Chapter 6 #3
Amelia sometimes knew people who donated items to the dispensary or the patients, and she’d mentioned a new quilting group interested in what Ellen did.
The Patel twins were doing well so far, though they certainly weren’t out of the woods yet. She needed to spend two hours there by midafternoon to check for cyanotic spells and give the exhausted parents a rest.
Tina O’Malley was pregnant again and wasting away from all the pregnancies back-to-back. Ellen wanted to check on her, even though pregnancy didn’t fall under her scope.
Little John Peele, the baby with the bad jaundice, should be looked in on also, if just for a few moments.
Then there were the Baggins and Lorde babies, thankfully neighbors, who were both still two weeks from being full-term.
Elke Heinrich was nearly two months old, and her grandmother was struggling to feed her after the baby’s mother had died of puerperal fever two weeks ago.
Precious Mwangi was grieving her premature baby who died from a cyanotic spell a month ago, and Ellen didn’t want to look in on her but knew not many other people would.
There were others to see. There were always others.
The pregnant women could contact midwives, and if there was an emergency, there were hospitals the women could go to.
Ellen ignored the growing weight in her arms and the complaining teenager behind her, mapping out her route for the rest of the day.
I still need to gather my belongings and move.
And let my parents know. She sighed, then held her breath in fear she’d wake the baby boy.
He shifted, whimpering in his sleep, and she kissed his head.
“You’ll be fed soon, my sweet.” She stood, moving around the adolescent’s gangly legs hanging off the end of the examining table, to reach her cabinet of supplies.
Ellen packed her large wicker basket one handed, then slipped back to the waiting room.
After a few more moments, the baby’s too-young mother entered the crowded room, weaving between waiting people and looking not nearly as close to tears.
Ellen met her in the middle of the room with a smile.
“Perfect timing.” She glanced down at the glass bottles shaped like bananas in the girl’s hands.
“Mrs. Daugherty is behind the counter there. If you’ve never done artificial feeding before, it can be an adjustment.
She can show you how to do it. She can also show you how to hand express, if you like, and we might even have a hand pump to help. ”
The girl bit her lip, looking down at her sleeping, skinny child. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” she confided in a whisper.
Ellen’s heart twisted. “You’re a wonderful mother. I can see how much you love your little boy, and Mrs. Daugherty is just going to give a little help to make sure you two have what you need to put some fat on those cheeks.”
She nodded bravely and took her son back, juggling him and the bottles, and turned to find Mrs. Daugherty.
Ellen followed the girl to let the older woman know she was leaving and probably wouldn’t be back until tomorrow morning. “Did the lieutenant leave?”
“No, he’s just pulling some supplies down from Amelia’s flat upstairs and bringing them to me.”
Ellen didn’t know how she felt about that. “I’m leaving. Can you tell him not to wait for me?”
“Why shouldn’t I wait for you?” Mark appeared from behind the curtain separating the dispensary from the stairs to Amelia’s living quarters.
All the nerves in Ellen’s body lit up—she didn’t know if she was nervous or aroused. She turned to face her husband. “I’m going to my home visits. I’ll probably run late today, so please don’t wait here. I’ll also need to get my things from my parents’ home, so please don’t wait for me tonight.”
“I can pick up your things.”
Ellen narrowed her eyes. He’s being too nice. “They’re not packed yet.” She was nervous, her body decided.
“I can get a maid to help me.” He glanced around. “If your home visits are anything like this, you’ll need the evening to rest, not pack.”
When he put it like that, Ellen couldn’t disagree. She still didn’t trust it, though. “Fine.”
Mark gave her an easy smile—it was so easy it made her angry. How dare he act like things could be normal between them! Then he turned and went back upstairs for his last box.
“You be careful, lady,” Mrs. Daugherty told her as she reached for a rubber nipple in the drawer beside her.
Ellen darted a glance. “You think he’s trouble?”
“I know he was trouble. He broke your heart and now he’s here again, scheming how to get in bed with you.”
Ellen flushed. “He is not!”
Mrs. Daugherty nodded sagely. “I've seen that look in a man's eye plenty. It's as old as time, and he wants you.”
“But he will not have me.” Ellen bristled. “We may legally be married, but as far as I’m concerned our relationship ended when he joined the Navy and didn't tell me until his luggage was by the front door.”
Mrs. Daugherty made an unconvinced sound.
Ellen huffed, spinning on her heels, and hurried out the door. She had too many things to do to stand around and gossip about her husband.