Taking On Twins. Mollie Campbell

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СКАЧАТЬ stage of the illness. Jake was confident they would recover with the right treatment. But Mrs. Smith continued to look worried in spite of his assurance. He set her to making a hearty broth while Coralee fixed a batch of chamomile tea. Jake encouraged each patient to drink as much tea and broth as they could handle.

      “Doc, are you sure this is good for them? My ma always said the only way to cure the cholera is a spoon of castor oil every hour.”

      Jake shook his head. “I recently trained in St. Louis, ma’am. One of the most successful doctors at the hospital taught that taking extra fluids could improve the outcome of many ailments. I’ve seen it work myself. I hope you’ll trust me that it won’t hurt your family to try.” The woman nodded and let Jake continue, but she stood close by, looking wary.

      Working together, Jake and Coralee cleaned up and cared for each of the sick family members. Jake managed to convince Mrs. Smith to get some sleep while he and Coralee kept watch over her family. Each patient needed to have tea and broth around the clock, so he and Coralee settled into the rocking chairs near the fireplace, hoping to rest between rounds. But after several hours, they found themselves awake and reminiscing as soft light from the sunrise began to filter into the cabin.

      “Remember when someone dared Cat to climb that huge tree by the creek?” Coralee’s eyes sparkled as she recalled the incident. “She was so determined to get all the way to the top, she never even thought about how she’d get down.” The quiet laugh that accompanied her story captivated Jake. It felt just like the hours they’d spent at Holbrook’s when they were younger, laughing and teasing as they’d cleaned shelves.

      “I remember the look on her face when she realized she had to come back down the way she went up.” Jake grinned. “She was more determined to get down with her dignity intact than she was to climb it in the first place. And you were downright panicked when she started sliding down that lower branch to show off.”

      “Papa would have never let me hear the end of it if she’d hurt herself doing something that silly. And you know we would have had to tell him, since he was the only one in town then who could have stitched her up.” Jake chuckled along with her. It felt good to share an easy moment together. The intensity that had colored all their interactions since he’d returned home had left him on edge.

      Jake was proud of how hard Coralee had worked over the last few hours with him. She was compassionate and gentle with the patients, but efficient at the same time. Where another woman might have recoiled at the things they had seen that day, Coralee remained unaffected by the ravages of cholera. She hadn’t balked at any of the unpleasant tasks they’d had to perform to care for their patients.

      Listening to her gentle voice reminiscing about their shared childhood, Jake’s imagination took over. He could see them like this, working side by side, sharing their days and nights, healing their community together. But memories of the pain she had caused him surfaced again. The past was always right there, reminding him that she had shattered his dreams once already. He couldn’t put his heart into her hands again.

      * * *

      Coralee noticed the moment the shuttered look passed over Jake’s face. She had been enjoying their companionable conversation more than she’d expected.

      During their five years of marriage, she and Alan had been the best of friends. She had known him as long and as well as she had Jake. When Jake left so abruptly for medical school, Alan had been there. His support had helped heal her shattered heart. She still ached from losing the one person she could share the most personal parts of her life with. For a few moments, talking with Jake had felt almost as intimate as talking with Alan.

      She wasn’t sure what she’d said to make Jake shut her out this time, but she felt bereft the moment he did. Maybe it was time to clear the air between them. “Jake, what’s wrong? Why do you always push me away? Is it the situation with Dr. Jay? Because I—”

      At that moment Mrs. Smith stirred as she woke, cutting Coralee’s words short. They each went to tend to their patients one more time before they moved on. Upon leaving, Jake gave Mrs. Smith instructions so she could continue caring for her children and husband. Coralee left some camphor and chamomile with her to help ease their discomfort.

      They loaded up in the wagon again and started out in the pale early morning light. Jake went over his plan for their visits that day. “If you feel comfortable on your own, I think today we’ll split up. Mrs. Smith said her youngest visited Mrs. Felder last night and she wants someone to check in. I’ll leave you with her for a few hours while I go check on Aaron and Liza.” He glanced over, one eyebrow raised in question.

      Coralee nodded. “That sounds fine. How was Mrs. Felder when you were there last?”

      A mischievous smile crossed Jake’s face. “I think you’ll see for yourself.”

      Try as she might, Coralee couldn’t pry any more information out of him. She didn’t know Mrs. Felder well, but had heard talk around town. The older woman had come west with her son just the year before, built a sturdy cabin and started farming a plot. But her son had soon heeded the call of the frontier and headed farther west, while his mother had refused to leave. Coralee could imagine what the woman must be like to stay and hold the claim all on her own. She smiled to herself. A day with Mrs. Felder might be an interesting experience.

      As it turned out, she was right about that. Jake introduced Mrs. Felder to Coralee at the door of the cabin, then left to visit the Riley family. Coralee could see immediately that the woman wasn’t in much danger of expiring from cholera. Mrs. Felder talked from the moment Jake left, with hardly a pause for breath. She led Coralee inside, then promptly lowered herself into a rocking chair and directed Coralee to cover her with a quilt.

      “Now, if you’ll just straighten my dishes over there on the shelves. Everything has gotten to be such a mess while I’m incapacitated.”

      Coralee examined the neat stacks of plates and bowls on the indicated shelf. Had Mrs. Felder set Jake to unnecessary chores during his visit, too? She shrugged and moved to do her patient’s bidding.

      “That young doctor tells me you’re the apothecary. I approve of a young woman taking on a venture like that.”

      “Thank you, Mrs. Felder. The shop was my father’s. He trained me and left the shop to me when he passed last year.”

      “Ah, a wise man. A woman alone needs means of supporting herself. Take me. That son of mine has a wandering spirit something fierce. But I can make my way fine without him. I work my vegetable patch and grow the finest produce you’ve ever seen. That and eggs from my prized chickens keep me just fine.” The older woman kept up a steady stream of conversation as she handed Coralee a cloth. “For the dusting. This furniture is in an awful state.” Coralee examined the fine wood pieces scattered around the cabin, trying to hide an amused grin. There wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere in the room.

      “Young Dr. Hadley sure is a handsome fellow. You have a beau, Miss Evans?”

      Coralee flushed at the direct question. “It’s Mrs. Evans. My husband passed two years ago.”

      “Oh, well, I’m sorry for that, my dear. My Fred’s been gone five years. He was a good one and I miss him every day.” She looked at Coralee with compassion. “How are you handling life by yourself?”

      Coralee’s eyes welled with tears at the question. But, to her surprise, the ache in her heart was much less painful than usual. She focused on the lighter feeling for a moment. “You know, for so long I thought it would be unbearable forever. СКАЧАТЬ