The Wonder of Your Love - By Beth Wiseman Page 0,63
but at the time Katie Ann was already scolding her for taking too much to the hospital.
She eased out of the bathroom and slowly lowered herself onto her bed. Now she just had to wait for Arnold and Katie Ann to get here. She gave Danielle an all-knowing smile, but the girl just sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at the floor.
“I heard you tell someone on the phone that you wouldn’t be released for a few more days.” Martha spoke firmly, tempted to tell Danielle that she was a thief and a liar. “But based on what I just heard the nurse say, that was a lie.” She pointed her finger at Danielle and leaned forward. “You want to stay here in the hospital because it’s safe. Right?” Martha couldn’t hold back. “Who did this to you, Danielle?”
Danielle put her head in her hands for a moment, but when she looked back up at Martha, her one functional eye was wild with anger. “Are you always this much in everybody’s business?”
Martha sat taller, as tall as she could without putting pressure on her incision. “If I need to be.”
“Well, you don’t even know me, so stay out of my business.”
“Suit yourself.” Martha felt sick to her stomach.
Pay it forward. Do something nice for someone. The nurse’s words echoed in her head, but Martha figured she had done something nice. She was letting Danielle keep the sixty dollars she’d stolen from Martha’s purse.
As the door swung wide, Martha turned to see Arnold and Katie Ann. “Katie Ann, please tell me that I’m going to a place where there will be creamed celery?”
Katie Ann kissed her on the cheek. “I have a fresh batch at home. I thought you might want to stay with me for a day or two until you’re feeling better.”
Martha didn’t feel all that bad, but being catered to was not something she was going to turn down either. “I guess I’d better.” She turned to Arnold. “So what are your plans?”
“I’m going to see that you get settled at Katie Ann’s, then I’ll head home.” He smiled. “To take care of some things. And pack.”
Martha smiled.
“Yesterday I rented a small house.” Arnold grinned. “Not too far from yours.”
“My house is plenty big. You should have just picked you out a bedroom upstairs. I haven’t even been up there in months. It’d be like having your own apartment.” Martha braced herself for Katie Ann’s rebuttal that was sure to come.
“Martha! That would have been totally inappropriate.” Katie Ann raised her chin and glared at Martha, which only made Martha cackle.
“What? You worried about my reputation? At this age, Katie Ann?” She turned to Arnold. “Will we be having lasagna on Wednesdays, like we used to?”
Arnold moved toward Martha’s suitcase and picked it up. “I sure hope so.”
Martha pointed a finger at him. “Although something has changed since you’ve been gone, Arnold Becker.”
His expression dropped. “What’s that?”
“We used to go to your church in Alamosa, but since you’ve been gone, I’ve been worshipping with Katie Ann and her people.” She glanced at Katie Ann. “I bet they’d let you come too.”
Arnold smiled but didn’t say anything.
Martha had enjoyed attending Mass with Arnold before he left, but his lack of response about the matter made her wonder if he’d consider a change to the Amish way of worshipping, which she tended to prefer these days. Martha had disliked the backless benches at first, but mysteriously several high-backed chairs showed up on the worship wagon shortly after she’d complained. She didn’t understand most of the service, but after the noon meal, Katie Ann would translate whatever Martha didn’t understand, which usually led to a lengthy discussion that Martha always enjoyed. Plus, the meal after worship was always a good one. And if there was another bonus to attending Amish worship, it was the fact that you only had to go to church every other Sunday. Probably because it was three hours long, but Martha was glad to have every other Sunday “off,” as she called it.
“We checked at the front desk,” Arnold said. “And you are cleared to go.”
Martha pulled her purse from the drawer in the nightstand.
Katie Ann picked up the quilt and asked, “Are you sure you have everything?”
Martha shot a slow and coy smile at Danielle. “Probably not, but oh well.”
“Guess we’re ready then.” Katie Ann moved toward the door with Arnold as he carried Martha’s suitcase.