with the loss of her mother, and she couldn’t stop herself from wondering if she was going to get sick and die too.
Silas and Mark stood together and watched Carrie struggle. They saw tears fill her eyes before she bent forward to rest her head on Mandy’s shoulder. The movement sparked Mandy into motion.
“You boys go into the house and check on Becca. And don’t touch anything.”
They looked for a long moment at Mark. Finally Mandy gave them a little push. “We’ll be fine.”
They obeyed then and Mandy gave Carrie her full attention. “You can’t really believe he’s going to hurt you. What’s the matter?”
“I’m not sick.”
“Even if you are, Carrie, you’re not going to die.” The young woman spoke the words with such startling clarity that Markand Silas were surprised, having thought of it but figuring it would be in some way harmful to the tender emotions of this young family to mention it. It was the first experience they were to have with the honest straightforwardness of Amanda Jackson.
The tears that had just been standing in Carrie’s eyes coursed down her cheeks. Mandy pulled her gently into her arms. They were very close in height and frame, but anyone could see that for Carrie, Mandy was a lifeline.
“Come into the house, Carrie, and let Dr. Cameron look at you,” her big sister urged. “He’s got four girls of his own. He’ll know what to do.” Mandy wasn’t sure if the words would be any comfort, but she’d never seen Carrie like this and honestly didn’t know what to do. Of course they were all going to act differently these days with everything familiar behind them.
“Actually my bag is over at my office,” Mark spoke for the first time. “Would you mind coming over there, Carrie?”
“If Mandy can come.”
“Certainly.”
“Maybe I better check on the kids before we go.”
“I’ll do that,” Silas offered. “You go ahead. We’ll come by in a bit and pick you up on our way out of town.”
Mandy and Carrie followed the tall frame of Mark Cameron down the street to a white two-story home that was the private residence as well as the office of Baxter’s doctor. They had seen it from the outside and knew whose home it was. But there had never been any money to pay a doctor, so the front yard with its flowers and curtains showing in every window, was as close as they’d ever come to the inside of the doctor’s office.
Money
, Mandy thought.
We haven’t any. I’ll have to say something.
“Dr. Cameron, I—”
“That’s Uncle Mark to you, remember.”
“Oh, that’s right. Well, anyhow, we can’t pay you for this. I mean, thank you for offering to check Carrie, but we haven’t any money and she’s probably fine. We’ve had a lot of changes in a short time and that might be getting us down.”
Mark stood a moment and looked into the faces of these two young women. His mind was instantly transported back to similar confrontations with his sister-in-law, Christine. Only then she wasn’t his sister-in-law. She was Christine Bennett and she was bound and determined not to be beholden to anyone.
But this was different. This girl stated their financial situation with startling honesty, even at the risk, no,
expectation
, that they would be sent away without help.
Mark spoke in that gentle voice that the girls were coming to recognize as a hallmark of the Cameron men. “I never charge my nieces or nephews for my services.”
He gave them a moment to let the words soak in and then told Carrie to take a seat on the examination table. She did so hesitantly, and with long, strong fingers probing along the side of her jaw, Mark began his examination.
“Well, Carrie,” he spoke after a long, thorough look at her throat, “everything is pretty red in there and I imagine quite sore. I’ve got something I want you to gargle with, and then I want to see you again tomorrow. As for the rest of the day, I want you to rest and only eat things that are
Silas and Mark stood together and watched Carrie struggle. They saw tears fill her eyes before she bent forward to rest her head on Mandy’s shoulder. The movement sparked Mandy into motion.
“You boys go into the house and check on Becca. And don’t touch anything.”
They looked for a long moment at Mark. Finally Mandy gave them a little push. “We’ll be fine.”
They obeyed then and Mandy gave Carrie her full attention. “You can’t really believe he’s going to hurt you. What’s the matter?”
“I’m not sick.”
“Even if you are, Carrie, you’re not going to die.” The young woman spoke the words with such startling clarity that Markand Silas were surprised, having thought of it but figuring it would be in some way harmful to the tender emotions of this young family to mention it. It was the first experience they were to have with the honest straightforwardness of Amanda Jackson.
The tears that had just been standing in Carrie’s eyes coursed down her cheeks. Mandy pulled her gently into her arms. They were very close in height and frame, but anyone could see that for Carrie, Mandy was a lifeline.
“Come into the house, Carrie, and let Dr. Cameron look at you,” her big sister urged. “He’s got four girls of his own. He’ll know what to do.” Mandy wasn’t sure if the words would be any comfort, but she’d never seen Carrie like this and honestly didn’t know what to do. Of course they were all going to act differently these days with everything familiar behind them.
“Actually my bag is over at my office,” Mark spoke for the first time. “Would you mind coming over there, Carrie?”
“If Mandy can come.”
“Certainly.”
“Maybe I better check on the kids before we go.”
“I’ll do that,” Silas offered. “You go ahead. We’ll come by in a bit and pick you up on our way out of town.”
Mandy and Carrie followed the tall frame of Mark Cameron down the street to a white two-story home that was the private residence as well as the office of Baxter’s doctor. They had seen it from the outside and knew whose home it was. But there had never been any money to pay a doctor, so the front yard with its flowers and curtains showing in every window, was as close as they’d ever come to the inside of the doctor’s office.
Money
, Mandy thought.
We haven’t any. I’ll have to say something.
“Dr. Cameron, I—”
“That’s Uncle Mark to you, remember.”
“Oh, that’s right. Well, anyhow, we can’t pay you for this. I mean, thank you for offering to check Carrie, but we haven’t any money and she’s probably fine. We’ve had a lot of changes in a short time and that might be getting us down.”
Mark stood a moment and looked into the faces of these two young women. His mind was instantly transported back to similar confrontations with his sister-in-law, Christine. Only then she wasn’t his sister-in-law. She was Christine Bennett and she was bound and determined not to be beholden to anyone.
But this was different. This girl stated their financial situation with startling honesty, even at the risk, no,
expectation
, that they would be sent away without help.
Mark spoke in that gentle voice that the girls were coming to recognize as a hallmark of the Cameron men. “I never charge my nieces or nephews for my services.”
He gave them a moment to let the words soak in and then told Carrie to take a seat on the examination table. She did so hesitantly, and with long, strong fingers probing along the side of her jaw, Mark began his examination.
“Well, Carrie,” he spoke after a long, thorough look at her throat, “everything is pretty red in there and I imagine quite sore. I’ve got something I want you to gargle with, and then I want to see you again tomorrow. As for the rest of the day, I want you to rest and only eat things that are
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