Mr. Williams suggested Amelia stay until morning, not wanting her to walk alone in the dead of night. Amelia protested, as she was wont to do, that she was more than capable of walking. But Williams convinced her in the end. He went downstairs to sleep in the armchair, leaving Ms. Pond to use the upstairs flat.
When morning came, Rory quietly made his way upstairs to prepare a bit of coffee on the stove. Amelia laid fast asleep under the covers. Her muddy shoes and her clothes were scattered around the floor next to the bed. Rory began to fold her clothes neatly and placed them on the dresser.
"Good morning." Amelia smiled at the sight of Rory staring at her wide eyed with her petticoat in his hands.
"My apologies, Ms. Pond." He quickly turned away from her. His face flushed with embarrassment. "I was merely tidying up." He pointed towards the stove at the end of the room. "I've made coffee."
"Oh, lovely. Hand me my clothes, won't you, darling?" Amelia was still completely covered in blankets but simply the implication was too much for Mr. Williams.
He slowly turned and gave her her clothes, avoiding looking directly at her at all times. Rory quickly walked back to the coffee and poured himself a cup. "I'm sorry, I know you're used to more comfortable arrangements at home. This entire flat is no bigger than a broom closet in comparison to what you're used to." He turned back around to face her. "I can't apologize enough for the lack of privacy." Rory was the sort of man with impeccable moral fiber. Never would he break from proper etiquette in her presence, even as she coquettishly let the blanket slid ever so slightly down her shoulder.
Amelia knew very well the sort of feelings Mr. Williams harboured for her. But she wasn't the sort to worry about propriety. In fact, she enjoyed the rush of living dangerously. She could see Rory's eyes had fixated on her. She smiled, "If one earns their living honestly, there's no need to apologize for the modesty of one's home. I thank you for allowing me to stay. I hope it's not been a burden to you."
"It's no trouble whatsoever." Mr. Williams finally tore his gaze away and turned around. "I'll leave you to change then. Don't hesitate to grab a coffee on your way out." He quickly walked out the door and down the stairs as if racing to run away from the very thought of her. He reached the downstairs apothecary just as Ms. Martha Jones walked in.
"Good morning, Mr. Williams. Oh, good. You've made coffee." Martha began to walk towards the stairs.
"Wait!" Rory quickly ran up and blocked the front of the steps. "You can't right now... um..."
"Are you hiding something in your flat?" Martha gave him a look. The sound of footsteps could be heard from upstairs. "Or someone?"
"It's Ms. Amelia... she..." Rory is cut off.
"If it's Amelia then let me go upstairs and say hello. I've not seen her months." Martha walked past Rory and made it 3 steps up before Rory ran up and took Martha's arm.
"No, you can't!" Rory blushed and quickly let go of Martha's arm. "Sorry." He whispered. "She's indisposed."
"Should I even dare to ask why Ms. Pond finds herself indisposed in your bedroom?" Martha replied.
"It's bad news, unfortunately." Rory explained. He told Martha about the accident, how she came running to him for a shoulder to cry on and how she stayed the night. "So she's getting dressed now. Best not to disturb her."
"Oh, God." Martha chuckled. "You walked in on her, didn't you, just now?"
"I saw nothing." Rory replied.
"Yes, well you stayed long enough to pour yourself a coffee. Did you pour it with your eyes closed." Martha laughed as she walked behind the counter.
"That was too bold, Ms. Jones. I resent such a disrespectful implication." Rory eyed her sternly.
"You're right, sir. I sincerely apologize." But even as Martha bowed and apologized, she couldn't help but hide a little smile.
After Amelia came downstairs and the three chatted away, she invited her old friends to dinner. A mother and a child about 4 years old with a violent cough interrupted their conversation. "Please, Sir." The woman was clearly distraught. "I fear it's the whooping cough."
Rory quickly lead them to the examination table in the room behind the counter. Martha and Amelia stood by the cabinetry filled with vials of medicine. Ms. Pond looked slightly out of place in her fashionable clothes next to the plainly dressed Ms. Jones.
The child was placed on the table, crying and wheezing simultaneously. "It's alright, darling." Rory whispered as he ran a delicate hand over his forehead to feel his temperature. "You're a little warm. What's your name?"
"Thomas" The boy replied timidly.
"Alright, Thomas, I reckon you're not feeling very well right now but I'm going to need you to be strong. Can you do that for me?"
The child wiped his tears off on his sleeve and nodded his head yes for Mr. Williams.
"Good lad." Rory smiled. "Now I'm going to put my ear up close to your chest so I can hear how well your heart and lungs are doing, understand?" He waited for the boy to shake his head before leaning in and listening. "I want you to take a big breath in and then a big steady breath out." Rory listened and nodded as the boy obeyed. "One last time for me, Thomas." Rory continued. "A really big breath this time like you're going to fill up the biggest balloon you've ever seen." The boy did as Mr. Williams said once again. "Well, there's certainly a bit of a rattling in there." He turned towards the women. "Ms. Jones?"
Martha stepped forward and bowed. "Yes, sir."
"I'm thinking hyssop and elecampane." Rory gave Martha a look. "Is that right?"
"Yes, sir. Right away, sir." Martha goes through the cabinets and hands Thomas' mother two small vials. "A few drops of each in hot water should suppress the cough. Now these are highly concentrated medicines. Anything more than a few drops of each will do more harm than good. Two spoonfuls every 6 hours is all you need."
The mother looked to Williams for confirmation. "What she said." Rory nodded.