Letters to Katie (26 page)
“Katherine, I’ve gone over your chart and the tests we ran on your brain.” The doctor
flipped her chart shut and stood at the end of her bed, peering down at her. “I think
I know the reason for your memory loss.”
She gripped her mother’s hand. It was early the next
morning, the day after Johnny’s visit. She still had trouble believing he’d stopped
by, and when he told her he hoped she’d feel better, he seemed to really mean it.
That made almost as much sense to her as the memory loss.
“In some patients with meningitis, there is a disruption in the blood flow across
the blood-brain barrier.”
Her mother drew a sharp breath. “That sounds dangerous.”
“It can be, if the disruption is severe. In Katherine’s case, we feel it wasn’t. But
that disruption caused a bit of short-term memory loss.”
“Which is why I can’t remember anything from the past few weeks,” Katherine said.
“Exactly.”
“Will she get her memory back?”
The doctor hugged the folder to his chest. “Possibly. But there’s no guarantee.” He
looked at Katherine. “Since the loss is short-term, it won’t affect you too much.”
Katherine glanced away. Maybe the doctor could be so casual about her losing her memory,
but she couldn’t. Still, she hid her dismay from her mother. She didn’t want to give
her anything else to worry about.
“Other than that, you’re doing well. I’ll have the nurse come in with the discharge
papers, and you’ll be free to leave. Do you have any other questions?”
Katherine shook her head, still trying to process what the doctor had said. But she
was glad to be going home.
Once he left, her mother went to the small closet in the room and pulled out Katherine’s
dress and
kapp
. “You can get dressed while we wait for the nurse. Do you need any help?”
“Nee.”
She got up from the bed, feeling nothing worse than a little weakness in her legs.
She took the dress and
kapp
from her mother and went into the bathroom to change. Under the fluorescent lighting
she looked at herself in the mirror. Dark circles ringed her eyes, and her complexion
was paler than normal. Johnny had seen her like this?
She shook her head and slipped out of the gown. She’d asked her mother a couple of
times why Johnny had visited, but
Mamm
always changed the subject. Maybe when she got home, surrounded by familiar things,
she would remember what happened. She hoped.
After the hospital released her, Katherine and her mother took a taxi home.
When she walked in the door, Bekah greeted her. “You got a letter from Isaac,” she
said, holding it up in the air. “It came yesterday. He sure didn’t wait long to write.”
Katherine frowned. Isaac?
“Don’t you want the letter?” Bekah held it out to her.
“Who’s Isaac?” her father asked.
“Ya,”
her
mamm
said, taking off her shawl. “Is there something we should know about?”
Katherine took the letter from Bekah. She looked at the unfamiliar handwriting. The
return address was Walnut Creek.
“You don’t remember him?” Bekah asked.
She shook her head. “I have no idea who you’re talking about.”
Daed
frowned. “Bekah, what’s going on?”
“Katherine has a beau.”
Both Katherine and her mother gasped. “What?”
Mamm
looked at Katherine. “Why didn’t you say anything about him before?”
“Well, he’s not exactly a beau,” Bekah said, plopping on the couch. Suddenly she looked
concerned. “None of this rings a bell, Katherine?”
Weary, she sat down and put the letter in her lap.
“Nee.”
“You seem to know all about him, though.”
Daed
looked at Bekah, his expression stern.
“All I know is that he stopped by a couple days ago, wanting to talk to Katherine.”
She grinned. “I think he’s kind of
schee
.”
“And that’s all you know?”
“Ya.”
“
Gut
. Then
geh
to your room. Your
mudder
and I need to talk to Katherine. Alone.”
Bekah looked genuinely shocked. “I’m seventeen. Don’t you think I’m a little old to
be sent to my room?” At their father’s warning look, she said, “I’m going. But, Katherine,
you and I are going to talk later.”
Katherine sighed as her sister clambered up the stairs. Her parents waited for a moment.
Her father moved to stand at the bottom of the stairs. “Shut the door, Rebekah.”
“Fine.”
He sighed and turned back to Katherine. Katherine glanced at her mom, not missing
the twitch of her lips. But Katherine didn’t find this funny at all.
Her father sat on the couch, removed his hat, and rubbed his forehead. “Why haven’t
we heard about Isaac before?”
“I don’t know.”
“But you’ve been writing to him?” He leaned forward.
Katherine shrugged. “I don’t remember. I guess I have.”
Her mother sat next to her. “I think it’s wonderful you’ve met someone.”
Her father rubbed his chin. “I suppose. It would be nice to know who that someone
is, though.”
“Thomas, Katherine doesn’t need us peppering her with questions.
Geh
upstairs and I’ll bring you some tea.”
Mamm
stood. “Oh, and don’t forget your letter.” She smiled.
Katherine looked at the white envelope in her lap. Why wasn’t she more curious about
its contents? Instead, she was still wondering why Johnny had visited her in the hospital.
“I don’t want any tea, just some sleep. I’ll be down later to help with supper.”
“Absolutely not. You just got out of the hospital. Bekah and I can take care of supper.
We’ll let you know when it’s ready.” She kissed Katherine’s cheek. “Now,
geh
rest.”
Katherine went upstairs. She shut the door to her room and sat on the bed. Stared
at the letter again. Had she been writing to this Isaac? There was only one way to
find out. She opened the letter and started to read.
Dear Katherine,
I hope this letter finds you well. I’m glad you said it was okay to write to you while
I’m on the road with Daed. We’re
heading for southern Ohio tomorrow. He said we should be done with our visits to the
alpaca farms in a couple of weeks. The time can’t go fast enough for me.
I don’t mean to be pushy, but I really like you. I got the feeling you liked me too,
seeing that you were always so kind to me at Mary Yoder’s. Then again, you know I
had my eye on you from the start. You can write me back if you want; I’ll pick up
the letters when I return from our trip.
Best, Isaac
Frowning, Katherine looked at the address Isaac wrote on the bottom of the letter.
The same as the return address. Walnut Creek.
She returned the letter to its envelope, disappointed. The letter was short and gave
little insight into who Isaac was. All she knew was that he was with his dad and doing
something with alpacas.
And . . . he liked her.
But for how long? She clenched the letter. Why couldn’t she remember? A knock sounded
on the door, startling her. “What?” The word shot out of her mouth.
“It’s me.” Bekah’s voice sounded tentative.
Katherine tossed the letter on her bed. “Come in.”
Bekah walked into the room. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“You always say that. Even when you’re not.” Bekah walked into the room. “Goodness,
you look like you’re about to throw up.” She frowned. “You aren’t, are you? You know
I don’t do well with that kind of thing.”
“
Nee
. I’m just tired.”
Bekah plopped down on Katherine’s bed next to the letter. She pointed at it. “Did
this help you figure things out?”
She shook her head. Curiosity filled Bekah’s eyes. “
Geh
ahead,” Katherine said. “Read it.”
Bekah eagerly pulled out the letter. Her smile disappeared as she read. “That was
kind of—”
“Vague?”
“Boring. Except for the part about liking you.” She returned the letter to Katherine.
“Are you going to write him back?”
“I don’t know. What would I say? Other than ‘I don’t remember you’? The past three
weeks are a complete blank.”
“
Gut
point.” Bekah touched Katherine’s arm. “I’m sorry you have to
geh
through this.”
“It’s frustrating. But the doctor said I might get my memory back.”
Someday
.
“So in the meantime, what are you going to do about Isaac?”
“Wait for him to come back, I suppose.”
“And Johnny?
Mamm
was pretty mad about him showing up at the hospital.” She turned to Katherine. “He
was worried about you, Katherine. Really worried.
Mamm
says it’s because he feels guilty about the way he’s treated you all these years.”
“She’s probably right.” Knowing the truth didn’t lessen the pain, however.
“I don’t think so. I’m fairly sure he likes you.”
Katherine’s heart leapt at the thought. Then she came back down to reality. “Johnny
doesn’t care for me.”
“Maybe he’s changed his mind.”
“Not likely.” Katherine got up and looked out the window.
“You never know—”
“Bekah, stop.” She faced her sister. “Just stop it.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you.” She stood. “I should
geh
downstairs and help
Mamm
with supper.”
“You should.”
But before she left, she put her hand on Katherine’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re home.
Glad you’re all right.”
Katherine nodded but didn’t say anything. She wasn’t angry at Bekah. Or even at Johnny.
She was just frustrated with herself—and tired of feeling that way.
Sawyer woke up the next morning not knowing what to do about Cora. She had ridden
home from dinner in silence. He thought surely she would nag him again about returning
to New York. But she hadn’t said a word.
Maybe he should go back with her, just to show he did care, even though he had no
intention of changing his mind about the church or Laura. He disliked the city and
wanted to spend as little time there as possible. Still, he needed to give Cora a
place in his life. He had to make her understand that although he wouldn’t abandon
her, once he joined the church, everything would change.
He dressed in Amish clothes, brushed his hair, and headed downstairs toward the scent
of frying bacon and eggs. He smiled at Anna on his way through the kitchen.
“I’ll go help Lukas with the horses,” Sawyer said, heading out the door.
Anna stopped him cold. “I’m sure he can feed them by
himself this morning.” She motioned toward the table. “Sit down. I haven’t seen much
of you lately.”
“I know. Between work and meeting with the bishop—”
“And seeing Laura.” Anna pulled a strip of bacon out of the frying pan and placed
it on a paper towel–covered plate. “Then there’s Cora.”
“Yes. Cora.” He looked down at the table for a moment. “Thank you for taking care
of her while she’s been here. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy.”
“Actually, she’s been a
gut
guest this time. Although . . .”
“Although what?”
Anna looked at Sawyer. “She seems tired.”
“I know.”
“Is there something wrong?” Anna asked.
“Other than her wanting me to leave, no. At least she hasn’t said anything.” He snatched
a piece of bacon from the plate—hot and crispy, just the way he liked it. “I was thinking
about going to New York. Just for a short visit. It will be easier to do now than
after I join the church.”
Anna nodded. “Makes sense.”
“So you don’t mind?”
Anna removed the eggs from the stove and brought both plates of food to the table.
“It’s really not my place to say, Sawyer.”
“But I want your opinion.”
She sat down next to him, her expression suddenly sober. “The truth is, I feel a little
guilty. It seems like all my prayers have been answered, all the things I’ve wanted
for you. To find a
gut maedel
, to stay here in Middlefield.”