Caring for Citrine (The Red Petticoat Saloon)

by Alta Hensley

  “I’m not a dirty whore. I’m not,” she wailed. “I just have to do what I have to do to survive. I—”

  “Shhh…” he soothed, “I know. I know, little one. I never said you were. You are a gem. Just a very sick one, but we’ll get you better soon.”

  He allowed her to cry for a few moments, holding her firmly to his broad chest. Her bottom half was still exposed, and she didn’t care. All she focused on was the doctor’s strong embrace holding her close. His scent of earthy spice mixed with fresh linen assaulted her nose. His heart beat against her ear, and for the first time in her life, Della never wanted to leave the embrace of a man. She wanted to remain there for as long as he would hold her.

  “Your tears are breaking my heart,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to make you cry or hurt you in any way. I apologize for my bedside manner.”

  “I’m sorry,” she sniffled. “I’m just so tired of being sick. So tired of the fight.”

  He kissed her softly on top of her head which broke the wall—however weak it was—and the full sobs broke through. All she could do was cry louder and harder, clinging to his shirt for dear life.

  “It’s all right,” he whispered as he tightened his grip even more. “You are going to be just fine. I’ll get you healthy again, so you don’t have to fight all the time. I’ll fix you up. I don’t tell people that if I don’t mean it. You will be healthy again, Della. I give you my word on that.”

  Wiping at her eyes, she pulled back enough to look up into his eyes. “I’ve had this sickness since I was a little girl. Long before I spread my legs for any man. I promise you that there is no disease.”

  The doctor nodded. “All right then. We don’t need to examine you down there if it upsets you so. My intent was never to make you cry. I apologize.”

  “I don’t want to cause any problems. I swear I am not throwing a tantrum or anything. It’s just—”

  “Shh… we will do it another time. There is no need to examine you there now. We don’t need to find out why you are so sick right now, but rather concentrate on getting you better. For now, I want you to simply rest.”

  Pulling away, he adjusted her so she relaxed on the pillow. He pulled down her nightdress to cover her body and then pulled the quilt up to her chin. Della hated that she was no longer being held, and wondered if she could request being hugged by him just a little bit longer.

  “I need to run up to the O’Leary’s farm and check on their wee one who came down with something. I’ll be back first thing tomorrow, but until then, you stay put. Do you understand?”

  Della nodded.

  “Do you understand?” he asked much more firmly.

  “Yes, sir. I will stay in bed until you return.”

  He smiled, satisfied with her answer. “Good. I’ll tell Nettie to have your supper brought to you. Eat it all, and drink more water.” He gathered his bag and walked toward the door, stopping to look over his shoulder. “Goodnight, Della.”

  “Goodnight, Dr. Norwood.”

  Chapter Three

  “You look much better this morning,” Jewel said as she opened the curtains, allowing the sunlight to shine through.

  Della squinted against the rays as she slowly sat up. She actually felt much better, and for the first time in a long time had gotten a decent night’s sleep thanks to the miracle elixir Dr. Norwood left behind. The bitter liquid seemed to soothe her cough for hours at a time.

  “Although you look as if you danced in the center of a tornado,” Jewel added with a soft smile.

  Della tried to comb her fingers through her brown locks to no avail. “I’m in desperate need of a bath.”

  “In due time. Dr. Norwood is finishing up some eggs Nettie made special for him, and then he’ll be up here to check on you. You have kept him pretty busy, and I think he has gotten quite used to Miss Nettie’s cooking. Not that I can blame him. We are used to repeat customers, but I think Dr. Norwood may be our first repeat customer simply for the cooking.”

  “This is going to cost a fortune.”

  Jewel opened the window to allow some fresh air to enter the stuffy room. “That has been taken care of by Gabriel.” She glanced over with an unyielding look. “And before you start to argue, I will let you know that Gabriel told me that he won’t take no for an answer. If you know what is good for your backside, I suggest you just thank him and leave it be.”

  “I will pay it back. I promise.”

  Jewel crossed her arms across her chest. “He said you were going to say that. So, he told me to tell you to hush up and worry about your health. He’s going to make sure that the gems here are taken care of. Plain and simple.” She smiled. “I’m warning you for your own good. Don’t speak another word of this to Gabriel.” She winked as she went to the pillows Della leaned against and started to fluff them. “He cares about you, Citrine. He cares about all of us.”

  Della loved the way her gem name flowed off of Jewel’s lips. “You have all been so good to me. I will never forget it.”

  Jewel walked over and gave her a hug. “Good. I don’t want you to ever forget us.” She squeezed one last time and then made her way to the door. “I have a busy day ahead of me, but I will check in on you later. Today is pay day at that large mine down south, so you know what that means,” she said with a mischievous look in her eye.

  Just as she was turning to leave, Dr. Norwood walked up behind her. His eyes quickly scanned Della, and he smiled when he noticed she was sitting up and in far better condition than she’d been over the past two days.

  “It’s nice to see some color back in that pretty face,” he said while he strode into the room and placed his bag on the bedside table.

  Della returned the smile. “I feel much better. The medicine you gave me seems to really help.”

  Dr. Norwood picked up the bottle and held it to the light so he could see how much still remained. “I’m happy to hear that. Since we know it helps, I will place an order with Sam Singleton at the mercantile for several more bottles so you can keep them near for when you feel another coughing spell coming on. Sam’s always able to get what I need fairly quickly.”

  “What I really need right now is a bath. May I get out of bed to do that, please? I promise I won’t take long.”

  Della knew she would get a lot further by asking rather than just hopping out of bed and doing as she pleased. There were a lot of feisty gems at The Red Petticoat, but Della wouldn’t use that word to describe herself. Submissive would be a better term. It wasn’t that she was weak by any means, but she preferred to use her submissive powers to appeal to the dominance in a man. Long ago, she had found that the perfect balance of submissive strength got her much further than a stubborn strength. Was it a form of manipulation? Sure, Della could admit as much. But one thing a gem had to figure out mighty fast was how to work a man.

  Maybe Dr. Norwood expected her to demand to get out of bed, because he did seem surprised by her request for permission.

  “All right. I think you are healthy enough for a wash. But you have to allow me to assist you. I’m still concerned for your strength. I don’t need you falling and breaking a bone right now.”

  Della wanted to say no, but if she did, then the doctor could insist on someone else, and she didn’t want to pull anyone from their daily duties. She had already troubled them all enough.

  She nodded in response and pushed the blankets off of her, dropping her feet to the floor. Dr. Norwood quickly placed his hand on her arm to help her stand. “Steady now. Let the blood flow back to your toes.”

  Very slowly, she walked over to a dresser and pulled out a fresh towel—the doctor never letting go of her arm—and led them to the bathing room where the two tubs were. Dr. Norwood went straight to the pump and began filling up the pails and heating them up by the fire while Della sat on a stool and watched. He had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves as to not get wet, revealing his tan skin and his muscled arms. With each move, Della noticed how lean his body w
as which surprised her. She hadn’t paid attention before to how handsome he truly was. His brown hair hung in a soft wave around his ears with just a hint of gray at his temples. His distinguished look added to a masculinity that fascinated her. His caring nature made her feel safe and protected. Sure, it was his job to care for his patients, but she had never had a man draw her a bath before.

  When he was done heating the water and had filled one of the tubs, he said, “Go ahead and undress and get in.” He turned his back to give her privacy which made her smile. He already had seen most of her naked, but his gentlemanly ways pleased her.

  She quickly shed her clothes and eased into the steaming water, moaning slightly.

  “Is the water too hot?” he asked, worried.

  “It’s perfect. Simply perfect.” She lowered herself all the way in and closed her eyes, savoring how the heat removed all the aches and pains. The steaming water stripped what remained of the fever completely out of her body. “Thank you.”

  He moved to her head with a bar of soap and began lathering it into her hair, his fingers massaging her scalp. Heaven. Pure Heaven. She thought about stopping him and doing it herself, but just couldn’t bring herself to do so. It felt so good… so good.

  As he worked at washing the tangles, he said, “You have really pretty hair.”

  “It’s brown.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, I can see that. But it is still pretty.”

  She shrugged, not used to hearing a compliment about her hair. “My gem name is Citrine because I’m just brown. Brown eyes, brown hair… brown.”

  “Hmm, I’ve never seen a citrine, but I’m sure it is just as pretty as your hair.”

  Her reply was a cough that she had been trying to hold back, but she couldn’t any longer.

  “I think after your bath, you should spend the rest of the day in bed. But after today, I think you will be fine to move about, just as long as you take it easy.”

  “When can I go back to work?” She turned to look up into his hazel eyes. “I can’t support myself by taking baths and lying in bed for days on end.”

  “Three days. In three days, if I feel your cough has gotten better, and I feel your strength has improved, then I will give you the clearance. But not before three days.”

  “Three days!”

  He continued to scrub her hair. “I’ll come by and check on you every day. If I feel you are getting better quicker than that, then I may change my mind. But I will be giving strict orders to Gabe and Jewel.”

  She expected as much. Even if she wanted to fight the doctor, fighting Mr. Gabe would be about the most foolish thing she could do. “Can I help Nettie in the kitchen?”

  “Yes, but light duty. You have to take it easy. I’ll be giving Nettie the same orders.” He rinsed her hair and began washing her back and arms, dipping the rag into the soapy water with each pass. “I saw you have books by your bed. Do you like to read?”

  She nodded and smiled. “I do. Very much. My mother was once a school teacher and she taught me how. I love just losing myself in the story. I feel like I disappear and go some place different. It’s nice.” The memory of her mother made her sad, but she refused to go down that dark road again. She’d closed that door to her life, locked it, and thrown away the key.

  “I find that not too many folks know how to read in these parts. Maybe we can share books and discuss them sometime.”

  His statement seemed odd. Never had a man suggested spending any time together that didn’t involve a roll in the hay. The innocence of his comment took her by surprise, and she wasn’t sure how to respond. Luckily, a loud cough answered for her. The cough was powerful enough that it rocked her body hard enough to cause water to splash onto the floor.

  Dr. Norwood patted her back softly. “There, there. Try to take a deep and calming breath. I’m right here.” He kept patting her back until the cough subsided.

  “Thank you,” she wheezed. “You really don’t have to be so kind.”

  “We’ll get you some more medicine after your bath.”

  She nodded. “It seemed to help. When I was about ten, my ma paid a traveling doctor for a miracle potion that was in a similar bottle you gave me. He stood in the middle of town claiming he had the cure for everything. He had a loud booming voice and his speech almost sounded like a Sunday sermon. People circled around him fascinated in his tales of saving people from the worst of maladies. My ma was determined to pay whatever it took to cure me. It tasted awful,” she said, grimacing at the memory, “but I didn’t care if it meant getting better. I took it every day like the doctor said, but it never took my cough away. If anything, my cough possibly had gotten worse. Pa was so mad that Ma spent money on a ‘devil’s tonic’ that he beat her so bad she couldn’t leave the house for days.”

  He paused in washing her, holding his hand still in the sudsy water. “It sounds like you had it pretty rough growing up.”

  She shrugged. “We all have our demons and sad stories. I ain’t no different than anyone else. Shadows of our past make us who we are… is the way I see it. Wouldn’t you say you have shadows too, Dr. Norwood?”

  She looked up over her shoulder to see him nod. “Yes, I suppose you are right. Everyone does have shadows.”

  He stood up and walked over to grab her towel. He held it open wide for her to step into, but turned his head to not watch as she did so. Again, the chivalrous act of giving her the courtesy of privacy, made her smile. “Let’s get you back in bed before you catch a chill.”

  He wrapped the towel snugly around her body as she studied his every move. Even though he was extremely focused on what he did—a level of professionalism at all times, he seemed so warm and friendly. She liked that about him. She liked that he wasn’t at all what she expected in a physician. “You are a really good doctor. You seem to truly… care.”

  He smiled at her compliment before giving her a playful swat on her bottom. “Come on now. Back to bed.”

  When he had her tucked in nice and tight, he turned to gather his bag to leave.

  “Dr. Norwood? Please don’t leave. I have been going stir crazy lately with how long I have been sick and sent to spend time in this room. I sure could use some company.” Maybe it was asking too much, but she wasn’t tired, and she didn’t want to simply stare at the ceiling for the remainder of the day and night.

  He paused for a moment as if considering the idea. He nodded with a smile and pulled up the wooden chair so it rested beside her bed and sat down. “All right. I think I can stay for a while. And who knows, maybe I can get another one of Nettie’s meals by doing so.”

  Chapter Four

  They remained like that for hours. Casually talking about their likes and dislikes, their views on life, what brought them to Culpepper Cove, and where they wanted to be in the years to come. Della could count on one hand the amount of people she could easily open up to and talk freely with, and now Dr. Norwood was one of those people. She could easily call the man a friend. And even though he was doing her a favor by keeping her company, it seemed as if he too were enjoying the time getting to know the simple things about each other. Dr. Norwood’s intelligence challenged Della but didn’t overwhelm her. She had read many of the same books he had, and she was proud that she could have conversations about them with him. She wouldn’t ever call herself dumb—her mother had made sure she wasn’t. It had been a very long time since she’d gotten to show off some of the intelligence she kept tucked away. And it appeared the doctor appreciated it. He seemed to really value her opinion and her insight on every topic they discussed. For the first time in her life, she was connecting with a man intellectually rather than just physically. It was new, uncharted, and she liked it a lot.

  “You told me earlier that you have shadows in your past. Care to tell me about them?” he asked. He didn’t come across as nosey or ready to cast judgment. He genuinely seemed to want to know.

  “I guess you could say my shadows are more like my demons. My pa being the
worst demon of them all.” She took a deep breath. “He killed my ma. It wasn’t like I had much of a life to ruin at the time, but he managed to destroy whatever pathetic life I did have on that day.”

  “Is that when you left? After he killed your ma?”

  She nodded. “Yes. It was either run and get as far from him as I could, or kill him. Looking back now, I don’t think I made the right decision. I should have killed the bastard, but I was only fourteen and terrified. So I ran and ended up in San Francisco living off the streets for years.” She hadn’t ever spoken of her pa and ma as freely as she was with Dr. Norwood, but it actually felt right… freeing.

  “Did your pa beat on you and your ma often?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I think that is pretty fair to say. But Ma told me he wasn’t always that way. She said he was a good man at one time, but life had beaten him down. She was working on a hope chest for me for when my time came to get hitched. Inside, was a letter that I didn’t read until after she died.” She looked at the doctor cautiously. “Would you like to read it?”

  When he nodded silently, she reached for a small box that was kept under her bed. Opening it, she pulled out a folded paper and handed it to him. Repositioning her body comfortably, back in bed, she said, “Go on and read it.”

  He took a moment to study her expression. “Are you sure? You don’t have to let me read this.”

  “I want you to. I want you to meet my ma.” She smiled widely even though tears were already forming in her eyes.

  Taking a deep breath, Dr. Norwood, her new friend, gently opened the folded paper.

  My dearest Della,

  I want to start this letter off by telling you that Mama loves you. I am so proud of the lovely lady you have become. You are reading this letter because you are married and sitting in your new homestead going through this hope chest, and I have no doubt that you are a happy and loved woman. I am sure you made a wise decision and married a man who not only loves you, but one you can love for a lifetime. I hope you are able to add these items in the chest to help you build a new home for you and your husband.