Follow Your Heart – The Cook Chronicles
Chapter 4 – Matriculation, Part Two
Listening to the matriculants' stories, Colleen discovered that they largely fell into one of three camps. The first group was like Dr. Mike in that they wanted to become a doctor due to their father's (or uncle's or family friend's) example. Another group, driven by a desire to live independently and make a difference in the world, planned to go into missionary service to provide medical care in a place where women typically went without. The third group was moved to medicine by the illness of a relative or close friend – or even their own. Such was the story of Jenny Trout, who said that some days she couldn't get out of bed. Having visited so many doctors seeking relief, she felt after a time that she should become a physician herself, to help others like herself. Jenny noted that she had come to Philadelphia because a woman's medical college didn't exist in her home country of Canada.
And Colleen thought she was a long way from home!
The eighteen-year-old encountered another surprise when three of the girls - including Dr. Comly's own daughter, Fanny (the one who had pulled Colleen aside to ask where she was from) - announced that they had no ambition to become a doctor. Rather, they were matriculating at the medical school to further their education, having been rejected by the University of Pennsylvania. Colleen hadn't known that was even a possibility, having presumed everyone was here to earn a medical degree.
When it was her turn to speak, there were murmurs when Colleen announced that she had been inspired by her mother, Dr. Michaela Quinn. Not wishing to go into the whole saga of her upbringing and how she came to be under Dr. Mike's care in front of so many new faces (especially the faculty members who were listening in), Colleen kept her story brief, relating how there had been an influenza epidemic in town, and she'd watched as her mother had taken charge, using the old boarding house as a temporary hospital, tending to many of the same people who had been mistrustful of a woman doctor. "She didn't give up on them, doing everything she could to save their life. Watching her help so many people, that's when I knew I wanted to be a doctor, too," Colleen said in conclusion.
When the thirty or so new matriculants had all had their say, they were divided in half. Colleen was placed in the group which would be touring the college first, followed by a tour of the hospital after lunch. At the completion of the second tour, the students would be excused for the weekend.
"Does your mother still practice medicine?" Colleen recognized the excited questioner as Frances Carpenter of Washington, D.C., the one who'd interrupted the dean's speech. It was obvious Colleen had achieved instant celebrity status by virtue of her parentage, as many others were crowding around her, too.
"Yes, she does."
"No wonder you're so young," said Mary Hood of Chester, Pennsylvania, echoing Sarah Eddy's earlier comment. "You probably went directly from playing with a rattle to a reflex hammer."
The joke generated several smiles and good-natured giggling. A pair of clapping hands prevented Colleen from answering.
"Over here, girls." The young woman calling for their attention looked to be in her mid-twenties, the same age as many of the new matriculants, though she had not participated in the introductions. "I'm Lizzie Berolet. I was in your shoes a year ago, so I know how excited you all are to be here. Shall we go upstairs?" And with that, she turned and led the way out of the room.
As they filed out of the large lecture hall, Colleen chose not to correct the misassumption of her childhood just yet. It would be highly impolite to distract attention from their tour guide. Nor did she wish to give the impression that she wanted (or needed) to be the center of attention, for she wasn't like that at all. Later, as the girls got to know each other better and she felt more comfortable around them, Colleen could set the record straight.
The upper floor turned out to be the location of the dissection room.
"Enter if you dare," Lizzie taunted mysteriously as she opened the door.
Most of the girls hesitated in the hallway, holding their noses at the odor, but Colleen – no stranger to the sights or smells of human flesh – crossed the threshold, along with a few brave others. The room was dominated by its windows, open for ventilation, on two sides. The near wall was lined with posters similar to those in the lecture hall; cabinets filled the space below, and a skeleton was positioned in the corner. A closed door marked Storage was centered on the far wall. A quartet of students were hunched over one of the three examination tables, absorbed in their work.
Although familiar with the body cavity, even Colleen was taken aback by the extent of the dissection in progress. It resembled a carcass picked over by a mountain lion.
"You'll find that the human body is far more complex than you ever dreamed of," Lizzie was saying in hushed awe to those who ventured inside. "This is where you'll uncover many of its secrets." She let that sink in a moment before signaling that they should exit.
"Does it always smell like that?" someone asked as Lizzie shut the door.
"You get used to it," she replied nonchalantly, moving down the hall to open another door and gesturing for the others to follow. "Welcome to the chem lab. Feel free to look around, but don't touch anything."
Another quartet of students appeared to be finishing up their work, wiping down surfaces and rinsing out beakers in a large basin.
"Hi, Lizzie," greeted a student jovially, coming up to the young woman in question. Then, in a covert whisper, "Anyone faint?"
"No, but only five went in," came the equally quiet response, and Lizzie pointed out the girls in question.
The chemistry lab was almost a mirror image of the dissection room, with a much different smell. A lone poster decorated the wall, an odd arrangement of letters. Mendeleev's periodic table, thought Colleen, having seen it in her college chemistry book.
Following the chem lab was the darkened specimen room across the hall, a collection of body parts – some healthy, some diseased - encased in jars for students to study, or for the professors to use as examples. It was morbid yet fascinating, and Lizzie told her group they could gain admittance to the room with a professor's permission. The fourth room upstairs was a Pharmacology Lab with a Materia Medica storage closet to safeguard medicines.
Next, they returned to the second floor. Having already visited the large lecture hall, Lizzie ignored it and two other doors, saying they were smaller classrooms which doubled as a lunchroom on cold days, and instead led them to a different room full of various microscopes. "Our histology and microscopy lab," Lizzie announced. Colleen was momentarily puzzled by the first word and worked to solve the puzzle using the Greek she'd learned in Denver. 'Logy' was the study of, and 'histo' was… not history… oh, what was it…
"Some of these microscopes look rather old," one matriculant commented, interrupting Colleen's train of thought. Not yet familiar with everyone's voice, she didn't know who had spoken.
"Yes," Lizzie admitted. "Unfortunately, new microscopes are expensive. Whenever the dean can obtain a new one, the oldest will be sold as surplus."
The follow-up question was from Mary Beth Sullivan of Illinois. "Who would want an old microscope?"
"Someone curious about the world," New Yorker Hannah Jacobs replied before Lizzie could. During the introductions, Hannah had shared that she had been motivated to pursue medicine by the desire to help other women and the chance to travel to new places as a missionary. The diplomatic way in which she answered Mary Beth's question struck Colleen as something Dr. Mike would say, heading off the more obvious answer - someone who can't afford a new one.
"Yes," agreed Lizzie, giving Hannah a small smile. "Well, let's continue downstairs."
"Yes, let's. Colleen needs to show us her mother's picture," Frances gushed, and the group trouped down the stairs once more.
"That's her in the back row," Colleen indicated, and everyone took a turn looking at the photo up close.
"I don't see a resemblance," said Mary Beth. "You must look like your father."
Colleen wasn't sure how to take that remark. Was it merely a clinical observation or had it been intended as some kind of insult?
"Don't mind her," Fanny advised Colleen sotto voce. "She's probably just homesick."
In her eagerness earlier to find Michaela's photo, Colleen hadn't paid attention to the doors dotting the downstairs. The one nearest the stairs was marked Water Closet (there was one on every floor), and the one past that was labeled Janitor. Heading back up the hallway, the tour group passed doors identified as Cloakroom, Faculty Lounge and Dean's Office before returning to the lobby area with Mrs. Perling's Secretary's Office door.
Lizzie led them to the far side of the lobby and another door. Library. The girls started wandering about the space, perusing the bookshelves. Colleen immediately felt at home, smiling at the girl - for it was yet another veteran matriculant, looking to be about the same age as Lizzie - sitting at the librarian's desk, book open for studying.
"If anyone needs to use the water closet, now's the time to do so," Lizzie announced after a few minutes, and several girls took her up on her suggestion, returning down the hallway while the others waited in the lobby.
"Are we dining in the upstairs classroom?" asked Colleen, thinking that's why Lizzie had waved them off from entering.
"We're feasting outside today. So much nicer than indoors, don't you think?"
Indeed, when the tour group eventually made its way into the sunshine and rounded the building, a spread of blankets greeted them around the grassy area between the college and the hospital, with a smattering of trees providing light shade. A table of food had also been set up, and the matriculants automatically formed a queue to collect their plates – turkey sandwiches, apples, and Nazareth sugar cookies - and glasses of lemonade.
"Colleen, would you care to sit together?"
Two hours ago, Colleen would have been thrilled by Frances' invitation, but she still wanted to meet Hannah, recognizing her as the one who had entered orientation with the black student, and this seemed a good opportunity. "Some other time," Colleen told Frances politely, before striding over to Hannah's position away from the others. "Aren't you hungry?"
"Oh, yes. I'm just waiting for someone in the other tour group."
"Could I join you?"
"I'm waiting for Deborah Williams." It was a challenge as much as a statement, a chance for Colleen to change her mind.
"If she doesn't mind, I don't. My Ma taught me to respect everyone." Both of them did.
The aspiring missionary was impressed. "Then you're welcome to join us. Hannah Jacobs."
Colleen shook her hand. "Colleen Cook."
"Colleen from Colorado, right? I try to alliterate or find mnemonics when I can, to help me remember things."
"I can have trouble memorizing things, too. But you're from New York?"
"Yes. Oswego, specifically. Hi, Deborah," she greeted, as the remaining matriculants arrived from their tour of the hospital. "Deborah Williams of New York, Colleen Cook from Colorado. Colleen's joining us for lunch."
At twenty-six, Deborah Williams was one of the older matriculants (though not the oldest, Colleen would later discover – that would turn out to be thirty-two-year-old Jenny). She had been assigned to scrubbing floors at a hospital as a teenager. She saw the unequal treatment injured black soldiers received compared to their white counterparts during the war and decided something needed to be done, volunteering to help tend the black patients as a nurse instead. She'd been lucky enough to find a sympathetic doctor willing to be a mentor and aid in her cause, teaching her proper bandaging techniques and letting her assist with surgeries involving black patients. After the war, however, the doctor returned to his home state and practice, leaving Deborah on her own to further her pre-medical education when she could. It had taken time, but she had finally made it to Philadelphia.
"You don't say?" Deborah exchanged a confirming glance with Hannah. "Well, nice to meet you, Colleen Cook from Colorado."
The girls headed for the end of the food line. "Colleen showed us her mother's photo in the college," said Hannah. "She was a member of the third class."
"She must've told you stories of her time here," said Deborah.
"A few. There was one time she fell asleep during a test."
Both girls looked at Colleen, incredulous. "The professor must've been furious," said Hannah.
"He was. But Ma was lucky, her friend Miriam woke her up, and the professor let Ma make up the exam. She got the highest grade."
The conversation ceased temporarily as they got their plates and drinks and found an empty blanket. "Don't you find that intimidating to live up to? Following in your mother's footsteps?" Hannah asked as they removed their gloves to eat.
"Sometimes. But I think it'd be harder if she didn't support me and didn't want me to become a doctor." Colleen's thoughts flashed back to her grandmother's attitude toward Dr. Mike, how much it hurt her not to have Elizabeth's support in her chosen life path – well, not until fairly recently, that is.
"Colleen… is there something you forgot to mention?" Hannah was staring at the sandwich in Colleen's hands.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that," Hannah said, pointing to the thin, solitary gold band on Colleen's left hand which was now visible. "Is that what iI think it is?"
Colleen suddenly realized what the older girl meant, and her cheeks flushed. "Oh… yes. I was married two weeks ago."
"You were married two weeks ago and now you're here?" Deborah's voice sounded dubious. "You aren't worried that your husband might… find other means of fulfilling his urges while you're gone?"
"What?" Colleen exclaimed in shock. It took her a second to recover and supply an answer. "Andrew'd never… he's in Philadelphia with me. He's the one Dr. Cleveland had to meet with during orientation." She hadn't intended to mention that, but now it seemed prudent to do so, proof that her husband was in Philadelphia with her.
"That man was your husband?"
"Mrs. Perling asked him to wait after he dropped me off. I didn't know it was to consult about one of Dr. Cleveland's patients."
"So, he's a doctor as well?" asked Hannah.
"It's how we met," Colleen said amiably, then proceeded to tell an abridged version of Andrew's arrival in town with Elizabeth Quinn and Horace's subsequent operation while the girls ate lunch. Colleen's new friends were duly impressed, and she skipped to the end of the tale by explaining how Andrew had proposed after Colleen had received her acceptance letter from the college, not wishing for them to be apart.
"How romantic of him," Hannah commented at the end. "Though it does beg another question, if you're here together... that you might… well, that marital life might prevent you from finishing the course with the rest of us, if you take my meaning."
Colleen's face turned pink again. She didn't dare saying anything other than, "I'm not worried about that."
"If you're not worried, then we won't be either," said Deborah firmly.
"No. Of course not." Hannah tried to keep a straight face but let out a giggle.
"What?" Deborah looked at her friend curiously.
"I'm sorry. It just struck me that Colleen already had an advantage over half the girls here from being the daughter of a doctor. But that pales to the advantage she has over the rest of us by being married to one, and the, well, clinical experience that must provide." Hannah was doing her best not to laugh again, and only partly succeeding.
Deborah was shaking her head. "Oh, you're bad, Hannah Jacobs. Leave the poor girl alone." To Colleen, she said, "Still sure you want to be friends with her? Because I'm starting to have my doubts." Her comment was obviously in jest, and though highly embarrassed, Colleen was glad to have made new friends on the first day.
:
It was late afternoon by the time Colleen made it back to the hotel.
As it turned out, Andrew was waiting for her in the hotel lobby, and a look of relief crossed his face when his wife arrived. "Colleen. There you are." He resisted the urge to hug her tightly, not wishing to make a spectacle in the public setting, so he settled for a quick kiss to her temple before placing his hand at the small of her back to guide her towards the staircase.
"Andrew. I'm sorry, I got to talking with some of the girls. Were you waiting long?"
"No, not long. I decided to wait for you down here rather than alone in the room. You made some new friends, then?"
"Hannah and Deborah. They're from different parts of New York state and only met each other for the first time a few days ago at their boarding house. How'd your day go?"
"It was… interesting," he said vaguely. Catching her look, Andrew smiled again. "Would you mind if I saved the story for dinner? I want to go out tonight, to celebrate your official matriculation in medical school. I promise, I'll tell you everything then."
Though dying of curiosity, Colleen simply nodded as they made their way back to their room.
:
Later, having changed into an evening gown that her mother had insisted Colleen take with her (you'll need a gown in Philadelphia, Colleen, for special occasions with Andrew - consider it a bridal gift), Colleen was on her husband's arm, strolling to the restaurant recommended to him by the hotel concierge. The dress she'd selected from her mother's collection in the barn was one of the black and white ones, as Colleen had always admired the look on Dr. Mike. Rather than spend time fussing with her hair, she merely swapped out the daytime hat for a small, feathered comb. Andrew wore formal attire, newly purchased just that afternoon, as his old suit had been left behind in Boston when he'd relocated to Colorado Springs, and his mother had since given it away.
This was the first time they'd be enjoying supper away from the hotel restaurant, and thus it was the first time they'd been strolling the streets in the early evening. Whereas a small town like Colorado Springs would be winding down for the day with townsfolk wishing to get home to complete evening chores before the sun set, the city of Philadelphia was still very much active, with plenty of other pedestrians to be mindful of, and horses, carriages, and trolleys to watch out for while crossing the street. Shops were still open for last-minute purchases or people picking up orders. Men could be seen ducking into a tavern for a drink before heading home (or to other, less genteel pursuits). They passed other couples strolling arm in arm, some dressed up, some not. One man hurried along carrying a medical bag, either headed on his way to a night shift at Pennsylvania Hospital or out on a house call.
The couple walked in silence, saving their conversation for dinner. Finally, after settling in at a table and placing their orders, they spoke.
"Tell me about your-"
"I want to hear-"
They laughed.
"Ladies first," Andrew said, yielding the discussion to her.
Colleen gave him a summary of her day (interrupted by their wine being served, and Andrew offering a toast "to the loveliest matriculant at Woman's Medical College"), covering the student introductions, how they were split up for tours of the college and hospital, and pointing out Dr. Mike's class photo to her group ("Really? I hadn't noticed that. I'll have to look for it next time I'm there," was Andrew's response.) She then talked about having lunch with Hannah and Deborah (excluding certain parts, of course!) and returning to the girls' boarding house after the tours were over to review the pamphlet Mrs. Perling had supplied and generally getting to know her new classmates a little better beyond what they'd said at orientation.
"They asked if I wanted to join them tomorrow buying our books for school," Colleen said in between bites of her meal, which had arrived during her recitation. "I want to, but I didn't know if you had plans for us."
"As a matter of fact, I have errands I need to run tomorrow, so, by all means, go off with your friends. Before you leave, I'll check your reading list for titles I – or I should say, we - already own."
He smiled warmly at her, at the idea that they had shared belongings. Colleen returned the smile before finally asking what had been on her mind most of the day. "Andrew, can you please tell me now about Dr. Cleveland's patient?"
He looked up from his plate, perplexed. "Patient? What pa- oh!" he interrupted himself, realizing the misunderstanding. "Oh, no, Dr. Cleveland didn't want to meet with me about a patient." He paused to wipe his mouth and take a sip of wine.
Now it was Colleen's turn to be confused. "She didn't?"
"After Mrs. Perling introduced us, she asked about my education and experience and was duly impressed by my Harvard degree and the time I spent working with your mother. I asked her why she was so interested in my background, and that's when she told me of their need of an Anatomy professor. The doctor who was supposed to assume the post this year had to withdraw suddenly."
"Dr. Cleveland wants you to be one of the instructors?" Colleen couldn't believe it.
Andrew nodded. "To make the offer more enticing, she said as a professor I could chose to become an assistant physician at the hospital if I wanted to."
"Andrew, what did you say?"
"What could I say? I thanked her for the offer and said I'd consider it, at which point we parted ways. I then spent the rest of the day visiting the practices I'd arranged to see before we left Colorado Springs. Everyone I spoke with was friendly enough, and Dr. Sheffield was especially intrigued with the idea of taking me on as a partner. He's agreed to meet me for lunch tomorrow, to discuss it further, so your plans with your friends work out perfectly. I won't be worried about leaving you alone."
"It sounds like you've already made up your mind which job to take."
"To be honest, Colleen, I was being polite when I told Dr. Cleveland that I'd consider her offer. I have no experience teaching, and I've never held any aspirations to teach. Though I suppose to be fair I should give it some consideration. I can't deny that getting to spend time near you after our years apart has a certain appeal, though there'd be the risk you might be seen as teacher's pet."
"I hadn't thought of that."
He smiled self-consciously. "Aside from that, Dr. Cleveland said I'd be expected to make a small financial contribution to the school. Apparently, all faculty help as donors. She said it's difficult to be in direct competition with the larger medical schools for contributions, and that many people prefer to be associated with an institution founded by Benjamin Franklin or named for Thomas Jefferson rather than one that so blatantly defies convention. I appreciated her candor."
Colleen thought back to the histology lab, how the college couldn't afford to have all new microscopes. It was strange to think that a college would have financial challenges like a person would.
Their waiter chose that moment to interrupt. "Pardon me, sir, will there be anything else this evening?"
"Ah, no thank you." As much as he was enjoying their evening out, Andrew was eager to return to their suite, for the day's events were a blunt reminder that their honeymoon was coming to an end. He took out his wallet to pay the bill, and the man wished them a pleasant evening.
Back out on the streets of Philadelphia, Colleen resumed their conversation. "And what about Dr. Sheffield?" she asked, wanting to be supportive of Andrew's preferred job option. "What's he like?"
"He seems pleasant enough. Graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and was a junior partner himself before the senior partner retired and left him in charge. He helped at Penn Hospital for a time treating some of the wounded from the war. Said a lot of what he saw wasn't pretty, and that he hopes never to see the like of it again… at any rate, he seemed both amused and fascinated at the idea of a Penn man and Harvard man teaming up to practice medicine, conferring with one another on patients. I hadn't really thought of it that way before, but our respective medical schools are considered the two most prestigious in the country."
Andrew shook his head in amazement. "I never appreciated before how many doors a Harvard Medical School diploma opens. Clearly my father did." He paused at the memory, and Colleen gave a gentle squeeze of his bicep. Andrew glanced down at her, grateful, and let out a deep breath before continuing. "I mentioned I had errands for tomorrow. After my meeting with Dr. Sheffield, I'll look into finding an address for you to give to Mrs. Perling."
She wheeled on him excitedly, halting their stroll. "You're going to buy us a house?"
"Uh, well…" he hedged, knowing what he had to say next wasn't what she was expecting to hear. "After what happened with Preston's bank, I'd prefer not to obtain a mortgage. The lender at any time could demand repayment of the entire amount." It was true, so far as it went. What he wasn't sharing with Colleen was that buying a house was a risky venture should anything happen to him. Not that he was expecting anything to happen to him, but if the last twelve months had taught him anything, it was that things could change dramatically in an instant. Therefore, safeguarding Colleen's future had become his primary concern.
Andrew's statement about a mortgage gave Colleen pause. Aside from their one conversation about her tuition, they hadn't really discussed their financial situation. She simply knew that he had money and she didn't – though it appeared he didn't have enough to buy a house without taking out a loan. "Oh, of course," she smoothed over, resuming their walk. "Renting is the smarter thing to do."
Andrew braced himself for her reaction. "Actually, we'll be boarding."
"Boarding?"
"Darling, I only want what's best for you," he said, using his term of affection to try to defuse her disappointment that they wouldn't have a place of their own just yet. "I can't expect you to keep house for me and finish first in your class. This way, you'll be able to focus on your studies, the same as any other student, and I'll be able to save up enough to buy us a home without a loan. Understand?"
Darling, I only want what's best for you… Once again, he was putting her needs first. How could she possibly be upset with him for that? Though it was mildly irritating that he'd come up with this decision unilaterally, it wasn't worth putting up a fuss – not when she agreed his plan made sense. "I suppose it doesn't matter where we live as long as we're together."
"I'm glad you see it that way," Andrew replied, happy that she was so easily placated.
:
Back in their hotel suite, Colleen asked Andrew to help unfasten the top hooks of her gown before they began preparing for bed. As the couple changed, each of them was preoccupied with the events of the day.
Andrew was greatly looking forward to working with James Sheffield. He'd again be helping people in need and not catering to the hypochondriacs which had comprised a good majority of his patients at the Spring Chateau. He'd have a colleague to consult with and simply talk to about anything, the way he'd had with Michaela those months that they'd worked together when Katie was little. Perhaps he and Colleen would even join Sheffield and his wife now and then for an evening among friends. And though it had been flattering to be asked to join the faculty at the medical college, he was sure Dr. Cleveland could find someone else with far more experience than he.
For her part, Colleen's thoughts had also settled upon Andrew's career options, contemplating what she would do if she were the one presented with the two differing opportunities.
Like Andrew, she'd never pictured herself as a teacher. She respected the profession, but the idea of standing before a class and grading papers wasn't a particularly appealing one. And her experience trying to tutor Jared McAllister still left a bitter taste in her mouth, souring her on the whole idea of teaching.
Working in a hospital, though… that was where the action was for a doctor, and it was a prospect that she found highly appealing. Unfortunately, it sounded like it was contingent upon becoming a professor, and Colleen was forced to admit that if it were her, she'd also be turning down the position at the college.
Which left the job with Dr. Sheffield. That sounded very much like the pledge she and Andrew had made to work together one day, and certainly there was an allure in working with a fellow physician in an established clinic, not having to start from scratch as Dr. Mike had. And yet, Andrew had turned down a similar opportunity once before…
"Andrew? I thought you settled in Colorado Springs because you decided you didn't want to work with your uncle in his clinic." She placed her corset in the drawer and started untying her petticoat.
"What made you think about that?" His back was to Colleen while he changed – ostensibly so he wouldn't gawk at his wife while she undressed.
"You working with Dr. Sheffield. Wouldn't that be like going to work for your uncle?"
"I suppose, in a way… but the situations are different."
"How?"
Without thinking Andrew glanced over his shoulder to respond. "Well, for one thing-" his voice broke off as he caught sight of his wife's visage in the suite's full-size mirror. Clad only in her undergarments, hair incongruously still pinned up, she resembled one of those naughty pictures of scantily clad girls which had once made the rounds of the Harvard dormitory - only this photo was in color, life-sized and standing mere feet away!
Andrew twisted back around to compose himself, having lost his train of thought. He pulled off his shirt and cleared his throat before re-starting his answer. "Um, for one thing, this is my decision, not one made for me. And there were other things to consider back then." Andrew laid his shirt down in the "to launder" pile and began making his way around the bed. "Three others, in fact. One was the chance to work on the frontier with Michaela."
Colleen had been about to put on her robe and start taking down her hair but froze in place as she watched Andrew steadily approach, his torso bare. The sight of him shirtless no longer flustered her. Instead, it made her feel warm. And loved. And so many good things... She placed her palms on his chest, feeling his solid presence, waiting for him to continue his answer. Waiting for his hands to begin their tantalizing caress across her skin…
One hand clasped her shoulder while the other reached up to caress her cheek. He spoke softly, tenderly. "Another was to be surrounded by the beauty of Colorado."
He bent his head ever so slightly, and Colleen closed her eyes, anticipating his kiss. She waited…
Nothing happened.
Confused, Colleen opened her eyes. There was a boyish smile of amusement on Andrew's lips, but that's all his lips were doing. She was about to ask what was so funny when he spoke again.
"Aren't you the least bit curious as to my final reason for turning down my uncle?"
"Of course." It hit her then what he was getting at, what it had to be - and her heart rejoiced that Andrew was expressing now what he'd been unable to back then. Sliding her hands up his chest to wrap around his neck, Colleen happily inquired, "What was it?"
This time, his lips did not disappoint.
:
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Author's Notes:
-A number of matriculants at WMCP were there to become medical missionaries, tending to women who otherwise would have had no medical care whatsoever in the 19th century.
-Dr. Jennie Trout - spelled 'Jenny' in WMCP records - was just one of several foreign students who studied at WMCP due to lack of opportunity in their home country. I included Dr. Trout by name because she graduated in 1875 (making her a classmate of Colleen's) and she would go on to establish one of the first woman's medical colleges in Canada in 1883. Additionally, like Colleen, she was one of the rare students who was married during her time Philadelphia, though it appears her husband remained in Canada while she was in the States.
-Fanny Comly of Philadelphia is recorded as one of the "Ladies Attending Particular Courses of Lectures" at WMCP, an option for those who did not wish to pursue an M.D. The University of Pennsylvania first began admitting women as "special students" in 1876, though not for the purpose of earning an actual degree. Rather, a "Certificate of Proficiency" was awarded (Harvard had a similar program to cope with female students before Radcliffe College opened). In the 1880s, Penn began to give some advanced degrees to women (including some WMCP graduates), but it wasn't until 1895 that Josephine Feger Ancona earned the university's first four-year bachelor's degree on par with the men. She majored in Biology.
-My original character Deborah Williams is based on fact. Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler graduated in 1864 from the New England Female Medical College in Boston, the first black woman to earn an M.D. The first black woman to graduate from WMCP was Dr. Rebecca Cole in 1867.
-I've taken liberties with the layout and location of the college, though some of it is true. The dissection room really was up on the third floor (possibly to hide it from prying eyes at street level?), and offices and a library were on the first floor. However, the college wouldn't actually be situated next to the hospital until 1875; I've relocated it 2 years early for ease of storytelling.
-There are several early versions of the periodic table. In 1869 a Russian chemist, Dmitri Mendeleev, was the first to incorporate gaps for elements yet to be discovered, and this is the table used today. In 1955 the 101st element was named 'mendelevium' in his honor.
-Histology is the study of the microscopic structure of tissues.
-It's true that WMCP often struggled financially. The "larger medical schools" referred to are the University of Pennsylvania, which founded the nation's oldest medical school in 1765, and Jefferson Medical College, which began issuing medical degrees in 1826.
-During the Civil War over 150,000 veterans were treated in Philadelphia hospitals, though none were admitted to the Women's Hospital. The only time it accepted adult male patients was during the Spanish-American War of 1898.