Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
After making porridge, the next morning, Josie sat and nursed Nathan while it cooled.
Managing two babies alongside three other children was a major adjustment, but she was determined to make it work.
She had already served Travis his breakfast before he headed into town to unload cargo at the mercantile.
He seemed happy to take a break from plowing and harvesting, yet she could sense his desire to feel useful in other ways.
During the winter months, both he and Ronan worked at the mercantile.
The ground was still frozen, the weather hardly bearable to go outside and play, so the children spent extra time doing schoolwork.
Following half an hour of nursing and changing Nathan’s diaper, Josie carried him into her bedroom and laid him on her bed, nestled safely between two pillows.
She glanced over at Gideon, fast asleep in his crib, his tiny thumb tucked into his mouth.
Josie preferred Nathan to be in bed with her, and until she was ready to move him, Gideon would remain in the crib.
With Nathan hardly stirring, Josie returned to the kitchen to set the table.
The front door creaked open, and in walked Aunt Polly, bundled from head to toe in her thick winter layers. With a quick movement, she began shedding her heavy clothing.
Josie giggled. “How was it outside?”
“Too cold to bother being out,” Aunt Polly grumbled, rubbing her hands together. “I don’t know how Ronan and Travis do it. I’d rather stay cooped up all day rather than work out there.”
Josie placed four bowls on the table. “Take a seat. I have coffee brewing to warm you up.”
Aunt Polly settled into her chair as Josie retrieved a tin cup. She poured the steaming liquid and placed it in front of her aunt-in-law.
“How are the children getting along with the baby?” Aunt Polly asked.
“They love having another sibling. However, Gideon doesn’t know what to think about him.”
Aunt Polly chuckled, reaching for the coffee. “Two under two. That is one tricky experience.”
“Travis told me you used to have twins,” Josie said, but she bit her tongue. The surprise on Aunt Polly’s face made her immediately regret asking.
Aunt Polly’s eyes shifted downward. “I had two boys, Samuel and Solomon. They were bright lads and loved school like yours do.”
“What happened to them?” Josie asked. “If . . . you don’t mind me asking.”
Aunt Polly sighed, her hands gripping her cup.
“There was an accident. My husband was taking the boys on a wagon ride and the horse got spooked somehow. The horse took off, and the wagon lost its balance, crushing my little boys. My husband didn’t live long after that. He suffered from internal bleeding.”
Josie’s breath hitched, and she covered her mouth in horror. “I’m sorry. I-I couldn’t imagine. That must have been extremely hard for you.”
“It was,” Aunt Polly answered. “But looking back, I can see the beauty of it all.”
“What do you mean?”
“Travis’s father died when he was ten, and his mother passed away when Ivy was just two. Travis has always been like a son to me. I have a use for myself with him, the children, and you. You are my family now, and I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Josie smiled softly. “Thank you, Aunt Polly. I don’t think I ever said it, but I don’t know what I’d do without you. You and Travis, Rose, Caroline, and this town have shown me more kindness than I’ll ever know.”
Aunt Polly reached out and took Josie’s hand. “We love you, Josie. Always remember that, sweetheart.”
“I will.”
Aunt Polly let go of Josie’s hand and turned to the empty bowls. “Isn’t it time for the children to wake up? It’s a little past their wake up time.”
Josie removed her apron. “We wouldn’t like that, would we?”
“You have adjusted very well.”
Josie tiptoed down the hallway and opened the door to the children’s room. Lillian and Ivy were snuggled together while Jonas slept alone in his bed. With a soft smile, she approached the girls, carefully removing the covers from them.
“Time to wake up, sleepyheads,” she whispered, gently shaking them awake.
Ivy stretched and let out a big yawn, her arms reaching high above her head. Lillian, still half-asleep, rubbed her eyes with tiny fists. They both sat up in their flannel nightgowns and matching nightcaps, looking like two little angels in the soft morning light that filtered through the window.
“There’s porridge on the stove for you two.”
The girls spoke little in the morning, but Jonas, on the other hand, was always full of energy. The girls left out the door and Josie walked over to Jonas’s bed, where he laid sound asleep, the sunlight landing on his tousled hair. She carefully removed the covers.
“Jonas, time to get up. Breakfast is ready.”
Jonas didn’t respond, not even a stir. Josie placed her hands on his shoulders and shook him again. He groaned but still didn’t sit up. Josie’s pulse throbbed, each beat pounding in her throat.
“Jonas? Jonas, what’s wrong?” She placed her hand on his forehead and gasped. He was warm, too warm. “No,” Josie whispered.
She turned the boy on his side, noticing a red rash below his ear. She had seen the same rash before at Belle Vallée. Josie choked on a breath. It can’t be. If her inference was right, this was scarlet fever, the same illness that killed Mama and Susannah.
Memories of their moans of agony and Josie’s long nights nursing them flashed inside her mind.
Doctors were scarce and Josie was on her own.
She had a mild case and was over the illness fast, but the worst cases had taken over the bodies of her loved ones, and they were too weak to fight it.
She couldn’t live through that again. Not when she made a promise to care for and protect them when she married Travis.
“Aunt Polly!” Josie screamed. She fought to hold back her sobs, knowing she needed to be strong. Her son’s life was at stake.
Aunt Polly came rushing in. “What is it, dear?”
Josie hurriedly showed Aunt Polly the rash spreading across Jonas’s skin, and a gasp slipped from her lips. She turned to see Lillian and Ivy at the doorway, their faces pale with confusion and fear.
“Girls, get away from here! Don’t come near Jonas!” Aunt Polly shouted as she bolted to the door, closing it behind her.
“Josie! Aunt Polly!” the girls screamed, beating on the door. In another situation, Josie would calmly open the door and comfort them, but she muffled them out, panicking for Jonas’s life. Not again, Lord. Don’t let this disease take everyone I love away for the second time.
Aunt Polly felt his temperature. “We haven’t had an outbreak in twenty-five years.”
“What do we do?” Josie asked, her voice trembling. Deep down, she knew what needed to be done, but the weight of her past failures loomed over her. How could she trust herself again with the children she had promised to protect?
“I’m going to get the doctor, Josie. Stay with him and make sure the children don’t go near that door.”
Josie sat on Jonas’s bed and ran her fingers through his brown curls. “Jonas, you must fight through this. Please, my darling boy.”
Aunt Polly left, and Josie turned to see the girls still standing at the doorway. Tears hung in their eyes as they embraced each other. Josie kept her distance, not going farther than the girls’ bed. Despite being immune, she couldn’t risk coming close.
“Girls, you must listen to me,” she said calmly. Josie swallowed the fear lumped in her throat. “Lillian, I need you to go to get a bucket of snow and melt it on the stove.”
Lillian wiped her tears with her sleeve. “Josie, is Jonas gonna die?”
Josie tried to erase every possibility in her mind. She blocked out the memory of digging her mother’s and sister’s grave in the pouring rain, the cold drops piercing her shivering skin. “No, Jonas is going to be fine. We just need to pray for him because he’s very sick. Only God can heal him.”
Lillian nodded, her folded hands under her chin. “I will pray for him now.”
Josie’s gaze shifted to Ivy’s, and her heart sank.
Ivy was white as a sheet, her wide eyes reflecting the terror, as if she were staring at the angel of death again.
“Ivy, I need you to get Gideon dressed and tend to Nathan. You are the woman of the house now, and I need you to be strong. Can you do that for me?”
“I-I’ll try,” Ivy whimpered.
Josie planted her hands on her hips. “Good. This is going to be a difficult day, but we must work together.”
Ivy went towards the master bedroom, and Lillian rushed outside to get a bucket of snow.
Josie sat at Jonas’s bedside, feeling helpless as she watched him moan and squirm beneath the covers.
Lord, I can’t do this again. I need you to give me strength and help me keep the promise I made to this family.
Let your will be done, oh Lord. Only you can heal my son.
An hour later, Aunt Polly and Josie stood in the corner while Dr. Gordon examined Jonas.
He was barely conscious. When his eyes fluttered open, they appeared glassy and distant.
Each new symptom Josie saw made it worse for her to bear—high fever, shivering body, pale face, and a rash.
Every moment that passed, her thoughts returned to Travis.
He should be here. He should know. Aunt Polly was in such a rush for the doctor that she didn’t have time to stop at the mercantile.
Josie dreaded the moment he’d hear the news.
He already knew how Josie’s sister and mother died.
It wouldn’t give him any hope to know there was a high chance a boy as young and delicate as Jonas wouldn’t survive.
“Can you open your mouth for me?” Dr. Gordon asked.