by Cyndi Raye
“I hope so. I’m terrible when it comes to pain but I’ll pull my bootstraps up and get the job done. I wish Daniel was here.”
“Good. Now, lie down. I want to wash you up first. He’ll be here soon. He went to get the good doctor.”
Charity stayed calm while Ellie poured water in a basin and dabbed her forehead and neck with a cool rag. “Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure. Relax and rest in between contractions. This may take awhile so save your strength.”
Twenty minutes later, James knocked on the door. He looked around when Ellie let him in. “You’ve done a good job here, Nurse Ellie.” He still called her by her professional name when they were in public. Ellie remembered what he called her at night. She smiled in spite of herself.
James tilted his head and grinned, as if he knew what she was thinking. He gave her a wink and turned to the patient. “I want to examine you, if that is acceptable, ma’am? We need to know how far along you are.”
“I’ve already done that, Doctor James. She is almost ready to give birth. The baby is in the birth canal. I can feel its head.”
James looked at Ellie with surprise at first until he nodded. “Very good, nurse. Now, let’s prepare for the birthing.”
“I was waiting on you to get started,” she told him.
“I’m here now. We’ll need you to get some hot water and linens.”
“Yes, Doctor.” Ellie left to search in the kitchen for the things they would need. When she looked over at Daniel, he was pacing back and forth from one end of the tiny apartment to the other. Perhaps he needed to stay busy.
“Daniel, can you find me some linen to use, please?”
“What?” He stopped pacing, staring at her as if she were a complete stranger.
Ellie felt her heart leap. His wife was hurting and all he wanted was to be with her. He was so nervous. She reached out and placed a hand on his arm. “Daniel, your wife is fine. She will soon give birth but I am in need of sheets. Will you find them for me?”
A knock on the door at the bottom of the steps distracted him. “Come in!”
Miss Addie and another older woman came in to view. “We’re here to help. What can we do Nurse Ellie?”
Ellie was grateful for any extra help. She had the two older women boil some water and went back to help Charity. Before entering the bedroom, there was another knock on the door. Female voices. More ladies to help. Good. The more the merrier, it would keep Daniel occupied.
Ellie never left Charity’s side for the next several hours. As the pain intensified, she heard the sounds of more and more people outside. A few ladies popped in to relieve Ellie but she refused to leave.
This would be her first birth. Ellie planned to see it through. So far Charity was doing the breathing but as the pains got closer together she was starting to unravel. If her husband could be here with her, it would probably calm Charity down.
James had stayed also. He kept out of the way, checking on occasion to make sure the labor was going smoothly and retreated to a corner of the room, allowing Ellie to take over.
She stared at Charity, then looked at James and made a decision. Ellie wasn’t sure how he would receive it. “James, please come here.”
James was immediately at her side. “What is it, love?”
“I know this is unheard of but Charity needs her husband. If he were able to come in here and hold her hand, it may help.”
James raised a brow, looking at her with surprise. “Men don’t attend their wives labors.”
“Maybe it’s time they do.” She pulled him away, standing by the window so Charity wasn’t able to hear.
“Ellie, I doubt he will want to be in here.”
Ellie was always doing something controversial and she thought James was as open-minded, too. Now she wasn’t so sure. “I’m surprised at you, James. Look at her. She has been calling her husband’s name for over an hour. I was outside earlier and her husband is pacing back and forth. He’s going to wear a hole in the floor. Wouldn’t it make more sense to let them handle this ordeal together?”
James placed a finger and his thumb on his chin as he did when in deep thought. “You may have a good idea, Nurse Ellie. Since Charity is not quite in her right mind at the moment, go ask Daniel how he feels.”
Ellie nodded, grateful James had finally come to his senses. She rushed through the door to find Daniel doing exactly what he had been doing from the very beginning, pacing. “Daniel, a word please.”
The man rushed to her side, pushing his way through several small crowds of folks who had gathered in their tiny space. Ellie didn’t have time to focus on any of the visitors.
She wasn’t going to give Daniel a choice. His wife needed him. She drew Daniel to the door of the bedroom. “I know this isn’t usually done, but, your wife needs you. I think she would do better if you were by her side. Will you follow me, please?”
“Thank you, God! You have no idea how much I want to be in here with her.” He didn’t hesitate but almost ran to his wife’s side when Ellie opened the door, closing it quickly since the room got quiet and prying eyes followed them until they could no longer see.
Four hours later a baby boy was born, both mother and father a part of the birth. Ellie smiled at James, proud of what they had accomplished. She held the baby in her arms, wrapped in swaddling, its tiny mouth searching for his mother.
Ellie placed the child in his mother’s arms. “A beautiful baby boy awaits you, Charity. He is a handsome baby.”
A hand was placed on Ellie’s shoulder as she began to clean up the room. She turned to find James, his eyes staring intently at her. “What is it, Doctor James?”
“Let’s give them some privacy.”
He nodded to the bed where the three were in their own little private world.
Ellie gathered the dirty linens in her arms and followed James outside. When she announced the news, the crowd clapped and began to chatter amongst themselves.
The older woman with Miss Addie began to shoo the others out. “You know it’s a boy, now off you go. I have plenty of work to do. Go on now!”
As the two walked back to the doctor’s office, Ellie learned the older woman had been Daniel’s housekeeper before Charity became his wife, and continued on afterwards. She was planning to help care for the baby until Charity was back on her feet.
James placed his doctor’s bag in the office and followed Ellie to the kitchen. She was at the window, staring at the chickens in the yard when he placed his hands on her shoulders. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her head. “You did wonderful today.”
“Thank you.”
“What is it, Ellie? Why are you staring out the window? Did I upset you?”
She turned. “James, this was the first birth I have been a part of. As a nurse, it is so fulfilling to be able to help someone bring a miracle into the world. As a woman, what happened today makes me want a child of my own. Did you see the three of them?”
There, she said the words that had been on her mind since that tiny infant entered the world. She wanted to be a mother, too.
James grinned. He wrapped strong arms around his wife. “I believe we can arrange it. If you want a baby, we should have one.”
She snuggled into his arms. “I love Betsy with all my heart. If we have a child, I will still love her forever. I want what Charity experienced.”
“Mrs. Winters, a baby you shall have. We should get to work on that right away.” He began to kiss her, dropping tiny kisses along her face, towards her neckline.
Ellie giggled. “Stop it, Mr. Winters. Why, we have a doctor’s office to open up, a half day of patients and then Betsy will want our attention.”
“Did you notice the closed sign on the front door?”
She hadn’t noticed anything at all. “Not really.”
“I closed shop for the day not knowing how long Charity would be in labor. I’ll open for emergencies only. Let’s hope there are none.”
&nb
sp; “What about Betsy? She’ll be home soon.”
He shook his head. “No, she won’t be home until tomorrow. Miss Addie is keeping her busy at the boarding house. Her staff is watching Betsy while we were delivering the baby. Miss Addie plans to keep her overnight.”
“The woman is like a grandmother to her, isn’t she? Betsy is good for all of us.”
“Right now, I don’t want to think of anyone else except you.”
Ellie shrugged herself out of his arms. She fled through the house towards the stairs. James followed, racing to catch up. He swept her in his arms as they went up the stairs. “You can’t get away from me, darling.”
Ellie giggled. “I don’t plan to.”
<><>
The letter fluttered to the ground. She placed an arm across her stomach, afraid she would upset the breakfast she had shared with James and Betsy a few hours earlier. Ellie had taken a break in between patients to pick up some needed supplies. She had just left the mercantile when its shop owner, Mr. Wheeler, ran after her with an arm raised over his head. He waved a brown envelope at her. “Nurse Ellie! I almost forget to give you this. You have a letter from Charleston!”
Ellie had stepped back to retrieve the letter. Surprise rendered on her face. There was only one place that would write to her here. The orphanage. Dread found itself working its way down her throat into every limb of her body.
Trying hard to keep her hand from shaking, Ellie took the letter from the older man. “Thank you kindly. Have a good day, Mr. Wheeler.”
The old merchant stood there, staring hard over his thick glasses. “Well, ain’t ya going to open it? Folks don’t get much from back East. It must be important.”
“I’ll have to read it later,” she told him, lifting her chin. He may have announced to everyone in the near vicinity she had news from back home but she wasn’t about to open it in front of anyone. Not even James.
She had turned and walked down the street, one foot in front of the other until she came to the church. Ellie knew it would be empty this time of day while the Reverend and his wife helped with the book reading at the hotel. They helped with the class every week. She slipped inside hoping no one noticed her.
Inside, she tore the paper from the envelope and read the letter. A hand slipped to her mouth as the stationary trembled in her other hand.When she could no longer hold onto the paper, it slid to the floor. Ellie stared at the piece of paper. Her heart in her throat, she clutched at her stomach, knowing her food was turning.
She leaned over, taking in deep gusts of air. “Please, Lord. Don’t let them take Betsy! I beg of you.” Ellie went to the front of the church where she slid to her knees and let the tears fall, her shoulders shaking, hands over her face.
It seemed as if she stayed there for hours, even though it was truly only a few minutes. She wiped her eyes with the hem of her gown and stood. She sucked in a deep breath, determination replacing the raw fear from a few moments earlier.
She had no choice but to tell James.
How would she be able to let Betsy go?
Why should Betsy have to go live with strangers? These Martins, these proclaimed relatives, they didn’t even know her. She was Betsy’s mother now. James was her father. They couldn’t have her. Perhaps Ellie should take Betsy and flee far from here before the Martins arrived on the train.
Would James go with her?
She doubted he would allow them to leave. He would face what was coming. He had his practice here, his Aunt, too, whenever the old woman came into town. They were building a life here. She had no other place to go. Did she stand and fight for the child or allow strangers to whisk her away to God knows what?
Ellie gathered the letter from the floor and slid it inside her pocket. She left the sanctity of the church to find sunlight streaming in her face.
How was she going to tell James that Betsy was no longer theirs?
Chapter 8
James finished with the medical inventory. He tucked the notebook away in the middle drawer, placing the pen where it belonged. Ellie would be so surprised when he told her about the up-coming trip to Dallas next week.
He had decided to close his practice for a few days so the two of them could take the train to Dallas to pick up the monthly supply of medicine instead of having it delivered, which always seemed to take longer. While they were in Dallas, he planned to spend an evening on the town with his beautiful wife. The Opera House had opened not too long ago. A smile played across his face as he wondered how she would react to spending a night at the opera with him.
James smiled when she came through the door empty handed. “I thought you were going for supplies?”
She stopped in her tracks as if she was about to stumble. “Oh! I believe the merchant is having the items delivered.”
James thought that was unusual. She always carried her store bought products herself and claimed she didn’t need to spend extra having them delivered. Maybe she was starting to change her ways, seeing as he was always telling her there was enough money to pay a delivery boy. “Good, then.” He finished straightening out the top of his desk.
“James, I’m not feeling so well. Do you think you can handle the afternoon patients so I can rest a bit?”
James was instantly on his feet and by her side. “What is it, darling? You don’t look so good. Come, sit down.”
“I’m fine. A bit tired. I believe the sun may have played a part in my illness. I was talking to one of the ladies out in the sun and as you see, I didn’t have my wide-rimmed hat on.”
James took her hands. They felt cool and clammy. “Why didn’t you take a covering with you? As a nurse, you must set an example for the others in town.”
“Please, James. Not now, I’m not feeling well.”
“Then let’s get you in bed.” He slid an arm under her backside, picked her up in his arms and taking the steps two at a time placed her in bed.
Ellie smiled up at him, her eyes looking haunted. There was something else wrong, he felt it in his gut. It was obvious she didn’t want to talk about anything at the moment. “You get some rest. I’ll pick up Betsy at Miss Addie’s after the office is closed. No worries.” James kissed her gently on the forehead. “I love you, Mrs. Winters.”
A tear slid down Ellie’s cheek. “I love Betsy so much,” she whispered.
He sat on the edge of the bed and took both her hands in his. “Ellie, what is it? Why are you so distraught? What happened at the mercantile?” James did not understand how someone could leave so happy and come back like this. It didn’t make any sense.
“It’s nothing, James. I truly think the sun got to me. I feel so emotional.”
James sighed. She didn’t look him in the eye when she spoke. There was something wrong. Maybe his surprise would spruce her up a bit. “I have something to tell you, darling. A surprise.”
Ellie had her eyes closed. She popped them open. “A surprise?” She almost looked scared at what it may be.
“I thought it would be nice for the two of us to go to Dallas to pick up the medical inventory instead of having it delivered this time. We’ll take a train and spend the evening at the Opera. How does that sound?” He hoped to see delight on her face but her eyes popped open so wide it took him back.
“How long will be gone?”
“Two nights.”
“What about Betsy? I don’t want to leave her for two nights?”
A strange look came over Ellie, as if she were afraid the child would disappear if they left. James was more confused than ever.
“She’ll be fine. Miss Addie said she can stay with her. They have plans to go to the waterfalls and have a picnic. Betsy is so excited about spending the night at the boarding house. One of the tenants has a young girl there. She’s a few years older than Betsy but they get along real well.”
“I’m sorry, James. No. Not right now. We have to take her with us.” Ellie struggled to sit up.
“Ellie, please. What’s gotten into you?�
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“I’m sorry, so sorry.” She stilled. Ellie slumped as if in defeat, giving up way to easily. Ellie was a fighter. She didn’t like to give someone else the last word.
James was a doctor, he knew when a patient was pretending to act one way when they meant something else. He read the signs loud and clear. Ellie was hiding something and now he knew without a doubt it had to do with Betsy.
“Ellie, tell me what is wrong.”
“I’m so tired, James. Can we talk later. I promise to tell you later. I’m so exhausted.” Her eyes fluttered closed. He didn’t know if she was pretending or truly exhausted. Was there a chance she may be with child?
“I’ll let you rest for now, darling.” He picked up a cover from the foot of the bed and laid it gently over her, tucking it around her. Placing a kiss on her forehead, James left the room more confused than ever.
When he returned to his office, there was an older lady waiting in the chair by the door. “Ma’am, please follow me.”
She got up, her old bones slowing her down as she followed him into the doctor’s office. She looked around as if hunting someone. “Where’s the missus?”
“She’s resting. I don’t believe we met. Are you new in town?”
“No, sir. Been here since the beginning. I’m old as dirt!” She cackled, her voice loud and clear. “Don’t get around much is why we haven’t formally met. Names Margaret Dearborn. My daddy brought us here on the wagon many years ago. He’s dead and gone nearly thirty years now and my brothers, they up and died too. I’m the only one left.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Dearborn. What can I do for you today?” James looked in to her ageing eyes. He saw loneliness there. He bet she didn’t have one thing wrong with her, just needed someone to talk to. Many of his ageing patients did the same thing. They’d pay for a doctor visit just to get out and have some sort of purpose. Most of their family was gone or dead. She wasn’t any different.