In His Time (Carried Through Chaos Book 2)

by Stefanie Bridges-Mikota

  Allie looked at him funny for a minute and then broke into a smile.

  “Yes, I married the most wonderful, patient, giving man I have ever known.” She moved from her chair and sat on his lap.

  He pulled her in for a kiss.

  “And, I married the most beautiful, generous, modest, lovable, responsible…”

  Allie pushed his shoulder.

  “Oh, stop.” They both giggled and kissed some more.

  CHAPTER 25

  Frank and Allie headed in different directions for the day. Frank left early in the morning for North Yakima to meet with Dr. Green and learn more about the typhoid epidemic and specifically what his own role would be in this matter. Allie headed to her quilting group for the first time since returning from Montana. While Frank left feeling troubled about the puzzle ahead for the local medical community, Allie was feeling hopeful.

  Reading her Ma’s journal was bittersweet, and she could use a break to take her mind off everything related to the recent events. She knew Ma’s passing was all part of God’s timing, but she was unsure of where her own life fit into that plan.

  The last couple of years had a few ups, but mostly downs. Frank was the biggest, brightest spot in her gloomy period. While that spot sparkled in the dark, the weight of what she’d been through felt too much to bare at times. Stepping into the cocoon of the woman’s circle and letting her fingers work while her mind stayed busy in the comings and goings of the rest of the community was exactly what she needed.

  Allie heard the laughter from the side room where they met each week as soon as she walked through the church doors. The sound brought a hopeful lightness to her heart and put a small smile on her face. She stepped into the room and the conversation stopped. Those that were there looked at her silently for the briefest of moments, but long enough for Allie to feel a bit nervous. Emma stood and walked over to her while Belle walked over to the stove in the corner.

  “Oh, Allie, I’m so happy to see you. How are you?” Emma pulled back from the hug and looked her in the eyes.

  “I’m all right. I’m doing okay,” Allie said taking a deep breath. She really didn’t want to talk about any of this and hoped she could just blend in and have time off from her grieving.

  “Here, dear, have this cup of tea and come sit.”

  Belle handed her a tea cup and lead her to a chair. Belle and Emma sat on either side of her, sandwiching her between her two closest friends here in Wiley City. The other ladies took turns saying hello. Most of them held sorrow and pity in their eyes when they looked at her. She could feel her skin crawling and wanted to scream but chose to keep her manners.

  Allie nodded and greeted each one. She answered their questions about her time in Montana. As the conversation drew on, Belle squeezed her hand and leaned into whisper in her ear.

  “They only mean well dear.”

  Allie knew her tone was short and becoming shorter when answering and she looked at Belle with pleading eyes.

  “Well now, ladies, it appears that most have arrived. Shall we hear about the newest quilt project we’re to begin working on?” Belle had directed the whole table to follow her lead and change the conversation. Allie was immensely grateful.

  The next hour became exactly what she was hopeful for and she had Belle to thank for that. The quilt they were working on was another design where some ladies would work on squares individually- those with embroidery skills and others would work to attach the plain fabric squares together into strips. Allie was part of this second group. Belle moved over with the first and Allie felt a small loss when she was distanced from her. She hadn’t known Belle very long, but her presence was becoming important to her. Emma stayed right next to her. Allie took some comfort in that.

  While the squares they were working on were plain, the color of those squares were bright. This blanket was to go to a new baby boy. It would be larger than a receiving blanket. This would be big enough for his mother to lay on the floor where the baby could play.

  Each square Belle and the others worked on would show a different embroidered animal. Allie was excited about this project and couldn’t wait to see it finished.

  She knew she needed to move on, but the work made her a tad sad. Someday she hoped she would move on from her desire to be a mother and the reality of knowing that was a very bleak dream.

  Grieving over her ma was enough for her right now. Grieving over the loss of nonexistent children and one lost precious little life was overwhelming. She tried to shove her thoughts to the side and focus on the task at hand, sewing one bright color to another after another until she had a strip of six squares. Those would make the outside edge with an animal square at either end. More animal squares would be positioned in the interior of the quilt as well. While Allie and Emma could work on their task weekly here, the others working on the embroidery would take their square home to continue working on it and thus not slow down the completion of the whole quilt.

  Before Allie realized it, ladies were excusing themselves for the week. The hour they met had passed, and it was time to head for home. Emma walked out with her.

  “Are you free tomorrow afternoon?”

  “I believe so. Frank most likely will be working, leaving me to twiddle my thumbs,” she smiled and worked to hide the sadness.

  “Perfect. I will come see you. I have some news I would love to share with you.”

  Emma was practically glowing with excitement and Allie was curious. She could use some good news these days.

  “I’m intrigued,” Allie squinted her eyes.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Emma chuckled as they parted.

  When Allie entered her house, Frank was sitting in the living room. Allie was shocked to see him. She didn’t expect him home for some time yet.

  “Hello. How was North Yakima?”

  Frank stood and walked towards her.

  “The news isn’t great, I’m afraid. It seems John was right. Many are sick and more are falling ill daily.”

  Allie covered her mouth in shock.

  “Oh, Frank. I don’t know how much more I can take. I’m sorry, but it’s all so overwhelming.”

  “Of course, forgive me. I’ll deal with it. I shouldn’t burden you anyway. There isn’t anything you can do to help that you are not already doing.” Frank put his hand on the small of her back. “Please come sit.”

  “Suddenly, I’m so tired. I was feeling fine, but now I’m exhausted.”

  “You’ve been through so much lately. You barely slept the whole time you were taking care of Ma. It’s no wonder you’re tired. I want you to put this typhoid scare out of your mind. We have help coming in. Mr. Lumsden has been called to come assess the problem. He is a typhoid expert, and the hope is that he will be able to use his skills to understand and correct the issue.”

  Frank stood and helped Allie stand as well.

  “Come, let’s take you to bed for a nap.” He led her to their bedroom where he settled her under the covers.

  “I’ll worry about supper. You rest. I’d say a week or two of resting and focusing on yourself and you will be good as new.”

  Frank laid on the bed and waited until Allie fell asleep before going back downstairs. Inwardly kicking himself, he knew he shouldn’t put any strain on her. She was already dealing with too much. Her care was the immediate focus. Up until this moment, typhoid had been an outside problem for him directly. He hoped it stayed that way, but until that changed, Allie would be his focus.

  While he placed Allie in the forefront of his mind, typhoid would remain lurking in the background. Lumsden was their hope. Time was ticking and they needed to get to the bottom of this situation before it exploded beyond what it already had.

  CHAPTER 26

  Allie woke later that evening and Frank made her stay in bed. He brought her a light supper and she felt blessed. Frank doted on her. After her last husband, Frank was an angel. He joined her in bed with his supper and they talked about nothing. I
t was easy and peaceful.

  She fell back asleep shortly after eating and slept through the night. The next morning she woke to a newfound energy. Resting was exactly what she had needed, and she was thankful the doctor ordered it.

  She made her way downstairs and found Frank had already done the morning chores and had tea heated on the stove for her. She poured a cup and sat at the table giving herself a moment to fully awaken. As she did so, she remembered that today was not an ordinary day. Emma was to come this afternoon. Excitement grew within her and she thought about what she would need to do to prepare for her visit.

  The house needed some freshening up. Dust had accumulated on all surfaces while they were in Montana. A baked treat to nibble on would also be in order, and she supposed she’d better change into proper day attire.

  Allie set her tea cup down in search of Frank. If he wasn’t with a patient, she wanted to say good morning before getting busy. She gently tapped on the door and waited. He wouldn’t open it if someone was there. He did, however, open it wide greeting her with a smile and a good morning.

  “How are you today?”

  Allie paused and truly thought about her answer, before speaking.

  “Today is a good day.”

  “Good! But, remember that emotions might spring up on you still,” he cautioned.

  Frank was concerned for her. Yet, a spark of optimism was noteworthy.

  “Yes, and I will work some rest in today, but I do have a visitor coming. I forgot to mention it to you yesterday.”

  “Oh?”

  “Emma is stopping by this afternoon. She says she has some news she would like to share with me, good news.”

  Frank was glad to hear the good part. He didn’t want anyone upsetting her.

  “Please, enjoy yourself, but don’t overdo it.”

  “Yes, doctor,” Allie winked and left him to his work, so she could do hers.

  They hadn’t yet accumulated many things making the dusting an easy chore. Since Frank converted the dining room, that left just two rooms and the entry. After dusting, she swept all the floors. That was a bigger chore than the dusting, as there was more floor than anything else.

  Standing back up after collecting the swept dust into the dustpan, she briefly felt as if she would fall over. The room started to spin before righting itself again. She carefully walked over to the chair and sat for a moment, confused as to why she would feel this way. The tired was expected after Ma’s death, but dizzy? Then a thought came to her that fit the puzzle piece together. She forgot to eat this morning, and with last night’s light supper, she needed sustenance. The excitement for the day took all the hunger pains away.

  Allie headed to the kitchen and found a bite to eat before beginning to think about what she would bake. Noting that she would need more food and Frank would need something for lunch soon, she decided on muffins. She had a basic recipe from her Ma that she could add different things in to change it up. There was some dried fruit that she could fold into the batter. She would need to add to the meal for lunch, but the muffins would be enough for her visit later.

  Allie mentally doubled the batch and got to work. Making the simple recipe from her ma brought back fond memories of when she was a little girl and her Ma was teaching her. It was one of the first recipes she learned. This was the recipe she perfected her egg cracking skills on and that thought brought back the more recent memory of Frank teaching Drew. That brought a full on laugh from her. As the laughter died down she began humming Crown After Cross a song she grew up hearing her ma sing. The words played in her head as the melody flowed from her throat. The song spoke about strength after weakness and joy after sorrow. She needed to take those words to heart. That was certainly something she’d hoped for but was yet to find.

  As she finished mixing the batter and checking to make sure the stove was heated sufficiently, she placed the muffins in the oven and contemplated how the fire contained within the stove took something mushy and weak, and changed it so it could stand on its own instead of collapsing into a puddle.

  That was how she felt her past year was to her. The fury within her marriage had prepared her to become a woman who could stand up for herself. No longer was she the young girl, but a strong woman who she felt was still being baked. Allie had thought the transformation from girl to woman was complete, but with the crushing death of her ma, she realized she still had a ways to go. She knew that God used life events to work for the good in all those around. She had grown up believing that. She wished that her ma didn’t have to die, but everyone died at some point.

  Pushing all thoughts aside, she ran upstairs to freshen up while lunch was baking. She wasn’t sure on the exact time for Emma’s visit and wanted to be ready. She picked out a summer dress, put a light pink ribbon in her hair and evaluated herself in the mirror. Coming back downstairs, she finished meal prep and let Frank know it was ready. He came in and washed up, all the time admiring his wife’s attire. They sat together eating and Frank caught her up on his morning. Apparently, it was fairly busy. She hadn’t heard the comings and goings being so distracted with her chores and thoughts.

  Frank kept the conversation light. His morning was busy, but nothing serious happened. He looked Allie over to make sure she wasn’t hiding anything. A person run down was more susceptible to catching a serious illness and he would do what he could to prevent that. She appeared to be fine, so he finished up and headed back to the office. If his morning was any indication of the full day, he would be there right up until closing.

  Allie was cleaning up when Emma knocked on the door.

  “Hello, I’m so glad you came! Please, come in.”

  Allie ushered her in and led her straight back to the kitchen, where they sat at the table. She placed the muffins in arms reach of them both. Just having eaten lunch, she wasn’t hungry, but she could nibble a bit on one as Emma enjoyed hers.

  “Hasn’t the warm weather been lovely? I’m so thankful that winter is behind us and the sun can warm me clear through,” Emma said between bites.

  “It is lovely. The weather here isn’t much different from what I’m use to in Deer Lodge,” Allie replied. “You didn’t come here to talk about the weather, though,” Allie playfully glared at her. “Spill it.”

  Emma chuckled.

  “No, I didn’t, and I suppose making you wait after I teased you yesterday with news isn’t very friendly of me, is it?”

  “It sure isn’t, and I feel you are still dragging this on for the fun of it.”

  Both ladies laughed. Emma cleared her throat.

  “Our family will be growing by one in about seven months if my math is correct.”

  Allie sat frozen. She had been through this before and here it was again. She needed to show Emma she was happy for her and yet happy was not the emotion she was feeling. Emma and Roger had two children already. Now a third was to join. Life was not fair.

  “Oh, Allie, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you would find this news upsetting,” Emma apologized, seeing Allie withdraw in thought.

  Allie placed her hands in her lap.

  “Oh, don’t think of it. It is an exciting time for you and I am very happy for both you and Roger. Another baby to love, to hold, to teach. That is every good reason worth living right there.”

  “Is everything all right?” Emma worried her brows.

  Allie was silent, thinking about how much she should say. She didn’t want to share the horrid details with her, especially now. Emma was celebrating, and she had every right to do so.

  “Everything is fine,” she tried to sound as chipper as possible. “I do have a bit of a history that you don’t know about. Someday I may share, but I’m not ready yet.”

  Emma didn’t want to push her and tried to change the subject instead.

  Allie however was lost in thought.

  “I’m sorry, Emma. I suddenly feel very tired. Frank told me to rest when this happens. He said it’s all due to the recent events.”

>   “Of course. I had plans to stop in and have Frank confirm. I would like him to be my doctor.” Standing she added, “I’ll go see if he is free now. You go rest and we will catch up soon.”

  Allie sat at the table for a while after Emma left. She felt exhausted, but she also felt broken. She knew she should have been more hospitable towards her friend and her ma would have given her an ear full over that. She just couldn’t find the energy to, though. Allie carried herself up the stairs and put herself in bed. It didn’t take long for Frank to find her.

  “Emma said I should find you. She wanted me to check on you.” Frank came and sat at the edge of the bed.

  “I’m ok,” she lied. “Just tired again,” so she only told a half lie.

  Frank checked her over briefly, just to be sure she wasn’t coming down with something and left her to sleep. Allie slept fitfully and remained in bed through dinner. Frank didn’t press her. By the time he climbed into bed for the evening, she had found her deep slumber.

  CHAPTER 27

  Allie woke the next morning needing to hear from her ma. Emma’s news left her feeling like she was back with Eddie and he’d punched her in the stomach…again.

  She went about and did the morning chores as quickly as possible so she could spend the afternoon reading. She had already learned so much about her ma in the few times she read and she was anxious to read more.

  So far, she discovered her ma had lived in a wealthy home where Allie’s grandparents worked. She grew up with the children of her parents’ employers. Her ma hadn’t mentioned anything specific about her childhood before her sixteenth birthday when she received the journal, but Allie could form ideas of what life would have been like with the information she did give.

  After that first entry, her ma had written sometimes weekly, sometimes more. It seemed once she turned sixteen, her daily lessons shifted from needlepoint, arithmetic, literacy, and how to act like a lady and compose oneself in polite society, to more specific duties of running a household and lessons in marital life.