The Restoration (3 page)

Shaking her thoughts aside, Priscilla secured Tinker to a fence post and hurried to the house. As she reached out to knock on the door, it opened, and Letty greeted her. “Well, for goodness’ sake, I thought I heard a horse and buggy pull in. Walt said I was hearing things, but my hearing’s just fine. I know the sound of a horse’s whinny.” Letty peered at Priscilla over the top of her plastic-framed glasses. “You’re Davey’s friend Priscilla, aren’t you?”

Priscilla nodded. “I came here to tell you—”

“Davey’s on his way here right now. He called yesterday and said he should arrive sometime this evening.” Letty’s brows furrowed. “Walt and I expected him hours ago.”

Rubbing her arms briskly beneath her woolen shawl, Priscilla said, “I’m sorry to tell you this, but David’s been in an accident.”

Letty gasped. “How did it happen? Has Davey been hurt?”

“What I believe was a deer ran in front of his motorcycle. David lost control and slid off the road. He complained of his head and ribs hurting and said he thought his leg was broken,” Priscilla explained. “I called 911, and he’s been taken to Sarah Bush Hospital.”

“Oh my!” Letty motioned for Priscilla to step inside. “Walt, our Davey’s been in an accident!” she called. “We need to go to the hospital right away!”

A few seconds later, Letty’s husband appeared, wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a matching T-shirt. “I’ll change my clothes and get the car out of the garage.”

“Would it be all right if I go with you?” Priscilla questioned. “David asked if I’d come, and I’d like to know how he’s doing.”

Letty gave Priscilla’s arm a gentle pat. “Of course you can come. Walt can put your horse in our barn.”

“Thank you.” Priscilla hesitated. “May I use your phone? I’ll need to leave my folks a message so they know where I am and don’t worry.”

“Not a problem.” Letty pointed to the kitchen. “The phone’s in there.”

“I wonder why Priscilla isn’t home yet.” Iva glanced at the grandfather clock her husband had given her as a wedding present thirty-four years ago. “It’s ten thirty. I would think she would have been here by now.”

Daniel set his book aside and clasped Iva’s hand. “Try not to worry. With the way the weather is tonight, Priscilla may have decided to spend the night at Elaine’s.”

“That makes sense. I’d better go out to the phone shack and see if she left us a message. If she decided to stay over, I’m sure she would have called.”

Daniel stood. “I’ll do it. There’s no need for you to go out in the cold.”

“Danki, Daniel.” Iva smiled as he put on his jacket and went out the door. Her husband had always been considerate of her needs, and she appreciated his thoughtfulness. She hoped Priscilla would find a man like her father. Elam Gingerich seemed nice enough, but Iva wasn’t sure how committed he was to her daughter. He’d hung out with Priscilla since they were teenagers and had been courting her for well over a year with no mention of marriage.

Iva thought about her married sons, Alan, Edward, James, and Thomas, with just two years between them. They’d all fallen in love with lovely young women and proposed marriage after the first year of courting.
Guess I shouldn’t worry about Priscilla and Elam’s relationship
, Iva told herself.
Priscilla hasn’t said much about it to me, so perhaps she’s content with the way things are right now. One of these days Elam might surprise us all and pop the question.

Iva clasped her hands behind her neck and rubbed the knotted muscles. Her neck had been hurting most of the day. If it didn’t let up soon, she would make an appointment with Priscilla’s friend, Leah, for a reflexology treatment. The last time Iva’s back acted up, Leah had been able to relieve the pain. Hopefully, she’d be able to work out the kinks in Iva’s neck as well. With Christmas a few weeks away and so much baking and cleaning to do yet, Iva would be in better shape if she were free of pain.

When Daniel returned to the house, his expression was grim.

“What’s wrong?” Iva asked, seeing the look of distress on her husband’s bearded face. “You look
umgerennt.
”

“I’m not upset as much as concerned.” He removed his jacket and took a seat in the recliner across from Iva. “Our daughter left a message, but it wasn’t about spending the night with Elaine.”

Iva tipped her head. “What was it then?”

“Priscilla is at the hospital with David Morgan’s grandparents. Apparently he was injured when he fell off his motorcycle. Priscilla witnessed the accident on her way home from Elaine’s.”

Iva’s hands went straight to her mouth. “
Ach
, my! Is David badly hurt?”

“Priscilla didn’t say. Just said she was heading to the hospital with Walt and Letty and would fill us in on the details when she gets home.”

Mattoon, Illinois

At the hospital, Priscilla paced nervously as she waited for a report on David’s condition.

His parents will probably come as soon as they hear the news.
Priscilla thought about David’s father, a veterinarian. He and his wife lived in Chicago. From what David had said, his dad expected him to follow in his footsteps. It was the reason David had gone to college and would eventually attend a veterinary school.

I’ll bet his grandparents have missed him
, Priscilla thought, glancing at Walt and Letty sitting across from her with anxious expressions. Walt had called David’s folks to notify them of the accident and then returned to the waiting room to sit beside his wife.

“Had to leave them a message,” Walt grumbled. “As usual, our son, Robert, didn’t answer his phone.”

Priscilla figured David might be on Christmas break and had come to Arthur to spend the holiday with his grandparents. Perhaps his parents would be joining them. Since David was an only child, surely they wouldn’t spend the holiday alone.

The ride to the hospital had been slow. With the icy roads, Priscilla was thankful David’s grandfather had driven cautiously. His grandparents were probably more concerned for David’s welfare than even she was. Broken bones could heal. What worried Priscilla the most was his head injury. If he’d been wearing a helmet, he would have been better protected. She hoped none of his injuries were serious.

“Sure wish we’d hear something.” Letty fidgeted in her chair. “I can’t stand sitting here doing nothing, not knowing how Davey is doing.”

“I don’t like waiting, either.” Walt patted her hand. “There’s not much we can do except try to be patient and pray for David.”

“I’ve been praying for him, too,” Priscilla said.

Letty offered her a weak smile. “It was nice of you to come along, and we appreciate the added prayers.”

A nurse entered the waiting room and walked over to Letty and Walt. “The doctor’s with your grandson now. He’s been asking for you.”

David’s grandparents rose from their chairs. “One of us will come back and tell you how David is doing as soon as we’ve talked to the doctor,” Letty said to Priscilla.

She nodded slowly and closed her eyes in prayer as Letty and Walt left the room.

G
ram… Gramps… I’m sure glad you’re here.” David was relieved to see his grandparents beside his bed. “Where’s Priscilla? Didn’t she come with you?”

“She’s in the waiting room,” Gram said. “The doctor explained what your injuries are, and we wanted to see you first, before Priscilla comes in.”

“So let me have it. Am I gonna be okay?”

“Of course you are.” Gramps moved closer to David’s bed. “Your left leg is broken, along with a couple of ribs.”

“You also have a mild concussion.” Gram took David’s hand. “We’re thankful you weren’t hurt any worse. When you called to let us know you were coming, we thought you’d be driving your car. Riding a motorcycle in this kind of weather is dangerous, Davey.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s a good thing Priscilla came along when she did.” David glanced toward the door. “Will you ask her to come in?”

“In a minute.” Gramps’s forehead creased as he took a seat in the chair beside David’s bed. “I need to talk to you about something.”

Here it comes. I bet they’ve already called my folks and told ’em I’ve been in an accident.

Gramps leaned closer to David. “I called your dad to let him and your mom know you’d been injured, but got no answer so I had to leave a message.” He glanced at Gram, seated on the other side of David’s bed. “I’m sure as soon as your folks get the message they’ll come.”

David grimaced. “Can we talk about this later? I’m tired, and I’d like to talk to Priscilla before I conk out.”

“Certainly. I’ll go get her.” Gram rose from her chair. “Are you coming, Walt?” She leaned over and kissed David’s forehead before heading for the door.

“Yeah, sure. We’ll talk to you later, David.” Gramps got up and followed her out of the room.

Struggling to keep his eyes open, David kept his focus on the door, waiting for Priscilla to show up. She was the one person who would understand his reason for leaving Chicago. She’d always been supportive of his decisions. He remembered how after he’d decided to go to college, Priscilla had encouraged him, saying she thought he was smart and would do well academically. If she’d approved of him going, surely she would support his decision to drop out.
Or will she think I’m a failure?

Yawning, David glanced around the room in an effort to stay awake.
How far down the hall am I?
he wondered. The room was spotless and actually smelled clean. Looking through the slats of the open window blinds, he saw in the glow of lights that it was still snowing. Hopefully, by the time his grandparents and Priscilla left, the weather would improve.

Reliving the accident and how fast it had happened, David was glad it hadn’t been any worse. Although he wished it hadn’t happened at all.

While he waited for Priscilla, David picked up the TV remote and surfed through the channels. He stopped when he caught the tail end of a local news channel, reporting on his motorcycle accident.

When the door opened and Priscilla stepped in, David smiled, despite the throbbing in his head, ribs, and leg. Dark hair, ebony eyes, and a slightly turned-up nose—she was as beautiful as he remembered. Quickly, he turned off the TV.

“How are you feeling?” Priscilla crossed over to his bed.

“Much better since you’re here.”

Priscilla’s cheeks flushed, making her dimples more pronounced. “I’ve been worried about you. Your grandmother explained the extent of your injuries. While I’m sure you’re in pain, I’m just glad they aren’t worse.”

“Same here. What about my cycle? Did it get banged up pretty bad?” He made no mention of the news report he’d seen briefly.

She shrugged. “I don’t know, David. When the sheriff showed up at the scene of the accident, he said he would make sure your bike was picked up.”

“Guess I’ll ask Gramps to check on things for me in the morning, ’cause it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting out of the hospital till the doctor gives the okay.” David gestured to the chair on the right side of his bed. “Why don’t you take a seat?”

“You know, David, you’ve been through a lot tonight, and I’m sure you’re tired, so I’d better not stay too long.”

“They gave me something for the pain, and I can’t promise I won’t fall asleep, but you’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

Priscilla pulled the chair closer to his bed and sat down. “Before the EMTs showed up, you were about to tell me what brought you back to Arthur. Is it to spend Christmas with your grandparents?”

“Partly, but the main the reason I came is to see if I’d fit in.”

She tilted her head in his direction. “I don’t understand.”

“Fit in… Amish way of…” David’s tongue felt thick, as his eyelids grew heavy. The last thing he remembered before succumbing to sleep was the curious expression on Priscilla’s face.