Ruby climbed out of bed and walked to the wardrobe, stretching her stiff muscles.
Otto jumped up from his makeshift pallet and padded over to sit at Ruby’s feet, his tail thumping a steady rhythm against her ankle. Ruby leaned down to scratch her dog’s ears, noting the gray hairs sprouting along the little dachshund’s forehead. “Poor boy—you’re feeling your age, too, aren’t you?”
The dog yawned in response, stretching his long back and bowing his front end toward the floor at her feet.
She opened the wardrobe and pushed aside the russet-brown day dress, a navy suit, and her rose-colored skirt, settling instead for the black silk with the leg-of-mutton sleeves. Ruby turned the dress around and held it before the tall Cheval glass, tilting the mirror’s frame so she could see her whole length.
“What do you think, Otto? Does it say, ‘Robert, I mean business’ or ‘look at the poor, miserable widow?’” Ruby frowned at her reflection as the dog offered a noncommittal tail wag. Apparently even her dresses couldn’t make up their minds.
She returned the dress to the wardrobe. Puffy sleeves were falling from fashion, anyway. Ruby fingered the walking skirt. Paired with the lace blouse, it would create a softer look. She reached for a pinstriped vest—the tailored shape would add the strength she needed for the day.
Ruby slid the skirt over her petticoats and corset. Wandering over to the window, she fastened the long row of buttons along her wrist, staring out the window.
The homes lined up along the street with barely a breath of space between each structure. They look like a line of children marching off to school. She studied the tidy, peaceful neighborhood, standing in stark contrast to many other areas of the city. So many homes had been lost. Dr. Larkspur had been fortunate.
Reaching up, she touched her hair, the curls popping loose from their restraints. If only she had glossy brown hair like Robert’s fiancée. Ruby sat down at the dressing table.
The dog plopped on the rug at her feet. He whined, the sound morphing into a yawn before his jaws closed with a snap.
“In a moment, Otto.” She removed the ribbon securing her braid and ran fingers through the strands. She shook her head, the curls bouncing free, bushing out like a ruddy crown. Her hair didn’t behave any better than her late husband’s wild horse. Opening a bottle of Macassar oil, she allowed a few drops of the precious liquid to drip into her palm.
She could still remember Charlie running his fingers through her loose hair. “I love it like this. Wild and wooly.”
Ruby smoothed the oil through her curls. A woman’s hair, like so many other things in life, needed to be carefully controlled and trained. She settled the padded pompadour roll onto her head like a crown and with quick fingers, tucked each curl up over the support and added several hairpins to keep it in place. Turning from side to side, she examined her handiwork in the looking glass. Perfect—for a few minutes, anyway.
Otto trailed at her heels as she hurried down the stairs. The dog halted halfway down, his front feet on the lower step, a growl emanating from his barrel chest.
Robert stood in the front hall, pushing his arms into the sleeves of his gray coat.
Ruby joined him. “You’re leaving already? What about your breakfast?”
“I’ve already had a quick meal. I need to get to work.” He retrieved his hat from the rack and cast a glare at the bristling dog.
Ruby bit her lip. She’d barely had two minutes alone with him. “I need to talk to you. Must you leave so soon?”
Robert buttoned his coat, sliding his palms over it to remove any wrinkles. “Why don’t you come with me? The hospital ward might not be terribly exciting, but I could show you a bit of the city afterward. We could have lunch downtown.”
“I wouldn’t be in the way?”
He laughed. “Of course not. And I promise not to put you to work on your first day.” His brows pinched together. “But I planned to drive Gerald’s automobile.”
Moisture gathered under Ruby’s lace collar. “Can’t we take the cable car to the hospital?”
“Normally, yes. But Gerald ended up staying with a patient all night. He has a meeting across town this afternoon and will need the car. He telephoned this morning and asked me to bring it.”
Ruby pulled an arm tight around her midsection to quell the fluttering. “I don’t know.”
“Come on, Ruby. This isn’t like you. You were never afraid of anything when we were children. Was it Charlie’s accident?”
Lacing her fingers together, Ruby cleared her throat. “I am not afraid—not exactly.”
Robert rolled his hat around his fingertips. His eyebrows drew downward. “I understand now better than I used to. It’s been three months since the earthquake, but at night if the house so much as creaks,” his voice softened, “I leap out of the bed, anticipating another disaster. I still haven’t gotten a full night’s sleep.”
She reached out and touched her brother’s sleeve. “It must have been terrifying.” Did she have more to fear than Robert who had lived through such a horrible nightmare?
A squeak from the stairs made them both jump. Otto yipped as he spun around to stand guard at Ruby’s toes, paws sliding on the wood floor.
Abby paused on the steps. “Am I interrupting?”
Ruby touched her chest to slow her thudding heartbeat.
Robert chuckled, leaning close to Ruby’s ear. “Do you see what I mean?” He reached for Abby’s hands, drawing her to his side and brushing a kiss across her cheek. “What perfect timing you have. I was trying to convince my sister to drive in to the hospital with me.” Robert’s gaze returned to Ruby.
Abby’s eyes lit up. “Ruby is going, too?”
Ruby’s stomach tightened. Would she never get a moment alone with her brother? “I’m considering it. Are you coming along?”
“No. I—” A shadow crossed the young woman’s face. “I don’t like to spend much time at the hospital.”
Robert shrugged. “I suppose most folks don’t.”
“Besides, I am going down to Golden Gate Park this morning. There are still refugees living in the camp there, and the Red Cross has a kitchen. I like to help out whenever I can.”
Ruby straightened. “I’d like to see the camps, too.”
Robert stood up tall and gave her a curt nod. “Everyone’s pulling together to make this city strong. Abby, we could drive you to the park on our way to the hospital. Then you can show her the camp, if you’d like.”
Ruby swallowed. She had yet to agree to this driving business.
“It’s such a nice day, I’d prefer to walk. Ruby, you can volunteer with me tomorrow, if you’re interested. I’d love for you to join me.” Abby started toward the kitchen. “Aunt Mae is going to be disappointed we are all running off today. I’ll go talk to her.” Abby disappeared into the other room.
“So? What’s your decision?” Robert buttoned his jacket. “Are you ready to brave the new world of automobile travel? I’m a careful driver, I promise.” He pushed the hat over his dark hair.
I cannot continue to let this fear control me. “All right. But you better steer clear of any horses.”
5
Gerald turned his back on the large window overlooking the new waiting room and focused his attention on the woman slumped in the corner seat. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Michaels.” The words tasted like dust in his mouth.
What else could he say to a woman who just lost her husband and the father of her four children? His stomach churned as he perched on the chair beside her. The children huddled with their grandmother at the far end of the hall.
“I should have been here, Dr. Larkspur. I should have been with my Leo when he passed.” Tears spilled down her flushed cheeks.
Gerald swallowed against the lump in his throat. He sat back, his neck and shoulders aching from the long night’s vigil. “There’s nothing you could have done. He never woke. You were present when he was last consc
ious.”
She grasped Gerald’s hands and pressed them between her own.
He scoured his mind for an appropriate expression of comfort, but as his gaze settled on the golden band glinting on her finger, his words dissolved. What will she do now?
“Leo said good-bye to me.” She accepted his handkerchief and dabbed at her nose. “He knew, didn’t he?”
“Perhaps.”
Mrs. Michaels lowered her chin and pressed white knuckles against her lips. “He did—he knew.” She straightened her shoulders. “Thank you, Dr. Larkspur.”
“I’m sorry we were unable to save him.”
A tear rolled down her cheeks, and she wiped it away with the tip of a finger. “You gave us more time.”
Gerald nodded. At least they’d done that.
“I know Leo was a tough man—a drinker and a brawler. He hurt everyone he loved.” She gazed down at her hands and twisted her wedding band. “Everyone.” She glanced over her shoulder to where her mother and children waited. “We’d been apart for a year before he got sick. Nothing brought him to his knees—not even the earthquake. Until this.” She took a shaky breath, as if drawing strength from the dry hospital air. “Leo couldn’t brawl his way out of the cancer.”
Gerald pressed fingertips against his temple. He’d mourn the patient later, in his own way—and find some way to relieve the tightness in his chest.
“You gave him more time, Doctor. And you encouraged him along the way. It’s because of your advice he got right with me, with his children, with himself.” She patted Gerald’s hand. “And he made peace with God. There’s no gift more precious.” She stood and gestured to her children. The kids broke free from their grandmother’s hold and pelted down the hall toward their mother. She gathered them all into a crushing embrace.
The family walked off down the corridor, clustered together for strength.
Gerald slumped in the chair and pressed both palms to his face before raking fingers through his hair. God, I want to do more than give people time. I want to give them back their lives.
“Gerald?”
The voice startled Gerald out of his prayer. He opened his eyes and straightened.
Robert stood beside him, his sister Ruby lingering a few steps behind.
Gerald pushed up to his feet. “I, uh . . .” His voice cracked, as if the vocal chords were lined with sand. “I just informed Mrs. Michaels.”
Robert nodded. “We saw her leaving.”
Ruby’s eyes rounded. “Are you all right?” She stepped closer.
Gerald’s pulse accelerated. He reversed a step, ramming the back of his leg against the chair. “Yes.” He gritted his teeth against the jab of pain. “I’m fine. It’s all part of the job, after all.”
She placed a hand on his arm. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to work with these patients when you know they are going to die.”
The shadows around the young widow’s eyes tore at his already raw soul. Gerald dropped his gaze to the slender fingers brushing his sleeve, the clean, round tips of her nails evident against his dark coat.
Robert frowned. “We don’t allow ourselves to believe cancer is a death sentence. The X-ray radiation is already extending lives.” His eyes brightened. “We’re on the cusp of a grand discovery. Gerald and I may well be remembered as the doctors who cured cancer.”
Acid crept up Gerald’s throat. His gaze wandered back to Ruby, the blue of the woman’s eyes reminiscent of a pale morning sky, before the sun had fully risen. The idea pulled at him. Maybe it’s what he needed—a walk out under God’s brilliant heavens, a subtle reminder life could be good again. He sighed and pulled his gaze away before he embarrassed the lady.
Ruby’s fingers traced the buttons lining her snug gray vest. She cleared her throat. “Robert had offered to let me view the X-ray laboratory. Perhaps you would join us?”
A smile brightened Robert’s face. “Come with us, Gerald. Let’s show Ruby what we do.”
Head aching, Gerald waved them off. “You two go ahead.” He needed a moment to gather himself. One more compassionate glance from Ruby, and he might lose the tenuous grip he had on his emotions.
Robert nodded and offered an arm to his sister. “You know where we will be if you change your mind.”
Ruby paused, catching Gerald with a long look. “Are you certain you’re all right?”
He swallowed and nodded. “Yes. Fine. Thank you for your concern.”
A faint smile crossed her lips before she turned and followed her brother.
He couldn’t help but stare at her retreating figure. She moved like thistledown on the breeze.
* * *
A gas lamp burned in the corner, eerie shadows creeping across the tile floor. Ruby shivered, pulling her wool wrap close as she gazed about the basement room. “This is where you spend all your time?”
He grinned like a schoolboy. “Isn’t it amazing? Our lab was destroyed in the quake, but we were fortunate to salvage most of the equipment. We only had to replace the tubes and the glass plates. We should have electric lights by early next week.”
A confusing hodgepodge of machinery stood in front of her. The only piece she recognized was a simple canvas stretcher supported by two wooden sawhorses. Strange apparatus and wires suspended above the stretcher on metal rods seemed reminiscent of an H. G. Wells novel. Other appliances tucked below and behind the stretcher spoke of unusual experiments and medical wonders. Ruby shook her head. “This looks like a machine shop.”
Robert laughed. “Well, I suppose in a sense it is. What is the human body, but a complex piece of equipment? We use these tools to peer inside and to improve the way it functions.”
She strolled around a wheeled cart. “How does it all work?”
Her brother’s eyes danced like a child showing off his latest school project. “In order to make X-ray portraits, we direct the Röntgen rays—X-rays—from this glass tube,” he pointed to a long cylinder, “ . . . through the person’s body and into the plate on the reverse side.” He strode over to a desk sitting at the far end of the laboratory and lifted a sheet of glass, carrying it back to where Ruby stood. “The emulsion on the plate captures the image.”
She peered at the ghostly outline on the smooth surface.
“The bones and other dense objects in our bodies absorb the rays, so those areas appear lighter on the plate. Let me show you.” He held the sheet of glass up to the light.
Ruby’s mouth opened. She could see the various bones composing the ribcage, shoulders, and arms. “Father would be so proud.” She gazed at the image, a fractured rib evident on the left side. “What about everything else? Their skin, their clothes?”
“The rays pass through them.”
She tapped fingers against the table. “Do they feel anything?”
“No, they barely know it’s happening. It’s like taking a photograph. No sensation at all.”
“The radiation is safe?”
Robert placed the plate back on the table. “Of course. They’ve done thousands of X-rays across the country with no ill effects. In fact, it’s quite the contrary. Patients report feeling quite rejuvenated, skin diseases improve, and countless maladies are being cured.”
She turned pinning him with her gaze. “How does it do that?”
“Well, we’re still working that part out.”
Dr. Larkspur appeared in the doorway, a stack of papers clutched under an arm. “I assume he’s informing you about the wonders of this great new science?” His voice cracked, as if the dry tone taxed his throat.
Ruby moistened her lips. “It’s quite an extraordinary invention.”
“Yes, we do seem to be making progress.” The doctor’s eyes narrowed. He crossed the room and deposited the papers on the desk.
She tilted her head. His dour expression didn’t match his optimistic words. “But not enough?”
Dr. Larkspur’s chin jerked upward. “I didn’t say that. Robert’s theories are sound. You should be pr
oud of him.” The man’s gaze faltered, a hand pressed against his temple.
A sudden longing to rub her fingers along the back of the doctor’s neck, as she had done for Charlie when he was troubled, made Ruby tremble. What was it about this man? He summoned her husband’s memory like a ghost.
Robert stepped to his side. “Gerald, you’ve been here all night. Why don’t you go home and get some rest before you meet with the board?”
Dr. Larkspur shook his head, lowering the hand and thrusting it into a trouser pocket. “There’s not enough time. I need to look over my notes beforehand.”
The redness around his eyes cut at Ruby’s heart. Clearly, Dr. Larkspur was exhausted and distraught over losing his patient. “Can’t you telephone them? Postpone the meeting? Or perhaps Robert could go in your place?”
“We cannot postpone. The meeting has been pushed back three times already. The board’s prepared to cut funding to our project.” He gestured to the equipment. “If only this apparatus weren’t so blasted expensive. The board is already overwhelmed with all the needed repairs from the quake—it’s ridiculous to ask them for more.”
Robert huffed. “We need the money if we’re to continue.”
“Almost every hospital in San Francisco sustained damage in the earthquake. Research is not the top priority, and we both know it. The funds are bleeding out, and the board is trying to save what they can. Our experiments will be the first to go.”
Ruby sank into a swivel chair near the door. “What will you do?”
Robert sighed, pushing a hand against his forehead. “We’ve come so far. You must convince them to carry on. We’re so close.”
Dr. Larkspur swung around, venom spilling out in his words. “Close to what, Robert? Close to a cure? Tell it to Leo Michaels’s widow and children. Tell it to the five patients we lost over the last three weeks. Tell it to Abby.” He plowed out of the room, the door swinging closed behind him.
Ruby swallowed. She rose, gripping the back of the chair. “What did he mean, tell Abby?” She pressed a hand against her stomach. “Robert, she’s not sick, is she?”
Beyond the Ashes Page 4
