Retired Characters and NPC Writer.
"Thank you. I'm not certain that Briton is interested in eating anything right now, but we did promise him."
Aoife moved to where Briton lay prone and offered him the little square. Clearly still nauseous, the child didn't seem all that interested, and so instead she left the candy with Mrs. Elkins, for later.
"He does love chocolate, but then, obviously, he'll eat anything! I can't thank you two enough."
"Think nothing of it, I'm glad we could help."
Aoife said nothing, but coaxed a reassuring smile onto her face, for the mother's sake. The maternal bond was strong, and parents became emotional when their children were placed in danger. It would do well to put on a face of support.
"Nurse Aoife, do you think you could arrange something on the exam bed so we can let Borcy rest there safely? I'd like to have the children stay for another hour or so, just to be sure they are all right."
"Aye... yes, Doctor." she replied, quickly correcting the Gaelic phonetic. She moved back to Jonah and took the infant from his arms, bundling Borcy up and willing her not to wake. The scent of vomit and sweat was pungent on her, but she was alive, and that was really the main thing.
"Mrs. Towberman has set the biscuits in the oven and the bread has been left to rise, so there should be something to eat in just a moment." Aoife told the room at large.
"I do appreciate all this," Mrs. Elkins repeated, "and I'll try to pay in real coin, but it's been a hard month."
Jonah shrugged, smiling. "Well, I truly do appreciate your mending, and I could do with a new shirt." At least that part was true, he could use a new dress shirt, and the woman was an excellent seamstress. "Perhaps Miss...Nurse Leane has some mending?"
By nature, he really wasn't that generous of a human being, but if he wanted to stay here, and to be respected, he'd have to take what people had to offer, and in truth, while cash would be good, he at least had what he needed to live relatively comfortably. And that damned Leah Steelgrave had actually awakened the little altruism in his blood! Besides, it was part of the show.
"I'll have Mrs. Towberman bring us some warm water and towels so we can get the little ones clean," he commented, "I'll just be a moment."
As he stepped out, Mrs. Elkins looked at Aoife. "New to town, are you?" she asked, "Where are you from? You have a beautiful accent."
Retired Characters and NPC Writer.
"Well, I truly do appreciate your mending, and I could do with a new shirt. Perhaps Miss... Nurse Leane has some mending?"
Aoife nodded accommodatingly. Money would have been more welcome, of course, but she hardly felt as though she could make demands, and her wardrobe was in fact a little frayed after time spent on the road.
"I'll have Mrs. Towberman bring us some warm water and towels so we can get the little ones clean." the Doctor stated, and Aoife placed Borcy down on the far table, arranging her blankets so that they would be a comfortable shroud in which to lie. The child did not wake, thankfully, but Aoife remained by the table and kept a watchful eye, lest any complications develop.
"New to town, are you?" asked Mrs. Elkins. "Where are you from? You have a beautiful accent."
Aoife was struck by the compliment, for it was the first of its kind since she had set foot on American shores. "Oh, Ireland." she said, glancing up from the slumbering infant. For a moment, she considering adding 'Milford', but truly, Milford was such a tiny, unassuming town that she may as well have declared herself to be from Kyzyl, Tuva for all the recognizability it would have lent.
"I've been here two days, yes." she confirmed, and after a moment added; "It's nice of you to say. About the accent."
"Oh, well, when you've grown up here, you get accustomed to how people speak, so to hear something different is delightful." The woman smiled. "I've always imagined Ireland to be such a beautiful country, green and lush with castles..." She took on a bit of a dreamy look, then chuckled. "Well, I suppose anywhere but Montana would be interesting, but I'll never have a chance to find out." After all, she was a farm wife, had children and a husband who didn't understand a wanderlust.
At that point, Jonah returned, followed by Mrs. Towberman, who set down a wash basin and a pitcher filled with warm water, then left.
"All right, then, lets get these little ones cleaned up, and if they're still doing well in an hour, I think it will be all right for them to go home."
It was pretty apparent that the doctor wasn't too comfortable working with the infant, but at least he didn't drop her, and he was relieved that she didn't cry or fuss too much!
Retired Characters and NPC Writer.
"I've always imagined Ireland to be such a beautiful country, green and lush with castles... Well, I suppose anywhere but Montana would be interesting, but I'll never have a chance to find out."
Aoife gave a bemused smile at Mrs. Elkins' wistful depictions of Ireland. The castles were all but ruins these days, and the 'lush' fields she remembered were more mud and rain than crop. The grass would always be greener on the other side though, and she could hardly fault the farm wife for dreaming. "Ireland is... a country." she acknowledged. "I'd say it was a fair ways prettier some seven centuries ago, though."
Doctor Danforth and Mrs. Towberman entered together, giving Aoife an excuse to pause in her description of the homeland. They bore supplies for washing, and Aoife moved to help with the cleaning of their young patients. She picked up the pitcher as the Doctor picked up the infant, allowing her to be set in the basin before rinsing and scrubbing the vomit from the child, bit by bit.
She flicked Jonah a look of compassion, for he was obviously uncomfortable holding the infant. Babies were volatile, and as likely to scream and they were to snore.
It took nearly half an hour, but both children were respectably clean, and the major chunks knocked off their clothes, but by the time they were done, both children were bright and alert, and Briton was even nibbling on the chocolate that had been promised him.
"I'm pleased and relieved with the way the children are recovering," Jonah announced, "I think it should be all right to send them home, they may not feel like eating much, just watch for lethargy and send for me if you feel the need."
"Thank you so much, Dr. Danforth." Mrs. Elkins smiled brightly as she gathered the children, then glanced at Aoife. "It was a pleasure to meet you, you have a wonderful way about you that puts a body at ease"
Once they were gone, Jonah gave his new nurse a light pat on the shoulder. "She's right, and I'm pleased to have you here to help me." Having a nurse that had an idea of what was going on was going to make the job so much easier.
Retired Characters and NPC Writer.
Aoife watched the trio depart, with the ever-growing animation of the young ones a testament to their handiwork. It felt good, to do good again, and children were always a particularly bright conduit of goodness. At least, so people said.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Danforth." Mrs. Elkins told the doctor, and to Aoife she added; "It was a pleasure to meet you, you have a wonderful way about you that puts a body at ease"
"Likewise Ma'am. Thank you." she merely said, before they were gone out the way they had come, albeit with far less of a hurry.
"She's right, and I'm pleased to have you here to help me." Aoife heard at her side, and a reassuring weight on her shoulder accompanied the compliment.
"I do my best." she said simply, as she watched the retreating figures.
A moment of quiet passed, wherein there could have been relief for a job well done, or anxiety for everything that could have gone wrong. What if Borcy had started choking? Would she have reacted quick enough? Would her quick enough have been quick enough?
She gave a sigh, finally breaking the silence; "I should go now, if that's all, Doctor. It's been nice to meet you, even under trying circumstances."
"Your timing is wonderful!" Jonah grinned as he escorted her to the door. "If you get here in the mornings before nine on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, Mrs. Towberman will have breakfast waiting. I'll pay you on Fridays...will that be all right? Do you have enough in the mean time?"
Even though it was only a couple of days, he didn't want to leave her with no resources. She was a good addition to the clinic and he wanted to be sure she stayed around.
Retired Characters and NPC Writer.
"If you get here in the mornings before nine on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, Mrs. Towberman will have breakfast waiting. I'll pay you on Fridays...will that be all right? Do you have enough in the mean time?"
Aoife nodded confirmation. "I'll be just fine, Doctor. Thank you, and... I am alright with more material payment, really."
If that was how it would be in Kalispell then there was little she could do about it, at any rate. It would be sort of interesting to see what they'd get week in and week out anyway.
She gave him a quick smile, before dropping down the steps just the way their patients had done a few seconds ago. With a wave backwards, Aoife Leane headed off towards the town center - an income secured and a life saved.
Now, there was some shopping to be done.