The Summer of Bells: The Essences Saga - Book #2

Summer: Chapter 6

Chapter Six

            Mrs. Baker's reaction to Nicole was not exactly what I was expecting.  She took one look at the girl, and her verbal tirade lasted a good fifteen minutes.  Nicole listened wide-eyed through it all as Amber smirked in approval at the older woman's words.  But once she exhausted her venting, Mrs. Baker ushered Nicole to the table and heaped her breakfast plate with enough pancakes and sausage to feed three people.

“You got to eat, girl.  You too skinny.  That baby won't grow big insides you, 'less you eat.”

This turned Amber's pleased mouth around.  She stalked off to the bus stop without eating.  Nicole could only stare at Mrs. Baker.  She had probably never met a woman like her.  I shared her feelings as I smiled inwardly.

“Eat!”  Mrs. Baker exclaimed at the stoic girl.  The other girls provided Nicole with understanding grimaces as they stuffed their own mouths.  Once the school-bound teenagers left, Mrs. Baker sternly guided Nicole to the couch and told her, in no uncertain terms, to rest and prop her feet up.

“What you gonna do about that girl?” she asked me as I was washing the breakfast dishes and she was preparing our dinner menu.

“I don't know,” I sighed.  “You got any advice?”

She guffawed at me, “You askin' me for advice?  Lord, the world has stopped spinnin'!”

“Any help would be great right now.  Even yours,” I teased her.  She harrumphed at me, but wrote down a name and phone number on the memo pad.

“What is this?” I asked as she handed the paper to me.

“That's Nell Bosier.  She's a midwife.  She's birthed more babies than you and I can count together.  Nell can help you.”

“Uh, Mrs. Baker, I believe times have changed since the eighteen hundreds,” I said in a mocking voice.  Actually, I was grateful for the midwife's number.  These women had more knowledge about childbirth than most doctors. 

“Now don't you give me that, young lady.  Nell birthed both my girls.  And your Mr. Blake, too.”  She jerked her head into a single nod when I looked curiously at her.  Silas was delivered by a midwife?  I didn't know that.  But just to be sure, I decided to call Dr. Moore after Mrs. Baker left and ask him about Nell.

“Thank you, Mrs. Baker.  I do really appreciate it.”  I gave her a thankful smile.  Again, she bobbed her head once and then shooed me out of her kitchen.

Nicole dozed on the couch.  After the massive breakfast she was forced to eat, a nap was the obvious occupation for the moment.  Already, her cheeks looked pinker and healthier.   Her shoulders and arms were still too frail, but I was sure Mrs. Baker would help with that.  I wondered about her time between now and when she left her home.  How long did she wander before being picked up?  Did she receive regular meals?  Did she have a bed every night?  Or had she slept on the street?  How long had she been without a home?

These were questions I aimed to ask her.  But she was sleeping peacefully.  I couldn't disturb her now.  Instead, I tried to find tasks to occupy my attention without waking her.  I went upstairs and gathered the girls' dirty clothes, separating them into individual piles according to the girl.  I learned not to wash their clothes together.  Some of them could get rather heated if something went missing or ended up in another's closet.  I started one load of wash and then cleaned the girls' upstairs bathroom.  The carpets in their rooms really needed a good vacuuming, but that might wake Nicole, so I decided to wait until later.  I made up each of the beds, a habit I did not usually indulged in, but I still needed something to keep myself busy.  And I couldn't pick up the mess in their rooms.  That would be suicidal.  Two-fold.  Once for actually trying to clean without killing myself, and another after the girls discovered that their nests had been disturbed.