Page 39 of The Pretender (Mifflin County Mysteries #3)
Lewistown, Pennsylvania
E LSIE SAT BESIDE M AHLON IN one of the waiting rooms at the hospital, eager to learn how badly their son had been hurt. It was never easy to wait for answers—especially when one of her children was involved.
Unable to sit any longer, Elsie stood and began pacing the room, thankful that there were no people here at the moment to occupy any of the other chairs. It was bad enough that Mahlon kept eyeballing her; she didn’t need strangers watching her every move too.
“Walking the floor won’t give us the answers we seek one bit sooner,” Mahlon called from the other side of the room. “Why don’t you sit back down and try to relax? If you keep moving around like that, you’ll wear out your shoes or maybe the floor.”
Elsie stopped pacing and squinted at him. Wasn’t he, too, apprehensive about the outcome of Alvin’s injuries? Maybe Mahlon simply had more patience than she did when it came to waiting. Either way, it didn’t matter. Elsie was a basket of nerves, and she couldn’t help it.
She glanced at her husband, and seeing that his hands were folded and his eyes had closed, she felt certain that he was praying for Alvin.
With all the strength she could muster, Elsie took a seat in the chair beside him and bowed her head in prayer.
She should have been doing that in the first place, but for some reason, Elsie always spent time worrying and anticipating the outcome of things before finally resorting to prayer.
How many times had she heard Mahlon or one of the other ministers in their church speak on this very topic?
Dear Lord , Elsie prayed silently, please be with my youngest child, as he endures the tests that must be run in order to learn the extent of his injuries. And guide the doctors and nurses who are caring for him.
Her eyes sprang open as negative thoughts pushed her prayer aside.
She remembered last year reading one of the scribe’s posts in The Budget newspaper, where he wrote about his young daughter who had been severely injured during a sledding accident that had occurred on their neighbors’ property.
Several children, including the scribe’s daughter, had been taking turns sliding down a hill that was on the north side of their home.
When it was his daughter Abby’s turn, the poor child lost control, swerved, and slammed full speed into the bulky trunk of an unyielding tree.
The girl was rushed to the hospital emergency room, just like Alvin had been a few hours ago.
The poor child narrowly escaped with her life and ended up with some serious injuries including a skull fracture, crushed nose, broken collarbone, and dislocated shoulder.
It took a skilled surgical team to repair the damage done to her face and head.
But for the grace of God, the scribe said they could have lost his daughter.
I hope Alvin’s injuries aren’t that serious. Elsie struggled to hold back her tears. I wish we could have been here to see our boy when he was first brought to the hospital. Maybe they don’t want us to see him because his injuries are so severe.
Elsie shifted her body to the right, trying to find a more comfortable position on the chair, as more doubts and fears set in.
Tears continued to sting the back of her eyes, and she squeezed them shut.
These negative thoughts don’t come from You, do they, Lord?
Isn’t that just like the enemy to sidetrack a person when they are praying, while trying to trust and seek God’s will?
Elsie heard their names called, and her eyes snapped open.
A tall man with light brown hair and a mustache approached them.
“Mr. and Mrs. Petersheim, I’m Dr. Yealey.
Your son’s CT scan and X-ray results are in, and I’m here to inform you that Alvin’s right arm is broken, and he has a mild concussion.
” He paused briefly, then continued. “We will be setting his arm and putting it in a cast, and I feel that it’s best to keep Alvin overnight for observation. ”
“If it’s not a serious concussion, why can’t we take him home this evening?” Mahlon asked.
“It’s a precautionary measure,” the doctor replied.
“Just in case a problem should arise. We will be keeping a close watch on him, so try not to worry.” He spoke with an air of assurance that gave Elsie some measure of comfort.
It would be hard to go home without their son, but she understood the doctor’s reasoning.
Better to be safe than sorry. If they brought Alvin home too soon and he lost consciousness, she would never forgive herself for not listening to the doctor’s advice.
“We understand,” Mahlon said before Elsie could get the words out. “We’ll be back tomorrow morning, and please give us a call right away if there are any problems we should know about.”
Another thought popped into Elsie’s head. “Dr. Yealey, would it be all right if I stayed here at the hospital all night and slept in a chair next to my son’s bed? As his mother, I would feel better if I could see for myself that he’s doing okay.”
“I suppose that would be all right, but you probably won’t rest well in a chair.
I’ll see if one of the nurse’s aides can find a cot for you to sleep on.
” The doctor looked at Mahlon then. “Did you wish to stay the night too? If so, you might have to sleep out here in the waiting room, because Alvin’s hospital room is too small for more than one cot. ”
Mahlon looked at Elsie. “What do you think? Will you be okay here by yourself, or would you prefer that I stay?”
She shook her head. “There’s no need for that, Mahlon. You have chores to do at home, and someone needs to go home and give the girls a report on how Alvin’s doing.” Elsie gave his arm a few taps for added assurance. “I’ll be fine.”
“Okay then,” he said. “I promise I’ll be back early in the morning.
And don’t worry about the store either,” he added. “I’m sure that Norman and Susan can cope just fine without my help tomorrow.”
Elsie nodded and managed to muster a brief smile.
Although she probably wouldn’t get much sleep tonight, at least she’d be in Alvin’s room and could keep an eye on her precious boy.
One thing was for sure, Alvin wouldn’t be doing any more sledding for the rest of this winter.
And if Elsie had her way, his sled would be put up in the hayloft where it would be out of sight and hopefully out of mind.
Belleville
“I could not believe it when Mom rushed in here to get Dad because Alvin’s been hurt.
” Susan folded her arms and glared at Norman.
“We weren’t that busy, and you should have insisted that Dad put the C LOSED sign in the window so we could both go to the hospital with them.
How are we supposed to get anything done when all we’re thinking about is our little bruder? ”
“You need to settle down and stop being so worked up about this.” Norman spoke in a calm but firm tone. “We ought to pray, because there’s nothing else we can do for Alvin right now. Even if we had gone along with our folks, all we could have done was sit with them in the waiting room and pray.”
Susan’s lips compressed into a thin line. “That may be, but I can’t help wondering how badly Alvin was hurt, and if we’d gone to the hospital I’m sure we would have heard something by now.”
Norman nodded. “I’m concerned about the state of his condition too. Sledding’s a lot of fun, but it can also be dangerous.”
Susan looked out the front window at the snow that had begun to fall. “I hate winter! There are too many dangerous things that can occur during the nasty, cold weather.” She thumped the windowpane and turned to face Norman again. “Ice-skating and sledding are just two examples.”
“You’re right,” he agreed. “Which is why anyone who chooses to engage in winter sports needs to be careful and take extra precautions.”
Susan marched back over to the checkout counter where Norman stood. “You know who I blame for Alvin’s accident?”
He shook his head.
“His teacher—that’s who! She should not have allowed the kids to do any sledding in the schoolyard.” Susan gave a huff. “Salina was a much better teacher than Margaret is, and I don’t think the accident would have happened if Salina was still Alvin’s teacher.”
“What are you saying—that Salina should not have married me?”
Susan shrugged. “She was a good teacher, you know, and now she’s trapped in the house, cooking, cleaning, mending your clothes, and doing all kinds of unpleasant chores.
” She leaned slightly forward, looking directly at her brother.
“I’ll tell you what, Norman—I never plan to get married.
And I don’t believe in true love anymore either.
I’m not even looking for anyone to go on dates with.
Even if some fellow were to ask me out, I’d say no, because after what Ben put me through, I’ll never be able to trust another man. ”
“You can’t compare all men to the way Ben acted, Susan. Lots of fellows are honest, kind, and good. You just need to be willing to give one of them a chance, if they should be interested in you.”
She shook her head vigorously. “No way! Never! It’s not gonna happen!”
“Okay then, but I know something that does need to happen.”
Susan tipped her head. “What’s that?”
“We both need to find something to do for the rest of the day, even if we have no customers.” Norman pointed to the back section of the Meat and Cheese Store. “Why don’t you check the expiration dates on all the dairy products, and I’ll go to Dad’s office and get some paperwork done.”
Susan groaned. “Oh wow, those jobs sound like so much fun.”
“We’re not here to have fun,” Norman reminded her. “We are employees in this store, and it’s our job to see that it’s running smoothly.”