They Called Her Mrs. Doc. (20 page)

Cassandra loved her three children. She thanked God for them daily, and she also thanked Him for allowing her to bring them home to their grandparents. But long before the planned three weeks had expired, Cassandra was yearning with her whole heart to board the train heading west.

All her brothers managed to be home on her final Sunday. Cassandra was able to meet her new sisters-in-law.

Peggy, a pretty thing, was dainty and pert—and dreadfully spoiled. But she was fun and Stephen seemed happy, and that was good enough for Cassandra.

Pearl was sweet and gentle. She was soft-spoken and almost timid. Cassandra took to her immediately and felt that she wanted to mother her. She guessed that Pearl probably brought out the mothering instinct in most women. She noticed her own mother hovering nearby to care for Pearl’s needs. And Pearl had a baby girl, only two weeks younger than Christina.

At nineteen, Simon was involved in sports and not showing much interest in settling down to just one female companion.

“Simon likes all the young ladies,” Stephen teased. “He takes Jennie to the football game, Peg to the cinema, Jessie to the opera—and Meg to church on Sunday.”

Simon flushed slightly but made no denial.

Cassandra liked her new sisters. For a moment she felt cheated that she would not be able to get to know them better. Then she reprimanded herself.

And what would you suggest?
she thought inwardly.
You think they would be happy in your dusty, windy little town?

She knew the answer to that without giving it more thought.

Or do you suppose you should pack up your children and your Samuel and come back East to the hustle, bustle of city streets where Samuel would not even get away from crowds if he wished to step out his own door for the evening?

To her surprise she had a ready answer for that as well.
Never! Both of us would smother.

Cassandra sat in shock. It was true. She didn’t belong in the city anymore. She didn’t belong in the East. The West had won her and she hadn’t even been aware of the victory. How had it happened—and when? She had no idea. She only knew that she longed to go home.

They could see Samuel and Morris standing on the platform as the train pulled into Calgary. Joseph was the first to spot the two, and his excited shrieks filled the passenger car. “It’s Papa. It’s Papa.”

“Where? Where’s Papa?” asked Vivian, shoving her way forward to get a better look.

“Right there. See!” cried Joseph, pointing a finger in their father’s direction. At the same time, Samuel spotted them, and as soon as the train had rolled to a stop he and Morris boarded to help their wives and their children disembark.

In the excitement it was hard to concentrate on gathering everything up and getting back to the platform when they all wished to stop to hug and kiss and share news with one another.

But at length they all did manage to descend the train’s stairs—and in the allotted time—before the train chugged on to places farther west.

Then began the real celebration as hugs were passed all around again and again.

“I miss you, Papa,” said Vivian, wrapping her arms around Samuel’s neck.

“I missed you, too, baby,” said Samuel and kissed her chubby cheeks. Then Joseph had his turn and then it was time for baby Christina.

“Look at her!” exclaimed Samuel. “She has gained three pounds.”

Cassandra laughed. “You doctors,” she teased. “You measure everyone in pounds, inches or strength.”

While the Smith family was busy with their rounds of embraces, the Foigts were also celebrating their being together again.

They spent the night at a Calgary hotel and prepared to begin their trip home early the next morning. Cassandra went to bed happy. For the first time in weeks she felt whole.

Thomas Samuel joined the family just after Christina had celebrated her second birthday. All the children joyfully welcomed the new baby. Joseph was even allowed to come home from school early so he might see his new brother. He was now in first grade and feeling quite grown-up, while Vivian, only one year younger and advanced for her age, could not understand why she had to remain at home when the school year began.

“To help Mama with the new baby,” Cassandra had tried to explain.

“The new baby isn’t even here yet,” Vivian had lamented.

“Well, it will be soon now,” Cassandra promised.

But Vivian was not to be swayed. “Chrissie can help you with the new baby,” she offered. “She likes babies lots.”

It was true. Christina did like babies. And she especially liked her new brother when he made his appearance. Cassandra had to be careful where she laid him. Christina thought she had a perfect right to pull him into her arms if she could reach him. “My bro-ver,” she called Thomas and seemed to feel that he was her exclusive property.

When two years later another boy was born, they named him Peter Stephen, and Christina, who was now the oldest child at home, claimed that one too. By now, though only four, she was a big help to her mother and often spent hours entertaining the younger ones.

“I think that one is going to be a teacher,” commented Samuel as he watched her one day.

But Cassandra just smiled. “Perhaps she will simply be a mother,” she answered him.

Samuel nodded his head. “Perhaps. But I see teacher written all over her. Vivie, my nurse, and Chrissie, my teacher.”

“Whom do I get?” asked Cassandra teasingly.

“Well, for the time being you can keep that fella you’re holding,” said Samuel of the nursing Peter. “But when he gets a bit older, I might claim that one, too.”

The house grew again—this time up instead of out, as two upstairs rooms were added by putting wide dormers in the attic and finishing the space as bedrooms. The stairs had to go above the place where the basement steps went down. It made their kitchen-eating area smaller, so Cassandra asked for a bay window to make up the difference. She was pleased with the result. The room looked bigger and much lighter.

Chapter Seventeen

Changes

“Mama! Mama!” a small voice cried excitedly. “We need Papa. We need Papa. Danny cut his finger.”

Cassandra turned from the pan of hot sudsy dishwater and wiped her hands on the towel over her shoulder.

“What happened?” she asked, fearing the worst.

“He pinched his finger in the gate, and he’s bleeding, and we need Papa.”

Cassandra didn’t know whether to rush to the aid of the small neighbor boy, or try to calm Christina.

“Where is he?” she asked.

“I don’t know. He just—just grabbed his bag an’ went.”

“No—I don’t mean your father. I mean Danny. Where is Danny?”

“Don’t ya hear ’im?”

Cassandra opened the door and she did hear him. The crying was coming from out near the swing. She hurried toward the sound.

Danny was seated on the grass, one hand held tenderly in the other, the tears streaming down his cheeks as he surveyed the damage.

When she knelt beside him, Cassandra was relieved to see that the cut was not a big one. In fact, it scarcely bled.

“Come, Danny,” she said, coaxing him to his feet. “Come into the house and we’ll clean it up and put on a bandage.”

Danny wailed louder at the sound of her sympathetic voice, but he allowed her to pick him up and carry him into her kitchen.

The two small boys, Thomas and Peter, clattered kitchen pot lids as they sat on a rug in the corner. They looked up from their playing, their eyes wide with wonder.

“Sh-h.” Cassandra tried to console the crying boy. “We’ll have it all taken care of in a minute—then you and Chrissie can have some cookies and milk. Would you like that?”

“They are raisin cookies,” Christina soothed, raising her voice to out-do the crying.

And Cassandra, who could never stand the sight of blood, somehow managed to cleanse the wound, stop the bleeding, and bandage up the small finger with some clean rags.

By the time she was done, the tears had disappeared and Danny even tried out a smile as he looked proudly at his bandage.

“Now, the cookies and milk,” said Cassandra as she lowered him to the floor and went to get what she had promised.

It hadn’t been so hard. Cassandra rebuked her queasy stomach and cleaned up the mess from the doctoring.

Then she supplied the milk and cookies, and in the hope that it would settle her as well, she joined the children at the table.

It worked. Soon everyone seemed to have forgotten the little incident.

When Samuel arrived home that night, Christina was quick to share the story.

“Mama’s a doctor, too,” she informed him seriously.

Samuel raised his head to gaze at Cassandra. She looked up from spooning mashed carrots into young Peter and laughed softly at the surprise that showed on her husband’s face.

“Danny cut his finger on the gate,” she explained. “I bandaged it up for him.”

She saw his expression change from surprise to satisfaction.

“I guess if Mama is going to be doctoring neighborhood hurts, I should be sure to leave her some proper equipment,” Samuel said to Christina, but Cassandra knew that he really meant the words for her.

“I have no intention of being a threat to the neighborhood by practicing medicine,” Cassandra replied in good humor. “Or of taking away any of your patients,” she added, a twinkle in her eye.

Samuel spoke directly to her then. “All the same,” he said seriously, “it wouldn’t hurt for you to have a few supplies on hand for small cuts or mild burns or bruised knees.”

“Samuel—I’m not a nurse,” remonstrated Cassandra.

“No—but you are a mother—and I should have thought. Whenever I pick up my medical bag and leave, all the supplies go with me. We’ll remedy that first thing in the morning.”

And true to his word, Samuel made up a small medical kit and insisted upon explaining it thoroughly to Cassandra.

“In case there should be a small emergency, you will not need to wring your hands until I can get here.”

She nodded stiffly and hoped fervently that she would never need it.