by Debby Giusti
“You, Noah and the boys are always welcome here. My house is larger than I need. Having it filled with family will bring me joy.”
“Thank you, Mattie.” Ruthie hugged her aunt. “You are too kind to give us lodging. Knowing Andrew is with you when we take Simon to the hospital will calm my worry as well, at least for my one son. Plus, if Andrew stays with you, he will not be exposed to other people’s germs.”
She turned to Noah and grabbed his hand. “I have not asked if you mind driving us back to town.”
“Mind? Of course not. Simon needs to see a doctor.”
Working together, they eased Simon to his feet and slowly walked him outside. The rain had stopped, but the air was thick with humidity.
“I do not feel good,” the boy moaned as Noah helped him into the truck. Ruthie slid in, wrapped her arm around him and positioned Simon’s head on her shoulder. Heat radiated from his body, and she feared his temperature had risen even higher than when she first touched his forehead.
Noah climbed behind the wheel. The worry in his expression mirrored her own inner turmoil.
Ruthie had been so focused on the man who had come after them, and then on the idea of selling the land, that she had been less than attentive to Simon this morning. Could he have had the fever earlier without her realizing he was sick?
“Did you think Simon seemed ill this morning?” she asked Noah, hoping for confirmation that she had not neglected her son’s care.
“He and Andrew were in great spirits when we drove down the hill,” Noah replied. “The illness has come on quickly.”
His response eased her concern that she had ignored some sign of his ill health this morning. “Simon never gets sick.”
“The weather has been bad, especially with all the rain. I shouldn’t have let the boys help me fix the bridge.”
“That did not make him sick. This is something else, but I do not know what it could be.”
“The doctor will be able to diagnose the problem.”
Ruthie closed her eyes. Gott, please let it be so.
* * *
The emergency room was filled with sick people. Many were coughing and holding their heads. Some were wrapped in blankets, or leaned against loved ones for support.
Noah found three chairs in the corner. He and Simon remained there while Ruthie headed to the end of a long line of people waiting at the registration desk. After slowly making her way to the front, she accepted a stack of forms from the clerk and returned to where Noah and Simon sat to fill them out.
Simon started to shiver. Noah asked for a blanket and then held the forms while Ruthie tucked the covering around her son.
Glancing down at the top paper, Noah’s gaze homed in on the block for father’s name. Ruthie had written Benjamin Eicher.
A heavy weight settled over Noah’s shoulders. Even though he hadn’t known about Ruthie’s pregnancy, Noah had given up his right to be called Simon’s father when he left the mountain ten years ago. No matter how much it pained him now, he had to realize the truth. He was not part of Ruthie’s family, no matter how much he wanted to be.
Simon’s face was pale, and he continued to shiver even with the blanket. Ruthie pulled him closer and rubbed her hand over his forehead. Her face was tight with worry.
Noah patted her hand, hoping to offer support. She smiled weakly as if grateful for his presence.
“As I mentioned earlier, I have never had to use the emergency room before.” She glanced at the crowd of sick patients waiting to be seen. “This is not how I expected it to be.”
It was still daylight. Knowing how illness often struck in the middle of the night, Noah feared the crowded conditions could get much worse.
Within the hour, Simon was called into a triage room. The nurse listened to Ruthie’s explanation of his symptoms before she took his vitals.
“His temperature is one hundred and three degrees,” the nurse announced. “Blood pressure is normal, pulse is elevated. His oxygen level is ninety-eight.”
“What does that mean?” Ruthie asked.
“It means he’ll have to wait to see a doctor.”
She handed Simon a pill and a glass of water. “This should bring down his fever. After he takes the medication, return to the waiting room and we’ll call you shortly.”
Shortly turned into two hours.
The nurse took Simon’s temperature again. “It’s one hundred two point eight degrees. The doctor will be in soon.”
The physician was an older gentleman with tired eyes and a sagging jaw. He examined Simon, then ordered blood work and rapid flu and strep tests.
“I’ll be back with the lab results,” he assured them as he left the room.
Simon fell asleep on the cot, and Ruthie and Noah sat nearby as they waited even longer for the results to come back from the lab.
“He’s a good son,” Ruthie whispered to Noah.
“You’ve done a great job raising him.”
“He brings me so much joy. He looked like you even as a baby. Sometimes I marveled that people did not realize who his father really was.”
“I’m sorry, Ruthie. I had no idea.”
“We cannot undo the past.”
The doctor returned with the lab results. “The cultures will take another twenty-four to forty-eight hours before we can identify the organism, but I can tell you for certain that your son has a serious infection. Do you have a well, Mrs. Eicher?”
“Yah, we do.”
“Has the well water been tested recently?”
“I do not know that it has ever been checked.”
“With all this rain, we’re seeing an increase in contamination. Pasture runoff often causes problems. Get your water checked. I’ll notify Public Health and ask them to send someone to your house.”
“No one is there now.”
“Not to worry—it’ll take them a few days to get to you. Until then, I’d buy a kit at the hardware store so you can check for various contaminants. One will be for bacteria. It won’t differentiate which organisms are causing problems, but it will let you know if bacteria has gotten into your water supply. Until you talk to the Public Health folks, boil your water for at least a minute, then cool it in a sealed container before you use it.”
“I have heard people mention having to shock their wells. Is this something I must do if I find contamination?” she asked.
“Public Health can help you with that. They’ll provide guidelines on how much bleach to use.” He made a note on a clipboard. “Let’s keep Simon overnight so we can get his temperature down. I want to ensure he doesn’t develop complications.”
More time passed until they got a room and then admitted Simon. Once he was settled in his hospital bed, Ruthie put her head in her hands.
Noah rubbed her shoulder. “He’s going to be okay.”
“If what the doctor said is true, I allowed the boys to drink tainted water.”
“Wait until the well is tested before you jump to conclusions, and remember that contamination happens. Most folks test their water twice a year.”
She bit her lip. “Which proves that Simon’s illness is my fault for not ensuring the water was safe.”
“You heard the doctor. The increased rainfall could be the reason.”
“What if the man tampered with the well? So much has happened. He told me he would hurt my children.”
She shook her head and glanced away, as if not wanting Noah to see her upset.
“Right now, focus on Simon getting better,” he encouraged. “I’ll go to the cafeteria and bring back some food. You haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
“Food would be gut, and some water. Clean water that will not cause infection.” She wrung her hands. “If the water is bad, then Andrew could get sick, as well.”
“He was fine when we left hi
m.”
“Yah, and I pray he continues to be all right.” She hesitated a moment and then added, “Two milk bottles were in a bucket of cool water overnight. Simon drank milk from an open bottle that was almost empty. Andrew’s milk was poured from the new bottle. Suppose the man tampered with the open bottle of milk?”
“The lab tests will determine what caused Simon’s illness. Tomorrow we can check on Andrew. Until then, we will stay with Simon and pray his condition improves.”
Ruthie would pray for Simon’s condition to improve and for Andrew to remain healthy. She would also pray for law enforcement to capture Brian Burkholder’s killer and the man who wanted to do her and her boys harm.
How much longer would they have to live life looking over their shoulders? She wanted everything resolved as fast as possible. Bottom line, she wanted her family to be healthy and safe.
TWENTY-ONE
Noah hurried to the cafeteria and returned with hamburgers and fries. Ruthie hardly touched the food, but she drank the bottle of water.
After he had eaten, Noah settled into an easy chair in the corner of the room. Ruthie rested in a recliner next to Simon’s bed. She closed her eyes and was soon asleep.
Simon’s breathing was even, but his coloring remained pale. Before coming back to the mountain, Noah hadn’t known he had a son. Now he worried he might lose the boy he had grown to love in just a short time. Truth be told, he had loved him that first night when he had seen him in the light of the oil lamp. The similarity between them was so great there had been no question that Simon was his son.
If Noah had known Ruthie was pregnant ten years ago, he never would have left her. His father couldn’t mail Ruthie’s letter because Noah hadn’t told him where he and Seth were living. He had communicated with his father much later, but by that time, Ruthie’s letters would have been long forgotten.
Noah drew closer to the bed and touched his son’s cheek. “Gott, it has been a long time since I have talked to You. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Not being here for my son is one of them. Get him through this illness, then help Ruthie find a good man to help her with the boys. She deserves a better life than she’s had. Provide for her needs. I’ll set up a fund for Simon and Andrew. Both boys are so special. If Seth hadn’t died, I might be ready to open my heart again, but I seem to make a mess of everything You’ve given me that is good. Don’t let me hurt Ruthie or Simon again. Please.”
Noah stood at the side of the bed for a long time while Simon and Ruthie slept. Throughout the night he continued to pray for his son, and for Ruthie and Andrew, and asked the Lord to bring good from all the pain.
* * *
Ruthie woke with a start when the nurse entered the room early the next morning. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and glanced around, unable to find Noah.
“I’m sorry to disturb you,” the nurse said with an apologetic smile. “Your husband went to get coffee and something to eat. He said to tell you he’d be back in a flash if you awoke.”
“My husband?”
The nurse nodded. “Yes, ma’am. He’s been awake all night and stopped by the nurses’ desk a number of times asking about his son. We tried to reassure him, but he has been quite anxious.”
Ruthie nodded. “We both have been concerned.”
“Everything appears worse in the middle of the night.” The nurse studied the monitor. “Simon’s vitals look good. I’ll get his temp in a minute. The phlebotomist will be in soon to draw his blood.”
“More tests?”
“I’m afraid so. The doctor wants to ensure he’s improving.”
Ruthie stood and neared the bed. “Looks like he is a sleepyhead this morning.”
“It’s early. I’ll come back in a bit for that temp. I hate to bother patients, especially when they’re sleeping so soundly.” She hung another antibiotic bag and left the room.
Ruthie raked her fingers through her hair and repositioned her kapp. She stepped into the bathroom, then splashed water on her face and rinsed her mouth.
After returning to Simon’s bedside, she glanced out the window. A low cloud cover fell over the countryside. From the dark sky, more rain seemed likely. She was concerned about the rising water.
Once before, the river had flooded. Her mother had been alive, and they had moved the few furnishings they had upstairs. She had had the foresight to take bread and jam and some nonperishable food items to the second floor, along with jugs of water.
“Gott will provide” had been her mother’s response as the water rose.
Ruthie had been little and remembered looking across the rain-swollen river to Noah’s house. His home sat higher on the mountain and escaped the flood.
For two days, Ruthie and her family had holed up in the hot upstairs, and then the rain had stopped and the sun appeared.
“Gott has answered our prayers,” her mother had said with her usual optimism.
Within twelve hours the water had left the house, although mud and debris remained on the first floor and had to be swept out and mopped clean. Noah and his family came to help, and by the second day, the floorboards were damp but free from the mud. Mamm had aired out the house for days. The sun and a mountain breeze had been in their favor.
At that time, Datt had been a jovial man with a ready smile and hugs for his daughter. He had changed after her mother had died.
“Breakfast.”
She turned at the sound of Noah’s voice and smiled. His hair was somewhat disheveled and his eyes were tired, but he was as handsome as the young man who had stolen her heart years ago.
“Two coffees, plus platters of eggs and sausage. Also croissants and fresh fruit.”
“Croissants?”
“Something different, yah?”
She nodded. “Yah. But the food smells delicious and I am hungry.”
“How’s our patient?”
“Sleeping soundly, which is probably good. The nurse did not want to wake him to take his temperature. She will return in a bit.”
“So we can enjoy our meal without interruption from the medical staff.”
“The phlebotomist is due shortly.”
“What did the nurse say about Simon?”
“The results of the lab tests will provide more information.”
Ruthie bowed her head. Noah was silent until she glanced up.
“Enjoy the food,” he said.
“You always anticipate my needs, Noah.”
“I was awake and hungry. I knew you would want to eat, as well. Don’t give me more credit than I deserve.”
“You deserve a lot of credit.”
“I deserve a lot of blame, as well. I should have stayed, Ruthie.”
“You needed to make your own way.”
“At your expense. A good man would not leave someone he loved behind.”
Her heart pounded with Noah’s words. He had loved her. If only circumstances had been different.
A knock sounded at the door. “Morning. I’m Janice, from the lab.”
“Simon is still sleeping.”
“I’ve got a few more patients to draw on this floor. How ’bout I come back in a few minutes? You can enjoy your breakfast a little longer.”
“That is very thoughtful. Thank you.”
Ruthie ate in silence, unwilling to meet Noah’s gaze. She needed to keep her focus on the present and take each moment as it came.
Noah is leaving, her voice of reason continued to warn her.
Plus, he was Englisch.
She steeled her spine and reached for the coffee. She would not let her heart be broken again. Once was one time too many. If it happened a second time, she might not survive.
TWENTY-TWO
Noah was anxious to hear what the doctor had to say, but it was late morning before the physician made his rounds.
“How ar
e you feeling?” the doctor asked after he had poked and prodded Simon’s stomach, listened to his heart, and checked his pupils.
“I am hungry,” the boy announced. His face was pale and he still had a fever.
The doctor glanced at the breakfast tray. “You didn’t eat breakfast.”
“I would like real food like my mamm cooks,” Simon explained, “instead of watery cream of wheat and dry toast.”
The doctor nodded. “I’ll have dietary change you to a nonrestrictive diet. Lunch should be more appetizing.”
“Gut,” Simon said with a weak smile.
“How does your head feel?”
“Like it is stuffed with cotton. My stomach is better, but it rumbles.”
“You were a sick young man when you came in.” The doctor glanced at Simon’s file. “Your condition has improved, but only slightly, which concerns me. We need to be sure the antibiotic is working.”
“When can he go home?” Ruthie asked.
“Not this soon. We’ll see how he does tonight. Tomorrow might be a different story.”
After the doctor left, Simon turned to his mother. “Why do I have to stay here?”
“Because you are sick.”
“What about Andrew?”
“He is at Aunt Mattie’s house, though I am concerned he might be sick, as well.”
“I could check on him,” Noah suggested.
“I would rather see for myself that he is all right.”
Noah’s phone rang. He stepped into the hallway and nodded when he heard Deputy Warren’s voice.
“I wanted to give you an update,” the deputy said. “We questioned Vince Ashcroft, the real-estate agent. He was in on the land-acquisition deal with Burkholder and Zimmer. Evidently the assistant foreman had come up with the initial concept of redirecting the mountain water, but Burkholder claimed it was his own idea when he talked to Mr. Castle. Zimmer became belligerent and the two argued.”
“So you think Zimmer killed the foreman?”
“He’s more than a person of interest at this point. Our guys went over his red truck from top to bottom. Guess what they found under the driver’s seat?”
