The Heart Remembers (31 page)

“Sure is. Oh … uh … by the way, Dr. Logan, I want to thank you for doing that surgery on my foot. It’s feeling a whole lot better now, and my limp is almost gone.”

Dr. Dane smiled. “Good. Just don’t let another horse step on it.”

“Don’t you worry. I’m a whole lot more careful since I got stepped on.”

Dane and Tharyn sat down on a bench across the room and began talking about the new clinic and the four beds they would start out with.

Tharyn said, “So did you and Mr. Eckman plan room for more beds, like you wanted to do?”

“Mm-hmm. They’ll each have their own small room, just like the first four will. That area will be unused until we need it. There’ll be a dozen beds once we’re using all the space.”

“That’s almost a small hospital, isn’t it?”

“I guess you could say that.”

Abruptly, Wally called from behind the counter. “Stage is here, Dr. Logan. I can see it coming up the street.”

The Logans headed for the door. When they stepped outside, the stagecoach was slowing down and veering toward the driveway where it would pull up in front of the office. Dane took Tharyn by the hand and led her to the spot where the stage would stop.

Just as the driver guided the six-up team off the street, both of them caught sight of Kirby Holton looking at them through the window where he was sitting. He smiled and waved. They returned the smile and waved back.

As soon as the stage came to a halt, Kirby jumped out, followed by three more men. He stepped up to the couple, and before he could say a word, Dane and Tharyn were pouring out words of appreciation for his generosity.

Kirby’s eyes sparkled as he told them how glad he was that he had the funds to do this for them. He then asked, “Are Dr. Tim and his bride coming to Central City?”

“They are!” Dane exclaimed. “He accepted my offer in a hurry, and Melinda is more excited about moving here than he is. They’ll be here in early May.”

Kirby’s smile spread from ear to ear. “Good! I’m going to have a house built for the Bradens. It will be my gift to them. Will you write to them and tell them for me?”

Tharyn found her voice first. “We most certainly will write and tell them. We’ve been checking into housing here the past couple of days, and were surprised that right now, at least, there are no houses for rent, and no apartments. We decided if it stayed this way, Tim and Melinda would have to start out in a boardinghouse. We talked about inviting them to stay with us, but we figured they’d rather have the privacy of their own room.”

Kirby grinned. “Well, now you can put your mind at ease. It will give me great pleasure to provide them with a comfortable house. I’ll have it ready before they get here. It won’t be huge or fancy, but they’ll be happy in it, I’m sure.” He paused. “Oh, by the way, Tharyn, I know you’re busy, but in the next week or so, could you write down some ideas that would help me design the house so Melinda will be happy with it? I know women think differently than us men when it comes to things like this.”

Tharyn laughed. “I’ll do that, sir. I recall that when we were just teenage girls, Melinda used to talk about her dream house. I remember some of the things she likes. Oh, this is so wonderful!” Even as she said that, Tharyn gave the startled Kirby Holton a big hug. “Thank you for doing this for Tim and Melinda!”

Dane was in the parlor reading a newspaper while Tharyn was in the kitchen preparing supper.

Tharyn was humming a happy tune as she prepared the meal, and at one point, looked at her reflection in the small mirror on the wall by the cupboard and gave herself a private smile. “When are you going to tell him, Tharyn?”

Not more than two minutes later, as she was stirring gravy at the stove, a wave of nausea hit her. She took a deep breath and felt
beads of perspiration on her forehead. She sat down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table and gulped in one deep breath after another. When her breathing returned to normal, she stayed on the chair waiting for the nausea to pass.

This came in a minute or two.

She rose from the chair, and on her way back to the stove, she looked again at her reflection, and a self-satisfied grin beamed on her face. Before pouring the gravy into a bowl, she placed her hands on her tummy. “I’ve got to tell him tonight. It just has to be tonight. Later tonight.”

Soon she called her husband to the kitchen, and as they were eating, Dane said, “Honey, we need to write Tim and Melinda soon and let them know about the house.”

Tharyn nodded. “I’ll write the letter on Sunday afternoon and mail it on Monday.”

Dane noticed an unusual sparkle in her eyes. “What’s up, sweetheart?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, giving him an innocent look.

“There’s a special … light in your eyes.”

She smiled and opened her hands, palms up. “Well, darling, if there’s a special light in my eyes, it’s because I’m so happy.”

“Oh, sure. I know it will mean a lot to you to have Melinda living here.”

“It sure will.”

Later that evening, at bedtime, Dane had already slipped between the covers, and Tharyn was in her robe, brushing her hair at the dresser mirror. Unaware that Dane was looking at her reflection in the mirror, she winked and gave herself a secret smile.
It’s almost time to tell him
!

She was surprised when she heard Dane say, “What are you grinning about?”

She ran her gaze to his reflection in the mirror. “I’m smiling because I’m happy.”

“Because Melinda is coming to Central City?”

She turned and walked toward him with another smile on her lips. As she drew up beside the bed, she said, “I’m happy about Melinda coming, yes … but I’m even happier about someone else coming. Someone who will live right here in this house.”

Dane sat up straight, eyes wide. “You mean—?”

“Mm-hmm. I didn’t know for sure when we were in Denver, so I didn’t say anything. But I know for certain now. Little Dane Jr. or little Elizabeth Ann will be born in late April or early May.”

Dr. Dane Logan was dumbstruck, then a look of pure joy passed over his face. He jumped out of the bed, kissed her, and wrapped her in his arms. “Oh, Tharyn, God is blessing us with such a precious little gift! Let’s right now dedicate this child to Him!”

“Yes,” she whispered, and they knelt together at the side of the bed, holding hands and giving praise to the Lord and asking for His wisdom in raising the child for His glory.

When they stood up, both wiping tears from their faces, Dane said, “Honey, it just hit me. Since the baby is to be born in late April or early May, neither you nor the baby will be able to make the trip to Denver. We won’t be able to go to Tim and Melinda’s wedding.”

“You’re right. You could go, but we couldn’t.”

“I wouldn’t go without my wife and baby. Tim and Melinda will certainly understand, even though they’ll have to find another matron of honor and another best man.”

“Of course they’ll understand. I’ll write the letter to them, as I said, on Sunday afternoon. They’ll be disappointed, I’m sure, but the good news about the house will more than make up for it. I’ll also write to your parents and to mine and let them know that I’m expecting our baby.”

During the latter part of the next week, letters came from the Logans in Cheyenne and the Tabors in Denver, happy to learn that Tharyn was with child.

A letter also came from Tim and Melinda, saying they were sorry Dane and Tharyn wouldn’t be able to make it to the wedding, but assuring them that they understood. They offered their sincere congratulations about the baby and said they were also very excited about the house Kirby Holton would build for them. They added that they had already sent a telegram to Mr. Holton to express their gratitude.

Dr. Dane wrote to Nadine Wahl’s friend Susan Coulter and offered her a job, saying he needed her to start as soon as possible. A letter came from Susan the next week, accepting the offer, and she arrived in Central City by stagecoach three weeks later. Being widowed also and having a large two-story house, Nadine Wahl took Susan into her home.

TWENTY-TWO
 

W
inter came with the normal cold weather in the Colorado Rockies, and plenty of snow.

Dr. Robert Fraser, in spite of days when his pain-wracked body made it difficult, continued to fill in for Dr. Dane Logan whenever he had to be out of the office. The elderly physician was looking forward to May, when Dr. Tim Braden would come to work for Dr. Dane, and he could completely retire.

It was nearly five o’clock on Friday, March 3, 1882. Tharyn Logan was at her desk, accepting payment from a rancher that her husband and Susan Coulter had just treated for a cut on his hand. When the rancher was going out the door, Dr. Dane and Susan came from the back room and drew up by the desk.

Tharyn looked up at Susan and smiled. “I’m leaving everything in and on the desk just like it is, Susan. I know you’ve gotten used to it this way, so it’s best that I take none of my personal supplies with me.”

“Quitting your job isn’t easy, is it?” Susan said softly.

“It’s hard, but the joy of the baby in my womb is prevailing over the difficulty I’m having giving up my job.”

Dane stepped behind the desk and hugged her. “Honey, little Dane Jr. will be worth it.”

“Yes, sir, little Elizabeth Ann will be worth it, all right!”

Susan laughed. “You two! Go on home now. I’ll clean up.”

From his pulpit the next Sunday, Pastor Mark Shane reported on the progress in his ministry to the Indians in Chief Tando’s village. As of that date, over a hundred had now become Christians.

There were joyful smiles, along with many amens.

As the month of March moved on, there was continual correspondence between the Logans and Tim and Melinda, who were pleased to hear about the progress in the construction of the clinic building and their new house. In every letter from Tim and Melinda, they spoke of how excited they were about coming to Central City. They also wrote of how happy they were to know that Tharyn and her unborn child were doing well.

In one letter, Tim wrote on the last page: “I hope the baby’s father won’t be too nervous to do his job when the time of birth comes. I’ve seen many a father terribly shook up when his baby was being born!”

Tharyn and Dane had a good laugh over those words.

On Monday, March 20, Dr. Dane received a letter from the president of Northwestern University Medical College, asking him to come and be the speaker at the graduation ceremony of the class of ’82 on Friday, May 26. The president said in the letter, “As you know, Dr. Logan, the alumni paper, which we publish every quarter, has kept the readers up to date on the growth of your practice, of your upcoming clinic, and of your successful hip replacements. You are the man we want this year.”

Dane was thrilled at the invitation, as was Tharyn. However, since the baby was due in late April or early May, they agreed that mother and baby would not be able to make the
long trip with him to Chicago that soon after the baby’s birth.

Dane sent a wire, accepting the invitation to be commencement speaker.

In early April, with the clinic building nearing its completion, Dr. Dane hired another nurse. Mary Edwards was a Christian and a close friend of Susan Coulter’s from Colorado Springs. Mary was also given a place to live at the Wahl house.

During the second week of April, Susan Coulter volunteered to begin staying in the Logan home every night till the baby came, in case Dr. Dane should be called away. The Logans gladly accepted her offer, and Susan started on Monday night, April 17.

The following Thursday, Dane awakened at the usual time and slipped out of bed, not wanting to disturb his sleeping wife. Tharyn had experienced a restless night, and he wanted her to get as much sleep as possible.

He dressed quietly, then went downstairs to build a fire in the kitchen stove. He knew that Susan would come down from her room soon to prepare breakfast, as she had done the last two mornings. He was surprised to find her already in the kitchen. She had a fire going and oatmeal and scrambled eggs cooking on the stove.

She smiled at him, and said, “Good morning, boss. Is Tharyn not coming down for breakfast?”