Her Amish Christmas Sweetheart. Rebecca Kertz
Meg! He drew a deep breath and swam underwater until he was by her side. He reached out a hand, grabbed her arm and gently tugged. His heart thundered with gratitude as he was able to pull her legs from under the buggy. Please, Lord, let her be well. He continued to silently pray for her.
Finally, he had her close, and he raised her head above the water as he swam with her to the shallows, where he could stand. Then he swung her up into his arms and cradled her against his chest as he carried her to land.
Emotion lurched within his chest as he tenderly brushed back wet strands of dark hair from her unusually pale face. He set her gently on the ground close to Reuben. Please, Father, help me help her. I’ll leave her alone. I’ll move on with my life. Please just let her live!
He knelt beside Meg. When he saw that she wasn’t breathing, his blood ran cold. Peter turned her onto her belly, then pressed down on her back several times in a steady rhythm. When she didn’t respond, he turned her over again, tilted her head back and bent to give her mouth-to-mouth. Her lips were soft but cold. As he drew breath, then blew air into her lungs, he felt his fear escalate, but he remained focused as he worked to save her life. He stopped the breaths to press his hands below her sternum a few times, then continued mouth-to-mouth. He prayed he was doing correctly what he’d learned from a first-aid course.
Meg sputtered and gagged. Dizzy with relief, Peter quickly turned her over yet again, and with his arm beneath her shoulders, held her up as she vomited water. Tears filled his eyes as she coughed, then took several rough, gasping breaths. He waited until she quieted, then eased her onto her back. When he saw that she was breathing normally again, he offered up a silent prayer of thanks. Then he moved to check on Reuben.
“Reuben, I’m going to get help. Meg is right here next to you.”
The man groaned.
“Reuben, do you understand? Meg is oll recht.” He hoped and prayed it was true.
When Reuben didn’t answer, Peter raced up to the road. As a vehicle approached, he waved his arms and shouted, but the driver zipped by. This section of road was dark and lonely, and he feared he’d be unable to get Meg and Reuben the medical attention they needed. He caught sight of another car. This time he ran into the road to flag it down, and prayed the driver would stop in time to avoid hitting him.
The car slowed. Peter moved off the road as the vehicle pulled next to him, and someone rolled down the passenger window. It was a middle-aged couple, the man in the driver’s seat.
“Do you need help?” the woman asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Do you have a phone?” When she said she did, he asked, “Would you call for medical assistance? There’s been an accident. My friends—they’re down by the creek.”
The man parked his car while the woman dialed emergency services. Peter paced, anxious to get Meg and Reuben the help they needed.
Meg’s near drowning had flattened him. He’d managed to save her, but what if she’d been underwater too long? He wanted her to be all right. He loved her. He closed his eyes and sent up another prayer.
The woman stepped out of the car, drawing his attention. “An ambulance is on its way.”
“Thank you,” Peter said.
Within minutes, the ambulance arrived, and he watched helplessly as the paramedics rushed toward the creek. He saw them examine Reuben and Meg before carefully lifting Meg onto a stretcher. The EMTs carried her up the incline to the road. A second ambulance arrived on the scene, and the medics hurried toward Reuben.
Peter approached Meg’s stretcher. “Is she all right?”
“We’ll know more after the doctor examines her in the hospital.” The EMT gazed at Peter through narrowed eyes. “You know her?”
“Ja, we belong to the same church,” he said. After a brief hesitation, he added, “My sister is married to her cousin.”
Peter stared with concern as they carried the stretcher toward the ambulance. To his shock, Meg’s eyelids flickered without opening. “Reuben?” she said.
The technician met his gaze. Peter gestured toward the stretcher currently being carried up from the water’s edge. The man nodded with understanding.
“He’s getting medical attention,” the technician told her.
Meg didn’t open her eyes. “Oll recht?”
Peter’s heart thumped hard as he studied her. “She asked if he is all right,” he told the EMT.
“He’s awake and responding,” the man said. “He’ll be taken to the hospital for a complete checkup.” He and his coworker hefted Meg’s stretcher into the ambulance.
The other workers carried Reuben toward the second emergency vehicle. Peter approached it. “I’ll get word to his family.” The EMT nodded.
“Meg?” Reuben muttered.
“She’s on her way to the hospital,” he said. “She asked about you.” He felt a pang when Reuben sighed and closed his eyes.
Peter stepped back and watched while the EMTs entered their vehicles and started their engines. He felt chilled as he stood in the heavy downpour as the ambulances left. Lord, please help her. He stared at the vehicles’ bright, multicolored flashing lights as they dimmed with distance, then disappeared from sight. He retrieved Reuben’s horse, tied it to the back of his buggy and headed toward the Miller farm to return the animal.
Meg woke up in pain. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell by the familiar antiseptic smell that she was in the hospital. Her head hurt, but the heavy weight bearing down on her leg felt worse. She shifted and moaned as pain permeated every inch of her body. She opened her eyes and tried to sit up, then gasped at the searing agony in her left leg. She lay whimpering as she prayed for relief. Make it stop. Please, Lord, make it stop! Tears spilled down her cheeks as she continued to suffer.
“Meg?” a familiar voice said.
A face loomed in her line of vision as she opened her eyes. “Nell?”
“Ja, schweschter. How are you feeling?”
“Awful. I hurt everywhere, especially my leg.” She turned her head to meet her sister’s gaze and groaned. The simple movement had hurt.
“Hold on, Meg. I’ll get help.” Then Nell disappeared.
“Nell!” She felt alone and scared. How badly was she injured?
Her sister wasn’t gone long. “Meg, I’ve brought a nurse. She’ll give you something for the pain.”
“What happened?”
Nell, who’d been watching the nurse insert a needle into Meg’s IV, glanced at her with concern. “You don’t remember?”
“Nay.”
“You were in an accident last night. You and Reuben. He was driving you home when a car struck his buggy and forced it from the road.”
It had been raining. She recalled the terror she’d felt as she saw the car’s headlights, felt the horse rear and the buggy pick up speed as it upended and rolled. She’d felt a searing pain, heard the splash of cold water before it enveloped her—and then nothing. “I remember now.” She felt drowsy all of a sudden, and her pain eased. “Is he oll recht?”
“Reuben?” Nell asked.
“Ja.” She had a vague impression of hearing someone’s voice after the accident. “How did I get here?”
“By ambulance. Reuben did, too. You have a concussion and some bruising.” She hesitated. “Your left leg is broken.”
Meg