The Healing Quilt (31 page)

“I think we need to discuss all that's already happened for the quilt event. I know that officially we aren't even a part of it yet, but there is plenty of excitement going around.”

Elaine paused for a moment. “To remain within Roberts Rules of Order, I believe we need a motion first, signifying our intent.”

The first woman who spoke rolled her eyes. “Okay, Madame Parliamentarian, I move that The Jefferson City Hospital Guild take an active part in the movement to purchase a new mammogram unit for the hospital, er, The Jefferson Memorial Hospital.”

“I second it.”

“All in favor.” Elaine paused for a moment. “All in favor, say aye.” A murmur rippled through the room. “The ayes have it.”

“Now can we discuss it?” Silver-haired Sandy Stenerson looked Nordic enough to be a Viking queen. “Good. Let's each compile a list of anyone we think might be willing to donate. I know there will be more at the meeting later. And I volunteer to chair this part.”

“Good. Thank you. Ladies, please pass your lists to Sandy. Make sure you have contact names and phone numbers, along with a good description of the donation.”

“And tell them if they give us a picture of themselves and their donation, we will use it in the promotional material,” Sandy added.

Elaine gave them all the particulars the quilt group had decided as to dates, place, and other activities. “Andy will take care of the golf tournament, Rhonda Pettinger will head up the 10K run/walk, but all of us can help by running or walking it ourselves and obtaining sponsors or sponsor someone else. Since we have until April, the possibilities are endless.”

“You mentioned a cook-off?”

“Either that or offer an area where chefs, restaurants, and such can showcase their specialties.”

“Or both? A cook-off in the afternoon and the showcase that night? I mean, if we re going to do this, we might as well go all the way.” At their nods, another woman continued. “I think we should ask Mary and Peter Mangini to head that up. Since he retired, he's been a bit at loose ends, and a project like this would be perfect.”

“You mean both the cook-off and the showcase?”

“No, the showcase. He knows every chef from Portland to BC and east to the Mississippi. Well, maybe not all of them but.

“The other thing, if we get official sponsors for each event, they would pay for the out-of-pocket expenses.”

Elaine glanced at her watch. “I have one other thing that I'd like to bring up before we adjourn. While it's not something we can do immediately…”

The group settled back down and all looked toward her.

“You know that old saw, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade?” Nods greeted her comment. “Well, I believe that's what we need to do here in Jefferson City.” She paused, watching their faces, most of which looked confused. “I'm speaking of the high incidence of cancer in our area, specifically breast cancer.”

“But is it proven we have a higher rate of cancer, or is it really the fault of late detection due to that dinosaur of a mammogram unit?”

“No, the rate is indeed higher here. Many experts think it's caused by the high-voltage transmission lines.”

“Are there any statistics for before the power lines went in? That's only been in the last twenty years.”

“Good question. I didn't search back that far, but I'm sure someone has if we can just find the source.”

“Let me look into that.” The woman on her right wrote herself a note.

Ah, good, they are buying into this.
Elaine pulled another paper out of her stack. “I believe our lemonade should come in the form of a specialized cancer center here in Jefferson City.” Another pause, this one pregnant by anyone's standards. “We can start out with breast cancer, and perhaps leave that as our focus, but the field for women's medicine is wide open for expansion. We have a good hospital, and we can attract specialists and become a satellite med school with oncology as our focus. We live in a beautiful region conducive to healing and could possibly encourage alternate forms of treatment so that everyone who came here would have the benefit of cutting-edge research regarding cancer treatment.”

Comments from the group bombarded her.

“Lady, when you start to dreaming, you sure do go for the top.”

“And here I thought a new mammogram unit was most likely beyond possible.”

“You wouldn't be mentioning this dream of yours if you hadn't done some more homework.”

“True.” Elaine smiled and nodded at the same time. “I've started proposals for grants to help with the mammogram unit.”

Elaine checked her watch and banged the gavel. “Ladies, time to adjourn so we are not late for lunch. We can continue the discussion into the general meeting.”
Where I hope we'll be getting lots more ideas and volunteers
,

A hand went up at the end of the table. “What if the quilters don't want our help?”

“Oh, we're already helping; this will just make it official. I know Kit Cooper well enough to know shell be overjoyed. When she introduced the quilt idea, she said she hoped the women of Jefferson City would work together to make this happen. And that's exactly what we are talking about.”

Elaine gathered her papers together, making sure things were in order for the afternoon meeting, and followed the others out of the room. As usual, lunch would be in the meeting room at Miss Mary's Tea House, one street over and one block down. Elaine used her cell phone and, after checking for the number in her address file, dialed Kit's number. The answering machine picked up. She left a message and followed the others over to lunch.

By the time the meeting ended, they had committees in place, and the women left sparkling with enthusiasm.

Elaine tried Kit again and hung up when the answering machine clicked on.

On her way home she swung by the dry cleaners to pick up George's shirts and stopped at the antique store to check out the latest needlework and linens she'd heard about. Antique lace, doilies, and trims were all things she incorporated into her pillows, so she was constantly on the prowl to add to her stash.

“I picked these up with you in mind.” Celine brought some pieces out of the back room and laid them on the counter. “I don't put them out until I've shown you.”

“Thank you.”
Since I buy enough to keep you in business, I should hope so.
Elaine flipped through a cutwork tablecloth and napkin set. She could cut around the stains if she couldn't remove them. She also looked through some tablecloths from the fifties, a stack of doilies, and odds and ends of lace.

“I found you another hatpin, too.” Celine laid a hatpin trimmed in jets, the black beads catching the light. “Exquisite, isn't it?”

Knowing that if she showed her pleasure, the piece would double in price, Elaine searched for a flaw to comment on. Finding none, she agreed and turned back to the linens.

“I'll take these then.”

“What about the hatpin?”

“Oh, that's right. You said you wanted $25?” She named a price half of the original offer.

“No, I said it was $49.50.”

Elaine cupped her elbow in the opposite hand and tapped a forefinger on her chin. “Will you take $35, since I am buying all these?”

“Elaine Giovanni, you will be the end of me yet. How can I stay in business and furnish you with all these lovely assets to your pillows when every time I show you something, you haggle about the price?”

Elaine shrugged, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “You know you love it just as much as I do, and in the end, we both come out with a good deal.” She handed over her credit card and waited while Celine rang up the sale and packaged the goods, making sure to double-wrap the hatpin. “Call me when you have more.”

“I will.”

“I'm especially looking for more cutwork, so if you see any.

“Have you gone on the Internet?”

“Not really. You having much luck there?”

Celine waggled her hand in the universal win some, lose some sign.

“As I said, if you find any, let me know.” Elaine left the shop and, after placing her purchases in the trunk, drove on home.

Doodlebug met her at the door, yapping his pleasure at her return or scolding her for being gone so long, she wasn't sure which.

“Easy, Bug, let me put these things down and then…” She turned at the fast clicking of his nails on the tile just in time to see the end of his tail going out the door. “Doodlebug, get back in here this instant!” She dropped her briefcase and packages on the chair by the entry table and headed back out the door.

Ferocious growling and snorting doubled her pace. “Doodlebug!” She paused on the brick steps just long enough to glance to the right and see Doodlebug snapping and snarling at Bootsie, who had come to deposit his daily offering on their side lawn. Bootsie lunged at Doodlebug, but he leaped sideways and grabbed a chunk of Bootsie's jowl in the process. The bulldog set up a howl as though he'd been mortally wounded and headed for home, but not before Elaine could see blood staining the dog's white coat.

“Bug, get over here.” Sure that Doodlebug had been injured, Elaine ran to where the little dog was kicking grass with his hind feet and barking the bigger dog away.

Elaine snatched him up and checked for injuries. “Doodlebug, what have you done?”

“Grrrrrrrr.”
The growl continued as Bug warned off his long-gone adversary.

“We're in trouble for sure now.”

“I no more feel like having the quilters here than running a marathon.”

Missy followed Kit from the living room to the kitchen, to the bathroom to freshen up, to the garage to dump in a load of laundry, to the kitchen for a cup of coffee, and back to the living room to dust.

“Dog, just go lie down.”

Missy's tail drooped.

“I'm sorry, girl. Taking my bad mood out on you isn't going to help a bit.” Kit bent down to rub the long catkin-soft ears and stroke down the dog's back. “Okay, now I have to get back to getting ready whether I want to or not. Feel like laying bets with me that Teza will call and say she is just too busy to come? Then I shall be in a real uproar, you just watch.”

The phone rang.

“See, I told you.” Kit headed back to the kitchen and picked up the receiver. “Hello.” Just in time she kept herself from saying, “Teza.”

“Hi, Kit, this is Sue. I'm running a bit behind schedule, but I'll be there as soon as I can. Anything more I can bring?”

“Any marking pencils?”

“Sure. And I baked a peach upside-down cake for dessert.”

“Sounds wonderful. See you when you get here.”

Kit hung up in time to hear a knock on the front door and then the soft glide of it opening. “Come on in.”

“We are,” Beth answered.

“I brought sliced cucumber salad.” Teza walked into the kitchen.

“Well, it's a good thing we didn't bet.” Kit glanced down to see Missy dancing around the guests, tail whipping enough to cause bruises on shins and calves.

“Who bet?” Teza opened the refrigerator door and set her salad on a shelf. “Aren't you eating at all? Look at this empty fridge.”

“Of course I'm eating.” Kit wasn't about to say that popcorn had become a staple. “I just cleaned it out last night.” She tried to
assess
Teza's state without looking too obvious. She knew there were dark circles under her own eyes that even cover stick couldn't hide. Not sleeping did that to you. “I made apricot nectar for today.”

“How did you do that?” Beth handed her a covered dish. “Chicken salad for sandwiches.”

“Put the apricots through the blender.”

“Skin and all?”

“Yup. Added lemon juice to keep it from turning brown. I've canned it like this in the past, but this time I put the extra in the freezer in ice-cube trays. Then I can bag those and use them in whatever size batch I need.”

“How clever.” Beth set a grocery sack on the counter. At Kit's questioning look, she smiled. “Bread. I was hoping you had lettuce. Ours bolted.”

“I do, all washed even. This is working out wonderfully well. You want to help me move those tables in from the garage? Three eight-foot ones should be adequate.”

The doorbell rang as the two went out the door to the garage.

“I'll get that,” Teza called.

“How was the trip to Seattle?” Beth took the side at one end of the folding table, Kit at the other.

“Bad. There's a spot on her lung and most likely in the lymph nodes.” They wrestled the table up the two steps and through the kitchen door, half dragging it into the living room. “Hi, Elsie Mae. Make yourself at home, please.” They propped the table on its side against the coffee table.

“We'll put this up.” Teza took one end and nodded to Elsie Mae to help her. Kit and Beth headed back to the garage.

“Oh, Kit, I've been praying it wasn't so.”

Yeah, goes to show how much good prayer does.
But she kept the mutter to herself. No sense hurting Beth's feelings.

“So what are they going to do?” The two of them hoisted the next table.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Beth dropped her end of the table, then picked it up again, bony.

“Teza has asked for a week to research alternative methods of treatment to see if she wants to do anything at all.” Kit choked on the last words.