The Christmas Quilt (14 page)

Gideon took hold of her hand. “This way.”

He led her to a chair and took a seat beside her across the room. Quietly, he asked, “Are you nervous? Don’t be. It is in God’s hands.” He covered her clenched fingers with his large warm hand.

“I know that whatever happens is His will. I must accept this.”

“I’ve been wearing out my knees praying for you.”

She grinned at that. “Your knees will recover. Prayer is
goot
for you.”

“You are
goot
for me, too. You make me want to be a better man.”

“Can Vera hear us?”

“No, she’s talking to the nurse. Why?”

“About what you said the other day.”

“I’ve said a lot of things.”

“The thing you asked me to think about.” Was he going to make this difficult?

“Oh, that I want to marry you.”

The teasing tone of his words made her relax. “Have you changed your mind?”

“Not in the least. I want it with all my heart.”

She had to be sure. “You wish to marry me even if this surgery fails?”

“Even then. I love you, Rebecca Beachy. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

What was she waiting for? She’d been alone for ten years because she had been afraid he wouldn’t want her with her handicap, afraid she didn’t deserve happiness with him. Now, he was offering her the love she had turned down and regretted for all these years.

She drew a deep breath. “I want you to know that I love you, too, Gideon Troyer.”

“You do?” His shocked surprise made her smile.

From across the room a woman’s voice called out, “Rebecca Beachy, we’re ready for you.”

She loved him!

Gideon was forced to wait quietly as Rebecca was led away when what he wanted to do was throw his arms around her and kiss her breathless.

He’d never been happier. He’d never been more terrified.

Vera sat down beside him. “Your presence has been a great comfort to me, Gideon. I’m glad my father suggested that you come.”

“I’m happy to help. Rebecca has always been dear to me.”

“So I gathered,” she said with a sympathetic smile.

He wanted to share his good news but he knew that would be up to Rebecca. “I want only what is best for her.”

“As do I, but her fate is up to God.” Vera clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and bowed her head.

Gideon knew she was praying. He closed his eyes and did the same.

Fifteen minutes later, the same nurse came to the doorway and spoke to them. “You can come back for a few minutes. The doctor would like to talk to all of you.”

Gideon jumped to his feet to follow her down a short hallway. They entered a darkened room. Rebecca lay on a bed with the sheets drawn up to her chin and a pale blue surgical bonnet covering her hair.

Vera took her hand. “How are you doing?”

“
Goot.
Is Gideon here?”

“
Ja,
I’m right here.” He wanted to hold her in his arms but had to settle for touching her cheek.

As he stood beside Rebecca, the doctor came into the room. “Good morning, Miss Beachy. I’m Dr. Tuva Eriksson. I’ll be doing your surgery today. The surgery itself will take approximately two hours. During that time, I’ll separate your iris, the colored part of your eye, from the lens behind it. Because of your uveitus, your lens is opaque and hardened. I’ll use an ultrasound probe to liquefy the damaged lens and extract it. Then I’ll replace your lens with an acrylic prosthetic lens. Are you with me so far?”

Rebecca nodded. “I understand.”

“Once the surgery is finished, your eyes will be covered
with gauze and special hard eye patches to prevent you from accidentally injuring them. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have you come to my office and we’ll remove the bandages there. Any questions?”

She shook her head. “No. I wanted to thank you for waiving your fee. That was very kind of you.”

“When Dr. Philip White explained that the Amish live without medical insurance and how they collectively pay for the cost of such care when it is needed, I had to help. You must understand this may not be successful, that the damage inside your eye may be too severe to allow vision even with a new lens.”

“I do.”

“All right. I’ve got to go scrub in. You may say goodbye to your family, and the nurse will take you back to the O.R.”

Gideon thanked the doctor and waited as Vera kissed Rebecca’s cheek and left the room. When they were alone, he bent and kissed her lips. “Be brave, my love.”

“I’m so scared.”

“I know. I am, too. But courage is simply fear that has said its prayers.” The nurse came back into the room and he was forced to leave. Out in the waiting room, he prayed as he had never prayed before.

Three hours later, Dr. Eriksson came in with a smile on her face. “It went well, and she is in recovery.”

“Can she see?” Gideon asked.

“We won’t know that until we take her dressings off tomorrow, but I’m hopeful. There was less scarring than I feared. She should be ready to be released in half an hour. Make sure she gets lots of rest. Tomorrow will be a big day for all of us.”

T
he following morning, Gideon called for a cab and waited impatiently outside Rebecca and Vera’s motel room. When the car pulled up, Gideon knocked on Rebecca’s door. It opened almost instantly. He saw Rebecca’s pale face and he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her.

Instead, he said, “The taxi is waiting.”

She merely nodded. Her bottom lip was clenched between her teeth but he saw the tremor she was trying to hide. She was scared. He would be, too, if he were in her shoes. When he helped her into the backseat of the cab, he asked, “Bad night?”

“I didn’t sleep much. My eyes feel as if they are full of sand.”

“The doctor said to expect that.”

“I know, but it doesn’t make it easy to endure.”

Vera came out of the room. “I miss my own bed. I will be glad to get home.”

Gideon moved aside as Vera climbed in, then took a seat beside her. No one said what he knew they were all thinking. In a few minutes, they would know if Rebecca could see.

He thought of all he’d given up to have her reach this
point. He’d given up his business and friends. He’d given up the very thing he loved most besides Rebecca. Flying. If it wasn’t enough, he’d give up his arms and his legs if the Lord asked it of him, if only she could be made whole.

They made the ride to the eye clinic in silence. Looking over at his companions, Gideon saw Vera had her eyes closed, but her lips were moving in silent prayer. He added his own silent pleas for Rebecca’s recovery.

At the clinic they took the elevator to the fourteenth floor but today they didn’t have to wait to see the doctor. As soon as they arrived they were ushered into an exam room. The cheerful nursing staff expressed their well wishes and then Dr. Eriksson walked in.

“Dim the lights, please.”

The nurse by the door lowered the lights. Gideon’s pulse shot up.
Please, God, let her see.

Dr. Eriksson said, “Rebecca, I’m going to take the eye patches off first.”

After the cupped protectors were removed, there were only two small gauze pads taped to Rebecca’s face.

“All right, I’m taking the gauze off now.” The doctor peeled back the strips of tape that held them in place and the dressings fell away.

Rebecca sat with her eyes closed and her hands clenched together in her lap. Her knuckles stood out white against the blue of her dress.

“Open your eyes when you’re ready,” the doctor coaxed.

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.” Gideon dropped to one knee in front of her and took her hand.

She squeezed his fingers. “I’m afraid.”

“We can bear all things by the grace of God.”

“By the grace of God,” she whispered. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes.

Light stabbed into Rebecca’s eyes. She pressed them closed against the foreign sensation. She squinted through one eye. Colors and shapes began to form. Elation made her draw a quick breath.

A woman in a white coat stood in front of her. This must be the doctor through whose hands God had worked a miracle. Her Aunt Vera, looking so much older than she remembered, stood at her side. Her hands were clasped together in front of her mouth. A man dressed in plain clothes knelt before her. Her long-lost love. Gideon Troyer had matured from a boy into a ruggedly handsome man. His face was filled with hope and worry and love.

Everything blurred as tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She began to sob.

Gideon pressed her hands in a tight grip. “It’s all right, love. It’s all right. I’m so sorry. We can bear this together.”

Rebecca blinked to clear her vision. There were tears on Gideon’s cheek, too. Gently, she stretched out her fingers and brushed them away. “Don’t cry.”

Wonder filled his voice. “How do you know I’m crying?”

“I see your tears.”

“You see them? You can see?” Joy bloomed in his eyes. His wonderful, beautiful eyes.

“Yes, I can.”

Overcome, he bowed his head and covered his face with his hands. She looked down in wonder at her dress. “I’m wearing blue. I always thought this dress was dark blue, but it’s not. It’s indigo blue.” She looked at her fingers and down at her shoes as she wiggled them.

She looked up at the nurses standing near the door. They all wore colorful uniforms. “I see red flowers and a rainbow and an eye chart. I see the big
E
. I can see all of the letters, even the small ones. I can see everything.”

Rebecca grasped the hand of Dr. Eriksson. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Smiling, Dr. Eriksson said, “I am happy we have succeeded.”

Vera rushed forward and engulfed Rebecca in a bear hug as the nurses clapped and cheered. Gideon rose and stepped back but he was smiling, too. Finally, Dr. Eriksson called for quiet. “There is someone waiting to hear your news, Rebecca. Let me get him on the phone.”

Rebecca pulled back from her aunt’s embrace to gaze at the face of the woman who’d given her a home for so many years. “
Aenti
Vera, your
kapp
is on crooked.”

“So is yours,” Gideon said, reaching to pull it straight by the ties that hung beside her cheeks. The knuckles of his hands brushed her face in a sweet, soft caress. Quietly he said, “Your
kapp
is on straight. There’s no egg yolk from breakfast on your dress, no dust from the buggy seat on your behind. You look lovely.”

She tipped her head to the side. “Have you said that to me before?”

An odd look flitted across his face and was gone. “I don’t think I have.”

“Funny, I seem to remember someone saying it.”

Dr. Eriksson interrupted her. “Rebecca, I’m putting this caller on speaker phone so everyone can hear.”

“Rebecca? Is that you?” It was her grandfather. In the background she heard the sound of Amish voices singing hymns.

“
Ja, Daadi,
it’s me.”

She waited but he didn’t speak again. Instead, she heard Dr. White. “Quiet, everyone. Quiet, please. Rebecca, many of your family and friends have gathered here in the medical clinic to await your news this morning.”

Her heart turned over with happiness when she realized
how much everyone cared. “Then I won’t keep them in suspense any longer. God has been merciful. I can see.”

The sounds of happy chatter, laughter and praises to God’s goodness filled the air. Rebecca closed her eyes to listen to each voice. She heard Emma’s happy squeal and Sarah’s voice. Even Faith was there along with so many others who called out their well wishes.

Vera moved closer to the phone. “We will be home late tonight, but on Sunday we will see all of you at the preaching at Adrian Lapp’s farm. Bless you for your thoughts and prayers.”

“I will be there,” her grandfather said with a catch in his voice.

Rebecca squeezed her aunt’s hand. “I can’t wait to see each and every one of you. Goodbye for now.”

“God speed you safely home,” her grandfather called out. Dr. Eriksson pushed a button and the phone when silent.

Rebecca rose and turned to Gideon, wobbling slightly as she struggled to keep her balance in her newly sighted world. “I want to go outside. I want to see the sky.”

“Before you go, I want you to take this card.” Dr. Eriksson handed one to Vera and to Rebecca. “I am leaving for Sweden on Christmas Day. Until then, anything that you need, don’t hesitate to call me. If you have any trouble with your vision, I want to know about it. This surgery is in the early experimental stages. There may be side effects we haven’t encountered yet. After I leave, you can contact Dr. Barbara Kennedy. Her number is also on the card. She is familiar with my work, and she will be happy to follow you. The nurse is going to give you some eye drops. I want you to use them exactly as I have prescribed.”

Rebecca accepted the small bottles and listened to the instructions from the nurse. When the woman was finished, Rebecca spoke to the doctor again. “I will take good care of
my eyes, I promise. I don’t have the words to thank you for all you have done.”

“It was my pleasure, Rebecca. I wish you the best of luck in the future.”

Eager to be outside, Rebecca headed for the door with Vera and Gideon right behind her. The second she stepped into the hallway she stopped. The walls and the floor seemed to be rushing at her. She closed her eyes to regain her balance.

Gideon said, “What’s wrong?”

She blew out a hollow breath. “I reckon I need to go slower.”

“Take my arm.” He offered his elbow.

Grateful, she held on to him and they started forward. The rushing sensation became too much; she closed her eyes and followed him trustingly.

When the cold air hit her face she knew they were outside. She opened her eyes and looked up. Steel, glass and concrete towers leaned over her. The tall buildings blocked much of the sky. It was like being at the bottom of a deep well.

Gideon must have sensed her disappointment. “You will see the sky soon enough when we leave the city.”

She glanced at his face, taking in each of his features in turn, his broad forehead and strong brows, his wide blue eyes and handsome lips that she wanted to kiss. Reaching out, she touched a scar in his eyebrow. “I remember when you got this.”

“I fell sliding into home plate at school.”

She touched his chin. “This one I don’t remember.”

He rubbed it. “I got this one from a propeller before I learned to watch where I was walking around planes.”

“You’ve changed so much from what I remember.”

“Have I? You haven’t changed at all.”

“I doubt that. I’m almost afraid to look in a mirror.”

“I still see the prettiest girl in Berlin, Ohio.”

He started walking toward the taxi stand. She closed her eyes and shook her head. “This is hard to get used to.”

“Then keep your eyes closed for a while. I’ll take care of you.”

She squeezed his arm. “I know you will.”

The car ride home was like a trip through a magical wonderland. Rebecca couldn’t get enough of the sights flying past her window. She wanted to see everything, but it wasn’t long before her eyes began to ache and burn. At Gideon’s insistence, she put on her dark glasses and tried to rest.

Like a reluctant toddler, she fought the weariness dragging at her mind and body. Each time she closed her eyes she was afraid her vision would be gone when she opened them again. Finally, she fell asleep as the car headed westward. She dreamed she was flying. She woke in complete darkness and cried out in fear.

“It’s okay.” Gideon spoke softly to her.

She clutched his hand. “Everything has gone black.”

“That’s because it is nighttime.” Gradually, his face came into focus.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Hours. We’re almost home. You’ve been worn out with worry and lack of sleep. I almost didn’t have the heart to wake you, but it’s time for your eye drops.”

She accepted the small vials from his hands, put her head back and blinked at the sting of the liquid hitting her eyes. After wiping away the excess, she glanced at the front seat where Vera dozed, too. “You have taken good care of us, Gideon.”

“I will always take good care of you, Rebecca.” He kissed her forehead.

It wasn’t enough for her. She raised her face to his and drew him close. His kiss, tender and tentative at first, quickly deepened with passion. His firm lips sparked an ardent an
swering need in her that left her breathless. When he pulled away she sensed his reluctance to let her go.

“I love you, Rebecca Beachy,” he whispered in her ear.

“And I you.”

He kissed her once more and she settled against his side, more content than she’d been for ten years. God had been good to her.