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Ruby sat bolt upright in the recliner beside Miriam’s bed. She began to doze off when Miriam screamed. Jumping to her feet, she stood beside her sister whose eyes were starting to open.
“A bad dream?” Ruby asked.
“Nee! It was the bad man shooting both me and Levi.”
“Asher will find them. He has a call out for all police departments to watch for the pickup and horse trailer.” Miriam pushed herself up in the bed. Looking at the clock, she saw it was nearly six p.m. “I do not remember any details, sister.”
“Which is to be expected. You have gone through a lot. I checked on Levi a while ago. They have given him medicine which puts him into a coma.”
“A coma?”
“Until his heart is stronger. Just think of it as he is asleep.”
Miriam nodded. “Are the boppli okay?”
Ruby saw the love pour from Miriam’s gaze. She loved her little ones so much. “Strong, the nurse said when I asked her. I could hear them crying outside the nursery. That pair is going to keep you on your toes.”
Two meals arrived for them brought to them from the hospital kitchen. Removing the plastic lids, they found a slice of limp beef roast smothered with a thin, clear gravy. The broccoli looked overcooked and gray. Store bought bread sat in a bag, and a little box of milk finished off the meal.
“I am not sure I can eat this,” Miriam said in a whisper.
Ruby shook her head. “Me too. It looks disgusting. Since we are in the big city of Lancaster, would you like something from a fast food store? I’ll fetch it for us.”
“How? You do not have a car.”
Ruby patted her sister’s hand. “There are posters for something called Uber. I think it is like we have in our district. You call, and a person comes to pick you up. What do you want to eat?”
Miriam chuckled then her brows pulled together in a guilty look. “A Big Mac, fries, and a strawberry shake?”
“Wonderbarr! I will have the same.” Ruby bent over the bed and kissed her sister’s forehead. “Just sleep while I’m gone. Dream of the smell of greasy food.”
***
Ruby took the elevator to the third-floor obstetrics area. When the doors opened, the waiting room was filled with people from the district. They were concerned for Miriam and Levi.
Asher approached and took her by the elbow and led her to a small room off the lobby where doctors met with families.
“Have a seat, Ruby,” he said. Noticing the bags she carried, he went on, “I won’t keep you long. I can see you have food for both you and Miriam.
She nodded but did not offer any declarations.
“We caught the horse thieves.”
“You did? How? Where were they? Who are they?”
Asher took a seat. He laughed as he spoke again. “Hold on, slow down a bit. I can tell you it was quite a scene. We are not sure how they arrived at David’s barn, but we know how they tried to get out. It didn’t work though. Behind the barn used to be a road leading out to the old highway. Which it did until last week when it got plowed up so Walker could make the section an alfalfa field. The thieves didn’t know this, so they opened the gate and tried to drive out there.
Ruby shook her head in dismay.
“It didn’t work,” Asher continues. “They sank into the field. With all the rain we had overnight, they sunk in the mud. On top of it all, Radar had them pinned there. No way they could escape. He wouldn’t let them out of the pickup.”
“What a comedy of errors.” She felt anything but jovial. Levi had been shot by one of the men, and this situation was not humorous at all. “So, who are they?”
“They are from another district about ninety miles from here. They couldn’t steal there as they are well known to everyone, and the community up there would have suspected them.
Ruby shook her head. At least this part was over, now if Levi pulled through, all would be well.
“With how dedicated the others are praying out in the lobby, it shouldn’t take too long to get Levi over this hump.”
“I sure hope so. Miriam is fretting so much to get to him.”
Asher’s eyebrows knitted together; his face became serious. “You do know Miriam saved his life with her voodoo healing stuff, don’t you?”
“She told me she tried healing on him after he was shot.”
“Well, I spoke to the EMTs who were there last night. They said Levi was dead. No pulse, no breath. Miriam took over, but she wouldn’t let the EMTs near him, so they really don’t know what happened, but she brought him through.”
“We are a healing family, Asher. It is passed down from grandmother to granddaughter. When Miriam and Levi’s baby daughter has her own daughter, Miriam will pass it down to her.”
Asher sat up straighter in the chair. “What if she has no daughter?”
“Then, the unusual happens. The healing goes to the firstborn son. It continues down the male line of the family, the same way it has with the females.”
“Well, all I know is this, I’d want Miriam to help me if I was sick.”
Ruby nodded. “She is there for all of us.”