A Gathering of Memories

by Lori Wick

  11

  “Thank you for coming.” Carrie wondered if she would remember any of these people’s names as they filed out of Grandma Em’s. She wished she’d gone with Mandy to check on the kids.

  “Yes, I’m Carrie. Rebecca is younger.”

  “Yes, she was a good mother. Thank you.”

  “No, we haven’t talked to our pa yet.”

  “I’m 14.”

  Carrie was beginning to feel like she wanted to cry again. She knew they were all being kind, but she wanted to be left alone. And her throat hurt. Badly.

  “Carrie, I didn’t realize you were here at the door by yourself. Why don’t you come and sit down.” Amy spoke softly as she approached.

  “That woman, I don’t know her name, said she was leaving and that I should see her to the door. And then it seemed like everyone else decided to leave at the same time and well…” The 14-year-old’s eyes filled with tears and Amy immediately led her to the kitchen.

  Wordlessly she pulled out a chair for Carrie at the table and poured her a glass of water. Amy watched her drink.

  “What’s the matter, Carrie?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re swallowing funny.”

  “My throat hurts a little.”

  Amy reached out and laid a cool hand on Carrie’s flushed cheek. “Your skin is warm. How long has your throat hurt?”

  “I don’t know. I’m okay.”

  “Well, I think Mark had best have a look.” Amy wasn’t gone from the room more than a second before Carrie bolted for the back door.

  “Carrie, what’s your hurry?” Mandy asked her sister as she came back down the back porch steps so fast she nearly stepped on Rebecca.

  “No hurry,” she tried for nonchalance but Mandy wasn’t convinced. She could tell Carrie was upset but knew that here and now was not the time to question her.

  Confusion set in a few moments later when the back door opened once again for Silas and Mark. Carrie, upon seeing them, darted around a silent Ross to hide behind Mandy.

  “Tell Silas I’m not sick, Mandy, please.” The last word was desperately whispered. Mandy stared up at the men in befuddlement and Silas spoke.

  “Carrie, Amy said your throat hurt. Is that right?”

  Carrie did not immediately answer and the boys, taking it all in from their vantage point on the step, rose and went to flank their oldest sister.

  The scene was piteous with the four of them standing together. Amy, watching from the kitchen window, felt her throat contract and wished she’d kept her mouth shut.

  “I think Carrie’s okay.” Mandy broke the awkward silence.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” Carrie reluctantly answered over Mandy’s shoulder in a voice that to everyone’s ears, including her own, sounded hoarse.

  Both Silas and Mark carefully approached the small group. Ross, sensing he was not needed, scooped an unresisting Becca off the step and went inside.

  “I certainly messed that up,” Ross heard Amy say once he and Becca were inside.

  “It’s alright, Amy,” Susanne comforted her. She too had watched the scene from the kitchen. “You’re naturally concerned for her. She looked terrified, didn’t she?” Tears standing in Susanne’s eyes started Amy’s. Ross busied himself with Becca’s sticky hands and face. Thanking God as he did so that she had not demanded to be left with her sister.

  “Ross, did Carrie say anything when she came out?”

  “No, but it was obvious she was upset. She looks a little pale to me. But then they all do, and I don’t wonder, considering the day they’ve had.”

  “Well, I think I’ll rescue Gram from the kids, since we’re the last ones to leave,” Susanne said. “I’ll be praying for all of you, Amy. Please tell Mark I went on home.” The two women embraced, and Amy turned to find Becca reaching for another cookie. She gave her a carrot stick instead and although Becca frowned at the vegetable in her hand, she ate it.

  “You’re doing fine, you know.”

  Amy simply stared at Ross, tears still wet on her lashes, as he spoke to her.

  “I mean it. I was watching you earlier and you handle them all very lovingly; they couldn’t ask for more.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, Ross. Sometimes I think I’ve bit off more than I can chew, and it’s only been since Sunday. I just want to do the right thing.”

  “And you’re doing that. There was no way you could know that Carrie was going to panic over seeing Mark.”

  “Yes, you’re right about that. By the way, you don’t do so badly with children yourself.” She nodded toward the wet dishcloth in his hand.

  Laughing softly before answering, Ross tossed the cloth back into the dishpan. “Just recently, in the last two years or so, I began to take an interest in my sister’s kids. They’re a very destructive bunch and that’s on a good day. You learn a lot quickly in order to survive.”

  “How many does she have?”

  “Six.”

  “Your folks must love it.”

  “Well actually no, they don’t think it’s all that great. Gwen married a man my folks did not approve of. She and Stan live about 40 miles away. My folks take advantage of the distance to not see them more than once a year.

  “Not until I became a Christian did I realize that their attitude toward my brother-in-law was wrong. And now that I know him a little better, I think he’s a pretty decent guy. He loves my sister to distraction, I’ll say that much for him, and he’s also more receptive to the gospel than anyone else in my family.”

  “How was your trip? Were you able to see your sister?”

  “Yes, I saw her. She’s doing fine, as are my folks.”

  “How’s Sarah?” When Ross didn’t immediately answer, Amy apologized. “I’m sorry Ross if I’m out of line. I just assumed things were pretty serious between the two of you.”

  “Yes, actually they are. But Sarah doesn’t want to move away from Hayward, and I know God wants me in Baxter. As you can see, we are at an impasse.”

  “I’ll be remembering you both in my prayers, Ross.”

  “Thanks, Amy. And you, Rebecca Jackson, are a wiggle worm.” Ross had been holding Becca in his lap as they talked, only to find that she shifted every few seconds. He set her on her feet but she leaned against his legs, seeming in no hurry to be separated from him.

  “Well, Ross, I see you have a new friend.” Grandma Em spoke from the doorway. “I came in to see if anyone could tell me what was going on in the backyard with Silas and Mark.”

  “We’re not sure ourselves. Carrie has a sore throat and I overreacted. I’m afraid I scared Carrie by rushing off to get Mark.”

  “I’ll wait with you if you don’t mind, just in case I’m needed. Come here Rebecca and see your great-grandma.”

  12

  “Carrie, did anyone tell you when you met Mark that he’s a doctor?” Silas asked the question as though there was nothing unusual about the way Carrie was cowering behind her sister or the way the boys flanked Mandy in a protective stance.

  “Yes, I know he’s a doctor. But my throat’s okay.”

  “Is it really, honey?” Silas’ voice was extremely sensitive, showing just how much he cared for the welfare of this girl.

  Carrie had never heard a man speak in this way and she felt her resistance melting. She wasn’t afraid of the doctor so much as afraid of being sick. Her young heart was bruised with the loss of her mother, and she couldn’t stop herself from wondering if she was going to get sick and die too.

  Silas and Mark stood together and watched Carrie struggle. They saw tears fill her eyes before she bent forward to rest her head on Mandy’s shoulder. The movement sparked Mandy into motion.

  “You boys go into the house and check on Becca. And don’t touch anything.”

  They looked for a long moment at Mark. Finally Mandy gave them a little push. “We’ll be fine.”

  They obeyed then and Mandy gave Carrie her full attention. “You can’t really believe he�
�s going to hurt you. What’s the matter?”

  “I’m not sick.”

  “Even if you are, Carrie, you’re not going to die.” The young woman spoke the words with such startling clarity that Mark and Silas were surprised, having thought of it but figuring it would be in some way harmful to the tender emotions of this young family to mention it. It was the first experience they were to have with the honest straightforwardness of Amanda Jackson.

  The tears that had just been standing in Carrie’s eyes coursed down her cheeks. Mandy pulled her gently into her arms. They were very close in height and frame, but anyone could see that for Carrie, Mandy was a lifeline.

  “Come into the house, Carrie, and let Dr. Cameron look at you,” her big sister urged. “He’s got four girls of his own. He’ll know what to do.” Mandy wasn’t sure if the words would be any comfort, but she’d never seen Carrie like this and honestly didn’t know what to do. Of course they were all going to act differently these days with everything familiar behind them.

  “Actually my bag is over at my office,” Mark spoke for the first time. “Would you mind coming over there, Carrie?”

  “If Mandy can come.”

  “Certainly.”

  “Maybe I better check on the kids before we go.”

  “I’ll do that,” Silas offered. “You go ahead. We’ll come by in a bit and pick you up on our way out of town.”

  Mandy and Carrie followed the tall frame of Mark Cameron down the street to a white two-story home that was the private residence as well as the office of Baxter’s doctor. They had seen it from the outside and knew whose home it was. But there had never been any money to pay a doctor, so the front yard with its flowers and curtains showing in every window, was as close as they’d ever come to the inside of the doctor’s office.

  Money, Mandy thought. We haven’t any. I’ll have to say something.

  “Dr. Cameron, I—”

  “That’s Uncle Mark to you, remember.”

  “Oh, that’s right. Well, anyhow, we can’t pay you for this. I mean, thank you for offering to check Carrie, but we haven’t any money and she’s probably fine. We’ve had a lot of changes in a short time and that might be getting us down.”

  Mark stood a moment and looked into the faces of these two young women. His mind was instantly transported back to similar confrontations with his sister-in-law, Christine. Only then she wasn’t his sister-in-law. She was Christine Bennett and she was bound and determined not to be beholden to anyone.

  But this was different. This girl stated their financial situation with startling honesty, even at the risk, no, expectation, that they would be sent away without help.

  Mark spoke in that gentle voice that the girls were coming to recognize as a hallmark of the Cameron men. “I never charge my nieces or nephews for my services.”

  He gave them a moment to let the words soak in and then told Carrie to take a seat on the examination table. She did so hesitantly, and with long, strong fingers probing along the side of her jaw, Mark began his examination.

  “Well, Carrie,” he spoke after a long, thorough look at her throat, “everything is pretty red in there and I imagine quite sore. I’ve got something I want you to gargle with, and then I want to see you again tomorrow. As for the rest of the day, I want you to rest and only eat things that are easy to swallow. Amy will know what to fix.”

  “Thank you, Doctor, but I’m not—”

  “Uncle Mark.”

  “Thank you, Uncle Mark, but I’m not sure I can come back into town tomorrow.” Mark stared at Carrie for a moment. He wondered how long it would be before they saw that Silas and Amy thought of them as their very own.

  “Carrie, if you needed to go back East right now for anything that would help you, Silas would have you aboard the train this afternoon. He’ll get you here tomorrow.”

  The heartwarming, sincerely spoken words brought smiles to Mandy’s and Carrie’s lips, lighting their beautiful hazel eyes and showing rows of white straight teeth, and giving Mark the same glimpse of loveliness that Silas had witnessed in Mandy.

  Mercy, he thought, these girls could be heartbreakers without even trying.

  Carrie was off the table now and Mark disappeared into a closetlike room to mix the medicine he’d prescribed. He was just finishing up when Silas knocked on the door. Explaining his findings to Silas, Mark saw the three out to the wagon, with what he hoped was some peace of mind.

  Sue was waiting in the office when he returned. “How is Carrie?”

  “Nothing serious, but I’m going to keep an eye on her.”

  “She and Mandy are awfully sweet, aren’t they?”

  “Yes they are. I’ve an inkling the young men at church are going to find the pew that Silas and Amy usually sit in a lot more interesting from now on.”

  13

  “I’m sorry you don’t feel well.” Amy spoke quietly as she settled next to Carrie.

  Carrie looked at her from her place on the sofa in the living room. Silas had insisted, as soon as they’d arrived home, that she rest there.

  “You don’t want to be up in the bedroom all by yourself,” he said as he’d carried blankets and pillows from his bedroom. “Just take your shoes off and get comfortable right here.”

  Carrie had glanced at Amy as if to ask permission, but Amy had only smiled at her and said she had just the thing for a sore throat. She was back in less than 15 minutes with a steaming cup and sat beside Carrie as she drank. Silas had taken the boys out to the barn with him and Mandy had Becca upstairs in hopes of getting her to take a much-needed nap.

  “Do you have a headache or anything, Carrie?”

  “No, it’s just my throat,” Carrie said, and already half the cup was gone.

  “Well, it could be the start of something worse, so I’m glad Mark is taking care of you.”

  “What is this I’m drinking?”

  “It was a recipe my mother used. She always gave it to me when I was sick.”

  “Does your mother live around here?”

  “No, Carrie, she doesn’t. I haven’t had a chance to tell you, but my mother died when I was 14.”

  Carrie looked stricken but didn’t apologize for asking.

  “I’m 14.”

  “Yes, I know. It isn’t easy is it?”

  “It’s awful.” Her voice shook but tears did not come. “Is your pa gone, too?”

  “No, he lives in Neillsville where I grew up.”

  Carrie nodded and said nothing more.

  “I think it might be a good idea if you rested your throat, Carrie. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.”

  “Amy,” Carrie called, causing Amy to turn expectantly before she could leave the room. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

  “Do you have a favorite?”

  “Mm hmm. Guess which one.”

  The boys had no trouble. Titan, the tremendous black stallion whose name they had seen on his stable door, tossed his head and flicked his tail as if he knew he was the topic of conversation and praise. He raced around the small corral in display and stopped to call to four mares in the field beyond his own fence.

  “I don’t suppose we’ll ever get to ride him.” Levi’s voice was too cynical for his years.

  “Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to say never, but he’s not a pony, that’s for certain. There are other horses here you can ride.”

  “Today?” They chorused together.

  “Sure.” His answer surprised them into momentary silence, a silence they made up for when, seconds later, yells of excitement erupted from them, causing the high-spirited Titan’s front hooves to dance in the air and his eyes to roll back in fear.

  Silas led the boys into the barn, knowing that a talk about their conduct around the stables was in order before he set them on the back of any horse, no matter how docile.

  “I’m not sleepy, Mandy, really.” The five-year-old’s argument was accompanied by a yawn, and Mandy only
shook her head at her sister’s stubbornness.

  “You don’t have to go to sleep, Becca, but you do have to rest, with your eyes closed.”

  Becca gave in then with lots of sighing and turning from one side to the next. Lying next to her, Mandy was just drowsy enough not to care how much she moved as long as she could rest herself and let her mind drift.

  The first place it stopped was Carrie. Poor thing. She was never sick and then to come down with something on the day of Mama’s funeral, well, it was the worst kind of luck. At least Mark Cameron hadn’t expected payment for his services. She would have hated to leave, but there just wasn’t any money so there would have been no choice.

  The next face her mind conjured up was that of Ross Beckett. He was far and away the nicest man of her own age she’d ever met. He was nice looking too. He wasn’t as tall as all the Cameron men, but then not many men were. She guessed him to be about six foot, which was a good nine inches over the top of her own head. But it wasn’t his height that made him stand out in her mind, or the sandy brown hair that fell over his forehead when his hat was off. Or even the color of his eyes, such a soft blue.

  No, it wasn’t any of those things. It was the way he paid attention to what you were saying. Not just heard but listened, making you feel as though what you were saying, no matter how simple or inane, was the most important thing in the world at that moment.

  Mandy had watched him in the short time they talked, before Carrie came out. Especially the way he handled Levi, Clovis, and Becca. He talked to them like adults but his hand was close, even when she stood there, to help…

  His hand.

  “I held his hand.” Mandy spoke the words aloud. As she remembered his hand closing over hers, Mandy felt the blood rushing to her cheeks, not in embarrassment but something else, something she couldn’t define.