The phone rang as Kyle Miller was rushing out the door. He didn’t recognize the number. Probably a telemarketer, but just in case it was work related, he hit the answer button, tucked the phone between his ear and shoulder, and shoved one arm into his coat before saying, “Hello.”
Slamming the door shut behind him by hooking it with one foot, he repeated his greeting. Definitely an automated call. He should hang up now, but he was busy shrugging his other arm into the sleeve. If traffic was heavy, he was going to be late. He sighed loudly.
A voice on the other end quavered. “Kyle?”
It sounded like a human, but some of those telemarketing firms managed to make their robocalls sound real. “Yes?” he answered cautiously. He wasn’t interested in a time share or a free cruise or…
“Kyle, it’s Dr. Hess. I have a question for you.”
Dr. Hess? Name doesn’t sound familiar. Not one of the doctors I work with at the hospital.
“Yes?” he said again as he clicked open his car door and slid into the seat.
“I’m not sure if you remember me, but you and your brother used to visit my office. And I took care of your parents when…”
The words hit Kyle like a fast, hard gut punch. He froze with his hand on the car door but couldn’t move to close it. Old memories came flooding back. Memories he’d pushed below the surface. Memories he’d hoped never to dredge up again.
His “I remember” came out shakily. Why would the doctor be calling him? Had something happened to his brother? He hadn’t spoken to Caleb in years. A flood of guilt hit him. If Caleb had been hurt or was dying, could he go back and face him? And what about the twins and…and Emma. No, he never wanted to see Emma again.
“Is everything all right? Has something happened to Caleb or—?”
“No, no, I didn’t mean to alarm you. This isn’t a medical emergency. Well, it is in a way. But it’s my own emergency.”
It dawned on Kyle that he’d been sitting there unmoving. He’d forgotten all about being late for his shift. He yanked the car door shut and started the engine. Flicking the phone button on the steering wheel with one hand, he pocketed the phone with his other, then yanked the gear shift into reverse to back out.
“I have some friends at the hospital who’ve been keeping tabs on you,” Dr. Hess continued. “They’ve been telling me you’ll go far in the field.”
“Thanks.” Although if he were honest, the thought of someone checking up on him gave him an uncomfortable feeling. Had Caleb asked their old family doctor to spy?
Kyle whipped his car into traffic and pressed his foot on the accelerator to shoot around a slow-moving truck. The minute he did, old memories haunted him. One memory in particular he wished he could erase. Speeding had destroyed his life and cost him everything he’d always wanted. He lifted his foot and let the car glide to a safer speed while Dr. Hess prattled on about his retirement dreams.
Biting back a sigh, Kyle tuned out the old man’s words as he maneuvered through heavy rush hour traffic. He regretted not grabbing a cup of coffee to wake him up, because the drone of Dr. Hess’s words was lulling him to sleep. Surely, the doctor hadn’t called a relative stranger to discuss his future plans. Kyle wished Dr. Hess would get to the point.
“So I considered shutting down the practice, but I’m one of the few doctors in the Lancaster area who still makes house calls. People have come to expect it. That’s where you come in.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. Seems to me you’ll be needing a place to work now that you’re done with your residency. I’d be happy to turn my practice over to you if you’d help me out for the next year or two. I’d like to cut back to part-time hours.”
Kyle slammed on the brakes before he ran a red light. “Take over your practice?”
“Yes, I thought Esther and I could move to the retirement village she’s been talking about. You could live in the house so you’d have the office right there.”
Kyle pictured the huge old farmhouse set on a country road with the office attached to one side. It was a far cry from his future aspirations, which included working at a major medical center in a large city. Country life wasn’t for him.
“It’s a great offer,” he said, planning to let his old family doctor down gently. “I’ll, umm…”
“Esther and I prayed about it, and we both felt led to give the practice to you.”
“Give?” Kyle said faintly.
“Yes, give. We have plenty of money to buy a home in the retirement village and live comfortably. With no children of our own, we thought it would be nice to help another young doctor starting out. The mortgage is paid off, and you’d only be responsible for the bills once I leave the practice.”
Kyle pulled into a parking space at the hospital. The man is giving away his practice and his home? “That’s a mighty generous offer. I, umm, need to get in to work now. If I don’t, I’ll be late. But I’ll think about it.”
“Don’t just think. Pray about it.”
Kyle choked back the negative retort that sprang to his lips. You wouldn’t catch him praying. “Um, yes. I have to go, but I’ll let you know my decision.” He said a hasty good-bye and ran for the staff entrance.
Having just completed his residency and still drowning in med school debt, the offer was tempting. And it would allow him to repay another huge debt. A debt that had haunted him for years. An unpaid debt to an Amish community.
But it would mean returning to a place he’d left years ago and to which he’d vowed never to return. A place where he’d have to face all the demons of his past.
* * *
Leah waited for Dr. Hess to get off the phone. Usually his wife, Esther, acted as receptionist, but the doctor was sitting in the outer office, which meant Leah couldn’t help overhearing his conversation.
“You’re finally getting some assistance?” she asked when he hung up.
Dr. Hess laughed. “Esther convinced me it’s time to retire, but I can’t go until I’m sure I have a good replacement who will do everything I do.”
“Someone like that may be hard to find.”
“True, but I’m hoping to convince a recent med school graduate to move back to the area. He grew up around here, and his mother—” Dr. Hess ran a hand through his silver hair. “Esther tells me I ramble too much, and she’s right.” He leaned forward, all attention on her. “What do you need today, Leah?”
“I have an expectant mother I’m worried about, but she refuses to come to the office. She says she can’t leave the children. I suspect it’s money.” Leah held out some ten-dollar bills.
Dr. Hess waved them away. “I have more than enough money. I can certainly afford to do some free visits.”
“Yes, but—”
The doctor interrupted her. “What’s her name and address?”
Leah gave him the information and tried once again to give him the money, but the doctor refused it.
He rose and picked up his medical bag. “I’ll head over there now.”
“Thank you so much. I’m praying for a healthy delivery for her.” Leah followed him to the door and out to the parking lot. “I must admit I’m curious about this new doctor. You said he was from the area?” As a midwife, she’d have to work closely with him.
Dr. Hess stopped beside his car. “His name’s Kyle Miller.”
Leah gasped. “Caleb Miller’s brother?”
With a quick nod, Dr. Hess slipped into the driver’s seat. “I’m hoping everyone can let bygones be bygones.”
The Amish community had forgiven Kyle, but having him back in their midst as a doctor might dredge up old hurts. And for Leah, it meant confronting a secret she thought would stay hidden. A secret she’d concealed for years.