Hannah's Hope

Chapter 1 – Lady with a Baby

Chapter 1 – Lady with a BabyMel

Well After Midnight, Sunday, February 15th

Morelville, Ohio

Some time, well after midnight, Boo started barking from somewhere else in the house. I sat up and tried to look around in the darkness. At my movement, Dana woke up too.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice rasping from sleep.

“I left Boo outside the door when we came to bed. She’s kicking up a fuss in the kitchen, it sounds like.”

I got out of bed and, thinking there might be someone or something outside that had her riled, I quickly threw on sweats and a t-shirt.

It wasn’t until I got half way to the kitchen, and Boo, our Boston Terrier, charged to meet up with me, that I heard a knock on the door. As I drew closer, I heard a female voice say, “I don’t think they’re here.” Then it was quiet.

Boo was right at my feet as I reached for the deadbolt. Just as I clicked it backwards, a wail cracked through the stillness of the night beyond the door. A baby began to cry.

I yanked the door open but looked over my shoulder rather than outside when I heard a noise beyond the entry arch into the kitchen. Dana had gotten up too and was shuffling toward me.

Turning back, I realized it was Hannah Yoder on our doorstep with her girlfriend Jamie right behind her. In my shock to see them there at such a late hour, I thought nothing about letting them in until Dana asked who it was.

“Hannah and Jamie,” I said and, as I looked past them, “and another woman with a baby.”

“Let them in Mel; it’s cold.”

I opened the screen and stepped aside, motioning for them to enter.

“Hannah, what’s wrong?” Dana asked her.

“I’m so sorry for waking you but we didn’t know where else to go and I knew Mel would know what to do.”

“What’s going on?” I asked her.

“This is Katie; a friend of ours.” Hannah nodded toward the third young woman. “She’s in trouble and her and her baby have no place else that’s safe to go.”

We finally got Katie and her infant son bedded down in the guest room upstairs sometime after 2:00 AM. Since we only had one guest room set up, and I wouldn’t let Hannah and Jamie drive all the way back to Zanesville so late on such a bitter cold night, we got them settled in the family room – the room Dana called my cave.

Now, we lay huddled together in our own bed, whispering since our downstairs bedroom was situated so close to my evening retreat and the two young women.

“What a crazy week it’s been, huh?”

I felt Dana shake her head slightly from where it was nestled against my shoulder. “You aren’t kidding. What’s next?”

Even though she was speaking softly, I could hear the frustration in her tone. I dipped my head down and kissed her forehead. She looked up at me then and, at such close range, though it was dark, I could see her slight smile.

“What are we going to do about Katie and her son, babe?” We knew precious little about them other than that it didn’t seem to be safe for them to stay in Zanesville. Explanations didn’t come spilling out of any of the girls at such a late hour.

“We’ll just have to sit down and talk with all three of them in the morning about what’s going on and go from there. I mean, until we know her story, I don’t know what else we can do.”

“True.” I tried to stifle a yawn but I failed miserably.

Dana bused my lips and then rolled over to assume the spooning position by tucking herself against me. Once she was settled she told me, “We should get some sleep...looks like tomorrows’ going to be another long day.”

That was the last thing I remembered from that night.