One More Sunrise (13 page)

Clyde and Frances stood on one side of the bed, and the doctors stood on the other.

Clyde looked down at his mother, who was running her dull gaze back and forth between her family members and the physicians. “Mom, Frances and I have been in conversation with Dr. Dane Logan and his father. Dr. Dane tells us he can do surgery on your hip and make it so you can walk again.”

Bertha’s eyes sharpened slightly. “Really?”

“Yes. I’ll let him explain it to you.”

Dr. Dane leaned over Bertha. “Can you hear me all right, Mrs. Ballard?”

She nodded and licked her dry lips.

Although still groggy with the aftereffects of the laudanum, Bertha attempted to pay close attention as the young doctor carefully explained the new hip replacement procedure.

When he finished, she licked her lips again and looked up into his eyes. “Will it take the pain away, Doctor?” she asked, grimacing as she tried to change her position in the bed.

“Yes, it will. Once the healing of the surgery is complete, then you will need to literally learn to walk again. This will be done gradually, but in a matter of time, you should be pain free and be able to live a normal life with your new hip.”

“Oh, that sounds so wonderful, Doctor!” She looked at the older physician. “I really am glad your son joined you in your practice, Dr. Jacob.”

Dr. Jacob smiled. “Me too, ma’am.”

Bertha set her gaze on her son and daughter-in-law. “Do you children agree that I should have this done?”

“Absolutely,” said Clyde.

“Yes!” said Frances.

Bertha looked back at Dr. Dane. “Well, when do we start?”

The doctors exchanged glances and smiled at each other. They were pleased with Bertha’s quick and firm decision.

Dr. Dane squeezed her hand. “Mrs. Ballard, I’ll wire Northwestern University and ask them to send the ivory. As soon as it arrives, I’ll do the surgery. It will probably take four or five days to get it here.”

She managed a smile. “Oh, Doctor, I’m so thrilled with the prospect of being able to walk again. It will be so wonderful! Just think, I won’t be confined to a wheelchair and a bed for the rest of my life.”

Frances leaned down and planted a kiss on Bertha’s cheek. “I’m so glad for you, Mother.”

Dr. Jacob spoke up. “My son and I will go to the hospital superintendent’s office right now and let him know that Dr. Dane is going to do the hip replacement.”

As the doctors started toward the door, Clyde said, “I want to thank both of you for your earnest desire to help Mom.”

They both smiled, nodded, and moved toward the door. Dr. Dane said over his shoulder, “I’ll keep in touch about the ivory.”

As father and son headed down the corridor, they saw two young women coming toward them, talking to each other. When Dane’s line of sight riveted on the one with long auburn hair, tiny, tingling currents scintillated through his chest.

Dr. Jacob noticed his son stiffen and his eyes widen as he focused on one of the young women just before they entered one of the rooms. He frowned. “Son, what’s wrong?”

Dane stopped and wiped a palm over his face. “I … uh … well, that lovely young lady with the long auburn hair very much resembled Tharyn Myers.”

Dr. Jacob laid a hand on his shoulder. “Son, I’m wondering if you will ever get Tharyn out of your heart.”

Dane shook his head. “I’m wondering the same thing, Dad. If—if I just knew—”

“I understand, son, but there’s no way to know.”

Dane sighed and started walking again. “Yeah. That’s the worst part.”

They descended the stairs to the first floor and soon entered the office of hospital superintendent, Dr. Wiley Chamberlain.

They were welcomed warmly and sat down in front of Chamberlain’s desk. Dr. Dane informed him that he was going to do the hip replacement on Bertha Ballard.

Chamberlain instantly showed interest, asking the young doctor if he had ever done a hip replacement before. Dr. Dane replied that he had not, but when he explained how he had learned by personally observing Dr. Theodore Gluck perform one at Northwestern University Medical College, Chamberlain was all for it.

“I’ve read about Dr. Gluck’s ivory ball, gentlemen. And Dr. Dane, I’d sure like to be at your side when you do the surgery.”

“I’d be honored to have you there, sir,” said Dane.

Dr. Jacob laughed. “I’ll be on this boy’s other side, Dr. Chamberlain!”

When father and son were riding toward their office in Dane’s buggy down Cheyenne’s wide Main Street, Dane said, “You know, Dad, you and I talked that day when I completed my internship at the hospital about the fact that I would only plan to stay on as partner in the practice for a short time, then I would seek my own practice somewhere.”

“Yes, son. Don’t tell me you’ve already got plans in the making.”

Dane chuckled. “No, but I just want to make sure you will back me when that day comes.”

“Well, of course I will, Dane. I told you that the day you joined me in the practice. Sure, I’d like to keep you for a long, long time, but I understand your desire to have your own practice. Your mother and I have prayed about it a lot, and we’ve left it in God’s hands. Until the Lord leads you to establish your own practice or take over some retiring doctor’s practice, I want to keep you right where you are.”

Dane put an arm around his father and hugged him close. “God so blessed me when He put it on your heart and Mom’s to adopt me.”

Jacob looked at him with tears glistening in his eyes. “You weren’t the only one who got blessed, son. The Lord blessed your mother and me when He brought you into our lives. We’ve praised Him every day since the moment we adopted you. We couldn’t have a better son.”

Suddenly they saw a man jump off the boardwalk and come running down the street, waving his arms and calling to them. They both recognized Harry Fisher, one of Cheyenne’s residents. Harry and his wife were their patients.

Dane pulled the buggy over.

Fisher drew up and said breathlessly, “Dr. Jacob! Dr. Dane! I was just at your office. Ella Dover told me you were both at the hospital.”

“What’s wrong, Harry?” asked Dr. Jacob.

“Walt Minard just collapsed while waiting on customers at his store! Mrs. Minard asked me to come and find at least one of you in a hurry!”

“Climb on the running board, Harry,” said Dr. Dane.

Harry jumped on and Dane put the horse to a gallop. Minard’s General Store was at the far end of the next block.

Moments later when Dane brought his horse to a halt in front of the store, they saw a crowd gathered on the boardwalk, trying to
see through the large front window.

Both doctors were picking up their medical bags from the floor of the buggy as Dr. Dane said, “Harry, will you tie my horse to the hitch rail for me?”

“Sure, Doc. You get on in there.”

Dr. Dane led the way, elbowing his way through the crowd. When father and son entered the store, they also found a crowd pressed around the fallen man and his wife, who knelt beside him on the floor.

“Please, folks,” said Dr. Jacob, “stand back and give us room.”

The people obeyed, pressing back to give the doctors more room to work.

Loretta Minard set fear-filled eyes on the younger doctor as he knelt beside her. “I’m so glad you’re here! Please, please, don’t let him die!”

At the same time, Dr. Jacob knelt on Walt’s other side.

Dr. Dane took one look at Walt’s gray color and whipped the stethoscope out of his medical bag. The man was conscious, but having a hard time breathing.

Dr. Jacob was unbuttoning Walt’s shirt.

Dr. Dane put the earpieces in his ears and quickly placed the microphone against Walt’s bare chest. After moving the microphone around on Walt’s chest for several minutes while listening closely, he looked into Loretta’s worried eyes. “He is in heart failure, ma’am. We need to get him to the hospital immediately after I give him a dose of nitroglycerin. We’ll take him in my buggy.” He looked up at the crowd. “Will one of you go out and tell Harry Fisher to have my buggy ready, please?”

“I’ll do it, Doctor,” a young man said, and quickly made an exit.

Dr. Dane took a small bottle of nitroglycerin from his medical bag and administered it to Walt, talking to him in a low, comforting voice.

While he was doing so, Dr. Jacob said, “Son, you won’t have
room for me in the buggy. Patients are waiting at the office. As soon as we’ve got Walt in the buggy, I’ll go on and take care of them.” Then he said to Loretta, “Walt’s in the best of hands, Mrs. Minard. My son will take good care of him.”

She nodded. “Yes, Doctor. I’ll ride with Dr. Dane and Walt to the hospital. My two clerks can watch over the store.”

When Dr. Dane finished administering the nitroglycerin, he placed the bottle and the stethoscope in the bag and looked at Loretta. “Will you carry the bag for me please, ma’am?”

“Of course.”

Dr. Dane picked the stricken man up in his arms and rose to his feet. Loretta was already on her feet and following Dr. Jacob, who was asking people to clear the way.

When they reached the street, Harry Fisher had the horse and buggy prepared, already pointed in the direction of the hospital.

Dr. Dane told Loretta to place his medical bag on the floor of the buggy, then allowed her to climb in ahead of him. He then placed Walt’s limp form on the seat, laying his upper body in Loretta’s lap. She quickly cradled his head in her arms, trying desperately to keep her composure.

As Dr. Dane was climbing in beside them, Loretta stroked her dear husband’s gray face. “You’ll be fine, sweetheart.” Her voice cracked with emotion as she added, “Dr. Dane will take good care of you.”

Big tears filled her eyes. She wiped them away with the palm of her hand, and while Dr. Dane put the horse to a fast trot, Loretta continued speaking comforting words to her husband.

One of the men in the crowd stepped up to Dr. Jacob Logan and said, “Do you doctors ever have a day of rest?”

Jacob managed a weak smile. “Once in a while, Ralph.”

Ralph shook his head while others looked on. “I don’t know how you do it. There isn’t enough money in the world to make me want to be a doctor.”

Jacob’s smile widened. “It isn’t money, Ralph. It’s a certain something the Lord puts in a man’s makeup that drives him to be a physician. There is a deep-seated desire to save lives and help people who are sick or injured to be cured. Our satisfaction comes when we accomplish this.”

A middle-aged woman in the crowd said, “God bless you, Dr. Logan Somehow I have a feeling that your son is going to save Walt Minard’s life.”

Dr. Jacob grinned and nodded. “My son has already saved many a life in the few months he has been my partner, Mrs. Scully.”

In a matter of a few minutes, Dr. Dane Logan pulled the wagon to a halt near the front door of Cheyenne’s Memorial Hospital. He hopped out and lifted Walt into his arms.

Loretta climbed down quickly and was on the doctor’s heels as he headed for the front door.

When they moved into the lobby, he turned and said over his shoulder, “The receptionist over there at the desk will need to get some information from you. Then please sit down here in the waiting area. I’ll check back with you as soon as possible.”

Loretta nodded. “Yes, Doctor. Thank you.”

She then looked at her husband’s colorless face and stroked it. “I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you too,” breathed Walt.

Dr. Dane adjusted Walt in his arms and gave Loretta an assuring look. “Talk to you soon.” With that, he hurried across the lobby, moved through the double doors that led into the corridor, and disappeared.

T
he sun had just set over the towering Rocky Mountains west of Denver as Chief U.S. Marshal John Brockman and Wally Talbot rode south on Broadway side by side. John was riding his faithful black gelding, Ebony, and Wally was riding the bay gelding he had rented at Denver’s Black Saddle Stable for the ride to Central City.

“Wally,” said John, “I’m sorry about the delay at the office. I didn’t mean to keep you waiting, but the deputy who came in at the last minute with the outlaw he had been trailing needed to give me his verbal report.”

Wally smiled at him. “Hey, Chief, it’s all right. I understand. I didn’t mind waiting.”

They were nearing the edge of town. John adjusted himself in the saddle. “I hope Breanna has gone ahead and started supper. She’s used to my being late like this. In my business, I never know what will happen next.”

Wally chuckled. “I can imagine that, Chief.”

Soon they were out of town and approaching the fork in the road. As John took the fork to the right, Wally said, “Pretty country out here. How much land do you have on your place?”

“Six acres. Just enough to give us some open space around the
house and barn. Let’s pick up the pace a bit.” As he spoke, he put Ebony to a fast trot, and Wally made his horse keep up.

Moments later, they were riding alongside a small creek that was lined with cottonwood trees. The creek ran all the way into the mountains, sided by a trail on its other side. John thought of the many times he and Breanna had ridden their horses together into the mountains, following the trail and the creek.