Amish Heart: Amish Sickness and Health, #1

By Rachel Stoltzfus

A sudden illness. A shocking diagnosis. Can she be healed?

Fourteen-year-old Margarete King has just finished school & is ready to start her life. But when her body betrays her, will she be able to get the help she needs? Or will cultural misunderstandings and a callous hospital administration put Margarete in even more danger? Find out in Amish Heart, the first book of the Amish Sickness and Health series.

Amish Heart is a Christian book of strength, heart and faith that shows the power of one family's love to overcome life's obstacles.

If you enjoy uplifting Amish fiction, start the Amish Sickness and Health series today! 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Global Grafx Press
• Release date: Apr 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386168690

Book preview

AMISH HEART

AMISH SICKNESS AND HEALTH SERIES

BOOK 1

RACHEL STOLTZFUS

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Copyright © 2017 RACHEL STOLTZFUS

All rights reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AMISH HEART

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

AMISH FAITH

ENJOY THIS BOOK? You can make a big difference

A WORD FROM RACHEL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AMISH HEART

Chapter 1

Margarete, hurry, please ! Those cookies aren’t going to bake themselves, and we still have so much work to do!" Leora King was exasperated at the unusual slowness of her daughter, who had just recently become an apprentice in her baking company. She looked over at Margarete’s progress, alarmed to see that she had just barely begun to mix the shortening, sugar and eggs together for the snickerdoodles.

Ya, Mamm, I’m hurrying. I’m sorry. Margarete swiped her three-quarter length dress sleeve against her sweaty forehead. That’s funny. It’s bone-chilling cold out and raining. I shouldn’t be hot! I’m not even close to the ovens. Shaking her head, Margarete tried to clear the odd tiredness from her mind and body.

Daughter, are you okay? You look flushed. Leora hurried to Margarete’s side and, with one hand, tested her temperature. You are burning up. Go. Take some acetaminophen and drink some cool water.

Margarete nodded thankfully. After taking the pills, she sank into a kitchen chair, feeling more and more exhausted by the minute. Not wanting to think about why she was so tired, she sighed and looked outside. Today at her mother’s bakery, she had been grateful to be inside. Now, she would give everything she owned to be outside cooling off, if only for a few moments. But she couldn’t gather the energy to do so. Feeling the waistband of her dress slipping down her hip, she pulled it up and pinned it more closely to her waist. She looked at her mamm, not wanting her to know she had lost weight. Then, she looked back outside, watching large fluffy flakes of snow falling. After thirty minutes of resting, she felt a little better. Mamm, I feel better. What do you need to have done?

Mix the snickerdoodles, please. I still haven’t been able to get to them. Denki!

Getting busy, Margarete made good progress on the cookies and started to scoop the dough out onto several cookie sheets. As she did so, she felt her nose beginning to run. Sniffling a few times, she finally left the dough scooping and went to the sink, where she yanked off a square of paper towel. Rubbing it against her nose, she was alarmed to see that her nose had begun to bleed. Mamm! My nose! It’s bleeding!

Tip your head back! Pinch the middle of your nose between your thumb and two fingers. I’ll be there in a second. Leora looked around. When she saw the amount of blood on the paper towel, she gasped. Margarete! Are you okay?

Margarete couldn’t speak without choking. She shrugged, doing as her mamm had told her. After a few minutes, the bleeding slowed and finally stopped.

Leora, seeing the crisis appeared to be over, sighed. You must be coming down with something. How do you feel?

Just...tired. Weak. And I felt fine yesterday. Do you think it’s a cold? Flu?

Leora tested Margarete’s forehead again. Well, you’re not hot anymore, just clammy. Drink some more water. At home, I want you to take more medication and rest. Supper will be easy. I am making spaghetti.

Margarete tried to be enthusiastic, but even knowing her favorite food would be served did little for her appetite. Gut!

At home that night, Margarete did as her mother said. She went upstairs and rested, trying to regain her usual energy. As she changed position, she winced—her bones hurt!

A WEEK LATER, MARGARETE felt gut again. Her strength was back and her bone pain was gone. She wasn’t feverish and hadn’t had another nosebleed. On Saturday, her cousins came over and Margarete split her time between helping her mamm and sisters and watching over her younger cousins. Just after supper, the strange feeling of tiredness hit again. She collapsed into a chair after helping to put dishes away.

Daughter, you okay? Leora had continued to keep a close eye on her daughter.

Ya. Just tired all of a sudden. Feeling a bone-deep chill, Margarete shivered and wrapped her arms around her. As she rubbed her upper arms, the bone pain came back. After everyone left, she went to bed with another fever. She fell asleep quickly, but her sleep was broken by fever dreams. She tossed restlessly. By the time morning came, she was almost unable to get out of bed. She sneezed and coughed. Mamm! I think I have the flu!

Leora came running into Margarete’s room, followed closely by Samuel Sammy King, her daed. What? We have church services this morning! She felt Margarete’s forehead and shook her head. Husband, she’s feverish. I think she’s right. You go to service and I’ll stay home with her.

Sammy sighed. He’d always had a special spot in his heart for his daughter. Caressing her hot cheek, he tried to smile. You do everything she tells you so you can get better. I hate to think of you being sick. Wife, I wonder if one of the kinder made her sick.

Leora thought for a few minutes. Nee, I doubt it. She was only with them yesterday, and it takes days for a cold or even the flu to make its presence known. If she’s not better by the time you come home, we’ll take her to urgent care in town. I’m sure they’ll diagnose flu.

Living in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, the King family wasn’t very close to medical care—they had doctor’s offices, an urgent care center and a small community hospital.

Ya. That sounds gut. I’ll take the muffins and bread and bring your containers back.

Breakfast first. Daughter, do you feel like you can eat?

Margarete sighed. Nee. No appetite. I’m sorry.

Nee, don’t worry. Just rest and I’ll bring some tea up to you.

Samuel! You’d better be dressed! It’s going to be just you and me. Your sister is sick.

Little Sammy popped his head out of his bedroom. His shirt was partially buttoned and he had only one suspender pulled over his shoulder. Aw! That’s not fair!

Sammy glared at his son. Son, shush! She has a fever and she’s sneezing and coughing. Something tells me you wouldn’t want to have that.

Sorry, Daed. Nee, I wouldn’t. Now subdued, Little Sammy hurried downstairs. Does she have a cold?

Mamm thinks it’s flu. We’re going to take her to urgent care this afternoon if she’s not better.

By the time her daed and brother came home, Margarete was feeling much better. Her strength was back and she wasn’t feverish. However, she was still coughing.

What do you think? Leora’s glance was full of worry.

I’d rather take her and feel like a fool when we’re told it’s just a bad cold rather than not take her and have it be something really serious. Sammy’s words were a foreshadowing of more problems with Margarete’s health. Bundling her up, they took her and little Sammy to urgent care.

After an examination, the doctor spoke to the family. It looks like a bad cold to me. Her fever is gone and she says she feels better. That nosebleed last week may have just been irritation from working with flour and other baking ingredients. Margarete, I want you to drink lots of fluids and try not to overdo it. Get lots of rest and try to eat as many healthy foods as you can. You’re just a little underweight for your height.

Margarete was stunned. She had never been described as underweight in her life. Closing her mouth, she coughed slightly and nodded. Ya, I will.

For the next few weeks, she recovered from her cold and went to the bakery with Leora, helping her to bake the goods her mamm sold. Her good health and appetite soon returned. Only occasionally did she feel that odd tiredness, mainly when she’d been extra-busy in the bakery, helping her mamm with the baking and customers. She was puzzled, finding it necessary to go to bed earlier so she could regain her normal energy and strength. One day, when she had been really tired, she sat on her bed, feeling frustrated and helpless. Gott, I don’t want this horrible feeling! Please take it away from me! Resting her forehead on her knees, she sighed, willing the tiredness to leave her body. Slowly, she dozed off, sliding down so her head rested at the side of her pillow.

Margarete! Supper’s ready! Come on!

Margarete roused, feeling better than she had all afternoon long. Standing and stretching, she finger-combed her bun back into order and straightened her head covering. "Denki, Sammy.