Iris (Suitors of Seattle Book 8) (5 page)

*****

Edna Petunia had breakfast ready when Iris woke up the following morning. Iris sat at the table looking at her companion. "You were out late. I was already asleep by the time you came in."

Edna nodded, blushing. "I'm here now."

"What did you do all day?"  Edna Petunia had blushed.  Really?  The woman was the queen of saying whatever came into her head, no matter how inappropriate it may be.  What was going on?

Edna just shook her head. "I was with a friend."

Iris could tell she was going to get no more information out of the woman. "I had lunch with the Harveys yesterday. They've invited us to dinner tonight. Would you like to go?"

Edna Petunia shook her head. "I have plans."

"All right then. Are you seeing your nieces?" Iris knew that Edna had three nieces who lived not far away in Dalton, Texas.

"No." Edna Petunia said nothing else, putting breakfast on the table. "Do you have any appointments today?"

Iris let the matter drop. "Not really any appointments, and I'm going to stop in and see Francis's sister. She's expecting and not feeling well. She doesn't know we're coming, so I'm not sure what kind of reception we'll receive."

Edna shrugged. "Should be interesting. I thought you weren't here to play midwife."

Iris sighed. "Doctors take care of pregnant women as well. I'm not being a midwife; I'm being a good doctor."

Edna Petunia just grinned. "Whatever you say, Dr. Sullivan."

After breakfast they headed into the office. "I want to go out and see Mattie after lunch. Would you write up a note to put in the window saying 'Out on Call?'"

"I'd be happy to. How will I spend the rest of my morning though?"

"We're going to have lots of patients this morning. You wait and see." Iris knew it wasn't likely, but she needed to remain positive.

Edna just grunted as she made the sign.

They'd been in the office for a little over an hour when someone came in. "I'm looking for Doc Sullivan."

Iris wandered into the waiting area. "I'm Dr. Sullivan."

The man, obviously a cowboy, looked her up and down. "I heard you was a woman."

Iris refused to be intimidated. "Yes, I am. How can I help you?"

"I got thrown from my horse. Banged my head. Boss man said to come to you." He took off his hat, and Iris could see a lump forming at the top of his forehead.

"Follow me." She turned and led him to one of the examining rooms. "Who's your boss?"

"Andy Harvey. He said you fixed up his niece real good." He sat on the table she indicated.

Iris was thrilled to hear the Harveys were spreading word about her services.  "And what's your name?"

"I'm Bob.
Bob Taylor."

"Well Bob, you did a real number on your head here." She looked into his eyes. "It looks like you may have a concussion."

"Is that serious, Doc?" Bob didn't look terribly concerned.

"It can be. Do you live alone?"

He shrugged. "I live in the bunkhouse with ten other men."

"You need to be woken up periodically through the night," Iris told him. "If you can't be woken up, someone will need to get me immediately."  He wasn't bad enough for her to keep him in her clinic overnight, and she was thankful.  She didn't want to have to cancel her plans with Francis.

Bob shrugged. "I guess I can get one of the guys to do that."

"In the meantime, go to the ice house and get some ice to put on it. You want the ice broken up into small chunks and wrapped in a towel."

Bob jumped down from the table. "Boss man said he'd pay you."

Iris nodded. "That's fine."

After he was gone, Iris rushed into the reception area. "Edna Petunia!"

Edna looked up at Iris like she was crazy. "What?"

"We're starting to get patients! Patients who aren't pregnant!" Iris took Edna Petunia's hand and pulled her to her feet. She proceeded to dance around her office with her.

Edna shook her head. "Girl, if anyone comes in here and sees us dancing around this way, you're going to be the one going to see a doctor."

Iris ignored her. She was going to celebrate having patients, whether Edna Petunia liked it or not.

After lunch Iris made the drive out to Mattie's house alone.  Edna had begged off, claiming she had a headache. She still wasn't certain what kind of reception she would receive, but she grabbed her medical bag and went to the door. She knocked and waited for someone to come to the door.

A tiny blond woman with a huge belly who looked to be around Iris's age opened the door. "Can I help you?" The woman's hair hung in limp ringlets around her face. She looked tired and sick.

"Are you Mattie?" Iris asked.

The woman nodded. "I am. Who are you?"

Iris smiled. "I'm Dr. Sullivan, the new doctor in town. Your brother, Francis, told me you were sick. I told him I'd come check on you."

Mattie sighed.  "My brothers worry too much. I'm just pregnant. Women get sick when they're pregnant." She opened the door wide. "Come in and I'll fix you a cup of tea while you're here."

Iris stepped inside, noticing that the house was not nearly as neat as Tracy's had been. "You sit down, and I'll fix the tea."  She rolled her sleeves up, making it clear she wasn't taking no for an answer.

Once Mattie was seated at the table, Iris asked, "Do you mind if I fix you my special blend?" She had a ginger tea that she kept with her for expectant mothers. It tended to calm their stomachs.

"Not at all," Mattie responded.

While the water was boiling, Iris washed the dishes that were in the basin. She picked up a few other things around the house as well. "You don't have any children at home?"

Mattie shook her head. "My youngest is the same age as Katie. They're all in school." She patted her stomach. "This one came as something of a surprise."

Iris smiled. "They have a way of doing that, don't they?"

Mattie nodded. "They all surprise me every day."

"How many children do you have?"

"I have four. Joseph, my oldest, is ten. Alex is nine. Benjamin is eight. Matthew is six. We're really hoping for a girl this time."

Iris poured the tea she'd made into cups. "Then I hope you get your girl. My mama had eight girls. She never did have a boy."

"I'm not sure why Francis told you to come out here. I already have a midwife." Mattie took a sip of her tea, watching Iris over the rim.

Iris shook her head. "I'm not a midwife. I'm a fully qualified doctor. He said he was worried about how ill you'd been, and asked if I had anything that would help you."

"So you're a doctor who can take care of broken bones and other things?" Mattie seemed to be shocked by the very idea. "I didn't know women could be doctors."

Iris smiled sweetly. "If they can get a medical school to accept them and do all the work, then they can be doctors. The hard part is to get a medical school to admit that women
can
be doctors.  Often they simply don't accept them because they don't think they're smart enough no matter how well they do in school.""  She shrugged, trying to act as if it didn't matter to her.

"I had no idea a woman could be accepted to medical school no matter how hard she tried."

"I had the best grades of anyone in my college class, and I still had to apply three times to get a school to accept me."  Iris shook her head. "If a man had the kind of grades I had, there would've been no question. He would've been accepted automatically."

Mattie made a face. "Well that's not fair. I guess it all worked out in the end though, because they finally accepted you."

Iris nodded. "Yes, and I was at the top of my class all through med school as well. I still had a hard time finding a doctor who would teach me as his intern."  And an even harder time finding actual work, but she didn't mention that.

Mattie patted her stomach. "If this is a little girl, I sure hope she doesn't go through the same problems trying to live out her dreams."

"Every woman who fights the way things are like I did, will make it easier for the next." Iris took the last of her tea. "While I'm here, would you like me to examine you?"

Mattie seemed to think about it for a moment. "My brother Francis sent you?"

Iris nodded. "Mallie broke her arm last week, and I set it for her. He's telling everyone what a wonderful doctor I am. Andy even sent one of his workers to me with a concussion this morning." She hoped that because Mattie's brothers trusted her, Mattie would trust her as well.

Finally, Mattie nodded. "I guess that would be all right. Will you leave delivering babies to the midwife, or will you be available to deliver babies as well?"

"You can choose to have me or the midwife. Midwives are great for simple uncomplicated births. If there's something wrong with you, then you should see a doctor. A midwife would never be able to perform a cesarean."  Iris didn't want to frighten Mattie, but things did sometimes happen, just as they had with Francis's wife.  If she were present, and something did happen, she may be able to save Mattie.

"What's that?" Mattie asked.

"Sometimes when the birth is too complicated, the best way to get a baby out is to make an incision in the woman's abdomen to remove the baby. As a doctor, I could perform the operation, and possibly save the life of mother and baby."

Mattie shook her head. "That doesn't sound safe."

Iris sighed. "It's the only option if a woman can't safely deliver vaginally.  A natural birth is always best, but I think it's best to have a doctor present just in case."

"So you think for most women, it's better to have a midwife deliver?"

"Usually. It's just safer if a doctor is standing by." Iris wasn't trying to change Mattie's mind about using a midwife. She just wanted her to understand that sometimes a doctor could make things safer.

Mattie stood up. "The midwife usually examines me in the bed. Do you want to do that too?"

Iris nodded. "That's fine." She picked up her bag, and followed Mattie into her bed. "When are you due?

"I have another month or two."

After the examination, Iris gave Mattie some of the ginger tea she kept with her.  "Some women are just sick throughout their entire pregnancy. I think you'll find if you drink this tea three times a day, you'll feel a lot better."

"But the baby seems healthy?"

Iris patted Mattie on the shoulder. "You both seem very healthy."

Mattie instantly looked relieved. "Would you mind if I send someone to get you when my time came?"

Iris smiled. "I'd be delighted."

As Iris got into her buggy to drive back to town, she thought about how thrilled she was that she'd gotten to know the Harvey family. 

Chapter Five

Francis arrived to pick Iris up and take her to his house in the early evening. "I could have driven my buggy out there."  She liked having the time with him without the girls, but she hated that he had to waste so much time to come and get her.

Francis helped her into the wagon, and climbed in beside her. "I don't mind coming to get you. It gives us some time alone." He looked around. "Is Edna Petunia coming?"

Iris shook her head. "She said she had plans again. I have no idea what that old woman is doing, and I'm really kind of afraid to find out." 

Francis looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Did you bring her here with you?"

"Yes. Edna Petunia is from Seattle as well."

"If you're afraid to find out what she's doing, didn't you know how she was before you moved here with her?"

Iris shrugged. "Yes, I knew. She was my sister's traveling companion before Violet married. She kind of made herself part of the family after that. My mother didn't want me taking my first assignment alone, so I hired Edna Petunia as my nurse. Mama was really frightened at the idea of me living alone."

"Does she know Edna Petunia? I don't know that I'd have let my daughter move somewhere with only Edna as a companion."

Iris laughed softly. "Oh she's usually harmless. She's just a bit — odd."

Francis thought calling Edna Petunia odd
Edna Petunia
was putting things extremely mildly. "She is that."  He didn't want to offend her by insulting her nurse and companion.

"She's been a really good friend to me. I don't know that Violet would have been nearly as happy on her trip to New York without Edna Petunia either."

Francis really didn't want to spend the entire evening talking about the old woman. "Do you have any idea who she's seeing?" He really needed to know the answer to that before he moved on.  He'd heard rumors, and he wondered if they were true.

"I have no idea. I've only seen her with someone that I don't know one time. That's when we were in the wagon together heading out for me to treat Mallie's broken arm. Did you know the man with her?"

"That was Cletus Sanders. He lives in the woods year-round. No one's quite sure what he does and why he does it, but he comes into town every couple of weeks to stock up on chewing tobacco. He is a strange one." They were out of town, and Francis pulled over to the side of the road. "Why are you sitting so far away?"

Iris smiled, scooting across the seat to sit next to him, her thigh against his. "I didn't want anyone in town to get the wrong idea."

"What wrong idea? That I'm courting you? That wouldn't be the wrong idea."

Iris smiled. "You are?"

He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I thought we settled this last night."

Iris shrugged. "I wasn't sure how you'd feel today."  She'd always had a lot of confidence in certain things, but her ability to be in a relationship was not one of them.

He cupped the base of her neck with his hand, leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. "I feel like God was smiling down on me when he sent you to Nowhere, Texas."

Iris smiled. "I feel the same way."

When they reached his house, the girls were all waiting for her. Mallie was bouncing up and down on her heels. "It's so good to see you, Dr. Sullivan."  The girl rushed forward and gave Iris an awkward one armed hug.

Iris waited for Francis to come around and help her down. "Nice to see you too, Mallie.  How's the arm feeling?"

"Better."

Ettie and Katie came close as well. Katie threw her arms around Iris. "I'm glad you came to eat supper with us, Dr. Sullivan."

Iris hugged the youngest girl back. "What are we having for supper?"

Katie shrugged. "Edith said it was something special, and I would like it. I was afraid to ask too many questions, or she might not let me eat it."

Iris laughed. "I'm sure Edith lets you eat everything she cooks."

Katie smiled sweetly. "But I never know what she's going to do next time."  She leaned forward and whispered, "She's sneaky."

"You're a silly girl Katie."

Katie nodded. "Sometimes being silly is fun."

Francis offered his arm to Iris. "This is a silly way to court. With three little girls following us everywhere."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I need to get to know your girls too." She stepped into the kitchen, which was a great deal cleaner than it had been the first time she'd seen it. "Dinner smells wonderful Edith."

Edith turn from the stove with a smile. "I just hope it tastes as good as it smells."

Iris wondered what Francis had told the girls about why she'd come to dinner. Had he admitted that they were courting?

Ettie answered the question before she could even ask it. "Are you going to marry our pa?"

Iris blushed, wondering how she should answer that question. "I don't really know. Would you like me to?" 

Ettie nodded silently. "Yes please."

Mallie moved over beside her sister. "We all want you to marry Pa."

Francis walked over and shook his head at the girls. "Wash your hands before supper."

Iris looked at Francis with a smile. What could she say to him now that his girls had tried to get her to be their mother? "I like your girls."

"I'm not certain, but I think they like you as well."  He winked at her.

When they sat down at the table, Iris couldn't help but think about the family dinners that they'd had in the Sullivan home back in Seattle. Right about this time, Jasmine would have had to throw some food at someone else, and then she would have immediately blamed it on someone else entirely. Her sister had always made family meals interesting, and sometimes unpleasant.  She waited for a biscuit to be lobbed across the table, but when it didn't happen, she began eating.

Edith had made a roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, biscuits, and there was a pie sitting on the worktable for dessert. "This is wonderful, Edith." Iris had learned from a young age that she should always compliment her hostess.

Edith smiled. "My ma has been teaching me to cook for years."

"She's done a good job."

"Thank you."  Edith seemed pleased.  She turned to Francis.  "Uncle Fwansis?"

Iris looked at Edith in surprise.  She'd spoken perfectly until she said Francis's name.  Why was that?

"Yes?" Francis looked at Edith.

"I...um...well I have a young man coming by to take me for a drive this evening.  I didn't think you'd mind since Dr. Sullivan will be here to help you."  Edith seemed nervous to broach the topic with Francis.

Francis frowned.  "Who is it?  Where are you going?  Does your pa know about this?"

"Samuel Garrity.  He goes to our church.  He's a ranch hand.  Yes, Pa knows.  We're just going for a drive.  Probably along the river for a bit."  Edith held her breath, waiting for an answer.

"Samuel Garrity?  Is he new to town?  I don't know him."  Francis shook his head slowly.  "I don't know if this is a good idea."

Edith sighed.  "Pa likes him.  We've been courting for a few weeks now."

"Then why hasn't he been by yet?  If he cared, he'd have come by."  Francis knew he was being unreasonable, but he felt like Edith was practically his child.  Besides, he needed practice for when his girls thought they were old enough to court.

Iris tried not to laugh at the way Francis was reacting to his niece courting.  She could only imagine what would happen when Mallie started going on drives with men.

"He didn't come by, because I left a note for Pa to give him asking him not to when he went by to pick me up last Monday.  I told him I needed a little time to settle in here, and that I'd contact him soon."

"How did you contact him then?"

Edith shook her head in exasperation.  "Pa took him a note for me last night after you said you were having Dr. Sullivan over for supper tonight."

"We can't ask our guest to do the dishes!" Francis knew he was grasping at straws, but he couldn't let her go.  He'd feel as if he'd failed as an uncle.

"Ettie and Katie are perfectly capable of doing the dishes.  They've been helping me with them since I got here."  Edith finished her dinner and stood up, walking around the table to her uncle.  She leaned down and kissed his cheek.  "I'll be back before nine.  Can you wait until then to take Dr. Sullivan home?"

Iris bit her lip, still fighting laughter.  When Francis didn't answer right away, she said, "That would work fine for me, Edith.  And please, call me Iris."

Edith made a face.  "Oh, I couldn't do that.  You're a doctor!"

Iris felt like she was destined to never hear her first name again at that moment.  "Your mother said the same thing.  Do I need to call you Miss Harvey?"

Katie smiled, reaching over and taking Iris's hand from the table.  "I like it when you call
me
Miss Harvey."

Iris laughed, reaching out to tap Katie's nose with her index finger.  "Then I will call you Miss Harvey.  It would be terribly confusing if I called your cousin that as well, wouldn't it?"

Katie nodded, giggling.

Edith nodded.  "I'll call you Iris."  She looked at Francis.  "Don't worry about me Uncle Fwansis.  I'll be fine.  I'm a big girl."

"I just don't like it.  I want to meet him before you go anywhere with him."  Francis frowned at Iris as if he blamed her for his niece wanting to court someone.

Iris just smiled at him.  "Four of my sisters were married by the time they were her age.  Three had given birth.  I think you need to let her go for a drive."  She winked at Edith.  "I'll help get the girls in bed.  You have a good time with Samuel."

Edith rushed around the table and kissed Iris on the cheek as well.  "Thank you, Dr...I mean Iris."

Mallie bounced in her seat.  "Dr. Iris!  I like that!"

Iris grinned.  "I guess that works for me.  Dr. Iris."

Iris watched as Edith slipped her shawl over her shoulders and hurried out the door.  Francis stood up and followed her.  Iris rolled her eyes and started to clear the table with the two younger girls. 

Mallie looked down at her arm with frustration.  "I wish I could help."

Iris laughed softly.  "I'm sure you'll do your share of dishes when your arm is healed.  Don't worry."

Francis looked at the younger man in the wagon.  "I'm Francis Harvey."

Samuel got down and rushed to the house, holding his hand out.  "I'm Samuel Garrity.  It's nice to meet you, sir."

"What are your intentions toward my niece?" Francis asked, his voice harsh.

"Tonight, I intend to take her for a drive along the river.  When I have enough money saved to buy my own spread and build her a house, I intend to make her my bride, if she'll have me."

Edith rushed to Samuel's side, taking his arm.  "You know I'll have you, Samuel."

Francis sighed.  His intention to drive them apart seemed to be backfiring. "Have her home not a minute later than nine.  You hear me?"

"Yes, sir.  I'd never do anything to hurt her reputation."  Samuel helped Edith into the wagon.  "We'll be back soon.  I'll take good care of her."

Francis watched as they drove off before stomping into the house.  He couldn't believe his brother was letting his baby girl go out with men that way.  What was he thinking?

Iris was sitting at the table talking quietly to Mallie while his younger girls were taking care of the dishes.  Ettie was washing while Katie dried. 

He walked to the table and sat beside Iris, gripping her hand under the table where his girls couldn't see. 

Mallie quit talking as soon as he sat down.  She looked down at her lap.

"Is something wrong?" Francis asked, looking between Mallie and Iris.

Iris smiled, shaking her head.  "Just girl talk."  Mallie had asked her about a boy she had a crush on at school, listening intently to Iris's advice to just keep playing together at recess.

"What kind of girl talk?" he asked, frowning.  Had Mallie been hiding something from him?  "What did you ladies talk about while I was out on the porch trying to frighten Mr. Garrity?"

Mallie's eyes were wide as she looked at her pa.  "Why were you trying to scare Edith's beau, Pa?"

Francis shrugged.  "Why won't you tell me what you were talking about?"

Mallie frowned, looking down. 

Iris shook her head at Francis.  "I can't tell you.  I was having a private discussion with my patient.  I can't betray her trust in me."

Francis looked between his oldest daughter and Iris.  What kind of secret could a ten year old girl be having that she was afraid for her father to know?  Was Iris teaching her to use her feminine wiles?  "Would you tell me if it was something I needed to know?"

Iris nodded.  "If I thought she could be hurt in any way, I would tell you immediately."

He was fortunate to have Iris as the woman his daughter confided in, and he knew it.  She was a good friend to his daughter and a good...lady friend to him.  He knew he wanted her in his life for as long as he could have her.  He couldn't say that he loved her, because he'd known her for such a short time, but she was definitely good for him and his children.