LITMIR.BIZ

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struggling to take a deep breath. “I’m going to be out of here in time for the next milking.”

      Her mamm gasped. “No, Joseph. That is not what the doctor said.”

      “What did they say, mamm?” Lizzie wanted to know.

      “They could tell from the EKG that they ran in the ambulance that he’s had a mild heart attack. He needs to stay here for a few more days while they run some more tests. They want to do a procedure called a catheterization to see if there is any damage to your vader’s heart.”

      “I won’t be here for any of that,” her vader grumbled. “I am in the middle of the first harvest. It’s not like I have a strong son who can take over.”

      Lizzie stiffened at her father’s harsh words. She knew better than he what the family had lost. Even though he’d never come out and accused her, she knew he blamed her for David’s death. She felt her mamm give her hand a quick squeeze.

      She released Lizzie, then walked across the polished black-and-white floor tiles to her husband’s bedside. She took his hand in hers and kissed the top of it.

      Very quietly, but with a firmness in her tone, she said, “Joseph, you will do exactly as the doctors tell you.”

      “But who will take care of the cows and the crops?”

      Paul and a tall man dressed in Plain clothes entered their room. Lizzie recognized Amos Yoder, one of the elders in their church district. He stood at the foot of her father’s bed, wearing dark pants and a crisp white shirt tucked beneath his black suspenders. On his head he wore a dark brimmed hat with a black band.

      “Joseph,” he said, his deep voice resonating throughout the space. “You will not worry about your crops or your cows. The men and I can each spare a son to help out until you are well enough. The boys will rotate their days.”

      Her vader sighed. He avoided making eye contact with her. “See, this mess has already brought the two of you away from your work.”

      “It was nothing, Joseph. I was at the house, visiting already, and didn’t mind coming with Lizzie to the hospital,” Paul said.

      Taking her mamm aside, Lizzie knew she and Paul had stayed past their time. And she didn’t want to be the cause of any more stress for her vader.

      “Mamm, I think I’ll go home. I’ve kept Paul here long enough, and I have much to tend to back at the house.”

      “Ja, Lizzie, you go home. If there are men working at our fields and in our barns, they will eventually need to be fed. You must cook for them.”

      “Ja. Of course.” Her mamm led her back to her vader’s bedside so she could say goodbye. “Vader, I don’t want you to worry about the farm. I can help keep things running.” Lizzie tried her best to put on a brave front. But the truth was she was worried.

      “Ach!” Her vader half raised a hand off the bed, swishing it in the air as if swatting at a fly. “You go home and do your chores, Dochder. I’ll be fine.”

      Though she wanted with all her heart to believe him, she couldn’t be certain how much damage his heart had sustained. Lizzie bent to kiss him on the cheek, but he turned his head, avoiding her touch. Fighting back the tears, she simply patted him on the shoulder and left the emergency room. She walked back down the long corridor with Paul. The stale antiseptic smells receded with each step she took. Lizzie made it to the main waiting room and exhaled.

      She turned to Paul and said, “Take me home, please.”

      They stepped out of the sterile air of the hospital into the fresh air and fading sunlight of another hot summer day. Lizzie stood looking at the golden light, thankful to God above that her vader had survived. While she waited, Paul found them a cab to take them home.

      Lizzie settled into the back seat, relieved to be going home. Paul got in and sat next to her. The car was small, and their shoulders bumped. Lizzie could feel the warmth coming from Paul’s body. He’d been so kind to her today. But she couldn’t allow him to be away from his own work. They both needed to get back to Miller’s Crossing. She couldn’t bear to be away from home for too long; even the short time away today left her feeling uneasy. She worried about what she was going to find when she got back to the farm. There was livestock to be fed and cows to be milked. She had no idea where her vader had left the tractor or who was going to see to the remainder of the cutting in the field he’d been harvesting this morning.

      Lizzie felt the uncertainty creeping in like fog on a cool morning. She tried with all her might to bolster her confidence, thinking she could do this for her father. She owed him all the help she could give him. She could run things while he was in the hospital, couldn’t she? Lizzy breathed a sigh of relief as the cab turned onto the road that led to the Miller farm.

      And then she gasped in surprise at the sight that greeted her.

       Chapter Two

      From across the field that separated the property from the road, Lizzie could see a row of buggies parked in front of the barn.

      “Oh, my, Paul! Look at all of this!”

      He tilted his head toward her and smiled, nodding toward the house. “I told you, as soon as they heard about your vader, everyone came to help.”

      As the taxi pulled into the driveway, Lizzie pressed her forehead against the passenger-side window to get a better view of the yard. She saw her best friend, Sadie Fischer, rushing toward them. Immediately Lizzie’s heart swelled with emotion. She didn’t know what she would do without her friend. Waiting for the cab to stop, Lizzie tore off her seat belt and opened the door, stepping straight into her friend’s outstretched arms.

      “Lizzie, I’m so sorry to hear about your vader.”

      “Danke,” Lizzie mumbled against Sadie’s shoulder.

      After releasing her hold, Lizzie looked around, taking stock of the busy yard. Behind her she heard Paul paying the cab driver. She noted the crunch of the gravel as the car drove off. Paul came to stand near them.

      “Is it true that your vader had a heart attack?” Sadie asked, her gaze darting from Paul to Lizzie.

      “Ja. We think he’s going to be fine, though,” she answered, crossing her arms over her stomach as the full impact of her vader’s condition hit her.

      With her sister, Mary, living in her husband’s community in Montgomery County, a few hours from here, it was up to Lizzie to keep things running on the farm until her mamm or vader returned home.

      Sadie quickly picked up on her unease. Her friend patted her on the arm, saying, “All will be well in time. Already we are all praying for his speedy recovery.” Pointing toward the side yard, Sadie added, “See there? Those people are your friends and they care a great deal about your vader.”

      Lizzie looked past Sadie and saw a group of her neighbors and other community members standing in a circle, their heads bowed. The hems on the women’s blue dresses flapped against their legs as a warm summer breeze blew across the yard. Some of the men had left their jobs to come and offer support. Even though she knew it was the way of the Amish to come and lend a helping hand to a neighbor in need, she still felt uneasy about having all these people at her home. It appeared, though, that Sadie and Paul were both correct: everyone was doing something to help.

      Her lower lip trembled as she fought back her tears. “Vader sent me back. He said there was a lot that needed to be tended to. And it looks like he was right.” Lizzie swiped a hand across her cheeks, starting to walk toward the house.

      Paul fell into step beside them. “I see my bruders, Ben and Abram

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