Britta was out in the stable the following afternoon, freshening the bedding straw for their horses and the pony, when the wall phone rang. Startled, she rushed to answer it. “Hullo?”

“Britta, it’s Allen.”

She tensed at the flat sound of his voice. “Is Mamma all right?” She looked out the window, toward the back of the house, wondering if Susie should have answered instead.

“That’s why I called,” Allen replied. “Her fever spiked this mornin’, and she’s developed a cough.” He went on to say that they’d taken Mamma to a walk-in clinic. “She didn’t wanna go, but Sarah and I talked her into it. The doctor there said she has a pretty bad pneumonia, and because of her asthma, he wanted us to take her to the nearby hospital.”

Britta felt a wave of shock at the news. “The hospital? It’s that serious?” She felt sick about this. “Ach, poor Mamma.”

“She’s getting gut care—don’t worry. An’ be sure to tell Susie, won’t ya?”

She promised to, and Allen said he’d be in touch in a few days, unless, of course, something changed.

For the worse, he means. Hanging up the phone, Britta felt limp. Mamma must be awful sick. . . .

Heart pounding, she hurried back to the house to tell Susie, praying all the way for the dear Lord to have mercy on their precious mother.

For the next two days, Susie felt like she was holding her breath for an update on Mamma, sending Britta regularly out to the stable phone to check for a message during the daylight hours. It was hard to feel motivated to do anything, but with the fall vegetables coming on fast now, they had to continue the normal business of canning and working at their roadside stand and Mamma’s little shop.

Susie also encouraged Britta to go ahead with her original plan to play volleyball in a few days at Hazel’s with a group of other girls. “If Allen calls, I’ll let ya know as soon as you return.”

Britta frowned, clearly reluctant. “I’m too worried ’bout Mamma to enjoy myself.”

“Neither of us can do anything here ’cept pray,” Susie said, urging her to try to have some fun.

Allen’s next phone call came while both Susie and Britta were in the stable, shoveling out the stalls. Susie literally ran to answer.

“Gut news.” Allen’s voice sounded so good in Susie’s ear. “Mamm’s steadily improving. And the doctor says she’ll be discharged day after tomorrow.”

“Ach, such a relief!”

“I would’ve called sooner but decided to wait till we knew more.”

Susie wanted to ask what caused the sudden illness, but she couldn’t bear to hear that the trip might have been too much for Mamma. “Tell her Britta and I are thinking ’bout her and praying, too.”