Mail Order Doctor

by Cynthia Woolf

  Hope wasn’t happy. Julia knew she was wet and hungry.

  “I assume you have milk at your home.”

  “We’re not going to the house you know. A friend of mine is living there, so you won’t be so easy to find. When he answers the door he’ll tell them he just moved in and don’t know anything about me. I have a new house. I bought it last week with the money from my claim. I hit it big.”

  New house? Real fear flooded Julia. What if Matthew and Ben couldn’t find her? She was sure they both would be looking and both would blame the other for her going missing.

  “How long do you plan on keeping me?”

  “As long as I have to. As long as Hope still needs you, so I guess seven or eight years.”

  A gasp escaped between her lips. “You can’t be serious.”

  “But I am. You took Norma from me. You can replace her. Now make Hope shut up.”

  He shoved the baby at Julia, who held her arms out for Hope and the rocked back and forth in the seat with her.

  “I didn’t take Norma from you.” Julia spoke as quietly as she could, while trying to calm down Hope. “You did that yourself. You waited too long before you came for help. You very nearly killed Hope, too.”

  “I did what I could at the time. I didn’t have no other choice.”

  “Of course you did. You could have swallowed your stupid pride and gotten your wife a doctor. And I can’t get her to quiet down until we get to your hideout.”

  “The place isn’t a hideout. It’s my home. A place to live. I still have to work my claim every day.”

  “Aren’t you afraid I’ll take off with Hope?”

  “Nope. You wouldn’t get very far without a horse or a buggy, and you won’t have access to either.”

  Julia prayed that there was some way that the men would be able to find her. When they did, how would she ever leave Hope with her father? The man was either quite insane or very desperate. Julia thought the latter. Thought he’d finally come around to realizing he had a daughter and wanted her with him.

  “Rather than kidnap me, why not just let me keep Hope and you come to see her whenever you want. You could pick her up on Saturday night and bring her back on Sunday night.”

  “No. I want her with me. She’s all I got of Norma. You’re lucky I’m not just taking her and leaving.”

  “You’re not that stupid, Blaine.” Julia sat on his right and continued to rock the baby. “You know enough to know that you can’t care for Hope.”

  “Yeah, I do and that’s why you’re coming with me.” He slapped the reins on the horse’s butt. “Giddy up.” He slapped the reins again.

  The buggy took off, the horses galloping.

  “Mr. Carstairs, Blaine. Please don’t do this.” Julia held Hope in her left arm and held on to the buggy strap with her right hand. “Slow down. No one is following you. It’s the middle of the night. Everyone is asleep. You’ll kill us all at this pace.”

  He looked over at her, and then down at the baby.

  “You’re doing fine. I need to make as much time as I can tonight. I want to be able to work and I can’t do that and take care of any brat.”

  Blood pounded in her ears. “Hope is not a brat. She’s a baby, your daughter.”

  “I never wanted kids, but Norma, she wanted one so bad. We kept trying and when she finally got pregnant, she was thrilled.” He glanced at the baby and grimaced. “If I’d known then what I know now, I’d have never let her get pregnant.”

  “Pregnancy is the normal occurrence when you have sex on a regular basis.”

  “Stop talking like that. I loved my Norma and would have done anything for her. It wasn’t just sex.”

  “Very well, but if you truly loved Norma, you know this is not what she would have wanted for her baby. She gave her life so Hope could be born. Surely she didn’t die to bring her into the world for nothing.”

  “She’s all I have.” Blaine Carstairs slowed the conveyance to a walk, holding the reins with one hand and the gun with the other. He set the gun down just long enough to wipe the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. “I can’t let her go. Maybe it would be best if I do. I’m not a stupid man. I was an accountant before coming here to mine the silver.”

  “An accountant? Why would you continue to prospect when you can get a much-easier position as an accountant in town?”

  He laughed.

  It was a sad sound.

  “One look at me and most folks won’t even give me the time of day much less hire me.”

  She saw what he meant. His pants and coat were tattered, repaired many times with patches. “You have money now; you could buy new clothes, get a shave and a haircut. In any case, why don’t you let me talk to Ben King? He could help you out. You could move to town and then caring for Hope would be easier.”

  “You mean it would be easier for you to care for Hope. You don’t care about me and whether or not I’m with that brat. You only care for her.”

  “Don’t call her a brat.” Julia snapped, and then softened her voice, trying to remain calm so she wouldn’t upset Hope.

  “And I don’t need Ben King or anyone any more. I hit my mother lode. I don’t know how big it is but I do know that the first I brought in they gave me five hundred dollars for. And there’s a lot more where that comes from.”

  “Good. I’m glad. I want what’s best for Hope. I intend to see that she gets the best, too. From her care now through her college years.”

  He looked shocked by her statement.

  “Yes, I want Hope to go to college.”

  “Why do you care so much about her?”

  He sounded genuinely perplexed.

  “Because, I love her, like she was my own. When you could have been bonding with Hope you chose to run away. Blaine, I know that you were upset by Norma’s death, but you had a baby to care for and you didn’t. Norma gave her life for this child and you nearly threw away that life.”

  “You can talk all you want but you’re coming with me. I’m not changing my mind.” He was holding the reins in one hand and the gun in the other, when suddenly the gun went off.

  Julia felt the pain and burning in her side, but her only thought was of hope.

  “Dear God. I’m sorry.” Blaine dropped the gun on the floor of the buggy. “I never meant to shoot you, just scare you.”

  “You’ve got to stop. I must check the baby.”

  “It’s not much farther. Hang on.”

  Julia nodded and hoped she didn’t pass out before they got there. She couldn’t hold a hand to her wound to apply pressure and still hold the baby. Hope was still screaming and Julia was never so thankful to hear that sound. Hope was alive and that’s all that mattered. She needed to concentrate on holding the baby and taking care of her. Hope was all important.

  After listening to him, she knew that Blaine didn’t want Hope for herself; he only wanted her because she was part of Norma. He would probably always compare her to Norma and blame her for her mother’s death. Julia couldn’t allow that to happen, but for now there wasn’t a lot she could do.

  CHAPTER 12

  A short while later Blaine pulled to a stop in front of a small house. The place was nicely kept. A stone path led up to the front door with flowers on either side of the walkway.

  Julia handed Hope to her father. “You take Hope and get her inside. I’ll follow.” The pain in her side was getting worse. She needed to see what color the blood was. If the blood was clear, bright red, then the bullet hadn’t hit an organ. If it was dark red, then she would worry. It was the only way to determine if any organs had been hit.

  She climbed down, holding her side as firmly as she could and slowly walked into the house. The door led into the parlor. Another door off the parlor opened to a kitchen with a dining table and chairs. A hallway led away from the parlor and she assumed bedrooms were in that direction.

  “I had planned for you and the kid to take the main bedroom. It’s bigger and the cradle I made
is already in there. I don’t want to be totally unkind here. You’ll need the privacy for dressing.”

  “Before I do anything, I need you to put Hope in the cradle. She’ll cry but she’ll be all right for now. Do you have any bandages?”

  He shook his head before answering. “I don’t, but I can take the sheets off one of the beds and make bandages out of them.”

  “Good. That’s good. While you take Hope, I’ll go to the kitchen. Do you have any whiskey?” She had to force herself to concentrate on the steps that needed doing, while her side throbbed.

  “I don’t drink but I think Johnny left a bottle in the cupboards when he was here last.”

  “I’m going to sit at the table. When you come back would you look for the liquor and put some water on to boil?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He stopped and looked at her. “I’m really sorry Mrs. Reynolds. I only wanted to scare you with that derringer. I never meant to shoot you.”

  “It’s fine, Blaine. Just get me the things I need.” Under her breath, she added, “before I pass out.”

  He left with the baby and was back quickly. He put the water on to boil and gave Julia the nearly—full liquor bottle.

  “Your friend Johnny isn’t much of a drinker either is he?”

  “What?”

  She pointed at the bottle with less than a quarter of the amber liquid missing.

  “Oh, no we just had a drink to celebrate me buying the house. I wish Norma would have lived to see it, to see me strike it big. I always told her I would and when everyone else told me to stop, to go back East and get a job, she would shake her head. Then she’d say, ‘Blaine, don’t you quit now. You’re gonna find that silver and then all those people will eat their words.’ She never gave up on me.”

  “Those are wonderful memories. I’m glad you have them. Right now though, I need that water and those bandages.

  * * *

  Ben knocked on Julia’s door. Their habit had become to enjoy breakfast together each morning. He knocked again, but received no answer. He pressed his ear to the door and heard nothing stirring.

  It was past eight in the morning. He knew Julia would be up. Hope never slept this late.

  He got the master key from his pocket and opened her door.

  “Julia? Are you here? Julia?”

  Again, no response. He went to the bedroom and saw no one. The bed was unmade and Hope’s drawer was empty. The satchel and all of the baby’s things were gone, too.

  Maybe she walked down to Matthew’s. He walked the four blocks in no time, his long legs making quick work of the distance.

  Ben knocked on the door.

  After a moment, Matthew answered.

  “Is Julia here?”

  Matthew shook his head. “No. Why would she be here?”

  “I don’t know, but she’s not at the hotel and all of Hopes clothes are gone.”

  “Let’s go to Hope’s father’s house. Maybe he came to Julia with a change of heart. I can’t imagine where else she might go. She’d do anything for that little girl.”

  “I’ll go get my surrey,” said Ben. “It’s bigger for when we find Julia.”

  “Agreed. I’ll get my bag in case someone is injured.”

  “Let’s hope you don’t need it.”

  Ben ran toward the hotel and was back in about fifteen minutes and the two men left to find the woman important to them both.

  They approached the front of the shanty house belonging to Blaine Carstairs. The structure was just like all the other houses around it. A company town built by the mine owners.

  After the buggy came to a halt, Ben set the brake.

  Matthew had no such restraint and jumped down as soon as the conveyance stopped. They ran up the walkway to the front door of the house. Matthew pounded on the door.

  A grumpy little man, about five and a half feet tall answered the door.

  “Where is Blaine Carstairs?” demanded Matthew, straining to see the dim interior.

  “He ain’t here. Don’t live here no more.”

  The man tried to shut the door.

  What was he hearing? Matthew put his foot in the door and pushed it back open.

  “Where is he? I can tell by the sweat running down your temple that you know. Make it easy on yourself and tell me where he is.”

  The man gazed back and forth between the two large men looming in the doorway and told them everything they wanted to know.

  Ben and Matthew ran back to the buggy and jumped in. Ben whipped the horses until they galloped toward the mountains and the mines.

  They arrived at the house Johnny, the man at the Carstairs house, told them about.

  Matthew didn’t knock, he tried the door, found it unlocked and rushed through.

  Once inside, they separated and searched the house. Ben found Julia in the kitchen.

  “Matthew,” Ben called at the top of his voice.

  Matthew ran into the room where Julia, white as a sheet, sat at the table, a metal wash basin in front of her and a bloody rag in her hand. She had a towel over her legs and was holding her nightgown up, trying to be modest and treat herself at the same time.

  “What the hell is going on?” Matthew, blood pounding in his ears, knelt in front of Julia. “Let me see.”

  “Matthew.”

  “Yes, sweetheart.” Her pulse was steady but rapid. Her breathing shallow. Her voice faint.

  “You’re late,” she said with a shaky laugh.

  “I got here as quickly as I could, love. We didn’t have any instructions to go by and had to get them first.” He needed her to stay calm.

  “Will you two stop with the banter and tell me if I’m killing this man or not?” Ben had his hand wrapped in Blaine Carstairs shirt and was holding him off the floor by several inches.

  “Put him down. The gunshot was an accident. There will be no killing here today.” Julia said softly. “Matthew, I think I’m going to faint now.”

  She closed her eyes and slumped forward into his arms.

  “Crimany.” He lifted her and carried her to the first bed he found. It was devoid of sheets. He guessed those were being used to clean her wound and would be bandages once he removed the bullet.

  “Ben, leave Carstairs alone and go get my bag. The bullet is still in her.”

  “Will she be all right?” he asked before he went to get the bag.

  “I don’t know.” Matthew stared at Carstairs. “If she dies so do you.”

  The young man nodded and swallowed hard.

  Moments later, Ben returned with the bag.

  Matthew grabbed it, took it to the kitchen and tossed his instruments into the pot of boiling water, he found there.

  “I see you have out some whiskey. Good. I’ll need it.” He poured a goodly amount over his right hand, the fingers of which he would putting into Julia to search for the bullet, once his instruments were ready. He wanted to take as little time as possible actually in the wound. Next he used a spoon and got his forceps and scalpel out of the boiling water.

  “Ben, you come hold her down, please. Even though she’s fainted, she’s likely to feel this pain. You’re lucky,” he said to Carstairs, “it was a small gun. The bullet may not have gone in very far and it doesn’t seem to have hit anything vital. The worst part is me digging in here to remove the slug. Here goes. Hold her now, Ben.”

  Matthew cut a one inch long incision on two sides of the wound and then put his index finger into the bullet hole.

  Julia moaned and tried to pull away from Matthew’s questing finger.

  Ben held her tightly and she wasn’t able to move much.

  Matthew probed around in the wound until he found the bullet, only about two inches in and just below the ribs. He took the forceps, pulled out the bullet, and dropped it into the emptied basin with the resounding ring of metal on metal. Then he took the whiskey bottle and poured some into the wound.

  Julia screamed and thrashed. The sound tore at his heart but he knew he needed the li
quor in the wound. It was the best he could do to stop any infection before he sewed up the hole. Then he placed a pad made from the sheet on the wound and wrapped her with strips of cloth torn from the same sheet.

  “Ben, we need to get her back to my house. Let me get her covered up.” He grabbed her robe and the blanket from the bed and wrapped her snuggly. “Carstairs, you’re coming with us. Put that cradle and anything you have for the baby into the buggy, and then pick up Hope. You’re holding her on the way back, while I hold Julia.”

  Blaine Carstairs did as he was told. He didn’t try to run.

  Matthew figured he was too scared and feeling guilty enough he’d stay and do whatever Matthew asked him to do.

  Matthew carried Julia out to the surrey and got in.

  Ben turned the conveyance and headed back to town. When he got to the doctor’s house he pulled the horses to a stop, set the brake and jumped down. This time he carried Julia while Matthew opened the doors and showed him the way to the master bedroom where he laid her gently on the bed.

  She hadn’t awakened during the entire ride.

  Carstairs brought in Hope, who was screaming at the top of her lungs.

  “Here, give her to me, Carstairs.” Matthew held out his arms. “Why don’t you go get that cradle, I assume you made? Julia will be happy to see it, and Hope won’t have to sleep in a drawer any longer. Ben, would you stay with Julia? Let me know if she wakes or there is any change.”

  “Sure, I will. You don’t need to ask.” Ben walked to the bedroom.

  “So, the lady will be okay?” Carstairs rubbed his hands on his pants and then shoved them in his pockets.

  “Yes, I think she’ll be fine as long as no fever sets in.”

  “I’m so sorry Doctor Reynolds. I never—”

  “We’ll discuss it after she regains consciousness. I won’t make any decisions until I hear from Julia. You’ll stay here and take care of your daughter, while I tend to Julia.”

  “Yes, sir. My name is Blaine, sir. She called me Blaine.”

  “Very well, so shall I. Blaine, why don’t you go to the kitchen and prepare a bottle for your daughter. She appears to be quite hungry. I’ll change her while we wait. There’s nothing more I can do for Julia now and she would have my hide, if I didn’t take care of Little Bit.”