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Chapter Six The night wore on, and Michaela couldn’t help but lose hope of saving her patient with each hour that passed. It had to be close to midnight already, and she was surprised that Hank and Robert E. were still there at the barber’s bedside. Loren had even woken to Hank and Robert E.’s commotion and come across town to sit with Jake. Michaela had first thought it was alcohol poisoning that lead to the coma, but with further examination, she knew for certain that Jake’s fall had caused something even more serious that wasn’t detectable on the surface. “What’s wrong with ‘im?” Hank asked. Michaela had the serious urge to give him a good tongue-lashing. She was curious as to why he trusted her with his friend all of a sudden, but then again, there weren’t any other doctors around. He had probably thought she was the best thing next to nothing. “Yeah, Dr. Mike. Why ain’t he wakin’ up?” Loren wondered. Michaela took a deep breath as she checked Jake’s contracted pupils. “I believe there is a sub cranial compression,” she started and saw the confused looks on the men’s faces, “a bruise upon his brain. I believe that when he fell from the stairs, he hit his head in a way that it formed a bruise and a collection of blood inside of his brain.” “A bruise on the inside of his brain? That don’t make no sense,” Hank said, waving his hand to dismiss the doctor’s diagnosis. Loren decided not to let it go that easily though. “How do ya fix it?” “I believe there is a technique that enables me to drill inside of his head and release the pressure.” “You believe?” Hank asked. “What is it with all this talk ‘bout believin’? Ya either know or ya don’t know!” Michaela swallowed hard after Hank’s outburst. “I’ve never done this procedure before, but I have witnessed it, assisted in it, and learned a great deal.” “What’s the chance that he’ll wake up?” Michaela swallowed hard. She didn’t want to instill false hopes, and she couldn’t tell them bad news when she wasn’t for certain what the outcome would be. Michaela shook her head. “I’m not sure,” she whispered. “Just great. I knew we shoulda taken him over to Denver.” “It’s a good thing you brought him here,” Michaela noted. “He wouldn’t have survived that trip.” “How do ya know?” “All of that jostling in the wagon? It would have caused a stroke, and he would have probably died. At least here he’s comfortable.” “Well, how long do ya gotta wait to do the surgery?” Loren asked. Hank stood up. “Wait a minute! Jake wouldn’t want no woman cuttin’ on him, ‘specially when she don’t know what the hell she’s doin’!” Hank pointed out angrily. Michaela continued on despite the bartender’s assumptions. “There is a small chance that he could wake within the next forty-eight hours. But, I don’t think it’s best to wait that long. The longer I wait to relieve the compression, the chance for his waking up decreases more and more until there isn’t a chance he’ll ever recover.” Robert E. finally spoke after his silence. “What do you think’s best, Dr. Mike?” “I think the best thing to do is wait until sunrise. If there is no improvement in his condition, I think that attempting the procedure would be Jake’s best bet.” Hank shook his head. “Well, Robert E., ya best get over and start buildin’ a coffin. Looks like we’re gonna have a funeral.” He stared at the doctor who was at a loss for words. She couldn’t attempt a rebuttal on her own behalf when she didn’t know for certain if Jake was going to live or die. “Oh, don’t say that,” Loren warned. “What if he can hear ya!” “If he can hear us, then he ain’t gonna be too happy that we brought him here if he wakes up,” Hank grumbled. “That’s a big ‘if’.” Hank got up and walked off. Robert E. stood. He looked at Dr. Mike. “I’m real sorry, but I gotta be getting home to Grace. She was feelin’ poorly this afternoon, and I probably ought to be there in case she wakes and needs somethin’.” “It’s alright, Robert E. Thank you for helping Hank bring Mr. Slicker to me.” Robert E. nodded. Before he left, he swallowed hard. “I hope he gets better. Lord knows Jake ain’t always done right by most folks in town, includin’ me, but nobody should have to go through what he’s goin’ through now.” Robert E. left, and Michaela felt herself becoming exhausted. She hadn’t slept, and in a few hours, she would have been up for an entire twenty-four hours. She had gone three days without a wink of sleep before, but it seemed to be much more difficult now. Loren saw the exhausted woman sit down upon a chair near Jake’s bedside. He saw that her eyelids were heavy, and though he wasn’t quite sure he approved of the way she had decided to go in life by becoming a doctor, he couldn’t neglect the fact that she was a lady who deserved to be treated as a lady should be. He stood up. “Dr. Mike? Why don’t ya go lay down? Ya look awful tired.” Michaela looked up at the old man, and she noticed the concern in his eyes. “I’ll sit with Jake and let ya know if anything changes.” “Oh, you don’t have to. I’m perfectly fine.” “Ya don’t look it.” She knew he meant no offense by that comment. “Go on. Go get some rest.” “What about you?” “Don’t mind me. I took a nap this afternoon when business was slow.” He chuckled a bit, and Michaela smiled thankfully at him. “Maybe just for a little while.” Loren nodded, and Michaela checked her patient one last time before starting down the hall toward her room to get a little shuteye. *~* Sully woke to hear two little feet scuffling around quietly on the floor of the homestead. He opened his eyes to see Matthew walking toward the door. Colleen was still sleeping soundly in her bed, as was little Brian, so Sully was naturally curious as to why his oldest son was up and about at such an hour. “Matthew?” Matthew froze in his tracks with his hand on the door handle. He turned to face his father’s bed. “Pa, I . . .” the boy whispered. “Where do ya think you’re goin’ so late?” Sully wondered. Matthew chewed on his bottom lip, trying to think of a good excuse. “Matthew?” “Well, I was goin’ out to use the outhouse,” Matthew said, proud to have thought of an excuse so quickly. “Ya did that two hours ago,” Sully remembered. “I gotta go again,” Matthew replied. “Ya know I don’t like it when ya fib.” Matthew nodded. “So, what were ya doin’ sneakin’ outta the house at this hour?” Matthew sighed heavily and walked over to Sully’s bed. He leaned against it, propping his elbows on the mattress. “I wanted to go see Dr. Mike.” “What?” Sully saw his son’s cheeks growing red even in the pale moonlight that filtered in through the window. “Colleen said she had a bad dream one night, and Dr. Mike made her feel better again.” “Did ya have a bad dream?” Matthew nodded sheepishly. “Well, ya shoulda said somethin’, son.” He scooted over and patted the bed. Matthew climbed in to sit beside his father. “I didn’t wanna wake ya up.” “Well, ya don’t gotta go all the way into town to see Dr. Mike when ya have a bad dream, and ya know what?” “What?” “If ya ever have a bad dream, don’t worry. I ain’t gonna get mad at ya.” “Ya won’t?” “Nope. Remember when you and your brother and sister moved in? Remember how ya had bad dreams every night?” Matthew nodded. “Did I get mad then?” The boy shook his head. “And I ain’t mad now. What did ya dream about?” “It wasn’t really a dream. I was rememberin’.” “Rememberin’ what?” Sully wondered. Matthew’s face grew sad, and Sully pulled the boy into his lap. “Tell me.” “I was rememberin’ when my ma died.” “Oh,” Sully replied quietly. “Well, that’s probably somethin’ ya won’t ever forget, Matthew.” “I wish I could.” “I know, son. But, it’ll get easier over time. It might not get easier to think about, but it’ll be easier to deal with.” “Promise?” Sully smiled at his son and nodded as he pat him on the back. “Promise.” “Pa?” “Yeah?” “Tell me a story.” Sully thought for a moment. “What kinda story?” “Hmm,” Matthew pondered. “Tell me one ‘bout Dr. Mike.” Sully felt his heart skip a beat at the mere mention of the beautiful woman doctor. “I don’t know any stories ‘bout Dr. Mike,” Sully pointed out. Matthew yawned and leaned his head on his father’s chest. “So? Make one up. Please?” “Alright,” Sully replied, clearing his throat and coughing dryly. “You’re stallin’, Pa,” Matthew complained tiredly. Sully chuckled. Matthew was a clever little fellow! “C’mon. Make it a real good one!” “Okay. Let’s see,” Sully began. “Once, there was a real pretty little girl named Dr. Mike.” “No, Pa, she wouldn’t have been Dr. Mike when she was a little girl,” Matthew noted with a yawn. “Ha, ya caught me!” Sully replied. “Once there was a little girl named Michaela.” “Ya forgot ‘real pretty,’” Matthew remembered. “Who’s tellin’ the story?” Sully asked as he tickled his son. Matthew giggled quietly as not to wake his younger siblings. “Alright. Ready?” “Yup,” Matthew answered, closing his eyes. “Once there was a real pretty little girl named Michaela. She grew up in a big house in Boston where she knew from the time she was real young that she wanted to be a doctor. One day, when she was older, she graduated from medical school and started workin’ with her Pa at a hospital in Boston. She didn’t have lots of friends, but she and her Pa were real close. And one day, she got a telegram from the Reverend in a little town in the Colorado Territory.” “What’d it say?” Matthew asked sleepily. “It said that the people in Colorado Springs needed a good doctor real quick. So, Dr. Mike grabbed her medical bag, and she headed out West. When she got there, lots of folks were happy that she was there, ‘specially the ladies. But, some folks didn’t like the fact that she was a doctor and a lady at the same time. On that same day, the lady came out to visit a family who had a sick little baby. The Pa was so happy that the doctor helped his baby that he invited her for dinner. Over a week’s time, the Pa and Dr. Mike became friends.” He noticed that Matthew had fallen right to sleep, he smiled. “And they lived happily ever after,” he finished in a whisper. He got out of bed and carried the sleeping boy back to his own bed, and by the time Sully got back to sleep, dreams of the proper Boston doctor filled his head yet again. *~* Michaela woke to the sound of a soft knock on her bedroom door. It was just past dawn, and she realized that she had slept longer than she had originally intended to. She climbed off of the bed, still wearing her clothes from the day before and opened the door. Loren stood there, wringing his hands together nervously. “What is it, Loren?” she asked worriedly. “There ain’t been no change, but I gotta get across the street to the store so Maude don’t have to do everything by herself. I just wanted to let ya know.” Michaela nodded. “Thank you Loren.” “I’ll be back later to check on Jake.” Michaela nodded again, and after Loren had left, she walked down the hall to the room where Jake Slicker still lay in a coma. She checked his vitals, and Loren was right. There hadn’t been any change since Hank and Robert E. brought him in. She shook her head, not knowing what she was supposed to do. If she operated now, he could die on the table and there would be nothing else she could do. But, if she waited, he would surely die anyway. She realized that she was choosing the lesser of two evils: Waiting for a certain death or attempting a procedure she had never done before. Just as she was walking downstairs to prepare the surgical equipment, the front door opened and Horace came rushing in. “Dr. Mike! Dr. Mike, are ya here?!” Michaela appeared from upstairs and grabbed her medical bag. “Dr. Mike! It’s Myra! She’s hurtin’ awful bad!” Horace watched as Michaela grabbed several towels and blankets, and followed the telegraph operator to his and Myra’s home behind the telegraph office. Myra was writhing with pain in the bed, grasping her pregnant belly. “Alright, Myra,” Michaela said with a positive smile as she entered the room. “Horace, would you care to wait outside?” Horace nodded nervously and closed the door to the bedroom as he left, calling to Myra with reassuring words that didn’t seen to help the young woman one tiny bit. “It hurts!” Myra cried, gripping her belly. “Dr. Mike!” “Alright,” Michaela soothed. “It’s going to be alright, Myra.” She called out into the hall. “Horace! Go find Grace!” Horace’s heavy footsteps were heard running from the building. Michaela turned her attention back to Myra. “It’s going to be alright, Myra.” She smiled and wiped the sweat from the young woman’s brow. “Oh God! Why does it hurt so much?!” Myra screamed. Michaela moved to examine the young woman and was surprised to see that the baby’s head was already crowning. “Myra, how long have you been in labor?” “A little while,” she admitted between the pains. “But they didn’t get real bad ‘til just before Horace came after ya.” Michaela nodded and swallowed hard. “Why?!” “Because I can see the baby’s head, and you’re ready to push!” Michaela replied quickly. Just then, Grace burst into the room. As Myra groaned in pain, Michaela instructed Grace. Considering the fact that Grace had given birth to three children, Michaela was fairly certain that she would be of some help to poor Myra. “Alright, Myra,” Grace said soothingly. She smiled at the young woman and began placing towels on Myra’s belly and chest to receive the baby in. “Just breathe and focus on pushin’ that baby into the world.” “Myra, when I tell you, I want you to push as hard as you can, alright?” Myra nodded nervously, and Michaela instructed her. “Push!” Myra pushed with all of the strength she had in her body, and the baby began to make its way into the world. “Good! Now stop pushing for a moment. The head is just about out. Good!” Myra panted as the contraction wore off for a moment. “I don’t think ya really understand just how much this hurts! Ohhhhhhh!” She moaned in pain again, and Grace helped Michaela to bring Myra’s knees and legs back to support her pushes. “Believe me, Myra, I understand,” Grace said, momentarily reliving the three painful births she had gone through in the past five years with Robert Jr., Thomas and little Anthony. “No! I don’t think ya do!” Myra cried out. Michaela readied a pair of scissors to cut the cord with, and as soon as Myra and Horace’s baby was pushed into the world, his cord was cut, and he was wrapped up and placed in Myra’s arms. “Congratulations!” Michaela exclaimed. “You have a healthy little boy!” Myra began to weep with happiness as her baby took his first breath and let out his first cry. Grace watched on with tears in her eyes, reliving the beautiful, glorious moments directly after the births of each of her boys. And just as she’d remembered happening for herself, Myra seemed to forget about all of the pain she’d gone through as she looked at her son for the first time. Michaela cleaned Myra up as Grace took the baby for his first washing. Myra couldn’t help but continue to cry as her son cried across the room. Horace was about to go crazy out in the hallway, but Michaela would deliver the news to him soon enough. She knew that just hearing the cries would be a sign to him that everything was alright. Soon, mother and child were reunited, and Michaela and Grace were gathering up the dirty towels and blankets. “He’s beautiful, Myra,” Michaela whispered. “Shall I go tell Horace?” “Oh!” Myra exclaimed with wide eyes. “He’s gotta be burstin’ at the seams already!” Michaela grinned, and she and Grace journeyed out into the hallway. Horace was leaning against the wall for support. “How’s Myra?” he asked immediately. “Your wife and child are both perfectly healthy,” Michaela said with a smile. “I can’t believe it went so fast! Most first time mothers have a very long labor and delivery.” “So, I’m a pa?” he asked with wide eyes. Michaela nodded. “Yes. Congratulations, Horace!” Out of excitement, Horace grabbed both Michaela and Grace and hugged them at the same time. “Oh!” he exclaimed, breaking away. “Is it a boy or a girl?” “You have a little boy,” Michaela replied, patting his shoulder. Horace looked as if he’d stopped breathing. All of his life, he’d wanted a son, and now he had one! He stumbled into the bedroom, and Michaela and Grace both looked at each other and laughed happily. “I’m so happy for ‘em,” Grace said as she and Michaela made their way across the street to the clinic with the dirty towels and blankets. “Every time I help bring a new life into the world,” Michaela began with a dream look in her eyes, “I just get this incredible feeling of happiness and fulfillment. It makes me feel as if everything is right with the world.” “Well, from what I’ve seen, Dr. Mike, you’re a good doctor. Don’t ever let nobody tell you no different.” *~* At around noon, Michaela had already cleaned herself up after delivering Myra and Horace’s son, whom they had named Samuel Horace Bing. She was feeling refreshed, but quite nervous considering the fact that she was about to attempt a surgery that she had never performed before. She was tired despite the few hours of sleep she had gotten earlier that morning, but she had to keep a steady hand during the surgery. Sully hadn’t come into town that day, and Michaela figured that was for the best, seeing as she found it difficult to concentrate when he was around, though she didn’t want to admit it to herself. It was best that she have a clear head and concentrate on getting Jake through the surgery and out of his coma. Reverend Johnson was sitting with Michaela. He had promised to be there to pray for Jake during the surgery, and since Michaela needed an extra pair of hands to administer the chloroform, she had invited him to sit inside. He hadn’t been sure of it at first, but he knew that Jake’s physical and spiritual needs needed to be cared for at the same time. Meanwhile, outside, several concerned citizens were gathered out on the clinic porch to wait out Jake’s surgery. Hank was silently taking bets on whether or not Jake would die under the lady doctor’s knife. He, of course, was betting against Jake’s favor, though he didn’t want his friend to die. He just wanted to cause a stir amongst the crowd. As Sully pulled the wagon into town, he noticed several folks gathered outside of the clinic. His first assumption was that something bad had happened to Michaela. He helped the kids out of the wagon and carried Brain toward the group while Matthew and Colleen ran ahead. Grace and Robert E. came walking over with their boys. “What’s goin’ on?” Sully wondered. “Jake’s havin’ surgery,” Robert E. pointed out. “Dr. Mike’s cuttin’ on his brain.” Grace looked down at her two oldest sons. “Boys, why don’t ya both go play with Colleen and Matthew?” “Okay Ma,” the two replied together. The hurried over while Grace adjusted Anthony on her hip. “Apparently he fell when he was drunk and hit his head. She said somethin’ ‘bout a bruise in his brain,” Robert E. pointed out. “He ain’t woke up since me and Hank found ‘im last night.” “Sure looks like they’re gonna be in there for a while,” Grace pointed out. “The Reverend’s in there with her, and he’s prayin’ for Jake.” Sully nodded. “Dr. Mike’s a good doctor,” Sully said quietly. “If anyone can help Jake, she can.” Grace and Robert E. went on toward the crowd, and when Sully saw Matthew and Colleen playing with Robert Jr. and Thomas on the porch of the mercantile, he decided that he’d stick around until the surgery was over. He was sure Michaela would need a friend after performing such a seemingly difficult operation. As he walked over to sit on a bench outside of the telegraph office to keep an eye on the children and the goings on at the clinic, he bounced little Brian on his knee and tried to keep himself busy. It wasn’t long before Abagail Bray came strolling along wearing her nicest Sunday dress. She had actually seen Sully, run upstairs and changed into the dress as quickly as she possibly could. “Afternoon, Sully,” she said with a smile. “Mind if I sit down for a spell? It’s awful hot today.” “Go ahead,” Sully replied, scooting over to make room for the young girl. She smiled at him before she decided to be a bit bolder. “Ya know, my Ma and Pa are plannin’ on sendin’ me off to college in three weeks,” Abagail started. “So I heard.” She sighed when it sounded as if he had no interest in whether or not she stayed or went. “It’ll be good for ya.” “But I’d rather stay here. I always figured I’d settle down and get married after I got done with my schoolin’ here in town. I always thought it’d be nice to have lots of children right away.” “Well, maybe if ya go to college, you can meet somebody. I ain’t seen ya take any of the fellas at your school’s offers for courtin’.” “Oh, they’re just boys,” Abagail said quietly. “They ain’t grown up or even men yet.” Sully grinned at Brian as the baby made a funny noise. Abagail tried to keep her nerves steady, but they were wearing thin. She scooted closer to Sully, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Well, ya never know, Abagail,” Sully said, clearing his throat. “Maybe ya might go off and do somethin’ real special with your life. Look at Dr. Mike. She’s proof that there’s more to life than just getting married and havin’ kids. She’s a doctor, and I gotta say that goin’ through all she went through to get where she is today is somethin’ to admire.” Abagail felt jealousy seeping through her veins once again. What was so special about Dr. Mike? Sure, she was a doctor, but what could she possibly offer Sully? “Well, maybe I ain’t as perfect as Dr. Mike,” Abagail replied, standing up irately. Sully looked up at her as she crossed her arms across her chest. “Somethin’ botherin’ ya, Abagail?” he wondered. She shook her head. “I didn’t mean for that to sound bad. Nobody’s perfect though. I ain’t perfect. You ain’t perfect. Dr. Mike ain’t either.” “Well, ya don’t gotta go ‘round actin’ like she’s better than everybody else just ‘cause she’s from Boston!” Abagail replied before she stormed off toward the mercantile. “I’m not . . .” Sully began to call after her. But, Brian began to cry, and he knew it was time for a changing. So, without a second thought, he took Brian back to the wagon where he could change his diaper. Meanwhile, an infuriated Abagail stormed up to her bedroom and threw herself onto her bed. It wasn’t fair! It just wasn’t fair. She hated the fact that she wasn’t the one that Sully admired. Suddenly, she hated being from Colorado Springs. She wished she’d been born in Boston. Maybe then Sully would love her. Was that what it took? If being a proper lady like Dr. Mike was what it took, then, Abagail decided, that was exactly what she was going to be. |
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