Another Time (Guardians of Now Book 1)

by Donna Steele

  “Let him go slowly. Thank you so much.”

  The reverend leapt to his feet and raced toward the church. No one had come out. Was the man’s word that binding? Had it only been moments? Dee wasn’t going to complain about fewer spectators. Too many people would have made the situation a circus.

  Grant bellowed, “Hank!” as Dee turned to Dusty.

  “You okay?”

  “I don’t see how you do stuff like this. Shit, that was gory.”

  “You get used to it.” Gory? Oh no! Dee stared in horror at the light gray suit she wore. “Miz Masters is going to kill me.”

  Running footsteps caught her attention and she stopped worrying about a dress that didn’t matter in the long run. Grant, along with two of the largest men she’d seen yet—one a good six inches taller than Dusty—approached them with a tabletop between them.

  “Oh, perfect! Lay it here.” Dee scooted out of the way. “Now be careful, let me hold the leg still.” They had Jedidiah on the table quickly and the four men each took a corner to carry him to the doctor’s house.

  “Don’t run,” Dee advised. “You don’t want to jostle him. Walk as smoothly as you can. With you men here, I know he’s in good hands.” She could see others drifting from the church now. Grant must have given them permission to depart. Caleb and a couple of others were taking care of the horse and wagon. No one followed them out of curiosity. Fear of Grant probably had the most to do with the lack of overt snooping.

  Dee hurried ahead, once she made certain they were traveling at a good pace, yet keeping the injured man from being tossed around. Jedidiah hadn’t regained consciousness and she needed to get him stabilized as soon as possible.

  “Elizabeth!” Dee called as she flung the door open. She pulled on the bolt to get the second door open as well.

  “Dee? What?”

  “We’ve got an emergency. Compound fracture. We were able to get the bone into place but we have a lot of work to do.”

  Elizabeth nodded and hurried to the office, as Connie murmured, “I’ll ask Cook to start boiling water.”

  Dee threw one of Doc Tillman’s lab coats over her dress, not that the outfit wasn’t already ruined.

  Jedidiah roused by the time they reached the house. Some maneuvering was necessary to get the makeshift stretcher through the front door, even with both doors wide open. The four men lowered the tabletop to the floor and with Dee supporting the leg, Dusty and Grant moved the injured man onto the examining table. Jedidiah’s teeth were gritted, though he didn’t cry out.

  Grant hesitated for a moment, then turned toward the door. Dee stopped him. “You’re welcome to stay. He’s as much your patient as mine.”

  Another puzzled look from the reverend, then Elizabeth glanced up from her preparations and started at the sight of him in the office. His eyes flicked to her as well.

  “Do you know my nurse, Elizabeth Gray?”

  “We’ve not been formally introduced.” Grant inclined his head briefly. Elizabeth nodded and placed a basin of the pure alcohol on the counter, then dropped threaded, curved needles into the solution.

  “Do you need me to stay?” Dusty asked.

  “Thanks, no. You might want to see if Cook has the water boiling yet. I don’t want Connie lifting the kettle. Oh, and a tot of brandy for Jedidiah.”

  “On my way.” He kissed her forehead, ignoring Grant’s gape, and headed out.

  Grant stayed out of the way, though he watched avidly as Dee unwrapped the leg and began the process of cleaning out the wound. He made no comment when she gave Jedidiah a small sip of the brandy. She stopped occasionally to check on Jedidiah’s vitals, or explain her actions. Jedidiah might not be interested in details, but he needed something to concentrate on. Explaining her procedure was the best Dee could do at present.

  Grant moved closer and held Jedidiah’s hand, letting him squeeze his palm as Dee continued her work.

  At last she leaned away from her patient, stretching her back, and took a deep breath. Without waiting for instructions, Elizabeth handed her the jar of honey.

  Dee applied the amber coating liberally over the stitches, then began wrapping the wound in linen strips soaked in the alcohol. Attaching smaller, yet sturdy splints firmly around his leg, finished the job.

  “You use honey?” Those were the first words Grant had spoken since the procedure started.

  “Honey creates a barrier between the wound and the dirt in the air. This is what I used on Miss Sybil’s leg.”

  His eyebrow rose, but he made no comment.

  Dee turned at the tap on the door. Dusty stuck his head in. “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yes. We’re finishing up.” Dee carefully removed her gloves and placed them in a fresh bowl of alcohol.

  “Good, lunch is ready whenever you are.”

  “Wonderful. Reverend Grant, you will join us, won’t you?”

  “I . . . thank you.”

  “Dusty, if you and Reverend Grant could move Jedidiah to the recovery room, Elizabeth and I will get cleaned up. Please be careful with the leg.”

  Dee hurried upstairs and shed her clothing, kicking off the uncomfortable shoes. Maybe someone could get the blood out. She doubted it. Dressed in less formal attire, she descended to see Grant standing alone in the foyer, staring out the window. He appeared deep in thought. “Reverend Grant? Are you all right?”

  He turned and seemed surprised to see her. He took in her appearance as she resisted the urge to smooth her skirt.

  “Quite well, thank you,” he finally replied.

  “Good. Please join us in the dining room.” The others were there, visiting, waiting for them. Dusty rose as they entered the room. Grant’s eyes again flicked to Elizabeth, then he noticed Connie and stopped in his tracks.

  “Miss Everett? You’re up and about?”

  “Yes, Reverend Grant. Doctor Stevens did excellent work.”

  “I would have thought you would still be abed.”

  “No, Doctor Stevens thinks it’s better for the patient to move around as soon as possible. Moving around helped with my stamina, and kept the possibility of pneumonia down.”

  Dee spied Dusty trying to smother a grin. Maybe she had taught them something.

  “I supposed you learned these methods in ‘medical school.’” Grant’s tone might have been slightly less hostile than Dee expected.

  “I did. Seems to be working too. Connie has had a fine recovery.”

  “I see that. Did you have much trouble being a lone woman in such a school?”

  “Actually there were several women in my class and we all did very well. I guess I’m of the opinion all women are doctors to some extent.” Dee passed the bowl of vegetables to him. “Mothers are constantly having to treat small cuts and splinters. They keep an eye out for fever and coughs. Then if the problem becomes a larger issue, they ask for help. I’m sure most of the people I’ve treated have had another woman check out the injury or illness before I’m called. Would you like some buttermilk?”

  “Uh, yes, thank you.”

  “And I want to thank you again, Reverend Grant. If the three of us had not worked so well together this morning, I’m not sure what would have happened to Jedidiah’s leg.”

  “You credit me with helping?”

  Dee managed to look startled as she faced the Reverend. She didn’t dare glance in Dusty’s direction. “Of course. I don’t have the strength in my arms and shoulders to have held him and I could never have pulled his leg hard enough to get the bone into place. I knew how to guide the bone, but you and Dusty did the hard work there.”

  “You’ve seen this injury before?”

  “Yes, and treated it, but never alone. The full treatment takes a different kind of strength than I have.” She poured a glass
of the cold buttermilk for Reverend Grant and everyone ate in silence for a few minutes. Dee would have bet good money that the stuck gears in the good Reverend’s brain had finally begun to grind as he processed this new information.

  After a few moments, Elizabeth rose. The two men hastily got to their feet. “I’ll go check on our patient. Should he eat?”

  “Water now, maybe some broth later.”

  “Will you be getting him up to walk today?” Grant asked.

  Dee chuckled, though his tone had not been humorous. “No, I believe he should stay off his leg for a couple of weeks. We will have him sitting up and breathing deeply though. Do you know if anyone has contacted his family? I should have thought of them before. I was so focused on his injury.”

  “Hank headed out to their place when he left here,” Dusty offered.

  “Good. They need to see how well he’s doing. I’m sure the news will frighten them. Is he married?” Dee turned to Grant.

  “Yes, and I believe has several children.”

  “Oh dear. I hope his wife has help.”

  “You don’t believe she would be capable of running the farm alone?” Grant asked.

  Dee felt Dusty’s head come up.

  “Well, no. Just as Jedidiah can’t run the place alone, and also care for his family. It’s the same as the three of us working together. We needed all of us to do the job properly. I’m sure Miz Lawson has to handle the cooking and preserving and caring for the children while Jedidiah works in the fields and does things that requires more muscle.” She didn’t say “and less brains,” but the idea hovered there.

  Mrs. Masters entered the dining room, carrying a tray with a fresh peach pie and dishes. “That’s a beautiful pie, Miz Masters. Please, won’t you join us for a slice?” Dee asked.

  Mrs. Masters blinked and Grant’s eyebrow ascended again. After a moment, the older woman nodded and served the pie, then took Elizabeth’s seat and ate with them.

  Everyone can eat at my table. Dee took up her fork.

  Chapter 31

  Dusty met the Reverend’s eyes once they were alone. “Dee is very good at her job.”

  “Are you of the opinion all women should act as men?”

  “Is that what you think she’s doing? I see a smart, strong, capable woman who helped save a man’s leg and possibly his life today.”

  Grant shook his head. “I’m not talking about the accident. I can see where she would be defiant to your will. I assume you are the master of the house.”

  Dusty cocked his head. “Master? No, I don’t see things that way. We both are masters here, as we both submit to the other depending on our skills. I would never presume to treat an illness or an injury, as Dee would never attempt to carry a patient through the streets.”

  “The Bible says—”

  “Does the Bible give a man permission to strike his wife and children?” Dusty interrupted.

  “Under certain conditions, yes,” Grant said cautiously.

  “Is one of those conditions public drunkenness?”

  “Certainly not.”

  Dusty frowned. “Yet no one interferes with at least one of the men whose children I teach. It’s public knowledge that this individual gets plastered at least twice a week and beats his family, with or without provocation. I can’t imagine any provocation for the bruises I’ve seen, but because he’s the ‘master,’ no one comes to their aid. Where Dee and I come from, there are shelters for abused women and children and people help them escape from the abuse.”

  “There are always situations which need more study. Do you think all of the young women in the school should have the same education as the boys?”

  “I do. There might be education they don’t use later in life, but that’s no reason not to be exposed to the knowledge. In reality, the brains of men and women are not so different in physical size. Did you know that?”

  Grant’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t respond.

  “Before Dee and I married, I lived on my own. I’m grateful I could do a bit of cooking, knew how to sew on a button, and washed my own laundry. I don’t do any of those things now, but in case I ever need to do such things again, I’ll be all right. For the record, neither Dee nor I are trying to provoke you.”

  Grant gave a slight nod. “Before this morning, I don’t think I would have believed you. I’ve seen things today I need to think about.”

  Dusty smiled. “I’d be happy to go over my lesson plans with you anytime, Reverend Grant.”

  “My given name is Marcus.”

  Dusty nodded. “I’m Dustin, or Dusty to my friends. You might want to come here to go over the lessons. Elizabeth works here most days and she often stays for dinner. You’d be welcome to join us.”

  “Miss Gray?”

  “Yes. I thought I saw a spark of interest there.”

  “Now see here!”

  “Don’t worry. When a man does the matchmaking, there’s a lot less pushing. We introduce and step back. To be forthcoming, I think Elizabeth had a spark of interest as well.”

  Dusty decided never to mention the color rising in Marcus Grant’s cheeks.

  Chapter 32

  Connie insisted on returning to Mrs. Haas’ boarding house, as Jedidiah would be in the recovery room for at least a few days. Dee would miss her. Jedidiah’s wife, Ruth, couldn’t stay overnight, though she had spent time with Jedidiah and Dusty, going over some of the things she needed to know in order to keep an eye on the farm. She left in a much lighter frame of mind than when she arrived.

  Jedidiah refused to allow his brother to come help them out. Dee didn’t know the history there, though she found it telling he trusted his wife with the business more than his brother. Another tiny step for womankind. And, more important to her, so far no infection had taken hold in the leg despite the traumatic circumstances. Her small stash of homegrown penicillin had been put to work.

  Reverend Grant—Marcus—was coming to dinner tonight to go over lesson plans with Dusty. The man had proven a lot more mellow than Dee had dared to hope, though he might still be in shock from seeing Jedidiah’s gruesome injury. Dee would take any tacit approval she could get.

  Elizabeth had begun wrapping the sterilized instruments in clean linen as a knock sounded at the door. Pausing, she mused, “People don’t normally knock.”

  “Oh, it’s not a patient this time. Marcus Grant is joining us for dinner tonight,” Dee replied.

  Elizabeth’s cheeks flamed bright red and she nearly dropped the bundled instruments. “I didn’t know you were having visitors. I should get out of the way.”

  “Nonsense. You’re staying too. You worked all day and I’m not letting you go home without eating.”

  “But I don’t look—”

  “You look fine, as always. There’s only the four of us. Miz Masters took Jedidiah a tray for his meal.”

  “Miz Masters took him a tray?”

  Dee chuckled. “Yes. She’s starting to act like part of the team, even though she still makes me wear these stupid skirts.”

  Elizabeth gave a weak attempt at a smile before turning to the door. “I really don’t think I should stay.”

  “Do you have a problem with Reverend Grant?”

  “No, of course not. I just . . .”

  “He’s a very attractive man, when he’s not being all Lutheran.”

  “Lutheran? He’s not—”

  “I know. Austere, I mean. The man needs to smile more. I was beginning to wonder if I needed to pull a tooth or something. I heard his lips actually twitched at Dusty’s impression of Barty before he left on Sunday.”

  Elizabeth didn’t appear relieved. “Is there a problem?” Dee probed.

  “No, of course not.” The young woman unconsciously smoothed her skirt.


  “Ohhh.”

  “What, oh?” Elizabeth drew out the word as Dee had done.

  “Do you know him well?”

  “I don’t know him at all,” Elizabeth protested.

  “But you’d like to.”

  “I did not say that.”

  “Stay for dinner, Elizabeth. I absolutely promise not to matchmake.” Dee took Elizabeth’s hand. The young woman’s eyes had grown impossibly huge. “I’m not going to embarrass you. Let’s merely eat together.”

  Elizabeth met her deliberately innocent gaze. “How long were you and Dusty together before you married?”

  Now Dee felt the heat in her cheeks. “Not long at all. In fact, we didn’t know each other before we married.”

  The information caused Elizabeth to pause. “I would never have believed you would accept an arranged marriage.”

  “Neither would I. Come on.”

  Mrs. Masters had taken Marcus to the parlor and Dusty joined him. Dee was positive a little color showed in Marcus’ face to match the pink in Elizabeth’s, as the men rose to greet them.

  “Miz Masters has announced dinner.” Dusty moved to Dee’s side.

  “Our timing is good then.” Dee led them to the dining room. From the corner of her eye she saw Marcus had actually offered his arm to Elizabeth. Dee glanced at Dusty who kept his expression bland, ruined only by the wink he gave her.

  Once the dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and cabbage was served, Dusty steered the conversation to what the children were studying this week. The talk about the new electric lines had been a major topic among the children and Dusty had incorporated the subject into their math and spelling for the week.

  “In town, wind and water won’t work,” Marcus declared in counterpoint to Dusty’s argument.

  “Once the lines are installed, they can. Electricity will still be generated outside of town and brought in through the cables. In town, you need to use solar energy to augment the work. We already use passive solar and we could ramp that up if we could create storage batteries to hold the power of the sun for dark or in the winter, which would save a lot of money. The sun’s energy is free, like the wind.”