The Dressmaker's Son (13 page)

Chapter 27

Rose sat at the
kitchen table peeling potatoes and watching Rachael prepare the chicken and
vegetables for Sabbath dinner.  She was tired.  It had been about three weeks since
she had arrived in America, but she couldn’t seem to shake the queasiness in
her stomach and the slight pain like little stabs that kept recurring in her
abdomen.  But, as was her nature, she wouldn’t trouble the children about it.  “It
will go away,” she told herself.  “I just need to rest.”

            “What else can I do to
help, Rachael?” she asked.

            “Nothing, Mama. You go
rest for a while, and when you get up we’ll have some tea.”

            Rose started to protest,
but she really needed to lie down. “Okay,” she agreed.  “Don’t let me sleep too
long.  I enjoy our tea time together.”

            Rachael smiled at her. “Me
too, Mama.  Sometimes I can’t believe you’re really here.”

            “Me either, Rachael. I
just wish your sister were here, too.  I worry so about her.”

            “I know. I do, too, but,
God willing, she will find Samuel and she will be back.”

            “From your lips to God’s
ears,” Rose murmured as she got up from the table.  “Don’t forget to wake me,
Rachael.”

            “I won’t, Mama.”

            After dinner, when
Rachael had brought some fruit and cookies to have with tea, Jacob looked up at
everyone.  “I have a surprise,” he announced.

            “What, Papa,” Solomon
asked immediately. “Is it something good?”

            “Yes, Solomon. This
afternoon we received a letter from Aunt Bekka.”

            “Why didn’t you tell
me?” Rachael asked.  “You know how worried we all are.”

            “It came late, Rachael,
and I thought we could read it together, now,” he replied as he opened the
letter and handed it to her.  “It is addressed to you so I would not open it.  Here,
share her news with us.”

            Rachael took the letter
and began to read.  The first part chronicled her time with Rose in Yelizavetgrad
and her arrival in Petrograd.  Rachael continued reading:

And
now I have a job at Volonsky’s. If I hadn’t met Alexey in the taxi, I don’t
know what I would be doing.  His cousin, Zoya, is very nice and has already
invited me to spend some time with her and her family, but I have not done so
yet.  I have been at the store for a week now and the alterations are really
easy.  Now that I am situated, I will start pursuing my reason for being here.  I
miss you all terribly.  Kiss the children for me, and Jacob.  Give Mama a hug
and tell her not to worry, although I know that is really not possible.  

I
love you all, Rebekah.

For a moment there
was silence.  Then Jacob spoke up. “It sounds like she has done well.  We must
keep her in our prayers.”

            “I pray for here every
day,” Solomon said, his eyes moist.

            “Let’s clear the table,”
Rose said briskly as she stood and picked up some plates.

            “The girls can clear
the table, Mama,” Rachael said.

            “I’m not an invalid,”
Rose replied haughtily, her voice still husky.  Rachael could see the tears in
her eyes.

            “Of course not, Mama,”
she replied.

            The girls got up and
started picking up plates and utensils and followed Rose into the kitchen.

            Jacob turned to
Rachael, “She’ll be okay, Rachael.  Mama is a strong woman.”

            As he finished, there
was a crash of dishes hitting the floor in the kitchen, and a scream from Miriam.
”Mama, come quick.  It’s Bubbe!” 

            Jacob and Rachael ran
to the kitchen to find Rose curled up on the floor writhing in pain.

            Rose could barely speak.
 “Pains in my stomach.  Like knives,” she managed to get out.

 “Did they just
start,” Jacob asked.

            “No, but now,” she
winced, “They are terrible.”

“We need to get
her to a hospital,” Jacob told Rachael. “She is sweating and very pale.  Something
is wrong.  I’ll call David.  He is the only one with a car.”

            Rose was admitted
immediately.  Within an hour the doctor came out and said he needed to operate
on her appendix.  Rose was able to sign the consent, but he wanted to check
with the family because he wasn’t sure Rose’s English was good enough to
understand what he was telling her.

It was several
hours later when Rachael and Jacob sat talking to the doctor.  “She is very
sick,” he told them.  “Her appendix had burst and so we removed it, but the
infection has spread throughout her system.  She told me that she has been
having pains for a while, but thought it was from getting so sick coming over
on the boat.  I put ether in the cavity through the incision which often helps
fight the infection, but hers is quite widespread already.”

            “Will she be all
right?” Rachael asked. “Can we take her home?”

            “She needs to stay here,”
the doctor said.  “I can’t say for sure how she will be.  As I said, the
infection has spread in her system.  We are giving her what we can, but I’m
afraid that she has been walking around like this for quite a while.  I’ve given
her something for the pain so she is sleeping.”

            “But she’ll be okay?”
Rachael asked looking closely at the doctor’s face.

            “I can’t say,” he
answered honestly.  “We’ll know more in the next twenty-four hours.  I will see
her again first thing in the morning.”

“Can I stay with
her, please?” Rachael asked.

“There is a chair
by her bed.  I will tell the nurses that you can stay in with her,” he replied.
            As the doctor walked away Jacob took Rachael’s hand and put his arm
around her shoulder.  “Let’s not think the worst, Rachael.”

            “I can’t believe this
is happening, Jacob.  I won’t leave her.  Go be with the children.  I’ll call
you if anything happens.”

            It was a long night.  Rose
developed a high fever, and at one point seemed almost delirious.  Rachael summoned
the nurse and she rubbed Rose down and tried to get her to sip a little water,
but Rose couldn’t drink the water.  Rachael continued to wipe her down with a
cool cloth, but nothing seemed to help.  

The doctor arrived
at about seven-thirty.  “She doesn’t seem to be getting better, Dr. Green.”  Rachael
said as soon as she saw him.

            “Let me examine her,
please,” the doctor answered, looking very serious.

            Rachael stepped aside
to let the doctor get closer to the bed.  She watched as he listened to Rose’s
heart and then took her blood pressure.

            “Is she any better, Dr.
Green?” Rachael asked as he finished his examination.

            “I’m afraid not, Mrs. Shearmon.
 Her pressure is dropping and the infection seems to be spreading.  I have her
on everything possible to fight the infection, but I must be honest and tell
you I am not very optimistic about her prognosis.”

            Rachael tried not to let
a tear slip from her eye.  “I know you are doing everything you can, doctor.”  

            “I’m so sorry,” he
added.  “I’ll go and give some orders to the nurse.”

            As he left, Jacob
walked in.  He could tell from Rachael’s face that things were not good.  He
put his arms around Rachael and just held her.  “What do you want me to do?” he
asked.

            “I think you better bring
the children to see her, Jacob. It is looking very bad.  I don’t know how much
longer she has.”

            Jacob let go of Rachael
and walked over to the bed.  “Mama,” he said. “What are you doing?  We need you
to get well.”

            Rose smiled.  She loved
Jacob. He had been as a son to her from the very beginning.  Whenever Rachael
would pick on him for something, Rose used to laugh and say, “Now, Rachael.  Don’t
talk to my good son that way.”

            She looked Jacob in the
eyes and said, “I’m trying, Jacob.  But it hurts so much.”

            Jacob felt her head.  She
was burning up.  He picked up the wet cloth on the table and began wiping her
face and arms.  Rose closed her eyes.  “Rest, Mama,” Jacob told her.  “We will
be right here.”

            Rachael was standing at
the end of the bed.  “Go get the children, Jacob,” she said in a steady voice.  “I
want them to see Mama.”

            Jacob knew that Rachael
was probably right, but he didn’t want to believe it.  “Are you sure, Rachael?  Maybe
she will improve.”

            “The doctor was quite
clear, Jacob.  He can’t save her. It’s too late.”

            Jacob kissed her on the
forehead.  “I’ll be back soon.  Make sure Dr. Green orders more pain medicine.  There
is no reason for her to suffer.”

            Rachael nodded, but was
already at her mother’s bed, wiping her forehead.  The thought of losing her
mother terrified her. The tears ran down her cheeks as she cried silently.

            Rose opened her eyes.  She
had trouble focusing at first. “Is that my Rachael crying?” she asked, trying
to smile.  “Don’t cry, Rachael. I’m not scared.  Papa will be there for me and
you have your wonderful family.  Be strong for them.”

            Rachael tried to
control her fear as her mind drifted back to the days she spent wiping Levi’s
little body down.  Were they both victims of the treacherous crossing to
America? As a tear slipped down her cheek, she couldn’t help but ask God why
this was happening. She kissed Rose’s cheek, but she had already drifted back
to sleep.

            After Jacob had closed
the store and the children had eaten, he brought them to see their grandmother.
 It was a somber trip to the hospital.

            “Is Bubbe going to die,
Papa?” Miriam asked.

            “She may,” Jacob
responded.  “She is very sick.  An infection has spread through her body and
there is no way for the doctors to make it go away.  They have done everything
they can.”

            “Is she in pain?”
Solomon asked.

            “No, Sollie.  The
doctors have medicine to help the pain.  She is comfortable but very sleepy.”

            Leah was trying to be
brave, but she started to cry.  “Will she be with Levi, Papa?” she asked,
sniffing so she wouldn’t cry.

            “Yes, Leah.  And she
will be with Zadie, Mama’s papa.”

            The rest of the trip
was made in silence.  When they got to the hospital, Jacob gave the children a
little pep talk.  “We need to be strong for Mama,” he told them.  “She needs us
now and we have to help her.”

            They all nodded their
heads.  Gabe was only four, but he looked solemnly at Jacob.  ”I going to give
Mama a hug,” he said.  “She says it always makes her feel better.”

            Everyone smiled.  “You’re
a smart boy,” Solomon told him. “That’s just what Mama needs.”

            Jacob was the first to
go in.  Rose looked so frail lying there with her eyes closed.  Rachael had
fixed her snow white hair on top of her head, but several strands had slipped
out in her restlessness and lay hanging on her neck.  Rachael was sitting
silently by the bed stroking Rose’s hand.   

            “How are you holding
up?” Jacob asked kissing Rachael on the cheek.

            “I can’t believe I’m
going to lose her, Jacob.  She just got here less than a month ago.  It isn’t
fair.”

            “You sound like the children,
Rachael.  What is ‘fair’? Only God knows fair.  We’re not supposed to
understand.  Mama got to see Rebekah and you and her grandchildren.  Maybe that
was God’s plan.”

            Rachael tried to smile.
 “You always find the brighter side, Jacob.” She stroked his arm. “Did you
bring the children?”

            “They are outside in
the hall.  I thought I’d let them in one at a time.”

            “Send Sollie first,
please,” Rose asked.

            Solomon entered the
room and hugged Rachael.  He was biting his lip so he wouldn’t cry. “It’s okay,
Sollie,” Rachael said. “They have given her something for the pain.  She isn’t
suffering.”

            Solomon walked around
to the other side of the bed and stood there looking at Rose.  Rachael watched
him.  He had become a man.  Everyone had been surprised when he turned out to
be two inches taller than Jacob.  But his most redeeming feature was not
physical.  It was his sensitivity.  He felt the pain of others and was
strikingly aware of everyone’s feelings.

            Rose stirred and
Solomon bent down and kissed her on the cheek.  “It’s Sollie, Bubbe,” he
whispered.

            Rose opened her eyes
and smiled.  “Sollie,” she replied. “Don’t look so sad.”

            Solomon tried to smile.
 “I can’t help it, Bubbe,” he said in a choked voice.

            “It’s okay, Sollie.  Bubbe
had a good life.  A good husband, good daughters, good sons like your Papa, and
good grandchildren.  You’re a man now.  Be strong and take care of your Mama.”

            “I will, Bubbe,” he
replied and bent down to kiss her again. “I love you.”

            Rose smiled and closed
her eyes again.

            After all the children
had seen Rose, Jacob came back in with some food for Rachael. “You have to
eat,” he told her.

            “I know, Jacob,” she
answered.  “I still can’t believe this is happening.  Her fever is really high
now.  The doctor said she could slip into a coma.  Thank you for bringing the
children.  She smiled at each of them and before she drifted off again, she
asked for you.”

            “I’m her favorite,” he
said with a sheepish grin.  “You know that.”