Andrew messaged his temples before looking down at the list of patients he still needed to see this evening. Colleen walked up beside him and smiled. Andrew and Colleen had scrimped and saved while working in orphanages and had been able to open their own clinic. Most of their patients were factory workers and working class families, but they were now making a decent living. They needed all the money they could get their five year-old daughter, Ella, was growing and seemed to constantly needed new clothes or shoes.

"Tired already, Dr. Cook?" she asked with a smile.

"Very, Dr. Cook. Shouldn't you have left already?" he questioned. Colleen and Andrew had decided that Colleen would leave if it looked like patients needed to be seen later into the evening.

"Not quite, although, one of us will need to go home if we are here much later. I am sure Ella will be less than cooperative if Annette has to put her to bed," Colleen told him.

The Cooks had hired Annette to look after Ella and do light housework when Colleen decided to return the practice. Ella was normally well-behaved, but she got upset when Andrew and Colleen were late coming home. Annette was only a helpless victim of Ella's tantrums when her parents worked late.

"If you take Mrs. O'Malley and I take Harriet Parker, we should be out of here in a matter of minutes," Andrew said handing Colleen's Mrs. O'Malley's medical records.

"Is that a promise?" Colleen questioned as she refreshed herself on Mrs. O'Malley.

"There are no promises in medicine," Andrew replied as they both went to see their finally patient of the day.

"How are you this evening, Mrs. O'Malley," Colleen asked the elderly woman.

"The consumption is fine, dear," Mrs. O'Malley told her.

"What is troubling you?" Colleen questioned.

"It's my hands. I need some more of that ointment you gave me last time," the woman said.

"Let me look at them," Colleen requested.

After the short examination, Colleen gave Mrs. O'Malley the ointment and told her to come back if they pain got any worse. As Andrew had promised, the Cooks were soon on their way home. It was a short ride to the Cook's home. Colleen went inside the house while Andrew put the carriage in the carriage house. She found Ella sitting at the table with what appeared to be a cold dinner.

"Ella, you weren't giving Annette any trouble were you?" Colleen questioned.

"No," Ella replied sharply.

"Ella," Colleen warned because she knew there had to be more to this story.

"I wasn't very hungry, and Annette said I could not leave the table until I finished my supper," Ella explained.

"So you didn't eat it because you wanted to stay up until we came home," Colleen finished the story for her.

Ella nodded and looked down, but she jumped up when Andrew entered to dining room.

"Papa," she called out and Andrew lifted her into his arms.

"I hope that isn't my plate," Andrew said noting the said looking food on the table.

"No, that is Ella's plate," Colleen told him, "She hasn't finished her supper yet."

"I don't blame her," he said winking at Ella.

"I am sure there was nothing wrong with it two hours ago when Annette served it to her," Colleen responded.

"Michaela Elizabeth," Andrew scolded.

Ella knew she was in trouble. Her parents only used her real name when they were not happy.

"I'm sorry. At first I really wasn't hungry, but Annette said I couldn't leave the table until I finished eating. I just wanted to see you and Ma," Ella explained trying to get some sympathy from Andrew.

"I know your reasoning, but you need to do obey Annette when your Ma and I are not here. Is that clear?" Andrew questioned.

"Yes," Ella replied meekly.

"This dinner is beyond help what do you think we should do with it and Miss Ella," Andrew asked Colleen.

"Throw the food away, and, Ella, you are going to go to bed right after supper for a week," Colleen told her.

Ella did not look pleased with this news. She knew she would probably be punished, but she hadn't expected to be sent to bed early.

"And if you give Annette any more trouble, it'll will be two weeks," Colleen told her.

Ella started to squirm so Andrew set her down on the floor. "Do I have to go to bed now?" she asked.

"Are you hungry?" Colleen asked.

"Yes," Ella admitted.

"You wouldn't be hungry if you would have eaten when you were supposed to," Andrew told her. He set his hands on Ella's shoulders to hold her place. He was not holding her very tight so Ella wiggled out of his grasp without any difficulty.

"Annette is warming up dinner for us. I will tell her to make another plate," Colleen said.

Ella's face lit up. She normally only had supper with her parents on the weekend when their clinic was closed. Soon the small family was seated at the dinning room table. Ella listened as her parents discussed cases. She especially loved to hear about infections and amputations which her parents did not discuss around her anymore after Andrew became concerned with Ella's morbid fascination. He had caught her looking at a book on amputations one night after she was supposed to have been asleep. She was so interested in listening that she forgot about eating.

"Ella, I thought you were hungry? Do you need help cutting your chicken?" Colleen questioned.

"No, I can do it. I am listening. I just like hearing about the clinic," Ella replied.

"You can eat and listen," Andrew suggested.

"Oh, yeah," Ella said before started to cut up her chicken.

She continued to happily listen and eat until the knife slipped and cut her finger. Her parents did not notice at first because Ella was not crying. She was staring at her hand watching the blood seep out of the cut. Eventually, Colleen looked over at her daughter which started the commotion. Colleen held a napkin around the cut while Andrew went for his medical bag. When he returned, he and Colleen examined the cut.

"Are you going to have to amputate it?" Ella asked eagerly.

"Heavens no, I don't believe it will even require stitches," Andrew responded temporarily forgetting Ella's interests.

As soon as Ella realized there wasn't going to be a surgery, she started to cry. Colleen pulled Ella onto her lap to comfort her while Andrew bandaged her hand. Andrew kissed her forehead when he had finished, and Colleen wiped away the last of the tears.

"Do you want to finish eating?" Colleen asked.

"No, the food is all bloody," Ella said before starting to cry again.

"I think you are just over tired. I'll help you get ready for bed," Colleen said leading the sobbing Ella upstairs.

Andrew waited until Colleen returned to finish eating.

"I will admit the blood on Ella's plate is slightly unappetizing," Andrew said later as he and Colleen collected the dishes.

Annette had gone home after warming the meal. Colleen and Andrew did not mind doing the dishes. It gave them sometime together. Despite working together, they were not able to spend much time together during the day.

"I purchased the train tickets to Colorado for Christmas when I went to lunch today," Andrew told her.

"Did you…" Colleen started to ask.

"I wired your parents to let them know when we are coming," Andrew interrupted.

"Well, you just think of everything," she said as she threw the dish towel at him.

"You know what I am thinking now?" he questioned.

"I am not sure if I want to," Colleen replied.

"I am thinking about what we are going to be doing tonight," Andrew said suggestively.

"Sleeping?" she questioned pretending to be innocent.

"Before that," he informed her.

"Well, I'll be upstairs if you and your devious mind would like to join me," Colleen told him as she left the kitchen.

"I think we will," Andrew said blowing out the lamps before following Colleen upstairs.

Note: I have a few ideas for this story, but I am not really sure about most of it. I will probably be busy with school again soon, but I will not abandon it. I would appreciate reviews. Thanks.