Iris (Suitors of Seattle Book 8) Read online

  Iris

  by Kirsten Osbourne

  Suitors of Seattle Book 8

  Copyright ©2014 Kirsten Osbourne

  License Notes

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof and may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real characters, places or events is strictly coincidental.

  Chapter One

  Iris walked to her clinic enjoying the main street of Nowhere, Texas. The community had needed a doctor so badly, they'd been willing to accept her, a new doctor and a female to boot. She knew she could show them all just how good a woman doctor could be. She just needed someone to give her a chance. Why had they sent off for her if they hadn't been willing to see her with their medical issues?

  She'd been in town for over a week now, and she'd seen exactly three patients, all pregnant women. She didn't know how to get it through the thick skulls of the townspeople that she was a real doctor, not just a midwife.

  Why, just on Sunday she'd heard a story of a man in town being kicked in the head by his horse. Someone had immediately left to get a doctor, but the nearest doctor was five hours away by wagon. That meant he'd made a ten hour round trip drive. By the time he returned with the doctor, the poor man had been dead for three hours.

  Iris was certain if people would just bring her some patients she could do a good job helping them. She'd been at the top of her class all through medical school, and her internship had been nothing short of fabulous. She was good at what she did. She just needed patients so she could prove it.

  She sighed as she opened the door to her office. Someday soon people would realize she had the ability to help, and they would be beating down her door. At least that was her dream.

  Her nurse and receptionist, Miss Edna Petunia Blue, was still asleep so Iris put the "Open" sign in her window and sat down at the desk in the front room. There were two examination rooms in the back, and there were three chairs in a waiting room up front.

  Iris snickered. People waiting? No one waited for her, because she was always sitting around sharpening pencils instead of seeing patients.

  Iris picked up a book from Edna Petunia's desk, where she sat comfortably. Hyacinth's newest book was finally finished, and she was going to read it today, since she really had nothing else to do.

  It didn't take her long to become engrossed in her sister's words. She told a tale of love between a young farmer's daughter and a cowboy passing through on a cattle drive. It was lunch time before she stood and stretched. She took the "Open" sign out of the window and left her office, closing her door sadly. She would rather have people bleeding all over her office than sit around reading a book all day. She hated sitting idly.

  She found a pot of soup on the stove, but Edna Petunia was nowhere to be found. The older lady, whose age was somewhat undetermined due to her changing how old she was every so often, had once been her older sister Violet's traveling companion. It had seemed like a natural progression for her to move from Seattle to Texas with Iris to work for her.

  Iris ate her lunch alone, wishing for companionship. She'd have been happy even to have a letter to read. Who would have thought that after so many years of school, she would start working only to be the loneliest woman on the planet?

  She washed out her bowl before walking back to the office. She didn't have time to put the "Open" sign in the window before a man ran into the office. "My daughter's arm is broken. Where's Doc Sullivan?" He was a young man who looked terribly upset.

  Iris grabbed her bag. "I'm Dr. Sullivan. Where is she?"

  The man stared at her for a moment. "You can't be the doctor. I was part of the committee who hired the doc, and the man's name was I. Sullivan."

  She smiled sweetly, forcing herself not to say what she wanted to say. Why could a woman not use her initial for professional reasons? "I'm Dr. Iris Sullivan. Where's my patient?"

  Francis Harvey crossed his arms over his chest and glared. "You're wasting my time, woman. There's no way I'm taking my daughter to see a woman doctor. She's got a broken arm. I promise you, she's only ten and she's not pregnant!"

  "I'm as qualified as any male doctor. I have a diploma from a prominent medical school to prove it. I am not, and never will be, a midwife. Now where is my patient?" Iris was about to lose her self-control. She'd known people would have a hard time with a female doctor in the area, but this was ridiculous. He was allowing his daughter to suffer longer than she needed to so he could argue with her.

  "I'll drive Mallie to a real doctor. No woman doc is ever going to touch my girls." He turned to storm out of the office, but she grabbed his arm to hold him there.

  "So you're going to put your daughter, whose arm is broken, into a wagon and make her sit in agony for five hours so she can have a man who has the same credentials I do set her arm? Are you really so stubborn and uncaring about your daughter's well-being?" Iris would say or do whatever she needed to keep that little girl from hurting more than necessary. What kind of father would do that to his child? "When her arm is mended, why don't you tie her to a tree and whip her as well? It wouldn't be as painful."

  Francis turned and glared at the doctor. "Who do you think you are?"

  "I think I'm a doctor, and I have the ability to help your girl's pain. Please, mister. Let me help your daughter." She would treat the girl for free if she had to. Money didn't matter to her and never had. She just wanted to help people.

  Francis stared at the woman for another minute before nodding. She was a tiny little thing, but she seemed to really care. Mallie's arm was already broken. She couldn't hurt her more, could she? Finally he nodded. "Yes, but I swear to you now, if you hurt my daughter I will make certain you never have another patient in this town."

  "You understand there will be some pain as I set the arm?" Iris didn't want him to think she could prevent any pain, and he needed to know there was always pain with the setting of an arm.

  "I mean if you hurt her worse than absolutely necessary or let her arm grow wrong."

  "Then take me to your daughter please." Iris rushed out of the office to the man's old farm wagon, climbing up herself as he took his seat. Before her internship, she wasn't certain she could have climbed up on her own, but she'd had plenty of practice as she'd worked with Old Doc Blanton.

  Francis drove as quickly as he could toward the ranch. He hated for his babies to be in any kind of pain.

  "How far is it to your house?"

  Francis shrugged. "Takes about thirty minutes to get there."

  "What's your daughter's name?" she asked, trying to put the man at ease. He was obviously so concerned about his girl. She knew her own father would have reacted the same way to one of his daughters being in pain.

  "Mallie Harvey."

  "I've set many bones since I finished up medical school, Mr. Harvey. I assure you, she's in good hands." Just as they were on the outskirts of town, Iris saw Edna Petunia talking to an old cowboy. "Stop!"

  Francis stopped and glared at her. "If you're going to tell me you need to use an outhouse, I'm afraid you're going to have to wait, Doc."

  Iris didn't think his comment was even worth responding to, so she didn't. "Edna Petunia!" she called. When Edna turned, she slid over toward Mr. Harvey to make room for her nurse. "We have a patient with a broken arm!"

  Edna ran for the wagon as fast as her portly seventy-odd-year-old body would allow. "You may have seen my petunia, but you're not going to see my peppermint sticks!"

  Iris wasn't certain what Edna Petunia was referring to as her 'petunia' and s
he was certain she didn't really want to. "Behave yourself, Edna Petunia," she whispered before turning to Mr. Harvey. "Mr. Harvey, this is my nurse and companion, Edna Petunia Blue. Edna, this is Mr. Harvey. His daughter has a broken arm, and he's taking us to her."

  She wanted to ask why Edna had been with some old cowboy instead of going to work, but she wouldn't ask in front of Mr. Harvey. She was afraid of what the answer would be, because one could never predict what would come out of Edna's mouth. It was actually frightening at times.

  Edna leaned forward and looked at Mr. Harvey. "You got all your teeth, boy?"

  Francis blinked at the older woman for a moment. "I'm not a boy, but yes, I do have all my teeth." What kind of question was that for a woman to ask him as soon as they were introduced?

  Edna Petunia elbowed Iris in the side. "You should marry this one."

  Iris wanted to disappear under the seat of the wagon. "I'm sure Mr. Harvey is married as he's already indicated he has at least one child." Had he mentioned two? Iris thought he had, but Edna was confusing her.

  "I'm not married," Mr. Harvey told her, a slight grin on his face. "I do have three girls, though."

  Edna nodded understandingly. "Had yourself a good time and got you three bastards? That's all right. I love bastards." The old woman seemed utterly delighted by the mere thought of bastard children.

  Iris looked at Edna Petunia, not in the slightest bit shocked by the older woman's words. She'd heard Edna talk about how much she loved bastards more than once. "Why are you so fond of bastards?" She knew it wasn't the time or place for a discussion about this, but she couldn't wait another minute to ask.

  Edna shrugged. "I just think a child without a father needs extra love from everyone around them, so I prefer to give a little bit extra to the bastards of this world." She looked around Iris at Mr. Harvey again. "You can count on me to love those little bastard girls, Mr. Harvey."

  Francis wasn't certain how to respond to the woman. No one had ever questioned him about his girls before. Most assumed, and rightly so, that his wife had died. "I'm sorry to disappoint you. My girls aren't bastards. Their mother died giving birth to the youngest."

  Iris felt her heart go out to the man. She patted his arm. "I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. Harvey." She wanted to tell him she may have been able to help, but she knew it wasn't the time or place.

  "It's been a long time," he answered. "Little Katie is already six."

  "How old is Mallie? That's the name of the daughter I'm going to be treating, isn't it?" Iris was pretty sure that was the name he'd told her. It was an unusual name, but she liked it. She thought he'd told her the girl's age as well, but she couldn't remember it.

  "She's ten. She's the oldest of the three."

  "I can't wait to meet all of them." Iris focused on the road ahead of them, very aware of the man beside her. Every time he moved his arm, it brushed up against her. She'd spent her entire life studying hard, knowing she was going to be a doctor when she was finished. There had been no time in her life for boys or romance, so her reaction to him surprised her. She'd begun to think she was incapable of romantic feelings, because she'd never had them.

  "They're good girls," he replied. He looked at Iris out of the corner of his eye. She certainly didn't look like a doctor. She didn't look like someone who should be in Texas, either. Not out on the prairie anyway. She was dressed like she belonged in some city. "Where you from?"

  Iris smiled, pleased that he was asking questions of her now. He seemed less hostile by the minute, which thrilled her to no end. "I was born and raised in Seattle. It's a wonderful place."

  "You came here to be a doctor?" he asked. She could have come to Texas for any number of reasons, and became a doctor while there.

  "Yes, I did." She didn't add that no cities would accept her, because she was a woman.

  "What does your husband think of your profession?" He couldn't imagine letting his wife work, much less be a doctor. What kind of man would allow that?

  "I'm not married."

  Edna leaned forward again. "See? I told you! Marry him!"

  Iris blushed profusely. What man wanted to marry a doctor? No, she'd be a spinster like Edna Petunia, and she knew it. "I'm too busy with my medical practice to marry."

  Edna snorted. "Busy? Why you almost never have patients, and when you do, they just want you to be a midwife. Why did you go to school for so long just to be a midwife? You've got doctor training, girl!"

  Iris smiled, patting Edna's arm. "I know I do. The townsfolk will come around eventually. When they see that I do a good job, they'll stop driving five hours to see another doctor."

  Iris didn't comment, but she certainly hoped Edna was right. It was awful to sit in her office all day without seeing a single patient. Why, she was ready to start praying for a flu epidemic just so she'd have someone to treat.

  When they finally pulled up to Mr. Harvey's house, she jumped down without waiting to be helped and walked to the door. He was there before her, pushing it open. "Girls? Dr. Sullivan is here."

  Iris had no idea what to expect when she walked into the Harvey home, but what she saw surprised her. Three little girls sat together at the table, the oldest couldn't have been older than nine. How old had he said she was? She turned to Mr. Harvey, glaring at him. "How old are your daughters?"

  Francis saw the fury in the doctor's eyes and had to keep from taking a step back. What was her problem? "Mallie is ten, Etta is eight, and Katie is six. Why?"

  The oldest girl cradled her arm to her chest, looking like it was taking everything she had not to cry. Iris forgot her upset with their father and immediately rushed to her patient's side. "You need to let me look at it, Mallie."

  Mallie stared at Iris with big brown eyes that were swimming with tears. "Pa said he was going to bring back the new doctor." She cradled her arm tighter against her, obviously afraid to let Iris look at it.

  Iris dropped to her knees beside the girl, trying again to look at her arm. "I'm Dr. Sullivan. Please let me look at it."

  Edna Petunia rushed forward, pulling a peppermint stick from her cleavage. "If you're good, I'll let you have a piece of candy."

  Iris closed her eyes, knowing where the candy had come from. When would Edna listen to her and start putting peppermint sticks in a paper sack? She didn't think anyone, even a child of ten, would want to eat a peppermint stick covered in sweat.

  Mallie smiled, distracted from her pain for a moment. "I'd like that."

  Iris looked at her young patient and sighed. She hated a child's first impression of her to be pain, but this time it couldn't be helped. "Mallie, I'm going to have to set your arm. Do you know what that means?" she asked, her voice soft.

  Mallie shook her head. "Will it hurt?"

  Iris nodded. "I won't lie to you. It's going to hurt a lot. More than anything that you've ever felt in your whole life. But after it's done, it's going to start feeling better, and I'm going to give you something you can take for the pain." She had a packet of aspirin in her bag that would make the girl feel a lot better. She didn't believe in giving strong medicines to children.

  A solitary tear trickled down Mallie's face. "How come you told me the truth? Usually people lie when you ask if something will hurt."

  "Because I want you to know you can always trust me to be honest with you." Iris patted Mallie's shoulder gently. "Edna Petunia? Will you take the other girls outside please?" She didn't want them to see their older sister in the kind of pain she was about to be in.

  Edna nodded. "Come along girls." She led them to the door. "Do you girls know of a good place to find flowers around here? There should be some in bloom by now, shouldn't there?"

  Etta and Katie each took one of Edna's hands and led her from the house. The last thing Iris heard before the door closed was, "I'll bet I can pick more flowers than either of you. I know how to make them into pretty tiaras that will make you look like princesses as well."

  Iris smiled. Edna was an odd duck, but s
he was certainly good with children.

  "Mr. Harvey? Would you help me put Mallie on the table?"

  He nodded and walked to the chair where his oldest daughter was sitting. "I'll try not to hurt you as I move you, Mallie." He scooped his daughter into his arms and placed her gently on the table.

  Iris opened her bag and removed the small boards she kept there for splinting, along with some strips of gauze before turning to her patient. "This is going to be the worst part, Mallie. I know you can be brave for me. Your pa is going to hold you so you don't move around too much, and I'm going to move the bone back into place so that it will heal properly. If I let it heal like it is now, with the bones crooked, you may never be able to use your arm again. This is really important."

  Mallie's eyes were wide as she nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

  Iris closed her eyes and said a quick prayer that everything went easily before nodding to Mr. Harvey. "Sit behind her on the table and put your arms around her waist, holding her as still as you can. Let her lean back against you."

  Francis nodded, hating having to be the one to help with this, but understanding immediately that he needed to be there for his daughter. He moved onto the table and put his arms around Mallie, kissing the top of her head. "It'll go quick."

  Mallie closed her eyes and leaned back against her father.

  Iris gripped the girl's arm and pulled her wrist, wincing at the girl's scream of pain. She didn't stop though, and as quickly as she could put the bone in place, feeling it carefully to see if it was straight. When there was no resistance, and no further yells from her patient, she glanced at the girl's face. "She's fainted." Iris had never been so happy to say those words in her life. She'd helped set bones many times in medical school, but never on a child so young, and never without a healthy amount of alcohol going into the patient first. As she didn't think young children should be drinking alcohol, she hadn't given any to Mallie.

  Francis closed his eyes, thankful she was out of pain, but hating that she'd been in so much to begin with. "You're sure nothing else is wrong?"