By His Hand

by Stefanie Bridges-Mikota

  “Mom doesn’t know. But Gladys, I am in a hurry, if you don’t mind.” He moved passed her and walked toward his trunk, realizing that Allie was not following. Turning back, he couldn’t find her anywhere. That Gladys was a pain back in school and nothing had changed.

  He ground his teeth in frustration. Leaving his bag with his trunk, he made his way back past a confused Gladys. He ran to the edge of the walk and looked in a circle. Allie was gone. He knew where she was going. She had walked that path for many years and he knew she would be fine, but he wanted to see her home. He needed to make sure she would be all right. He also knew that she was independent, and he needed to give her some space for a while. So, he turned back…only to see Gladys standing next to his luggage. Great! He thought. This is already shaping up to be a very fine day.

  Frank walked back and picked up his bag, and thanked Gladys for guarding it. Why she needed to do that here he didn’t know, but he needed to remain polite. The Lord knows I don’t need her mother on my case…again. “Gladys, I hope you have the most splendid of days,” he said with the sincerest fake smile he could manage as he turned to leave.

  “Oh…well…you, too, Frank. You, too.” She fiddled with her hands and tried to decide what to do now. Knowing she was flustered put a genuine smile on his face.

  He decided to head home and surprise his parents. He would find Allie later.

  Allie watched the whole scene unfold. She tried to not laugh out loud and give herself away. The side of the old restaurant made for an excellent hiding spot. She would come here when she needed to get away for a while when she had worked at the restaurant. She could see much of the town, but they couldn’t see her. Gladys was one of those people who had a good heart deep down, but with her mother’s encouragement, she got into everyone’s business. And she had a broken heart over Frank. She was devastated when he up and left. That made two of them.

  Allie turned around and decided to head out of town in the wrong direction for a while and then she would turn the right way. She wanted to avoid the depot as there were a few people that would probably recognize her even with her shawl on. It was still early, and she was going to make this walk last. She needed time to think and reflect on her life. Now that she was home, she felt she could breathe and think…finally!

  Her ankle still smarted, but she’d had worse. Once she was home, she could put it up for a while. The walk was beautiful. It contrasted starkly with her life. Everything was bold. Her life so dark and the light so bright. The sun poured warmth on her face and warmed her clear through. It was only March, but it sure was warmer than normal. She hoped that meant the crops would be better than other years. She removed the shawl from her head and folded it over her arm. Seeing the towel draped over her arm brought a memory from her work at the restaurant about a year ago.

  Allie was waiting tables. A man walked in, surveyed the room, and took the table to her right. He was sweet looking and appeared out of place. She approached him with the coffee pot and offered him some. He gladly accepted, but she missed the cup as she began to pour and dumped the steamy liquid all over the table and onto the floor. Pulling her towel out from her apron she began to clean up the mess. He grabbed her hand and removed the towel telling her that it was his mess and he would take care of it.

  That was the first time she met Eddie. He was so different then. Was he faking it…or did he change? Did she make him change? She shook her head to erase the thoughts. Once she started them, they were hard to stop. So many questions—never enough answers.

  She decided she had traveled far enough out of the way that she could turn north and head home. If she went any further east, she would head straight into some of her neighbors. Going home first was best. She wanted to see her parents first…hoping to hide out until her face cleared up a bit. That might keep the gossip down for a while anyway.

  CHAPTER 9

  Arriving home wasn’t as dreadful as Allie thought it would be. The house looked like it was shining with the sun hitting it just right. The fields lay beyond the two-story house. There was a garden and laundry line on the far side that couldn’t be seen from this angle. The barn was just west of the front yard. Everything seemed in order except for the chipping paint here and there.

  Some things couldn’t be done since the money was tight. Things seemed quiet. Pa must be out in the field with Andrew and Ma is probably inside somewhere. She slipped into the back of the house unseen.

  The room right off the kitchen was a mud room that housed not only coats, but dry goods. The house was quiet. She made her way through the kitchen and was making her way to the front room when she heard the door bang closed. Ma must have been outside. Taking a deep breath. She knew she couldn’t wait. She had to step into the front room and get it behind her. Gently nudging the door open between the two rooms, Allie stood with her hands folded in front of her. Ma was a slender woman and had her back turned to her. She had a basket of laundry she was folding. Allie cleared her throat and softly whispered, “Ma.” The towel Ma was folding dropped to the floor as she whipped around. Her eyes were normally large, but now they seemed to take up half of her face.

  Ma’s hand flew to her chest. “Oh, Allie! You scared me half to death. What are you doing here? Is Eddie here, too? Well, don’t just stand there, come here and give me a hug.” Allie approached hesitantly. She knew Ma would quickly discover the bruising on her face. “Oh, dear child! What happened?” Ma’s hand shook in front of her mouth for a moment. Then she quickly wrapped her arms around her daughter. Allie let herself fall into her mother’s safe embrace.

  The sobs started slowly, but before too long her eyes were a faucet that drenched the front of Ma’s navy-blue dress. When she started to calm down, she found herself sitting on Ma’s bed in her protective embrace, wrapped around her like a warm wool blanket.

  It was comforting at first, but then became suffocating. She didn’t want to talk about it, but knew her mother wouldn’t let her stay silent for long. With Ma, it was better to get it all out and over with because she wouldn’t drop the subject until it was.

  As she wiped her eyes with Ma’s hankie, she scanned the room and began to tell the story. Ma sat silently, not wanting to interrupt or cut her off. Releasing the words to her was like releasing her soul. It was humiliating and exhausting. Telling Frank was difficult—but paled in comparison to telling her Ma. She knew she wouldn’t have any energy left and Ma would need to speak to Pa for her. She couldn’t bare that after this. Ma was a stern lady who expected perfection from her children, but Pa was at least twice that. Fortunately, they both had a soft spot for their children. She focused on Ma’s bright yellow curtains covering the one window in the room, hoping to draw from their cheeriness. It wasn’t working, but she continued with her story.

  When Allie finished, Ma remained silent. She stood and walked to her dresser and pulled out one of her nightgowns. Then motioned for Allie to follow her up the stairs and into her old bedroom. Gently laying the nightgown on the bed she took Allie’s hands in hers and closed her eyes. Then released her and left the room. Allie changed into the nightgown and crawled into bed. She was overwhelmingly exhausted and quickly fell into a deep sleep with her head laying on her old feather pillow.

  Her eyes were heavy, and she struggled to open them. She heard voices, but couldn’t make out who was talking. Gently pulling herself up to a sitting position she felt sore and dizzy. The strain of the traveling—and her wounds—would take a while to heal. The door opened, but only the glow of candlelight could be seen. She had slept until dark.

  “Allie, Dr. Leman is here. We want him to look at you. When you are all finished, I have supper ready for you.” She ushered the doctor in and closed the door behind him.

  Dr. Leman walked in. He was a tall, lanky man. He carried his doctor’s bag in one hand and a candle in the other as he made his way to the side of the bed.

  “Hello, Allie. I just want to take a look at you, see if there’s anything I can do to
help. Tell me…where do you hurt?”

  Allie sighed. “Where don’t I. If I don’t have a visible wound somewhere now, I’ve had one there in the past. Right now, my ankle is really sore.”

  “All right, that’s a good place to start. I want to look you over and I will start down at your feet. I’ll try to be gentle. You just let me know if you hurt anywhere when I touch you.” Dr. Leman began examining her feet. He wiggled her toes before beginning to move her ankles back and forth. “Yes, I can see that one hurts. It’s only strained, though. I will wrap it up and give you something for the pain.” Working his way up, he poked and prodded her legs and finally rested his hand on her abdomen. “Allie when was your last cycle?”

  Allie closed her eyes trying to think. “A month or more ago, Eddie came home and was upset that I hadn’t given him a son. He started calling me names and punching my stomach. I bled for a few weeks after that. I still spot and cramp up sometimes now.”

  Dr. Leman grunted. “I need you to come to my office soon, Allie. I need to do a more complete exam on you. We can keep it quiet, if you want. Just come in sometime this week and I will look you over more closely.”

  Allie nodded and placed her hand on her stomach. “Is everything going to heal?”

  With a nod, he reassured her that she should be back to normal soon. “The ankle will take a few weeks, but the bruising and swelling should heal much sooner. Let me look at those stitches. Who did these?”

  Allie touched her eye and a small but definite smile formed on her face, “I met Frank on the train on my way here. He tended me while in motion.”

  “Frank’s back in town? Good, good! I will have to catch up with him. He did a fine job. Should be minimal scaring there.” Dr. Leman felt Allie’s mood had improved…if only slightly. “I’ll make sure and thank him and congratulate him on his work. His parent’s sure brag about his work he’s doing over in Oregon. Such a fine young doctor!”

  “He owes a lot to you, Dr. Leman. You took him under your wing and fostered his love of medicine.” Allie grabbed his hand and thanked him for looking at her. She promised to come and visit with him later in the week for a more thorough exam.

  They said their goodbyes and he left. Allie stood and pulled the sheets up on the bed. Then she wrapped the blanket around her to cover the nightgown. Confronting Pa has to be done! Might as well get it over with. She stepped out of the room and walked into Pa’s arms.

  Pa was not an overly big man, but he had an authoritative air that seemed to surround him. His eyes were deep set and dark with hard-work lines covering his face. The three most important people to her were waiting outside.

  Dr. Leman had already filled them in about her initial examination and let them know she needed to come in for a follow-up. Ma was dishing up a plate and placed it on the table. Andrew was using the firewood he brought in to stoke the fire. Pa just held her and stroked her hair. Allie made the first move to break free, hobbling over to the table. She lowered herself down to the chair and was the first to speak, “This looks wonderful. It is a treat to have your good cooking again, Ma.”

  Pa and Ma both stole a glance at each other before joining her at the table. “So, the doctor says you’ll heal up nicely,” Ma said nervously from the end of the table. Pa grunted in agreement.

  “Yes, should be quickly, too,” Allie said between bites. Her appetite had returned. Pa was very quiet—not like him. “Pa, could you slide the other chair over here, so I can put my leg up on it?”

  “Of course!” He stood and slid the forth chair that was Andrew’s to her side. Allie shifted to lift her leg and still be able to eat, “Thanks, Pa.”

  “Well, got to head to the barn…check on the horses.” He grabbed his hat and flew out the door.

  Ma released a breath. “He’s a bit shaken up. He’ll settle back down after a bit and be the same old hard man you remember. Not everyday someone harms his baby.” Ma placed her hand on Allie’s briefly and then got up to do the dishes.

  Andrew remained invisible until everyone else left the room. That was impressive given his size. Everyone always said he took after Ma’s family. He was close to six feet tall and had a broad chest. Pa depended on Drew’s muscles. Drew sat in Pa’s chair and stared at Allie. Attempting to make small talk, she said, “Hello, Drew. How are you?”

  “Good. Allie’s hurt.” He said with an even tone not giving any emotion away.

  “Yes, Drew. I am hurt, but you heard Doc Leman. I will be good as new in just a little while.” She hoped this would settle him. He was usually cheerful.

  Drew stood up, walked to Allie’s chair, and knelt down next to her. “No. Allie hurts in here.” He placed his hand on her heart.

  “Oh, Drew! I could never hide anything from you. Yes, but I will be okay. Come here and give your big sister a hug.”

  They embraced, and she could feel him softly sobbing on her shoulder. That accident damaged his mind, but he was still in there. Not everyone could see her sweet Drew, but he wasn’t hidden from her and for that she was thankful. Such a shame. He would have made a wonderful husband and father, someday. He had such a sweet heart. Ma and Pa had a choice after the accident. Many people thought Drew should be sent to Warm Springs, the hospital for the mentally ill. Drew was harmless though. She was grateful that her parents stood their ground and let him remain at home.

  Allie heard the door creak behind them. “Andrew, could you come here and help your old ma dry the dishes please?”

  Drew quickly wiped his eyes and started laughing. “Ma, you are not old! Don’t tease like that.” And Allie was left alone.

  CHAPTER 10

  Frank’s family was surprised to see him when he strolled into the house, just as he did when he was a kid. His ma made a big feast that night for dinner to welcome him home. Her roast beef was the best, although, compared to the cooking at the logging camp he’d recently had, anything would have tasted great. He still didn’t understand how people could survive like that.

  He certainly needed a change, but for now, his focus would be on Allie. He’d let her have a few days to herself, to adjust to being home and recovering a bit. He hurt that he couldn’t go to her, knowing she needed someone, him, to be with her. She was more important to him than his stomach or anything back in Oregon. He couldn’t hold off any longer. Today, he would see Allie.

  Frank’s father had him busy working in the bank, and his mother decided she needed all his off time to tell her stories about his life and do odd jobs that his father hadn’t done. So, he hadn’t had time to check in with his mentor, Dr. Lehman, yet.

  He decided to take a quick detour and stopped by Dr. Leman’s office. As he opened the door and heard the familiar jingle of the visitor bell, his heart sped. This was his passion, no matter how many times his father tried to convince him otherwise. He felt awful for not carrying on the family banking tradition, but numbers, numbers, numbers made his mind numb. He needed the excitement and energy that being a doctor offered him.

  Nothing compared to the all-consuming investigation and discovery of an ailment and being able, most of the time, to help someone improve their life. Of course, there were always those he couldn’t help. The suffering was maddening at times, and sometimes made him question his abilities. But, the pure joy seeing the recovery, and knowing he was part of it, outweighed the stressful times.

  Dr. Leman hollered from the back. “Take a seat, I’m with a patient and will be with you shortly.”

  Frank did as he was told, admiring the room while he waited. It was small with two waiting chairs, a table and coat rack over by the front door, and a bookcase against the opposite wall. The bookcase held so many medical books, it was a wonder the nails were still holding it together. This was where he started his dream. Doc Leman taught him so much with those books. And, some of the town folk had let him observe Doc’s examinations from time-to-time. He owed so much to this town and Doc himself. One day, maybe, he could do something to thank them all.

 
Growing voices could be heard and Frank knew that meant Doc had finished his examination and would be escorting the patient out soon. He stood, waiting for the swinging door to open.

  “Why, Frank! How are you?” Mr. Jonson came out and hobbled over to shake his hand.

  “Great, great! But looks like I should be asking you that question.” Frank looked down at Mr. Jonson’s left leg but couldn’t discern the problem through his shoes and pants. He was a fit man in his late thirties. That information alone must mean an injury, not an illness.

  Mr. Jonson looked down at his leg and gave a brief nod. “Darn bull came down on my foot awhile back. Doc says it’s not broken, but sure is taking its sweet time to heal up.”

  Frank quirked a smile and nodded in reply. Logging and farming could sure mess a man up in no time flat. Both were dangerous lines of work and he’d seen many examples from each.

  “Well, I’ll be. Heard you were in town. Wondered how long it would take you to show up here.” Doc came in wiping his hands on a towel.

  Frank stepped over to him and pumped his hand.

  “Jon, you be sure to go home and get that foot propped up for a spell. Needs to rest if you ever want it to heal. Ya hear?” Doc raised one brow to show he meant business.

  “Yes, sir! On my way now.” Mr. Jonson hobbled out the door.

  Doc couldn’t contain himself. He started chuckling. “Why his momma saw fit to name that man the same name is beyond me. Jon Jonson! Huh! Course she never had a creative bone in her body. Always cut and dried…to the point, that one. You never knew the late Mrs. Jonson did ya son?”

  “No, sir. She died when I was just a babe,” Frank replied.

  “Fine people, the Jonson’s. Jon’s pa was a Gandy Dancer. Now, those are hard workers and probably where Jon learned his work ethic. By the time his pa was worn out, they retired here and started up a farm. Jon’s been running it ever since. I sure wish his foot would heal. Either I’m missing something, or he isn’t resting it like he says. Which, knowing him, is probably the case. That man doesn’t slow down.” Doc walked across the room and checked for his next appointment in the book sitting on the table.