Frontier Medicine – Part 2 – Meeting the Natives
Kara steps out with Alex to meet some new folks and do some shopping...
Supper was roast beef, potatoes and green beans and Kara drew the smell happily into her lungs as she took a seat at the stout kitchen table. She was freshly bathed and dressed in a slightly-less-frilly dress than before, but she still noticed the slight smirk on her new friend's lips as she took a seat across the table from Kara.
"All your dresses like that?" Alex asked as she grabbed her fork and speared a bean.
"Aren't we going to say grace?" Kara asked quietly.
Matty chuckled from the head of the table as Alex slowly set her fork down again and leaned back in her chair. "Be my guest," she said, and the doctor nodded and then bowed her head.
"For this bountiful meal and good friends, Lord, we are truly thankful. Amen."
"Amen," Alex and Matty replied in unison and then picked up their forks again.
"And to answer your question," Kara added. "Yes, all of my dresses are like this."
The ranch manager nodded thoughtfully but continued eating. "Hmm."
"Is that bad?" Kara asked uncertainly, looking to Matty and then back to Alex. "Don't you like this one?"
Alex looked down. "I think you're… it's… beautiful," she replied. "But I also think you're going to need to dress a little more practically for day to day life here. Can you even ride a horse in that?"
"Ride a horse?" the doctor repeated, looking down at herself.
"Sure. Not all of your patients are goin' to come to you. You'll probably have to go to them." The rancher ate some beef, chewing thoughtfully again. "I can take you into town tomorrow morning to get you a horse and some proper clothes, if you like?"
Kara nodded. "Perhaps that would be a good idea. Thank you." She smiled charmingly then. "Maybe you could also teach me how to ride a horse?"
Alex's fork clattered onto her plate as her eyes widened comically. "You… you don't know how to ride a horse? Have you been livin' under a rock for all your years?"
"Now now, Alex," Matty interjected. "Mind your manners."
"I'm sorry, Doctor Zee," the rancher offered sheepishly. "I just…"
"You're surprised that a woman who has lived in a household with servants and fancy clothing and drivers to drive her around in a carriage would even contemplate moving out west." She stood up, leaving the rest of her dinner and tossing her napkin onto the table. "You know what? Maybe you're right. Maybe I don't belong here. Excuse me, please." She turned and fled out the door, heading toward the fence for the closest pasture with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Alex…" Matty breathed and the rancher nodded, getting up from the table and shaking her head.
"I'll go apologize."
"She needs more than that," the older woman replied softly. "She needs a friend to support her, not to tell her what she can't do... or judge her over it."
Alex nodded again and ducked out the door to follow the upset doctor. She spotted Kara quickly and jogged to catch up to her, but she paused and smiled as she watched the young blonde climb up onto a fence and sit, looking up at the stars. The rancher joined her there and they sat in silence for a few moments.
"You know," Kara began, glancing in Alex's direction. "In New York, you can't really see the stars clearly anymore. The city has become so bright that it drowns them out." She looked up at the sky again. "They're so luminous here. It's beautiful."
"It is," the rancher agreed, tipping her head back to gaze upwards. "I can't imagine what it's like livin' in a place where the stars ain't seen like this." Kara nodded but didn't say anything else. Alex cleared her throat uncomfortably. "I'm truly sorry, Doctor Zee," she said. "I didn't mean to insult you. I just... I tend to talk plain."
Kara glanced over at her again and smiled a little. "It wasn't your fault," she said. "I'm tired and a little over-sensitive maybe. When I arrived on the stage and I was laughed at the moment I said my name, I began to wonder if maybe I'd bitten off more than I could chew in coming out here."
"I ain't gonna lie to you," Alex replied. "This ain't gonna be easy. Folks 'round here are small-minded in a lot of ways. It'll take them a while to accept a female doctor."
The doctor tilted her head questioningly. "You don't seem to be having a problem with it. Nor does Matty."
Alex chuckled, clasping her hands together in her lap. "I guess Matty 'n' me are more open-minded." She reached over then and placed a gentle hand on Kara's forearm. "I'd be honored to teach you how to ride, Doctor Zorel."
"And wear pants?" Kara asked with another of her most charming smiles.
"Let's not lose the run of ourselves," the rancher laughed, almost over-balancing and grabbing the fence below her as Kara made a grab for her too, curling her hands into Alex's shirt and holding on. Their eyes met and held and the doctor blushed a little.
"Sorry,' she said with a smile, uncurling her hands and letting the material go. "I thought you were going to fall."
"No problem," Alex replied. "Now, ready to go finish dinner?" She jumped down off the fence, holding a hand out to help Kara down too. Finally, the doctor nodded and climbed down before following Alex back to the homestead.
Doctor Zorel smiled her thanks as Alex grasped her gently by the waist to lift her down off the supply wagon when it was stopped on Main Street. Rocky Road City was a small town with basic amenities, such as a saloon, general store, blacksmith, schoolhouse and, of course, a church. Kara made a note to visit the Reverend later on that week.
"Where to first?" she asked.
"Clothes first, then horse, I reckon," Alex replied as she pointed toward the general store. "I'll introduce you to some of the first citizens too."
"First citizens?"
"Yeah, the businessmen who have the most power in the town." The rancher walked Kara across the street and they stepped into the store just as the proprietor came out of the room in the back. "Mornin', Winn," Alex said, taking her hat off. "I want to introduce you to Doctor Kara Zorel. Doctor Zee, this is Winslow Schott. He owns this store."
Winn stopped behind the counter, looking Kara up and down. "Heard we got us a lady doctor," he replied, ignoring her outstretched hand. "Well, I won't be comin' to see you noways."
Kara smiled. "That's your prerogative, of course," she replied. "But I don't believe there are any other doctors in town."
"My what?" Winn replied, scowling.
"Prerogative," Alex repeated. "Meanin' you're not obliged to see Doctor Zee if you need doctorin'."
"I don't need no doctorin'" the store owner exclaimed, with another scowl. "Now, what do you want?"
"Clothes," Alex replied. "Ladies clothes so Doctor Zee can ride and go see patients without worryin' about gettin' her petticoat all dirty."
"Ladies clothes are on that right-hand rail over there," Winn pointed. "Or I have material if she wants to make some."
The rancher raised an eyebrow at Kara who shook her head. "I can't sew... cloth, that is."
"Right-hand rack it is then," Alex said with a nod and took Kara's arm to guide her over there.
The doctor looked the dresses over. "Well, they certainly are more practical for riding," she said. "I suppose I'll need some undergarments too. My pettycoats and hoops are for much bigger dresses like this one." She indicated her current attire. "Do you see any undergarments?"
Alex cleared her throat and silently pointed to a shelf nearby. "There," she finally croaked as she rubbed at her red cheeks and looked down at her boots.
"I presume you've never worn undergarments like these?" Kara asked, leaning in conspiratorially.
"No, Ma'am," Alex whispered back. "I like my undershorts just fine."
"I probably would like undershorts too," the blonde grinned. "But being a female doctor is apparently scandalous enough for this town as it is." She picked up a skirt to look at it, suddenly delighted when she realized it was divided in two and looked like a pair of wide-legged pants. "Ooohhh… look at these," she said, holding them up for Alex to see. "I think we've found a compromise. All I'd need is a pair of drawers to wear underneath them." She handed four of the skirts in different colors to Alex and then chose three dresses, two of them suitable for Sunday church. Then she picked up four new pairs of drawers and three new pettycoats. "Think all these will fit?"
Alex smiled. "You have a very slender figure. I think you'll have to ask Matty to take the waists in on these."
"O…oh…I do?" Kara stammered, her eyes lowering. She was suddenly confused as to why Alex noticing her figure brought her to a flutter.
"You do," the rancher replied softly. Then she cleared her throat. "Ok, do you need blouses?"
The doctor thought about that for a moment. "No, I think the ones I have will be ok. I tend to like plain blouses more than frilly anyway."
Alex smiled. "Good. Then all you need now are boots. You can't be ridin' in those shoes." She went to the rack of ladies low heeled boots and picked up a sturdy brown leather pair to look them over. "Somethin' like these ones should do."
Kara wrinkled her nose but took them to look at. "Really? These are pretty low."
The rancher laughed. "Doctor Zee, you're easily two inches taller in your bare feet than I am anyways. You don't need higher heels than those. Besides, you don't want to hurt your horse with those sharp things you got on right now."
"I see your point," the blonde replied with a chuckle. "Ok, these will do perfectly."
Between the two of them, they carried Kara's purchases to the counter for Winn to add up the total. "All that comes to eighteen dollars even," he said.
"Thank you, Mr. Schott," Kara replied with a smile as she opened her wrist-purse and gave him a twenty-dollar bill from it. She'd brought almost seven hundred dollars from New York with her, her entire life savings in fact, and she hoped it would last until she was able to build up a practice. She'd already paid Matty three months' rent in advance so, even if her practice didn't take off right away, she'd have somewhere to live and enough to eat for a while.
She waited with a slightly impatient Alex as Winn wrote her a receipt and gave her two dollars change. Then he wrapped her garments in brown paper and tied them with string. "Thanks, Winn," the rancher said as she picked up more than half the parcels and headed out the door.
"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Schott," Kara added as she followed her friend back to the wagon, her own arms also full.
"They'll be ok in here 'til we get back," Alex arrured as she dropped her parcels and then Kara's into the back of her wagon and pulled a blanket over them. "Ready to go look at horses?"
"Yes, I'm ready," the doctor replied excitedly. "I've never owned a horse. My family has some but I've never ridden one before."
"You got a Ma and Pa back in New York?" Alex asked as she led her friend toward a sign that said Blacksmith.
"I do, along with two brothers and a sister. I'm the youngest. How about you? Any siblings?"
"No," Alex shrugged. "There was just me and Ma, then me and Matty. Any of them other siblings of yours doctors?"
"Goodness, no," Kara chuckled. "My brothers are lawyers, like my father, and my sister… well you know about my sister."
"Were you and your sister close before… what happened." The rancher guided Kara to a fence, behind which stood a number of horses in a small paddock.
"No," the doctor sighed. "Maybe if we had been, it wouldn't have happened. She and I… well… we're very different people. She's always tended toward being selfish and uncaring and I didn't like that about her."
"Guess that's why you're a doctor and she ain't," Alex replied with a shrug. "You gotta have a special kind of heart to care enough about people to want to heal them."
"Or to take them in when you don't even know them from Adam," Kara added with a soft smile as she squeezed her friend's hand.
Alex blushed a little and squared her shoulders. "Let's find you a horse, Doctor Zee."
"Hello, Alex," a deep voice suddenly interrupted. "It's good to see you."
"Jonn. It's good to see you too. Doctor Kara Zorel, this is Jonn Jones, the town's blacksmith, cooper and horse dealer, among other things."
The tall black man wiped his hands and brow off on a towel. "Nice to meet you," he said with a smile. "I'd heard a lady doctor had come to town." He held out his left hand, the palm of which was wrapped in a dirty rag. "Maybe I could be your first patient? This cut on my hand won't heal up and I have a fever. It's the darnest thing."
"Of course, Mr. Jones. I'd be happy to look at it." She looked around and saw a chair leaning against one of the fence rails. "Have a seat please?" Then she looked at her friend. "Alex, could you run to the wagon and get my medical bag please?"
"Be right back," the rancher replied as Jonn took a seat and Kara knelt beside him. She unwrapped the rag and took a moment to manipulate his fingers and bend his wrist.
"Do any of these movements hurt?"
"No, Ma'am," Jonn replied. "Well, maybe a little when you move my middle finger there."
"There doesn't seem to be any nerve damage but I do see signs of infection." Just than Alex returned with Kara's bag. "Thank you." The doctor opened it and took out a bottle and a small jar. "Could you please bring me some hot water?"
"I was just about to make some coffee when you came," Jonn said. "There should be a pot of hot water on the stove."
"Alex, could you bring me the pot please… and a cup?" Kara asked, her eyes on Jonn's hand as she began to clean it with another solution she'd poured onto a fresh bandage. Before long, the skin was pink and raw looking but clean and she opened the small jar to rub some salve onto it. "This is made with camphor," she explained as she held Jonn's hand gently. "It's going to sting for a moment or two but it's an antiseptic and should stop the infection from getting any worse. If we keep treating it, it will cure the infection after a few days."
The rancher returned then with the hot water and a cup, and Kara took the pot from her with a grateful smile. She poured a small amount of the contents of the bottle she'd taken from her bag into the pot and swirled it around for a few moments. Then she sniffed the steam and nodded in satisfaction. She held up the bottle for Jonn to see. "This is essence of willow bark," she said, shaking the small bottle a little. "I'm adding it to hot water to make a willow bark infusion. Drink half the pot please. It will bring down the fever from the infection. Then later on tonight, reheat it and drink the rest before bed." She poured a cup for Jonn and waited until he'd finished it all before she redressed his hand. "I'll come by tomorrow to put some more salve on the cut and rebandage it. If we take good care of it, it should heal in a couple of weeks."
"Thank you, Doctor Zorel," the big man replied. "How much do I owe you for the medicine?"
Kara patted his thigh and stood, dusting off her skirt. "How about you just give me a good deal on a horse," she said with a grin as she clicked her medical bag closed.
"I can do that," Jonn said as he led Kara and Alex to a beautiful chestnut mare. "This is the best horse I got," he said. Alex climbed over the fence and checked the horse's legs, hooves, withers and teeth. Then she nodded in satisfaction.
"Looks good, Doctor Zee. She's a pretty thing too. Gentle."
"How much does she cost?" Kara asked.
"Normally thirty dollars but we can make a deal for twenty-five and the rest of the doctorin' for my hand. And I'll throw in the halter she's wearing for free."
The doctor looked at Alex who smiled and nodded as she climbed up to sit on the fence. "Sounds like a good deal to me," she said, slapping Jonn on the back.
"We'll take her," Kara confirmed as she counted out the bills and placed them in the blacksmith's uninjured hand. "But, could I ask one more favor, Mr. Jones?"
"What is it?" the big man asked.
"I want to open a clinic in town, but I need patients to do so. Word of mouth goes a long way so, could you spread the word that I treated you today and that you're still alive after it?"
Jonn chuckled broadly. "I surely will, Doctor Zee. Alex, you takin' the horse now?"
"Yeah, we're heading straight back to the ranch… unless there's anything else you need to do, Doctor Zee?"
"No," Kara replied with a big smile. "Besides, you owe me an examination and a riding lesson."
The rancher rolled her eyes but smiled good-naturedly. "Ok, ok, I was hopin' you'd forgot about the examination." She opened the gate of the paddock and led Kara's new horse out by her halter. "What are you going to call her?"
Kara thought about that for a moment, then a smile spread across her face. "Darwin," she replied. "I want to name her Darwin."
"That's a strange name for a girl," the rancher said with a frown.
"Actually, it's a man's surname," Kara replied. "Mr. Charles Darwin wrote a book called 'On the Origin of the Species'. It's a book about evolution."
"You mean that thing where some folks believe that animals grew up from lower animals?" Alex asked, her expression dubious.
"Very good, Alex," Kara grinned, surprised and impressed that her friend knew what the theory of evolution was.
"I read," the rancher added with a sniff. "Not that book in particular but others about animals. I like readin' about things like that." She rubbed the horse's nose. "Darwin is a good name for this girl."
They waved goodbye to Jonn and walked back to the wagon, where Alex tied the horse on and helped Kara up into the cab. Then she climbed up herself and clucked the horses on.
"Do you like shopping, Alex?" Kara asked as they trundled out of town and onto the open road.
"Not… until now," the rancher replied, scratching her nose. "It was fun shoppin' with you."
The doctor leaned against her friend's shoulder a little. "Yes, it was. We should do it again soon. I enjoy spending time with you."
"Well," the older woman said. "I have to go out and check the fences around the west side of the ranch. I'll be gone a couple of days and I'll need to do a supply run when I get back. Maybe you could come on that supply run with me and we could look for somewhere to house your clinic?"
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Kara replied. "I'll look forward to it."
"Me too," Alex grinned. "We'll find somewhere real good. I promise."