Lilly removed the gauze from the trocar. In one sure and steady move, Lilly plunged the instrument into Aunt Orie’s flesh. With the encouragement of suction, a stream of fluid flowed freely as water through the cannula and into the bucket on the floor. After the first gush, the flow settled into a steady drip.
“Good,” Lilly said. “You don’t want to shock the body by removing the fluid too quickly.”
“It’s just like tapping a maple tree for sugar water,” Armina said.
Aunt Orie relaxed and closed her eyes.
“She’ll nap now.”
“That’s good,” Lilly said as she applied a pad of lint and strapping around the puncture site. “How much did Old Doc usually get?”
“Oh, it’ll drain a couple gallons.” Armina smoothed stray wisps of hair from her aunt’s forehead. “She’ll feel better for a while.”
Lilly recognized the look of resignation in Armina’s eyes. She’d seen it many times in people who nursed loved ones for whom they had no real hope.
As she cleansed her hands, Lilly wondered about the circumstances of the Eldridge family. Young as she was, Armina seemed perfectly at home with her aunt’s care, but surely she didn’t also have the care of the two babies.
Armina poured tea into two cups. “I thank ye for coming,” she said. “I feared for Aunt Orie once Old Doc passed on.”
Lilly took a seat at the kitchen table and sipped the hot tea. “Who helps you with Aunt Orie?”
“Right now there’s just the three of us—me, myself, and I,” Armina said as she tossed her braids over her shoulders. “Aunt Orie’s sisters drop by ever other Sunday on their way home from church. They don’t stay long enough to take their hats off, but Uncle Bud helps out. He comes over from his place of a morning. He weeds the garden, keeps the wood box filled, and milks the goat.”
“Goat?”
“For the kids,” Armina said. “The nanny goat’s and these.”
Sissy toddled to Lilly’s side and held her arms up. Lilly bent to lift her.
“Sorry,” Armina said. “She’s always begging for something.”
Bubby skirted Lilly’s chair and crawled to Armina’s. She picked him up and kissed the top of his fuzzy head.
Lilly broke a piece of the cinnamon biscuit on her plate and fed it to Sissy. The little girl was so slight she barely made a dent in Lilly’s lap.
“Are Sissy and Bubby brother and sister?”
“Yeah, they’re my sister’s kids. She’s gone, but she’ll be back sooner or later.” Armina tied a dishrag loosely under Bubby’s chin. “She followed their daddy off somewheres. He’s supposedly working.”
“Hmm,” Lilly said, disengaging Sissy’s hand from her pearl necklace. “How old are you, Armina?”
“I’m seventeen next week. How old are you?”
Lilly smiled. Fair enough. “I was twenty-three last November.”
“How’d you come to be a doctor? I thought only men were doctors.”
“I was not much younger than you when I decided I wanted to go to medical school.” Lilly added a cube of sugar to the tea in her cup. An aroma akin to that of root beer tickled her nose. Her mother had made her this special drink whenever she was ill. Lilly hadn’t had sassafras tea in a long time.
“Wasn’t you afraid you’d be an old maid?” Armina gave Lilly a calculating look. “I guess you wasn’t.”
Lilly laughed. “I suppose not,” she said. “My daddy always said I had a one-track mind. Once I decided what I wanted to do, there really wasn’t much time for romance.”
“Maybe it ain’t too late. Do you have a boyfriend?”
Bubby kicked his legs out and started fussing. Armina lifted him to a standing position. He bent his knees and jounced up and down.
“My sister always kept a beau,” Armina went on. “I hope to get me one someday.”
Lilly felt like a young girl sharing secrets, but there was something compelling about Armina’s questions. “I do have a fiancé. He’s a doctor also.”
“So where’s he at?”
“He’s in
“Good,” Lilly said. “You don’t want to shock the body by removing the fluid too quickly.”
“It’s just like tapping a maple tree for sugar water,” Armina said.
Aunt Orie relaxed and closed her eyes.
“She’ll nap now.”
“That’s good,” Lilly said as she applied a pad of lint and strapping around the puncture site. “How much did Old Doc usually get?”
“Oh, it’ll drain a couple gallons.” Armina smoothed stray wisps of hair from her aunt’s forehead. “She’ll feel better for a while.”
Lilly recognized the look of resignation in Armina’s eyes. She’d seen it many times in people who nursed loved ones for whom they had no real hope.
As she cleansed her hands, Lilly wondered about the circumstances of the Eldridge family. Young as she was, Armina seemed perfectly at home with her aunt’s care, but surely she didn’t also have the care of the two babies.
Armina poured tea into two cups. “I thank ye for coming,” she said. “I feared for Aunt Orie once Old Doc passed on.”
Lilly took a seat at the kitchen table and sipped the hot tea. “Who helps you with Aunt Orie?”
“Right now there’s just the three of us—me, myself, and I,” Armina said as she tossed her braids over her shoulders. “Aunt Orie’s sisters drop by ever other Sunday on their way home from church. They don’t stay long enough to take their hats off, but Uncle Bud helps out. He comes over from his place of a morning. He weeds the garden, keeps the wood box filled, and milks the goat.”
“Goat?”
“For the kids,” Armina said. “The nanny goat’s and these.”
Sissy toddled to Lilly’s side and held her arms up. Lilly bent to lift her.
“Sorry,” Armina said. “She’s always begging for something.”
Bubby skirted Lilly’s chair and crawled to Armina’s. She picked him up and kissed the top of his fuzzy head.
Lilly broke a piece of the cinnamon biscuit on her plate and fed it to Sissy. The little girl was so slight she barely made a dent in Lilly’s lap.
“Are Sissy and Bubby brother and sister?”
“Yeah, they’re my sister’s kids. She’s gone, but she’ll be back sooner or later.” Armina tied a dishrag loosely under Bubby’s chin. “She followed their daddy off somewheres. He’s supposedly working.”
“Hmm,” Lilly said, disengaging Sissy’s hand from her pearl necklace. “How old are you, Armina?”
“I’m seventeen next week. How old are you?”
Lilly smiled. Fair enough. “I was twenty-three last November.”
“How’d you come to be a doctor? I thought only men were doctors.”
“I was not much younger than you when I decided I wanted to go to medical school.” Lilly added a cube of sugar to the tea in her cup. An aroma akin to that of root beer tickled her nose. Her mother had made her this special drink whenever she was ill. Lilly hadn’t had sassafras tea in a long time.
“Wasn’t you afraid you’d be an old maid?” Armina gave Lilly a calculating look. “I guess you wasn’t.”
Lilly laughed. “I suppose not,” she said. “My daddy always said I had a one-track mind. Once I decided what I wanted to do, there really wasn’t much time for romance.”
“Maybe it ain’t too late. Do you have a boyfriend?”
Bubby kicked his legs out and started fussing. Armina lifted him to a standing position. He bent his knees and jounced up and down.
“My sister always kept a beau,” Armina went on. “I hope to get me one someday.”
Lilly felt like a young girl sharing secrets, but there was something compelling about Armina’s questions. “I do have a fiancé. He’s a doctor also.”
“So where’s he at?”
“He’s in
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