Chapter 12

Two Years Later

Max sat straight up in bed. He heard his nephew's wild chatter outside his chambers. Then remembered he was home, in New York City, not in New Mexico.

There was commotion in the hallway and his first thought was his sister.

Slipping on some clothes he entered the hallway.

"Lucas." He picked the boy up.

"Mama's in there."

"Why aren't you in the nursery?" Max turned toward the stairs that led to the nursery.

"No, I want Mama."

"Lucas, Mama needs you to be a good boy." He pleaded with him.

"Daddy!" Lucas leapt into his father's arms.

"Alex, is Isabel alright?" Max asked her sister's husband.

"Yes. We just sent for the doctor." He looked at his son. "Why don't we just take you upstairs and get you settled."

Max went downstairs and waited outside Isabel's door for the doctor.

A few minutes later he heard footsteps.

"Her pains are coming fast, Miss Parker." He heard Mrs. Higgins voice.

"Alright, I'll tell you if I need a doctor. I should be ok, though." He then heard an achingly familiar voice. One he hadn't heard in two years.

He heard a scamper of paws behind her and immediately recognized Lady. Liz walked right past him to the room. "This is it, Mrs. Higgins?"

"Yes, go on in dear." She encouraged. "Hurry."

Liz turned and gave a sharp order to the dog, who plopped herself onto her behind.

Max stared at the dog who was intent on watching the door for any sign of movement. He heard people talking and rushing around. Maids hurried in and out of the room with water and towels and linens.

He wondered why the doctor hadn't come.

"Lady, come here, girl." He called to dog when he too sat in the chair across the hall.

The dog turned its head and eyed the man. Tilting her head she studied him and Max briefly wondered if she remembered him. She turned back and watched the door and ignored all attempts to get her to come to him.

Max didn't know how much longer it was but dawn was breaking when he heard a baby cry. Alex startled awake and waited for the nurse to come out.

Lady looked up when her mistress exited the room for the first time that night.

"Mr. Whitman, would you like to meet your daughter?" Liz asked. "She's a healthy one."

"A daughter?" He jumped up from the chair.

"Yes. Congratulations."

"Thank you." He spun her around and kissed her cheek. "Max, you can come meet your niece in a few moments."

"I can wait." Max nodded. "Few more moments won't hurt."

Liz talked to the dog and Lady stood, stretched and began to follow Liz down the hallway.

"Miss Parker, wait."

Liz had been so involved in her work that she wasn't aware of Max sitting there and now following along beside her. Lady began growling at him when he got too close and reached out to grab Liz's arm.

"Lady." Liz looked down at the dog. She whispered something to her and the dog sat but kept her eyes on Max as a warning.

"You trained your dog in Gaelic?" He asked amused.

"Yes, she understands English as well. Let go of my arm Mr. Evans or I won't be responsible for your ankle."

"Point taken." He held up his hands in surrender. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon."

"Nor I you." She looked up into his eyes. His eyes were the same, she noticed, but something in them had changed. His face was harder, more tan. Not like the men here who stayed inside all day. "You work outside?" She reached up and stroked his face.

"Yes. I spend a lot of my time outside. It's warmer there. Almost all year round."

"I've heard." She pulled her hand back as if she'd been stung.

"I promised you I'd come back."

"You did, and you came. I never promised I would go West with you." She looked at the dog. "I have commitments here, Mr. Evans."

"I know." He said and noticed how tired she must have been. It was almost dawn and it had been somewhere around midnight when she had been summoned. "Why don't you work with a doctor?"

"I do." She said and began walking towards the door.

"Where was he tonight?"

"He's old, Mr. Evans." She turned to him again. "We've decided that I can handle all the births. As long as nothing goes wrong he sees no reason why I shouldn't deliver the babies. Most men actually feel more comfortable with a woman being there."

"I see." He nodded. "I have something I need to talk with you about, Liz." He used her given name.

"So soon?" She pinched the bridge of her nose. When she had graduated from school she had been thinking of him, or if he would come back.

"I'll be here for a few weeks. I'll get it over soon, the sooner the better I think. It's important, and goes further than us."

She nodded. "Lady, come."

"You're walking?" He asked. "Alone?"

"Yes, my parents have moved around the corner. My Papa died a year ago." It still hurt her to say it. He may not have been the best man, but he had been around since she was born. Had taken in two children not his own and traveled three thousand miles with them. "They moved in together six months later." And she was bitter at both of them for that.

"Can I walk you home?"

"No. I have Lady, and if anyone were to see us I'd be ruined."

"What would Lady do?"

"Set up such a racket anyone within two miles would come running." Liz smiled. "She's a good dog. I'll be fine, Max."

He smiled when she used his first name. "If you say so."

"We'll be fine."

"Alright."

"Goodnight, Max."

"Goodnight, Liz, little Lady."

The dog scurried along beside Liz without the need for a leash.

Max smiled and watched them disappear around the corner.

"Mr. Valenti, there is a Mr. Evans for you."

"I thought the boy was gone." He muttered. He had heard rumors of him being back but he didn't think they were true. He wondered if he had seen Liz yet. "Bring him in here please." He stated.

"Mr. Evans."

"Mr. Valenti." He nodded.

"Please sit. I'm betting this is about my daughter."

"Yes." He sat down when Valenti nodded to the chair. "I want to discuss something with you."

"You want to marry her." He guessed.

"I do." Max nodded. "But she doesn't want to marry me."

"She has informed me she doesn't want to marry anyone, earlier this week." Jim said. "She's had three proposals in the last year but she insists she wants nothing but to be a nurse."

"So I've heard." Max nodded.

"My wife is insistent that she be married." Jim said and looked at the man. "So are you interested in her?"

"Yes, but not for what you're thinking." Max said. "I want to marry her, but we also need her out west."

"What do you mean?" Jim asked.

"There is a shortage of medical aid, out west, Valenti." Max said. "Childbirths often go unaided because a doctor is too busy, we don't have any nurses."

"My daughter isn't going to be a nurse for the rest of her life. She's going to marry and have children."

"Your wife will destroy her." Max said quietly. He thought of Liz's insistence that she wanted nothing more than to be a nurse, not to get married.

"She's doing what is best for our daughter." Jim insisted.

"That's what you think." Max said.

"Do not speak about my wife in such a way." Jim warned.

"How long were you going to let her practice nursing?" Max asked. "Because I know you were going to force her to stop. I was just wondering when."

"I was going to give her a year."

"A year and then take all her dreams away."

"You make it seem so harsh." Jim scratched his neck.

"It is. Do I have permission to marry your daughter?" Max asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because Nancy would not like that." Jim said.

"Are you the kind of man to let your wife rule what you do?" Max raised an eyebrow.

"When a man loves a woman, he does crazy things."

"Who would know that better than me?" Max asked with a smile.

Jim froze and stood.

"If you marry her, you can't possibly mean to keep her as a nurse, your wife?"

"Why not?"

"Surely a husband doesn't do such things, make his wife work."

"I'm not making her and as my wife she'll be free to do as she pleases."

"That's no way to run a household." Jim slammed his hand down on his desk.

"Its how yours is run." Max quipped. "Yes or no."

"Fine. Fine." He waved him out. "Would you like me to speak with her?"

"No, I'll do it." Max turned to exit. "Thank you, Valenti." He nodded and left the room.

Liz was returning from a call when she heard someone calling her name.

Lady let out a howl before Liz could silence her.

"Elizabeth, it's me." Sean said coming around from the back.

"Sean?" She asked, surprised to see him. Despite her command Lady began barking fiercely.

"Elizabeth, I have something, someone who needs you." He stayed where he was. "I know it's been a long time."

"Lady, hush." She commanded the dog. "Sit."

The dog sat and looked threateningly at Sean.

"Who?" Liz asked stepping closer. She was tired, her hair was mussed, but she needed to help who she could. She also knew it was difficult to get a physician to go down to the Lower East Side. She hoped it was something she could deal with.

"My wife."

Shocked, Liz stared at him and tilted his head. "When?"

"A year ago, I'll tell you on the way. Please."

"Of course." Liz let out a small smile, happy for Sean.

tbc