Another Time (Guardians of Now Book 1)

by Donna Steele

  Damn it, Google, where are you when I need you!

  Once Elizabeth had the recovery room made up, Dusty and one of the men moved Connie to the bed. She slept peacefully for now, but Dee wanted to wake her every half hour to check on her and watch for fever. So far, so good.

  To Dee’s relief, Elizabeth insisted on staying and took the chair beside Connie’s bed. She opened a book and began to read in the low lamplight.

  Dusty led Dee out. “Come to bed for a little while. Elizabeth seems to know what she’s doing. She’ll call you if she needs anything. By the way, that was magnificent.”

  “That was an appendectomy.”

  “You performed abdominal surgery without a net and handled the whole thing basically alone. Take some credit and come on upstairs.”

  After a moment she nodded, then peeked in on Connie one more time. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “Don’t you worry.”

  Dee allowed Dusty to herd her up the stairs.

  Chapter 12

  Dee opened her eyes to a half-empty bed and full sunlight. Oh good grief, I overslept. She’d meant to check on Connie first thing.

  Who knew how long it would take to dress with these antiquated clothes? She’d certainly not packed for this trip. Dee found some drawers—by no stretch of the imagination could she call these panties—and donned them along with her own bra. She dug out a blouse that buttoned in the front. The black skirt she chose was the easiest thing to put on, then she hurried down the stairs.

  Dusty and Elizabeth were in the dining room. Both had finished breakfast and were visiting. She did not feel a frisson of jealousy as Elizabeth smiled at the man.

  “Dee.” He rose and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I may have a job here too.”

  “A job?”

  “You operated on the schoolteacher. I mean, the schoolteacher, as in the only one. I do have a doctorate. Think I can fill her shoes?”

  “Overfill them is more likely. Can you teach first graders how to read?”

  “I think so. At least I’m going to give the opportunity a whirl. The kids have been out of class for a couple of days. I can sub and at least get them to attend.”

  Dee nodded and looked over at Elizabeth. “How’s Connie?”

  “Seems to be doing very well. I haven’t gotten her out of bed but she woke a short while ago. I gave her some tea. I didn’t know what you might want her to eat.”

  “Good. She needs fluids. I wonder if there’s some broth here.”

  “I’m sure Cook can get us some.”

  “I haven’t met this Cook yet.”

  “Miz Masters didn’t introduce you?”

  “I’m not top of that lady’s list. Well, maybe I am, but not the good list.” Dee took the cup of tea Dusty handed her. “I’m going to check on Connie first. Then I’ll eat.”

  “I’m going to see Mayor Pickerson and apply for the teaching position.” Dusty bent to kiss her, no peck on the cheek but deep and thorough, before letting her go. “I’ll let you know if he hires me. I might be over at the school most of the day if he does.”

  Before Dee could speak he added, “Mister Ferguson is going to tow the car here. I want him to put the thing in the carriage house but I’m sure it’ll be a big hit with the populace before we can get everything under cover. Prepare yourself.”

  “I’ll put my jeans on and give tours. That should get me burned at the stake quick enough.”

  He chuckled softly. “Stay inside. Practice doctorin’. I’ll handle the car since I’m the ‘scientist.’”

  Dee felt her unease return as he left the room. She couldn’t help herself. As little as she knew the man, he still held sway as the most familiar thing here.

  Chapter 13

  Dusty stepped inside the school. The mayor had already been advised of Connie’s surgery. He’d nearly jumped at Dusty’s offer to take over classes while Connie recuperated. A male teacher wasn’t nearly as hard to swallow as a female doctor. He’d have to get some clothes as soon as possible. Tillman had been a much larger man; hell, he’d been fat, so those clothes wouldn’t work. For today Dusty wore slacks with his shirt buttoned all the way up with no tie. Having no usable cash was a problem. Would Caleb work with him?

  Dusty shook that off as he examined the place. An honest to God one-room schoolhouse greeted him. He’d only seen these in reenactments. He took a deep breath. The aroma of chalk and old books filled his sinuses. The wide boards of the floor needed sweeping but he could smell the woodsy scent of them. An anteroom covered the front for the children to hang jackets before moving to the main room.

  Double desks sat in rows. A shelf under each desktop held books and small individual chalkboards. Not much paper, of course, since the expense would be prohibitive. The windows let in maximum light. Dusty hoped the glass was well-caulked for winter. The Franklin stove at the front might not heat the whole room adequately.

  The ages of the children currently staring silently at him seemed to range from around six to twelve or so. Dusty wasn’t familiar with kids but the boys didn’t look like they had gotten their growth spurt yet. Probably they were pulled out of school and put to work full time when that happened.

  “Mister Stevens?”

  Dusty looked in the direction of the voice and recognized Joseph wearing his sling. He smiled and received an answering grin from the boy.

  “What are you doing here, Mister Stevens?”

  “Miss Everett is still under the weather so I’m going to be teaching her classes for a while.”

  “A man teacher?” Josiah spoke.

  “Well, why not? You have a woman doctor.”

  Some nervous laughter erupted and Dusty moved to the front of the classroom. He picked up the chalk and took a whiff from the small piece. Had he ever used a blackboard? White boards were what he remembered from his time in school.

  He wrote his name, the one he used here, on the board and turned back to the class.

  The children had segregated themselves into a girls’ side of the room and a boys’. He sighed.

  “Okay, I suppose most of you know Miss Everett has been ill. She’s getting better now but will be out for several weeks. I will be your substitute teacher. You can call me Mister Stevens.” The name had begun to feel familiar. When they returned to their time, ‘Dr. Williams’ would feel strange to answer to again. “I have a list of your names here. Of course, I can’t match them with your faces yet. I’d like to rearrange the seating and put everyone in alphabetical order by your last name at least until I learn who everyone is.”

  The children stared at each other but no one moved.

  Dusty began to remember why he had never gone for his teaching certificate. He studied the class roster. “Emily Anderson?”

  A slight blonde girl tentatively raised her hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’d like you to sit here in this first seat.” As she moved he called the second name. “Henry Bakersfield.” Another hand rose. Dusty nodded. “Please sit beside Miss Anderson.”

  “Beside a girl?” Henry blurted out. There were titters from around the room.

  “Yes, your name comes after hers in the alphabet.”

  “But she’s a girl.”

  “What does that matter?”

  Dead silence followed the question, so Dusty continued calling roll. Some grousing rumbled through the room but eventually everyone sat by last name and intermingled by sex. The second would take the most getting used to. There would have to be additional adjustments, he realized, and chuckled to himself. The largest boy in the class sat next to the smallest girl.

  “I have not been able to talk to Miz Everett about her teaching plans, so I need someone to tell me what you’ve been working on in class.”

  Glances were
exchanged before Joseph raised his good arm. “We’re up to four in our multiplication tables.”

  “Now that’s good. I’m sure some of you think math is unnecessary but each one of you will use your multiplication tables every day.”

  Some obvious disbelief showed at his statement. Dusty nodded at Emily. “If you’re having eight people for dinner and you want each of them to have two biscuits, how many do you make?”

  She swallowed, then answered, “Sixteen.”

  “Two times eight, right?”

  She blinked. “I never thought about it like that.”

  “I know. Multiplication is something everyone uses and doesn’t even think about. Maybe math won’t be such a pain to memorize now.”

  A round of nervous chuckles caused some of the tension to dissipate, and Dusty smiled.

  I can do this.

  Chapter 14

  Dee followed Elizabeth into the recovery room to find Connie awake.

  “How are you feeling?” Dee asked the pale young woman.

  “Much better. Are you my . . . doctor?”

  “I am. My name is Dee Stevens. We weren’t properly introduced last night. I’d like to examine you, then get you up for a short walk around the room.”

  “Walk?”

  Dee nodded. “You’ll feel better for moving around and getting your strength back. Trust me. I want you to recover and get on your feet as soon as possible. Then I want Mayor Pickerson to have to apologize for his attitude about women.”

  Connie’s eyes widened, then she nodded. “That would be nice to see.”

  Elizabeth offered a faint grin. “I want in on that myself.”

  “Then we have a deal,” Dee said. “We’re all career women, right? I don’t know how long I’ll be here but we might as well shake things up and make the men pay attention to our ability to think. Not that I haven’t already.”

  Elizabeth glanced down at her legs, completely hidden by her skirt. “I saw those britches you were wearing last night. They looked very practical.”

  “They are, and comfortable too. I feel like I’m going to trip over this long skirt every time I move. I know we’ll have to take baby steps. Miz Masters might overhear and lock us up somewhere.”

  Connie giggled but stopped abruptly and held her side.

  “Sorry. We’ll do our laughing later. For now, lie back and let me see your incision.”

  Dee examined her, answering questions from Elizabeth about the size of the scar and the honey she used as a barrier against infection. No way she could obtain the Manuka honey from New Zealand that had been recommended in class, but at least the honey she’d used wasn’t processed. Her choices here were limited.

  Together they got Connie to her feet and helped her walk a few steps, then had her sit in a cushioned chair Elizabeth brought into the room.

  Dee sat on the bed and Elizabeth took the chair she had used during the night. “I’ve been here about twenty-four hours and have handled three emergencies. Is that normal for around here?”

  Elizabeth thought for a moment. “You never know. Doc would have people waiting in the halls sometimes, then other days he went looking for work. There are several places he visited every week, some daily when things were at a crisis.”

  “House calls. I hadn’t even considered them. Is there someone I should go see?”

  “Yes, old lady Cannon can’t get around much due to an ulcer on her leg. Nothing Doc did seemed to help. And Miz Ellis is going to have her baby any day. Do you deliver babies?”

  Dee nodded. “I’ve delivered a few. Is this her first?”

  “No, third. She’s done well enough but they’ve come so close together, the pregnancies are wearing her down. Her oldest recently turned two.”

  “Maybe I can talk to her about birth control.”

  Connie gasped and Elizabeth gawked in surprise. “Not if anyone hears you. It’s illegal.”

  Dee shut her eyes. Illegal? Better to kill the woman, right? “Okay, I’ll be careful.”

  “Is birth control not illegal where you come from?” Connie asked.

  “No. Women have more rights, not as many as they should but more than here, obviously.”

  “How many should they have?”

  “Should we have. The same number as men.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes gleamed as Connie covered her mouth with her hand. “You’re a suffragette.”

  “I suppose I am, though I’ve never been called that before. We’ll talk about this later. I want to get you in bed and I’ll go see Miz Cannon. I have an idea on a treatment for her.”

  Chapter 15

  Dusty had to admit he’d had fun this morning. One of the girls had located a spelling list from the week before and he was amazed at some of the words. Yes, he could spell them but he had a Ph.D. These were kids, but they did okay. Practical, ostrich, crockery, scissors, descendent, mariner, examination—common enough words, but Dusty certainly hadn’t been spelling them at six years old. These children could.

  Only his first day and he’d already recognized the girls eager to learn more. It seemed Connie had taught in depth to the boys, which was common enough, though not the way he planned to handle things. And if the boys picked up some “girl knowledge” along the way, more power to them.

  He’d also spotted a kid named Silas who sported bruises on his face, didn’t speak much, and avoided meeting anyone’s eyes. Those bruises were damned suspicious, but this being Dusty’s first day, he kept quiet. Maybe the kid had been in a fight. In any case, Dusty planned to discreetly check into the situation.

  He hadn’t considered bringing lunch. The children were generous sharing what they had with him as they sat outside talking during the break. Silas didn’t appear to have lunch either. Joseph, Josiah, and Charles were obviously proud they already knew Dusty, flaunting their status.

  The girls hung back away from him, though Dusty noticed them inching closer when he began talking about Dee.

  “Your wife truly went to university and became a doctor?” Violet finally asked, to the admiration of the girls around her.

  “She did and she was an excellent student. Top of her class.” Okay, Dusty didn’t know for sure, but with no one to contradict him, he’d stick to his story. Besides, from what he knew so far of Dee, she fit the description. The information drew gasps from the girls and they moved even closer to hear better.

  “Does it bother you?”

  “Does what bother me?” Dusty took another bite of the cheese Josiah shared with him.

  “That she works in such a job.”

  “I’m proud of her. And she wants to practice medicine. Why should I stop her?”

  Another round of gasps, this time from the boys as well. “My father would tan me for talking like that.”

  “I don’t want you to get in any trouble and you don’t have to agree with me. This is only something new to think about.” He leaned down and stage-whispered to Josiah, “Our brains aren’t in our pants and where else are we all that different?”

  The boy’s eyes widened, then he grinned.

  “Mister Stevens.” Violet drew his attention. “Why did you write Miss Everett’s name with ‘m’ and then ‘s?’”

  “What should I have written?”

  “She’s not married, so she should be called Miss.”

  “What do you use for an unmarried man?”

  “Mister,” she responded, sounding slightly confused.

  “Why should it matter if a woman is married and not a man? Miz can be used for either, like Mister.”

  New thoughts glowed behind some of the eyes now riveted on him.

  “We’ve got to get back to work.” Dusty rose and brushed off his hands. “No one has mentioned what you’re studying in history.”<
br />
  There were no malingerers outside when class started. Even Silas glanced up at him a couple of times over the rest of the day’s studies.

  Chapter 16

  Using Elizabeth’s directions, Dee walked to Mrs. Cannon’s house. She carried a basket rather than her own medical bag. The basket, less conspicuous, fit in better with her clothing. This would be her first venture out into town alone and her nerves were trying to make themselves felt. Hopefully her sneakers would hold out. Dee hadn’t seen a comfortable looking pair of shoes yet.

  Stepping onto the porch of the trim, white two-story house, she knocked.

  “Come on in,” a voice called out.

  Dee opened the door. “Miz Cannon? I’m Doctor Stevens. I wanted to check on you.” She hesitated just inside the door, unwilling to head down the hall after such a slight introduction.

  A tiny, older woman leaning heavily on a cane came slowly into view from the last room on the left. “Excuse me?”

  Dee stayed in the entryway so as not to frighten the woman. “My name is Dee Stevens. I arrived in town yesterday, and I’m the acting-doctor while the Mayor searches for someone to live here permanently.”

  “Barty is letting a woman be doctor?” The tiny woman cackled aloud.

  “I’m not sure letting is the right word. I happened to be here and some doctoring needed doing.”

  “Well, come on in. I need to get off this leg.”

  Dee followed her into the parlor. “That’s why I’m here. Elizabeth Gray mentioned you had an ulcer on your leg.”