Frontier Medicine – Part 1 – The Arrival of Doctor Zorel.
This story was inspired by "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman". I've been watching the heck out of those reruns lately. Lol.
Dedicated to Kellsbells and everyone else who has supported my writing for so long!
The stagecoach from Helena rattled and bumped its way along the rugged, dusty streets of Rocky Road City, Montana, the clattering of its wheels bringing people out onto the wooden sidewalks to see if anyone interesting was arriving from the state capital. The stage only came once per week and it was always a grand sight, even if the folks in it were just passing through.
But this time, the sole occupant of the conveyance was not just passing through. As the stagecoach rumbled to a halt, the door was unlatched and pushed open and a beautiful face, surrounded by golden-blonde hair and topped with a flower-rimmed hat, leaned out. "Have we arrived?" she asked as the driver hopped down and held out his hand to her.
"We surely have," he replied, tipping his own hat slightly before helping her down the two steps to the dusty street. "Welcome to Rocky Road City, Ma'am."
The woman smiled kindly as she patted his forearm and then turned to meet the gazes of the townsfolk, who were anxiously milling around. "Actually, it's Doctor. Doctor Kara Zorel."
Snorts and a round of laughter echoed through the group of bystanders and Kara's face fell slightly. "Ain't no such thing as a woman doctor," one of the men said as he stepped forward and spat a gob-full of tobacco on the ground at her feet. "Not a real one noways."
"I can assure you that I am a real doctor," Kara replied. "I graduated with a medical degree from the Women's College of Medicine in New York." She looked at the driver as he chuckled and dropped her suitcases and trunk on the ground next to her.
"Goodbye, Doc," he said, tipping his hat and then jumping back up into the cab of the wagon to cluck the horses onwards and leave a cloud of dust behind as they sped away.
Kara coughed and then smoothed down her expensive fitted coat, sighing at the amount of dust that had accumulated on her petticoat. The crowd began to disperse, leaving her stranded with her belongings at the edge of the street. "Um, excuse me," she said. "Could someone please help me to the hotel?"
"Ain't got a hotel," tobacco man replied over his shoulder. "Saloon's got a spare room upstairs…" He grinned a little. "If you don't mind the noise."
The doctor sighed and nodded. "Thank you." Then she spotted a towheaded boy watching her from across the street and beckoned him closer. "Young man, I'll give you a nickel if you help me with this luggage."
"Yes, Ma'am, I'll for sure help ya," he replied with a grin.
"Good, now please wait here while I arrange a room." Kara turned and purposefully strode toward the bar. There was piano music and raucous laughter floating into the street, but she pushed ahead through the double swinging doors and made her way through the crowd to the bar, unpinning her hat as she arrived and setting it on the bartop along with her leather gloves. The noise stopped and all pairs of eyes were suddenly on her.
The barman, a tall man with stubbled, scarred cheeks and piercing blue eyes like her own, made his way to her. "You know, this ain't no place for a lady," he said, looking her up and down.
"I'm aware," Kara replied with a wry smile. "But I'm in need of a room for a few nights until I can find somewhere more permanent to live."
To her left, a scantily-clad woman stood, her long hair piled on top of her head and tied with a ribbon. "You that doctor the customers been talkin' 'bout?"
"Doctor Kara Zorel," Kara replied, extending her hand and smiling as it was taken. "I've just arrived. I heard that this town didn't have a doctor."
"That's right," the girl replied. "But I really think you should try Mary Grace's ranch for somewhere to stay before you take a room here. It's just a mile or so outside of town and they take in boarders sometimes."
The doctor was about to ask for more information when two hands suddenly landed on her rear and squeezed. "Well lookie what we got here. Pretty little lady. How much do you cost, Darlin'?"
Kara spun and slapped the man hard across the face, making him stumble backwards. "I am NOT for sale," she replied indignantly. "And I'll thank you to keep your hands to yourself."
"Why you…" the man furiously lunged toward her again but stopped suddenly when he met with the barrel of an already-cocked six-shooter.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you," the newcomer rasped in a low, threatening tone. "This here lady already told you she ain't for sale. You best be leaving her alone."
"Stay the hell out of this, Danvers," the man got out from between gritted teeth, but he raised his hands anyway and took a couple of steps backwards.
The newcomer called Danvers was a slight figure, but Kara could see muscles moving under his tanned forearms where his sleeves were rolled up… her forearms… the doctor amended as Danvers glanced at her and she suddenly realized that her savior was a woman.
She was dressed in dark pants with leather chaps and boots and a red, checked shirt with a faded bandana. A brown cowboy hat sat on her head and, as she glanced back at Kara again, their eyes met, blue to deep brown. "Ma'am, would you allow me to accompany you to Mary Grace's?"
"It's Doctor," Kara replied automatically. "Doctor Zorel."
"Pardon me, Doctor."
"Thank you…" Kara raised an eyebrow.
"Alexandra Danvers," the other woman replied with a smile. "I'm the ranch manager at Mary Grace's." She shot one last look at the man who'd felt Kara up and then holstered her weapon. "I can make sure you get a comfortable room for a reasonable price."
"I'd appreciate that, Miss Danvers," the doctor said in relief. "I have three suitcases and a trunk. Is that ok?"
"My friends call me Alex," the rancher replied. "And sure. I have a supply wagon with me. I'll bring it 'round front."
"I'll be waiting outside." Kara turned and she headed back out into the street, glad to be away from the loud noise, smoke and the stale-beer smell of the saloon.
Outside, the boy was still waiting with her belongings and she took a nickel out of her wrist-purse to give to him. "Alex Danvers is bringing a wagon around to take me to her ranch. You can have this as soon as you load my things onto it." She was pinning her hat back into place when a wagon with a team of two horses trundled around the corner and toward her. Alex was at the reins and she lifted a hand in greeting before pulling back on them to guide the horses to a stop.
"Hey, Alex," the young man greeted as he picked up Kara's suitcases and set them carefully into the back of the wagon.
"Hey, Tom," Alex replied with a grin. "How's your Pa doing? I hope that leg healed up."
"He's just fine, thanks for askin'." Tom turned to pick up the trunk and Kara's hand shot out.
"Please be careful with that one," she said. "All my medical supplies and instruments are in it. They're fragile."
"Huh." The rancher helped Tom lift the trunk gently into the wagon. "Rocky Road, I'm sure you understand by the name, is probably not the best place for fragile things," she commented. "You might want to sit on it to stop it from sliding around."
"Good idea," the doctor agreed. She lifted her dress and petticoat and, surprising the hell out of Alex, climbed up into the wagon and took a seat on her trunk. She slid her leather gloves back onto her hands and folded them neatly in her lap. Then she looked at Alex and raised an eyebrow at her. "Shall we go? I suspect it'll be dark soon."
"Yes, Ma'… um… Doctor," the rancher replied and jumped up onto the wagon to cluck the horses on. With a smile, Kara tossed the nickel and then a second one, to her young friend. "Thank you, Young Sir."
With a delighted grin and a wave, the young man started for the general store, a nickel worth of gum drops on his mind.
Alex Danvers was captured by the exquisitely dressed woman sitting quietly on the trunk in the back of her wagon. Doctor Zorel's intelligent blue eyes were dancing, taking in everything around her and a smile rose when she saw a family having a picnic in one of the meadows.
"This seems like a very family-oriented town," she commented, looking over at Alex with an even bigger smile.
"Mostly," Alex replied with a shrug. "But there's also a lot of nogooders. Rocky Road has been growin' lately and there's talk of the railroad comin' this way. That'll cause nothin' but trouble, I reckon."
"Really?" Kara replied, surprised. "Don't you approve of progress, Alex?"
"Sure I do," the ranch manager nodded. "But I also like livin' near a small town. Railroad comes, it'll get bigger."
"I think you're right there," the doctor agreed but she frowned as Alex pulled a thin cigar out of her pocket and lit it. "Smoking has been linked to cancer of the lungs and heart attacks," she commented.
"Ain't killed me yet," Alex chuckled.
"No, but it's cumulative. You're a young woman still. It may kill you twenty years from now. Perhaps you'll let me listen to your lungs later on when I'm settled at the ranch?"
The ranch manager's eyes dropped as she thought about that. "Well, I guess," she capitulated. "But you're sure you're a real doctor?"
Kara grinned and nodded, patting the box underneath her. "I'll even show you my degree. It's in this truck with the rest of my medical supplies."
"How come you ain't married?" Alex asked after another few moments of jerky trundling. "You seem like a fine, respectable lady. And from New York, no less."
Kara's face fell a little and she looked down at her gloved hands. "I was engaged once," she said, barely loud enough for Alex to hear her. "It was when I was still living with my family in New York and attending medical school. But he broke our engagement to marry someone else. She... she was with child."
"Bastard," Alex gritted out. "Best off without him."
"The other woman is my sister." At the ranch manager's shocked silence, Kara smiled a little. "It's why I decided to come out here. They got married and had the baby a handful of years ago but I haven't been able to move past it. I came out here to make a fresh life for myself. I saw the advertisement for the doctor position here in Rocky Road City and thought I'd give it a try."
"Brave," the dark woman nodded. "Comin' out here to start over. Frontier life ain't easy."
"It's what I need," Kara replied with a shrug. "Don't misunderstand, I love my niece, Rachel, dearly but I'm not sure I'll ever forgive my sister and as for Joseph... I truly loved him and he broke my heart. He can barely look me in the eye now."
"He never deserved you in the first place, Doctor Zorel."
"No, I suppose he didn't. Thank you, Alex."
The ranch manager clucked the horses on and a few minutes later, they were passing under the sign for Mary Grace's Ranch. "Almost there," she said.
"So is the owner called Mary Grace?" Kara asked.
"No, actually. The ranch has been in my family for generations," Alex replied. "Mary Grace was my great-great-grandma. My great-great-grandpa named it after her. My aunt Matty has solely owned the ranch since my Ma died fifteen years back."
"I'm sorry your mother died," the doctor said. "Is your father still alive?"
"My Pa died when I was just a baby. He was killed by cattle rustlers so when my Ma passed, Matty took me in as her own. I've been ranchin' ever since and took over managin' the place about eight years ago."
"And why are you not married?" Kara asked curiously.
Alex scratched her jaw a little and shrugged. "Never been asked."
"Have you been courting?"
"Nah." The rancher pulled the horses to a stop outside a large barn and jumped down onto the ground. She looked back up at Kara then and shrugged again. "I ain't the courtin' type. Besides, men don't court women like me who wear pants and a gun. They want to court the lacy, frilly kind who don't drink, hate swearin' and wear hats with flowers on 'em."
Kara found herself laughing at Alex's description of basically… her. "Well, I don't know. There's a lot to be said for pants. They're practical. Besides, it's almost eighteen seventy. Time for ideas to modernize."
"Definitely practical for ridin'and ranchin'," Alex added. "C'mon inside. You can meet Matty and I'll get your room ready so you can get settled." She grasped Kara gently by the waist to lift her down off the wagon. It was hot and dusty and the doctor couldn't wait to take a bath and change clothes.
"Thank you. We can come back for the luggage later on."
Alex nodded and led Kara to the homestead, taking her hat off as she ducked through the door into a large kitchen. The aroma of cornbread made Kara's stomach remind her she hadn't eaten since breakfast.
At the iron stove was a portly woman who turned, wiping her hands on her apron as she smiled widely. "Well, well, well, I see Alex brought home another stray." She moved closer to Kara to inspect her. "And a very fine lady she is too. I'm Matty Lane. Welcome to Mary Grace's."
Kara stuck out her hand, smiling as Matty shook it. "Doctor Kara Zorel," she stated.
"Doctor Zee came from New York to be the town's doctor," Alex called as she scrubbed her face and neck with water from a barrel in the mudroom next to the kitchen.
The doctor took a breath to correct her name but stopped as she realized that she liked Alex calling her that. "That's correct," she said. "I answered an advertisement."
Matty put her hands on her hips. "I'm surprised they let you come on account of you bein' a woman an' all."
"I suppose I didn't give them a choice," Kara replied with a shrug. "I just signed the telegram as Doctor K. Zorel."
Alex chuckled as she reentered the kitchen, wiping her neck with a rag. "Probably for the best." She sat down at the kitchen table then and Kara joined her as Matty poured them all glasses of tea from a cool pitcher. "I was thinkin' that Doctor Zee could have the room next to mine. It's a good size and it's got a nice view and curtains fit for a woman."
"Sure," Matty agreed. "How does four dollars a month, including meals and laundry sound?"
"More than reasonable," Kara replied. "Thank you, Mrs. Lane."
"Oh heck, call me Matty," the older woman replied. "Everyone else does."
"Then please call me Kara…" The doctor looked at Alex. "Or Doctor Zee if you prefer."
"That's a deal then," Alex said, slapping her hand down on the table. "Let's bring your luggage in and get you settled. I bet you're lookin' forward to a bath."
"Lord, you have no idea how much," Kara replied with a pathetically grateful look. "I feel like I'm wearing half of the dust in the state."
Alex got two of the ranch hands to bring the luggage up as she led the doctor upstairs to see her room. Kara was thrilled with it. It was spacious and clean with neatly tied-back curtains over clean glass windows. The bed was large, a double, and was covered with a white bedspread with pink flowers to match the window treatments. She clapped her hands delightedly when she saw the clawfoot tub under the window. "This is perfect!"
The ranch manager was hovering somewhat uncomfortably near the door. "I… uh… Glad you like it. I'll get one of the boys to bring you some warm water for a bath while you…" She gestured toward the suitcases on the floor next to the bed. "Unpack." She cleared her throat and looked down at her boots. "I'm real glad you decided to come and stay with us."
"Alex," Kara replied, moving closer to her new friend and ducking her head to look into her eyes. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you and Matty are doing for me."
"It's nothin'. Now go ahead and get settled. I'll send up the water and some towels. After your bath, supper should be ready."
"Sounds wonderful," the doctor smiled. "And after supper, I can examine you."
"Examine?" Alex's right eyebrow lifted, and she smirked in a way that stirred a flutter in Kara's chest and made her blush slightly.
"Yes, listen to your lungs and heart…. And so on."
"Yes, Ma'am," Alex nodded. She chucked a thumb towards and door and nodded before heading back downstairs.
Kara sat down on the bed, shaking her head slightly and grinning to herself. She had a new home now and she was going to love every minute of her new life.