A Time for Peace Read Online Free Page A
and then she took a deep breath and looked in on Mary. Sure enough, Annie was tucked up fast asleep in Mary's bed.
"She wanted to sleep in here," Mary whispered. "I told her I thought it would be okay."
"Sweet girl. Thank you." Hannah bent to kiss Mary's cheek. "See you in the morning."
" Mamm? You're sure Phoebe will be back tomorrow?"
No matter how many times one of the children called her mother, she got a funny little pang in her heart.
"That's what I was told," she said carefully.
She sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to jar the mattress and wake Annie. Reaching over, she took Mary's hand.
Looking down, she saw how small Mary's hand was in hers. Mary was nearly twelve now. She'd grown but was still more finely boned than Joshua. Like her brother and sister, she had big blue eyes that were regarding Jenny with too much seriousness right now.
"Did what happened today make you think about your mamm?"
When Mary nodded, she squeezed her hand. The children had lost their mother at such a young age to cancer.
"It made me think about my mom and my dad, too," Jenny told her. "I don't want to lose someone else, not for a very long time. We're just going to have to trust that God will send Phoebe back with us soon."
She released Mary's hand and pulled the quilt up to cover both girls. "See you in the morning."
Matthew was standing in the hall when Jenny came out. "I just checked on Joshua. He's asleep."
He took her hand and drew her down the hall, down the stairs, into the kitchen. A pot of tea sat in the middle of the table, steaming and sending out the scent of chamomile. Her favorite.
She smiled at him. "Thank you."
They sat down and Jenny enjoyed a cup of tea while her husband ate his dinner. It was quiet, so quiet.
"There's some pie."
He grinned at her, his eyes lighting up. "I never turn down pie. You know that."
"I know." She went to get it but when she reached into the refrigerator, her hand shook as she touched the pie plate.
"No," she said, bringing it to the table.
"There's enough for both of us," he said with satisfaction.
Jenny's bottom lip trembled. "Phoebe baked the pie."
"Yes," Matthew said slowly, watching her steadily.
She looked at him with eyes brimming with tears. "What if it's the last one she makes?"
Jenny came awake with a snap.
She lay there, wondering what had awakened her. Matthew slept beside her, his arm wrapped around her. She listened, wondering if a child had cried out with a bad dream, but the house was quiet. No one needed Mamm to reassure them that the bad dream wasn't real. Or even that Phoebe would be back tomorrow.
Closing her eyes, she tried to will herself back to sleep. It had been a long and stressful day. Tomorrow would be here soon. Well, tomorrow was today now, she noted after a glance at the clock on the bedside table. She wanted to be up bright and early to go get Phoebe.
She pulled the quilt covering the bed up over her. Hannah and her friends had made it for her and Matthew and it was so special to her.
But as she touched the quilt, she thought of another one and wondered what would have happened, what her life might have been like, if her grandmother hadn't sent that quilt to the hospital where Jenny lay wounded. On the verge of sleep, she hoped that Phoebe was resting comfortably, that she wasn't lying there feeling scared or lonely or in pain like she'd been that day.
" You have a package," the nurse had said, placing it on the table beside Jenny's bed.
" Help—help me open it?"
" Sure, honey."
The nurse had lifted out a quilt and stroked it. "Oh, look what we have here," she murmured. "Isn't it lovely? I can't imagine how much work went into this."
Jenny watched the woman unfold it and spread it over her hospital blanket.
"There must be a card in here," the nurse said, searching through the tissue in the box. "Here, I found it."
She handed the card to Jenny. But no matter how much Jenny tried to read the writing, the lines
"She wanted to sleep in here," Mary whispered. "I told her I thought it would be okay."
"Sweet girl. Thank you." Hannah bent to kiss Mary's cheek. "See you in the morning."
" Mamm? You're sure Phoebe will be back tomorrow?"
No matter how many times one of the children called her mother, she got a funny little pang in her heart.
"That's what I was told," she said carefully.
She sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to jar the mattress and wake Annie. Reaching over, she took Mary's hand.
Looking down, she saw how small Mary's hand was in hers. Mary was nearly twelve now. She'd grown but was still more finely boned than Joshua. Like her brother and sister, she had big blue eyes that were regarding Jenny with too much seriousness right now.
"Did what happened today make you think about your mamm?"
When Mary nodded, she squeezed her hand. The children had lost their mother at such a young age to cancer.
"It made me think about my mom and my dad, too," Jenny told her. "I don't want to lose someone else, not for a very long time. We're just going to have to trust that God will send Phoebe back with us soon."
She released Mary's hand and pulled the quilt up to cover both girls. "See you in the morning."
Matthew was standing in the hall when Jenny came out. "I just checked on Joshua. He's asleep."
He took her hand and drew her down the hall, down the stairs, into the kitchen. A pot of tea sat in the middle of the table, steaming and sending out the scent of chamomile. Her favorite.
She smiled at him. "Thank you."
They sat down and Jenny enjoyed a cup of tea while her husband ate his dinner. It was quiet, so quiet.
"There's some pie."
He grinned at her, his eyes lighting up. "I never turn down pie. You know that."
"I know." She went to get it but when she reached into the refrigerator, her hand shook as she touched the pie plate.
"No," she said, bringing it to the table.
"There's enough for both of us," he said with satisfaction.
Jenny's bottom lip trembled. "Phoebe baked the pie."
"Yes," Matthew said slowly, watching her steadily.
She looked at him with eyes brimming with tears. "What if it's the last one she makes?"
Jenny came awake with a snap.
She lay there, wondering what had awakened her. Matthew slept beside her, his arm wrapped around her. She listened, wondering if a child had cried out with a bad dream, but the house was quiet. No one needed Mamm to reassure them that the bad dream wasn't real. Or even that Phoebe would be back tomorrow.
Closing her eyes, she tried to will herself back to sleep. It had been a long and stressful day. Tomorrow would be here soon. Well, tomorrow was today now, she noted after a glance at the clock on the bedside table. She wanted to be up bright and early to go get Phoebe.
She pulled the quilt covering the bed up over her. Hannah and her friends had made it for her and Matthew and it was so special to her.
But as she touched the quilt, she thought of another one and wondered what would have happened, what her life might have been like, if her grandmother hadn't sent that quilt to the hospital where Jenny lay wounded. On the verge of sleep, she hoped that Phoebe was resting comfortably, that she wasn't lying there feeling scared or lonely or in pain like she'd been that day.
" You have a package," the nurse had said, placing it on the table beside Jenny's bed.
" Help—help me open it?"
" Sure, honey."
The nurse had lifted out a quilt and stroked it. "Oh, look what we have here," she murmured. "Isn't it lovely? I can't imagine how much work went into this."
Jenny watched the woman unfold it and spread it over her hospital blanket.
"There must be a card in here," the nurse said, searching through the tissue in the box. "Here, I found it."
She handed the card to Jenny. But no matter how much Jenny tried to read the writing, the lines
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