Read Online The Color of Family by Patricia Jones - Free Book Online

vision, that her mother had been more than a woman with some part of her emotional life separated, hidden from her only daughter by the distraction of Clayton, a boy and then a man who was as real to Ellen as he was unreal. Even if she had never suckled at her mother’s breast, Ellen now had to believe, she would still not end up like Mrs. Simms.
    Suddenly, Nancy appeared in the doorway. “Sharon’s back. Are you ready for Mrs. Simms’s exam?”
    Gathering herself with a quick and small shake of her head,Ellen said, “Yes, of course. Let’s go.” And she got herself up from the chair with the one big thrust she’d come to perfect.
    Ellen followed Nancy into the exam room to find Mrs. Simms in a crying heap on the examination table. At first Ellen simply stood and stared with terrified eyes, knowing it had everything to do with the ultimatum she’d so brusquely thrown at a woman who, like herself, was living moment to moment at the mercy of some extreme hormone-induced emotion. And hormonal shifts might even be more extreme for Mrs. Simms, Ellen thought, because of all those herbs. So Ellen went to the woman, touched her on the shoulder and said softly, with the compassion of guilt, “Mrs. Simms, what’s the matter?”
    â€œWhat the matter is, Dr. Barrett, is that you don’t want me to be your patient anymore, and you’re the best doctor I’ve ever had.”
    â€œMrs. Simms, what I said is that if you insist on continuing to follow the advice of an herbalist over my medical advice, then you should find another doctor. The risk of something going terribly wrong during delivery with all these different herbs you’re taking gets greater and greater. I’m afraid for you if you continue doing that, Mrs. Simms, and I can’t treat you properly if you don’t follow my advice.” Ellen paused, then went to the stool and sat. “Mrs. Simms, are you trying to tell me that you’ve decided that you don’t want to give up the herbalist and the herbal supplements?”
    â€œI don’t know, Dr. Barrett,” she said as she sniffled, then blew her nose into a tissue Nancy handed her. “All I know is that I’m trying to do the best I can possibly do for this baby. I’m trying to give it the most perfect place to live while it’s in my body. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
    â€œBut, Mrs. Simms, don’t you see? When I followed you through your pregnancy with D.J., you didn’t take these herbal supplements, and he was a healthy baby, and now he’s a healthy boy. You ate right and got good prenatal care, and that was it. What I’m trying to say is that you don’t need this stuff this herbalist has convinced you to take.”
    Mrs. Simms brightened with the light of sudden insight. “You know, you’re right. D.J. was so healthy he never even had one ear infection. And he never even got a cold until he went to nursery school when he was three. And you remember, don’t you, how he scored a nine on his Apgar, right?”
    â€œYes, of course I remember that,” Ellen said with a proud smile that she’d clarified her point. “And so you see, just let your body naturally do its job. You don’t need all that stuff to produce a healthy baby.”
    â€œWhat about the ginseng tea?” Mrs. Simms said almost pleadingly.
    Nancy wheeled the Doptone across the room and set it up next to Mrs. Simms for Ellen to check the baby’s heart. As Ellen got up from the stool and went to where Nancy stood to prepare to listen to the baby’s heart, she said, “I particularly want you to cut out the ginseng tea because there’s just not enough known about what it can do to a developing fetus. It may do absolutely nothing, but it just may be strong enough to do some damage.”
    â€œOkay, well, when I go home, Dr. Barrett, I promise that I’ll throw it all