bA/N: Please go to my writer's profile for any updates or thoughts on my
story.b
Ethan had just thankfully finished enduring a long night with his 'beloved' Martha. He helped pass the time by thinking about other things besides the fact he knew he did not feel for Martha the way one in love would. He began to deliberate between his different options... Should he go looking for Leah? Patiently wait until Leah comes to him so he won't embarrass himself... but wait! Embarrassment... isn't that only felt when your pride was hurt? He was Amish; pride was the last thing he should feel! He soon realized that the time he spent with Leah and her world, away from his own, had changed him. But the question was... for better or for worse? He sighed and became utterly confused, entangled in his own thoughts and emotions.
He slowly approached his family's farm, the farm he would eventually inherit when time comes to an end for his beloved parents, God bless their souls. He jumped off the buggy and walked to the front door. "Evening everyone!" He was glad to be home but was surprised to be greeted with silence and the dark caused by the lack of light. He walked to the kitchen and saw a glowing of candles and oil lamps at the barn door and realized the birth of a calf was taking place!
He walked swiftly towards to the barn and began to see several silhouettes. The figures outnumbered the usual Longacre family. He became confused and began to walk quicker. As he hastily approached the barn, he saw the light of the oil lamps reflect off the dark, silky locks of brown hair of a girl. There is absolutely no possible way that she is standing there, he quickly said to himself. But as he was steps away from this mysterious girl, the mystery soon unfolded and he knew that it was her, His Leah. His heart beats accelerated with unimaginable pace, even skipping a beat or two at some points.
As he stood behind her, he watched her in silence, in peace, believing she may disappear any moment at the blink of an eye. He watched as the silky soft locks slowly moved from side to side. He gathered up the courage to gently place his hand on the smooth curve of her shoulder and whisper her name softly.
She slowly turned around to face him and for a minute, it seemed like the world stopped and she slowly responded by quietly whispering his name as she gazed up into the depths of his bright blue eyes. Ethan tenderly stroked her soft, silken hair as it gently hung beside her smooth cheek.
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Leah woke up Saturday morning to the smell of freshly baked bread. As she rolled around in bed, trying to gather her energy, there was a gentle knocking on her door, which was followed by Maxine poking her head through the door. "Mornin' Leah, may I come in?"
"Oh, hi Max. Yeah, come in!" She sat up as Max sat down on the edge of bed. "You can't believe what I dreamt of last night! I thought I saw Ethan at his barn but that's crazy!" She smiled at her friend, expecting to receive a smile back but it never came.
"Leah... I don't want to be the one to burst your bubble but it wasn't EXACTLY a dream you had last night..." She stared at Leah nervously as she watched the thought seep in.
"Oh boy! No wonder I remember everything so vividly," she said as her friend nodded back. Leah began to think back to last night, wishing it was a dream...
As Ethan tenderly stroked her soft, silken hair as it
gently hung beside her smooth cheek, her heart began to beat a
million beats per minute. How could this be happening! What am
I going to do? I tried to avoid this day for four years and
I've been pretty good at it until now. But then again, it felt
so good just to gaze up into the depths of his clear, blue eyes
and have him close to me. I feel so safe and happy, she
thought.
Unfortunately, her anxiety and unease took off and she
swiftly backed away. Max had noticed her friend no longer
wanted to be there and quickly volunteered to drive home.
"Well... lovely night. We should be getting home. Mom and Dad
will be waiting. Brain into the car...now!" She then glanced over
to her friend, "Leah, are you ready to go?"
With a quick nod in response, she pulled her by her sleeve
and led her to the car. She was about to close the door when
someone running towards them yelled out, "Leah! Wait!"
After a few seconds, Ethan appeared from the dark of the
night and swiftly ran to the car. "Please... stay! I want to
talk to you. Please don't go yet."
She turned to him, trying to hold back tears, as she said,
"It is late."
"But, please... will you come by tomorrow? I really want to
talk about you... about us..."
"No, I am busy tomorrow. If you REALLY wanted to talk,
you've had four years worth of opportunity and you've turned
them down. I have nothing to say to you" as she got into the
door and closed it behind her. They drove off into the late
night as Ethan watched on in grief and heartache.
Maxine looked at her friend kindly, "Are you going to be okay? Are you going to leave and go back to Indianapolis now? I talked to my Dad and he said it would be okay if that's what you really want to do... is it?" She had always wanted to have an older sister and she was very excited to find out that Leah would be coming with her family to Nappanee. Now, she hoped that she would be okay to stay and be able to cope with the 'Ethan' dilemma.
"Don't worry. He lives in his Amish world and I live in my 'English' world. They can never mix. And, the chances of me seeing him again... excluding the time we saw him and his brother in the buggy... are little to none. I'll be okay. I just need sometime to digest everything that happened. Just give me sometime but thanks for caring so much." She smiled and hugged Max as they both went downstairs.
The weekend quickly passed and it was time to get back to work. Since Belinda was on leave of absence, she was now the only nurse to help Dr. Barlow. She drove to the office by herself and would be staying there until five until Belinda comes back. Mrs. Barlow is going to leave work a bit earlier to pick up the kids. She opened the door and walked in and was greeted by a warm smile. "Good morning Leah!"
"Mornin' Doc. I am ready to get to work."
"I'm glad to hear. So everything is okay... Max told me you ran into a 'situation' you might say."
"Oh yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry about it, I'm long over it." She quickly flashed a smile to hide her unease. She was no longer deeply affected by the memory of seeing him again but she did often think of what he wanted to talk about. Maybe he's engaged already. To Martha! Or maybe... he's already married with two kids! Wait... this shouldn't even concern me. Focus! Focus on the job at hand, I must help the Doc with his patients, she thought and she was back into her right frame of mind and began to work.
The morning flew by as they saw each and every patient and she began to become very tired. Who knew nursing would be this hard on your body, she thought.
Early in the afternoon, there was a gap in the appointments, which gave her and the Doc a bit of time for a break. "Wow! I must say, you're pretty good at being a nurse. You know what you're doing! I'm very impressed and you're only a student."
"Thanks Doc! You're good too... then again you did go through eight years of schooling... but you still got it in you!"
They both laughed. "So... what exactly happened the other night?" He had always greatly enjoyed working with Leah over the past few months and he thought of himself as a 'fatherly' figure in her life since her mom has been marrying every other man. He wanted to provide Leah with a more stable life with a more permanent lifestyle.
Leah explained everything that happened on Friday night and quickly summarized her past with the town, trying to avoid too much detail.
"Oh, wow! I wouldn't even have been able to utter one word to him! I'd be so nervous! But you are very strong, I'm impressed. Do you think you'd ever talk to each other again?"
"I don't know, Doc. It's just so complicated. And he knows where I've been for the last four years, yet, no letters, telephone calls, visits, nothing, nadda! He only wants to 'talk' now because I'm conveniently in town now."
"Well... you did say the Amish are very strict on the rules, especially Mr. Longacre. Maybe he did want to visit you but he didn't want to disappoint his father."
"Maybe... but I still think he should have sent a letter at least."
"What about you? Hmm...?"
"What about me?" She wondered why Dr. Barlow seemed to be favouring Ethan's defence more than hers.
"Look... you're complaining that he's never said or done anything to show any signs in the last four years. But he's thinking the same way... but about you! You could have sent him a letter or paid a visit to him. The ball was in your court too..." He tried to open her eyes up to both sides of the situation, hoping she could understand Ethan's actions more.
"Why would I do that? He was the one that left ME! He promised we'd be together forever but I don't see him keeping his side of the deal..." How could the Doc be on his side! I'm the one he should be siding with, she thought.
"Boys are stubborn! Trust me, I should know!" He smiled at her kindly. "When boys do something wrong, especially to a girl, they get embarrassed and shy and they don't know how to fix it. And they would never get enough guts to apologize; their pride and ego are much too big for that. You should talk to him; maybe he'll be the few who have the courage to say the big, five-letter word... S-O-R-R-Y... just give him a chance..."
"Well... I guess you have a point. The worse that could happen... I end up closing my car door on him... again." She thought about that image and smiled. "Thanks Doc."
"Anytime kiddo." They hugged just as the door opened with another patient. "Ah, here's my three o'clock patient. I don't need any help with this one; you can take a break at the desk." He led the patient, an elderly woman, into the examination room and Leah slowly walked to her desk and sat down.
The next time she looked at the clock, it read: 3:24 PM. As she watched the second hand go around, it finally became 3:25 PM. And in walked Mr. Longacre as usual but Dr. Barlow was not finished with the elderly woman so she was forced to talk to him. "Good afternoon Mr. Longacre. Dr. Barlow hasn't finished with his previous patient so you'll have to wait a few minutes."
"Good afternoon Leah. I'll just take a seat then." Just as he was about to sit down, he changed his mind and walked back to the desk. "Actually... Leah... I wanted to talk to you about something. About Friday night."
Oh great, she thought. "Ummm... okay then."
"Ethan... he's still... I don't know how to word this. He's engaged to Martha and I want him to get married. But I don't want you to be on the back of his mind. I ask that you... give him a chance to speak his peace so everything can be settled and cleared up. Is that okay?"
What was he asking me to do? Is he insane... lost his mind?! But the Doc did say that I should give him a chance, she thought. "Okay... When would you like me to come by?"
"This Friday... come for dinner and you two can talk afterwards." And with a nod of the head he went back to the waiting room.
She sighed and wondered what she was getting herself into. She thought, isn't life grand and she began to prepare herself for events that will happen at Friday night dinner.
bA/N: Please review! I love to see your feedback! Thanks! ( b
Ethan had just thankfully finished enduring a long night with his 'beloved' Martha. He helped pass the time by thinking about other things besides the fact he knew he did not feel for Martha the way one in love would. He began to deliberate between his different options... Should he go looking for Leah? Patiently wait until Leah comes to him so he won't embarrass himself... but wait! Embarrassment... isn't that only felt when your pride was hurt? He was Amish; pride was the last thing he should feel! He soon realized that the time he spent with Leah and her world, away from his own, had changed him. But the question was... for better or for worse? He sighed and became utterly confused, entangled in his own thoughts and emotions.
He slowly approached his family's farm, the farm he would eventually inherit when time comes to an end for his beloved parents, God bless their souls. He jumped off the buggy and walked to the front door. "Evening everyone!" He was glad to be home but was surprised to be greeted with silence and the dark caused by the lack of light. He walked to the kitchen and saw a glowing of candles and oil lamps at the barn door and realized the birth of a calf was taking place!
He walked swiftly towards to the barn and began to see several silhouettes. The figures outnumbered the usual Longacre family. He became confused and began to walk quicker. As he hastily approached the barn, he saw the light of the oil lamps reflect off the dark, silky locks of brown hair of a girl. There is absolutely no possible way that she is standing there, he quickly said to himself. But as he was steps away from this mysterious girl, the mystery soon unfolded and he knew that it was her, His Leah. His heart beats accelerated with unimaginable pace, even skipping a beat or two at some points.
As he stood behind her, he watched her in silence, in peace, believing she may disappear any moment at the blink of an eye. He watched as the silky soft locks slowly moved from side to side. He gathered up the courage to gently place his hand on the smooth curve of her shoulder and whisper her name softly.
She slowly turned around to face him and for a minute, it seemed like the world stopped and she slowly responded by quietly whispering his name as she gazed up into the depths of his bright blue eyes. Ethan tenderly stroked her soft, silken hair as it gently hung beside her smooth cheek.
---------------------------
Leah woke up Saturday morning to the smell of freshly baked bread. As she rolled around in bed, trying to gather her energy, there was a gentle knocking on her door, which was followed by Maxine poking her head through the door. "Mornin' Leah, may I come in?"
"Oh, hi Max. Yeah, come in!" She sat up as Max sat down on the edge of bed. "You can't believe what I dreamt of last night! I thought I saw Ethan at his barn but that's crazy!" She smiled at her friend, expecting to receive a smile back but it never came.
"Leah... I don't want to be the one to burst your bubble but it wasn't EXACTLY a dream you had last night..." She stared at Leah nervously as she watched the thought seep in.
"Oh boy! No wonder I remember everything so vividly," she said as her friend nodded back. Leah began to think back to last night, wishing it was a dream...
As Ethan tenderly stroked her soft, silken hair as it
gently hung beside her smooth cheek, her heart began to beat a
million beats per minute. How could this be happening! What am
I going to do? I tried to avoid this day for four years and
I've been pretty good at it until now. But then again, it felt
so good just to gaze up into the depths of his clear, blue eyes
and have him close to me. I feel so safe and happy, she
thought.
Unfortunately, her anxiety and unease took off and she
swiftly backed away. Max had noticed her friend no longer
wanted to be there and quickly volunteered to drive home.
"Well... lovely night. We should be getting home. Mom and Dad
will be waiting. Brain into the car...now!" She then glanced over
to her friend, "Leah, are you ready to go?"
With a quick nod in response, she pulled her by her sleeve
and led her to the car. She was about to close the door when
someone running towards them yelled out, "Leah! Wait!"
After a few seconds, Ethan appeared from the dark of the
night and swiftly ran to the car. "Please... stay! I want to
talk to you. Please don't go yet."
She turned to him, trying to hold back tears, as she said,
"It is late."
"But, please... will you come by tomorrow? I really want to
talk about you... about us..."
"No, I am busy tomorrow. If you REALLY wanted to talk,
you've had four years worth of opportunity and you've turned
them down. I have nothing to say to you" as she got into the
door and closed it behind her. They drove off into the late
night as Ethan watched on in grief and heartache.
Maxine looked at her friend kindly, "Are you going to be okay? Are you going to leave and go back to Indianapolis now? I talked to my Dad and he said it would be okay if that's what you really want to do... is it?" She had always wanted to have an older sister and she was very excited to find out that Leah would be coming with her family to Nappanee. Now, she hoped that she would be okay to stay and be able to cope with the 'Ethan' dilemma.
"Don't worry. He lives in his Amish world and I live in my 'English' world. They can never mix. And, the chances of me seeing him again... excluding the time we saw him and his brother in the buggy... are little to none. I'll be okay. I just need sometime to digest everything that happened. Just give me sometime but thanks for caring so much." She smiled and hugged Max as they both went downstairs.
The weekend quickly passed and it was time to get back to work. Since Belinda was on leave of absence, she was now the only nurse to help Dr. Barlow. She drove to the office by herself and would be staying there until five until Belinda comes back. Mrs. Barlow is going to leave work a bit earlier to pick up the kids. She opened the door and walked in and was greeted by a warm smile. "Good morning Leah!"
"Mornin' Doc. I am ready to get to work."
"I'm glad to hear. So everything is okay... Max told me you ran into a 'situation' you might say."
"Oh yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry about it, I'm long over it." She quickly flashed a smile to hide her unease. She was no longer deeply affected by the memory of seeing him again but she did often think of what he wanted to talk about. Maybe he's engaged already. To Martha! Or maybe... he's already married with two kids! Wait... this shouldn't even concern me. Focus! Focus on the job at hand, I must help the Doc with his patients, she thought and she was back into her right frame of mind and began to work.
The morning flew by as they saw each and every patient and she began to become very tired. Who knew nursing would be this hard on your body, she thought.
Early in the afternoon, there was a gap in the appointments, which gave her and the Doc a bit of time for a break. "Wow! I must say, you're pretty good at being a nurse. You know what you're doing! I'm very impressed and you're only a student."
"Thanks Doc! You're good too... then again you did go through eight years of schooling... but you still got it in you!"
They both laughed. "So... what exactly happened the other night?" He had always greatly enjoyed working with Leah over the past few months and he thought of himself as a 'fatherly' figure in her life since her mom has been marrying every other man. He wanted to provide Leah with a more stable life with a more permanent lifestyle.
Leah explained everything that happened on Friday night and quickly summarized her past with the town, trying to avoid too much detail.
"Oh, wow! I wouldn't even have been able to utter one word to him! I'd be so nervous! But you are very strong, I'm impressed. Do you think you'd ever talk to each other again?"
"I don't know, Doc. It's just so complicated. And he knows where I've been for the last four years, yet, no letters, telephone calls, visits, nothing, nadda! He only wants to 'talk' now because I'm conveniently in town now."
"Well... you did say the Amish are very strict on the rules, especially Mr. Longacre. Maybe he did want to visit you but he didn't want to disappoint his father."
"Maybe... but I still think he should have sent a letter at least."
"What about you? Hmm...?"
"What about me?" She wondered why Dr. Barlow seemed to be favouring Ethan's defence more than hers.
"Look... you're complaining that he's never said or done anything to show any signs in the last four years. But he's thinking the same way... but about you! You could have sent him a letter or paid a visit to him. The ball was in your court too..." He tried to open her eyes up to both sides of the situation, hoping she could understand Ethan's actions more.
"Why would I do that? He was the one that left ME! He promised we'd be together forever but I don't see him keeping his side of the deal..." How could the Doc be on his side! I'm the one he should be siding with, she thought.
"Boys are stubborn! Trust me, I should know!" He smiled at her kindly. "When boys do something wrong, especially to a girl, they get embarrassed and shy and they don't know how to fix it. And they would never get enough guts to apologize; their pride and ego are much too big for that. You should talk to him; maybe he'll be the few who have the courage to say the big, five-letter word... S-O-R-R-Y... just give him a chance..."
"Well... I guess you have a point. The worse that could happen... I end up closing my car door on him... again." She thought about that image and smiled. "Thanks Doc."
"Anytime kiddo." They hugged just as the door opened with another patient. "Ah, here's my three o'clock patient. I don't need any help with this one; you can take a break at the desk." He led the patient, an elderly woman, into the examination room and Leah slowly walked to her desk and sat down.
The next time she looked at the clock, it read: 3:24 PM. As she watched the second hand go around, it finally became 3:25 PM. And in walked Mr. Longacre as usual but Dr. Barlow was not finished with the elderly woman so she was forced to talk to him. "Good afternoon Mr. Longacre. Dr. Barlow hasn't finished with his previous patient so you'll have to wait a few minutes."
"Good afternoon Leah. I'll just take a seat then." Just as he was about to sit down, he changed his mind and walked back to the desk. "Actually... Leah... I wanted to talk to you about something. About Friday night."
Oh great, she thought. "Ummm... okay then."
"Ethan... he's still... I don't know how to word this. He's engaged to Martha and I want him to get married. But I don't want you to be on the back of his mind. I ask that you... give him a chance to speak his peace so everything can be settled and cleared up. Is that okay?"
What was he asking me to do? Is he insane... lost his mind?! But the Doc did say that I should give him a chance, she thought. "Okay... When would you like me to come by?"
"This Friday... come for dinner and you two can talk afterwards." And with a nod of the head he went back to the waiting room.
She sighed and wondered what she was getting herself into. She thought, isn't life grand and she began to prepare herself for events that will happen at Friday night dinner.
bA/N: Please review! I love to see your feedback! Thanks! ( b