Erin

by Rachel Wesson

Erin explained more about nutrition emphasizing the need to keep the children warm particularly in the winter months. She tried to convince the women they should move further down the mountain as they weren't acclimatized to the Colorado weather but they refused. They wanted to be near their men. She suggested to Alicia they consider building log cabins for the families to live in rather than the lean-tos they currently occupied.

  On visiting the lean-tos, she was pleased to see most of them were kept as clean as possible. She gave them all lectures on the importance of washing their hands before eating or dressing any wounds. Although they were already storing meat for the winter, they didn’t seem to see that a balanced diet was vital for survival. She advised them to can as much fruit and vegetables as they could to help prevent scurvy. Increasing the amount of potatoes they ate would also help. Last but not least, she advised them on the best locations for their privies. She didn’t want them to set up an outhouse too near to their source of running water. Thankfully, there was no arguments on that score.

  The ladies prepared a feast of mashed potatoes, roast pork, and stewed tomatoes for dinner followed by some kind of pie. Erin wasn’t sure what it was but it tasted delicious. The men had yet to come back from their travels, so Alicia and Erin gratefully accepted the offer of a bed for the night.

  The next morning, they breakfasted on flapjacks and cackleberries. “Why do they call eggs cackleberries?”

  “I have no idea, Erin. Sometimes I think we speak a different language in the East, don't you?”

  Erin was so glad Alicia had come from Boston and settled in Clover Springs. While she loved her new town, it was nice to have someone who understood the differences in lifestyle.

  A commotion in the forest alerted the camp.

  “Doc, we need you. One of the loggers got hit by a widowmaker. He's hurt bad.”

  “A widowmaker?” Erin turned to ask Alicia but she shrugged her shoulders. A miner's wife clarified that when the loggers cut down the trees, sometimes they fell on the men by mistake.

  Erin washed her hands carefully in the boiled water some women had set aside for laundry. Then she picked up her bag and headed back into the mountain with the men. Alicia trailed after her.

  The logging camp was as different from the women's camp as one could find. Erin only saw one woman and a couple of children. The rest of the place swarmed with bearded giants speaking a foreign language.

  “Most of the men are from Norway and Sweden. Many don’t bring their families with them. The work is too dangerous.”

  “Alicia, I need somewhere to work. Do any of these people speak English?”

  “Ja, missy, I do. What you need?” Erin looked up to see the tallest broadest man she had ever seen smiling down at her, his eyes full of concern.

  “I need a tent and lots of boiling water. And some clean cloths.” The man called out orders in his native tongue. People ran to do his bidding. Meanwhile, some men arrived back in camp carrying the patient.

  The giant showed them to a hastily emptied tent. The injured man was still conscious, his pale pinched face half covered by a thick bushy beard. His arm was wrapped in a blood-soaked shirt. Erin was glad to see it seemed to be clean. She unwrapped the makeshift bandage as gently as she could. The man gritted his teeth but didn’t cry out despite the considerable pain he must have been in.

  “My name is Doc Erin. I will do my best to help you but I'm afraid I don’t have anything to give you for the pain.”

  She didn’t know if the man understood her but the giant whose name was Erik translated for him anyway. The patient murmured something. Erin looked at Erik.

  “Karl say it’s okay someone gave him lots of whiskey.”

  “I really wish they hadn't. You best keep an eye on him. He is likely to vomit everywhere.” She examined Karl carefully to ensure he didn’t have a fever and wasn’t losing too much blood. “Mick, could you please put a log under his feet so they are higher than his head.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Is Little Beaver with you?”

  “No, ma'am. We split up and he hasn’t come back yet.”

  “I will need some men with strong stomachs to help me. I am going to have to set his arm and it is better if he doesn’t move while I am doing it. He will need to be held down.”

  “I will help with that,” Erik said.

  “You will need to wash your hands very carefully. With soap,” she said barely glancing up from the wound she was examining.

  “My hands be clean.”

  “You can’t always see the dirt. Do as I say. I don’t have time for arguments.”

  Erik grunted in reply. Erin was glad he did as he was told.

  She did the same despite having washed her hands at the women's camp. Rolling up her sleeves as far as it was decent she washed her arms as well. She’d forgotten Mick was standing near her. Looking up she caught him staring at the ugly scar on her arm. She quickly covered it.

  “Nasty wound you got, Doc.”

  “It’s nothing. Happened a long time ago.” Erin quickly rinsed her hands checking her nails to ensure they were clean. “If you are going to assist me you need to wash up as well.”

  Mick took off his shirt rather than push his sleeves up. She took a deep breath trying to concentrate on making her patient feel comfortable. Karl had lost consciousness. Ellen wished Mick would put his shirt back on. The closeness of his naked torso was distracting at a time she needed her full attention.

  “Please keep a close eye on his breathing. I am worried he may vomit from the combination of shock and whiskey. He could choke if he is still unconscious.”

  “Yes, Doc.”

  Chapter 29

  Erik arrived back and insisted on showing her his washed hands. She smiled as he pointed out he had even washed his nails.

  Taking a pair of scissors from her bag, she cut Karl’s shirt away from the cut before asking Erik to undress him and wash his chest and all exposed skin. Erik looked at her dubiously but this time he didn’t argue.

  She poured hot water over the wound again and again. In between she examined the wound to ensure she had removed any piece of bark, lint from the shirt, and any other foreign object. Only when she was satisfied the wound was clean, could she start the process of setting the arm.

  Erik moved the patient as she instructed while she poured water from every angle. Karl didn’t make a sound until she had to use iodine. Then it was only a deep intake of breath. Her admiration for these men increased by the minute. She had seen qualified doctors scream when in less pain.

  The bone was sitting at an awkward angle. Erin stared at it for a few minutes.

  “Problem?” Mick asked her quietly.

  She had forgotten he was there.

  “I won’t have the strength to set it properly.”

  “Tell me how and I will do it.”

  She smiled at him gratefully. “You will need some help. Erik, can you find more men to help. Men like you who won't fall down when they see the blood.”

  Erik nodded. As he left to go find them, she called after him to tell the volunteers to wash up too.

  Erin explained the process to Mick. She wasn’t sure how much Karl understood but she thought she saw his eyes darken with fear. She couldn’t blame him. Checking his forehead once more for signs of fever, he asked her something but she didn’t understand. When Erik came back in she asked him to translate.

  “He wants to know when you take his arm off?”

  “I'm not. Karl, by the time I am finished your arm will be perfect. It may be a little shorter than the other one but it will work just as well. So long as you do everything I say.”

  Erik translated, Karl looked at her with such incredulity in his eyes she was stunned. If only she had known earlier what his fears were.

  “I am going to use some ether to put you asleep. You have been very brave but this next bit will be too painful. It is better you sleep.”

  Karl nodded.

  She took
a small bottle out of her bag. After instructing Erik and Mick to stand back so they wouldn’t be affected by the fumes, she carefully administered it to Karl. Once Karl was unconscious, she began instructing Mick and Erik how to help her. By the time Karl woke up, you could no longer see the bone. Erin was busy sewing up the wound. It was very hot in the tent and she had unbuttoned her shirtwaist as far as she dared. Mick came in with a cup of cool water which she gratefully accepted. She noticed he kept his eyes averted in deference to her modesty.

  “Alicia is making you some food. She insists you need to rest.”

  “I need to put his arm in a splint first. Can you find me something suitable?”

  “Sure thing, boss.” He grinned.

  Karl smiled too. “Nice man you got. Pity, I would like to marry you.”

  Scarlet, Erin bent her head to concentrate on her sewing. She took a couple of deep breaths before realizing the smell of the oil in the canvas wasn't helping her stomach.

  “These do?” Mick returned carrying some small shims and cardboard. She nodded not wanting to look up at him for fear he could see into her head.

  “Karl, you need to keep this wound clean. It is very important. And you need to rest. No work for you not for at least two months. Then you can do something but not anything strenuous on your arm.”

  He didn't understand so she had Erik translate. She watched his reaction, knowing when Erik told him about not being able to work. Nobody in the camp could afford not to be earning.

  “You should come back with us to Clover Springs. I can look after you better and you can find a job,” she said impulsively.

  Karl smiled widely. She looked at Mick surprised to see him frowning. She would have thought he would have understood her reasons.

  Anyway, she didn’t have time to think about him now. She finished stitching up the wound, put on the splint and then went to wash her hands, neck, and arms as thoroughly as possible. She would have loved a bath.

  “I'm sorry I couldn’t go in and help you. I tried but there was too much blood.” Alicia apologized.

  “Don’t worry, I have seen grown men faint at the sight of blood. Thank goodness we were here. He would have lost his arm otherwise.”

  “He would have died you mean. Everyone is so happy you were here. You could set up your own practice and never run out of patients.”

  Erin looked where Alicia was looking. A crowd of loggers had gathered. They all clapped for her. Embarrassed, she stood and bowed but they kept clapping.

  Erik came forward and translated what they were cheering.

  “They are very grateful. Karl has a child. His sister is raising the little girl as his wife died last year. He is a very popular member of the team.”

  “Has he agreed to come back to Clover Springs with us?”

  Erik nodded. “I think the attraction might not be the town.”

  Erin blushed more at his teasing. Alicia laughed and then suddenly some music started. The men grabbed Alicia and Erin and the other women and swung them around the camp. No longer exhausted, Erin joined in full of the joys of life. Until she spotted Mick standing outside the injured man's tent with his arms clasped tightly over his chest, his face like thunder. What was wrong with him?

  Chapter 30

  They waited a few days until Karl was well enough to travel and then made their way back to Clover Springs. Wilma introduced Karl to Mrs. Hofmeister. The poor woman was still struggling to tidy things up around the lumber mill. She obviously couldn’t bear to think of selling it.

  Erin hadn’t planned on Karl being able to help the new widow but it looked like her idea was working well for both of them. Because of his size, Karl could carry a lot of things in his good hand. Erin came by to make sure he wasn’t working too hard. He saluted her when he saw her. Mrs. Hofmeister was doing better too. Having a large man like Karl around meant Dickie and his friends didn't happen to drop by. Mick and the other men had filled the orders left behind when Hans died so she had money to make some of the repayments.

  The clinic grew even busier. The women of Clover Springs seemed to have gotten over their reluctance at seeing a woman doc. They told her about their female problems and she commiserated with them. Despite knowing she didn't have children, the women seemed to think she understood everything involved in raising a family. Often the women weren’t sick as such but just needed to offload their worries. Their husbands were usually too busy to listen to them and some of the things they told Erin, they couldn’t tell their friends. If she had a dollar for every time she was told there were too many gossips in Clover Springs she would be a rich woman. But she wasn’t. And while there were plenty of patients, she didn’t know how she could afford to stay in Clover Springs. She couldn’t live at the boarding house forever.

  “Why don’t you speak to my husband?” Emer suggested one day when Erin mentioned missing her own space. Erin looked at her blankly. “Shipley’s Bank. My husband, Lawrence, owns it.”

  “He's part of the Shipley banking family from Boston. Did you know them?” Alicia added.

  Erin shook her head. “He isn’t going to lend me money. I am a woman.”

  “You are a doctor. My husband’s different. If he wanted to be an old-fashioned stick in the mud, he would have stayed in Boston with his mother.” Emer’s nose curled up slightly at the mention of her mother-in-law. “I will make an appointment for you for this afternoon. We aren't busy.”

  “But it’s all so sudden.”

  “You can’t hang around waiting for things to happen. You got to sort out your own luck,” Emer answered as she finished mopping the floor with a flourish. “I'd hate to think what I'd be doing now if I had waited around.”

  “From what I've heard, you could be robbing the bank not be its owner,” Alicia teased. Erin remained silent. She had so much to learn about all her new friends.

  Going to the bank was risky. She couldn’t lie to get a loan. She'd be committing fraud. But she couldn’t tell the husband of the nurse she was working with the truth either. She decided to go and meet the banker. She could listen to what he said and make a decision later.

  Once more she found herself wishing she'd been honest from the start. Living a lie made life very stressful. The clinic was clean and tidy, although a little on the small side. Alicia had called in with a basket of cookies. She wanted to discuss what improvements Erin thought they could make to the clinic.

  “It would be nice to have some more private rooms and some indoor facilities. I don’t like patients having to go outside when it is cold or wet.”

  “We can do that. We better speak to Doc as we don’t want him thinking we are usurping his authority.”

  “He is such a nice old man, isn’t he? He pretends to be grumpy but he has a heart of gold.”

  “It’s like you have been here for years. You fit in so well.”

  Erin beamed at Alicia’s comment. She did feel like this was home. Something that scared her almost as much as it made her happy. She walked over to the stove to put some more logs on it. She didn’t want Mrs. Grey catching a chill when she came in for her shift.

  “Erin, I hope you don't think I am rude but are you and Mick Quinn, well, do you have feelings about him?”

  Erin hoped her red face would be put down to the heat. “Why do you ask?”

  “You seem to enjoy his company.”

  “I do. He has been very nice, accompanying me on trips up to the logging camp. I don’t know what I would have down without him. I don't think I could have got Michelle out of that place alive.”

  “Yes, he was very neighborly. But you haven’t answered my question.”

  “I don’t have time for romance. You can see how hard I work. I didn’t work so hard to become a doctor so I could stay at home polishing someone's boots.”

  “Well, its lovely to see my role as a mother and wife diminished to polishing boots.”

  “Oh, Alicia, I am so sorry. I am far too direct. I didn't mean to insult you or any of th
e other wives and mothers here. I just meant it isn’t the role for me.”

  “So, you don’t want children?”

  Erin's heart twisted. “I would have loved to have children,” She said quietly. Alicia stared at her for a few moments, Erin was tempted to tell her but then common sense prevailed. “But I have another role now. I get to cuddle them and look after them but as soon as they turn cranky I hand them back to their parents.”

  “Hmmm, I don't think that is the full truth but I respect your privacy.”

  “So why ask me about Mick, I mean Mr. Quinn?” Erin asked.

  “I just wanted to... Oh forget it.”

  “No, please, Alicia. You wanted to what?”

  “Mick spends quite a bit of time at the Red Feathers. Rumor has it he developed a love affair with one of the girls there, a girl called Mollie.”

  He had asked her to look after his woman. Of all the selfish, double crossing... Erin kept her thoughts to herself. Adopting an expression she used when she didn’t want to alarm patients, she said, “So, he wants to marry this girl,and you are afraid I will be hurt?”

  “Well, I don't know if marriage is in the cards. Mick keeps his business fairly quiet. Aaron lived in the bunkhouse with him at the Sullivan ranch. Says he is as straight as a die but he thought he had family somewhere. I heard he was trying to buy Mollie’s contract out.”

  “She is very young. Maybe he was trying to help her.” Erin saw by the look on Alicia face she didn’t believe that. It did sound rather absurd.

  “I hope you aren’t cross with me saying something.”

  Erin smiled widely. “Of course not, it means you are my friend. But please don’t be worried, I haven’t any intention of settling down with any man least of all Mick Quinn.” It just went to show you never could trust any man. No matter how nice and caring they seemed to be.

  Later that evening, she bumped into Mick.

  “Evening, Doc, how are you today?”

  Think of the devil and he pops out behind you. Erin forced a smile before turning to greet him. “Fine. Thank you, Mr. Quinn. How are you?” She saw he was taken aback by her formal tone.