Chapter 26

"Is this the Ford residence?" Rilla hears as she opens her front door on a cool November day in 1940. Her heart is beating fast as she looks at the man and female in rather severe clothing, but the man was in some sort of uniform with medals and chevrons on their arms. The Military is at her door, Ken is at Base Borden, Oliver is too young and Jimmy…Jimmy had been excused for his police work. Whatever could he want?

"Yes," Rilla asks cautiously. "Mr. Ford isn't in today if you are looking for him?"

"Actually, Ma'am I believe I are looking for you, you are Mrs. Ford are you not?" The woman says looking at each other.

"Well, I hate to disappoint you I have no recipes I am rubbish at cooking, I am no good at knitting and barely have enough time to keep my son's pants long enough for him," Rilla tells them.

"Ma'am we are not fundraising or asking for donations. We would like to talk to you, we got your address from Dr. O'Riley at the University of Toronto." The man says simply.

"My apologies," Rilla says after a moment. "Come in why don't you? Sorry about the mess I wasn't expecting company and the children just went to the park."

"Please don't worry about it," The man says. "Colonel Britton and this is Maxine my wife who has come along when it was mentioned that showing up at a married woman's house wasn't the brightest idea for an expected call?"

"Quite true," Rilla says nodding her head. "I once let in the vacuum salesman in and never heard the end of it from my husband. Tea or coffee?"

"Tea if you have it," They says and Rilla quickly pulls together a tray for tea and hunts for some odd-looking biscuits.

"My daughters made them, but they do taste fine," she apologized once more as she put the tray down before sitting down in the closest chair and handing out the tea. "What can I do for you?" She asks once she is finished.

"As I stated we found through the university, you are technically a Doctor are you not?"

"Yes, but I find most are put more at ease if I am simply Mrs. Ford to them when I volunteer at the women's hospital, or the very least women's husbands," Rilla explains after a drink of tea.

"Well, Mrs. Ford we are here looking for doctors with a basic understanding of battle fatigue. We need professionals to categorize and assess men for treatment when they come home to our war hospitals."

"And you want me?" Rilla asks in surprise. "A woman?"

"We need every ablebody doing what they can, of course, if your husband doesn't allow it we cannot demand it of you," He says simply. "Though your husband himself was a Captain in the great war was he not"

"He was," Rilla nods her head. "He helps train correspondents right now in shorthand and what I can only imagine other things I don't know much about?"

"Quite possible," He nods his head with a knowing smile.

"You would be given honorary rank for working in Veteran Hospital. Helping and assisting other doctors in various capacities, which would allow us to give up special allowances for your martial state and children." He says simply. "We hope to start up a women's division like Britain has, but it won't be ready for a few months mostly.

"I will have to talk about it to my husband," Rilla says after everything. "I never thought…I never thought women would be able to do such things after spending hours organizing charity and fundraising events for the boys in the Great War. I think we all hoped our children would never know this sort of turmoil and destruction, yet they may know better than any one of us if the papers are correct."

"Of course, but from what I have gathered about you, I believe you would be an asset to the team," the male stated.

"Would it be part-time? I do have commitments at the maternity hospital and I rather not leave it?" Rilla tells him. "War may be upon us, but I can safely say that unexpected pregnancies and mothers with husbands out at war need me more than ever?"

"We can sort out the details," the man simply shrugged.

Rilla could only nod her head as the front door slammed and sobbing was heard as footsteps rushed for the stairs.

Rilla looks at the guest frowning.

"Call us," The man says getting up and handing her a card.

"I hope everything is all right," His wife asks speaking for the first time says sympathetically looking at the stairs.

"Fifteen is a delicate age," Rilla says smiling weakly.

"That it can be, we have three daughters myself," the wife says looking to her husband who nods his head.

"We shall will show ourselves out, please think about the offer and call me when you have decided." He leaves his card and sees himself out the front door. Rilla is in such a daze she almost forgets about her daughter for a brief moment.

Rilla walks quietly up the stairs and raps on Rowena's door. "What happened?" She asks as it is only one in the afternoon, but finds her in the bathroom, half undressed in her brassiere and her skirt, while the insides of her thighs are stained with blood, Inside the sink are the stockings, stained red and her underwear and bloomers that look worse.

"What happened? Rilla asks

"We had a stupid substitute teacher today and I asked to use the washroom because…well because of this!" Rowena cries. "He told me that I should have gone during my break and I tried to tell him it was an emergency but he told me to just hold it in! How can someone hold it in? Are men that stupid? When I stood up it was like a murder scene and I just ran out. I tried to clean up in the washroom but it wasn't helping so I just ran home. I'm sure the school will call because I missed the last period."

"He wouldn't let you…oh, I am having a talk with your school that is unacceptable for any age of girls." Rilla fumed. "Jump in the shower, I'll just you some things from your drawer and then I am visiting that school of yours"

"Mom who was downstairs?" Rowena realizes that her mother had guests over when she stormed in.

"Oh no one important," Rilla brushes it off not wanting to say anything until Kenneth came home. "Clean up, you can take the rest of the day off and tomorrow if you want. I will go run to your school and give them a piece of my mind. I was going to go see how Jimmy and Connie are doing with Bertie. Gloria made up a few casseroles for them this week to get by you can come along if you want?"

Rowena just shakes her head. "I rather just stay here." Rilla nods her head goes into Rowena's bedroom and finds her things before dropping them back off. She kisses her daughter's forehead and goes to grab her jacket and find a pair of shoes.

She walks down the street, stalking into the school meaning business.

"Mrs. Ford!" The secretary stands up when she comes into the office, looking slightly anxious. She already heard about what happened.

"Is the headmistress in?" Rilla asks with an edge.

"I am," The headmistress says from her doorway. "Please step into my office. I believe you are here about Rowena leaving school early?"

"Leaving school early? She came home crying and embarrassed because some man of a teacher wouldn't let her go to the washroom! Telling her that she should be able to hold it when she told him it was an emergency. She got her period unexpectedly, you can't hold that in!" Rilla's voice raises.

"Mrs. Ford, please we don't excuse what happened. When one of the students came to me and told us what happened." The headmistress cuts her off. "But she shouldn't have run off as she did either."

"This is a school for girls, all girls and you have a teacher who doesn't understand basic female bodily functions?" Rilla says in disbelief.

"Bathroom privileges are to the discretion of the teacher Mrs. Ford, of course generally if a student alludes to sanitary matters it is granted. Mr. Deagle just wasn't thinking or used to ladies in his classes, nor has he been married. He has apologized and did not mean to embarrass Rowena."

"That is no excuse!" Rilla's voice raises in frustration.

"Mrs. Ford, please," The headmistress says to her. "I am deeply sorry about what happened, but Rowena shouldn't just gone home as she did either. She should have come to the office to be signed out after telephoning home."

Rilla huffs, but the look at the clock reminds her that she has more things to do than to argue with the school.

"This won't happen again?"

"I will make sure that every teacher, and substitute teacher that if a young lady says she needs the washroom in an emergency to let them go."

Rilla just nods her head. "I told Rowena she can stay home tomorrow if she wishes to, so if she isn't in class."

"Of course, I will make note of that on attendance, and for what it is worth Mrs. Ford I am on your side of the issue."

"Thank you, since Rowena isn't here to walk home with Clara. I will collect her now so she can get home safely." Rilla tells her, nodding her head, taking her hat from where she placed it.

"Of course, I will go retrieve her." The headmistress tells her.

"Can I come to see the baby?" Clara asks from the back of the car. Excited to leave school early.

"Not today, Mrs. Clarke and Rowena are home, I'll ask Jimmy and Connie if you can visit soon to see Bertie okay? " Rilla tells her. Trying not to promise anything without parents' approval.


The baby rarely slept, which meant neither did his parents who were close to exhaustion. Work still existed for Jimmy and while the inspector was a father himself, he didn't have a child who screamed bloody murder most of the day.

"Bertie," Jimmy pleads, he would take the youngling out to let his mother rest but it was cold this afternoon and he didn't want the tyke to catch a cold.

"Your Aunties and Uncle never were this loud," Jimmy told him. "I would ask if you were hungry, but you just ate and it's working because you gain weight like it's nothing."

"Pass him here," Rilla says letting herself into the house and Jimmy relents and passes her his screaming son. Rilla looks him over before adjusting him and falling into the old rhythm of bouncing on her heels.

"I don't know how you do it," Jimmy says sighing. "I have to get ready…"

"Years of practice, now go out to the car and grab the dishes Gloria made for you for me and kiss your child before you leave for the evening," Rilla tells him. "Connie sleeping?"

"No," Connie's voice said at the top of the stairs. "I was trying but I think he is going to be hungry soon."

"How are you managing?" Rilla asks sitting down and following Connie as she still cuddles Bertie. Jimmy does what his mother asks before kissing his son, and Connie looks with regret before grabbing his uniform jacket and hat and leaving for work.

"I…" Connie starts before sighing. "I don't even know anymore, Jimmy does what he can when he's home, but he has to work. Mother comes over as well to make sure I get a small nap and don't have to clean. You keep us in food, but yet…"

"The world feels like it's falling apart and coming together and a breakneck speed that you can't grasp fully?" Rilla answers for her. "I remember when Oliver was born, back when it was still a thing to stay abed for two or three weeks, he was born at thirty-six weeks and so small. I had Ingleside waiting on me hand and foot and I loved him but I was so afraid at the same."

"Does it ever get easier?"

"Yes and No?" Rilla with a small smile. "You'll always worry, but it won't be frightening forever."

"Hopefully this one can grow up without war as well," Connie says quietly as Bertie cries out loudly. "He's hungry," Connie says sighing in defeat she wanted to nurse her child but so far found it a frustrating, painful experience.

"Connie, formula and bottles are perfectly acceptable these days," Rilla tries to tell her. "You don't have to suffer to feed your child these days."

"Mother says it's best," Connie says weakly, before yelping in pain to the point she had tears running down her face.

"What's best is your sanity," Rilla argues. "Let me make him a bottle and let him have that and you can bond without threatening sore and cracked nipples."

"I don't even have…" Connie starts and Rilla shakes her head.

"The hospital gave you some when you came home," Rilla reminds her. "And some formula I am sure it's here, let me find it." Connie can only nod her head. Tears still streaking down her face.

She finds the bottles and the formula, scalding and sterilizing the bottles and making up the milk with warm water.

"Just keep him in a cuddle, and head supported," Rilla tells her and teases the infant with the rubber nipple until he goes for it. "He doesn't have to work as hard for his meal, and you're not in pain" she further explains.

She stays with Connie, until she is needed is needed at home as well. Rowena is still in her room curled up with a heating pad, Oliver and Willow are in the kitchen helping Mrs. Clarke with the dishes from dinner. Fleur sitting in her playpen with her mousey blonde curls, with her bunny. She smiles picking her up, giving her a cuddle and a kiss on the side of the head. Willow takes her from Rilla, after hanging up the dish towel meaning to give Fleur her a nightly bath

"We saved you a plate," Oliver says to his mother.

"Thank you," She says moving to kiss his cheek. "Sorry I missed dinner, I didn't mean to stay so late."

"It's fine, Rowena barely ate, and Clara played with her food. Oh, Dad called saying he would be late," Oliver tells her

"What would I do without you, though where is Clara?" Rilla asks looking around.

"Across the street, I hope it's all right. I told Charity's mother to have her back by 7:30," Oliver tells her.

"It's fine," Rilla tells him, still in awe that her son was stepping up when his father wasn't around. She ruffles his curls that came loose from the pomade he used this morning. "How was school for you?"

"It was school?" Oliver says shrugging following her to the table after retrieving the plate from the oven warmer for her. "Professor Simons wants me to write for the newspaper this year, which I am sure Dad will love."

"Kids aren't bothering you this year?" Rilla asks quietly and Oliver just shrugs.

"I'm sure if they were around they would, but they either graduated or enlisted," Oliver tells her truthfully.

"A lot of that is going on in your class this year?" Rilla frowns and Oliver shrugs as if he doesn't know or care to know. "What about Daniel?" Rilla asks quietly knowing about the boy he hung around with in his spare time.

"We don't talk about it, we don't know how we feel about it right now or at the very least don't want to argue about it," Oliver tells her truthfully. "He'll technically turn eighteen before graduation, and I won't be eighteen for another six months afterward. Maybe the war will be over by then, but everyone says that it's wishful thinking. Between the bombing in London, Greece joining the war now, and Italy bombing Egypt as well these days. It's not ending anytime soon, I heard Robert going on about it, hearing aside he's finding a way to go and he's going to break Rowena's heart doing it."

"You don't know that," Rilla sighs. "When I was Roe's age…when your father wrote me telling me he was enlisting, while I didn't want him to go. I made it my mission to make sure that he knew I was waiting for him to come home when he did go." Rilla told him.

"I know…but as you said before times were different then," Oliver says reminding her.

It was dark when Ken made it home, the kids were asleep, and the lights were off. The drive from Borden wasn't long, but he hadn't meant to stay so late.

He pauses looking in on Clara and righting her blankets, suddenly seeing how much she had grown in such a short amount of time it felt like. Rowena is curled up in her frilly nightgown and her hair in curlers, while Oliver is reading despite the late hour. He nods to his father who nods back.

"Don't stay up too late," Ken tells him.

"I won't," Oliver says simply.

Rilla is still awake, dressed simply in one of his pyjama shirts, not her usual attire but he rather liked the look of it. She didn't speak until she crawled into bed beside her, wearing nothing but his drawers.

"What have I missed?" Ken asks her.

"Nothing much, I had a sharp talk with Branksome senior school," Rilla tells him. "Rowena had a spare teacher who refused to let her go to the washroom when she asked because she needed to care for female things."

"You're going to have to elaborate more than female things, that can mean fixing her lipstick," Ken responds a bit cluelessly.

"She bled all over herself and chair Ken. I told her next time anyone tells her she can't just get up and go. They are teenage girls denying them basic bathroom privileges is abhorrent. I'm just glad it is an all-girls school and the girls generally are understanding when things happen to each other, but this…I roared at them, Ken."

"I am sure you did," Ken says nodding his head. "Do I need to find time to go over as well? I think they are still frightened of me since I yelled at them for not believing Clara about seeing the chalkboard, or even telling us she may need glasses?"

"I think this is more a woman's matter," Rilla says shaking her head. "I told her she can stay home tomorrow or on certain days going forward. I don't like her missing school for sure things usually but I misjudged the situation at the moment."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ken says yawning.

"The military dropped by as well today," Rilla says quietly and she sees Ken wake up slightly and break his yawn.

"Pardon? Why?" He asks, thinking of Jimmy, of Oliver who was too young, but recruiting cadets these days was a thing they did.

"Looking for me of all people," Rilla tells him. "They got my name from the university, they want help in the hospital of the soldiers coming home. They need doctors, experienced or knowledgable people to help them treat shell shock, or battle fatigue as they call it these days?"

"The hospital on Christie Street?" Ken says knowing where it is. He had been there himself once before after arriving from the war himself.
Rilla only nods her head. "In military fashion, I need your approval of course."

Ken snorts at her statement, not his disapproval, but the fact she needed it. "You wanted something to do to give you purpose."

"I know, but Clara is still young and having Fleur around?"

"Clara is old enough to understand, and Willow practically does her own thing with Fleur these days." Ken reminds her.

"And what about the women's hospital? I can't just leave them?" Rilla frowns

"They barely pay you Rilla and I know it was never about the money for you, but…think about it. You wanted something of purpose, beyond knitting socks and making bandages. You did years of school to understand this very thing. Whether you think war is right or wrong, nothing is black and white and you have a chance to help men get back on their feet?"

"I have a very large hunch as a female I will be regulated to list making and coffee," Rilla says sighing.

"Then you will make the best lists they ever seen," Ken said shaking his head to show that it didn't matter.

"I don't know." Rilla sighs. "What if they find out I oppose it all?"

"Darling, most soldiers end up opposing it all when they realize what they signed up for," Ken tells her chuckling tiredly.

"I'll get an honorary rank, because there is no women division yet in Canada," Rilla further explains.

"Well, you'll just have to tell them that your husband was a Captain and he forbids you from outranking him." Ken jokes, kissing her shoulder

"Very funny," Rilla gives him a look. "I'm sorry you look dead on your feet and here I am keeping you up with this nonsense."

"It's fine Rilla, I'm not that tired, and it's not nonsense," Ken shakes his head wrapping his arm around her.