold this cup for her, please.” Rose did as Holly asked. Holly smiled, trying not to sound or look too businesslike. “Magda, I’d like you to drink as much of this as you can to replenish your body. You may have a few more pills to take, one every four hours.” She looked up at the midwife. “Esther, I know you have a stopwatch in your supplies. Set it for ten minutes, then for thirty. Let’s put fresh padding under her so we’ll have an idea whether the bleeding has slowed in ten minutes. We’ll do the same for the thirty-minute mark. The medicine will need an hour for full effect, but we should notice some improvement before then. Magda, you’re likely to feel more afterbirth pains because of the medication, so let’s give you some Tylenol.”
Magda smiled, staring at her baby’s sleeping face. “I don’t mind the pain. He’s worth it.”
Holly gave Magda the two Tylenol tablets, and the helper held the drink. Lyle had said to give Magda Tylenol instead of Motrin if she was having more-than-normal bleeding. Please, God, let these things I have for her be enough. They could still call an ambulance, but what if the weather became worse?
Holly checked the new mother’s blood pressure. Thank goodness the numbers were good. If Magda’s blood pressure was dropping, they’d need to call an ambulance for sure. Holly listened to her heartbeat while assuring her of how wonderful she’d done and was doing, how beautiful her baby was, and how everything was fine. She could hear Josh and his bishop talking softly on the other side of the curtain.
Esther checked Magda at ten minutes, but she was unsure if the bleeding had slowed. That wasn’t a good sign.
Holly sat beside Magda, encouraging her to continue sipping on the electrolyte solution as they oohed over the baby. Magda was a trooper. If the amount of liquid Holly was pushing had her queasy, she didn’t mention it. She drank three cups as the minutes ticked by.
Esther stood from her chair in the corner. “It’s been thirty minutes.” The midwife walked to Magda’s bed and lifted the blanket.
Holly couldn’t see everything, but she saw the midwife slide a new pad under Magda and press on Magda’s lower stomach.
“Gut, gut.” Esther let out a sigh. “The bleeding has slowed significantly.”
Relief eased through Holly, relaxing her aching shoulders. Her prayers had been answered. “Let’s give her at least one more dose in three and a half hours.” She smiled at Magda. “I’ll ask my husband to bring you some wedding food. Something with iron and protein would be perfect.”
“Denki, Holly.” Magda looked and sounded better too. The little one was nursing again. How great to see a healthy mother and baby.
Holly stepped around the curtain. “They’re doing well.”
Josh nodded. “Gut. And I heard what you wanted.” He stood and moved in close. “I like the sound of you calling me ‘husband.’ Ya, wife?”
“Suits us already.” She waved as he went down the stairs.
Bishop Stephan remained sitting, seeming reluctant to leave. “No ambulance needed?”
Holly shook her head. “Not today, thanks to God’s mercy.”
Stephan grimaced and nodded. “Let’s go to the downstairs carriage house and finish talking about this.”
“Okay.” Holly put on her coat and stepped outside onto the landing. The wind blew powdery snow across the lawn. What did Stephan need to say to her? Did he disapprove of something she had done to help Magda?
After they were on the ground, he opened the door to the downstairs part of the carriage house where they sometimes stored carriages and where Ivy held caroling practices.
He struck a match and lit a lantern. “It seems God used some sort of medicine to make a difference today for Magda.”
Holly closed the door, blocking out the cold wind. “Ya. It’s called Methergine.”
“Why did you have to get it from your room? Why didn’t Esther have it?”
“Esther is a fantastic midwife, but legally, because of her limited education and because she doesn’t have the covering of a medical group, she can’t get access to modern medicine for such situations. I’m sure she could get her hands on it, but if she was caught with it, she’d face serious legal trouble. But Julie, as Magda’s health-care provider, prescribed the Methergine, Brandon filled it at Greene’s, and I picked it up, which was perfectly legal.”
He jammed his hands into his coat pockets. “Years ago when I was a teen and living in my parents’ home, my older sister and her husband had their first child. I wasn’t in the room, but I still remember my Mamm’s panic when her bleeding didn’t stop after the delivery. Mamm sent me to the phone shanty to call an ambulance.” He drew a ragged breath. “But we lived far away from everything, so it took a really long time for the ambulance to reach us. My sister could’ve died that day. As it was, she came close. Too close, and she was weak for a couple of months.” He stared at the wall for a moment. “If you had been in our community that day with your knowledge, you would’ve made sure my sister had the medicines she needed. Just like you’ve been doing for Joshua’s Mamm with her diabetes. I can tell she’s better since you’ve been instructing her about medicines and a healthy diet.”
“Denki.” Holly tried to follow what he was saying, but her mind and emotions had absorbed so much today his point seemed blurry. “She’ll never be cured, but we can control it, and she could live to be ninety.”
Was he just reminiscing? Maybe releasing pent-up concerns about Magda?
The bishop closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again. “I’m sorry, Holly. I was blind to your value, but as I sat in that room upstairs, listening and praying, God opened my eyes. I want you to stay on your health-care mission. Our people can rely on you.”
Was this real? Holly couldn’t get her mouth to form words. She blinked back tears.
“You have to promise me, though, that your own babies and husband will always come first.”
The door opened, and Josh stepped in. “I took Magda her food.” He closed the door. “Everything okay?”
Her eyes locked on Josh’s. “More than okay.” As tired as her body was, her heart was overflowing with joy, and she smiled. “Bishop, my husband and babies will always come first. I promise they will.”