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“Daed? Sammy? What’s—?”
“Stay away from your brother. I think he has flu. Put your mask on now.”
Margarete obeyed quickly.
After putting little Sammy to bed, Sammy came down. “Go to the bakery and let Mamm know what happened. I’ll stay here and take care of your brother.”
Responding quickly, Margarete shoved her arms into her coat and ran out to the barn, where she hitched the horses to the buggy. Urging them to move quickly, she drove toward the bakery. Running in, she was grateful for the mask. “Mamm, you need to come home! Little Sammy...Daed thinks he has the flu!”
Leora’s gasp was one of dismay. “Nee. Go to your grandmother’s house and pick her up. She told me that if needed, she would take care of you if you got sick. I need to stay healthy to keep you healthy.”
Margarete nodded, understanding. Waving her mamm goodbye, she turned and hurried out. Arriving at Rebecca’s farm, she knocked on the door.
“Margarete, what is it? Get inside and drink some coffee.”
“Denki. Little Sammy’s sick. Daed thinks it’s flu. I asked Mamm to come home, but she said she needed to stay healthy so I could stay healthy. She said you would be the one to nurse Sammy.”
Rebecca got up immediately and began filling a duffle bag with herbs and medications. “Call Doctor Morgan and get her to write a few prescriptions for the antiviral medication against flu. We’ll all need it. Your daed can go pick it up later on.” Hurrying to her bedroom, she grabbed a spare dress and other items so she could stay for several nights. “The doctor’s number is in the sideboard, on the right, I believe. Go!”
Margarete hurried. After making the call, she ran back in, hoping her grandmother was nearly ready. “Ya, she’s going to call in five prescriptions. She said it was gut thinking and she asked how I’m doing.”
“I’m ready. Let’s go. Oh! Hannes!” Rebecca came to a sudden stop, causing Margarete to bump into her back.
“Rebecca! What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Hannes’ face bore a look of concern.
“My grandson, Sammy, may have flu. I’m going to take care of him so Leora can take care of big Sammy and Margarete. She needs to stay healthy.”
“So, you won’t be here for a few days. Thank you for letting me know. If you don’t mind, I’d like to check on all of you in a few days.”
“Ya, that would be gut. We’d better go... I’m sorry.”
Rebecca and Margarete climbed quickly into the buggy and Margarete took off.
“Grandma, he’s following us. Is that okay?”
Rebecca’s face wore a mysterious smile. “Oh, ya. It is. He’s just concerned.”
Margarete gasped. “Grandma! He likes you!”
Rebecca blushed. “Maybe he does. He’s a gut man.”
***
AT HOME, REBECCA HURRIED into the house as Margarete fed and brushed the horses. “Sammy, how is he?”
“Feverish, exhausted, headachy, weak, and he aches all over.”
“Did it sneak up on him? Or hit him out of the blue?”
“It struck him fast. One moment, he was fine, helping to move supplies and the next, he was staggering as if he’d been hit by a two-by-four.” Sammy turned his head at an unexpected knocking.
“Oh, that’s Deacon Zook. I’ll answer. Oh, you’re going to have to go to the pharmacy and pick up five prescriptions. We’re all going to take an anti-flu medication.”
“I’d better make sure I have enough money first. I’m grateful I stopped in at the bank to withdraw money. If I leave now, it should be ready by the time I go into the pharmacy.”
Rebecca opened the door to Hannes. “Ya, he’s sick. It’s flu. Sammy’s going to pick up medications. You’d best stay down here so you don’t get sick.” As Rebecca spoke, she put on a long, white apron that covered her from neck to floor. She pulled a face mask out of her pocket and looped the elastic over both ears. “I’m going to check on little Sammy.”
“Let him know I’m praying for a quick return to health.”
“I will. Denki.” Rebecca hurried upstairs.
“Deacon, coffee?”
“Ya, please! It is getting cold out there.” Hannes smiled at Margarete. “How are you feeling?”
“Gut, denki. I just hope I won’t get sick.” She sipped from the hot brew, sweetened with creamer and a small spoonful of sugar.
Fifteen minutes later, Rebecca came out, minus her long apron and the face mask. “Margarete, you’d better keep your mask on at all times except for meals. I’m just grateful your daed saw that he was sick. Where is he?”
“He left for the pharmacy. Coffee?” Margarete motioned with her coffee mug.
“Denki, ya. It is bitter out there!” Rebecca pulled a large bottle of hand sanitizer out and briskly rubbed it into her hands. “I am just grateful that tomorrow is an off Sunday. We can all just rest so we hopefully stay healthy. Did Sammy get a flu shot?”
“Ya. Everyone except for me.”
“And...you’re using other methods of staying healthy?”
“Ya.” Margarete stood up and looked outside the back window, feeling unsettled. She gasped as she saw snowflakes beginning to fall. “Oh! It’s not even November and it’s snowing!”
Hannes’ eyes widened as he sipped his black coffee. Standing, he joined Margarete at the window. “Thank you for telling me. I’d better finish my coffee and go. I’ll be passing the pharmacy. I’ll see if I spot your daed.”
“Denki.” After Hannes finished off his coffee, she washed his mug and the coffee pot. “Grandma, should we heat some broth? For Sammy?”
“Ya, denki. I’ll need vegetables and rice as well. I’ll give him just the broth for now, until he’s able to eat. Right now, he’s feeling really nauseated.”
“I just hope Daed gets home soon.”
“He will. I just pray that storm holds off.”
Sammy and Leora came in at almost the same time. They brushed snowflakes off their outerwear and stomped their feet on the mat outside. Sammy held a large shopping bag and Leora carried a smaller bag. “Ginger root. He’ll need it. I also stocked up on Echinacea.”
“Gut! I brought some as well, but we can never have too much. Sammy, let me give the little one his medication. In fact, we should all take it.”
“Margarete, take note of any effects you feel when you take yours. The pharmacist didn’t see anything about bad side effects when you mingle this with your chemo medications. But I want you to be mindful.”
Margarete swallowed. So many things to consider! Reaching out for her pill pack, she nodded. “Denki.” She read the instructions and popped one pill out, taking it with water. Once she had, she returned to the window, feeling thoughtful. The thickly falling snow mesmerized her.
“Margarete. Margarete? Daughter!” Leora’s voice bore a note of concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just thinking. Would it be best for me to go to grandma’s until little Sammy’s well again?”
Leora looked at her mother-in-law with wide eyes. “Nee, I don’t think so. For one, the storm’s getting too strong. Even ten minutes ago, your daed and I were having trouble with the roads and wind. We’ll all stay here. However, I will have you move your night things downstairs, to one of the bedrooms here. The farther away you are from your brother, the better.”
Margarete agreed quietly, but she felt a strong apprehension about the next several days. As she headed upstairs, Rebecca stopped her. “You stay down here. I’ll bring everything you need.” Hurrying upstairs, she gathered everything she thought Margarete might need. “Here you go. Let me know if anything’s missing and I’ll get it for you.”
Margarete looked swiftly through her things. “Nee, you got everything. Denki.”
As she and Leora worked on supper, Rebecca spent much of her time upstairs, nursing Sammy. “Leora, would one of you make a cup of ginger tea, please? Sammy still feels queasy.”
Heating the water and cutting up the ginger root, Margarete let her know the tea would be on the table in a few minutes.
In Sammy’s room, Rebecca sat in the chair she’d positioned next to the door. “Drink your tea, son. You’ll begin to feel better soon.”
Slowly, little Sammy sat up. Keeping his head against his pillow, he picked up the cup of steaming liquid and slowly sipped it, grimacing. “I don’t like ginger.”
“Ya, I remember. But it’ll settle your stomach. Keep sipping it while it’s hot. Then sleep. I’ll bring in some broth for you so you can keep your energy up.”
Little Sammy complied, hoping his stomach wouldn’t rebel. As he finished the tea, he gave the mug to Rebecca. “Denki. I need to sleep. I can’t stay awake.” As he finished speaking, he coughed hard, covering his mouth.
Rebecca was grateful she’d remembered the face mask and apron. “Rest. I’ll be in soon.” In her room next to little Sammy’s, she removed her head covering and the apron, then stood at the window, contemplating the turn of events. As she kept watching the scene outside, she noticed how fast the snow was falling. Feeling worry, she prayed that they wouldn’t have to take Sammy out in the storm. Gott, give me your wisdom so I can take care of him and keep the rest of us healthy, please.
Downstairs, Margarete and Leora talked quietly as they made supper. “Mamm, his soup is ready. I’ll let it cool before straining it. What else can he have?”
“Fruit gelatin. There’s strawberry or cherry in the cupboard, I believe. And clear pop. He needs as many fluids as he can get into his body as possible. And he needs to keep as much down as he can.”
“Bleh, poor kid. I feel horrible for him!” Margarete remembered only too well her bouts of nausea and vomiting, all set off by her chemo treatments.
“I’m thinking...until he gets well, I wonder if we should reschedule your next treatment.”
Pouring the hot chicken broth into a wide-neck jar, Margarete looked up and gasped. “Nee, Mamm! I can’t miss!”
“If you go in and get a treatment, you’re running the risk of getting very sick if you get the flu.”
About to object, Margarete paused. “Well...”
Leora had another thought. “Although, I wonder what they’ll say, given that we’re all in the same house. Maybe...”
“What, Mamm?”
“I don’t want to see you delay treatments. Maybe this one should be in the hospital, just to be sure.” Seeing Margarete’s rebellious expression, she raised one hand. “Wait, daughter. Think. Your immunity is already low. It’s going to be low until you finish every treatment and, ideally, you won’t need anything more advanced. I would think your immunity will be even lower right after your next infusion. I don’t want to see you...” Leora stopped, unable to keep her tears from falling.
Margarete set the saucepan down with a clatter and, gathering Leora in her arms, she shushed her. “Nee, Mamm. I understand. I’ll do it. Why don’t you ask the cancer center about this?”
Leora regained her composure. Hugging her daughter, she nodded. “Ya. I will. Now, to finish making supper. And to keep all of us healthy.”
Over the next few days, the King household was run ragged, trying to get little Sammy well and keep Margarete from getting sick. Early Monday morning, before going to the bakery, Leora called the cancer center to ask about Margarete’s next treatment. “So, would that be a gut option?”
“Because her brother is sick, we do recommend it. Just make sure she stays away from him even after he recovers—he’ll continue to shed flu germs for about a week after he’s gotten well. Is she wearing her mask? And working at home?”
“Yes, she’s doing both. My mother-in-law is taking care of Sammy, and Margarete is using a bedroom downstairs so she isn’t exposed to him at all.”
“Very good. I’ll call her oncologist and let him know what’s happening, so he can make arrangements for her next treatment to take place at the hospital. That’s in about two weeks, more or less.”
After hanging up, Leora drove by herself to the bakery. She missed Margarete’s presence in the buggy and shop. The days were longer, but she knew they were doing the right thing. Now that the unexpected snowstorm had passed, she was able to appreciate the bright beauty of the landscape—tree branches and shrubs were encased in cold whiteness and the fields were pristine. Even the road she was driving on looked washed anew. Feeling her right wheel slipping slightly on a patch of ice, she automatically corrected the horses, praying her buggy would stay upright. Feeling the rubber wheel gripping the road again, she whooshed out a breath of relief, feeling her heart pounding.
***
BACK AT HOME, MARGARETE worked on that day’s scheduled baking. “Grandma? Would you like some coffee?”
“Ya, denki. How are you feeling? Have you had all your treatments?”
“Treat—? Oh, my vitamins and such. Ya, but I need to drink the tea. Can I put some honey in it? Please?”
Rebecca considered. “Ya, it probably wouldn’t do harm. Honey has some antibiotic properties anyway. I’ll put a bottle of honey next to Sammy’s next cup of tea.”
“How’s he feeling?” Margarete missed her little brother. He was growing into a young man, and she was marveling at the changes in him.
“Some better. He’s still coughing and congested. But he doesn’t feel like puking anymore. And he’s not as achy. Oh, have you taken your Tamiflu?”
“Oh, ya. I’m not forgetting that! Do you feel okay? You look tired.”
“Just tired, ya. I was up so much with him...” a stubborn yawn escaped Rebecca’s mouth before she could hold it back.
“Go, Grandma. Take a nap before you get sick. You’ll hear Sammy, anyway. You could hear a mouse sneezing.”
Rebecca laughed. She still had good hearing and her ears were still attuned to listening for kinder in trouble or feeling sick. “Okay. I’ll come downstairs for his tea and some gelatin when I get up. I wonder what your mamm learned from the cancer center today.”
“She’ll tell us tonight. There’s time enough. Go take a nap, please!”
***
SATURDAY FINALLY SLOWLY rolled around. The weather had warmed, but only slightly. Rebecca expressed relief for this, saying that the cold would help keep the flu virus from living very long. “But you still need to leave that mask on! And you still have to steer clear of your brother. Just a few more days. And I will be going home on Monday, so you can all get back to a normal life. Margarete, when is your next treatment?”
