Frontier Medicine – Part 10 – Off We Go a'Courtin'

The date :-D

Alex was literally exhausted. She trudged into the kitchen, set her hat on the table and dunked her whole head into the water barrel in the mud room. Matty chuckled and wiped her hands on her apron. "Hot out there?"

"Hotter'n a kerosene cat in hell with gasoline drawers on," the rancher sighed. "I'm glad this day is almost over. Bessie's calf is goin' to drop any time now but I've got Ralph keepin' an eye on her." She poured herself a glass of sweet tea and sat at the table for a moment, just savoring the cool flavor on her tongue. "Doctor Zee home yet?"

"Yeah. She's takin' a bath. Said she has a date with you."

Alex choked on her tea and struggled to breathe as she wiped her mouth off on a napkin. "She said that?"

"Why?" Matty asked gently. "Is it not a date?"

"No… I mean…. Yes, it's a date but…" The rancher looked down. "I just didn't expect her to be… it's like there's nothin' unusual about it to her."

Matty shrugged. "Maybe there isn't. She's the most open-minded person I've ever met."

"That's true," the rancher agreed. She got up then. "I should go take a bath too. Shouldn't keep a lady waitin'."

That's right," Matty smiled.

Xx

Kara was standing in front of her wardrobe looking at her dresses and trying to decide which one to wear. She quickly discarded the ones she'd come to think of as oversized and chose her favorite Sunday one. It was dark blue with tiny white flowers patterned on it and it dipped daringly in the front to show a little of her chest. Her hair was down with small flowered clips holding it back from her face and she'd applied a small amount of makeup to blush her cheeks and deepen her lips.

"Hmmm... hat or no hat," she murmured to herself.

"No hat," Mattie said from the doorway as she pushed the door open a little more. "Your hair is real pretty like that."

"Thanks," the doctor smiled as she stepped into her dress and settled it on her tall body. "Is Alex home yet?"

Matty came up behind her and closed her buttons. "She is. She's gettin' cleaned up. You're goin' out at seven, right?"

"We are." Kara glanced back to the mirror. "How do I look?"

"Lovely," Matty grinned. "You're goin' to take her breath away."

The blonde blushed a little. "I'm nervous," she admitted as she took a seat on her bed to slip her feet into her shoes. "And I don't really know why. I guess maybe because it's been a long time since I've been out on a date."

"Or maybe because Alex is a woman," Matty stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

The doctor shrugged. "I don't want to disappoint her."

"Did you only agree to go out with her because you didn't want to disappoint her, Doctor Zee?" Matty took a seat next to Kara and took her hand. "Because, if you did and she finds out that you're not really interested, it'll hurt her more."

Kara shook her head. "That's not what I meant," she smiled. "I want to court her. I think about her all the time, Matty. I wonder what she's doing and if she's ok. I'm just worried that I won't be... enough."

The older woman patted her friend's hand. "You treat each other right and care for each other and everything will be ok."

"Thanks, that's good advice," Kara replied. She took a deep breath and then let it out. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about tonight all day. I really do care for her, Matty."

"And she cares for you," the older woman said. "Just be yourself, Sweetie. That's enough."

The doctor nodded and then glanced over at the small clock on her nightstand. It was slightly before seven, so she went to her dresser and brushed her hair one last time. "I think that's the thing that most scares me. I'm not sure I've figured out who I really am. I loved my fiancé but..." She paused and looked down. "When I met Alex, I realized that there was more to a relationship than just love. I didn't know what it meant to be actually drawn to someone... until now."

"Drawn?"

Kara blushed a tad. "Attracted to them… sexually."

"Ahhh..." Matty nodded and smiled kindly. "I think you and Alex can figure things out together. Now go on, don't keep the lady waitin'."

Kara picked up her shawl and shrugged it onto her shoulders, then grinned widely. "Wish me luck. I'm going to try very hard to not embarrass myself."

The older woman tweaked her chin and laughed. "If you do, it'll just make Alex like you even more. Have a good time."

Kara nodded and went to Alex's door to knock softly. "Just a sec, Doctor Zee!" the rancher called. "Be right there."

True to her word, Alex opened the door a moment later and sucked in a breath when she saw her friend. "You look so beautiful," she said appreciatively. "Is that a new shawl?"

Kara smiled widely. "It is actually, thanks for noticing. And you look..." She let her eyes travel over the rancher's form. Alex was dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a pretty white shirt with red embroidery across the chest. Her boots were shined to within an inch of their lives and her dark hair was braided back off her face. The word 'sexy' immediately sprung to Kara's mind. "... amazing. I love that shirt."

"Thanks," the rancher replied, squeezing her hat a little. She stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her. She didn't want the doctor to see the mess she'd made trying to pick something to wear. "I don't know about you, Doctor Zee, but I'm starvin'."

"Oh, me too. It's a long time since lunch." They walked down the stairs and crossed the yard to the barn. Ralph already had their horses saddled and ready and, a short ride later, they arrived in town.

Alex jumped down from Ares' back and then trotted around to help Kara down too. Darwin watched with a smirk, then went back to eyeing the apples in the crate outside the general store. It was a short walk to Myriah's café and to Kara's delight, Alex held her hand, keeping a respectful distance between them as they strolled.

"Hello, you two!" Myriah called from the kitchen door as they entered the café. "Sit wherever you like. It's not busy tonight."

"How about there?" Kara suggested, pointing to a table for two near the back corner of the room.

"If that's where you'd like to sit, we'll sit there," the rancher replied firmly, steering them to the table and pulling out the chair for Kara to sit down. But the doctor chuckled lightly, bumped Alex gently into the chair instead and helped her to push it in. Then she took the other seat and slid herself into the table, eyes widening as she bumped Alex's knees with her longer legs.

"Whoops, sorry," she grinned.

"Lanky-legged," the rancher teased.

"You're not the first person to say that," the doctor chortled. "Joseph used to…" She trailed off and shook her head. "Sorry. Never mind."

Alex leaned forward in her chair, her forearms resting on the table and her hands close to Kara's. "It's ok for you to talk about him," she said, reaching out a finger to stroke her friend's thumb. "You can talk to me about anythin'."

"I know," Kara smiled. "But tonight's about us."

Myriah bustled over then, interrupting the moment. "What can I get you to drink? Today's meals are up on the board."

"Sweet tea, please," Kara said with a grin.

"Same," Alex added. "And I think I'll have the steak with potatoes and greens."

"You want that mooin'? the cook asked.

"Nah, medium, please," the rancher confirmed.

Myriah looked at Kara then. "What do you think, Doctor Zee? I'm thinking you'll be staying away from the meatloaf after last time with Mike."

Kara rolled her eyes and laughed, completely missing the scowl on Alex's face. Myriah didn't though and smiled to herself. "Oh my Lord, that man. No wonder he can't find a wife, as annoying as he is. No, I'll have the same as Alex please."

The cook scribbled the order down in her notebook. "Be right out. Just have to cook the steaks. Alene will be out with your drinks."

"Thanks, Myriah," Alex replied, chuckling as the beautiful, dark-skinned woman bustled back into the kitchen. "Jonn is a lucky man," she commented. "She's very sweet."

"She is," Kara agreed. "So, how was your day?"

"Long," Alex sighed, rubbing at her bruised wrists. "One of the cows kicked one of the long fence posts down and it took me a couple of hours to fix it and secure the other posts to it. Hit my damn thumb with the hammer too," she added in a grumbling tone.

Kara tried her best not to laugh at the adorable frown creasing her friend's brow. "Awww, how did that happen?"

Alex swallowed deeply as the doctor took her hand and kissed the injured digit. "Uh.. slipped… hammer…" she stammered. Their hands parted then as Alene appeared with their drinks and then disappeared just as quickly, allowing the rancher to regain her composure. Kara's touch had sent tingles through her that she could barely hide. "How about you?"

"Today was amazing," Kara began. "I had twelve patients and treated everything from foot blisters to kidney stones to digestive issues. Tomorrow, I'm going to take a look at Elsie Edge. She's seven months pregnant."

"Morgan must be getting' scared," Alex replied. "They've been tryin' for a while. She miscarried a couple of times in the past."

"Oh, I wasn't aware of that," the doctor murmured. "Poor things."

"Yeah, it was real tough on her," the rancher added. "She's wanted nothin' more than to be a mother since we were kids. We grew up together and she talked about it a lot."

"You seem to know everyone. Have you lived your whole life here in Rocky Road?" Kara asked curiously.

"Mostly," Alex nodded. "Spent a bit of time minin' for gold nearer Helena but didn't find nothin'…" She paused. "Well, nothin' to make me rich noways. Besides, I like ranchin' better. Bein' down in the mines just made me feel like I'd never see the sun again. Specially after the damn cave in. Almost got killed. Took me three days to dig myself out."

"Lord," the doctor said on a deep breath. "I'm glad you're not doing that anymore. I'd be worried sick about you." She shook her head. "Not that I don't already worry about you."

"Me too," Alex agreed with a shrug. "Wide open spaces and fresh air makes me happier, that's for sure. And I don't want you to worry, Doctor Zee. I can take care of myself." Kara's eyebrows hiked as she reached across the table again and touched her friend's bruised wrists. She didn't have to say anything. The rancher grinned sheepishly. "Point taken."

Alene returned then with their meals and both women tucked in with gusto. Alex was glad that Kara had an appetite. She'd heard about those hoity-toity, big-city ladies who ate like birds and she was relieved to see her friend slice off a chunk of steak and pop it into her mouth.

"Mmmmm…" Kara moaned softly. "This is sooooo good."

Alex agreed with a nod, her mouth full. She watched the doctor's throat move as she swallowed the meat. Kara had a long, slender, extremely-kissable throat and the rancher suddenly had a hard time swallowing as her mouth turned dry and points southerly on her body tingled. "I was thinkin'," she finally said, trying to distract herself. "That you might like to take a walk with me after dinner. I know a really nice path along the river that's normally pretty bright when the moon's out."

"Sounds wonderful," Kara agreed as she scooped up some mashed potatoes with her fork. "I bet you know all the best places around here."

"My Ma used to walk with me when I was a kid," Alex replied, setting her fork down for a moment and taking a sip of her tea.

"Tell me about her?"

The rancher cleared her throat gently. "Well, her name was Eliza. She had the most beautiful blonde hair and the kindest eyes. I remember the way she used to read me stories and teach me about the plants and flowers we'd see as we walked. She used to sit and do homework with me in the evenings and we'd share a slice of pie before bed."

Kara smiled. She knew that Alex didn't realize that she had tears on her cheeks. "It sounds like she was an amazing mother."

"She was," the rancher agreed. "I loved her so much. I don't remember my Pa at all, so she was both mother and father to me. She taught me how to shoot and rope cattle." She cleared her throat again. "I was twelve when she died of influenza. It devastated me and Matty both, but we got through it together. Still hurts though."

"I can only imagine," the doctor said with a sympathetic look. She sighed then. "I don't think I can say I even know my mother."

"Really?"

"Really. I'm the youngest of four children. My father was always busy researching cases and standing up in court and my mother was, and still is, a lady who attended a different brunch every day, so I was mostly raised by a nanny." She looked down at her last piece of steak. "In fact, Nanny Rose was more of a mother to me than my own."

"Sounds like your mother wasn't there for you at all."

Kara through about that for a moment. "I don't think she ever really understood me. She still doesn't. She couldn't understand why I wanted to go to college and become a doctor. She doesn't understand the drive I have to help people. What she doesn't realize is that she has that same drive. She just fulfills it with charity work and hosting parties for my father's clients. Father was thrilled when my brothers went into law but he knew that I wouldn't be able to, whether I wanted to or not. So, he was happy when I decided to study medicine." She took a moment to finish her dinner. "My parents were devastated when Joseph and Shirley did what they did but they encouraged me to live and let live and to just find another nice young man but…" She shrugged. "I wasn't interested in finding another nice young man. In fact, I wasn't sure I was interested in finding a man at all."

Alex nodded. "So you just had to swallow it when your sister had Joseph's baby? Did you go to the weddin'?"

"I went like a good, dutiful daughter and sister. I smiled and toasted them and at the same time, stayed close to the lesbian couple I told you about. They were my friends and they were the only people who helped me to feel safe at that time." Kara sighed. "I was so broken, Alex. I didn't know what to do. I had a semi-successful practice, fine clothes and money… but I was miserable."

"So, you decided to move away from New York?"

Myriah appeared at the table. "Dessert, Ladies?"

"Apple pie, please," Alex replied.

"Two spoons," Kara added, making her friend laugh.

"Two spoons," the rancher agreed.

"So yes, I decided to move away from New York. I packed my bags in the middle of the night and took a cab to the train station. I just left a note in the hallway and told my family I'd wire them when I got settled."

"And did you?"

Kara grinned sheepishly. "Not yet."

They finished dessert chatting about less serious subjects and then paid the check. Alex got to her feet and held out her hand to her friend. "How about that walk?"

"Phew, I need it," the doctor said, taking Alex's hand in one of her own and rubbing her stomach with the other. "I'm really full."

"Me too," the rancher replied. "After you."

She grinned as Kara tugged her hand, led her out of the café and headed for the river.

Author's Note:

Some of you may already know this but I'm originally from Ireland and I've been living in Raleigh, North Carolina for the last almost twelve years of my life.

My friend, Ben, told me the "kerosene cat in hell" phrase many years ago and I've finally found a way to use it in a fic! YAY!