by Donna Steele
“Storage batteries?”
And Dusty was off. Dee didn’t know if the materials he needed were even available. Dusty could probably invent them if they weren’t. He could always cannibalize the car.
Abruptly Marcus stopped and looked over at Elizabeth. “I’m sorry. We have taken over the conversation.”
“Not at all. I enjoy listening when Dusty starts talking about his pet projects. I don’t always understand the topic at first but he teaches me every day. I’ve learned about kilowatts now and I think it’s such a good idea using the energy of the sun instead of burning something which makes the air dirty.”
The pleased acknowledgement in Marcus’s eyes, if not on his lips, had Dee hiding a grin. Another intelligent woman to challenge him. And a “working” woman at that.
Grant had no major objections to any of Dusty’s teaching. He hadn’t even mentioned that the knowledge wasn’t necessary for the girls, nor made any snide remarks about her work. The ‘honey’ she’d applied to his attitude on Sunday seemed to be working.
The night was full dark and they were still at the dinner table when Mrs. Masters’ small harrumph got Dee’s attention, reminding her of that first night with Dusty, when they’d closed the Thai restaurant and ended the evening at her apartment. From Dusty’s smile in her direction, she’d bet he shared the same memory. How very married of us.
“I should be heading home. I didn’t mean to stay so late.” Elizabeth rose quickly from the table. The men were on their feet as well.
Dee protested, “Oh Elizabeth, it’s dark. You’re welcome to stay here.”
“No, I should get home.”
“Reverend Grant, could I presume on you to accompany Elizabeth to her place?” Dusty asked. “I still have some finishing touches to put on my lesson plan tomorrow after our discussion.”
“Uh, no, of course. I would be happy to escort Miss Gray.”
“Thank you so much,” Dee said as Elizabeth turned to look at her, hiding her outraged expression from Marcus. Ignoring her, Dee moved toward the door. “Leave your things here, Elizabeth. We need to check on Miss Sybil tomorrow, so I can pick you up on the way.”
Looking less than serene, Elizabeth left with Marcus, and Dee leaned against the door after shutting it. “She’s gonna kill me.”
Dusty chuckled, taking her in his arms. “That’s okay, Marcus will no doubt kill me. I think they both are secretly interested.”
Dee nodded. “Oh yeah. But can you see him with a working woman, or her with someone who thinks women are a lower form of life?”
“Used to think that. He’s not completely converted. However, his eyes are more open than they were last week.”
Idly, Dee wondered if this could be a topic of conversation at the next meeting of her working women’s group.
Chapter 33
The working women’s group had taken off and discussions ran a wide and varying list of topics. Delighted at the insight of these women, seditious or not, Dee welcomed new members. Mrs. Haas had begun accompanying Connie when she moved back to the boarding house and had added quite a dimension to the group as a working widow who supported herself in a business dominated by women.
Dee had convinced Millie and Daphne to join them today, though it had taken some persuading.
“I do appreciate the invitation.” Millie’s quiet voice was barely discernable in the dining room. “But you women work outside the home. I’m not sure—”
“That’s just not true, Mama.” Daphne interrupted her. “Don’t let her tell you that. She does work, and Papa couldn’t run the store without her.”
“Daphne!”
“It’s the truth.”
After looking into Millie’s blushing face, Dee spoke. “Millie, I want to emphasize that what we talk about here in the group stays in the group. We’re not a gossip session and what we say here is confidential.”
“Millie, you know I have the biggest mouth in the county, but the things we talk about here stay secret,” Mrs. Haas added. “Though some good ideas might leak out, to be shared.”
“Tell them what you do, Mama,” Daphne insisted.
Millie stared down at her hands for a long moment. “I do the books for the store. Caleb is not as good with numbers.”
“That’s wonderful, Millie,” Dee praised.
“Not necessarily. None of the men in town would want a woman to know about their spending habits or debt. I have to keep it very quiet.”
Dee absorbed that tidbit. Of course, the men would fight something like that. Even in her time, women were sometimes told they wouldn’t be as good at math. Hadn’t there been a big stink about some T-shirts touting that lie a couple of years ago? As for the men, Millie was right, they would be appalled to discover a woman knew anything about business, much less their business. Dee was a little surprised that Caleb allowed it, but at least he’d seen the upside for his livelihood.
“I understand your caution and I hope in a short time it’s not necessary. But I’m thrilled you’re getting the opportunity to exercise that part of your brain. I have no doubt the business prospers under your care.”
Millie blushed but turned to Daphne. “Tell them what you’re working on.”
A little color came to Daphne’s face but her chin came up. “I’m interested in that brassiere you wear.” She met Dee’s eyes a little defiantly. “I’m trying to design one myself so I don’t have to wear those awful stays. They’re so hot and uncomfortable in the summer. I’m not sewing much yet,” she held two fingers to indicate a small amount, “but Mama has been helping me and we’ve made a couple for practice.”
Dee leaned forward. “I want to be your first customer. Please!” That brought laughter. Even Mrs. Masters cracked a small smile. She’d begun to loosen up a tiny bit. At least she listened now, especially when discussing the women’s shelters, though she loved playing devil’s advocate.
Dee knew she would miss these special women when she and Dusty returned to their time. But they did need to return. They both had lives, and their families in the twenty-first century had to be mourning them.
As with any good women’s group, they ended with tea and cake that Cook had made. Mrs. Haas asked about purchasing some of Cook’s delicious cakes for the boarding house and Dee could already imagine a bakery arising from that transaction, in the not-too-distant future. Some women, herself included, would certainly appreciate the skills of such a wonderful cook.
Chapter 34
“Hey, Mister Stevens!”
Dusty turned at the sound. Some of his students were playing a version of hockey on the iced over pond. An early cold spell had blanketed the town. Dusty wasn’t dressed for this. Doc Tillman’s winter clothes were too big and he obviously hadn’t packed for this kind of weather. He’d never expected to be here this long.
“Aren’t you guys cold?” he laughed as he joined the on-lookers at the side of the pond. There were no bleachers, though plenty of spectators were grouped around.
“The game warms you up pretty quick,” Joseph assured him and turned back to scrutinize the activity.
I bet it does. Dusty grinned, watching the boys speed past him. The girls were all on the side, cheering on their favorites. The boys and girls in his class had become friends and he was proud of that fact. Some of the parents might not be, he thought ruefully.
As he watched, the improvised puck, a cloth-wrapped stone, got away from the game. A smaller boy, much too young to be playing in the game, yelled, “I’ll get it!”
The boy ran onto the ice, slipping and sliding, laughing too, glad to be part of the action at last.
Too late, Dusty recognized the pending disaster and spun into action before the thought processed. He screamed “No!” and raced for the pond, but there was no stopping the inevitable. The game ha
lted instantly as everyone’s attention riveted in the direction of an imminent accident.
Dusty threw off his too-thin coat as the boy disappeared under the broken ice.
“Form a line!” Dusty bellowed. No one hesitated. Dusty threw himself full length on the ice, plunging his arms into the frigid water. He couldn’t feel the boy and no light penetrated the area. How deep was the water here? Damn it! The ice cracked under the weight of his upper body. He had no time.
He felt hands grab his legs, holding him, so he allowed himself to fall in with the shattering ice, searching frantically for the small body.
Beneath the frigid depths, no sound penetrated his ears. On some level he was aware of movement above him and he could still feel the grip on his legs, though the knives of ice on his arms and chest were much more prevalent.
Dark, murky water hid the boy. Then someone joined him.
A woman.
No, not possible! She wore a flesh colored robe, but it didn’t move with the water. A hallucination?
She wasn’t wet.
Focus, damn it!
She waved an arm and his eye involuntarily followed . . .
There! He caught a glimpse of something red. Hadn’t the boy been wearing red gloves? Everything had happened so fast. Dusty reached for the red, whatever it was, grateful for the stretch of his long arms.
And snagged something. Yes!
Now they had to pull him out. How could he signal them? Would they feel the extra weight? Hurry! He was out of air! Yes, they were pulling, tugging him to the surface as he kept a tight hold on the boy’s arm. The hallucination had vanished.
How could a body go numb so quickly? He’d never been so cold in his life.
Dusty could hear again. And breathe. His head must be out of the water. Shivering violently, he hadn’t let go of the boy’s arm and the child’s head came above the water now as well. He wasn’t breathing.
A heavier coat than the one Dusty wore appeared and was thrown over his shoulders as he folded the boy against his chest.
“It’s little Daniel!”
“Someone run, get his father.”
Dee. He had to get the boy to Dee. She’d know what to do. The cold would have slowed his system. Maybe the boy could still be revived.
“We’ve got to get him to my house.” He managed to say through teeth that chattered viciously.
A strong arm started pulling him up. “My wagon’s here. Come on!”
Dusty didn’t know the man’s name but it didn’t matter. He rose to his feet and ran with the boy in his arms. He laid the child in the wagon and began CPR as the driver took off. There were people running after them. Dusty paid no attention. Five pumps of the heart, then a breath. The technique had changed since he’d learned this as a boy. He’d never bothered to learn the new version, but he would do all he could.
~ ~ ~
Cleaning the office after setting Mr. Ferguson’s arm, Dee speculated, “What do you want to bet that broken arms are all we see for the next week?”
Elizabeth laughed. “I already know it will be. Doc fumed about people not having the sense to slow down on the ice all the time.”
Commotion from the front of the house drew their attention. “What in the world?”
Both hurried to the foyer and Dee threw the door open. Dusty, soaking wet, grabbed a bundle from the back of the wagon and ran inside.
At the sight of her, he managed to gasp out, “He fell through the ice. I’ve been doing CPR.”
“In here.” Dee ran ahead and shouted to Elizabeth, “Heat some blankets!” She held the door for Dusty who began CPR again as soon as the boy lay on the examining table.
Dee shoved some additional wood into the Franklin stove in the exam room and turned to the table. “Strip.”
Dusty tightened his hold on the blanket Elizabeth had draped around him. “What?”
“You, strip. You’re freezing too. Elizabeth and I will work on the boy. Get near the stove.” She turned to the door. “Miz Masters! We need you!”
Those words got attention. Mrs. Masters and Cook came running as Elizabeth returned with an armload of blankets.
“Do you know his name?”
“So-someone said Daniel, I believe. N-No last name.” Dusty’s teeth chattered badly as he fumbled to remove his shirt with fingers Dee knew had to be numb.
She positioned the boy’s head and resumed CPR for a minute, then raised her eyes to Elizabeth’s. “See what I’m doing? You take over the breathing, I’ll do the chest compressions.”
To her credit, Elizabeth didn’t hesitate, though she could never have seen this procedure before.
Dee sent around more instructions. “Miz Masters, as soon as the blankets warm up, bring them over and we’ll exchange them. Cook, please help me get these wet things off the boy.”
Everyone moved in concert as though well practiced for this occasion. Cook ripped the shirt off as Dee took a break from compressions. Mrs. Masters tucked a warmed blanket around the boy’s bared legs. These women would make great trauma nurses in her day. Nothing really rattled them.
Dee spotted Dusty standing at the door. “I told you to strip and get near the stove!”
“Ma’am?”
Dee swung toward the door and hesitated. Without missing a beat, Elizabeth continued the compressions.
“Dusty?”
Then she started when Dusty—her mostly naked Dusty—moved to her side and touched her shoulder. Stunned, she looked from one man to the other.
“I’m William Sutton. They came for me. Said my son had drowned.” The man’s voice sounded flat, mechanical, defeated.
Dee took a second to study the two men. They could be brothers. Slightly shorter, William had broader shoulders than Dusty, but the eyes, the hair, the chin . . . She realized Dusty, now wearing only his shorts with a blanket around his shoulders, gaped at the man as well, his mouth hanging open.
At that moment, the child coughed, vomiting water. Dee’s attention returned to her young patient and she rolled him onto his side to prevent him from aspirating the water. “That’s good, get it out.” She wiped the boy’s face and nodded for Elizabeth to wrap another warmed blanket around his chest.
“Can you hear me, Daniel?” Dee asked, stroking his face.
The boy’s cough slowed and he began to shiver. “Papa?” he sobbed, terrified.
The man at the door staggered, nearly going to his knees. Dusty was at his side in a flash, supporting him as he lurched toward his son.
“Daniel.” William’s voice broke. “You’re alive!” He enveloped the boy in his arms.
“Sit here and hold him. You can add your body heat to his and we’ll keep changing the blankets,” Dee instructed.
William sank into the seat Dusty had vacated by the stove. Unable to speak, he clutched his son tightly against him.
Dee turned her attention to Dusty as he met her eyes. He appeared as confused as she felt. Questions could come later. There was still a lot to do. With the urgency of CPR over, Dee gave her attention to Dusty, examining him quickly.
“What happened?”
“The boys were playing ice hockey on the pond. Daniel went after a runaway puck and got onto thin ice. I went in after him and they pulled us both out. I knew with the cold water he might still be able to be revived.”
Dee nodded. “Stay here, I’ll get another blanket for you.”
Dusty reached out and grabbed her hand. “You saved him.”
“You saved him.” She glanced over at the familiar looking man rocking the child who no longer cried, calm for now.
“We need to talk,” Dusty insisted, following her gaze.
“Oh, yes.”
After exchanging Dusty’s blanket with a newly warmed o
ne, Dee began helping Elizabeth and Cook straighten up the exam room.
Mrs. Masters returned and beckoned to Dee. “There are people here. They’d like to hear from you.”
Puzzled, Dee followed her. A small crowd had gathered in the foyer, with more in the front yard.
“How is the boy?” someone called out.
“I think he’s going to be fine. I haven’t finished my exam, but he’s awake and with his father.”
“Thank God William didn’t lose him, too.”
Dee turned to the speaker. “What?”
Mrs. Masters stepped closer. “Mister Sutton lost his wife and newborn daughter last year. It’s only him and the boy now.”
Dee closed her eyes, very glad she hadn’t been aware of that particular bit of information. “I need to return to my patient. Thank you all for coming here and caring. I know it helped.”
Chapter 35
Dusty tucked her under his chin as she came back to herself after their lovemaking. Dee sighed and cuddled in. “You asleep?” he asked.
“Mmm.”
He chuckled and squeezed her. “Dee.” His voice had gone serious. “Something happened when I went in the water after Daniel.” He hesitated and felt Dee’s questioning gaze. “I had a hallucination while I was under. There was a . . . woman in a robe. I couldn’t see Daniel in the dark, but she gestured toward him and I spotted him.”
“A robe.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah, kind of a robe maybe.”
“Have you seen her before?”
A strange question, but he gulped a fortifying breath. “I think so, when we had the wreck and landed here. I thought a woman watched us but she didn’t approach the car and then I remembered you and turned away.”