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Chapter 152
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Boxing Day in Montreal:
Allie Makes Her Decision
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"I'm positively sure, now, Momma! Besides, I think my ears are already frozen. I can't even feel them!" noted Allie. "Are they still there?"
Allie and Millicent broke into giggles, with the grandmothers unable to hold back their laughter.
And with that, all the previous tension was dispelled!
"Frozen ears are a very good thing in this scenario," laughed Millicent. "Are you ready, Allie?"
"Yes, Momma," nodded Allie, this time confident and bright-eyed.
"Everything's going to be fine, you'll see! The whole thing just takes a minute or so for each ear, if even that long!"
"Can I close my eyes, so I don't have to see the needle?"
"Absolutely! I recommend it, but it's best to just close them normally and be careful to not squint, so your face doesn't get scrunched up and your ears don't move," winked Millicent.
Dr. Haversham and his Nurse then opened the door together with broad, professional smiles.
"I can tell by your beautiful, confident smile, Miss Allie, that you are ready to have your ears pierced!"
"Yes, Dr. Haversham, I am! And now, after talking with Momma, I'm not even afraid."
"Good Girl! You have a very wise Momma there!"
The Doctor first looked at Allie's face and ears, took a few measurements, then carefully marked each ear to ensure the hole would be properly spaced and aligned.
"You know, Miss Allie, it's okay to be a little nervous. I'll tell you a secret, just don't say I said so! Even grown-ups that I do this for are a bit nervous. In fact, it's the grown-ups who are the worst! I promise you, though, I'm very, very good at this. Have done hundreds, if not a thousand or more! Are you ready for us to get this done?"
"Yes, Sir! I'm ready, but will you tell me when you start to do it, so I can close my eyes?"
"I sure will," the Doctor promised with a reassuring smile as he put on his gloves. "Just don't squint! I don't want those ears wiggling on me!"
Allie laughed.
"Momma's already told me about that! And not to scrunch my face."
"You should always listen to your Momma, Miss Allie, because like I said, she's a smart one!"
Allie grinned at her Momma, then her Gramma, then her Grandmama who all blew her kisses, and smiled back encouragingly at their girl.
"I'm ready now, Dr. Haversham!"
Dr. Haversham nodded to Millicent who took Allie's right hand, while her Gramma took her left one.
"Squeeze both of us as tightly as you need to, Allie," encouraged her Momma.
"Breathing in and holding it helps too," instructed Dr. Haversham but promise me one thing: don't move, not even your face! Because we want these perfectly placed. I happen to be a stickler for perfection where pierced ears are concerned!"
Allie giggled again.
"I promise I won't move,' smiled Allie though now visibly nervous again which was to be expected.
Millicent noticed that the two long, capped needles, along with the now sterile earrings, had been laid out on a sterile towel. She also noticed that what looked to be a tiny rubber ball split into two halves was also placed next to the setup.
She wasn't surprised at all when Dr. Haversham first picked up one-half of the ball in his left hand, placing it behind Allie's right ear, then took the uncapped surgical needle in his right hand.
"Breathe in, Allie. Slight sting!"
And just like that, Allie's right ear was pierced without a whimper, although there was quite a bit of blood that Millicent was thankful her daughter couldn't see.
"Have you done it," asked Allie with her eyes still closed.
"I have. Told you I was good, and you were the perfect patient! I'm placing your heart earring in your ear right now, so this might pinch a bit. I'll be as careful as possible. There. Now, I don't want you to touch these hearts as far as taking them out and putting them back in. They stay in your ears for at least six weeks. Understand?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"But I do want you to clean them a couple of times each day. Your Momma will show you how it's done, okay? Millicent, can you see that our patient cleans them really well with soap and water each morning and night?"
"Of course. Consider it done, Dr. Haversham!"
"That's great; twice daily so they don't get infected because that's the last thing we want. Does that work for you, Miss Allie?"
Allie nodded, with a huge smile on her face.
"Don't worry! Momma won't let me forget either."
"I know she won't!" smiled Dr. Haversham. "Are you ready to do the other one? I mean we do have to have a matching pair!"
After laughing at the doctor, this time, Allie enthusiastically nodded yes.
"That didn't hurt nearly as much as I thought! Now, I really can't wait!"
"Nurse Leandré, let's place that dual icepack back on Miss Allie's left ear for another minute or two before we do this second one," instructed the doctor with a wink, noticing Alie's ear wasn't quite as flushed from the ice.
The nurse smiled back doing exactly as she was requested, while the doctor chatted with Allie to keep her distracted.
"How are you liking our big city of Montreal, Miss Allie?"
"I love it so much. It's my second home now, you know?"
"So, I've heard! And we are really glad you've joined us, here. Just wait till you see what our town looks like in the spring and summer! By the way, was Santa extra good to you, yesterday?"
"The best, Sir! He gave me my big new family this year!"
"And you can't beat that as a present, can you?"
"No, Sir!" agreed Allie with a broad smile.
"Okay, now, Allie, I want you to sit real still again. That's it. Just close your eyes normally when I'm ready to begin. Are you ready?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"Good. No moving, whatsoever, which means no squinting," grinned Dr. Haversham as one last reminder.
With a nod from the doctor, Nurse Leandré removed the last dual icepack, allowing the doctor to quickly get to work.
"Breathe in, Allie, and you may close your eyes, now!"
No sooner had the doctor placed the second ball behind her ear, than he pierced Allie's second ear in one fluid movement, and rapidly placed the second diamond heart earring, causing both grandmothers to breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Allie's Momma and grandmothers noticed thankfully that there wasn't nearly as much blood with this second piercing, causing all three to offer a relaxing smile.
"How do I look?" asked Allie nervously.
"Oh, Allie, you look beautiful!" beamed Millicent, kissing her daughter's cheek, thankful this difficult task was done. "Do we have a hand mirror, so Allie can see herself?"
"Right here," offered the Nurse.
Allie looked in the mirror and couldn't put it down, turning her head to look at all possible angles.
"Wow, Momma! These earrings are even more beautiful in my ears than I thought they would be. Now, I truly do look all grown up!"
"Yes, you do, Sweetheart! Both beautiful and grown-up!"
Millicent had never doubted her daughter's resolve through all this, though she wanted the child to be absolutely certain she was ready. But she hadn't been quite sure how high Allie's pain threshold would be, so she was super relieved to find that like her dad, it was high, and their daughter was very strong.
"You truly do look all grown up, Allie," cried her Gramma, giving her a kiss. "Just like your Mom did. She would be so very proud of you, Child!"
"Colleen's right here with us, Sophia," noted Victoria as she touched her heart and reached to also kiss her granddaughter's cheek.
Nodding through her tears, Sophia agreed, having already felt her daughter's presence, as did both Allie and a tearing Millicent.
"And she's so proud of you, Allie," Victoria continued. "You look just beautiful. You're a real Young Lady, now!"
Thinking of her dearest friend, Millicent couldn't help but shed a tear.
'Thanks for being with us, Collie!' Millicent mouthed silently.
And whether Millicent truly heard them or not, the words rang out crystal clear to her best friend's ears alone.
'The thanks is all mine, Dearest Milli! You love her just like me,' and with a radiant smile and brush of Millicent's shoulder, Colleen was gone, yet her love stayed, filling the room with perfect joy and peace.
Allie beamed basking in the love of her entire family, somehow realizing it was true that as long as her mother was in their hearts, and that would be forever, all the women in her family were there with her!
But suddenly Allie also realized she was still squeezing her Momma's hand.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Momma! Did I hurt you?"
"That's what a Momma's hands are for, Angel. I know your Mom squeezed your Gramma's hand super tight because she told me so. And I did the exact same thing with your Grandmama's hand. Everything is just as it should be!"
"Absolutely," smiled Sophia at the memory. "The truth was my hand was black and blue for a week, but I didn't give it a single thought! To do it all over again for you, Alison Rose, fills my heart with pure joy!"
Allie handed her mirror to her Momma, and instinctively reached out for her Gramma's hand once more, as she was still sitting close by.
Quietly, the doctor himself checked to make sure there was no more bleeding, giving one last wipe with the antiseptic to each newly pierced ear, then smiled and nodded to Millicent, reassuring her that everything was fine.
He then removed his gloves, his job complete.
"Looks like my job is done here! Miss Allie, I hope you enjoy your newly pierced ears. They look quite beautiful if I do say so myself! And perfectly positioned too!"
With happy tears in her eyes, Allie reached up to hug the doctor.
"Thank you, Dr. Haversham! I absolutely love them!"
"Now, that's a job well done, and exactly what a doctor likes to hear from his beautiful new patient. I hope you Ladies have a happy Boxing Day and get to celebrate this epic event with a really nice Ladies' lunch!"
Millicent smiled her thanks and took his hand to squeeze as he started to walk out.
"You too, Dr. Haversham, thank you for doing this and on Boxing Day too! But if you have a moment, we Bradfords have a tradition where we each get two stockings, one to keep, and an identical one to give away to people who can use the individual items. When I opened my stocking and saw this, I'm not sure why, but I immediately thought of you."
"What a lovely tradition!"
A surprised Dr. Haversham took the wrapped gift, opening it quickly, and letting out a low whistle.
"Well, what do you know?" he asked, stunned.
His voice caught for a moment in wonder, before he could even continue.
He swallowed hard.
"Miracles! They really do happen! Nurse Leandré, will you look at this? Does this look familiar?"
"Why this is incredible, Doctor! This is identical to the gold Mont Blanc fountain pen you lost last month, and we haven't been able to find one as a replacement. Believe me, I've searched everywhere, in Montreal, Toronto, and even New York, but they just don't make it anymore." (*199)
"I truly can't believe this! This particular model was a gift from my mother when I entered college that got me through Medical School, and then after that, I've used it every single day in my practice, writing many prescriptions daily with it, as well as copious patient notes. I can't possibly tell you how dear it was to me, nor how much I've missed it! This replacement means everything to me. It's like having a piece of my mother back with me! Thank you, Millicent, from the bottom of my heart for this! Everything is right in my world once again!"
With tears in his eyes, Dr. Haversham embraced Millicent, whispering his private thanks.
"But how did you find this?" he asked directing his question to Victoria before leaving the room, still completely puzzled.
"Auntie Luciana bought it in Germany on her last trip to Italy. You know, it's the strangest thing, I remember her saying this was an original and the last of its kind. Dr. Haversham, it seems God really does work in mysterious ways." (*200)
"Indeed, He does! You Ladies, have a great Boxing Day! I know you've surely made mine, beyond my wildest dreams! Mrs. Bradford, Mrs. Grant, Miss Millicent, Miss Allie, it's sure been a pleasure…"
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199. Mont Blanc Fountain Pens, designed by Berliner August Eberstein, the company began in 1908 in Germany; the company trademark was inspired by the highest European Mountain and the company's emblem of a rounded white star representing the snow-capped peak of Mont Blanc became the official brank logo, now an icon of luxury and class; Public Domain.
200. Quote from a Christian hymn entitled "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" and a poem entitled "Light Shining Out of Darkness," both by Englishman William Cowper (1731-1800), both written in 1773; the first stanza reads "God moves in a mysterious way / His wonders to perform. / He plants His footsteps in the sea / And rides upon the storm." Public Domain.
