A Plain Man (36 page)

Caleb blew out his breath. “Sarah is sick. She's been feeling poorly for a while.
Mamm
thought the heat had brought her low. Out of everyone, Sarah tolerates humidity the worst. And
Daed
thought she was simply exhausted from working too hard at Country Pleasures.”

“She seemed okay at preaching last Sunday,” Adam interjected softly.

“That was an act she put on for your benefit and my parents'. Sarah doesn't want folks worrying about her...or forcing her to leave the inn short of help during the busy season. Sarah gave Mrs. Pratt her notice. As soon as her replacement is hired and trained, she'll quit.”

Adam waved off his reassurance. “I know that. Get on with what you came to say.”

“After I brought her home after church, she fell asleep in the hammock and spent the entire day under the tree. She didn't eat lunch and would have missed supper if
Mamm
hadn't dragged her into the house.
Mamm
insisted Sarah eat a bowl of cold cereal and drink some milk.” Caleb stepped closer as though he were whispering a confidence. “I heard her throwing up later in the bathroom. 'Spose I'm no better than Rebekah spying on my
schwester'
s business.”

Adam shook his head as blood drained from his face. “It's not the same thing at all. I'm grateful that you're concerned about Sarah. Tell me what I can do.”

“I'd like you to come home with me to see her. Then you decide for yourself what needs to be done.”

Adam felt his knees and legs weaken. “What do you mean ‘what should be done'? Should I call the doctor from our neighbor's and ask him to meet us at your place?”

Caleb dropped his arms to his side. “I think she should be in a
hospital. But when I suggested it, my father accused me of making his decisions. He's of the opinion I haven't given up my willfulness.”

“If you believe Sarah should be in a hospital, why are we standing here chewing the fat?” Adam pulled the screwdriver from his pocket. “I'll deliver this to James in the hayfield to fix the cutting blade. Then I'll meet you at your buggy.” He started toward the door.

“I hired a car to bring me—no time to travel by horse and buggy.”

Adam's heart contracted in his chest from the implication. “I'll be right there.” Forcing his legs to move, he bolted into the hayfield, ran back to the house for his wallet, and delivered a one-sentence explanation to his mother. He ignored his throbbing ankle and the knot on his forehead as he jumped inside the hired car. He prayed silently as icy fingers crawled up his spine.

Please, Lord. Don't let anything bad happen to my Sarah.

At fifty miles per hour, the car cut the distance between the Troyer's and Beachy's into a fraction. While Caleb paid the driver, Adam ran to the porch and took the steps two at a time. Not waiting for an answer to his knock, he threw open the kitchen door. “
Guder mariye,
Mrs. Beachy. May I see Sarah?”

Elizabeth looked like she'd seen a ghost. “
Jah
, she's still abed, but Rebekah will take you upstairs.”

“
Danki.
Cal said she's feeling poorly.”

The troublesome younger sister rose from the table where she'd been coring apples. “If Sarah would stop refusing to eat, she might start to feel better.” Rebekah delivered her unsought advice on their way up the steps.

“I didn't realize you'd gone to medical school, Rebekah. Perhaps you could look at my sprained ankle after I finish visiting Sarah.” Scorn rolled off his tongue. Adam wasn't a man of sarcasm, but Rebekah tended to bring out the worst in people.

Since he and Sarah were merely engaged, an unchaperoned bedroom visit wasn't permitted. But at least Rebekah sat quietly. It took him little time to arrive at the same conclusion as Caleb. “Sarah. How are you feeling,
liewi
?” Adam asked from the doorway.

His
Deutsch
endearment brought a grin to Sarah's wan face. “I've
been better.” She tried to rise up on one elbow. “But I'll be fit as a fiddle by November for our wedding. How is the house coming along?” During the question, a fit of shivers wracked her thin frame, followed by a convulsive cough.

Terrified, Adam rushed to her side and covered her hand with his. A fistful of ice cubes would feel no warmer. Dark smudges underscored Sarah's eyes and her cheeks had sunken beneath her skin. How was it possible that two weeks could so adversely affect a twenty-one-year-old woman? “The house is coming along nicely,” he said. “Almost ready for a woman's touch when you're feeling better.”

As Sarah labored to breathe, her haunted eyes tore a hole through his gut. He turned to Rebekah, sitting on the other twin bed. “Pack an overnight bag of your
schwester
's toiletries and sleep clothing. She's going to the hospital in Canton.” To Sarah, he replied in a calm voice. “I'm sure you'll improve faster with medicine other than aspirin, honey lemon tea, and chicken soup.”

“
Mamm'
s cure-alls haven't worked so well this time.
Danki,
Adam.” Sarah spoke with great difficulty.

The fact that Sarah didn't argue about a trip to the ER scared him more than anything thus far. “I'll be right back.” He squeezed her fingers but felt no return response. After a pointed glare, Rebekah sprang to action while he hurried downstairs.

In the kitchen Caleb, Eli, and Elizabeth sat at the table, waiting. They neither ate, nor drank, nor talked—a rare occurrence for Plain folks. “I'm calling an ambulance,” Adam declared. “Is your cell phone charged up?” he asked Caleb.

“No, I don't use it anymore.” Caleb's healthy complexion faded to match Sarah's pallor.

“Mine is charged. I'll get it from my briefcase.” Eli pushed himself to his feet and hurried to the mudroom faster than he'd moved in years.

“The hospital?” asked Elizabeth, covering her face with her hands. “We should have called you sooner, when I realized she wasn't getting better. I let Sarah talk me out of calling the doctor. She said she didn't want to waste the money. This is my fault.”

Adam had no time to comfort the woman. He had to get EMTs
to the Beachy's before another minute passed. He had a bad feeling about Sarah's future. And it had nothing to do with bed and breakfasts, or new cottages in the woods, or a trip down the aisle in a brand new wedding dress.

Sarah awoke for the first time without a throbbing pain in her head. It had seemed that whenever she opened her eyes, every part of her body ached. Not that she'd been awake much. Despite sleeping endlessly, she could only keep her eyes open for short periods of time. Thus, one day seemed no different from any other. Had she seen Adam earlier this morning or had that been last week? What about her parents?
Mamm
had brought some oatmeal cookies which had all disappeared, but she couldn't remember eating a single one.

“Ah, I see you're back with us!” A dark-haired nurse, wearing a bright smile, wheeled a cart with dozens of drawers into her room.

“I am.” Sarah tried to push herself into an upright position.

“Easy does it, Miss Beachy. You're still very weak.” The nurse with a name badge that read “Peggy” pressed down a button on a remote control. The top half of the bed rotated forward, giving Sarah a better view of her surroundings.

“
Dank
—” she began and then switched to English. “Thank you, I mean.”

“Do you know where you are, Miss Beachy?” Nurse Peggy jammed a second pillow behind Sarah's shoulders and pushed a tray with a pitcher and plastic cup in front of her.

“I'm in a hospital. And please call me Sarah.” With extreme effort she reached for the water. Her arm felt weighed down by twenty-five pound feed sacks.

“Correct. You're in Timken Mercy Medical Center in Canton to be exact.” Peggy supported her elbow while she drank the glass of water.

When Sarah finished the cup, she burped rudely. “I beg your pardon.”

Nurse Peggy laughed. “Burp all you like. It's good for you.”

“Do you suspect I have amnesia? Should I recite details about my home and family?” Sarah tried to refill the cup but spilled most of it onto the tray. Her hand wouldn't cooperate with her brain.

The nurse wiped up the spill while replenishing the water, adept at doing two things simultaneously. “Not unless you want to. Memory loss isn't usually a symptom of West Nile Virus. I was checking to make sure your fog had cleared. Your high fever had put you out of commission for a while.”

“Nile, like the river in Egypt—that's what I had?” Sarah blinked, her hand gripping the tray. “But I've never left Ohio.”

“I understand, but birds and insects often travel great distances. You were bitten by a mosquito that had bitten an infected bird.”

“How could a mosquito make me so sick?” Sarah rubbed her forehead.

“You would be surprised how much disease insects spread. But your doctor will be in soon if you have more questions. I'm here to dispense your meds. Don't worry; you can't spread the virus to other people.” Nurse Peggy placed a paper cup on the tray.

Sarah peered in at eight pills in various colors and sizes. “All these? What are they for?”

“Yep, every last one of them. Some are fever reducers, pain relievers, antinausea, antispasmodics, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics. Now, down the hatch.” Peggy handed her the water.

Sarah swallowed a huge capsule and clutched the thin white blanket. “Will I be okay? I'm supposed to get married in a month or two.”

“You're expected to make a complete recovery.” Peggy swept a lock of hair from Sarah's forehead. “But you'll be weak for some time to come. So the longer you can postpone putting on the white dress and strolling down the aisle, the better.”

“Blue,” she said, after swallowing two more pills.

“Excuse me?” The nurse glanced up from marking a chart with red pen.

“The wedding dress I'm sewing is blue.”

“Is that right?” The nurse studied Sarah over her half-moon glasses.

“I'm Amish. We don't wear white gowns.”

“A person learns something new every day. I figured you were Amish or Mennonite, judging by the clothes worn by your visitors.”

“Have I had many?” Sarah finished the last of the pills. “Everything is sort of a blur.”

“That's normal after a prolonged fever. And yes, you've had tons of visitors—young and old, male and female. My guess is one of them was your groom-to-be.” Peggy winked and rolled her cart out the door, onto her next patient. “I'll be back later.”

“Wait!” Sarah called. “One more question.”

Peggy's expression of irritation lasted only half a second. Then it was replaced by another toothy grin. “One more for our bride to be.”

“How long have I been...out of it?”

“A week, Sarah. You've been here seven days. My guess is your doctor will release you in a day or two to finish recuperating at home. Your mother said she could care for you better there.”

“Thank you, Peggy.”

Sarah settled back against the pillows as the nurse slipped away, leaving her alone in a room designed for two. No one slept in the other bed. Sheets were tucked tightly beneath the mattress. Maybe patients didn't want to share space with someone with an Egyptian ailment. Gazing around the room, she saw a bathroom, two green vinyl lounge chairs, and a wooden dresser. A potted plant and a vase of flowers, balloons, and a stuffed teddy bear covered the entire surface. Sarah also noticed her navy cardigan sweater hanging in the closet. With her inventory complete, Sarah closed her eyes to piece together events in her mind. She remembered getting a horrible headache along with chills and body aches. Then her stomach churned with nausea with even the thinnest chicken broth. Sarah recalled vomiting into a pail next to the bed. Her arms and legs had turned numb and then, nothing else. Seven days of her life gone. It seemed like yesterday she'd come home from preaching and collapsed in the hammock.

Just as she drifted to sleep, the hospital intercom announced visiting hours had begun. Within minutes, her mother bustled into the room with Rebekah behind her. One was carrying a foil covered plate, the other a soft-sided cooler.

Elizabeth stopped short, causing Rebekah to collide into her backside. “Praise the Lord. You're awake!”

“I've been awake before, haven't I?” asked Sarah.

“
Jah,
for a few minutes at a time, but you didn't answer a single question I asked. When you talked, you didn't make a lick of sense. I figured you were still dreaming, but I prayed each night that you weren't permanently addle-brained.”
Mamm
pulled a green chair to her bedside and plopped down.

Sarah choked back laughter, which still caused her pain. “Am I making sense now?” she asked.