Retired Characters and NPC Writer.
"Here... mind Briton." the Doctor said, and Aoife did as she was told, moving over to the small child who was sheepishly gulping down the syrup. She gave him an encouraging look, but the poor child did not look reassured in the slightest.
In a moment, Jonah was back, and Aoife took a bucket from his arm, before moving back to where Borcy sat, propped up. She placed the bucket on the table, and gripped the infant under the arms, craning her over the metal rim. Borcy gurgled once, frowned, and then began to spit out lumps of leafy food and bile. It might been funny, if it wasn't a baby spewing up nightshade. Aoife gave the infant a few tender pats on the back, so that her stomach was purged as completely as possible, before setting her down, bucket under her chin.
"I believe we've averted disaster." the doctor said dryly, to which Aoife nodded in agreement. "I'll talk to the mother." she said, wiping the baby slobber off her hands, and settling Borcy against the bucket.
She closed the exam room door behind her as she exited, where the distraught woman would be waiting.
"They'll both be fine, Ma'am." she told her, as reassuringly as she could. "But you should certainly see about getting rid of that nightshade plant."
"They'll both be fine, Ma'am." she told her, as reassuringly as she could. "But you should certainly see about getting rid of that nightshade plant."
There was a visible change in the woman's expression as she let out a breath of relief. "Oh, praise God! Yes, yes, I'll have it all pulled today!" Without asking, she hugged the girl, then burst into tears. "I thought I was going to lose them!"
In the room, Jonah tended the pair, and once he was assured that they were through purging, he scooped up Borcy and opened the door, rescuing Aoife from the relieved mother's clutches.
"Mrs. Elkins, if you can get Borcy to feed, the milk will help to neutralize any poisons still left in her system." The woman took the infant, sobbing, blubbering, hugging, then finally going into the room to sit by Briton.
"I think I'll try milk for Briton, too," Jonah commented to Aoife, "it will be easier to get down him than charcoal. I'll probably keep them here for the day, but I think I can handle it from here if you'd like to leave." He smiled at the young woman....she was going to work out well, and when he had a chance, he'd introduce her to Dr. Boone, he might be able to employ her as well.
"Thank you for your help, you did well, and I appreciate the suggestions. We'll have to enhance the medicine cabinet." There were so many nurses who would be afraid to make suggestions or speak up, but Jonah would be the first to admit that he didn't know everything.
Retired Characters and NPC Writer.
"Oh, praise God! Yes, yes, I'll have it all pulled today! I thought I was going to lose them!" Mrs. Elkins cried as she embraced Aoife. For her part, the nurse reciprocated with a strained pat on the back. Thankfully, Jonah had finished up with the children, and so came to relieve Aoife of any extended embrace.
"Mrs. Elkins, if you can get Borcy to feed, the milk will help to neutralize any poisons still left in her system. I think I'll try milk for Briton, too, it will be easier to get down him than charcoal. I'll probably keep them here for the day, but I think I can handle it from here if you'd like to leave." the Doctor told her, smiling.
"Oh, well, only if you're sure you don't need any help. I could watch over the boy, you know, I wouldn't mind." she protested. The rush of practicing again had already gotten to her, and to leave now would feel jarring.
"Thank you for your help, you did well, and I appreciate the suggestions. We'll have to enhance the medicine cabinet."
"Thank you, Doctor, though I should hope that Kalispell's townsfolk are not usually so inclined towards eating poisonous nightshade. Perhaps once the hospital is up and running..."
"Good heavens, you don't have children, do you?" Mrs Elkins smiled kindly. "Children will find something to get into, regardless of how much you try to keep them safe. The nightshade is my fault, I just haven't had time to get to it, it grows in the ditches along the creek and roads, along with jimsonweed, and there's just so much this time of year."
As the ladies were talking, Jonah fetched a big glass of milk for the boy, encouraging him to drink it, offering a bribe of a small bit of chocolate with the promise of more to come.
"I would appreciate the help," he commented to Aoife, "the children are fine, but they should be watched for the next few hours. Perhaps we can discuss herbals. Oh, and Mrs. Towberman is here now, so there's someone to keep the tea hot."
At that, he glanced at the woman with the children. "Have you eaten breakfast, Mrs. Elkins? I can have something brought to you."
"Oh, yes, please, I'd appreciate that." The woman smiled and nodded, cradling her daughter against her breast, modestly covered by her shawl.
"Just a moment, please." Jonah nodded to the woman, then glanced at Aoife. "I'll introduce you to Mrs. Towberman, she cooks, cleans and keeps me on the straight and narrow!"
Retired Characters and NPC Writer.
I would appreciate the help, the children are fine, but they should be watched for the next few hours. Perhaps we can discuss herbals. Oh, and Mrs. Towberman is here now, so there's someone to keep the tea hot." the Doctor told Aoife as he returned with a glass of milk, to which she nodded in agreement. "I should like to meet her. I'm sure we'll have much to discuss."
And discuss would be all, or so Aoife hoped. If there was one thing she had not missed about living with her family, it was the housework.
"I'll introduce you to Mrs. Towberman, she cooks, cleans and keeps me on the straight and narrow!"
"Right, well, lead the way." Aoife declared, with a strained chuckle. Now that the adrenaline of imminent child death had worn off, she found herself a little anxious as how best to proceed. Very little overcame the awkwardness of first meeting someone like saving lives together, but at the same time, she still knew very little about Doctor Jonah Danforth.
"I'm so grateful that I had your help," Jonah commented as he led the way back to the kitchen, "it reinforces that I do need a nurse who knows what she's doing!" It had been a relief, really that he hadn't had to give Aoife much direction, and that she was confident with patients. Mrs. Towberman did her best, after all, she had ten surviving children, but her knowledge was limited to what a mother would know.
As they entered the kitchen, the woman was up to her elbows in flour, kneading out dough, and she looked up with a friendly smile. "Dr. Danforth, is this the nurse, then?"
"Indeed. Mrs. Towberman, this is Aoife Leane. She'll be here most days, helping with patients, of course. And she'll be here for meals."
"Good to meet you, Miss Leane. It will be nice to have another young lady here, a woman's touch!" Mrs. Towberman smiled. "Just let me know if you need anything, and I can help."
Retired Characters and NPC Writer.
"I'm so grateful that I had your help, it reinforces that I do need a nurse who knows what she's doing!"
"I'm glad you think so, Doctor." Aoife replied politely, though his comment filled her with more pride than she would ever admit.
Entering the kitchen revealed Mrs. Towberman to be a middle-aged, motherly sort of lady, who was presently in the process of baking something that would likely become easier to identify once it's dough had been shaped. She seemed friendly enough though, and so Aoife returned her smile.
"Dr. Danforth, is this the nurse, then?"
"Indeed. Mrs. Towberman, this is Aoife Leane. She'll be here most days, helping with patients, of course. And she'll be here for meals."
"Good to meet you, Miss Leane. It will be nice to have another young lady here, a woman's touch! Just let me know if you need anything, and I can help."
"Likewise, Mrs. Towberman." Aoife replied. "Might I be of help with preparing lunch? I believe... Mrs. Elkins and her children are staying for a meal?"
She addressed the last part to Jonah, to confirm that it was indeed the case.
"Mrs. Elkins, at least," Jonah commented with a grin, "Of course, Borcy is still on the breast, and I doubt that Briton will be interested in eating the rest of the day." Then he glanced at Aoife. "Remind me to get some chocolate to send home with Briton, he really was good about taking that ipecac...the stuff is awful!"
"Of course, I'd be happy for help," Mrs. Towberman commented, "it's wash day, so I'll be busy with that." She laid the dough on a board that was dusted flour, then handed the young woman a crisp white apron. "Can you knead dough? Then we'll set it aside and let it rise, and soon we'll have fresh bread."
"Delightful bread, I might add,' Jonah put in, "excellent with the preserves."
Retired Characters and NPC Writer.
"Remind me to get some chocolate to send home with Briton, he really was good about taking that ipecac... the stuff is awful!"
Aoife nodded, though the comment reminded her that she would need to do her shopping at some stage. Perhaps she could fetch some chocolate when she did.
"Of course, I'd be happy for help. It's wash day, so I'll be busy with that." said Mrs. Towberman, before handing Aoife an apron, which the young nurse quickly pulled over her head. She'd been fortunate enough not to get any baby puke on her blouse, and should things remain relatively low-gauge in the kitchen, it may well be that she needn't spend so long scrubbing it in the future.
She crossed to the kitchen basin and rubbed down her hands in preparation. Germ theory, and all that.
"Can you knead dough? Then we'll set it aside and let it rise, and soon we'll have fresh bread."
"Aye, I can." Aoife voiced, taking up position over the dough. She gave it a tentative touch, and the indentation of her finger remained, meaning that there was a way to go yet. So she began to work, stretching out the dough and kneading it under her hands. The routine was oddly familiar, as though from a lifetime ago, and not in an altogether unpleasant way.
"Delightful bread, I might add.' Jonah put in. "Excellent with the preserves."
"Methinks the Doctor sounds a little overeager." Aoife said, with just a hint of humor in her tone. "Wouldn't you agree, Mrs. Towberman?"
"He likes any food," the woman chuckled, shaking her head, "although I think he'd like to eat at the Ritz all the time, if he could."
"Indeed." Grinning good-naturedly, Jonah set a small pot of tea, mug, sugar and cream on a tray, then picked it up. "I'll check on our patients."
Mrs. Towberman nodded. "I'll have some biscuits in the oven soon, so Mrs. Elkins can have something substantial." She smiled as Jonah left with the tray, then looked over at Aoife. "Fine job," she complimented, starting to measure out the flour for biscuits. "Have you been in town long? How do you like it here?"
Kalispell was somewhat of an acquired taste, although this time of year it was so pleasant that folks could be deceived, and then came the snows and left the people!