A Nurse for Walter

by Marlene Bierworth

  “Would you like me to look at the boy before I leave?” Shannon offered.

  “Don’t trouble yourself, Nurse Shannon.”

  “It’s no trouble at all. Maybe I can offer some at home remedies for you.”

  The woman’s shoulders seemed to relax and Shannon witnessed a glassy glaze come over her eyes. Her troubles appeared deep, but she couldn’t decide whether they related to business, children, or her husband. It was none of her business. Just observe the child, give her qualified opinion, and leave.

  The woman looked longingly to the curtained doorway and Shannon took that as a yes. She walked inside the back room and the heat accosted her.

  “The room temperature is far too hot. You need to stop feeding the wood stove,” Shannon said.

  “Mr. Fenton says his mother made the room piping hot to sweat the fever out of her children and that’s the way I’ve always done it. Most times it worked, but once it didn’t.” She looked down and wiped the tear away that had broken free.

  “Modern medicine suggests that constant high-heat is not always the answer. And all these heavy quilts are weighing the child down. He will surely melt under the pressure.”

  Shannon opened a nearby window about twelve inches and piled most of the covers at the boy’s feet. She saw a jug and basin on the back wall, dumped the tepid cool water into the pan, and grabbed a soft clean cloth from a shelf close by. Back at the bedside, she soaked it and dabbed the sweat dripping from the baby’s face. Jerry opened his eyes and they rolled back in his head. She freshened the cloth and draped it over the child’s forehead.

  “He really should see the doctor. We have cool baths at the hospital where he can get some relief.”

  “Doctors cost money, and that’s where young Peter died. Mr. Fenton won’t be letting me take Jerry there.”

  “Well, continue to wipe his body down with a cool cloth and change up the temperature in the room from heat to cool. If you have ice, perhaps wrap it in a cloth and let him suck on it so he won’t dehydrate.”

  “Thank you, Nurse Shannon, for your suggestions,” she said as she closed the window again.

  Shannon sighed, wondering if fear of her husband’s disapproval would rule the day. She’d met stubborn patient’s during the war, but this was a baby who had no say as to whether his treatment would heal or kill him. If not for the other two admitted to the hospital yesterday, she might have shrugged this episode off but when she left Jan’s Tailor Shop, she felt unsettled.

  “Do you mind if we stop off at the hospital?” Shannon asked Molly. “I’d like to see how the other fevered patients are faring today.”

  “I’d love it,” Molly said. “I never get sick but I itch with curiosity to see what goes on behind those massive walls.”

  Shannon went directly to the second floor and ran headlong into Dr. Franssen.

  “What are you doing here on your day off?” he asked, nodding politely to Molly while directing the question to Shannon.

  “I was curious as to how the new patients were doing?”

  The doctor’s face went dark. “One died this morning and I doubt whether the other will make it.”

  Chapter 6

  Shannon gasped. “Oh no. I’ve just come from Jan’s Tailor Shop and her youngest son, Jerry is very sick with the fever and is not strong enough to manage a decent cough.”

  “Jerry? I never brought any more Fenton babies into the world after she miscarried the last one. In fact, I told her not to have any more children,” Walter said, shaking his head. “Why doesn’t she bring him over?”

  “Maybe they are short on cash,” Shannon attempted to cover the underlying reason, then succumbed to the whole truth. “And her husband appears not to have faith in your institution.”

  Walter Franssen groaned. “Yeah, I get that. His boy Peter died here a year or so back, but there were added complications. The boy was never healthy from day one. You can’t measure one case against another.”

  “What can we do?”

  “If you’ll be so good as to accompany me, I’d like to do a house call.”

  Molly interrupted. “Jan will be right nervous about that.”

  “We can try. If she kicks me out, then so be it. I can’t force anyone to receive medical attention.”

  The minute they walked inside the door of the tailor shop, they heard a muffled scream from the back room and a loud thump followed it. Racing to the door, they met a red-faced burly man about to exit. His black eyes bore into the doctor. “You get out of here, now!”

  “Tommy, you need to let me see the boy,” Walter argued.

  “Don’t need none of your interference. The room is half freezing and Jan expects the boy to recover using ice! What kind of stupidity is that?”

  “That was my doing, sir. It’s been known to work better than suffocating heat.”

  “Who the blazes are you?”

  “She is my nurse, Tommy. Now settle down. Won’t be any harm letting me look at the boy.”

  A movement in the corner caught Shannon’s attention, and she saw Jan struggling to her feet, wiping the blood from her cut lip. Shannon rushed over to her.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’ll be fine. Don’t fret none about me. It’s not the first time he’s knocked me down and probably won’t be the last.” Her voice raised as she blasted her husband with an icy glare.

  Shannon was dumbfounded. She’d heard of men who beat their wives but had never actually met one. “How is the boy?”

  “Like I was trying to tell his stubborn father, since I started the cool bathing, he seems more coherent, like he wasn’t off in some faraway place in his mind.” She yelled the next statement across the room. “But do you think he’d listen? Nope! It’s not the way his Ma did it, so it isn’t right. He isn’t right in his head and I’ll not stop after seeing the fog lift from my boy’s face.”

  “You advised her on the cool treatment?” Dr. Franssen asked.

  “I’ve seen it done, and it works,” Shannon said.

  “We are trying it with the second patient at the hospital, but I think we’re too late,” Walter said to Shannon. “That couple of hermits should have wandered in from the hills days ago.” He looked at Jan. “How long has your son been ill?”

  “Just a couple days, but I was scared, because of Pete.”

  “I told you not to have any more children. I think its something you or your husband are passing on to your kids. They’ve all been sickly.”

  “I can’t stop him from coming on to me,” she spat the words at her husband accusingly. “I told him we needed to concentrate on keeping the young’uns breathing that the Good Lord seen fit to stay with us, not bringing more sick children into the world.”

  “What good is a woman who turns her man out of the bedroom?” he yelled with equal venom.

  The doctor pushed past him and went to the bed. He felt Jerry’s head. “You might have caught this one in time, Nurse Shannon. He’s warm, but not boiling hot.” The boy opened his eyes and attempted a childish grin. “Yes, indeed; you did good with this one.”

  The doctor grinned approvingly at Shannon and she felt her heart do a flip-flop, and although she attempted to brush it off as a response for a job well done, she knew it was because Dr. Walter Franssen had complimented her on it. “Jan, continue the cool treatment the nurse advised and the boy will recover. And next time, come to the hospital. Bring along one of those good apple pies you bake, and we’ll call the payment square.”

  As he passed by Tommy Fenton, the man growled, and Walter ignored him, saying, “Come on, now, ladies. I’m sure you have plenty more shopping to do today.”

  Shannon and Molly hastened to catch up to the doctor and the three of them left the tailor shop together. After going a few steps, he turned and offered a broad smile. “Thank you for coming to get me, but Nurse Shannon, I implore you to take advantage of your days off. You will get enough nursing without seeking it out at dress shops and train depots.”


  “It’s a calling, the same as you, Dr. Franssen. I see you’ve not taken a leisure Saturday off at home.”

  Molly cut in, adding a playful chuckle that she did not attempt to hide. “But surely you will take a leisure Sunday off. How about you join us for lunch after church, before you head home? Won’t be nearly as fancy as the cook puts on your table but the company of a certain lady might make it worth your while.”

  Shannon gasped at her boldness and noted that Walter did not protest but merely raised an eyebrow indicating he’d clearly understood her meaning.

  “Thank you, Molly. I haven’t been to the boardinghouse for a meal in quite some time. Count me in.”

  “You won’t need to pay, since I was the one who did the inviting,” Molly explained.

  “I shall leave a huge tip, then. See you Sunday, ladies.” He winked at Shannon, and to add fuel to the fire, she turned a crimson red before he’d fully turned away. The meaning behind his light-hearted expression was unmistakable, and as he started to whistle and stroll back toward the hospital, Shannon felt like a child caught in the cookie jar.

  Shannon grabbed Molly’s arm as the woman pivoted, set to resume their shopping excursion with joyful humming on her lips. “What was that about? You couldn’t be less obvious if you’d asked him to come calling on me.”

  “Oh, that would not be my place, dear.” Molly grinned mischievously. “But if he did, would you turn him away?”

  “I have known the man three days and you have me married off.”

  “Mail order brides barely say hello before getting dragged to the altar.”

  “Is that what happened with Jan—was she a mail order bride?”

  “Yes, came all the way from New York and ended up with one of the town’s best liars. Promised the woman the full-moon on in a letter, and when she got here, he introduced her to his tiny slit of it—a run down cabin in the woods. Three rooms house all six of them. The only joy she has in this life is her young’uns and designing clothes for folks.”

  “I’m surprised he lets her work,” Shannon said.

  “He likes the extra money, and it gives him time to hang out with the boys at the saloon without her knowing his whereabouts.” Molly glanced back at the shop. “Now don’t be telling this around, but she hides some of her earnings away. Not sure what she plans on doing with it, but it’s hers.”

  “Good for her. I will make sure I tip her hideaway jar when she completes my order,” Shannon said. “And I am glad to see that there is no connection between the mountain men at the hospital and young Jerry. I feared there may be an epidemic in the area.”

  “Bad seed her young’uns have. Tommy blames it all on Jan but it wouldn’t surprise me none that he passed on the sickness that’s inside his children. Both his Ma and Pa passed away the same way.”

  “Well, good afternoon, ladies.” Mason Clemmons popped out between two buildings and bowed, sweeping his hat low with a grin that covered his entire face. Flecks danced in his eyes and his contagious manner boosted Shannon’s mood.

  “Why Mr. Clemmons, you are a sight for sore eyes,” Molly said. “Does that happy smile ever leave your face?”

  “Well, to be truthful, there have been occasions when them ornery cows have set my blood boiling.”

  “What brings you to town today, Mr. Clemmons?” Shannon asked.

  “Picking up an order for the boss, and thought I’d grab me a cold one at the saloon before I head back.”

  “Are you still coming to lunch tomorrow?” Molly asked.

  “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away,” he said. “How is the nursing working out, Miss?”

  She recalled their guessing game. “I am loving it. You have a fine hospital in Maple Grove.”

  “The big man hasn’t scared you off, yet?”

  “My boss?” she laughed. “He hired me straight out of nursing school, sight unseen. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the community here.”

  “I hear he’s rather grumpy—a tough captain to work under.”

  “You heard wrong,” Shannon said. “He is an accomplished doctor and runs his hospital with all the discipline necessary to keep his patients and staff safe.”

  “That’s a right kindly way of describing your boss. Looking forward to tomorrow, ladies. Have a splendid day.” The man slipped by them and continued down the boardwalk, skipping to a beat somewhere in his head.

  Then it hit her. “Molly, what on earth have you done? Mr. Clemmons and the Dr. Franssen at the same table. You are more conniving than my father.”

  The woman grasped her throat with her hand in mock surprise. “I didn’t plan for two suitors to come calling at the same time. That will make it awkward, but I have faith you will manage it fine.”

  “Neither are suitors, Molly. You really need to get a life and stop meddling in mine.”

  The women giggled and when Shannon lifted her head, she ran square into a stately dressed man. He tipped his hat. “Excuse me,” he said.

  “It was my fault, sir. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” Shannon said.

  “As penitence, perhaps you could direct me to the Maple Grove boardinghouse?”

  Molly spoke up. “That’s my place, sir, but men stay either at the hotel or upstairs at the saloon. I only board ladies.”

  “I will get a room at the hotel, thank you,” he said. “Just got off the train this morning and am interested in calling on a woman staying at your home—a Miss Shannon Tyre?”

  Shannon groaned—just off the train and he knows where she’s staying—her father has been busy. She reached out her hand, “That would be me, sir.”

  He bowed ever so slightly, never taking his beady eyes off her face. ‘I was secretly hoping it was you, Miss Tyre. Your beauty exceeds my expectations. My name is Sherman Stapleton IV and your father assures me you will play the perfect hostess as we get acquainted.”

  “And to what end do you expect our acquaintance to take, Mr. Stapleton?”

  “Why, I am hoping you fall hopelessly in love with me and return to Kentucky as my wife.”

  “You should not have wasted your time,” Shannon said. “I am not interested in marriage or returning to Kentucky. I’m afraid my father has misled you. I work at the hospital and am quite content to remain in Tennessee.” She gathered her skirts and attempted to move around him. “Good day, sir.”

  When he laid his hand on her arm, she immediately snatched it from his light grasp.

  “Miss Tyre, I see hospitality is different in the back woods of Tennessee.”

  “We are not in the backwoods, but perhaps you should look there for your wife. They may be desperate enough to jump at your offer. Not me.”

  “The train north does not leave until Monday. Surely you will allow me to take you to dinner.”

  Shannon was about to state a definite, no thanks, when Molly spoke up. “Perhaps you’d like to pay for a meal at the boarding house, tomorrow after church?” If looks could kill, Molly would be dead. Whatever was she thinking? “We want to send you on your way with good memories of your visit with us.”

  “Molly is right,” Shannon said, surrendering to the no-brainer that the man would jump at the invitation. “Yes, please join us. You do attend church on the Lord’s Day, don’t you?”

  He smiled. “Of course. My family has their own designated pew at the cathedral in the city.”

  “How convenient,” Shannon said, thoroughly unimpressed.

  Molly hooked her arm in Shannon’s. “You must excuse us now. We have errands to run.”

  She pulled at Shannon’s arm and the two women started down the street. When Shannon glanced back, the man who had traveled across the border to win her heart, or at least her hand, stood motionless staring after them. He’d likely never been shunned in the past, as most girls would grovel at his feet for his attention, but Shannon doubted his definition of marriage matched hers—the Stapleton’s ranked high on the social ladder and life stemmed from spokes on the money-wheel�
�much like her own family. Love was not a necessary component in a union between these two empires.

  If her father were to cross her path right now, she would rush to the other side of the road—she was that angry. Her first exhilarating week on her own, and he’d managed to ruin it. She looked at Molly.

  “You should have sent him packing. I detest the Stapleton family.”

  “Good thing tomorrow is Sunday. Detest is a very strong feeling that will need to be repented of.”

  “Don’t preach to me, Molly. You have no idea.”

  “The only thing I know is the man is stuck in our town for another day. Perhaps the preacher will reach his needy heart and he will go home a new man.”

  “I doubt it. He only attends services because it’s expected of him, not because he is the least bit spiritual.”

  “You’ve met him before?”

  “I ran away from home before the arrangement was suggested, but I assumed he’d be the top prospect,” Shannon said. “And I certainly do not appreciate a third man being added to your circus of guests. I am tempted to eat lunch elsewhere.”

  “Suit yourself, but I won’t be held accountable when at least two of your suitors die of a broken heart.”

  Shannon grinned. “You are incorrigible! I will be there, balancing my time equally between your guests, and shoving them all out the door the minute the meal is over.”

  Chapter 7

  Sunday morning dawned under an overcast sky which matched Shannon’s heart. Usually she couldn’t wait to gather together with God’s people on the Lord’s Day, but today she wished she could just crawl back under the covers and sleep the day away. How could one entertain a down-to-earth cowboy whose innocent charm was undisputable, a wealthy aristocrat who saw her as a means to an end, and a serious man who shared her passion in medicine? The choice seemed obvious enough—given she were interested in finding a husband—yet, at least two of the contenders possessed qualities that attracted her. Shannon laughed at her reasoning; did she honestly consider them contenders for her hand in marriage? She shook off the temptation to go the route of the norm, for she had decided a year ago that her life would be one of service to her patients. If she constantly held that conviction in mind, the meal would go off without a hitch, and the men would know she was not a candidate for their affections.