by Ella Parks
When Mercy Ends © 2019 by Ella Parks. All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
ISBN (Print): 978-1-54397-297-9
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-54397-298-6
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
1
I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the ebbing shadows fading in the bedroom as the morning sun cast the darkness away. I looked beside me at the miracle that I once thought was forever gone to me. His face was still relaxed in sleep, breathing softly and I lost myself once again in the joy of having him close to me. He was on his back with one arm stretched out cradling my head, and his other arm was wrapped around my waist, holding me tight as he slept. His eyes opened and caught mine as he pulled me closer to him and very gently kissed me.
“Good morning sweet love. Did you sleep good?” He whispered not giving me time to answer before he kissed me again. “I love, love, love you. You smell so good!”
His mouth was sweet against mine and grew sweeter still as his touch sent shivers through my body. I could feel his heart beating against mine in a steady rhythm, beating faster, as both our hands traveled, his hands leaving a trail of fire and longing for him that no amount of touching ever fully quenched. I reached for him putting both my hands on his face as I lost myself in his eyes before pulling his lips against mine. Sweet lips, gentle before growing more demanding, taking his time while he took my breath away as we melted together. He heard the sound of the tiny soft footsteps coming toward our room before I did, and he pulled away, while pulling my gown back where it belonged. We heard the brief tap on the door before it opened and we moved even farther apart to welcome our beautiful little girl into our bed . Her dark hair was disheveled from sleep, but her blue eyes shined with joy as she jumped between us.
“Somebody is creeping around in my bed. I don’t know who it could be, but I think I had better hide. Come hide with me,” Billy said smiling as he pulled the covers high over our head pretending to hide.
“Daddy, it’s just me.” She squealed as she pulled at the cover.
“No, someone is creeping around,” came a muffled sound from under the quilt. “It may be a big bad wolf, or it might be a squirrel from the garden, it could be anything, or it could be you!....Boo!” He said as he pulled the cover back pulling her in his arms as she squealed with joy.
“How is my beautiful princess this morning?”
“I’m good Daddy.” She said laughing hard now, enjoying the game they played each morning.
“Tell me whose girl are you today?”
She looked at both of us smiling as we repeated the game, we played all the time. Sometimes she would say, “Daddy’s girl,” as she looked at me waiting for me to tease her about how I knew she just had to be my girl, and sometimes she would reverse it and look at her Daddy for the same reaction. Occasional she would say she was both of our girls but that took so much of the teasing out of it. She chose her Daddy this morning and I stayed true to the script.
“No, no it can’t be true! You know you are my girl. You have to be my girl!” Her laughter rang out pure and sweet as I pretended to tickle her.
“Alright then pretty girl I guess I will have to accept that for today, but we all have to get up, we have a busy day ahead of us.”
She still did not give up on being his girl, but her little arms reached for me and hugged me tight while I silently thanked God for the blessing he had given me.
“Are you working with Doc again today?” Billy asked as he lifted Belinda down from the bed.
“Yes, he wants me to ride with him to check on Dora Hastings, she is due any day now and he wants to make sure she is alright.”
“What is this one? Is this number six?”
“Yes, and she didn’t have any trouble with the other five, but Doc said he didn’t like her color last week. He said the moon was changing tonight and his way of thinking is that has something to do with the births. I am watching everything to see if he might be on to something.”
“Doc has seen a lot of births, so he may be right. I don’t know what this town would do without him and now you. You have slowly turned into his right hand and I am so glad you are helping him. He is not getting any younger and seems like his load is getting heavier each day. Maybe when Mark and Markus come home, and start work in the hospital he can slow down some.”
“Maybe he can but even with the new hospital I am not sure he will slow down much. Doc feels such a responsibly to everyone. A lot of his patients don’t even mention paying him, but he never says anything to them about it. He says he has what he needs. I am so blessed that he looked out for me all those years. He was my only friend for so long and I love him like he is my Daddy.”
“I know you do, and he loves you too. I like watching the two of you together discussing the herbs you are growing and what herb you need for different ailments.”
“So many we see can’t afford medicine and Doc will leave a few herbs for tea or some other kind of brew and most of the time it helps them. If it doesn’t do what he thinks it should, he will try a different kind of herb the next time. He writes notes about how each herb works and now I have started doing the same thing.”
“Yes, I noticed your notebook the other day. I have to admit I am even interested in it.”
“I am very grateful for everything he teaches me.”
“Lucy it is a wonderful thing you are doing for this town, remodeling that house and building that hospital. There is not a hospital within fifty miles of here, and except for a little room in Doc’s office there is no place to go when someone needs more than what Doc can do for them, and all that equipment you bought. It is all top of the line. This town has never seen anything like what you are putting together for the hospital.”
“I never wanted that house. I only wanted what we have now, to be together and have our family. The house looks so different now, I hope it will be comfortable for the boys, I am so glad they are coming home to set up a practice here. I missed so much of their younger years and I can’t wait until they are out of school and open their practice here.”
“I know sweetheart. I can’t wait either. Are they still planning on coming home next week?”
“Yes, that is what they said. I am so excited about showing them everything we have done to the hospital. I think they will make wonderful doctors. I am so proud of them!”
“As you should be, my love and I am very proud of them and you.”
“What about me Daddy? Are you proud of me too?” Belinda asked as she reached out her little arms for him to pick her up.
“Yes, my princess. I am very proud of you, always and forever.” He said as he reached down to pull her closer to him. His eyes were bright with love as he held he
r tight and twirled his body around as she squealed in delight.
“Okay sweet girl, your Mama and Daddy have work to do today. Are you going to be a good girl for us? “
“I will be a good girl Daddy. I promise.” She told him as he lowered her to the floor.
He straightened back up and looked at me with that smile that always melted not only my heart but all of me and said.
“I have to plow the corn in the lower field today. Do you want me to take Belinda to one of our Mothers today? You know they are always ready to keep her for a few hours.”
I laughed as I told him.
“A few hours nothing, I think they would like it if she moved in with them.”
“That’s true,” he said with a smile, “She is a joy though and I can’t blame them for loving each minute they have with her.”
“I can’t either. We all adore this little princess, but I will take her with me today.
She can play with Dora’s other children. I can take her anywhere and she never causes any problems.”
“She goes with you and Doc so much, she may be practicing medicine by the time she is twelve.”
“She may be, seems like it is turning into a family interest, but I doubt she will make it by twelve. I think it might take a little more time than that.” I said as I stretched toward him for a light kiss on his cheek.
I started our breakfast while Billy fed the stock. He came in and washed up as I was putting the food on the table. I leaned over Belinda first, gently kissing the top of her precious head, her hair like silk against my lips, then moving toward Billy and kissing him the same way with a heart full of love and gratitude. He reached for my hand as we all bowed our heads to pray before we ate. I felt the gentle pressure of his hands as he prayed and as he closed the prayer our eyes locked together with the knowledge of just how much we had to be thankful for. Somehow, I didn’t believe we would ever take our blessings for granted. Fate had kept us apart for too long for that.
After we ate, I filled all the leftover biscuits with blackberry jelly and wrapped up some for Billy and the rest of them to take with us. I always cooked extra for a quick snack. My childhood years were spent making the best use of any food we had, and I had held on to the habit, never wasting any food.
Billy picked Belinda up and held her above his head before pulling her close to his chest.
“I hope my big girl has a good day today. Take good care of Mama and Doc for me.”
“I will Daddy.” She answered, somewhere between another squeal and giggle as he held her up again.
“Do it again Daddy, again.” She chanted.
“Daddy has to go to work, and you have some work to do yourself.”
“What work Daddy?”
“You have to take care of your Mama.”
“That’s not work. That is fun.” She said with a smile that opened the gates of heaven. Billy put her on the floor and walked to me pulling me close against his chest and burying his face in my hair. I thought of what we started this morning and pushed all my body closer to him, feeling the familiar ache inside me, longing for the touch of him. He tilted my head and kissed me as I moved even closer, leaning into him. My hands were on the back of his neck, holding him, cherishing each touch, knowing we were two bodies, but our souls were one and even as our kiss ended, I still did not move away, but stood there melted close to him breathing in the air he was exhaling, our eyes drowning in the other’s but not saying a word.
He stepped back first, his hands still on my shoulders. He smiled at me. A gentle smile that said things to me, things I knew and understood so very well.
“I have to get to work, and Doc will be here soon, but I’ll see you this afternoon.”
The “I’ll see you this afternoon,” held a promise to me. A promise, that I had longed for so many years, and a promise, that was now a blessing for each of us to say and to hear.
Belinda joined our hug, pushing her little body against our legs, wrapping small precious arms around us as we heard Doc’s car coming up the drive. Billy lifted her for another kiss, and kissed the tip of my nose, before he started for the door.
“Doc is here, be careful love and have a good day,”
“You too,” I said as I turned to gather the things Belinda and I would need to carry with us. I could hear Billy and Doc greeting each other and discussing the weather as I hurried to the door. As Belinda and I stepped outside I saw Billy start toward the barn and Doc came toward the porch to meet us. Belinda ran toward him and to her delight, he lifted her about his head also.
“That girl spends more time in the air than she spends on the ground.” I said to Doc with a smile.
“She is my girl.” He said with a smile, she never played her little game with Doc like she did with us. If Doc said she was his girl, she just smiled and held onto his hand as he led her to his car, her little legs taking two steps to his one.
Doc’s car was full of cases he had carried as long as I had known him. He always said he never knew what he might need, so he carried all he could. He still had his office in town but at least two days a week he would drive to check on the ones he called his out of town folk. He made sure Belinda had enough room before he closed the door and got into the driver’s side of the car.
“You are glowing this fine morning.” He said as he started the car.
“Well thank you Doc. You look pretty good yourself.”
“Yeah, you sure are talking sweet to this old man today.” He said smiling as he started the car. “My, my that food smells good. What did you put in those biscuits today?”
“Blackberry jelly. Do you want one now?”
“No, I ate at the diner this morning, but nothing can compare to your cooking.”
“Now Doc you know my cooking is nothing special.”
“It is to me Lucy, it is mighty fine to me, but I want to save them for later. It will give me something to look forward to.”
“Are you sure you don’t want one now? I fixed plenty of them.”
“No, I will wait but thank you Lucy. Thank you anyway.”
“Pretty morning,” he said, “Really pretty morning.”
“It sure is Doc, it sure is.”
He pulled on to the gravel road, and we both grew silent with the comfortable ease of friends that don’t always need to talk. I knew he was thinking of Dora and her baby. Belinda was singing a soft lullaby to her baby doll and I relaxed as I looked out the window of the car.
It was spring, and the trees were turning green, buds ripe with new life and popping open fresh and new. The sky was beautiful, blue and violet shades filled with cotton colored fluff clouds so large they seemed to take the shape of different objects. Butter cups bloomed in large groups on the edge of the road fighting the grass to make themselves seen. I was aware of the beauty around me in a way I had not been in years. I drew in a breath, deep and deeper still as I gave more silent thanks.
2
The car bounced as we turned into the long drive that headed to Dora’s house. It was a dirt road filled with holes round and deep. Doc tried to miss most of them it was not possible to miss them all. It had rained a couple of days ago, but the dust had soaked the moisture up and now a brown cloud of dust floated around the car and I knew the Hastings would see the billow of dust even if they didn’t hear the car. As we pulled closer to the house, I saw Jed standing on his front porch waiting for us.
“Jed’s not in the fields this morning, Dora must be close to her time. I am glad we put her first on the lists of visits today. I don’t know what I would do without your help Lucy. I don’t seem to be able to get as much done these days as I used to. Guess this old body is just wearing out.”
“Now Doc you know you are not wearing out. You do more in one day than most, you are special Doc. You are one of God’s chosen. You save people, not just the medicine, and the
knowledge you provide, but you listen and see inside the hearts and souls. You heal the spirit as well as the body.”
He turned to me with soft eyes and said,” Lucy, you are so wonderful. I knew the first time I met you what an amazing woman you were. I will never forget the first day I came to your house. You were such a tiny wisp of a girl, with sorrow written all over your face and scared eyes. How your eyes called out to me. I wanted to pull you in my arms and carry you out of that house forever. You are my daughter in every way but blood. I couldn’t have loved one of my own any more than I love you.”
His words took me back in time for a second as I remembered the despair, but Belinda soft words from the back seat pulled me away from thoughts of my troubled past.
“We are here, Mama, we are here.”
“I love you Doc, I love you so much,” was all I said as I gathered Belinda. Doc smiled at me as he retrieved his bag before making our way to the porch.
The house was small and built much like the house that I had lived in when I was young. The front porch was the width of the front of the house and Jed was standing there wearing faded overalls and a flannel shirt, even though the day was warm. He stepped off the porch to meet us, “Doc, Lucy, I am so glad to see you. Dora is feeling poorly today.”
“I thought it may be time,” was all Doc said in the way of a greeting. I knew all his thoughts were on Dora.
“I mean she is feeling real poorly. I have been worried about her, seems like her pain is awful bad, awful bad.”
“We will do our best to see to her.”
As always, the house was clean, bare wood floors swept clean. I could smell the scent of fried fatback. The house was quieter than usual. The older children were most likely in the fields and Kate, their oldest girl was watching two of the youngest.
“Hello Kate. How are you today?”
“I am fine but Mama’s not feeling good.” Her slight shoulders slumped with the weight of the responsibly of caring for the children along with the worry about her Mother. Our eyes met with the silent acknowledgment of the hardships of life. I knew she would care for the children as well or better than any adult. The children of the South had to grow up fast with very little time for the innocence of youth.