Page 7 of A Hidden Hope
Sarah Blank left work at the Bent N’ Dent to go home for the day.
Something about a sore throat or allergies or .
.. David Stoltzfus wasn’t quite sure what.
All he knew for sure was he’d be managing the Bent N’ Dent alone on the busiest afternoon of the week—when the tourist buses came through.
For now, the store was quiet. Sally Fisher was the lone customer, so David asked if she needed any help before he went to his office to finish up some paperwork.
Peering at the jars of spaghetti sauces, she waved him off. “I’m just looking for a good sauce for supper. Until the tomatoes start ripening, I need to rely on canned sauce. But I do need dried oregano. I noticed you’re all out.”
David had noticed too. More than just oregano.
Most of the stock for herbs and spices was picked over.
He’d asked Sarah to restock them this morning to prepare for the tourist buses, but apparently she’d forgotten.
Spices and herbs were sought-after purchases by the Englisch.
David bought them in bulk and could offer bargain prices.
“I’ll need to go in the storeroom for more oregano. Back in a minute.”
“Take your time, David. I’m in no hurry.”
He went into the storeroom where extra stock was kept and filled an empty box with sacks of herbs and spices.
Coming back into the store, he heard the jingle of the bells on the door and looked over to see Hank Lapp come in, talking to someone he didn’t recognize.
A young man, with his hair pulled back in one of those .
.. what did his daughters call them? A man bun.
It was hard for David to understand why a man would want to bother himself with long hair.
“DAVID! Have you met this fella? He’s one of DOK’S new students.”
“Um, actually,” the young man said, holding a finger in the air, “no longer a student. A med school graduate. In fact, actually, I’m a resident.”
“A RESIDENT? So you moved to Stoney Ridge, permanent-like?”
“A resident doctor,” he said. “Dr. Stoltzfus is my supervisor.”
“A DOCTOR?” Hank’s bushy white eyebrows shot up. “David, did you HEAR that?” He leaned in. “Is Dok RETIRING? She’s not thinking of LEAVING us, is she? Eddy will be BESIDE herself.”
David shook his head. “No, Hank. Dok just needs a little help.” He stuck out his hand to shake the young man’s. “I’m David Stoltzfus. I run the Bent N’ Dent.”
“Charlie King.”
“DAVID is the BISHOP,” Hank said. “PLUS, his sister is the Dok.”
A confused look covered Charlie’s face. “But ... she couldn’t be Amish and be a doctor, right?”
“That’s correct. My sister was raised Plain, then left before she was baptized to pursue higher education.”
“KING?” Hank said. “That’s a PLAIN name.”
Charlie’s eyes went wide in confusion, then he burst out with a laugh. “You’re right! It is both plain and Plain. Good one, Hank!”
A loud crash came from a nearby aisle. Charlie was first to it, beating David to the source of the crash. Sally Fisher had dropped a jar of spaghetti sauce, and it splattered.
“Ma’am,” Charlie said, “did you cut yourself?”
“I don’t think so,” she said. She looked at David. “I’m sorry, David. It just slipped right out of my hand.” She started to bend down to pick up the pieces, but Charlie had already crouched down, picking up shards of glass.
“Sally,” David said. “Just leave it. You too, Charlie. I’ll get a mop and clean it up.”
Charlie’s eyes were on Sally’s hands, which were trembling noticeably. “Do you often have trouble with your hands shaking?”
“I do!” Sally said. “Quite often. Shooting pains along my wrists.”
“Have you been feeling more tired than usual? Any dizziness?” Charlie asked, his tone serious but kind.
Sally looked taken aback by the questions but nodded slowly. “Yes, actually. I’ve been very tired and sometimes dizzy, especially when I stand up too quickly.”
“Let me help you sit down.” Charlie helped her gently sit on the floor, away from the splattered sauce, her back against the wall.
David left to get a mop and bucket out of the broom closet.
Everyone knew that Sally Fisher was a raging hypochondriac.
Everyone except Charlie King. This young doctor’s intentions were good, but he was feeding her imagined symptoms. In the bathroom, David filled up the bucket with hot water, wondering if he should intervene or stay out of it.
He was still pondering his role in this scene as he returned to the splattered sauce and started to mop. The bells on the door rang, and David paused to see a young Englisch woman stand at the open door with a shocked look on her face. “Who’s been shot?”
Charlie popped up his head. “It’s not a crime scene, Wren. This is just spaghetti sauce.”
The young woman marched straight over to Sally Fisher. “What symptoms are you experiencing?”
“Wren,” Charlie said, “I’ve got things covered.”
“WREN?” Hank said. “Like the BIRD?”
Wren ignored both Charlie and Hank. She took Sally’s wrist to check her pulse. “Your heart is racing.”
“Is it?” Sally said, worried. “What could that mean?”
“Several potential causes,” Wren said. “Arrythmia, heart failure, a sudden surge of adrenaline—”
“Or it could mean you’re nervous,” Charlie said, interrupting. “My heart starts pounding when I feel anxious.”
David watched the exchange of the young doctors with a mixture of curiosity and concern. They were certainly eager, but eagerness didn’t always translate to helpfulness. Especially with Sally Fisher.
“Follow my finger,” Wren said, rapidly moving one finger in the air from left to right. “Did you hit your head when you fell?”
“But she didn’t fall,” Charlie said. “She dropped the jar of sauce.”
“She’s having trouble tracking my finger,” Wren said, “which can indicate a stroke.”
“Does it?” Sally’s head swiveled from Wren to Charlie, back to Wren.
“I’ll call an ambulance,” Wren said, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. “Better safe than sorry.”
At this point, David jumped in. “Slow down. Nothing happens to Sally Fisher without Dok’s permission.”
“But if it’s a stroke,” Wren said, “then time is imperative.” She punched some numbers on her cell phone, then looked up, startled. “There’s no cell service!”
“Not in here,” David said, calmly mopping up the spaghetti sauce. “Like I said, when it comes to Sally Fisher, you’ll have to get permission from Dok. Annie is Sally’s daughter.”
“Charlie,” Wren said, “run and get Annie.”
“No!” Sally said. “Annie never thinks anything is wrong with me.”
“THAT’S because nothing EVER IS WRONG with you,” Hank said. He twirled his finger around his ear, like she was crazy.
Sally scowled at him.
“Sally,” David said, “when Dok gets back to the office, you can talk to her then.”
Wren shook her head. “That might be too late!”
Sally gasped. “Too late for what?”
“Treatment for a stroke,” Wren said.
Charlie huffed. “She dropped a jar of spaghetti sauce.”
“The question is why ,” Wren said, a tad disdainfully.
“Maybe because it’s a HUGE JAR,” Hank said. “You should listen to the BISHOP.”
Wren’s head jolted up. “Who’s the bishop?”
“I am,” David said.
Wren exchanged a look with Charlie before she rose to stand. “I’m Dr. Wren Baker.”
“BAKER!” Hank roared. “Another PLAIN NAME.”
“Plain and plain. Sharp, Hank,” Charlie said, tapping his head. “Very funny.”
“But I didn’t MEAN it like—”
A small tourist bus rolled into the parking lot. David needed to finish cleaning the floor and dry it off before he had any more accidents in the store. “Charlie and Wren, I think it’s best if you both take Sally over to see Annie at Dok’s office.”
“But ... but...” Sally sputtered. “I need the spaghetti sauce for supper.”
David set the mop in the bucket and took a fresh jar of sauce off the shelf. “For you, Sally. My gift.” He handed it to Charlie to carry for her.
Charlie needed both hands to hold it. “Whoa, it is a big jar.”
Wren helped Sally to her feet, encouraging her to lean heavily on her as they made their way to the door. Fifteen minutes ago, Sally had been shopping in the store, quite contented. Now, thanks to those two young doctors, she was a frail, weak woman, needing to be escorted.
David watched the scene with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
It wasn’t funny, but in a way, it was. As Wren and Sally and Charlie disappeared through the door, David could already imagine his sister’s reaction when she heard about this.
Dok had little confidence in the abilities of the two residents, and this episode with Sally Fisher would only cement that skepticism.
After returning the mop to the broom closet, David glanced at Hank, who was shaking his head with a knowing smile. “Things JUST got a LOT MORE interesting around here.”
“True,” David said.
“Those two are just CUTTING their TEETH,” Hank said. “WET behind the EARS.”
“Can’t disagree with that, Hank.”
“JUST out of the NEST.” Hank laughed out loud, the sound echoing in the small store. “FRESH off the BOAT.”
Hank was on a roll, so David lifted a hand to stop him. “Let’s hope they learn quickly,” he said, more to himself than to Hank. “Or we’re in for a bumpy ride.”
“Not US.” Rocking back and forth in his chair, Hank hacked a laugh. “Poor DOK!”
Returning to the office, Dok was met with a story so absurd it was almost unbelievable: Sally Fisher, a jar of spaghetti sauce, and two overly eager residents who had escalated the situation into a full-blown crisis.
As she listened, she was torn between disgust and alarm.
She issued a stern reminder that diagnosing patients was her job, not theirs.
As she tackled the patient queue, she let Evie assist her while Wren and Charlie took turns observing. On a chair. In the corner. Silently.