Frontier Medicine - Part 23 - Saying Goodbye
Kara and Alex say goodbye to Cecilia and New York
Kara carefully pinned her hat in place, adjusting the veil so it fell to just the right point over her eyes.
"Even dressed all in black with your face half hidden, you're beautiful," Shirley said softly as she came up behind her sister and smoothed her hands across her shoulders.
"I'm not the only one who got some looks in this family," the doctor chuckled. "I don't think you're going to have any problem finding a new husband, should you want one."
Shirley shook her head. "I... I don't," she said, going to the window and looking out.
"Really?" Kara asked, surprised. "Why is that?"
"I'm…" The older sister laced her fingers together. "I'm like you," she said, very softly.
Kara frowned in confusion. "Like m… Oh." She sat down on the bed and watched as her sister fidgeted uncomfortably. "Sweetheart…"
"I'm not ashamed," Shirley interrupted. "Of either of us. I just… I just know that there are challenges."
The doctor sighed. "Yes, there are," she replied. "Shirley, are you really sure?"
The older woman nodded. "I'm sure, Kara. There have been some women in the past that I've been..." She swallowed and closed her eyes. "But I always just hid it away."
"Mackenzie Reston," Kara said quietly.
Shirley nodded as she took a seat next to her sister. "I fell in love with her but all she wanted was Daniel Goulding." She chuckled wryly. "I can't go to any of their parties or luncheons. It still hurts too much to see them together."
"I'll admit, I suspected a bond, but I had no idea you were in love with her," Kara said, wrapping her arm around her sister's shoulders and squeezing.
"I don't want my good name to suffer," the older sister replied. "What's left of it, I mean. I also don't want Rachel to suffer. If even a rumor got out, she'd never marry well."
As unfair as it was, Kara understood the gravity of the situation. "I'm sorry," she said with a little shake of her head. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"It helps just knowing that someone I love and trust accepts me." Shirley stood then and straightened her dress efficiently. "We should go. We can't be late."
"You're right," the doctor replied. She pulled her gloves on and picked up her purse before giving herself one last look in the mirror. Her eyes were glassy and red-rimmed but with Alex and her sister by her side, she knew she'd make it through the funeral.
Xx
It was a rainy day for Cecilia's funeral. Alex held a large umbrella over herself, Kara and Shirley while Jon held one over himself, his sons and Rachel as they stood next to the open grave, into which the coffin had been lowered.
The reverend had just finished the service and the funeral attendees were beginning to disperse, fleeing the soaking weather.
"Lovely service," Kara's aunt, Miranda, commented as she touched her arm.
"Yes, Ma'am, it was," the doctor replied with a small smile. "The reverend is a very kind man."
"Indeed." Miranda linked her arm through Kara's then and led her on a little as Alex looked on and trailed behind. "I've heard that you're still unmarried, Dear. What are your intentions?"
The doctor stiffened a little. "Actually, I'm betrothed and will be getting married back home in Rocky Road City, Montana."
Aunt Miranda suddenly looking very relieved. "Oh, I didn't know that. And to whom are you betrothed?"
Kara could feel Alex walking behind them and she smiled a little. "I'm betrothed to the love of my life, Alex Danvers, a rancher who has treated me with nothing but respect and kindness since the first day we met."
"And will I get an opportunity to meet this man?" the older woman asked.
Kara glanced back at Alex, who grinned back at her. "Oh, I think that could be arranged. But you must be open-minded, Aunt Miranda. Mine and Alex's relationship is non-traditional. We have been living together at the ranch for months now."
"Living together and unmarried?" the older woman responded, her hand moving to her heart in shock. "Scandalous!" she spluttered.
"Nothin' scandalous about it," Alex said as she moved closer and joined the conversation. "We're very respectable, in fact. We're chaperoned by my Aunt." Not fully true but close enough.
Miranda blinked. "Oh Lord... you're…?"
"Alex Danvers, Ma'am, at your service." Alex took off her hat and bowed a little. "Kara's intended."
For a long, scary moment, Kara thought that her aunt might keel over but, instead, the older woman shook her head. "This is not right. Not right at all," she muttered as she turned on her heel and stomped toward Kara's father.
"Uh oh," the doctor said. "She's going to give my father a piece of her mind for letting this happen."
The rancher rolled her eyes. "Bigots. Never can understand why people get their shorts in a twist over things that don't affect 'em nor're any of their business in the first place."
"That's one of the things I love about you, Sweetheart," Kara replied with a loving smile. "To you, it's simple. People are just people. I'm not going to hide you or our relationship like it's something of which to be ashamed." She linked her arm through her lover's. "Let's get back to the house. It's going to be a long day."
Xx
Aunt Miranda was a no-show at the house, much to Kara's relief. Her mother had never liked the woman in the first place and her father barely tolerated his sister's snobbery, so she wasn't missed.
The house was full, a testament to how well-regarded Cecilia had been in their community, and teacups were being washed and recycled for the women, while the men drank from glasses of scotch.
Kara was exhausted by the time the day began to wind down and she found a quiet place to sit for a moment to let her shattered mind regroup. "Aunt Kara?" The doctor smiled as her niece awkwardly approached. "Can I sit on your knee?"
"Of course, Darling."
The little girl settled herself and leaned against her aunt's chest. "Everyone's sad that Grandma is gone forever."
"We are," Kara agreed. "Losing her has been hard on everyone. We all love her so much."
Rachel nodded. Her eyes closed as she thought hard about that. "But I'll see her in heaven someday, right?"
The doctor swallowed hard as the tears she'd kept at bay most of the day finally spilled over. "Yes, Baby, you most certainly will," she whispered. "When you're very old and very gray and you've lived a most wonderful life, Grandma will be waiting for you at the other side of the pearly gates."
"Then she's not really gone forever, is she." It was a statement of fact, backed by the full force of a little girl's belief.
Kara sniffled as she hugged her niece tighter. "I love you, Rachel."
"I love you too, Aunt Kara."
That night, Kara and Alex dropped any pretext about sleeping separately and Kara drew comfort from her lover's tight embrace. Rachel came in in the middle of the night and simply snuggled between them, sighing softly as they settled the blanket over her. Alex's hand rested protectively on her shoulder and Kara's arm circled her waist as the little girl fell back asleep.
Blue eyes met brown in the dimness of the room. "Alex, I want to adopt a child right after we get married," the doctor whispered.
"You read my mind," the rancher replied with a sleepy yawn. "Now go back to sleep, Love."
Blue eyes closed but the turmoil that was Kara's mind kept chunring and churning. Maybe sleep would come again later.
Xx
"But Mama, I want to go too," Rachel said with a pout. "Aunt Alex said she'd introduce me to the cows."
"And I will," said aunt interjected with a chuckle. "But you have to wait until your Aunt Kara and I have somewhere for y'all to sleep. I don't want you to have to sleep in the stable."
The rancher grabbed her suitcase and Kara's trunk and hauled them up onto the train, much to the surprise of the porter who had just come over to help. She flashed him a wink and a grin as he shrugged and went to find some other passengers to aid.
"Besides," Kara added. "You have to finish the rest of the school year before you can come see us. If you want to be a doctor or lawyer, you have to work hard at school and then go to college. You can come stay with us for summer vacations, ok?"
"Ok," Rachel replied, still disappointed but accepting at the same time.
Shirley ruffled her child's curls and then stepped around her to hug her sister. "I'm going to miss you, Karabells."
"Me too," the doctor replied, squeezing her sister tighter. "I'm really glad we've been able to grow close again."
Shirley nodded. "You've changed, Kara, and it's been an honor to get to know you again."
Just then, the train's whistle sounded, heralding its departure. Alex hugged Shirley and Rachel in turn and then helped Kara up onto the train. "See you both very soon," she called. "Love you."
"Love you too, Aunt Alex!" Rachel yelled back as Shirley lifted a hand and waved at them. The train stuttered into motion and began to move down the track and out of the station.
Kara and Alex found some empty seats and sat together, each lost in thought as they gazed out at the city moving rapidly by. "I'm glad we're going home," Kara said as she leaned against her lover. "But I'm going to miss my family."
Alex smiled and kissed the doctor's temple. "I promise I'll get the house built as quickly as possible so we can get married and see them again."
"I know you will, Love," Kara said with an adoring look. "You always keep your promises."
"I try."
Xx
It was mid-September now and Kara was busy at the clinic, mostly dealing with injuries the local farmers were sustaining during their wheat harvesting season. Business was certainly good and every day, the doctor was going to the bank with money to add to her savings account. The rest, she was taking home to Alex. Between the two of them, they had ordered all the timber and stone they needed to build their new homestead and Alex, George and their other friends from town were well into laying the foundation and getting the base walls built. Jonn was forging the metalwork back at his shop and Winn was ordering drapery, fabrics and soft furnishings from the catalog he kept at his store.
They'd picked a quiet spot about half a mile from Matty's home for the house to sit, surrounded by trees and lush grass for the horses to chomp on while they were paddocked there and, every time Kara visited, she felt peaceful and at home, as if she was connected to the land in some way.
Alex took a break to grab some water from the newly dug well and came to sit next to her lover on what had become their favorite resting rock. "How does it look?" she asked, gazing proudly at the work the team had achieved so far.
"It's amazing," Kara replied. "So much bigger than I thought it would be."
"Room for kids and family," Alex replied with a loving smile. "Our kids and Rachel are goin' to need plenty of space. Plus, we need some place for your family to stay when they visit."
They'd settled on five bedrooms in the end with the master suite with bathroom and a large open living area and kitchen downstairs. The rest of the bedrooms would be upstairs along with a second bathroom. Alex had carefully drawn out the plans with the help of the town planner, an old friend of hers since childhood and Kara had wholeheartedly endorsed them. They'd engaged a plumber to get the indoor pipes designed and while they had no chance of electricity where they were, they had designed the house with a lot of windows to let in as much light as possible and a lot of lamps to light their spaces at night.
Kara leaned against Alex's shoulder and sighed softly. "Soon, Sweetheart, this house will be full of laughter and love."
"You bet it will," the rancher grinned. "And I can't wait!"