The following morning, Martha thought of her ankle immediately upon awakening. She moved it a little and was pleased to note it had improved overnight. Mrs. Graber’s remedies certainly worked. She got out of bed and tested it gingerly. The foot took her weight, but it hurt to walk on it. She hopped into the kitchen and made some coffee. It was hard to get from the kitchen to the couch while hopping with a full cup of coffee, so Martha hobbled. The pain had gone, but her ankle felt weak.
Martha sat and sipped her coffee slowly. Gary had insisted driving her to the doctor that day. Moses had looked quite put out after they had arrived back from Mrs. Graber’s the previous night, and it was only after Moses left that Gary told Martha he felt responsible. He insisted it was his fault that she had a sore ankle, because it was his fault that Sam had run away. Martha had tried to reassure him, but he would have none of it. He was clearly guilt-ridden.
Sam, however, was none the worse for wear, Gary had reported. He had taken it in his stride and seemed particularly pleased with the new collection of sticks he had gathered in the dark.
Martha wondered if Moses thought perhaps there was something between herself and Gary. She knew Moses well and she wouldn’t have been surprised if that’s what he was thinking. Gary hadn’t explained to him explicitly that he felt it was all his fault, and Moses might have misinterpreted Gary’s insistence on driving Martha to the doctor.
Gary and Sam stayed in the waiting room while the doctor poked and prodded Martha’s ankle. “I’m going to send you for an x-ray, Martha,” the doctor said. “I’m fairly certain it isn’t broken, but I don’t want to take any chances, especially since you broke both your ankles in the buggy accident. We can’t be too careful, you know.”
Martha saw the wisdom of the doctor’s words, but she didn’t want to go back to the hospital. After all, she and her sisters had spent some time there after the buggy accident.
And so, an hour later, Martha was waiting in a cold, clinical waiting room waiting to be taken into X-Ray. The staff were kindly and put her at ease, but she was nervous. She had called the café and told them the doctor had sent her for an x-ray. They had seemed concerned and told her not to worry, but she did worry. She had a job and she felt responsible. Still, what choice did she have?
Finally, Martha was summoned. She went through a door, only to be told to sit on a seat inside the door. Martha had thought she would be going straight to have the x-ray, but instead she was told she had to sit on the seat. She was there a considerable time, and saw other people coming and going. She wondered why they hadn’t left her in the main waiting room. Finally, an orderly came along and asked her if she needed a wheelchair. “I don’t think so,” Martha said and made to hobble forward, but the orderly waved her back to her chair.
“You definitely need a wheelchair,” he said. “You shouldn’t be walking on that foot. Not until we know what’s wrong with it.”
He ducked into another room and before long returned with a wheelchair. He pushed Martha down a long corridor and around a corner into the x-ray room. Martha was distraught at being back in a wheelchair again. She had spent so long in one and it was all happening again. You’re overreacting, she silently scolded herself. Mrs. Graber and the doctor don’t even think it’s broken. She wanted to ask the x-ray technician if her ankle was broken, but she didn’t think he would tell her.
The technician took an x-ray and then left the room. Moments later, he popped his head back around the door and said, “I’m new at this and the doctor wants several x-rays. I’ll be back in a moment.”
He returned with a short woman with a shock of white hair. “Yes, the doctor does want a lot of x-rays,” she said, scratching her chin. She made Martha lie this way and that while they took plenty of x-rays.
“Are you allowed to tell me if my ankle’s broken?” Martha asked the woman, who was clearly the technician’s senior.
“I wouldn’t worry if I were you,” she said with a wink. “Who’s the doctor again?” She looked at her notes. “I see. You have to take the x-rays back to the doctor in person. Just go back to reception and we’ll send them through when we’re ready. We won’t keep you waiting long.”
Martha thanked her, and the x-ray technician pushed her back to the waiting room in a wheelchair. Gary was wringing his hands nervously. “Broken?” he asked anxiously.
“I don’t think so,” Martha said. “I’m pretty sure they hinted that it wasn’t.”
Gary breathed a long sigh of relief. “I’m so relieved,” he said. “Where do we go now?”
“We have to wait until they print the x-rays or something,” Martha said. “They shouldn’t be long.”
After about five minutes, the lady summoned Martha over. She made to get out of the wheelchair, but the lady waved her back down. “Your young man there can push you to your car,” she called out, “and then he can bring the wheelchair back here.”
“Sure,” Gary said. He pushed Martha over to the reception desk, and the lady handed Martha a large gray envelope.
Martha was a little awkward that the lady had called Gary her young man, but she was hardly going to correct her. After all, they were strangers and they wouldn’t care one way or another.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Gary said.
Martha waved one hand at him. “You’re welcome, but please don’t worry, Gary. Anyone would have done what I did. The main thing is that Sam is safe.”
“I was sick with worry over him last night,” Gary said. “It was silly of me to take him camping. It’s just that I thought he would be so disappointed if we didn’t go.”
“Everything is easy in hindsight,” Martha said, doing her best to make him feel better.
Martha didn’t have long to wait when she was back at her own doctor’s. Five minutes after she handed the receptionist her x-rays, the doctor called her in. “Good news, Martha. It’s not broken and the original break looks very good indeed. I’m quite pleased with it,” he said by way of greeting.
“Then what’s wrong with my ankle?” she asked him.
“It’s a bit of a sprain with considerable bruising,” he said. “I don’t think it’s serious at all. Just keep it elevated and bandaged. The main thing is to keep off it. I don’t think it would have been such a problem if you hadn’t walked on it so far. Do you need something for the pain?”
Martha shook her head. “It doesn’t really hurt. It’s just a dull ache that doesn’t go away. It’s a bit irritating, but it’s not as if it hurts.”
“If it does start to hurt or if it gets any worse, let me know. The main thing is to stay off it.”
“I’ve been working at a café every morning for five days a week,” Martha told him. “How long before I can go back?”
The doctor scratched his chin. “Given your history with that leg, I’d prefer it if you stayed off your feet all week.”
“Not again,” Martha lamented. The doctor shot her a look, so she added, “I had all those weeks of lying around the house not doing anything. I’m not used to being idle and I was awfully bored. Now I’ll have to go back to being bored again.”
The doctor scratched his chin once more. “But you’re on rumspringa now, aren’t you?”
Martin nodded.
“Well, surely you have internet and TV.”
Martha realized the kindly doctor wouldn’t understand, so she simply smiled and nodded. “Are you sure I can’t go back to work any sooner?” she asked him.
“I would think it’s best to be on the safe side, given your history, that you rest up all week and keep that leg elevated.”
“But didn’t you say you were pleased with the way my leg has healed after the buggy accident?” Martha asked him.
“Yes, I’m quite pleased with it. The thing is, I don’t want to put any strain on your other leg.”
“But my other leg is fine,” Martha said.
“It’s now the supporting leg. A supporting leg can develop problems if it has to take the weight and do all the work for the injured leg. It’s not such a hardship, is it, just one week resting up?”
“I suppose not,” Martha said with a sigh. The doctor smiled and showed her to the door.
“Is something wrong?” Gary asked. “You look really upset.”
“It’s just that I have to sit around all week doing nothing,” Martha lamented. “The doctor gave me a certificate to show them at work.”
“Lucky thing.” Gary patted her on her back as he helped her outside. “A free holiday.”
“But I won’t get paid,” Martha said. “I’m only casual.”
Gary’s face fell. “Never mind, you can watch Netflix. I know! You can work on your chocolate business.”
Martha nodded slowly. “Gary, that’s a great idea. I can make plans all week.” Martha spirits were lifted. She turned to Gary and laughed. “That’s fantastic, Gary. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Gary had his arm under her elbow, helping her to his car. Just then Martha looked up and saw Moses. She had not even noticed him standing there. Why does it always happen like this? Martha asked herself. I’m sure Moses must think something is going on between me and Gary. I’m sure he thinks we must be dating.
She wanted to say something to Moses, but then again, she and Moses could never be together. She was going to stay English and not return to the Amish.
“How is your leg?” Moses asked her.
“It’s not broken. I had heaps of x-rays this morning,” Martha told him, “and the original injury has healed up very nicely. The doctor said he was pleased the way it’s healed.”
“Wunderbar!” Moses said.
“But the bad thing is I have to rest up all week and I’m not allowed to go to work,” Martha said.
“I let your parents know what happened to you, and your vadder wants you to call him and tell him the results. Is it a serious sprain?”
Martha shook her head. “Nee, the doktor said it’s only a slight sprain, but he doesn’t want me to put any more stress on my body by having to carry myself differently. At least I think that’s what he said. Anyway, he insisted I rest up. I have to keep my foot elevated and not use it. I was upset about it, but Gary just suggested I could work on my chocolate business.”
The two men exchanged glances.
“I’m just driving her back to her apartment now,” Gary said. “See you later, Moses.”
Martha had wanted to speak with Moses some more, but Gary had his hand under her arm and was guiding her to his car. Martha was a little upset at Gary’s blunt dismissal of Moses, but what could she do?
She looked back over her shoulder at Moses. He did not look at all pleased.