Another Time (Guardians of Now Book 1)

by Donna Steele

“He takes his wagon over to Anaconda and buys cans of fuel from the gasoline station.”

  “Okay, so he uses energy—his horses—to go get the fuel, then has to store it before he puts the gas or oil in the tractor. What happens then?”

  “The tractor moves and does a lot of work the horses used to do.”

  “Yes. What about the smoke that comes out of the tractor?”

  Several of the girls made faces. “It smells bad and it’s all black.”

  “Right. When the oil and gasoline are burned to make the engine work, they put black particles in the air and we have to breathe them.” That brought some startled looks, so he added, “The smoke is not clean.”

  “But the horses aren’t clean either. They . . . uh, in the fields,” Henry blurted.

  “Yes, they do,” Dusty agreed as the boy’s face reddened and several students laughed. “But you can use their droppings as fertilizer to make your next crop even healthier. So maybe clean isn’t the right word. How about reusable?”

  “What else can Mister Cutter do? The tractor does the work of three or four horses and he doesn’t have to feed a machine.”

  “He does have to ‘feed’ the tractor. That’s what the gasoline is for. But you make a good point. So, what he needs is a cleaner fuel to run his tractor. Maybe something he could make himself that wouldn’t give off all the dirty smoke, or have to be pumped from underground at a high cost.”

  “Is there anything like that?” One of the girls actually asked a question. Dusty beamed at her.

  “Yes. Biofuel can be made from corn or even better, sugar cane, and the smoke isn’t oily and smelly like the gasoline.”

  “Can you make biofuel?”

  “Yes, and I’d like someone to introduce me to Mister Cutter, so I can show him.”

  Hands went up all over the room. Dusty bit back the urge to crow aloud. They were young and curious; what better audience could he have?

  Maybe Dee knew something about him he didn’t.

  When they broke for lunch, Dusty motioned for Silas to come to the desk as the others filed out. “I could use some help.”

  “Yes, sir.” The boy seemed wary, maybe even a little scared at being singled out.

  “You know about my wife, the doctor.” The boy nodded. “Do you know Miz Masters who worked for Doctor Tillman?” Again, the nod. “Well, I have both of them at my house. And this morning they each made me lunch. Now I’m not about to ask either of them to stop, but I can’t go home with an uneaten lunch. Could I ask you to hang around a little while after school to help me clean up? The floor needs sweeping and the blackboard washed. I don’t have any cash to pay you. But if you’d take this extra lunch, we’d be even and the women won’t have to know I didn’t eat both the lunches they provided.”

  The proposition clearly startled Silas. “I’d be happy to help you. You don’t have to pay me.”

  “Good, I’ll enjoy the help and not get fat.” He slipped the second lunch sack to the boy who stared at the bag for a long moment.

  “Thank you.”

  Dusty figured the boy saw through his intentions, but maybe he’d helped Silas save face. In any case, he got a great worker for the afternoon. The blackboard was clean, the floors swept, and they’d had time to discuss the production of biofuel even further. The kid had potential.

  ~ ~ ~

  Dee took Elizabeth with her to check on Sybil for her next visit. A practical, hands-on training could only help her education, and Elizabeth asked such good questions. She made sure Mrs. Masters knew where they were in case of an emergency.

  Martha hovered over them while Dee examined the wound, as though to protect Sybil from the big, bad witch doctor.

  “Let’s remove the bandage and see if there is any change. Is the pain level the same?”

  “Hard to tell. I think my leg feels better, though it might be nothing more than hope.” Sybil stared at the bandage, which looked cleaner than when Dee had visited before. No seepage had come through.

  “I have hope too.” Dee winked at her. She carefully removed the bandage; pleased the layer of honey still covered the wound. The size of the wound had definitely shrunk and didn’t appear to be as red. Dee met Sybil’s eyes.

  “It’s working,” the older woman whispered, her tone reverent.

  “I believe it is. I’m going to add a touch more honey to ensure the sore is completely covered, but I’m not going to remove what’s there yet. I want to give the treatment some more time. Three more days?”

  Sybil nodded eagerly. Martha appeared confused and possibly disappointed.

  “You’re not getting rid of me yet,” Sybil announced to her daughter-in-law, who turned red and left the room. “That one could give you trouble.”

  “I know, but so far I’ve done okay. The mayor’s son, Connie, Daphne, and now you.”

  “Don’t forget the big splinter you removed from Mister Watkins’ arm, or the abscess you drained from Miz Cummings,” Elizabeth added.

  Dee shrugged. “It’s what I do.”

  Chapter 22

  The intimate conversations held in Mrs. Tillman’s sitting room became essential to Dusty. Yes, intimate was the correct word, though sex had nothing to do with their talks. That happened upstairs in their bedroom and had gotten better with each encounter. Another totally new thing to contemplate; familiarity with a sex partner.

  No, Dee was so much more than just a sex partner.

  He was coming to know this woman who grew more important to him every day. A surprise, because no woman had ever been essential in his life. Now this one had become more vital than the oxygen he breathed.

  To be fair, he’d never dated a truly intelligent woman before. Brains had never been high on his list. But then he had never been on the prowl for a companion. He had always gone for the quick, convenient, no-strings kind of lay.

  “What are you thinking about?” Dee asked.

  “You.”

  “What about me?”

  “Everything. You mention your father all the time, never your mother. Tell me about her.”

  Dee gave him an exasperated expression. “You pick up on too much,” she complained. “My mother’s fine. I’m not as close to her as I am with Dad. They divorced when I was eleven and I lived with her and my stepfather, Tom. She remarried very quickly and I think I always knew Tom was behind the divorce, though nothing was ever said. I have two half-brothers, one thirteen and the other fifteen years younger than me, so I don’t really know them.”

  “Tell me more,” he prompted, when she paused.

  She gave a shrug. “I’d left home by the time Tom Junior—TJ—turned five. Aaron was only three. My stepdad tried to be good to me but he had no idea how to act around me, or what to talk about. He had no daughters or sisters and I believed he’d ruined my family and hurt Dad. I know I wasn’t the most pleasant person to be around when he came into the fold. That’s on me, but I haven’t ever tried to repair the relationship, even when I realized he might have done Dad a favor.”

  Dusty leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Sounds like you’ve thought it through.”

  “Dad never spoke a word to me against Tom, and sent gifts when the boys were born. That was classy, in my opinion. I don’t think he regretted Mom leaving him.”

  “Did he remarry?”

  Dee shook her head. “I don’t think he’s even dated. I’ve encouraged him to go out, considered introducing him to someone, but haven’t had the nerve yet.” She took Dusty’s hand in hers, squeezing his fingers and moving the conversation to him. “You’ve never mentioned a stepmother.”

  “Never had one. Dad did date, but no one seriously. And moving as much as we did, nothing was long-term.”

  “Long-term, yes. That’s what I always wanted,
someone to grow old with. I’d see these couples together in restaurants, or even at the hospital bringing one or the other in, and you knew they’d been together forever. I wanted that.”

  “Wanted, as in past tense? Do you still want that kind of relationship?” Dusty asked.

  She looked up, startled. “Yes, I . . . Do you?”

  “I do now.”

  Dee snuggled into his side and he wrapped his arm around her. Oh yes, he definitely did now.

  Chapter 23

  Dusty had already left for school when a young man appeared at the door. He twisted his hat in his hands and seemed nervous enough to run in the other direction. Dee opened the door and invited him in.

  “No, thank you. Are you the new doctor?”

  “I am. Dee Stevens.”

  “Yes, ma’am. My wife. She’s having her baby.”

  “Are you Mister Ellis?”

  He seemed startled. “Yes, ma’am. How did you—”

  “Miz Gray told me that a Miz Ellis was due any day.” She glanced at the door. “Did you bring her with you?”

  “Uh, no ma’am. She’s at home.”

  “Then we better go, hadn’t we? Let me get my bag.” She hurried into her office, calling for Elizabeth.

  “Yes, ma’am?”

  “Call me Dee,” Dee said abstractedly. “Mister Ellis is here. He’s left his wife alone to fetch me. I need to go.”

  “Of course.”

  “Has she had quick labors for the first two?”

  “No. If I remember right, fourteen hours for the first and nearly twenty for the second.”

  “Did you assist?”

  “No.” Elizabeth helped Dee pack the basket with everything she should need. “She used the midwife rather than Doc Tillman. Would you like me to come?”

  There had been no activity at the office so far this morning. No doubt three or four people would show up with both of them gone, but Dee did want her along. “Yes, please. We need to let Miz Masters know where we are.”

  “I’ll take care of that, and I’ll let Connie know as well. If someone comes in, I suppose she can keep them company.” Elizabeth hurried from the room.

  Mr. Ellis—John—helped Dee onto the wagon seat beside him, then assisted Elizabeth. He vaulted into the seat himself and took off. Dee grabbed hold of the seat and her eyes met Elizabeth’s.

  “He’s scared.” Elizabeth mouthed to her and Dee nodded.

  “Was everything going okay when you left the house?” she asked the distraught man.

  “She was feelin’ pretty poorly. Worse than the other two times.”

  “That’s three babies in three years, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Dee made no further comment, clinging tightly to the seat.

  They were there in less than twenty minutes. Elizabeth jumped down and started for the front door as John lifted Dee from the wagon. The small clapboard house needed a coat of whitewash and boasted a played-out vegetable garden to the side. The building had no more than three rooms but seemed sturdily built. Dee hurried to catch up with Elizabeth.

  Dee found her nurse in the bedroom, a space not much larger than the bed. A chifforobe stood against the outside wall and a bench fit under the window. A lovely wedding ring quilt hung on one wall. Its colors were slightly faded but still added warmth to the room.

  The door had been propped open and Dee spied a pot of water warming on the wood stove at the kitchen end of the main room. Good, they’d need that. A pump stood at the sink so they wouldn’t have to draw from a well for additional water.

  The two children, only babies, were in a trundle together at the foot of the Ellis’ bed, crying.

  “John, why don’t you calm the little ones down? Maybe take them outside.”

  From the expression on his face, John appeared as clueless as if Dee had asked him to fix the Prius.

  “The children, John, take them outside and calm them. She doesn’t need the added stress right now.”

  “Oh, yes ma’am.” He hoisted the two children into his arms, obviously not comfortable with the babies. Dee barely managed not to yell at the frightened man. Chastising him wouldn’t help anything. He was too young to be the father of three and the girl in the bed was no older.

  At least a woman physician or midwife wasn’t unheard of for a birth. Dee was mildly surprised he hadn’t called a midwife but then again, she hadn’t met one in town yet.

  “Grace, I’m Doctor Stevens and I’m here to help you. I need you to try to slow your breathing.” Grace instinctively obeyed. “That’s right. You’re not alone. The children are being cared for. Elizabeth and I are here, so try to relax.”

  It did seem to help. The crying children alone would have sent a woman over the edge at a time like this.

  “Now, a deep breath and let it out. Good. Can you talk to me for a bit?”

  Grace nodded.

  “Has your water broken?”

  “Yes. And the pains started right away. This is a lot worse than the boys.”

  “How far apart are the contractions?”

  “Not far. It’s all happenin’ faster.”

  “Okay. You breathe and let us do what we can. I need to check your progress.”

  The woman nodded resignedly. Dee didn’t ask, but if this woman was twenty she’d be shocked.

  A quick exam showed Grace had already dilated to six centimeters. Hopefully this wouldn’t take long because the contractions were brutal. Grace gripped Elizabeth’s hand in a throttling grip and tried to follow Dee’s instructions to breathe. No one here had ever heard of Lamaze and now was a little late to teach the technique.

  Fortunately, the next time Dee checked, Grace had dilated to nine. Most troubling was Dee’s inability to feel the head. They all wanted this to be over. “Breathe slow and as deep as possible. Try to rest as much as you can between contractions, Grace.”

  Dee motioned for Elizabeth to move with her to the other side of the room as Grace closed her eyes.

  “What is it?”

  “I think the baby is transverse.” At Elizabeth’s questioning look, Dee replied, “Sideways. The head is over to the right. She’s not going to be able to push until we reposition the baby, or do a C-section.”

  “Cee?”

  “Surgery to remove the baby. A Caesarian section.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes widened. “Can you do that?”

  Dee glanced at Grace then back to Elizabeth. “I’ve observed them. I don’t think we’d be successful here. We need to try to turn the baby instead.”

  Elizabeth nodded.

  Even knowing he would be totally out of his element, Dee found herself wishing Dusty were here. Somehow, she drew strength from the man. At least she knew his thoughts were on her. No time to wonder how she knew.

  Another contraction built for poor Grace. In between, Dee and Elizabeth attempted to turn the baby. After three tries, Dee leaned back. There had to be something she could do.

  All three women’s heads turned when the bedroom door opened without warning and a tall, imposing woman walked in. “I’m Viola Hill, the midwife.” The tone and her stance said it all.

  Dee nodded to her. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  The woman blinked at those words, obviously startled at the comment. Had this Viola clashed with Dr. Tillman in the past? Definitely a discussion for later.

  Dee moved to her side. “The baby is sideways. We’ve not been able to turn it. What do you suggest?”

  Viola looked taken aback for an instant. “Let me check her.”

  Dee nodded and moved out of the way. A younger woman followed Viola in and quietly began unpacking a basket. “That’s Izzy, my assistant.” Viola nodded toward the young woman.

 
; While Elizabeth tried to soothe Grace by wiping the exhausted mother-to-be’s forehead with a damp cloth, Viola stepped back over to Dee. “What have you tried?”

  Quickly Dee reported their efforts.

  “All right then. We’re going to do this together.” Viola glanced at Dee’s hands. “You have small fingers. Come over here.”

  Chapter 24

  Dusty arrived home and headed for the examination room. Noting the closed door, he listened for a moment then tapped, but got no response.

  He turned to see Connie approaching. She walked upright with an easier grace. A rosy hue pinked her cheeks. “Dee and Elizabeth are out. Miz Ellis’ baby is coming.”

  Dusty nodded. “How long have they been gone?”

  “All day. They left right after you did this morning.”

  Dusty grimaced and Connie’s hand came up to hide her smile. “You’ll do better after you and Dee have a couple of babies.”

  He swallowed hard. “Uh, maybe.”

  “You will. You’re so supportive of each other. You don’t mind your wife having a career, and a man’s career at that.”

  “I don’t believe there are men and women’s careers. People should do what they love doing.”

  Connie sighed. “I wish everyone felt that way.”

  “Are you seeing someone who doesn’t?”

  “Seeing?”

  “Um,” he searched for the correct word. “Courting.”

  Her blush made him chuckle a bit. “Don’t tell me there aren’t lots of young men at your door. You’re a lovely, educated woman.”

  “I was stepping out with a young man, but he made his feelings clear he wanted me to stop teaching if we got married.”

  “Why?”

  “He didn’t want anyone to think he couldn’t support me and he wanted me home to care for our children.” Connie stared down at her feet for a moment.

  “Sounds insecure to me. Dee having a job doesn’t take away from my status. She enhances my standing in the community. You said were, and I think you made the right decision. There’s someone a lot better for you. Don’t worry.”