by Zina Abbott
Louisa freed her right hand and reached around to feel his back. As soon as she felt the wetness on his shirt, she twisted her face free to see her hand. Blood.
“Gus! You’ve been shot.”
The response came as a breathless groan. “Ya.”
In protest to being crushed between her mother and Gus, Sophie Ann began to squall and squirm her head under Louisa’s chin. Instinctively, Louisa cooed and hummed to her daughter, as much to comfort herself as her baby. But, her thoughts focused on Gus.
“Baby all right? You?”
“We’re fine, Gus. I’m just worried about you.”
“Ach. Es geht mir gut.” I’m fine.
But Louisa knew he wasn’t fine.
The gentle hand of a woman rested on Louisa’s arm. It was Beth. “Gus done got shot. It don’t look all that bad, but his shoulder’s gushin’ like a stuck hog. Once we get him off you, I best use Sophie Ann’s quilt to help stop the bleedin’. Then we got to get him to Doc Guirado’s.”
Louisa inhaled deeply as the men pulled the weight of Gus’s body off of her. As Beth helped her to stand, she turned to see Gus lying face down on the boardwalk, the left shoulder of his waistcoat stained red. She fumbled to pull the quilt free and handed it to Beth who then stooped to press the cloth to Gus’s wound to staunch the flow of blood. Feeling helpless, Louisa jiggled Sophie Ann in her arms in an attempt to calm her with an assurance she couldn’t feel.
Movement in the street caught Louisa’s attention. Holding him by his arms, several men forcefully marched the drunken miner who had shot Gus down the street toward the constable’s office.
Louisa trembled as Beth linked her arm with hers. The two followed the men who had picked up Gus and now carried him to see the doctor.
The lilt in Dr. Raphael Guirado’s voice as he directed the men to take Gus into the back surgery room revealed his Californio heritage. He pointed out two chairs in the outer room where Beth and Louisa could sit. Afterward, he thanked most of the men and ordered them to leave. Once Val made it clear he was not leaving until Beth and Louisa were ready, the doctor asked him to wait while he cut away Gus’s clothes and cleaned the wound.
Dr. Guirado offered a wry smile, “If you don’t mind staying, Mr. Caldwell, if you possess a strong stomach and can stand the sight of blood, I may call on you if necessary. I will give Mr. Herschel ether before I begin surgery. But, if he begins to thrash around, it may be I will ask you to hold him still until I finish.”
“If he can’t stomach no sight of blood, I surely can.”
“No, Bethie Rose,” Val shook his head as he spoke in a tone that brooked no argument, “I’ll do this. You take care of Miss Parmley and the baby.”
Just then, Leonard Haas barged in the door. Louisa could hear the sound of Josh’s crutch striking the boardwalk as he struggled to keep up with the German bartender.
“How bad is Gus?”
“Bad enough,” Dr. Guirado replied. “If you can stay in case he gets confused while under the ether and I need you to talk to him in German, it would help me. I’ll call you back in the other room in a moment.”
It grew dark outside while the doctor worked on Gus. Louisa felt like she had been waiting for an eternity before the Dr. Guirado and two men returned from the surgery room.
“I was successful getting the bullet out and it appears no bones were broken,” Dr. Guirado announced. “Mr. Herschel is resting peacefully now. His injuries will not require him to be transported to the hospital in Bridgeport.”
“How long before he can go home?” Louisa asked, breathing a sigh of relief.
“I will keep him here tonight and tomorrow. As long as no infection sets in, he may go home the following morning.”
Beth, her face full of regret, turned toward Louisa. “This ain’t no good time for me to up and go, and I truly hate leavin’ you like this, Louisa. But Val and I are headin’ out in the mornin’ to get things ready for my house-raisin’. Ain’t quite sure how Gus’ll get home.”
“Josh and I will manage. And I’m sure Mr. Haas or Mr. Gluntz will help.”
“Perhaps you can clean up and mend his waistcoat, but I had to cut away his shirt,” the doctor said. “He will need a new one before he leaves.”
“I-I’ll get him a new shirt.”
“You sure you’re up to goin’ through his things to find a clean shirt? Reckon you’ll need his kitchen key for that.”
“I’ll need his key, but I’ll buy him a new shirt at the store. A new waistcoat, too.” Louisa looked around the room at the eyes staring at her from faces full of questions. She sat up straight in her chair and declared defensively, “Gus was shot protecting me and Sophie Ann. It is the least I can do. I’ll pay your bill, too, Dr. Guirado, if you will please tell me how much I owe you.”
CHAPTER 12
The next morning, Louisa rose when Beth did and started to dress.
“Ain’t no call you gettin’ up this early,” Beth told her. “What with Gus stuck over yonder at Doc Guirado’s the chop shop ain’t goin’ to be open today.”
“I-I could run it, Beth. As long as Josh helps, I could cook those steaks along with everything else.”
“With all them men still stirred up over the May Lundy shuttin’ down, I’d plumb steer clear, if I was you.” Beth looked over at the bucket they had borrowed from Mrs. Ford the previous night. In it, Louisa had Gus’s wool waistcoat and the quilt Beth had made for Sophie Ann soaking in cold water in an attempt to get the blood out. “Reckon you best spend the day shoppin’ for that new shirt and settin’ things to rights before Gus comes home.”
“I suppose you’re right. I’m sure Mrs. Ford will let me wash these on her back stoop. I’ll go shopping first before I visit Gus this morning and take him his new clothes. If I can get some things baked ahead in Mrs. Ford’s kitchen today, I’ll be able to do more to help Gus when he gets back.”
Her new plan in place, Louisa felt exhausted by the end of the day. But, she accomplished all the things she decided to do before it was time to pick up Gus from Dr. Guirado’s office Saturday morning.
Although she arrived early with the baby in one arm and loaves of bread in a tow sack over her shoulder, she found Leonard Haas and Josh already waiting in the front room. When Gus walked out of the back room wearing his new shirt and brown wool waistcoat under the sling the doctor had fashioned to immobilize and support his left arm, his eyes turned first to Louisa holding Sophie Ann. He had grumbled his complaint when she brought him the new clothes the day before, but she insisted she felt better doing it since the bullet intended for her had ruined his shirt. Gus’s face remained expressionless as he nodded to her, but she thought she saw a glimmer of tenderness in his eyes as he looked at Sophie Ann. He then turned to the two men whom Dr. Guirado ordered to walk on either side of him to be ready to help support him if he should grow dizzy or weak on the way back to The Arcade. Louisa stayed behind long enough to settle the bill with the doctor before she followed the trio back to the saloon.
The men entered the front door where Louisa heard the voices of a few early customers call out greetings to Gus. She hurried around to the entrance to the kitchen where she used Gus’s key to unlock the back door, and then the door that separated the kitchen from the saloon. She already had Sophie Ann down on her freshly washed quilt and was tying on her apron when Gus entered the room.
“No cook today, Fraulein Parmley. Home you go. Today, I rest.”
“Yes, I expect you to rest, Gus. But, I can cook. Mr. Haas and Mr. Gluntz helped me bring the stove back inside and set it up. Most of the men from the May Lundy who couldn’t pick up a job in another mine have already left town. Tonight is Saturday night, and those who are left will want to buy a good meal for pay day. I-I still don’t want to go out front to take orders, but as long as Josh can help, I think I can do this.”
Louisa had sliced enough bread for breakfast by this time. Josh was in the kitchen and had picked up a bucket to go get fresh water for
the day. “I can help you, Miss Parmley.”
“Both Fritz and I vork tonight, Gus. Vit orders I help, ya?” Leonard Haas had followed Gus and stood with his arms folded as he leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb.
“You just tell me how much meat to get, Gus, and I’ll go buy it after I get some bread to rising.” She brought out a jar of preserves from Beth’s stash in the pie safe, and spread some on the bread before she handed slices out to the three men. “I’ll ask Mr. McLean to cut the steaks for me. As soon as I can send Josh to the laundry, I’ll get your bed made up and your clothes in order in case you need to sleep for awhile.”
“Laundry? No laundry.”
“Yes, Gus. Laundry.” Louisa turned to him with her arm akimbo. “I already paid for it, so it’s too late to change things now. That’s one of the reasons I asked Dr. Guirado to get your key from you yesterday. He said it’s important to keep your shoulder clean until it heals so you don’t get it infected. I had Josh help me take everything down to the Chinese laundry. They said it would be ready later this morning.”
“Look, Gus,” Josh stepped forward and pinched the fabric of his shirt to hold it out for Gus to see. “I’m wearing one of the old shirts that Mrs. Dodd gave me because Miss Parmley told me to take all my clothes to the laundry, too. She said as hard as I’ll be working to help until you get better, I deserve clean clothes.”
“Ach!” Shaking his head, Gus walked over to one of the stools and wearily dropped down. “To too much trouble you go.”
“No, Gus, it isn’t too much trouble.” Louisa hurried over to him. She grabbed his uninjured arm to get his attention and stared into his eyes, imploring him to understand. “Don’t you see? You protected me and my baby when that man shot at us. You could have been killed. I know your shoulder pains you. But, if that bullet had hit Sophie Ann, as little as she is, it would have killed her for certain…” Louisa sucked back a sob and willed the tears gathering not to fall. She shook her head. “None of this is too much trouble, Gus. I can’t ever pay you back for what you did for us. But I’ll do what I can to help you until you’re well again.”
Overwhelmed, Gus said nothing, but his eyes followed Louisa as she set up the kitchen to make more bread. Josh left to fetch water. Leonard started the fire in the cook stove before he returned to the saloon.
Louisa felt Gus’s gaze trace her every move. She did her best to not let it distract her. A few times, she checked her apron to see if it had a big spot on it that might be causing him to stare.
When Sophie Ann began to fuss, she hurriedly washed out the bowl in which she had stirred together the bread, greased it, and then picked up the kneaded mound of dough, spun the bottom half in the bowl to grease it before she flipped it over and covered everything with a clean cloth. She set the bowl aside to let the dough rise. Only then did she pick up the baby and hurry out to Josh’s lean-to to change her bottom.
When she returned, she offered Gus a quick smile as she pulled the rocking chair behind the curtain to nurse the baby. Finished with that, she flung the blanket curtain aside and pulled the rocker out into the room. A wide-awake Sophie Ann sat perched on her mother’s forearm.
“Gus, Sophie Ann isn’t ready for her morning nap. Will you please sit in the rocker and hold her?”
Uncertain how to go about holding a baby, Gus scowled, then he hesitantly moved to the rocker. Louisa put Sophie Ann back on her blanket and ignored the child’s wail of complaint while she folded a wool blanket Gus had never seen before until it was the size of a pillow. This, Louisa placed on Gus’s right knee. Then she picked up the baby and settled her in the crook of Gus’s right arm with the baby’s bottom securely settled on the wool blanket.
“I just changed her, so I don’t think she’ll soak through the blanket, Gus. But, if she wets, as soon as Josh is around, have him put her on her blanket until I get back. I want to buy our meat while there is still a good selection. How many steaks should I get, and how thick should I ask Mr. McLean to cut them?”
After getting the information from Gus, Louisa hurried to the back of the kitchen to hang her apron on its peg next to Beth’s. She turned back and watched with amusement the expression of surprise on Sophie Ann’s face after being plopped onto an unfamiliar lap. The baby reared back and stared wide-eyed up at Gus. As soon as he looked down at her and wiggled his eyebrows, she giggled and kicked her legs as her body bounced with delight. Louisa turned her back to hide the grin on her face. An overwhelming sense of joy filled her at the sight of the two people she loved the most sitting together in the rocker.
And, yes, she did love Gus. She couldn’t deny her feelings for him any longer.
Louisa returned to find both Gus and Sophie Ann asleep in the rocker. For that day and the next, when Sophie Ann wasn’t sleeping or being cared for by her mother, she spent most of her time in Gus’s lap. When she grew restless, he distracted her by making faces at her, or speaking to her in German. When she grew fussy, he rocked her to sleep.
****
All the while, Gus rarely took his eyes off Louisa as she quietly and efficiently worked in his kitchen, moving from the stove to the table to make biscuits and bread or chop ingredients for her side dish. She offered herbed rice and beans since that was the easiest for her to prepare ahead and have on hand to go with the meat. In spite of Mrs. Ford stopping by for a few hours in the afternoon to help, he could see the fatigue building up inside Louisa. However, she refused to rest. She calmly took the food orders from either Leonard or Josh and sent Josh back out with the cooked food. In the evening, either Leonard or Fritz and Josh walked Louisa home.
By Monday, Gus insisted he felt well enough to take the orders and cook the meat. Some of the miners expressed disappointment that there were no pies or turnovers. But even though he knew Louisa could prepare them as well as Beth, he refused to burden Louisa with the extra work. He informed the customers they were Beth’s business and they would have to wait until she returned. He also ordered Louisa to take turns with him resting in the rocking chair while holding Sophie Ann.
They both sighed with relief when Beth returned later that week.
CHAPTER 13
By the middle of September, Beth could see the handwriting on the wall.
Most of the miners that had lost their jobs and been unable to get on at another mine in the Homer and Wassen mining districts had moved on leaving nothing of themselves behind except maybe their dogs. Beth wasn’t the only Lundyite who found the packs of ownerless dogs roaming the streets in search of food an annoyance.
Even though the mining season was still going, it felt like Lundy was dying. The loss of the May Lundy Mine and Mill had taken its toll on the town. With no credit being extended, business was down everywhere, including at Gus’s. Her wages dropped in proportion to the drop in meals served. Her pies, cakes and turnovers were not selling as well, either. It was getting so Gus could hardly justify paying for one cook. He certainly couldn’t afford to pay for two.
Although she had hoped to stay and earn more money before moving to her new house on Robinson Creek, Beth decided she needed to go. At least moving early would start her fulfilling her residency requirements for her homestead claim. She may not earn as much at the house as she once had working in Gus’s kitchen, but she knew Val and Luther would gladly pay her to bake for them and their hands as well as put together a Dutch oven meal for them several times per week.
She could concentrate on her chickens. If she could get some more that were a little bigger than hatchlings, she might get some that would feather out and survive the winter with few problems. It would give her more eggs with which to bake and a good start toward building her flock so she would have extra eggs to sell. She would have to wait until the following spring to pick up some piglets to raise for pork, but that had been her plan all along.
Beth knew Louisa needed to come with her. Although the young mother had made friends with Mrs. Ford, she knew Mary would not approve of Louisa living alone in he
r boarding house. The potential for problems between a beautiful single woman like Louisa, with her history, and the male boarders—not to mention the other male residents of Lundy—would be more than their landlady would tolerate. Louisa had managed to gain the grudging respect of others in the town—Mr. Rosenwald and his clerks, the two Germans who ran the Arcade Saloon, and others. But, that would be jeopardized if Louisa remained in town by herself.
Beth didn’t know who would take the news of her leaving the hardest—Gus or Louisa. Ever since Beth had returned to Lundy after the house-raising, she had noticed a change—a closeness that had developed—in the relationship between the two. Gus took a much greater interest in Sophie Ann. He had always been polite to Louisa, but now he could hardly keep his eyes off her.
As for Louisa, her feelings were written all over her face. Perhaps it was better that Louisa leave now rather than later.
With Val planning to arrive in town the next day with a wagonload of supplies for some of the merchants, Beth decided it was time to tell Louisa and Gus.
That night after they arrived back at their room, Beth explained the situation to Louisa. She had been prepared for tears. She just had not been prepared for the tears to continue throughout the night even as she tried to fall asleep to the sound of Louisa’s sobs and sniffling.
The next morning Beth tried to gently talk to Louisa again.
“I done gave Mary Ford our notice last night. We’re paid through Sunday, but I done told her I don’t expect nothin’ back even though we’re leavin’ afore then—to give her time to find another boarder. She’s bound to miss you and that baby somethin’ awful. But it ain’t no different than if we was leavin’ the end of October as planned.”