Gloriana headed for the hall. “I’ll turn down my father’s bed. You can put him there.”
Luke lifted his father and carried him to the bedroom. Gloriana helped settle him by arranging the blankets and pillows. She reached to loosen his necktie.
“What do you suppose is wrong with him?” she asked.
Luke shook his head and began unfastening the buttons on his father’s waistcoat. “I have no idea. I’ve never known him to be given to fits of fainting or anything else that would show weakness.”
Gloriana unbuttoned the top of his shirt and gasped. The unmistakable rash seemed almost to glow against his hot skin. She looked at Luke. “He’s sick. He’s contracted measles, poor man.”
“I’ll send for the carriage and get him to the hospital.”
“No, just send for the doctor. Let’s find out how bad it is first and then decide what must be done.”
“I’ll go now.” Luke headed for the door while Gloriana continued to undress the older man. “I won’t be long.”
She dug through one of her father’s old trunks and pulled out a nightshirt. Carson was shorter than her father and smaller in the shoulders, but it wouldn’t matter. She wrestled the older man out of his remaining clothes and into the nightshirt before pulling the covers around him. He gave a soft moan as she felt his forehead. He was burning up.
Luke was glad to find the doctor finishing his dinner when he arrived. He explained the situation, and the doctor willingly accompanied him back to Gloriana’s house.
“We’ve returned,” Luke said, pushing open the door without knocking first. “The doctor is here.”
JT and the baby were still sitting at the table. JT was eating fruitcake and slipping an occasional piece to Sally.
“The baby probably shouldn’t have fruitcake,” Luke whispered to JT as they passed by on the way to the bedroom.
They found Gloriana sitting at his father’s side, wiping his brow with a wet cloth. He marveled that she should even bother, given the way his father had treated her.
“Dr. Moore, this is my father, Martin Carson.”
Luke’s father opened his eyes. “I’m not sick. Just . . . tired. You needn’t fuss.” He closed his eyes. “Needn’t fuss.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” Dr. Moore said, motioning Gloriana aside.
“I’ll step outside so you can examine him,” she said, heading for the door.”
Luke followed her. “I’m touched you were willing to care for him. He’s done nothing but stand against us. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d thrown him out.”
“He’s sick. Perhaps that colored his reactions and responses to us.”
Luke shook his head and heaved a sigh. “I’d like to be able to give him that excuse, but I can’t. My father is something of a pompous bully.”
She put her hand on his arm. “I want to take care of him.” This time she shook her head. “Not because I hold any love for him . . . but because I don’t.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’ve been afraid of your father. I’ve been angry at your father. I’ve prayed he would leave and do so quickly. I’ve never had a kind thought for him. What kind of Christian am I, to feel so unkind toward another of God’s creatures? What gives me the right? I’m ashamed of my thoughts.”
Luke kissed the top of her head. “You are something else, Gloriana. I’m humbled by your words and I, too, am ashamed. I haven’t honored my father as I should. I haven’t even treated him as well as I might a complete stranger.”
The doctor emerged from the bedroom. “It is measles, just as you thought. He’s already congested, and I fear in his weakened state he will have a difficult time of it. Would you prefer I move him to the hospital?”
Gloriana looked to Luke. He smiled. “No. We’ll take care of him here.” He took out his wallet and handed over several large bills. “Would you please stop by daily to check on him?”
“I will.” The doctor looked at Gloriana. “Since I presume most of his care will fall on you, are you familiar with what is needed to care for him?”
“My little brother just recovered from measles. I will simply extend the care to Mr. Carson.”
The doctor nodded. “Let me know if you have any trouble.”
Luke showed him out, then returned to find Gloriana once again mopping his father’s brow. “I’ll sit with him for the first watch. You go ahead and get some sleep.”
“I’ll get JT and the baby to bed first. JT won’t like an early bedtime, but I’ll explain it. Oh, Luke, we’ll need another quarantine sign.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
When she rose, he pulled her into his arms. “I suppose this means our wedding is once again delayed.”
“Let’s just get the pastor to stop by with his wife and be done with it,” she replied, placing her head on his chest. “We’re already managing through sickness and health.”
Chapter 24
Gloriana bathed Mr. Carson in a vinegar solution and prayed for him as she did. She wasn’t sure what to think of the situation. She wanted nothing to do with this angry, selfish man, but it was clear that God had called her to nurse him. Every time Luke suggested they send him to the hospital, Gloriana knew it wasn’t what she was supposed to do.
Lord, I don’t understand why You are directing me to take care of this man. He wants to ruin my family and already hates us.
She continued the gentle ministrations. He was very sick. Sicker than JT had been. The doctor said it was very hard on adults to endure the measles.
The old man began to cough, bringing Gloriana’s attention back to what she needed to do. She covered him up so he wouldn’t take a chill. He already had pneumonia, which was common with measles, but in his situation might very well be fatal.
Gloriana helped him sit up and pounded on his back with the flat of her hand as he coughed and moaned.
He waved her off, and Gloriana allowed him to ease back onto the propped-up pillows. “Why?” He gasped for air. “Why are . . . you . . . doing this?”
She looked at his swollen and reddened eyes. “I’ve asked myself that a few times.” She wasn’t sure, but it seemed there was a hint of a smile on the older man’s lips.
“You . . . hate me.”
She shook her head and helped Mr. Carson take a spoonful of honeyed tea. “I wanted to, but I don’t hate you.”
Another moan escaped as he closed his eyes. “I hate myself . . . sometimes.” His voice was low and raspy.
She had no idea what to say and so said nothing. Instead, she focused on making sure she had plenty of willow bark tea and vinegar solution. She thought Mr. Carson had gone back to sleep, but when she glanced over, she found him watching her.
“You need to rest and keep your eyes closed as much as possible. The irritation can cause a great amount of pain. We want to avoid further damage.”
He gave a weak cough. “Not sure it will matter.”
“But it does. Luke just lost his brother, and it would be terrible to lose his father as well. I know that pain, and there is nothing like it.”
“You were . . . very fond of your father . . . weren’t you?”
Her mind flooded with memories. “I was. He was a very good father to us.” She picked up the wet cloth and wrung it out. Once again, she began to wipe Mr. Carson’s face and neck.
“I’m sorry. That he . . . died. Sorry too . . . for things I said.”
She didn’t know whether these were just the words of someone who thought himself about to die, or if the old man actually felt remorse. Either way, she would forgive him. She was determined she would forgive him.
“Tell me about him. About . . . your . . . life here.”
“It was a good life.”
“Seems it was . . . a hard one,” Carson murmured.
“Sometimes. But we worked together, and that made everything better. When my mother and brother and sister were alive, we shared the workload. JT was too little to be of mu
ch help, but even he was taught early on to lend a hand. My father always provided financially, and Mama said it was our job to make a happy home for him.” Gloriana smiled, remembering those days. “But that wasn’t hard. We were just happy by nature of who we were.”
“And your . . . father. Was he . . . happy?”
“Oh yes. Maybe even more than we were. He loved to be on the lake fishing. Scott did too. I don’t know if he told you that. For both of them, the lake was in their blood. Some men have described it as a bond they just can’t break. Papa used to say he could no more live without the lake than live without air.”
“Yet . . . it killed him.”
She nodded. “It did, as it has many a man and even a few women. Still, Papa knew the dangers, as did Mama. I don’t think she ever rested easy until he was home from fishing. Each day when he left, she would pray for him, and she continued to pray throughout the day until he returned home, and then she’d pray again and thank God for his safe return.”
“Sounds like . . . she prayed . . . a great deal.”
“She did. She was very close to God and taught us to be close as well. Are you close to God, Mr. Carson?”
He shook his head. “I never . . . saw it as . . . important. Didn’t believe . . . in God.”
“And now?” She put the cloth aside.
“I don’t . . . don’t know. Seems wrong.”
She frowned. “What?”
“Seems wrong to . . . ignore God . . . only to cry out . . . to Him at the end.”
“Nonsense. It’s never wrong to seek God. He wants us to seek Him, and it doesn’t matter that you’ve waited a lifetime. The important part is that you acknowledge Him—confess Him as Lord. When you do it isn’t nearly as important as doing it.
“Now, you need to rest, and I need to see to the baby. It’s a wonder she hasn’t caught the measles. We’ve done what we could to keep her away from the sick, but still it’s a miracle.” Gloriana headed for the door. “In a little bit I’ll bring you some broth. You have to keep up your strength, so just determine here and now that you will eat what I bring.” She smiled. “I don’t want to argue with you.”
Leaving the older man to rest, Gloria went to the stove and poured hot water into the basin. Abigail had told her to wash thoroughly after she dealt with the sick person. Gloriana had taken this to heart. If it kept Sally from exposure to the disease, Gloriana knew there wasn’t much she wouldn’t do.
Checking in on the baby, she found that Sally had fallen asleep playing. She was surrounded by her little toys and hugged her blanket close. Sweet child. Gloriana moved most of the toys to the end of the bed except the cloth doll that had become Sally’s favorite. This she left beside the baby and spread the blanket out to cover them both.
There was a stack of dirty diapers and bedding that needed Gloriana’s attention, so she started the process. It would take all afternoon, but she would accomplish what she could. With the weather chilly but nice, she built a fire under the outdoor caldron and then began the process of filling it with water. Before long, she had the water hot enough and put in the soft soap she purchased from one of the local women. Next she put in the wash and began to stir it around and around. The action was second nature, and Gloriana found herself gazing down over the lake and thinking back to other times when she and her mother and Tabby had shared the chore together. How she missed those days. Mama had often told them stories about her parents, people Gloriana had never known.
Now JT and Sally were her only family. Well, there was Luke too. He had made it clear that they would always be a family. She shook her head and left the clothes to soak. They had decided they would marry as soon as possible, but it seemed every time they arranged it, something kept it from happening.
Now Luke’s father was very sick. The doctor was afraid he might die. Mr. Carson was older and not in the best of physical condition. A sedentary life of luxury and rich food had done him no favors. Gloriana hated thinking that if he did die, they wouldn’t have any more trouble from the old man. She hated feeling anger toward him and found it had abated somewhat with her responsibility to nurse him. But in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but remember that he wanted to take Sally away from her.
“Lord, please help me put my trust in You and not fear for the future. I know that You already know what will happen in that future, and I don’t want to hate this man.”
She filled the rinse tub with water and made certain the clotheslines were clean. She went back inside to check on Sally and Mr. Carson a couple of times, retrieving her clothespins on the last trip.
After seeing that all of the clothes were properly scrubbed, Gloriana rinsed them out and began to hang them on the line. She knew the day was getting away from her. She should have started the laundry that morning, but there just hadn’t been time. Now, glancing to the west and south, it looked like it might rain. She shrugged it off and decided to hang the clothes anyway. If it rained, they’d just get an extra rinse.
She actually enjoyed hanging the clothes. She usually spent that time in deep prayer. Before Sally came, laundry day was always on Monday. Mama had done it that way, and Gloriana just naturally kept the schedule. However, she remembered when JT had been young that there were often extra washes of baby clothes, bedding, and diapers throughout the week. Babies just weren’t all that much for laundry schedules.
Once all of the laundry was finally hanging in neat rows, Gloriana made sure the fire was out and headed back inside. Sally was beginning to fuss. No doubt she was hungry. Before she went to see about the baby, however, Gloriana checked on Mr. Carson.
She went to his bedside and felt his head. It seemed a little cooler, but she couldn’t be sure. Her action, however, woke him. He opened his eyes, then frowned. He drew his hand up and began to rub at his right eye.
“I told you that you mustn’t rub your eyes,” Gloriana said. “You can damage them.”
He shook his head. “I think . . . it’s too late.” He raised his head and turned it from side to side. “I can’t see.”
When JT arrived home from school, Gloriana immediately sent him for the doctor. Within the hour, Dr. Moore was examining Mr. Carson while Gloriana nervously paced the living room with baby Sally in her arms. She didn’t know whether to send for Luke or just wait until the doctor rendered his verdict. She knew measles often caused blindness but also that it might only be temporary. She prayed fervently that this might be the case.
When the doctor came from the bedroom, Gloriana motioned JT to go sit with the old man. She wasn’t sure what the doctor might say, and she didn’t want the boy upset any more than he had to be.
“Just go and tell him about your day at school,” she told JT.
He nodded and hurried down the hall.
Gloriana went to the doctor. “Well?”
“The blindness is caused by the measles, as you probably already surmised,” the doctor replied.
“Is it permanent?”
He put something in his black bag and closed it. “There’s no way of telling. I’ve seen people recover from it, but others don’t. Only time will tell. You can wash the eyes in a boric acid solution. You can get the boric acid powder at the apothecary. Mix a quarter teaspoon to one pint of hot water, then put it in a sterile canning jar and store it in a dark place. After it cools, you can use it. Shake it well and then pour a small amount to flush the eyes. Be very gentle so as not to cause more harm. Just pat the eyes dry. Do not rub—that will only cause pain and possibly damage the eyes.”
“But there’s no way to tell if he’ll regain his vision?”
“Not at this point. We’ll watch him over the next week or two and see what happens.”
Baby Sally reached for Gloriana’s hair, babbling as if she had something important to add to the conversation. The doctor smiled.
“I’m glad she seems to be immune to the measles. Of course, when she’s older, that may well change. But when they’re this little, it’s so hard on them
. Hard on the elderly and the very young.” He took up his bag. “Just send for me if anything else happens. Oh, and I wanted to tell you that his lungs sound better.”
“Well, at least that’s something good.” Gloriana pulled Sally’s hand from her hair. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”
“If you like, I could stop by Luke’s office and tell him what’s happened. I could also ask him to pick up the boric acid.”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you. I know you’ve been busy, and it’s kind of you to take the time to do that.”
He smiled. “It’s no trouble.”
She saw the doctor out and then tied Sally in her high chair. She gave her a couple of wooden spoons to play with then laid out some milk and cookies for JT. After this, she headed to her father’s room. JT was talking and Luke’s father was sitting up—a captive audience. She paused at the door to hear what they were discussing.
“So you see why you have to get well. I know I’m not your blood relative, but I would like you to be my grandfather. I don’t have any other.”
Gloriana was stunned by this request. She wondered what Mr. Carson would make of all this. She didn’t have to wait long.
“You have all . . . been very kind to me when I didn’t deserve it.” He stopped to cough. “I have always . . . wanted a grandson.” He paused to catch his breath. “I think I should like very much . . . to be your grandfather.”
JT clapped his hands. “We’ll have a lot of fun. I know you live far away, but you could move here. That way you could see me and Sally all the time. I could show you how to fish. My papa taught me.”
“I’ve never fished before.”
He looked away from JT, but Gloriana knew he couldn’t see anything. She wondered if the doctor had told him the same thing he’d just shared with her. Maybe he felt Mr. Carson was in too fragile a state and had said very little.
“Is it scary that you can’t see?” Gloriana heard her brother ask.
The older man paused for a few moments before answering. “It is.” He coughed and coughed, and JT patted his hand.
When the spasm subsided, JT spoke again. “You don’t have to worry about anything. We’ll take good care of you. That’s how it goes when you’re family.”
Destined for You Page 24