Charming the Caregiver Read online

  Her mind was still in the clouds, thinking of a place she could be happy and have a good life as she strolled through the hospital, heading back to her quarters. When she passed the head nurse’s office, she heard her name being called. She stopped and looked through the open doorway into Nurse Brithers’ office. Nurse Brithers waved her in.

  “Good morning,” Katerina said. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “Please, close the door and sit, Katerina. I would like to speak to you.”

  Katerina did as requested, feeling a headache start and her shoulders tense. Was Doctor Gregory angry she had witnessed his encounter with her friend? Was she going to lose her job or be reprimanded and perhaps assigned to another ward or receive fewer hours?

  Nurse Brithers smiled at Katerina and said, “I know what happened with Doctor Gregory this morning.” She raised her hands when she saw the alarmed look on Katerina’s face. “Don’t be concerned. You’re not in trouble. I know how hard you work and how difficult things are at home. I received a letter from a physician in New York. He’s accepted an assignment as head doctor in a new hospital out West, and he’s looking for three nurses. He’s asking for recommendations, and if I have one, he would like for me to telegram him immediately. I’d like to recommend you. It will offer you a way to move from your brother’s home and away from this hospital and Doctor Gregory.”

  Katerina bit her lip as her mind raced with the possibilities. “Where is this hospital? You mentioned the West—that’s a large area.”

  “Colorado. A town called Creede,” Nurse Brithers said, studying the letter to make sure she was correct. “Yes. Creede, Colorado. Doctor Calvin Ashworthy sent letters of recommendation from his superior, the chief of the hospital that employs him, and his pastor.

  “He would like for me to send telegrams to the hospital. I am familiar with this hospital and its chief, and I believe this to be a trustworthy inquiry.”

  Creede? She’d read about that town in the park. She wondered if this was the answer to her prayers.

  Katerina nodded her head slowly, “Moving west sounds as if it might be the answer to my prayers, but what about Susanna? My situation might be a deterrent for hiring me.”

  “Nonsense, child. You’re a widow with a small child, not a wanton woman. If this position appeals to you, I will mention Susanna in the telegram.”

  “Yes, please. I believe this is the answer I have been looking for. Life with my sister-in-law and brother is becoming more and more difficult. My brother actually suggested he and my sister adopt Susanna because I can’t afford to find an apartment for the two of us.”

  Nurse Brithers leaned forward and said, “If you are accepted for this new position, you could have your own place to live. If your brother didn’t ask for so much of your salary for Susanna’s care, you would have your own place by now.”

  Katerina knew her supervisor spoke the truth. Each time she tried to save some of her salary, her brother came up with a reason to ask for more to care for Susanna while she worked.

  “Yes,” Katerina said enthusiastically. “I’d like to try for this new position.”

  Nurse Brithers nodded. “Get some sleep. I will let you know if I receive an answer to my telegram.”

  The following afternoon, Nurse Brithers gave Katerina the good news that Doctor Ashworthy had liked her qualifications, and if she could meet the noon train in Chicago headed for St. Louis in ten days, he would meet her on the platform, and they and one other nurse would travel together to Creede. Doctor Ashworthy would pay for all travel expenses.

  “Of course, I’ll go,” Katerina said, smiling. “This might be the start of a good life for Susanna and myself.”

  Nurse Brithers nodded and handed Katerina the telegram containing the travel details. She wished her the best of luck.

  Chapter 3

  Kat did her best to hold onto Susanna’s hand, the yellow telegram clutched in her fingers, and the large carpet bag. She said a small prayer of thanks that the young railroad employee had carried her trunks to the ticket agent’s booth, and she did her best to smile as she followed him there.

  “Hello, my name is Katerina Lorbiecki. I received this telegram saying there would be a train ticket waiting for me today.”

  The elderly agent looked at her over the top of his glasses that had slipped down his nose. He pushed them up with his right index finger and said, “Ah, Miss Lorbiecki, I do remember seeing a ticket for you.” He moved papers around on the counter in front of him and pulled out a ticket. “Here it is.”

  “Thank you,” Kat said. “I was worried it might not be here.”

  “No worries, ma’am. Your train fare has been paid to Colorado. Your train leaves here in thirty minutes. You will have a sleeping berth for you and the child from here to St. Louis. Your ticket is paid in full, but I’m not sure what accommodations are available beyond St. Louis. You might have to travel on some smaller lines, and similar accommodations are not always guaranteed.”

  Kat nodded. “I understand. As long as I can get to Colorado, I will be all right.”

  “Yes, indeed.” The man smiled as he handed the ticket to Kat. “This ticket will assure your travel to Colorado.”

  Kat accepted the ticket, thanked the man, and picked up the carpet bag. She turned back to the agent and said, “I have two trunks here—what do I do with them?”

  The ticket agent looked over the top of his counter at the bags and filled out two tags. He waved to the young man who had been helping Kat and instructed him to attach the tags to her trunks and take them to the loading area.

  “What do I owe you for shipping the trunks?” Kat asked.

  The man waved his hands at her and said, “Everything is taken care of, ma’am. Enjoy your trip.”

  Kat smiled at the agent and told Susanna, “Come along. We can sit on that bench and wait for our train.”

  Susanna was waving at someone and tripped when Kat started walking. “Are you all right?” Kat asked.

  “Yes, Mama, I was just waving at the lady in the pink dress.” Susanna smiled up at her mother.

  “Again? Is that the same lady you waved at in the hotel dining room last night? The one I couldn’t see? Is she your new pretend friend?” Kat asked worried that Susanna had spent too much time away from other children while they’d lived with her brother and sister-in-law.

  “Yes, she is, but she’s real, Mama. I couldn’t pretend someone so pretty.” Susanna’s blue eyes gazed seriously at Kat.

  “All right, dear. Enjoy your new friend.”

  Susanna waved again, and when Kat followed her daughter’s line of sight, she was shocked to see the same woman she had seen in the park back home, wearing the same pink dress, and carrying the same pink parasol. Certainly, not the type of attire one would expect on a train passenger.

  Kat looked at Susanna and asked, “Are you sure that’s the same lady you saw at the hotel last night?”

  “Yes, Mama. Isn’t she beautiful?”

  When Kat looked back at where the woman had been standing, she was gone. She seemed to disappear the same way she had in the park. Kat knew she should be concerned about a strange woman following her and Susanna, but for some reason, she felt an overwhelming sense of calm. She suddenly knew everything would be all right, and that moving to Creede was the best possible solution for her and Susanna.

  The train’s brakes squealed and pulled Kat from her musings. “I think that’s our train, Susannah. I hope we can find Doctor Ashworthy in this crowd. The telegram said he is a tall man with blond hair.”

  Kat watched people milling about and disembarking, hoping she would recognize Doctor Ashworthy. The train was scheduled to leave in twenty minutes, and she said a prayer that he was there…somewhere. That was when she saw the tall man stride across the platform, dressed in a dark grey suit, white shirt, and matching grey tie. He looked like a politician or a mortician, but not a doctor. She turned to the opposite side of the platform when she heard a ma
le voice ask, “Nurse Lorbiecki?”

  She turned back to stare into the blue eyes of the handsome man she’d mistaken for a mortician. “Doctor Ashworthy?”

  He nodded, and Kat answered, “I’m Katerina Lorbiecki, and this is my daughter, Susanna.”

  The man held out his hand. “I’m Calvin Ashworthy. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Kat shook his hand and said, “Thank you for meeting us and for making the arrangements. A sleeping car is much appreciated when traveling with a young child.”

  “Honestly, I can’t take credit for the arrangements. They were made by Mister Satterfield, our benefactor in Creede. He’s responsible for building the new hospital and arranging for our employment. Are you ready to board? Nurse Thorne is waiting on the train,” Doctor Ashworthy said, picking up Kat’s carpet bag.

  Kat picked Susanna up to keep her from being trampled in the crowd of people and followed Doctor Ashworthy to the train and her future.

  The doctor guided Kat to a seat near the back of the train car, where a lovely young woman with black hair sat waiting for them. He turned to Kat and said, “Nurse Lorbiecki, I’d like you to meet your new work partner, Nurse Thorne. She took the train from New York.”

  The young woman stood and held out her hand. “I’m Angel. We don’t need to be quite so formal.”

  Kat set Susanna on the seat across from Angel and said, “No, we don’t. I’m Katerina, but my friends call me Kat.”

  Doctor Ashworthy said, “As long as we’re being informal, you two can call me Cal or Ash. I answer to either.”

  Angel shook her head.

  Kat said, “I couldn’t do that, sir. It isn’t respectful.”

  Doctor Ashworthy shrugged. “I suppose you’re right. We’ll settle on Doctor Ash. That’s what I prefer my patients call me. I have an informal approach to patient care. If we are too formal, they can become frightened; a friendly face calms them.”

  “I suppose I could do that,” Kat answered.

  Doctor Ashworthy nodded, moved to his seat across the aisle, and began pulling papers from his valise.

  Susanna looked Angel and said, “Hello, Miss Angel. My name is Susanna. I’m four.”

  Angel smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Susanna.”

  Susanna pulled herself to her knees and pressed her nose against the window as the train began to pull out of the station. “Here we go.” Susanna giggled.

  When the train was moving at full speed, Doctor Ashworthy stepped across the aisle and spoke to Angel and Kat. “There has been a slight change in plans—nothing drastic or about your employment, just the housing arrangements. The Satterfields, our benefactors, have found a small house for you and your daughter, Nurse Kat. Nurse Angel, you were going to live in the nurse’s quarters attached to the hospital with our third nurse, but she had a family emergency and will join us in a few weeks. Since it wouldn’t be appropriate or safe for you to stay in the quarters alone, arrangements have been made for you to stay at the Hearth and Home Hotel. I have been assured it is quite proper. It’s run by the sister of a minister and her husband.” He nodded his head and returned to his seat.

  “A man who gets to the point. I like that in a doctor. Most are braggarts, overbearing, and obnoxious,” Angel said.

  Before Kat could answer, Susanna piped up, “That’s what Uncle Horace always called me.”

  “Called you what, dear,” Kat inquired.

  “Ob…ob…noxious.”

  “Surely, you’re mistaken,” Kat said, wondering where her daughter had learned the word.

  “No, Mama, I’m not. Uncle Horace doesn’t like children. He told me,” Susanna insisted. She returned to looking out the window.

  Kat felt a bit embarrassed. She turned to Angel and said, “She stayed with my brother and his wife while I worked during the week. I never knew my brother didn’t like having her around. He never said a word to me.”

  “Men,” Angel said. “You never know what they’re thinking.”

  Kat agreed. “Come to think of it, my brother wasn’t sorry to see us leave. My sister-in-law cried when Susanna left. She never had children, and I felt bad about taking Susanna away, but now I think it’s for the best. This will be a new start for both of us. I hate the idea that my brother may have made Susanna feel bad or unwelcome.”

  Chapter 4

  The train arrived in Creede on schedule and Kat was more than pleased to see the end of their trip, regardless of the more comfortable accommodations with which they’d been furnished. Susanna chatted with her doll while Kat asked the porter to help her retrieve her bag from the overhead compartment. She heard Susanna say, “Are you going to be here with us all the time? I hope you are. You will be my friend and can live with Mama and me.”

  Kat smiled and said, “Of course, your doll can live with us.”

  “No, Mama, I meant the lady in pink. She’s my friend, and she said she will watch over you and me.”

  Kat spun around, wondering if the strange woman from the Chicago train station was hiding somewhere on the train or if Susanna’s imagination was running wild. She shook her head and looked at her daughter. “You can’t go around telling people you are talking to a lady in pink. They wouldn’t understand.”

  “But, Mama,” Susanna said, “Miss Josephine is our friend.”

  Kat drew in a quick breath when she heard Susanna call the woman by the same name the lady in pink used in the park. Who was she? Why would she follow them to Creede? More frustrating: how had she spoken to Susanna without Kat knowing?

  She picked up her carpetbag and grabbed Susanna’s hand. “Come along. We have to get off the train before it leaves.”

  The conductor took Kat’s carpetbag and held out his hand to help her and Susanna off the train. Once she was safely on the platform, she turned to Angel and said, “I wanted to live in a small town, but this is much different than Chicago or Milwaukee.”

  Angel nodded. “It’s definitely different than New York. I think we’re in for an adventure.”

  “I see Doctor Ashworthy speaking to a few people—perhaps we should join him,” Kat said, gripping her carpetbag in one hand and Susanna’s hand in the other as she moved toward Doctor Ashworthy.

  Doctor Ashworthy turned and said, “Doctor Thomas, Mister and Missus Satterfield, I’d like you to meet our nurses, Angel Thorne, Katerina Lorbiecki, and her daughter, Susanna.”

  Greetings were exchanged, and Doctor Thomas said, “Everyone calls me Doctor JT.”

  Delia Satterfield smiled at Susanna and asked, “How old are you?”

  “I’m four,” Susanna said. She did her best to curtsey, but she lost her balance.

  Delia caught her, looked at Kat, and said, “She’s adorable.”

  “Thank you. She’s adventuresome and keeps me busy.”

  “I’m sure she does. We rented a cabin for you and Susanna, but until you have time to get settled, there’s a room waiting at the Hearth and Home. My husband is paying for the hotel for you and Miss Thorne, along with your meals while you stay there.”

  Kat and Angel smiled at each other. Kat said, “Thank you again. Doctor Ashworthy told us about the arrangements, and we hoped he had the correct information.”

  “What about Miss Josephine?” Susanna asked.

  Delia wrinkled her brow and asked Kat, “Miss Josephine? I thought the third nurse wasn’t arriving for a few weeks yet.”

  Kat blew out a frustrated breath. “Miss Josephine is Susanna’s invisible friend. I’m sorry for the confusion.”

  “Don’t be silly. Children have wonderful imaginations.” Delia leaned down and whispered to Susanna, “I’m sure it will be all right if Miss Josephine stays in your room.”

  Susanna bobbed her head and whispered back, “Thank you.”

  “I’m pleased you’ve come to Creede,” Doctor JT said, raising his voice a bit to get everyone’s attention. “We need more medical help than I can provide, and I am concerned about what could happen if an illness or a mine a
ccident struck. Although part of the hospital is still under construction, enough is finished to care for patients and for Doctor Ashworthy to perform surgery, which is his specialty. We can meet tomorrow morning to see the new facility, but for tonight, I suggest you eat a good meal and get some rest. Train travel is not easy on the body.”

  Delia spoke to Angel and Kat, “I’ll accompany you to the Hearth and Home and introduce you to Millie—she and her husband run the inn, and she’s a dear friend. You’ll like her. She’ll take good care of you. Tomorrow, after the hospital tour, we can stop at your cabin, Katerina, and see if you need anything.”

  “Please, call me Kat.”

  Delia smiled. “All right, Kat. Are you ladies ready? My husband will assure your trunks are delivered to the Hearth and Home.”

  Delia, Angel, Kat, and Susanna strolled toward the Hearth and Home, leaving the men at the train platform, no doubt still discussing hospital business.

  Kat was pleased with the room at the Hearth and Home. She looked forward to a hot bath and a meal without the room flying forward as it had on the train. When Susanna was sound asleep on the soft bed, Kat took a moment to thank God for bringing them safely to Creede and for what appeared to be the start of a good life for her and Susanna.

  The lovely young woman behind the desk that Delia had introduced as Millie couldn’t have been more welcoming. Millie had insisted they rest and then a hot bath would be available for her and Susanna before their supper meal. Yes, Creede seemed to be a good place for a fresh start.