The Keepers

Chapter 21

"Quite," the doctor mumbled. Pulling his white coat closed over his vest and buttoning it, he stepped closer. "But I will need to examine the girl now to record my findings accurately."

The woman nodded. "Of course." Backing away, she picked up a book from a nearby chair before sitting down. She placed the worn King James Bible on top of a pile on the nightstand as Josie's eyes quickly scanned the other spines: 'Grimm's Household Tales,' 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,' 'Folklore and Mythology: From Transylvania to Ireland and Beyond,' 'The Castle of Otranto,' and 'Cleopatra: The Royal Egyptian.'

The literature was all from Father's library, but Josie still didn't fully understand what they - and she - were doing there. Her head felt as though it was full of cotton, and the increasing activity around her was overloading her senses. The doctor - quite handsome with his slicked-down hair and smart mustache curled upward on the ends - lowered the bed's side rail and began busying himself around her. Not alert enough to care about his actions, the girl looked past him and focused on examining her surroundings.

She'd been in the sick ward of a hospital before, but just as a visitor, never as a patient. Things certainly appeared bleaker from this vantage point.

Beds were lined perpendicular to all four walls, leaving just enough empty space for a door, a small fireplace, and a nurse's desk in the middle. The child-sized mattresses with protective rails held youngsters in a variety of ages. Some were just toddlers, while others like Josie were near their teenage years. Young women - most likely of marrying age - occupied a handful of larger cots located on the far wall.

"The demands are outgrowing the current facilities, I'm afraid." Her mother caught Josie looking at one of the older occupants. "Until the new wing is built just for the children, occasionally the new mothers must spill into these wards," she explained with a sigh. "It's terrible really, especially when they lose a child. What was the name of that young woman, doctor? The one who was here a few weeks ago?"

"Mrs. Blackburn, I believe," the physician answered without looking up. He was still focused on whatever sounds were coming from Josie's chest through the tubes stuck in his ears.

"Yes, Blackburn. That was it. Poor thing died of a broken heart within a few days after delivering that stillborn." She pulled a lace kerchief out of her sleeve and dabbed the corner of her eyes.

"Shock and loss of blood." The doctor straightened up and pulled the device out of his ears.

Josie's mother looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What was that?"

"That young woman. She died of shock and blood loss resulting from childbirth, not a broken heart." He corrected, before turning to Josie. "But that's not our concern today. For you, I have good news. Your lungs finally sound clear. I think we can safely say your pneumonia is gone," he declared.

Josie looked at her mother questioningly and the woman explained. "You swallowed a lot of muddy water in the accident, darling. You vomited most up almost immediately, but your lungs remained partially filled until the next day. You nearly drowned right here in this bed." She covered her mouth with the kerchief to keep herself from crying again. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "The liquid also caused an infection in your lungs, which obstructed your breathing for weeks. Thankfully it seems that has been cured."

"What about Father?" With talk returning to that fateful night, Josie once again noticed his absence.

"Father has his work, you know." The woman avoided Josie's eyes, looking instead at the red-headed nurse removing a vase of wilted flowers from next to the adjacent bed. "He can't neglect his responsibilities, but visits when he can."