Read Online Iris (Suitors of Seattle Book 8) by Kirsten Osbourne - Free Book Online
Authors: Kirsten Osbourne
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someone to come to the door.
A tiny blond woman with a huge belly who looked to be around Iris's age opened the door. "Can I help you?" The woman's hair hung in limp ringlets around her face. She looked tired and sick.
"Are you Mattie?" Iris asked.
The woman nodded. "I am. Who are you?"
Iris smiled. "I'm Dr. Sullivan, the new doctor in town. Your brother, Francis, told me you were sick. I told him I'd come check on you."
Mattie sighed. "My brothers worry too much. I'm just pregnant. Women get sick when they're pregnant." She opened the door wide. "Come in and I'll fix you a cup of tea while you're here."
Iris stepped inside, noticing that the house was not nearly as neat as Tracy's had been. "You sit down, and I'll fix the tea." She rolled her sleeves up, making it clear she wasn't taking no for an answer.
Once Mattie was seated at the table, Iris asked, "Do you mind if I fix you my special blend?" She had a ginger tea that she kept with her for expectant mothers. It tended to calm their stomachs.
"Not at all," Mattie responded.
While the water was boiling, Iris washed the dishes that were in the basin. She picked up a few other things around the house as well. "You don't have any children at home?"
Mattie shook her head. "My youngest is the same age as Katie. They're all in school." She patted her stomach. "This one came as something of a surprise."
Iris smiled. "They have a way of doing that, don't they?"
Mattie nodded. "They all surprise me every day."
"How many children do you have?"
"I have four. Joseph, my oldest, is ten. Alex is nine. Benjamin is eight. Matthew is six. We're really hoping for a girl this time."
Iris poured the tea she'd made into cups. "Then I hope you get your girl. My mama had eight girls. She never did have a boy."
"I'm not sure why Francis told you to come out here. I already have a midwife." Mattie took a sip of her tea, watching Iris over the rim.
Iris shook her head. "I'm not a midwife. I'm a fully qualified doctor. He said he was worried about how ill you'd been, and asked if I had anything that would help you."
"So you're a doctor who can take care of broken bones and other things?" Mattie seemed to be shocked by the very idea. "I didn't know women could be doctors."
Iris smiled sweetly. "If they can get a medical school to accept them and do all the work, then they can be doctors. The hard part is to get a medical school to admit that women can be doctors. Often they simply don't accept them because they don't think they're smart enough no matter how well they do in school."" She shrugged, trying to act as if it didn't matter to her.
"I had no idea a woman could be accepted to medical school no matter how hard she tried."
"I had the best grades of anyone in my college class, and I still had to apply three times to get a school to accept me." Iris shook her head. "If a man had the kind of grades I had, there would've been no question. He would've been accepted automatically."
Mattie made a face. "Well that's not fair. I guess it all worked out in the end though, because they finally accepted you."
Iris nodded. "Yes, and I was at the top of my class all through med school as well. I still had a hard time finding a doctor who would teach me as his intern." And an even harder time finding actual work, but she didn't mention that.
Mattie patted her stomach. "If this is a little girl, I sure hope she doesn't go through the same problems trying to live out her dreams."
"Every woman who fights the way things are like I did, will make it easier for the next." Iris took the last of her tea. "While I'm here, would you like me to examine you?"
Mattie seemed to think about it for a moment. "My brother Francis sent you?"
Iris nodded. "Mallie broke her arm last week, and I set it for her. He's telling everyone what a wonderful doctor I am. Andy even sent one of his workers to me with a concussion this morning." She hoped that because Mattie's brothers trusted her,
A tiny blond woman with a huge belly who looked to be around Iris's age opened the door. "Can I help you?" The woman's hair hung in limp ringlets around her face. She looked tired and sick.
"Are you Mattie?" Iris asked.
The woman nodded. "I am. Who are you?"
Iris smiled. "I'm Dr. Sullivan, the new doctor in town. Your brother, Francis, told me you were sick. I told him I'd come check on you."
Mattie sighed. "My brothers worry too much. I'm just pregnant. Women get sick when they're pregnant." She opened the door wide. "Come in and I'll fix you a cup of tea while you're here."
Iris stepped inside, noticing that the house was not nearly as neat as Tracy's had been. "You sit down, and I'll fix the tea." She rolled her sleeves up, making it clear she wasn't taking no for an answer.
Once Mattie was seated at the table, Iris asked, "Do you mind if I fix you my special blend?" She had a ginger tea that she kept with her for expectant mothers. It tended to calm their stomachs.
"Not at all," Mattie responded.
While the water was boiling, Iris washed the dishes that were in the basin. She picked up a few other things around the house as well. "You don't have any children at home?"
Mattie shook her head. "My youngest is the same age as Katie. They're all in school." She patted her stomach. "This one came as something of a surprise."
Iris smiled. "They have a way of doing that, don't they?"
Mattie nodded. "They all surprise me every day."
"How many children do you have?"
"I have four. Joseph, my oldest, is ten. Alex is nine. Benjamin is eight. Matthew is six. We're really hoping for a girl this time."
Iris poured the tea she'd made into cups. "Then I hope you get your girl. My mama had eight girls. She never did have a boy."
"I'm not sure why Francis told you to come out here. I already have a midwife." Mattie took a sip of her tea, watching Iris over the rim.
Iris shook her head. "I'm not a midwife. I'm a fully qualified doctor. He said he was worried about how ill you'd been, and asked if I had anything that would help you."
"So you're a doctor who can take care of broken bones and other things?" Mattie seemed to be shocked by the very idea. "I didn't know women could be doctors."
Iris smiled sweetly. "If they can get a medical school to accept them and do all the work, then they can be doctors. The hard part is to get a medical school to admit that women can be doctors. Often they simply don't accept them because they don't think they're smart enough no matter how well they do in school."" She shrugged, trying to act as if it didn't matter to her.
"I had no idea a woman could be accepted to medical school no matter how hard she tried."
"I had the best grades of anyone in my college class, and I still had to apply three times to get a school to accept me." Iris shook her head. "If a man had the kind of grades I had, there would've been no question. He would've been accepted automatically."
Mattie made a face. "Well that's not fair. I guess it all worked out in the end though, because they finally accepted you."
Iris nodded. "Yes, and I was at the top of my class all through med school as well. I still had a hard time finding a doctor who would teach me as his intern." And an even harder time finding actual work, but she didn't mention that.
Mattie patted her stomach. "If this is a little girl, I sure hope she doesn't go through the same problems trying to live out her dreams."
"Every woman who fights the way things are like I did, will make it easier for the next." Iris took the last of her tea. "While I'm here, would you like me to examine you?"
Mattie seemed to think about it for a moment. "My brother Francis sent you?"
Iris nodded. "Mallie broke her arm last week, and I set it for her. He's telling everyone what a wonderful doctor I am. Andy even sent one of his workers to me with a concussion this morning." She hoped that because Mattie's brothers trusted her,
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