Day 9

Vanora hugged herself while walking from the house to the horses' stable. It was bitterly cold and very cloudy. The forecast said more snow was on the way. The darkness combined with the fact that she hadn't been sleeping well for the last few nights made her more miserable than she already was.

Going to the stable wasn't her usual task. That belonged to Moffitt, but he couldn't, because he was in the hospital with pneumonia. Vanora took up the task of feeding the horses since Moffitt wasn't there and their eight-year-old son, Jules, was still too young and not yet strong enough to be doing this himself without someone knowledgeable with him. Vanora had done alright the last couple of days, but with time and her worries dragging on, she felt less and less capable of caring for the horses. It wasn't something she grew up with.

The bag of oats should have felt somewhat lighter that morning, having been used repeatedly since even before Moffitt went to the hospital. Instead, it and every other bag felt heavier. She felt helpless, and that helplessness only grew when the horrible, intrusive thought of what she would do if Moffitt didn't pull through started to prod at her. She tried to block it from her mind while taking the bag down. The bag was threatening to slide down from the top of the stack, and she didn't think she would be able to catch it without it falling on top of her.

Vanora didn't hear the rapid footfalls before her, but she did hear a familiar, German-accented baritone saying, "Easy, there, Vanora, I got it." The next thing she knew, Dietrich had taken the weight of the oat bag, and was slowly lowering it to the ground.

Relief briefly came over Vanora. "Thanks, Dietrich," she said.

"Not a problem," Dietrich replied. "Are you alright?"

Vanora didn't know how to answer that. She hadn't been truly alright in a while. At least Dietrich was someone she felt she could be fully honest with. "No, I'm not."

"Go inside and rest. I will take care of the horses."

"No, you just got here—"

"I will take care of them. Go inside. Please."

One part of Vanora wanted to argue, but another part was telling her that she didn't have the energy to do so. She went back to the house, cold and miserable, and after taking her coat off, she sat at the kitchen table, unable to do anything but dread.

Dietrich came in a little while later. He gave Vanora a concerned expression, then hung up his coat before getting the kettle to fill it with water. "I suppose it is pointless to ask how you are doing."

Vanora didn't respond.

"Can I ask if there has been an update from the hospital?"

"Not yet. They might call in a couple of hours, or… or if something changes."

Dietrich nodded. "I figured you needed some company. Jules, too. Where is he?"

"He's with Jack's parents. They said they'll bring him home this afternoon."

"And Anah?"

"She's with Jules."

"So, you are all alone for a bit."

Vanora nodded.

"That is typically when the thoughts you do not want around become the loudest." Dietrich's expression became distant, and he let out a quiet sigh. "Trust me, I know." He took the kettle off, and added water to a waiting cup containing a tea bag. "Moffitt will get through this."

"How can you be so sure?"

Dietrich paused. "I… am not, but I would rather be hopeful."

Vanora wasn't sure how to respond to that. She gave a heavy sigh, and put her head in her hands. "All because of his damn spleen."

Dietrich said nothing, deciding to let Vanora voice her thoughts.

"I thought he had another cold that just… worsened really quickly, but I brought him to the hospital when he started having trouble breathing. They said it was definitely pneumonia, and they wanted to keep him there for monitoring since he has no spleen, and therefore, limited immune function. I wanted to argue. I wanted to take him home. They said, 'No, it'll be better if he stays over the next few days.'"

"I think since he was having difficulty breathing, it was best he went to the hospital," Dietrich said. He gently pressed the bag of chamomile against the side of the cup to get as much out of it as he could, then disposed of the bag. After adding a bit of honey and vanilla to the tea, he set the cup in front of Vanora. "Here. Have you had any breakfast?"

"Not really."

"Would you like me to make something?"

"If you're offering." Vanora stared down at the tea. She picked it up to take a few small sips from it. "Thank you, Dietrich."

"You are welcome, Vanora." Dietrich searched the kitchen cabinets for a moment, then took a few ingredients out. "Would you be alright with me staying for a few days? I would like to help you out with basic things around the house, and… I think you need a friend. Someone to help you keep going each day until Moffitt comes home."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course I would."

"Don't you have a lady you're seeing back in Germany? Esther?"

"I let her know that I was leaving for a little while to help while Moffitt was sick. She said I would have been extremely selfish if I stayed purely because of her, so—" Dietrich grinned. "I have her blessing."

Vanora sighed again. "Alright. As long as you have her blessing for this." She went quiet for a few moments, her thoughts turning back to Moffitt. She had visited him yesterday, and it broke her heart to see him confined to bed and unable to talk with a respirator. He was conscious, still looked awful, but looking somewhat better as well. They couldn't have a conversation, but he spent the duration of her visit holding her hand. She wanted to take him home, hug him, kiss him, simply be together again. Before leaving, she gave him a kiss on his forehead. His gray eyes, though glassy with fever, bore a look that was trying to tell Vanora everything would be okay.

She hoped that would be the case.

Things were quiet for a little while as Dietrich cooked a light breakfast for both of them. Eventually, Vanora said out loud, "I don't know what to do if the worst happens to Jack."

Dietrich looked over his shoulder at her. "I will continue to pray such a thing never happens, but at least you have no shortage of people willing to help you."

Vanora didn't want to think about the effect such an event would have on the others, but she knew Dietrich was right. After breakfast, when she offered to help him clean up, she gave him a hug to express her gratitude. Gratitude quickly turned back to fear, and she felt Dietrich slowly rub her back when she began to sob.

Over the next few days, Vanora was glad for Dietrich's help, both in terms of assisting around the house and with simply being there to listen or lend a shoulder to cry on. He was also helpful with Jules, who didn't know everything that was going on, but knew enough to understand his father was very sick. Jules really didn't act like a normal eight-year-old in that time. No games or toys or anything of the sort could distract him. He seemed glad that Dietrich was there as a source of comfort, and spent a lot of time just sitting with him. Dietrich never told Jules that he shouldn't be worrying, but instead acknowledged Jules's concerns and tried to give him hope.

Dietrich stayed by Vanora's side one morning when the telephone rang, as she feared the absolute worst. She was grateful for his hand on her shoulder when she picked up the phone. "Hello?" she said in a small voice.

"Hello, is this Mrs. Moffitt?" an older woman's voice said.

"Yes, this is."

"Wonderful news! Your husband's being discharged today. Come down to the hospital in about an hour, and I've been asked to inform you that he really misses you. Smile, dearie, everything's okay."

There were tears running down Vanora's face, but they were tears of happiness. "Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!" She hung up the phone, and turned to hug Dietrich. "Did you hear? Jack's being discharged!"

"I heard," Dietrich said. "Take a seat and breathe. I am going to call the others and tell them the good news."

Vanora could hardly wait to get to the hospital. Her hands shook the whole time, and she handed Dietrich her purse when a nurse led Moffitt into the lobby in order to jog over and grab him in a hug.

"Oh, easy, darling," Moffitt said, his voice still somewhat raspy. "I'm out of the woods but not yet home." He hugged his wife, sighing contentedly. "I don't ever want to go this long without holding you again. I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too." Vanora stood on her toes to kiss her husband's cheek. "I was so worried about you."

"I worried about you, too, darling."

"You worried? You were the one lying sick in a hospital bed!"

"I know, but I still worried about you, because I love you." Moffitt kissed Vanora's forehead. "Please, don't cry. It's okay, darling." He looked over at Dietrich. "I take it you helped look after the house and horses while I was gone?"

"I did," Dietrich replied.

"Well, if you don't mind, I might need you to stay a little longer. I'm supposed to remain on bedrest for a bit and can't do anything strenuous."

"I can stay as long as you need. Besides, you and your wife should spend some time alone together. Let me take care of everything for now. No need to worry any longer."