A Place of Peace (34 page)

“I can’t even imagine.” Timothy shook his head with sympathy. “Have you heard any news on the operation?”

“Just that she’s gone into surgery. Nothing more.” Aaron sighed. “It’s going to be a long night.”

“Ya.”
Hannah rubbed Aaron’s arm. “We’re glad you’re here, Timothy. Miriam needs someone she can lean on. Did you come alone?”

Timothy nodded.
“Ya.
It’s just me. I hope that’s okay.”

“It’s perfect.” Hannah smiled.

Timothy glanced at Miriam and noticed her cheeks were blushing a bright pink while she gave her sister a horrified look. He wondered what he’d missed.

“Would either of you like a drink?” Timothy offered. “Miriam and I were going to go for a walk and check out the soda machines.”

“No,
danki.”
Aaron glanced at Hannah. “Did you want anything?”

“No, but thank you.” Hannah yawned. “I think I may try to close my eyes for a bit. It’s going to be quite a while before she gets out of surgery, and I need my strength.” She smiled at her husband. “I hope you like being a pillow.”

Aaron lowered himself back onto the sofa. “That’s my job,
ya
?”

Timothy hoped he could joke that way with Miriam sometime in the near future.

“We’ll be back,” Miriam said, placing her hand on Timothy’s arm. “You two just relax.” She led him out to the hallway. “I spotted a vending machine area down here earlier. We can see what’s there. If there’s nothing you like, then we can go to the cafeteria. It’s not too far.”

“I’m not picky. I’m sure whatever is in the vending room is just fine.” He enjoyed the sensation of her hand on his arm while they walked together down the hallway.

He wished he could sense her thoughts. He longed to tell her Naomi had broken the engagement and insisted he belonged with Miriam instead of her. He had to tell her the truth and soon. He didn’t want Miriam to think he was being unfaithful to Naomi.

They stepped into the vending room, and Miriam stood in front of the Coke machine.

“Would you like a Coke?” She pulled a small change purse from the pocket inside of her apron.

He fished out his wallet from his pocket. “I have money.”

“It’s okay,” she said, dropping quarters into the machine. “I got it.” She put in the required amount and then pushed the button.

The machine rattled and then spat out a plastic bottle of Coke. When she handed it to him, her fingers brushed his, and a spark ignited the air around them. He wondered if she’d felt it too. Her eyes widened for a split second, giving him the notion that she had.

She turned back to the machine, slipped in the quarters, and then chose a Diet Coke for herself. She retrieved it from the slot at the bottom and then nodded toward a small table in the corner. “Shall we have a seat?”

He followed her to the table. “How are your legs?” he asked as they sat across from each other. “You took quite a fall at Sarah Rose’s wedding.”

“They’re better.” A little bit of a blush stained her cheeks. “They were just a little scraped up and bruised, but they’re healing pretty well.
Danki
for asking.”

“How are you holding up through all this?”

She shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I’m worried sick about Lena Joy, but I’m trying not to think about it. The surgery is very risky. There could be many complications.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she took a long drink of soda.

He touched her hand, which was warm and soft. “I truly believe Lena Joy will be just fine. In fact, she’ll be better than fine. She’ll come through this strong and healthier than ever.”

Miriam squeezed his hand and smiled.
“Danki.
I appreciate your faith.”

“It’s the truth.”

She released his hand and took another sip. “You have the most astounding faith. I always admired that quality in you.”

“You did?” He raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “I thought you once said I was moodier than the weather.”

She laughed, and it was sweet music to his ears, like his favorite hymn. “Ya, you are the moodiest person I know, but you also are the most faithful. The faith outshines the moods.”

He grinned. “That’s good to know.” He felt a surge of confidence in her feelings for him. “What else do you admire about me?”

Her cheeks flushed again. “Oh, there are many things —your sense of humor, your laugh, your carpentry skills, your heart.” Her eyes were intense and locked on his. “What about you? What do you admire about me?”

“Everything,” he said.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, much like they had when they spoke last week at the wedding. Again, he wished he could read her thoughts.

A young boy skipped into the room and stood in front of the candy machine, studying the selections before choosing a chocolate bar. When he left, the intense moment between Timothy and Miriam had evaporated. Her eyes were casual again while she sipped her drink.

“How do you think Hannah and Aaron are doing?” he asked, hoping to keep the conversation going.

Miriam shook her head and frowned. “It’s difficult to say. We went down to the cafeteria earlier and ate. We talked quite a bit. When we came back up to the waiting room, they seemed to need to be alone. I walked over to the window to give them some privacy. Hannah said she wanted me here to give her strength, and I hope I’m giving her all the support she needs.”

“I think just being here gives her strength. You really don’t need to do or say anything in particular.”

“I’ll do my best, but it’s not easy.” Tears filled her eyes. “I can’t imagine how we’d make it if something bad happened to Lena Joy. It would be a nightmare.”

He squeezed her hand. “Don’t think about that. God will see her through this. I just know it.” It warmed his heart seeing how much she loved her niece. She would be a wonderful mother.

“Danki.”
Her lips formed a sweet, genuine smile, and his pulse raced. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too,” he said. He took a deep breath. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Oh?” she asked, her eyes full of curiosity.

“Naomi broke up with me today.”

“She what?” Miriam looked confused. “What do you mean? You’re engaged.”

“We
were
engaged. Today she saw how concerned I was about you when I found out about the transplant, and she said she had to let me go. She said it was obvious I wanted to be here with you, and it wasn’t God’s will for her to marry me.”

Miriam studied his expression. “She did?”

“Ya, she did.” He contemplated her eyes in return, again wishing he could read her thoughts. “What about you and Zach?”

“What about us?” Miriam gave him a confused expression.

“Aren’t you courting him?”

“No, I’ve never courted him. We’ve always been good friends. He’s courting my sister, but they’re trying to keep it a secret.”

He let out a sigh of relief. “Really? I was certain you were courting him.”

“No.” She waved him off. “We’ve never been more than friends—ever. In fact, Lilly has always been in love with him, which is why she was jealous of me and determined to break up you and me. It made her crazy that he was close friends with me and never showed any interest in her.”

He ran his fingers over the cool bottle of Coke. “Lilly apologized to me about a month ago. I went to see you after she told me the story, but your
aenti
told me you were out with Zach. She said I needed to be with Naomi because you were with Zach.”

“No!” Miriam cupped her hand to her mouth.
“Aenti
Edna told you that?”

He nodded. “I asked her not to tell you I’d visited you because I didn’t want to interfere with you and Zach.”

Frowning, Miriam shook her head. “She had it all wrong. I was never seeing Zach. In fact, the last time I had supper with him, I encouraged him to see Lilly. I told him I only wanted to be his friend.”

Timothy shook his head in disbelief. How could he have had it all so very wrong? He stared into Miriam’s eyes until she glanced at the clock on the wall.

“We better head back and check on them,” she said, standing.

M
iriam longed to take Timothy’s hand in hers while they walked back to the waiting room. Her mind whirled with questions and a storm of emotions.

Timothy and Naomi had broken up.

Naomi encouraged Timothy to come and be with Miriam.

What did it all mean? Did Timothy want to be with Miriam?

The questions echoed in her mind when they approached Hannah and Aaron. She pushed the confusing questions aside and focused on her sister and brother-in-law. She needed to concentrate on being their support and not on her jumbled feelings for Timothy.

As Hannah had predicted, she’d fallen asleep, leaning against her husband.

Miriam mouthed the words, “Do you need anything?”

Smiling, Aaron shook his head.

Timothy took Miriam’s arm and nodded toward a sofa on the other side of the waiting room near a television displaying the nightly news. He led her to it, and they sat together on the small sofa.

He looped his arm around her shoulder, and she sucked in a breath at the feeling of his body heat mixing with hers. She wondered if he enjoyed being close to her as much as she did. She squelched the urge to lean into his side and enjoy the feel of his muscular torso.

Instead, she kept a fraction of an inch between their bodies and stared at the television. Although television was forbidden by the bishop, she knew the circumstance would allow it.

Miriam stared at the screen, but the news anchor’s words didn’t reach her ears. She was deep in thought, wondering what Timothy was feeling as he watched the newscast. Was he thinking of her or was he interested in the latest developments in the surrounding geographical area?

An hour wore on, and she found herself leaning into Timothy’s chest while he rubbed her arm with the hand looped over her shoulder. Being close to him felt so natural and so right. Did he feel the same way?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Aaron standing in front of the television set. “I just talked to the nurse. Lena Joy is doing well. They’ve removed her liver and are beginning to transplant the new one.”

“Praise God!” Miriam hopped up. “How’s Hannah?”

“Doing fine.” Aaron smiled. “She’s on the phone with Lilly. I’m going to call my parents after she’s done. We’ve got to update everyone.”

Timothy stood and patted Aaron’s arm. “I’m so glad it’s going well. Do you need anything? A snack or a drink?”

“I think we may make a trip down to the cafeteria when we’re done with the phone calls.
Danki.”
Aaron crossed the waiting room to Hannah.

Miriam squeezed Timothy’s arm. “I think she’s going to do fine. I just feel it in my soul.”

“Ya, me too. Do you want to go for a walk?” He pushed a lock of hair back from her face, and the warmth of his touch tingled in the pit of her belly.

She nodded. “That would be nice instead of watching television.”

He took her hand, and her heart leapt in her chest. They walked around the hospital for nearly an hour, and he talked about work, telling her about the projects he’d been creating and how busy the shop had been so far this fall.

When they returned to the waiting room, they sat with Hannah and Aaron and made idle conversation about people they knew.

After a while, Hannah and Aaron headed to the cafeteria to get a snack, and Miriam and Timothy sat by the television, waiting for news on Lena Joy.

When Aaron and Hannah returned, Miriam and Timothy went down to the cafeteria and ate a snack. They returned to the waiting room and found Hannah on the cell phone.

Miriam rushed over to Aaron. “Did you get news?”

He nodded, tears filling his dark eyes. “The transplant is almost complete. They’re almost finished hooking up the new liver.”

Miriam cupped her hand to her mouth.

“Praise God!” Timothy said. “Everything is going well?”

Aaron wiped a tear from his eye. “It looks
gut.”

Hannah snapped the phone shut and rushed over to Miriam, hugging her. “It’s almost complete, Miriam! My baby is going to have a new liver.”

“I’m so
froh.”
Miriam held her sister as she cried. “God is
gut.”

“Ya,
He is,” Hannah said. “I can’t wait to see her. These last couple of hours are going to be torture.”

“We’ll get through it.” Aaron pulled Hannah into a hug. “We’ll see her soon.”

Miriam glanced up at Timothy and smiled. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me too.” He touched her cheek, and she thought she might melt at the tenderness of the gesture.

Why is he truly here?

Does he still love me?

Could there be a chance that we get together again—maybe forever this time?

The questions continued to tease her while they sat in front of the television for the next couple of hours. Tedious situational comedies droned on from the flat screen, but Miriam hardly noticed.

She was deep in thought, alternating between prayers for Lena Joy and thoughts of Timothy. She was determined to crack the riddle of Timothy Kauffman, who sat beside her, holding her hand and rubbing her arm. He seemed to be more than a friend, but she was perplexed by his behavior. Were they starting over as a couple or did he just want to be friends?

As the hour wore on, Miriam found herself yawning.

“You can take a nap,” Timothy whispered in her ear, the tickle of his voice in her ear sending chills down her spine. “Just use me as a pillow, like Aaron said to Hannah earlier.”

She tilted her head, enjoying his deep blue eyes. “You certain?”

He ran his fingertip down her cheekbone, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the touch. “I don’t mind at all,” he said. “Close your eyes, so you’re refreshed when it’s time to visit the patient with her new liver.”

She smiled. “Okay.” Leaning into him, she inhaled his musky scent, losing herself in sweet memories of their past. She longed to relive the taste of his kisses.

The reality of the situation roused her from her fantasies. Timothy Kauffman was no longer her boyfriend. Years had passed since the treasured days of their courtship. But she couldn’t help but wonder where she stood in his heart now. Being with him felt so natural.