Tabitha (17 page)

“Of course! Please do.”

“I would like to suggest that before you retire each night,
you lay this dream of nursing children before the Lord. Tell him how you desire
to serve him in the capacity of a nurse. Then lay your worries before him. Scripture
admonishes us as Christians to
cast your care upon him, for he cares for you
.
If our great God wishes you to serve him in nursing, then will he not empower
you to do what he has called you to?”

Claire’s eyes brimmed with tears. “That is it, exactly. I
must give my nursing to him—if my call is
his
call, then I cannot fail.
Thank you.”

“Shall we pray before you go, Miss Silverstine?”

“Oh, yes.”

They bent their heads together and lifted their concerns to
God. As they finished, Tabitha prayed aloud, “Lord, in all things, we are
yours. You have promised peace to us who keep our minds stayed upon you. Thank
you for good sleep for Claire this very night. We pray in the name of Jesus,
your Son and our Savior. Amen.”

The following week, Tabitha nodded as Cathy Worth took the
seat beside her in their shared class. “Good morning.”

“’Morning.” Cathy hid a yawn behind her hand.

Doctor Cranston called for attention. “Gentlemen.
And
ladies
. If you would be so good as to follow me, we will make rounds. This
morning I will demonstrate the practice of debridement on a particularly
interesting case.”

He opened the classroom door and the students filed out
behind him. They crossed the campus mall in groups of two or three and entered
the hospital through the back entrance. Tabitha and Cathy brought up the rear
of the line of students.

The patient in question had a severe case of cellulitis (a
bacterial skin infection) within the dermis of his calf. Tabitha slanted her
eyes at the young, inexperienced medical students and was amused to note their
horrified or disgusted expressions—and more than a few swallows of nausea.

“We must remove the necrotized tissue to prevent gangrene,
gentlemen. Who will volunteer to assist me?”

“I will, doctor.” Cathy Worth and Tabitha had spoken at
once.

Doctor Cranston frowned at the two women but nodded. “Very
well. Miss Hale, please assist.”

By that, Tabitha knew he meant her to assist him as a
nurse
,
the proper woman’s role. She was astounded when Cathy suggested, “Perhaps Miss
Hale could assist me, sir?”

Doctor Cranston, still frowning, sputtered, “Really! I
wonder that you have the skill for this delicate of a procedure, Miss Worth.”

“My father is a physician. I have done such a procedure
under his tutelage several times, doctor.” Cathy was respectful and
matter-of-fact, and Tabitha admired her even more for her composure.

Under the disapproving glare of some of their classmates,
Cathy and Tabitha worked together to debride and clean the patient’s infected
calf. Tabitha assisted Cathy as she would any other doctor, but she also spoke
as they worked, providing a running commentary for the rest of the class,
describing the instruments and steps as Cathy performed them.

When she happened to look up, she was gratified to see that
the male students were too engrossed in the procedure to be shooting Cathy and
Tabitha dirty looks. Even Doctor Cranston nodded in grudging approval as Cathy
and Tabitha finished up.

“Well! Hmm. Just so. Very good, Miss Worth, Miss Hale.”
Clearing his throat he addressed the male students. “It seems that Miss Worth
and Miss Hale have established the standard you must come up to, gentlemen. See
that you do.”

Tabitha was pleased to see the male students studying Cathy,
some with respect, a few with guarded speculation. Cathy and Tabitha exchanged
careful glances, and neither of them changed expressions, but Tabitha sighed
with relief and pleasure.

It was a good day. It would be a good year, too.

~~**~~

Tabitha peeked out from behind the heavy velvet curtain and
scanned the packed auditorium. The room was too full for her to be able to
locate her friends, but she knew they were there.

Today was the day. After all of her hard work, she was, at
last, finishing nursing school. For a moment she allowed the accusations,
harassment, and intimidation of her second and third year of school to intrude.
Then she set them aside and closed the door on that difficult period. For good.

I have no room in my heart for the pain or offenses of
the past
, she told herself.
Today is for celebrating. Today I am
graduating!

“And not at the bottom of your class, either, Tabs,” she
whispered. No, the extra year she spent tutoring and coaching and the extra
year of increasing responsibilities had honed her own knowledge and nursing
skills. She held the second rank in today’s graduating class.

O Lord! You always work things around for my good—and for
your glory
, she rejoiced.

She walked toward her place in the line, passing Claire as
she did so. Claire was toward the head of the line, one of the undergrads
carrying the school’s banner. They grinned at each other before Tabitha slid
into her position in line and settled.

All the graduating nurses were dressed in their best
uniforms and capes. They had arranged their hair to receive the caps that would
be placed upon their heads in this solemn ceremony—caps with the wide black
bands signifying their status as nurses.

Strains of “Land of Hope and Glory,” a march that was
becoming the standard for commencements, filled the hall. The line began to
move.

Dean Gunderson smiled into Tabitha’s eyes when she pinned
the cap on Tabitha’s head and placed the pin in her palm. “Well done, Nurse
Hale,” she whispered.

Tabitha thought her heart would burst.
Oh, thank you,
Lord! Thank you for this dream becoming a reality,
she sang within herself.
Truly, you have given me beauty for ashes and turned my mourning into joy
.

When the ceremony ended, the graduates filed from the hall
and waited on the lawn for their families to join them. Tabitha did not have to
wait long before Rose, Joy, and Breona enveloped her in their arms.

“’Twas easy findin’ ye in th’ crowd,” Breona grinned, “yer
hair bein’ a beacon fer us, so t’ speak!” She and Tabitha hugged with the
fierce love and respect they shared.

“Oh, my dear, we are so proud,” Rose murmured into her ear.
“Everyone from home sends their congratulations—but of course you shall see
them all soon and they will be able to tell you themselves.”

“We are going to have a
very
large party for you when
we get back home,” Joy added as she hugged Tabitha. Tabitha was pleased to see
Joy looking so well, so rested. And then she spied Edmund O’Dell standing not
far away.

“Why, Mr. O’Dell! I must say I am surprised to see you! I am
delighted, of course, but I cannot believe you came all this way just for my—”
Tabitha’s words were cut short as she watched Joy slip her arm into O’Dell’s.
They looked into each other’s faces and smiled, then smiled together at
Tabitha, both a little self-conscious.

“Well! What is this?” Tabitha demanded.

She would have put her hands on her hips, but Breona and
Rose each took one of Tabitha’s arms and began pulling her away, steering her
through the crowd.

“That, my dear Tabitha,” Rose chuckled, “is an engagement.”

Tabitha craned her head around to stare at the moonstruck
couple who were following behind. “An engagement! Oh, my!”

“Yis,” Breona laughed. “’tis weddin’ bells in January we’ll
b’ hearin’!”

“Oh, but I am so happy for them!”

Tabitha wanted to stop and offer them her congratulations.
She tried to turn, but Rose and Breona would not release her arms. They seemed
intent on pulling her along toward an unseen destination.

“Why, Miss Rose, where are we going at such a fast clip? And
Breona, did you come without your husband?”

Rose and Breona only laughed and would not answer. They
steered Tabitha with a determined purpose toward the street until Tabitha saw a
familiar automobile ahead of them and the happy, smiling faces of Carpenter and
Banks standing on the curb.

Carpenter’s arms held a wealth of flowers enveloped in
tissue paper. He walked the last few steps to greet her. “Congratulations,
Tabs,” he whispered.

As he placed the flowers in her arms, their sweet and heady
fragrance flooded Tabitha’s senses. She inhaled deeply and reveled in the
splendor of dark rose and blushing pink stargazer lilies, white Easter lilies,
and the delicate tendrils of white spider chrysanthemums nestled in a bed of
green fronds.

“Thank you, Mr. Carpenter,” she whispered back. They stared
at each other for a long moment and then he bent toward her and placed a chaste
kiss upon her cheek.

“I am so very, very proud of you, Tabs.”

Tabitha flushed with pleasure. “I value your esteem more
than you know, Mr. Carpenter.” She looked past him toward the grinning Banks
and waggled her fingers at him. He rocked back on his heels and grinned larger.

“I have a bit of a surprise for you, Tabs,” Carpenter added.
He looked down. “I hope you will not be too shocked; I pray you will receive my
gift in the spirit of true friendship.”

Tabitha’s brows arched. “Shocked?”

He nodded, first at her and then, turning to Banks, nodded
at him. Banks opened the door of the car and handed out a faded middle-aged
woman from the back seat. She was followed by a stooped, gray-headed man whom
Banks assisted to stand.

The couple was dressed modestly; they seemed overwhelmed,
though, out of their depth—until the woman caught sight of Tabitha. Her tired
face lit with joy.

“Mama?” Tabitha said the word before her mind could grasp
it. Images from her childhood flooded in—she and her mother pumping water and
gathering eggs together, her mother’s face singing over her at bedtime.

“Mama?” She tore her eyes from the woman and fastened them
on the man. “Papa?”

They started toward her, her father leaning heavily upon
Banks. Tabitha shoved the flowers at Carpenter and ran to meet them.

“And once again . . . I am only chopped
liver,” he muttered, but his eyes misted over as he said it. With glad satisfaction
he watched Tabitha and her mother embrace and then Tabitha take her father’s
hand, kiss its palm, and press it to her cheek.

Rose Thoresen placed her hand upon Carpenter’s arm. “Well
done, Mr. Carpenter. I have prayed for God’s timing for this reunion. Thank
you.”

He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and included
Breona as she drew near and put her arm about Rose’s waist. “Her father is not
well, I am afraid. I had not realized it until they arrived. I took him ’round
straightaway to my doctor. He prescribed a medication that makes his chest
easier, but . . .”

He shook his head. “I am glad they are here, that Tabitha
will have some time with them.”

“Will they stay, do you think?” Rose asked. “Will they stay
in Denver to be near her?”

He shook his head. “I think not. Tabitha may be able to
persuade them otherwise, but they insisted to me that they will remain a
fortnight and then return to their farm.”

Joy and O’Dell came close to hear their conversation. “Are
those Tabitha’s parents, Mama?” Joy asked.

“Yes. Mr. Carpenter brought them here from Texas as a
surprise for Tabitha.”

“Oh, my!” Joy did not want to stare at the tearful scene
taking place a few yards away. She stole another hasty look and turned her back
to them.

Rose asked, “Could we make up a room for them at Palmer
House, Breona? What do you think, Joy? Tabitha will want them near her during
their visit.”

“Yis, a’course,” Breona agreed. Joy nodded, too.

“Then we would love to have them at Palmer House the
remainder of their stay,” Rose suggested to Carpenter.

“That would be the best arrangement for Tabitha,” he
admitted. “Yes. If they are willing, I will have Banks move their belongings
tomorrow—not that they brought much with them.”

Breona noticed a young girl watching Tabitha and her
parents. The girl was slight, pale and fair. A wistful expression played over
her face.

“Ah. One moment, if ye please,” she said to her friends. She
marched over to the girl.

“Hallo. Air ye bein’ Miss Tabitha’s friend, Claire?”

The girl started and then smiled. “Yes. Tabitha and I are
friends from school. And you are?”

“M’ name tis bein’ Breona Carmichael.” Breona flashed a grin
at the girl and offered her hand. “Ony friend o’ Tabitha ist a friend o’ mine.”

“Breona! She has told me so much about you! I am Claire
Silverstine.”

“Aye, an’ Claire tis bein’ a foine Irish name!” Breona
chortled. “Coome, Claire. Coome meet Tabitha’s other friends, eh?”

Breona escorted Claire over to Carpenter, Rose, Joy, and
O’Dell and made introductions.

“You did not graduate this year?” Joy asked when names and
pleasantries had been exchanged.

“No, Tabitha is a year ahead of me,” Claire replied. “I
should have graduated this year, but I had to interrupt my studies for a year
over health reasons. When I returned to school I was still a bit weak and
sluggish. Tabitha befriended me and helped me to regain my footing and go
forward at a steady pace.”

She shrugged, that gesture a little sad. “I shall miss her
dreadfully now that she has finished. But I shall graduate next year, God
willing,”

“In the three and a half years Tabitha has been at this
school, you are the only real friend she made,” Rose murmured. “When she told
us about you in her letters, we loved you from afar.” She took Claire’s hands
and squeezed them. Joy and Breona added their agreement.

“Do all of you live at Palmer House?” the girl asked.
“Tabitha has told me so much about it. She considers you her family.”

“Mr. O’Dell and Mr. Carpenter do not live at Palmer House, of
course,” Joy replied. “Breona did live at Palmer House. She is still our
housekeeper, but she is a married woman now, and lives with her husband, Isaac
Carmichael. Mr. Carmichael is our pastor,” Joy added.

Soon Tabitha waved them over and introduced her parents to
them.

“And this is my dear friend, Claire,” she told her mother.

Tabitha’s mother shook Claire’s hand, bobbed her head, but
said nothing. It was obvious to all that she was more than a little overcome.

“Tabitha, perhaps we should have something to eat and then
get on the road,” Carpenter suggested.

“Yes. I am all packed.”

“If you will lead the way, Banks and I will bring down your
things and put them into the trunk. And perhaps Miss Silverstine would
accompany us to lunch?”

“Are you able to come, Claire?” Tabitha asked, glowing with
the happiness of this day.

“Oh, yes! I would love to. The term is over and I am on
furlough now.” She made a little face. “Able to leave campus without
permission, you know.”

“Excellent,” Carpenter proclaimed.

They filled a long table at a local tea room and ordered
soup, a selection of sandwiches, and cake. Tabitha seated her mother on one
side of her and Claire on the other. Carpenter seated Tabitha’s father across
from his wife and daughter and took the seat next to him.

Tabitha could scarcely believe she was surrounded by so many
of her loved ones. She kept glancing at Joy and O’Dell, watching how they
tipped their heads toward each other when speaking. She sighed in contentment.
Their
new love is so beautiful, Lord
.

“Tabitha,” her mother asked, “what will ya do now that ya
are a real nurse?”

Tabitha smiled. “There is a position waiting for me at the
hospital in Denver, but I have a month’s holiday before I start. I hardly know
how I shall spend an entire month, though. I have not had any time for my own
devices in three years.” She laughed and the others joined her.

“What kind of nursing will you be doing when you take up
your position?” Rose asked.

“Ah. I will be working in the hospital’s emergency services to
begin with. However, I have a keen desire to work in public health, in disease
prevention. When a suitable position in public health nursing opens, I hope to
be accepted.”

“And you, Miss Silverstine? What kind of nursing appeals to
you?” Rose asked.

Claire ducked her head. “I love working with children,
ma’am. I hope to do private pediatric nursing when I graduate.”

“What will you do over your furlough?” Joy inquired. “Where
do you call home?”

“I am from a little farming community in Wyoming, ma’am,” Claire
replied. “My brother will be here tomorrow to fetch me home.”

A
fter lunch,
the group sorted themselves into the two vehicles—Rose, Breona, Joy, and O’Dell
in one automobile; Carpenter, Claire, Tabitha, and her parents in the other.

When Banks assisted Claire to disembark at her dormitory,
Tabitha got out with her and they embraced.

“I shall miss you so much, Tabitha,” Claire whispered.

“Until we meet again, sister of my heart,” Tabitha murmured
in return. “Remember to write?”

“I shall,” Claire promised.

The thirty-mile drive from Boulder to Denver took three
hours and involved one changed tire. “Someday the roads will allow us to travel
at higher speeds and someone will invent automobile tires that do not blow out
over every little rock or hole in the road,” Carpenter groused amiably. In a
soft voice he added, “In any event, I shall be glad not to make this tedious
drive again for a time.”

“Not as glad as I shall be,” Tabitha laughed in whispered
response. “I do not care to
ever
make this journey again!”