Harold explained.
“We’re just sorry, and angry, it happened in our town. Thankfully the men don’t live here. They were just passing through. We’ve never had a problem like that before.” James added.
“Thank you for the beautiful flowers. I raise flowers and sell them in my store, but no one has ever sent me any. I am grateful. Are you married and do you have children?”
“No, we’re neither one married. We’re going on through law school and hope to open a law practice together some day.”
The door opened to allow Jenna Mae, Jacob, Joshua, Erin and Isaiah in.
There were introductions all around and much gratitude expressed to the two men who came to Charity’s rescue.
James and Harold wished them God’s speed and left.
They were pleased to see that Charity was better although still bruised and nursing a headache. Dr. Yoder came in and was introduced to everyone.
“Well, our girl is doing well, but still needs rest and recuperation. Keep her in bed for another day and only allow her up in small time periods. Feed her well and she will be fine in a week. I am going to release her to you and say I am so sorry to have met her under these conditions. She is a lovely young woman and a good patient.” He smiled and excused himself.
In a few minutes a nurse came in offering to help Charity dress and prepare to leave. Erin gave her the dress and bloomers she had washed and mended. She had also given her a pair of her own stockings as Charity’s were too torn to wear again. Isaiah had polished her shoes.
Jenna Mae had found her a prayer kapp because Charity’s was lost. She had tears in her eyes because of the kindness and thoughtfulness.
A male nurse came in pushing a wheelchair which Charity declared she did not need.
“It’s a rule of the hospital,” he explained. “We are responsible for you until you’re completely gone. I don’t mean we’re glad to get rid of you,” he laughed.
“I understand. Bring on the contraption then. How are we getting home?”
Jacob leaned over her. “We are going in a taxi to Erin and Isaiah’s B & B and stay the night. Tomorrow morning, if you feel like it, we will all go back with our English neighbor. He refused money for the trip, but we are going to see that he gets enough for gas.”
“It sounds good to me. I can hardly wait to see Jeremiah.”
“We did not tell him of your -- accident,” Jenna Mae told her. “We knew he would be too upset and would not understand.”
“Good. I promised him I would be safe and come back home to him. He was afraid I would go away like his daed.”
“Well, you are going home to him and we can thank God for your safety. He provided people to help after those evil men were taken away,” Joshua bristled. Charity was like his own child.
Erin served an excellent lunch of chicken and dumplings, honey-glazed carrots, deviled eggs, buttermilk biscuits, gravy, and a choice of coffee, milk or lemonade. Her dessert was pineapple upside down cake.
Charity went up to take a nap while the others talked. She began to have dreams of Adam reaching out his hand and smiling, and then of being thrown around and slung to the ground. She awakened with her mamm and Erin by her bed calling softly to her.
“Oh, dear. You frightened us with your cries. We were afraid someone had broken in and was attacking you,” Erin laughed.
“You were having bad dreams,” her mother explained.
“I am so sorry that I disturbed all of you. Is that daed peeping around the door?”
“It probably is. Jacob, she is all right. She was just dreaming.”
Relieved he waved at them and left.
“Was I talking?”
“Only yelling no, no, no.” her mother told her. “I am not surprised. You have been through a lot of disturbing things. God is with you.”
“I know that, and I have the best family in the world. Wonderful, dear, sweet friends are so precious to me, also.”
“Please come down and talk to us.”
“Where are my shoes? I will be right down as soon as I wash my face in cold water.” Jenna Mae and Erin left and went downstairs.
They talked and compared childhood stories. Some of the stories made Charity laugh when the men told of “boy tricks” they were guilty of pulling.
They had a delicious nachtesse of cornbread crumbled in a bowl with milk poured over it, pickled eggs, raw carrots and cauliflower and bread pudding with a lemon raisin sauce for dessert. (Recipes for Amish cornbread and Amish bread pudding are in my book Amish Dilemma. The pickled eggs recipe is on Pg. 255 in my book A Detective’s Heart.)
“Danki, Erin. The nachtesse was wunderbaar just as you are,” Jacob told her.
They all thanked her for an appeditlich nachtesse (delicious dinner). Isaiah then got the big family Biewel and read some passages. They took turn about reciting their favorite verse.
Charity humbly recited Isaiah 40:31
“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar like eagles; they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not be faint.” She then quoted Psalm 25, “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul, in You I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. God has surely been with me. He did not stop the men from hurting and scaring me, but He let me know that no evil would happen to me, and I thank Him and worship Him.”
“Amen,” they all responded.
“We did not know at first what was happening, but something made us pray more for you than we had been doing. Your daed and I, and I am sure the church, prayed for you from the time you left Shickshinny,” Jenna Mae told her.
“Ja, I had faith that you would not do wrong, dochder,” Jacob said.
“Ah, daed. I have had good home training and know what the Biewel teaches us.”
They all wished each other a gut nacht and went to their own rooms for the night.
A pleasant calm settled over the town. Charity could hear faintly a violin.
Chapter Five
The next morning they were all cheerfully wishing each other a guder mariye as they sat together, with two other travelers, at the breakfast table.
Heads were bowed in silent prayer until Isaiah cleared his throat to show he was finished praying as head of the household.
The two travelers didn’t say anything, but looked at each other in wonder.
They finally introduced themselves; a couple on vacation.
Erin
