“Oh, that’s the other reason I stopped by. Your mother hasn’t been well these last few days, and she’s getting worse. She’s been coughing a lot. I don’t know if she should see a doctor or not, but she’s been quite congested, and she’s not eating as well as she usually does. She keeps telling me it’s nothing.”
“Hmm, maybe I should speak to Father about it.”
Lia glanced around the room, then lowered her voice to a whisper. “They are sleeping in separate rooms at the house. He’s taken Gary’s old room.”
“When he’s not here,” Susanna countered. “I was surprised when I found him asleep on the sofa a couple of nights ago. He said he just sat down to adjust his shoes before heading home and fell asleep, but I wondered at the time if something was wrong.” She frowned and pulled off her apron. “It seems I’d better go speak to Mother. Come on, we can take turns pulling the laundry wagon.”
Susanna and Lia put the sheets and pillowcases to soak and then made their way inside. Lia went immediately to tend to her baking, while Susanna wondered if her mother would receive her visit.
“I’ll get the sheets washed and on the line before I leave,” Lia told Susanna. “The casserole is for lunch and supper. It’s egg noodles and chicken. I thought it would be easy on your mother’s stomach. I also left chicken broth in the pan at the back of the stove in case she can’t really eat.”
“You’re always so thoughtful, Lia. Thank you.”
Lia smiled. “It is I who thank you. I’m glad for the extra money. LeRoy makes good money working for the railroad, but we have many dreams.”
Susanna nodded with a wistful sigh. “Don’t we all?”
Once Lia had left the house, Susanna made her way to her mother’s bedroom. She thought again of the fact that her folks were sleeping apart. She supposed it wasn’t that unusual. Her folks had had separate bedrooms back in Topeka, but she knew they had slept together unless one or the other was sick. Perhaps since her mother had a cough, she had sent Father to Gary’s room.
“Mother?” Susanna tapped on the door, then opened it slowly. “Mother, it’s Susanna.”
Her mother was lying in the bed and looked flushed.
Susanna came to her side and frowned. “Mother, you look ill.” Without thinking, she reached out and touched her mother’s forehead as she had done with Mark when he was dying. “You have a fever.”
“I know.” Mother didn’t open her eyes but pulled the covers to her chin. “I’ve been so chilled that . . .” She coughed, and Susanna could hear how bad the congestion was.
“Don’t try to speak. You’ll just cough all the more. I’m going to fetch the doctor. You need to be seen.”
There was no argument from her mother. Not that Mother had ever protested when someone wanted to send for the doctor. When extra attention was involved, Mother was more than happy to accommodate.
Susanna found Lia behind the house, working with the sheets. “She’s burning up, and that cough sounds terrible. I need to get her a doctor.”
“Dr. Sanborn is a good one. He has taken care of us in the past. He’s on Railroad Avenue just across from the depot.”
“Yes, I’ve seen his sign. I’ll go there at once and return as soon as I can.”
“I’ll be here.”
Susanna hurried down the street, making her way toward the depot. Her mother was always complaining about one health issue or another, but this time it was real, and her father hadn’t even mentioned it. Perhaps he didn’t know.
She made her way into the doctor’s office and found an older woman managing a small desk. The front room was decorated in a rather homey yet businesslike manner.
“May I help you?” the woman asked.
“I’ve come to see if the doctor could make a house call. It’s my mother. She’s very congested and has a fever.”
The old woman nodded. “The doctor is out right now making rounds. When he returns, I’ll have him come to her. What’s the address?”
Susanna gave her the number and directions.
The woman nodded and smiled. “The old Medford house?”
“Yes.” Susanna returned her smile. “I’m the woman who purchased it. Susanna Jenkins. My mother’s name is Gladys Ragsdale.”
“And your father is running the Grand Hotel with your help. I know all about you folks. I keep meaning to drop in to say hello and let you know about Dr. Sanborn. You know, just in case you had need.”
“Lia Branson told me about the doctor. She said he was their physician and had always done right by them.”
“They’re such a great family. Those boys have impeccable manners.”
Susanna laughed. “They do. They’re precious.”
“Doc delivered them both.” The woman sounded quite proud of this fact. “He’s my husband, you know. I’m Lilly Sanborn.”
Susanna extended her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you. I hope we shall meet again under better circumstances.”
Mrs. Sanborn gave her hand a squeeze. “We shall. I’m already determined we will be good friends. Perhaps you and Lia could come see me some afternoon. We live just upstairs.” She pointed to a closed door. “Right through there.”
“I’ll check with her, and we’ll send you word. For now, however, I’d better get back to my mother. She sounded terrible.”
“Probably bronchitis. People often think you can’t get such things in the desert. They’re always coming to the southwest to cure tuberculosis and think nothing else can unsettle the lungs here. But we have all the illnesses the rest of the world has. Start boiling some water on the stove. That will help her breathe easier. The dry air is sometimes very irritating when it’s bronchitis or pneumonia.”
Susanna nodded and headed home. She stopped at the hotel just long enough to let her father know what was going on. He thanked her for getting the doctor and promised he’d get Manuel to watch the desk and be home when he could. Lia was already hanging the sheets on the lines when Susanna returned to the house.
Her mother was sound asleep but wheezing terribly. Susanna remembered what Mrs. Sanborn had said and put some water on the stove to boil. It was just starting to boil when there was a loud knock on the door.
She opened the door and found a man with a thick white mustache. He pulled off his hat to reveal equally white hair and smiled. “I’m the doctor.”
“Dr. Sanborn. It’s a pleasure to meet you, although I wish it were under better circumstances.” Susanna ushered him into her mother’s room. “Mother, the doctor has come to examine you.”
Her mother opened her eyes and began to cough. She could barely get her breath, and Susanna hurried to help her sit.
“You shouldn’t be lying flat,” the doctor admonished. “That just allows all the mucus to settle in the lungs. Prop her up. At least forty-five degrees.”
Susanna grabbed a couple of pillows from the other bed. “My mother’s name is Gladys Ragsdale,” she offered as she helped her mother get comfortably arranged at the new angle.
“Mrs. Ragsdale, I am Dr. Sanborn. I’m going to listen to you breathe and see just how bad this is.” He pulled a stethoscope from his bag and put it against her back. He barely listened to her before declaring a diagnosis. “She has pneumonia. This is quite dangerous. I can hear it in both lungs.”