***
The next morning, Miriam was still asleep as Joseph and Sarah struggled to the barn against the strong, frigid wind. Sarah bent her head, trying to avoid the stinging pellets of snow. In the barn, she and Joseph tended to the livestock and fed the cows.
“I hope this storm won’t last for long,” she told Joseph.
“Ach, Sarah, I told Miriam that we are in for a very hard winter. I felt it the day before the first blizzard struck.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Rachel and Michael Zook sat up attentively as the doctor strode into Adam’s room.
“Well, how are you this stormy morning?” asked the doctor.
“Worried, doctor. When Adam is better, we still need to be able to get home – we can’t do that when it’s storming like this,” Michael said, peering through the window.
“Rest easy, Mr. Zook. Adam has definitely gotten better, but he still needs more nebulizer treatments and I want to make sure his flu and pneumonia have really ended before discharging him. God willing, we’ll be able to discharge him on a clear day soon.”
“Ya, God willing. So, he is getting better?” Michael said. His worry made his German accent sharper.
“Yes, he is. He’s been fever-free now for about 16 hours. I’m going to send him to X-ray today to see how his lungs look. At this rate, I’m guessing it will be another two days – three at most – then we can discharge him. So, Adam, how are you feeling, sport?”
“Better, denki. I can breathe now without coughing so much,” Adam said quietly.
“Well, you just keep doing what your nurses say, and we’ll have you at home in a few days. All right?”
“Ya, denki.” Adam said with a wide smile.
“One question, Mr. and Mrs. Zook . . . Adam will need continued nebulizer treatments. I don’t want to subject him to a long, cold trip here every day to take those. I know you don’t have electricity at home. Do you have any other way you can hook up an electric compressor to an energy source so he can get the medication he needs?” asked the doctor.
“Ya, we do. I have a diesel-powered generator and I can connect that to the nebulizer. We don’t want to take him out in this any more than you want us to. In fact, the more he can stay inside, the better,” said Michael.
***
The second day of the storm continued with heavy snowfall and howling winds. Michael and Rachel Zook alternated standing by the thick plate glass window of Adam’s hospital room, staring outside. Rachel measured the storm’s ferocity by how clearly she could see a small diner across the street – currently, the diner was completely invisible. Rachel sighed, wanting the blizzard to miraculously melt away.
“Rachel? Are you okay?” asked Michael.
“Ya, husband. Just wanting this storm to end. I want to go home! With you and Adam,” Rachel said. Inside, she felt the storm-enforced confinement weighing her down. “I need fresh air. Will you stay here with Adam? I’m just going to stand by the doors so I can smell the air. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I promise.”
“Ya, okay. Don’t be too long,” Michael said. I know how she feels. We’re both from the country and we are used to being outside for several hours a day. When she comes back, I’ll go stick my nose outside as well.
Ten minutes later, Rachel came back. She looked happier, even if her nose was reddened by the cold, harsh wind blowing outside.
“Okay. I feel more normal now. If you want to get some fresh air, I’ll stay here with Adam,” she told Michael.
“Mamm, when can we get get fresh air?” Adam asked, with a plaintive note in his voice.
“Son, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to take any chances. I’ll ask your doctor. I just want you well so we can go home and sleep in our own beds,” Rachel said.
“Mamm, I miss home.”
“We do too, Adam. We’ll get home soon. The doctor said it would be two or three days, once this storm blows itself out,” said Rachel.
Two days later, Rachel woke in Adam’s room, wondering what she was hearing. Focusing more strongly, she realized she didn’t hear the wail of the wind. Throwing the hospital blanket back, she smoothed her hair away from her face and went to peek through the blinds. She looked out on a bright winter wonderland. The sun shone on the snow, seeming to pick out individual snowflakes to bounce off of. Running back to Michael, she shook his shoulder.
“Michael! It’s stopped! Listen!” she whispered.
Michael roused, rubbing his eyes and cocking his head.
“Where’s the wind?” he asked.
“Go! Look!” Rachel said with a broad grin. She felt as if she was giving him a precious gift.
Adam stretched, working the kinks out of his muscular back as he walked to the window.
“Hah! We’re probably going home today!” he turned with a wide grin to Rachel.
“Daed? You look happy,” Adam said.
“Come here, son. Look outside,” Michael said as he twirled the wand to open the blinds.
“No storm! Are we going home?”
“Adam, if you’re doing as well as you did yesterday, you’re going home!” said the young doctor, standing in the doorway.
Forty-five minutes later, after examining Adam and reading the latest X-rays, he nodded in satisfaction.
“Well, Adam, it looks like God and our medicine beat that old flu germ. I’m going to give that machine to your mom and dad and you’ll be going home. Do you need a ride, Mr. Zook?”
“Yes, we do. Do you have a list of drivers we can call?”
“At the desk. I’ll have a nurse call someone for you. Someone with an SUV and very good snow-driving skills. Now, about this nebulizer . . .” Several minutes later, Rachel was confident she could give daily breathing treatments to Adam.
“Hi! I’m Al and I’ll be driving you home. We’ll go slowly because the roads are pretty snow-packed,” said the driver.
One hour later, Adam and his parents were back home.
“Take a nap, son. You need to get your strength back,” Rachel said.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The flu and stomach virus that had felled so many families in the Beiler home was still racing through the Amish community. Every day, families learned of others who had fallen ill with one illness – or both. In addition, the weather stubbornly continued with days of high winds and deep snowfalls. Families were unable to get out of their homes to take their children to school; and, if they did, they were frequently unsure whether weather conditions would permit them to pick their children up at the end of the school day. Every family in Ephrata learned to scan the horizon, looking for the telltale clouds that preceded another blizzard. What made the situation even more stressful was the short time period in between storms – often, no more than two days at any one time.
With this in mind, Bishop Stoltzfus visited the community’s school teacher, along with the community’s remaining healthy deacon.
“Miss Yoder, we’re going to have to postpone school until these illnesses wear themselves out here in Ephrata,” said the bishop. “In addition, this harsh weather we’re having makes it too dangerous for families to send their children to school. We are in a temporary lull – for at least the next day or two. You know where your scholars are in their learning. If you’ll give the deacons and me assignments for several weeks more, we will visit each family here in Ephrata and give them to all of your scholars.”
“Bishop, that is excellent! Denki! I have been worried about this long lull – my scholars learn best when they work on books, math problems, reading and language questions on a regular basis. If you’ll give me a few minutes, I can have something written up for you,” Rebecca said.
“Good. Write it out two times so we can both take something for each family to write down. Once this weather and illness come to an end, your scholars will be back in the school house with you,” promised the bishop.
Twenty minutes later, Rebecca had written out several pages of assignments, handing one copy to both the
deacon and bishop. Outside the house, they decided how to divide the district up.
“And hurry . . . we’ll be hit with another storm by nightfall tonight,” predicted the bishop.
Before Bishop Stoltzfus directed his horse in the direction of home, he decided to stop at the Beiler and Fisher homes to discuss the progression of the flu and stomach bugs chewing their way through the community.
“Bishop, I am sure Sarah Beiler told you the same thing, but we need to see several days without another person coming down with one of these illnesses. I have spoken to several of the wives, and they tell me that the stomach bug, in particular, is very bad. If I had access to a library, I would study the symptoms. This is just a guess, understand, but I believe what we’re dealing with is called norovirus. It’s highly contagious and hits everyone hard, especially the youngest and oldest. Because of how contagious it is, Sarah and I both recommend that families not get together with each other. Not until we know it has played itself out. The same goes for the flu. I would hate to see anyone vulnerable – like Adam Zook – come down sick. I’m glad you’ve decided to keep the scholars home. Denki.”
“What do you think about our church meetings?”
“Ach, Bishop! The same thing! We can all read our Bibles and worship as families – at home. You saw what happened when just one person with flu came to a meeting! Imagine if four or five came to meeting sick! Someone who is coming down sick, but still not showing symptoms is just as contagious as someone who’s obviously ill – and it’s more dangerous because he won’t know he’s sick until it hits him. Nee! We cannot advise allowing families to gather right now,” Emily said forcefully.
“Not to mention the threat of blizzards. Well, denki, Mrs. Fisher. Until the threat of both blizzards and illness has dropped, we will all stay at home. Once the threats are over, we will resume school and our bi-weekly meetings,” concluded the bishop. “I had better go – those clouds are moving in faster than I am comfortable with.”
“The wind has picked up, too. Travel safely, please bishop,” Sarah said.
Outside, Bishop Stoltzfus flipped his coat collar up around his scarf, then unwrapped the scarf and positioned his collar closest to his neck, wrapping his scarf snugly around his neck once again.
“Go, Patch! Get us home. This storm will be here fast,” the bishop said, looking at the heavy clouds. His heart fell as he saw hard pellets of snow beginning to fall.
In response to the bishop’s voice, Patch began trotting, wanting to be inside his barn. Despite their best efforts to travel quickly, the bishop and Patch pulled into the Stoltzfus yard as the snowfall became heavy. Patch trotted as fast as he dared for the barn. Inside the barn, the bishop quickly brushed down Patch, giving him extra feed and making sure he had sufficient water. Once inside, the bishop went outside only when it was necessary to care for his livestock.
Other families in the district respected the fierceness of this storm, which was particularly bad. Still, two families lost husbands and fathers as the combination of the howling wind, frigid temperatures and thick snow made being outdoors dangerous. One man was killed when a tree branch fell, hitting his head and neck. The second man was killed when he grew disoriented and got lost trying to return to his home from his barn.
The storm blew for five days. When the winds ended, families went outside to take stock of the damage. The families who had lost husbands and fathers mourned when they found their bodies. Bishop Stoltzfus prayed with these families and urged them to hold private memorial services.
“We cannot bury him now. The ground is frozen hard. For now, bury him under snow so he won’t decompose. In the spring, I will be back to help you with a funeral service and a respectful burial,” he instructed the bereaved families
***
January quickly passed into February. Because of the unpredictable weather and illness ravaging the community, no youth get-togethers were planned or held, and the next meeting was canceled to keep illness from spreading further.
John Fisher, sitting in the gentle light of a kerosene lamp in the living room, thought about Miriam Beiler. Before the weather had turned so ugly, he had approached her and her parents, letting them know he wanted to court Miriam. Her parents had agreed to allow Miriam to make the decision for herself – Miriam, knowing of John’s love for God, agreed to begin courting.
John thought of Miriam’s gentle, light-hazel eyes and her ever-present smile. He had heard that she had been hit with the flu. Lord, let her be healthy, now. She is a strong, beautiful woman and I want to get to know her better. Much, much better.
He looked up, scanning the horizon – a practice that had quickly become habit for all families in the area. Spotting a dark bank of clouds far away, he grabbed his scarf and jacket, telling his parents he wanted to visit Miriam.
“Just be back before nightfall, especially if those clouds get any closer,” instructed Samuel.
“Ya, I’ll be keeping a close eye on them. Denki, daed. I will see you before nightfall,” promised John.
“John, take this plate of cookies over, please. I’m sure Miriam would appreciate them now that she’s better,” Emily said.
“Denki, mamm,” said John. In the barn, he quickly hitched the horse to the buggy and drove to the Beiler farm. As he did, he glanced occasionally toward the far-off bank of clouds – thankfully, they were still staying away, but he had learned this was no guarantee for the next few days.
CHAPTER NINE
At the Beiler farm, Miriam welcomed John into the house. They talked, munched on cookies and drank coffee. Talking and laughing, they whiled away the afternoon, unaware that the winds had, once again, picked up. The light quickly dimmed inside the house.
John was only alerted when he heard the wind beginning to shriek around the corners of the large home. Jumping up quickly, he peered through the snowy-white window sheers.
“Ach, no! Miriam, look! I should have left a long time ago. Now, it’s too late,” John said.
“John, there is no way you can go home safely. Stay here and you can use a spare bedroom,” Sarah said.
“Denki, Mrs. Beiler. I am so sorry! I should have been keeping an eye on the weather,” said John soberly.
“John, it is hard to know how fast these storms will hit. My only concern is for your parents to know you are safe. I will call your father in the barn when we go out to take care of the livestock. Do you know what time he’ll be in your barn?” asked Joseph.
“Not very long. He likes to milk, feed and water before it’s full dark.”
“Let’s go, then. It’ll take a few minutes for us to get to the barn.”
Both men put their outer wear on and struggled to make it to the barn. While this storm didn’t appear to be as severe as the five-day storm that had hit the week previously, the winds were still harsh and cold.
“Go ahead and call. Hopefully, he’ll be in your barn as well,” instructed Joseph.
“Denki.” Picking up the phone, he dialed the number for the Fisher barn.
“Hello?” Samuel answered, slightly out of breath.
“Daed! I’m okay – the storm hit before I realized it. I am sorry. Mr. and Mrs. Beiler offered a spare room to me until the weather calms down,” John said.
Samuel let out an exasperated sigh. “Son, I told you to watch the weather! Just make sure you help Mr. Beiler out. As soon as the weather allows, come home. And thank you for calling.”
“Ya, daed, I am sorry. I . . . just got involved in talking with Miriam.
“Ya, I know about young love. Next time. You be more watchful, do you understand me?”
“Ya, daed. I am sorry. I should have been more aware of the change. I will help out. Denki.”
Back in the house, Miriam and Sarah set four places at the long, wooden kitchen table. Miriam carried hot casserole dishes, setting them on the table. She turned around as she heard the men stamping their feet on the entry-way floor.
“Just in time! Supper’s hot an
d it’s good, so sit down so we can say the blessing and eat,” she said.
Sarah dished up steaming, fragrant meatloaf, mashed potatoes and both vegetables.
“Miriam, take what you think you can handle, although you lost weight you didn’t need to lose,” she said. “So, Joseph, do you think this storm will be as bad as the latest one?”
“Nee. Still, even more snow on top of what we’ve already gotten – spring should be very interesting because of the threat of flooding,” Joseph said.
After giving the blessing, Joseph picked up his fork and began eating.
After supper was over, Miriam and Sarah cleaned up the kitchen, then joined Joseph and John in the living room, where they read the Bible and talked until bedtime.
In the spare room, John paced, struggling against his desire to visit Miriam in her room.
No, it is not right! We are only just beginning to court. But she is so beautiful! And her parents would rightfully be upset if you violated their rules.
John continued to pace, even after pulling his long-sleeved blue shirt off and draping it over the hook in the wall.
In her own room, Miriam closed her eyes and prayed fervently with the sudden temptation to walk into John’s room.
Nee! I don’t want to ruin my reputation within the community.
Keeping this thought firmly in mind, she took a long drink of cool water and pulled her Bible out. Opening it, she found a chapter to read and focus on. After several minutes, she felt better. Giving a long, quiet sigh, she blew out the lamp in her room and got under the covers.
The next day, Joseph was grateful for John’s help. While Miriam was over her attack of the flu, Sarah didn’t want her outside in the bitter cold and deep snow, which left Joseph to tend the livestock with Sarah’s assistance.
“Denki for the help, John,” said Joseph. “With Miriam still getting over the worst of her flu, it has been difficult getting things done before another storm hits.”
Winter of Faith Collection Page 4
