Chapter 15
THE COLD SHOCK OF THE water caused Ivan to gasp and breathe rapidly. Refusing to let the pond’s frigid hold deter him, Ivan plunged forward through the water, laden with leaves and algae. He needed to get to Emma. And he needed to get there quickly.
Ivan’s adrenaline surged as he approached Emma from behind to avoid being grabbed. The last thing he needed was to be pulled under, leaving them both in a precarious position where they might drown.
It’s important to stay composed, he reminded himself. If I’m able to remain calm, hopefully Emma will relax and stop panicking.
Emma had surfaced again and was frantically flailing her arms and whimpering, as though she’d been wounded.
“Calm down, Emma. It’s okay. I’m here. Try to relax. I’ve got you.” Ivan instantly put both hands beneath Emma’s arms in a firm grip and brought her to safety as quickly as possible.
When they set foot on dry land, Emma’s grandfather was there with the blanket they had previously sat upon. He had Emma sit down and wasted no time in wrapping it around her trembling body.
“Did she swallow much wasser?” Marlin asked, turning his head to look at Ivan.
“I don’t think so, but her head was under the water a few seconds, so …”
“We should have her checked out.” Marlin’s brows drew together in the process of his deep frown. “Even if Emma only took in a small amount of water, it could irritate her lungs and cause complications. I want to get her to the hospital as soon as possible.”
“But we’re miles from the hospital, and …”
“I realize that, Ivan, but there’s an English family living down the road a ways, so we can get in your buggy and drive over there. If they’re willing to let me use their phone, I’ll call one of my drivers to pick us up for a ride to the hospital.”
Ivan bobbed his head. “You’re right, Marlin. That is what we should do. If you don’t mind gathering up our fishing gear and the lunch basket, I’ll carry Emma to the buggy.”
“Jah, okay.” Marlin placed his hand on his granddaughter’s wet, matted hair. “You doing okay, Emma?”
Emma’s eyes flickered up at him with apparent confusion, but at least she wasn’t coughing or wheezing. Her kapp had come off and was floating in the pond somewhere, but that didn’t matter right now.
Ivan bent down, scooped Emma into his arms, and headed straight for his buggy. He could only hope and pray that this sweet young woman would be okay.
Ivan waved when he saw Abe, the driver he’d called, pull in front of the Yoders’ house and turn off the ignition. “I’ll just sit out here and wait until you’ve had a chance to change, and then we can head on over to the Herschbergers’ place,” Abe called through his open window.
“Okay. Thanks, Abe. I shouldn’t be too long.”
“It’s all right. Take your time.”
Ivan appreciated Abe’s patience, but he wasn’t about to take his time. He was worried about Emma and wanted to go to the hospital as soon as possible.
Ivan barged into the house and found Jane carrying a laundry basket in her hands. “Is Mom home?” he asked.
“No, she’s working at the fabric store today, remember?”
“Oh yeah, I forgot.”
Jane looked at him with an incredulous stare. “What in the world happened to you?”
Before Ivan could form a response, his sister said, “I thought you were going fishing with Emma and her grandfather today.”
“I did, but …”
She pointed at him. “You’re wet from head to toe, Ivan. What did you do—go swimming instead of fishing? Or did you fall in the wasser trying to reel in a fish?”
“I did end up in the water,” he said, “but that was after Emma fell in.”
Jane touched a finger to her lips. “Oh dear. How did that happen?”
Ivan gave a quick explanation and informed Jane that he’d stopped by their English neighbors on the way home and called for one of their drivers to pick him up here. “Abe is here right now, in fact. He pulled in a few minutes after I put King in the barn.”
“Oh, I see. Can you fill me in on a bit more information so I can tell Mama and Papa when they get get home from work?”
Ivan shook his head. “I don’t have time to go into any more details. I’m only here to change into dry clothes, and Abe and I will be heading over to pick up Emma’s grandmother so both of us can go to the hospital in Champaign, where Emma was taken.”
“This is all so baremlich. I hope Emma will be okay.”
“I do too,” Ivan responded. “I’m worried about her, which is why I need to go to the hospital with Luellen to see for myself.
” He paused for a breath. “And you’re right, Jane, what happened to Emma was, and is, terrible.
” Ivan swallowed against the thickening lump that had lodged in his throat.
“It scared me so bad when she fell in, and I didn’t even think twice about jumping into the pond to save her. ”
“You were very brave, Ivan.” Jane positioned the basket against her hip, holding it there with one hand while extending her other hand to rest on Ivan’s shoulder.
“I just did what I needed to do.” He turned toward the porch stairs. “I’d better go change now. Don’t forget to tell our folks what happened to Emma today, okay?”
“Of course.”
As Ivan hustled up the stairs, Jane called up to him, “I’ll be praying for Emma.”
“Thanks, Jane,” he hollered back. “And believe me, I’ve been praying too.”
Luellen sat at the kitchen table eating a tossed green salad for lunch. She had planned to fix a sandwich but decided the salad would be healthier, and it was a good chance to use the radishes, leafy lettuce, and spring onions that were thriving in her garden.
She glanced at the battery-operated clock on the kitchen wall near the stove. It was getting close to two o’clock, and Luellen would have eaten more than an hour ago if she hadn’t taken a nap on the new mattress.
Well, what does it matter? she thought. Marlin, Emma, and Ivan aren’t home from their fishing excursion yet, so I can pretty well do whatever I want this afternoon.
Luellen figured they must be reeling in the fish today—otherwise they would have been back early.
She hoped they had enjoyed the lunch she’d prepared for them and that Emma’s cupcakes had turned out well.
It pleased Luellen that her granddaughter had taken the initiative to bake something on her own. She took it as a good sign that Emma wanted to improve her baking skills.
Luellen’s deliberations shifted as she thought about the new mattress that had been delivered this morning. She was looking forward to Marlin returning home soon so she could show it to him.
Luellen had only eaten half of her salad when Fawn started barking, and she heard someone pounding on the front door. Knowing it wasn’t likely to be her husband, she pushed her chair aside and went to see who it was.
When Luellen opened the front door, she was surprised to see Ivan on the porch, but she saw no sign of Marlin or Emma. She also noticed a station wagon sitting in the front yard. Now, that’s sure strange.
“Ivan, where’s your horse and buggy, and where are my husband and granddaughter?”
“They’re at the hospital in Champaign.”
“What? Why?” Fearful thoughts took over, and Luellen’s legs felt so weak she could barely remain standing. “W–what happened while you were all out there fishing?”
Ivan extended a hand and steadied her. “Everything’s all right, Luellen. Emma fell in the pond this afternoon and almost drowned, but she’s gonna be okay.”
“Then why is she at the hospital?” Luellen’s lips quivered. All of this was really difficult to process.
“Just to be examined, mostly to make sure the water she took in doesn’t cause any lung complications. I’m sure she’s gonna be fine,” Ivan quickly added. “I came here to get you, because I thought you’d want to go to the hospital with me to check on Emma.”
“Jah, of course I want to go. I’ll just need to make sure there’s newspaper down for the puppy, and that she’s secured in the utility room while I’m gone.” Luellen fanned her hot cheeks with both hands. “Oh dear, I’m feeling so rattled by all of this, I can barely think straight.”
“Let me take care of Fawn while you do whatever you need to get ready to go,” Ivan offered.
She heaved a sigh of gratitude. “Danki, Ivan. I so appreciate you coming here to tell me what happened, and for securing a ride for us to get to the hospital.”
“Not a problem, Luellen. I’m just glad it worked out that Abe was available.”
“Jah, me too.”
Luellen didn’t bother to clear her dishes from the table.
She just hurried down the hall to get her pocketbook and make sure her kapp was on straight, with no unruly hairs sticking out.
She paused long enough to whisper a prayer before leaving her room.
“Heavenly Father, please give us a safe trip to the hospital.” Tears stung the back of her eyes.
“And I beg of You—please let my precious granddaughter be all right.”
Emma sat in the back seat of their driver’s station wagon, staring out the side window as they rolled on into the countryside.
They had kept her at the hospital for four hours, running tests and poking and prodding to make sure she was okay.
The truth was, she wasn’t okay—at least not emotionally.
She’d been confused and disoriented when Ivan first pulled her out of the water, but that part had disappeared by the time they’d arrived at the hospital.
Replacing her confusion was a feeling of guilt for running off when Grandpa had made an issue of her terrible-tasting cupcakes.
She didn’t blame him, because they had tasted bad, but Emma’s pride had been hurt, and she’d felt like a failure for messing up what she’d hoped would be some tasty chocolate cupcakes.
Not only that, but Emma had been embarrassed that this had happened when Ivan was present.