Simple Choices (27 page)

Her thin fingers encircled my wrist. “Thank you, thank you. This is enough.” Once again, she struggled to sit up, and once again I resisted her efforts. It didn’t take much. She was so weak.

“Stay still,” I scolded. “You’re not moving until John takes a look at you.” The hot sun beat down on us. I could see how easy it would be to get heat exhaustion on a day like today. However, Sarah’s condition seemed to be more than simple heatstroke. Her obvious weight loss and the blue tinge to her lips worried me.

The sound of a car’s engine caused me to look up. John screeched to a halt a few yards from us. He jumped out of his SUV and ran toward us, a leather bag in his hand.

“She’s breathing now and awake,” I told him as I gently put Sarah’s head on her folded cape and stepped back so he could get close to her. While he looked her over, I checked on my father. He still seemed to be in pain and sweat ran down his face. “Let’s get you back in the car where there’s air-conditioning.” Surprisingly, he didn’t argue.

“I’ll just wait for you,” he said, leaning on my shoulder and hobbling toward the car. My father’s not the kind of person who likes to sit on the sidelines during an emergency. By the time I got him situated, my concern for him had grown.

“Gracie!” John was calling my name, so I made sure Dad was okay, and then I ran back to where John knelt in the road next to Sarah.

The look on his face alarmed me. He handed me a card. “This is the number of Emergency Services in Sunrise. I need you to call them right away and ask them to send an ambulance as soon as possible.”

“What’s wrong, John?”

He spoke softly to Sarah and got to his feet, leading me a few feet from the silent young woman who lay prostrate in the road. “This isn’t heatstroke. She’s been having chest pains, and she’s very weak.” He glanced back at Sarah, his expression one of desperation. “I think it’s her heart. It’s serious, Gracie. Very serious.”

I grabbed his arm. “John, she’s going to be okay, isn’t she?”

With fear-filled eyes he shook his head. “I don’t know, Gracie. I really don’t.”

“I’ll call this number and be right back.” I raced toward the car without saying another word. When I got in my father could see I was frightened.

“What’s going on?”

“Sarah’s in trouble, Dad. I’ve got to call an ambulance.” I pulled into my driveway and opened my door. “You stay here. Mom can get you inside while I call for help.” I ran up the steps and into the house, yelling for my mother who hurried in from the kitchen. After a brief explanation, she went out to get my father. I dialed the number on John’s card and gave our location to the dispatcher who answered the phone. He promised to have someone there within the next fifteen minutes. I hung up and jogged out to the porch, ignoring Papa who sat on the couch, watching all the turmoil.

“Let us know what happens, Gracie,” my mother said as I raced past her and my father. Dad was going up the steps slowly, but at least he was home where Mom could look after him. One patient out of the way.

I backed out of my driveway, almost knocking over my mailbox. Then I gunned the motor and sped back to where Sarah and John waited. After assuring John I’d placed the call, I knelt next to Sarah whose frightened eyes sought mine.

“John says something might be wrong, Gracie.” Her voice was so soft I could barely hear her. “I haven’t felt good for a while, but I thought it would pass. We’ve been working so hard in the shop …”

“That’s not it,” John interrupted, his tone harsh. “You didn’t do anything about it because you were afraid to come to my office. You’ve risked your health because of me.”

Sarah’s already pale face turned even whiter. “No, that’s not true. Please … please don’t say that …”

Without any warning, her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted. John called her name several times, but she didn’t respond. I cried out involuntarily because she looked dead. John pulled her dress down and began doing chest compressions, his face grim.

“Watch for the ambulance, Gracie,” he said in a tone that shook me to my very core. “Make sure they don’t miss us.”

I ran out on the road so I could see any approaching vehicle. Within a few minutes, I spotted the ambulance barreling down the road, creating a storm of dust behind it. I waved my hands like a crazy person, making sure they saw us. They pulled up next to the buggy and two emergency workers jumped out, carrying equipment. John shouted instructions to them. One of the emergency workers inserted a needle in Sarah’s arm, attached to a plastic bag of clear liquid. The other moved into the spot where John had been working and put his head on Sarah’s chest. He took out something that looked like large scissors and cut down the length of the rest of her dress, throwing it aside. Then he opened the metal box he had with him and grabbed a couple of paddles. After adjusting some knobs on the instrument, he put the paddles on her chest and jolted Sarah. Her body jumped. He checked her, shook his head, and then repeated the procedure. Once again, he shook his head. In the meantime, the other worker gave her a shot and told the man with the paddles to try again. This time, he seemed satisfied with the results and ran over to his vehicle to get a gurney out of the back. All three men loaded Sarah up into the back of the ambulance. I heard the emergency technicians talking to John, but I couldn’t distinguish what they were saying. It was like my heart was pounding in my ears, and all I could hear was the sound of it beating. I began to pray with all my might, not caring who heard me or if I sounded deranged. One of the men jumped up into the back of the vehicle with Sarah while the other ran to the front, jumped in, and sped off. John jogged back to me.

“They wouldn’t let me go with them so I’ve got to follow in my car.”

“John, please tell me she’s going to be okay.” My voice shook, and I felt tears course down my cheeks.

“I—I don’t know, Gracie,” John said. “I really don’t.” He grabbed my hands. “You say this God of yours is good—that He loves us. If that’s true, He’ll save Sarah.” The anguish in his voice was palpable. “You’ve got to pray … please. Please pray that she lives.”

I lowered my head and prayed with every ounce of faith in my heart. “Dear God, thank You for providing everything we need for life. We draw on Your goodness and Your mercy for our friend Sarah. We declare that she will live and not die, and that she will completely recover. Thank You for hearing our prayer.” I started to say “amen,” but surprisingly, John began to speak out loud.

“God, I know You don’t know me, but I believe You’re there. I’ve seen You in the lives and hearts of these people in Harmony. In the life and heart of Sarah Ketterling. Please God, I love her. Save her. Heal her. If You do, I’ll serve You the rest of my life. I promise.”

I waited a moment and then said, “Amen.”

John hugged me and hurried toward his car.

“Call me!” I yelled after him. “Call me after you check on her!”

I had no idea if he heard me or not. He drove away so quickly that when the dust cleared, I couldn’t see his SUV any longer. I got in my dad’s car and drove home. After parking in my driveway, I put my head down and prayed again. This time, I prayed for two lives. One for continued life in this world, and the other for a life in eternity.

F
riday morning dawned with cloudy skies and rain. It was most welcome. We desperately needed it to help cool down temperatures and aid thirsty crops. There was more good news. Sarah had been moved to a hospital in Topeka and had improved so much it looked as if she could come home by Monday. She’d been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease that attacks the heart muscle. Caught early, it can be treated successfully with medicine. Sarah had ignored her symptoms for a while, causing her to feel weak and finally lose consciousness. According to John, if her condition had been left untreated, she could have easily died. He called me several times from Topeka, but I hadn’t actually seen him since Sarah’s collapse. Except for running back and forth to Harmony for a few patients who couldn’t wait, he stayed by her side constantly.

I’d promised Ida I’d drive her to Topeka to see Sarah that afternoon. The drive would take us around an hour and a half each way. I was happy to have some time to spend with Ida, and frankly, I needed a break from Papa. He seemed to be having more and more confused episodes. His insistence about finding a wedding present from Mama had grown stronger. It was all we could do to talk him out of it. My father finally told him we’d found it, and everything was all right. I didn’t like lying to Papa, but Dad said it was the kindest thing to do. At first it seemed to calm him down, but last night, he woke up about three in the morning, worried once again about this imaginary gift. Although his delusion bothered me and losing sleep didn’t thrill me, I was touched that he longed to give me something for my wedding. And though he was doing better physically after his fall, the decision was made to keep him downstairs so we wouldn’t have a repeat of his previous accident. Besides the 3:00 a.m. episode, my concern for Hannah and Sarah kept me tossing and turning at night. Hannah had been gone five days now. After a visit with Jessie yesterday when I went to lunch with Sam, my concerns about Bill had returned. When I’d asked her about her mother’s new relationship, her response reignited my suspicions.

“Mom seems happy,” she’d said, “but I don’t know. Bill makes me uncomfortable. I get the feeling he’s hiding something.”

That was enough to send me over the edge and hound Pat until he did some checking up on Bill. Although he did have a child who lived in the area where a couple of young women had been abducted and killed, he hadn’t been there during the time it happened, and had never been to Arizona or New Mexico in his life. Ever. Turned out Jessie’s “uncomfortable” feelings were nothing more than that, probably a leftover reaction to the abuse she suffered at the hand of her father. Pat reminded me after spending time following up another useless lead that Rufus still wasn’t speaking to me—and might not for quite some time.

“For crying out loud, Gracie,” he’d said in a tone that didn’t invite further discussion, “just because this guy
might
have struck in Topeka, and we’re still not sure of that, it doesn’t mean he lives around here. You’re imagining things, and it’s causing me a lot of trouble.”

“I never said he lived here,” I’d answered hotly. “But Hannah is gone and whoever picked her up was in this area. It’s entirely possible that he’s been here before.”

His answer, mumbled under his breath, wasn’t something his mother would be proud of. I’d pointed that out to him, but it didn’t do any good. He’d just hung up on me.

After everything that had been happening in Harmony, going to Topeka sounded like a vacation. And although it was almost impossible since there was an APB out on Hannah and no one had spotted her, in the back of my mind, the thought that I might find her on the road between here and Topeka was overwhelming, even if it was unlikely.

Every day that Hannah was gone gave Abel and Emily more opportunity for stress. But the supernatural assurance they’d received when we’d read the ninety-first Psalm seemed to hold them up. I could see the battle to believe in their faces, but I also observed the peace of God sustaining them. They were determined to trust God with their daughter’s safety, and my respect for them grew immensely. Faith is easy when the stakes are small, but to see them walk in assurance when the life of their beloved child was on the line showed their true devotion to their God.

A little before three o’clock I said good-bye to my parents and left to pick Ida up. She wanted to stop by and see Abigail before we left town, and I’d gladly agreed to take her. I’d been planning to ask C.J. to the wedding, and I looked forward to seeing the progress he’d made on his mother’s house.

Ida was ready when I pulled up to her place. She sat on her porch with a basket in her lap. I got as close as I could so she wouldn’t get too wet. Then I jumped out of the car to assist her.

“What have you got in the basket?” I asked when I reached her.

“I made us a nice supper,” she said with a smile. “I thought perhaps we could stop along the road and eat.”

“I’d planned to take you out to a restaurant. There are some great places to eat in Topeka.”

“Oh my, Gracie,” she said, getting to her feet while holding the basket in her hands. “That is not necessary even though I appreciate it very much. I have two roast beef sandwiches, and two tuna salad sandwiches, homemade pickles, apples from Sam’s trees, and some of Mr. Menlo’s baklava. We will not need to buy anything when we have such good food with us.”

I reached out for the basket. “Sounds delicious, Ida. We’ll put it in the backseat so it will stay cool. We might want to eat before the hospital so nothing will spoil.”

Ida took my other arm, and I helped her down the steps. “I think that is a good idea. I am so excited about our trip. I can hardly wait to see Sarah. I have been praying for her.” She leaned her head against my shoulder for just a moment. “Thank you so much for taking me today. It blesses me so.”

We stepped carefully through the puddles on the ground while the rain fell steadily. “I’m looking forward to it, too,” I said. “Sweetie is coming to my house today to talk wedding plans with my mother, and frankly, I need a break. I know it’s my wedding, but I just want to walk down the aisle and say, ‘I do.’ I want to be Mrs. Sam Goodrich, and I wish I could do it without all the fuss.”

Ida waited until I opened the car door. She carefully folded her long skirt beneath her and positioned herself into the passenger seat. I closed the door and went around to the other side of the car, placing the basket in the backseat before I got behind the wheel.

“I know it feels that way now, Gracie,” she said when I got inside the car, “but someday you will cherish the memories of your wedding. Even though my ceremony was very simple by today’s standards, it was very special to me, and I think of it often.” Her voice grew soft, and she looked away from me and out the window. “Especially when I lost Herman. Then the memories came rushing back like a flood. Herman looking so young and handsome in his black suit. The look on his face when we were declared man and wife. The joy we shared with our friends and families. It was one of the best days of my life.” She turned to look at me. “It will be this way for you, too. Please do not take it lightly, ja?”