Colleen and Andrew woke the next morning to Ella knocking on their door. Andrew stood up, and Colleen remained in the bed. She felt slightly dizzy and warm.
"Just a minute, sweetheart," Andrew said putting on his dressing gown.
Andrew unlocked the door to a barefooted, nightgown clad Ella jumping up and down.
"Yes?" he asked the bobbing head of messy curls.
"Good morning," she chirped as she continued to bounce.
"Good morning," he replied as he moved out of Ella's way as she ran to her parents' bed.
"How does you finger feel?" Colleen asked as Ella continued to hop around the room.
"It hurts," Ella responded between jumps.
"Climb onto the bed and let me look at it," Colleen instructed patting the empty place next to her.
Ella complied but once on the bed she began to jump again.
"You're going to have to sit still so I can look at your finger," Colleen gently reminded her.
Ella reluctantly paused at sat down near her mother. Colleen rolled up Ella's sleeve and removed the bandage. The wound looked to be healing properly.
"I want you to air it out until I put a new dressing on it," Colleen said as she prayed a silent prayer of relief.
"What does that mean?" Ella inquired as she watched the strands of her hair as she shook her dark locks from side-to-side. Ella had all of Colleen's features except for her silky dark brown hair.
"It means to leave it uncovered," Colleen explained.
"Oh," Ella replied standing up and walking to the end of the bed. She peered over the edge and thought she could make it.
"Don't even think about it," Andrew said before he lifted her off the bed and set her on the floor.
"I am going to go get dressed," Ella announced. This was her latest accomplishment; however, Colleen still had to help with the buttons on the back of her dress.
"I'll be over to help you in a few minutes," Colleen called after her.
Andrew and Colleen dressed for day. Colleen was just about to go to Ella's room when she was started to cough. She had been feeling a little poorly last night but had not thought much of it.
"Are you all right?" Andrew asked with concern.
"I'm fine. I probably just need some water," she told him between coughs.
Andrew left and returned with a glass of water.
"Why don't you just rest today? I don't want you getting sick. It would be bad for business," he joked trying to lighten e mood and hide his concern about his wife.
"I'll be fine, besides, it is Saturday so Annette isn't here to help around the house," Colleen replied setting the glass down on the side table and walked towards the door.
"As your husband and a doctor, I am telling you it would be a good idea to rest," Andrew said as he led her gently by the arm back to the bed.
"All right, Andrew," she told him realizing this was a losing battle, "But who is going to make breakfast?"
"I will," he replied with confidence.
"I can't wait to see it," Colleen called after him as he left the room and headed downstairs.
Ella sat on her bed waiting for her mother, but she grew restless. She kept herself occupied with her doll for a few minutes. Eventually, she set the doll aside and did her best to button the back of her dress. When she had pushed as many as buttons through as she could manage, she looked at her shoes on the floor and decided to pass on the shoes.
"Look, Andrew, I finished getting dressed by myself," Ella said spinning around in a circle to show her masterpiece when she discovered him downstairs.
Andrew turned to see a drooping stocking, no shoes, and buttons in the wrong holes. He smiled but didn't laugh not wanting to upset his daughter.
"Would you mind if I fixed you up a bit?" he asked.
Ella thought and looked down at her drooping stocking. "No," she replied.
Andrew unfastened then refastened the buttons quickly and pulled the stocking back into place.
"You are really good at buttons even Colleen doesn't button them up that fast," Ella told him.
Andrew blushed and replied, "Yes, I have a little more experience. Now what is this with you calling your mother and me by our first names?"
Ella gave him a confused look.
"Don't look at me like that Michaela Elizabeth. You know exactly what I am talking about." he told her.
"I like to," Ella answered running her stocking clad foot back and forth along a floor board.
"I prefer you didn't. It is more respectful to use Mother and Father, Ma and Pa, or Mama and Papa," he explained hoping the message would get through to Ella.
Ella did not respond she continued to run her foot along the floor.
"Go get your shoes," Andrew instructed realizing this conversation was going no where, and Ella had probably stopped listening before he had started speaking.
Ella returned with her shoes a few moments later. Andrew assisted her with the shoes as well.
"Let's go find some breakfast," Andrew said leading Ella into the kitchen.
"Where is Col-Mama?" Ella questioned Andrew when she realized Colleen was absent from the kitchen.
"She is resting today," Andrew explained. He turned toward the cabinets for a moment to hide his grin of victory in getting Ella to stop using their first names.
Ella furrowed her eyebrows in displeasure.
"I promise we will have fun today," he said opening a jar, pulling out a cookie, and placing it on Ella's palm.
She smiled and temptingly looked at the cookie before she put the cookie back in the jar. "You can't eat cookies for breakfast," Ella explained.
"How does oatmeal sound?" Andrew questioned as he returned to cookie jar to its proper place.
"Good," Ella replied.
Breakfast was uneventful besides the scorch marks on the side of the pot. Colleen had been impressed with the bowl delivered to her by Andrew. Afterward Ella helped cleanup before Andrew remembered her hand needed to be bandaged. He took her into the study where there was a cabinet of medical supplies. Ella held still long enough for him to wrap her finger.
"Can we go for a walk?" Ella asked.
"Maybe, this afternoon. I have some work to do. Why don't you go play upstairs until lunch? I might be finished by that time, and we can take our walk," he told her. Andrew would not normally object to the outing, he needed to review the clinic and household bills.
Ella left Andrew to his bills. He sorted through the pile, and it wasn't long before he realized there was a problem. The landlord of the building they used for the clinic wanted to increase the rent. This added on top of everything else was too much. He and Colleen could not make that much money if they constantly kept the clinic running. Andrew sat trying to come up with a financial plan the rest of the morning.
His thoughts were interrupted by Ella. "Is it time for lunch? I am really hungry," she called from the doorway of the study.
Andrew checked his watch and realized had been working for longer than he had planned.
"I'm sorry, Ella. I lost track of time," Andrew said trying to apologize for Ella's grumbling stomach.
"It's all right," Ella replied taking Andrew's hand and leading him toward the kitchen.
After lunch, Andrew and Ella prepared to go on their walk. Andrew went upstairs to check on Colleen and tell her about their departure. Colleen was pleased to hear that Ella would be getting out of the house. Andrew hopped down the stairs to find Ella waiting by the door. He pulled his coat and hat out of the closet and noticed a small violet bonnet still resting on a lower hook. He pulled it out and handed it to Ella.
"I don't want to wear it," Ella said refusing to take the bonnet from her father.
"Ella," Andrew said as a warning.
"It is itchy," she explained.
"Yes, but it is cold. If you want to go out, you are going to wear it," he told her.
Ella stood in the hall debating her options. She decided to put in on and had Andrew tie the bow for her. Without another incident, they headed outside. Andrew took Ella's uninjured hand when they stepped onto the sidewalk. She skipped beside him secretly hoping her bonnet would fall into the street.