“Doctor Cook, you are looking well today. I hear you are almost as busy as I am these days, so I’m honored to have seen you twice in such a short time!” Mayor Daniels shuffled some papers and put them in a drawer as he gave his attention to the busy doctor.
“Yes, thank you for seeing me on such short notice and right in the middle of lunch. I’m afraid it was the only time I had available. The Cooper girl up the hill has a nasty cough I have to see to this afternoon, so I won’t be able to talk for too long.” Kenton fought the tiredness in his eyes as he sat down in the mayor’s office.
It was a simple space. In fact, the entire makeshift city hall was nothing more than a wooden structure. They were building a stone edifice down the way a bit, but such an undertaking was bound to take the better part of two years, so in the meantime, official city business had to take over a local storefront.
“Of course, anything for the man who keeps our town healthy. I must tell you that I haven’t heard back about my advertisement seeking out another doctor who might come take some of the cases off your shoulders. I’m sure someone will respond sooner or later, but for now, I’m afraid you are on your own.” The kindly mayor’s mustache dropped slightly at the corners of his mouth as he reported the unfortunate news. It was disappointing to hear for Kenton, although it had not been the reason for his visit that afternoon.
“Ah, I see. Well, thank you for the update. We can only hope that someone will be tempted to take up the position sooner or later. I actually came to speak with you on another subject, however.”
“Oh?” Mayor Daniels said, intrigued. “If not for that, what brings you in?”
“I was hoping that you could offer some assistance in terms of medical supplies. My stores are running hopelessly low, and as it is, another shipment isn’t due for another month. I don’t like to think about what I’ll be working with by then if the caseload continues at the pace it has been going currently. Do you think that there’s something to be done about that? Perhaps a transport cart could be sent to a neighboring town to see if anyone else might have some basic medicinal needs and supplies to spare?” Kenton asked the question nervously, though Mayor Daniels seemed to be listening to his request with an open heart and patient expression.
All Kenton knew was that if he had approached a local official in Maine with the same request, he likely would have been met with a brick wall. Even if his father hadn’t poisoned people against him, the bureaucrats would doubtlessly have considered the problem his alone to solve, and if he couldn’t, well, it was likely just a sign that he wasn’t up to the job. In contrast, Mayor Daniels immediately got to work pondering who might be able to lend a hand. After all, it was his mandate to care for the health and safety of all Park County citizens.
“Now, let’s see, I don’t like the sound of that. Not when I have my first grandchild due in a matter of weeks. I’ll wager that the Jones boy might have some spare time to head on down to Stittsville to see about some of the supplies you need. The only issue is the funds.”
Kenton watched with hope as Mayor Daniels looked through his ledgers to see if there was any extra money to be spent on medical supplies in the budget. The longer he looked, the less hopeful Kenton felt, however. Mayor Daniels was making unintelligible yet pessimistic sounding grunts every once in a while as he looked through the numbers, occasionally shaking his head.
“I don’t know about this, Kenton, I just don’t know. We might be able to spare you a few dollars here and there, but there’s no saying how long it will be until the city coffers are refilled once more. Would ten dollars be able to help you out in the meantime? I know it’s not much, but we just need something to carry us through until the next shipment from Cheyenne comes in, isn’t that right?” Mayor Daniels asked hopefully.
Kenton pursed his lips thoughtfully as he considered the list of supplies that he needed.
“I suppose it will have to do. It won’t get us far, but I’ll take what I can get. Frankly, I’d spend some of my own money, but I don’t want to have to charge the people any more than I already do.”
“You don’t have any old family shipping connections out this far west, do you? Know anyone that could give us a discount on any upcoming transportation fees? I know that you don’t have the best relationship with your father at the moment, but perhaps there’s someone else you could reach out to?” The mayor looked over at Kenton hopefully. The young doctor wanted desperately to be of more help, but he knew there was nothing more he could bring to the table.
“Even if I were willing to write to my father, I know that he wouldn’t respond favorably, and I have no other family geographically closer that could help. I’m sorry if it seems like I’ve only come here to present a problem and no solutions, but I promise, I’ll do whatever I can to get the necessary medical supplies to Park County. If I thought it would help in the future, I might even be willing to contact my father, but I know that he would ignore any attempt from me to reach out.” Kenton hoped that he was getting his point across without appearing too defensive. He’d traveled across the country to get away from the clawing, dishonest tendrils of his family, so the prospect of depending on them once more felt as if it might be some sort of failure.
Mayor Daniel’s eyes widened as he seemed to realize just how sensitive a subject he had stumbled into.
“No need to say anything more! I completely understand. Leave it with me; I’ll sort out the issue in a matter of days. You have already done so much for our community in the short time you’ve been here; it’s the least we can do. In the end, making sure that you have the supplies you need just means that we also have the supplies that we need. Thank you for coming to me with the issue, Dr. Kenton.”
“Thank you so much for your help and understanding, Mayor Daniels. Park County is lucky to have a leader like you. Now, is there anything else …”
Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door, and both Kenton and the mayor turned their heads inquisitively toward the entrance.
“I do apologize for the interruption, but I …” Mayor Daniels started, before being interrupted by the knocking once more.
“It’s alright; I don’t mind if you have something to take care of.”
“No, no, your time is valuable too, and I don’t want anything to interrupt. I’m busy at the moment, but you can make an appointment with Nicholas at the front,” the older man called out with a gruff sense of authority in his voice.
“It’s not you I need to see, Mayor Daniels. I need to see the doctor,” said a panicked, muffled voice, calling out from the other side of the door. Without missing a beat, Kenton leapt to his feet and went to open the door. Though technically speaking, he was on his lunch break, he needed to be on call at all times should there be an emergency in the town.
There, standing behind the door was a boy who couldn’t have been more than twelve years old, out of breath as if he’d been running for the past half hour. Sweat and dirt were running down his face, and Kenton was half afraid that the boy was going to collapse right there in the mayor’s office.
“I’m the doctor. Are you alright? Take some deep breaths and tell me what’s wrong.” Right away, Kenton started assessing what might be wrong with the young man, although all of his limbs seemed to be attached. Except for being a little out of breath and tired looking, he seemed to be in perfect health.
Behind the boy, who was still trying to catch his breath, another head popped into the door frame. It belonged to Nicholas, the mayor’s assistant, and he seemed almost as frazzled as the young boy.
“I do apologize to you, Dr. Kenton, and to you, Mayor Daniels. This boy just rushed right past me, and I couldn’t do anything to stop him. Both the mayor and doctor have serious business to attend to, young man, and you can’t just storm in whenever you’d like to interrupt,” Nicholas said to the young boy.
“Nicholas, it’s alright. Let the boy say his piece. What’s wrong, young man?” Kenton asked, putting a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder.
Behind them all, Mayor Daniels was standing behind his desk, watching the scene unfold.
“You’re the Nelson boy, aren’t you? Is there something wrong with your father?” Mayor Daniels asked. As small as Park County was, Kenton was still impressed that the mayor seemed to know everyone within his jurisdiction. More than that, he knew what every one of his citizens cared about, and he took those cares upon his shoulders as if they were his own.
The boy nodded and finally spoke. “Yes. My name is Tom. It’s my father. He collapsed in the field, and he seems to be unconscious. Nothing happened; he was working one minute, then the next he keeled over. Please come with me doctor; you’re our only hope!”
“The elder Mr. Nelson tends to overextend himself. Did you run all the way here, boy?” the mayor asked the young boy, whose eyes were wet with worry.
Tom nodded.
“That’s what I thought. I see that you’ve inherited the habit. Nicholas, go fetch the boy some water, and Dr. Cook, it seems like you have your work cut out for you. I’ll send Tom after you once he’s recovered.”
Kenton nodded curtly in response and left before saying anything else. There wasn’t time to thank the mayor for his help with the issue of medical supplies, not when there was so much ground to cover. Without having to ask, Kenton knew where the Nelson plot was, and he knew that it was at least a twenty-minute ride away at full gallop. That knowledge made it all the more impressive that the young Tom had made the trek by himself on foot.
On the ride over, Kenton tried to think about what might have happened to Tom’s father. It was the harvest season, and though Kenton knew there was much work to be done in the fields at that time of year, he did not know the particulars. Growing up close to the coast in a family of industry, farming was unfamiliar to him. Whatever had happened to Mr. Nelson, it could very well have had something to do with the hard physical labor. On the other hand, it might have been completely unrelated.
By the time Kenton arrived on the Nelson property, there was no one in the fields. If the family had any helping hands, they had all seemingly moved inside to aid Mr. Nelson. When Kenton knocked on the front door, however, he was surprised to find that there were only two people in the house, though there was room for many more. It was as if the home had been built to be filled with children, but only one had been born.
“Oh, Dr. Cook, thank goodness you’re here. My husband, Darryl, he was tilling the fields. It’s a big job, and as much help as our son is, he’s only twelve. Darryl’s been overworking himself, and all of a sudden, he just collapsed over the plow.” The words just spilled out of Mrs. Nelson as soon as she opened the door, and without introducing herself, she pulled Kenton into the house toward where Darryl was sitting on the ground, propped up against a wall. Clearly Mrs. Nelson had tried to make her husband as comfortable as possible, having carefully placed a cushion behind his head.
The look on Darryl’s face did not fill Kenton with confidence. There was a glassy look to his eyes, and he appeared as if he were staring off a thousand miles into the distance. His arms had fallen to his sides, and he seemed incapable of holding them up on his own. With his mouth slack-jawed and open, Darryl looked like he’d been working the fields the entire night as well as the day.
“Mr. Nelson, can you tell me how you’re feeling?” Kenton asked, getting his medical bag open and ready. Mr. Nelson nodded absentmindedly, though he didn’t say anything in response. Kenton picked up the man’s wrist to feel for his pulse. It was weak but frighteningly fast. The other surprising thing that Kenton noticed was just how cold the man was. Despite overworking himself, he seemed wet with a cold sweat, and goosebumps were running up and down his arms. Kenton didn’t like the way he looked, though he’d seen worse.
“How long has he been like this?”
Mrs. Nelson, who had been hovering over Kenton’s shoulder nervously, came around to his other side.
“For almost an hour now. I don’t remember exactly when Tom pulled him in from the field, but he’s been sitting here like this ever since. I keep telling him he’s too old to work how he’s been working, but he won’t listen to me. Tom’s tried to tell him to, but Darryl doesn’t listen to the boy. What can be done, Doctor?” Mrs. Nelson asked, the nervousness apparent in her voice. It wasn’t until then that Tom noticed just how much older the Nelsons were than their son.
If Kenton had had to guess the age of their son without having met him, just based on the age of the Nelsons, he would have assumed that Tom was an eighteen-year-old man, fully capable of aiding his father around the farm. If Mr. Nelson had been taking care of the farm work all by himself at his advanced age, it was no wonder that he had collapsed in the field.
“Yes, there is something you can do for me. If you can bring me a glass of water, and make sure there’s plenty more where that came from. That should do the trick.”
Mrs. Nelson nodded her head and quickly headed away to fetch the water, though clearly there was some question in her eyes about what exactly Kenton had in mind.
She was back within seconds, and Kenton swiftly started to put a white, crystalline substance into the water and poured it into Darryl’s mouth.
“What is that you’re trying to feed him?” Mrs. Nelson asked, reacting to the painful sight as her husband spat up the foreign liquid. Just a second later, however, Darryl lifted his own hand up and took the glass away from the doctor. Instead of putting the glass down,though, Darryl finished the remainder of the water.
“It’s just saltwater. You’re right, your husband was overworking himself in the hot sun, and he’s suffering from heat exhaustion. When the body is too hot, it ends up expelling all the sodium necessary to continue normal function. So, we’re simply replacing the salt. Here, let’s give him more water, this time without any salt,” Kenton explained, handing the empty glass back to Mrs. Nelson for her to fill it once more.
“Oh, Dr. Cook, I was ever so worried! Is that actually all that is needed to cure him: saltwater?”
Kenton chuckled. “No, I reckon Darryl here will need a few days in bed before he’s fully back to his former state. Still, it’s a simple solution for a simple problem.”
“I can’t stay in bed for days. The fields need tilling while the weather lasts.”
Both Kenton and Mrs. Nelson turned in surprise to watch as Darryl spoke his first words since his collapse. As he put down the water glass once more, Mr. Nelson did his best to hoist himself up to his feet, leaning on the wall for support. Of course, his legs were too weak to support him still, and Kenton caught him just in time.
“Woah there, Mr. Nelson. No need to worry about tilling the field today. You’ve done more than enough work. You just come with me now, and we’ll get you settled in bed with as much water as the well has to give.” Kenton put one steady arm around the frail man, and with Mrs. Nelson’s guidance, led him to the bed, despite his weak protests.
“I mean it, Doctor. The fields...they...they need to be tilled, and I…” Darryl wheezed out, clearly trying his best to explain himself to Kenton.
“Shh, my love. Leave it to me. Tom will take care of it. You rest now because I need your strength to return as quickly as possible. Drink your water! The doctor and I need to talk,” Mrs. Nelson said, handing Darryl another glass of water and pulling on Kenton’s free arm.
Kenton could tell that there was something off about Mrs. Nelson, though he wasn’t quite sure what it was. As far as he was concerned, everything with Darryl was under control. It would certainly take a few days before he felt back to his old self, and Mrs. Nelson ought to have been glad there wasn’t anything seriously wrong with her husband.
“Mrs. Nelson, don’t worry, I’m sure Darryl will make a full recovery. If you keep making sure that he drinks his water at the same rate, he’ll be back on his feet in a few days!”
“Doctor Cook, we don’t have a few days. The fields need to be tilled now before the weather turns. We were already leaving it until the last minute, but if it doesn’t get done today, then the frost might strike at any moment.” The panic in Mrs. Nelson’s eyes made it clear to Kenton that there was something deadly serious about this situation that he didn’t completely understand.
“Ah. And what happens if the frost comes before you can till the fields? Forgive my lack of understanding. You see, I don’t come from a farming family, and I don’t have a clear grasp on what exactly would be so dreadfully wrong with the tilling in the spring. You seem to have had a successful harvest, isn’t that right?” Kenton tried to ask his questions slowly, but he could see that Mrs. Nelson was frustrated by the time it was taking to explain the whole technique.
“Yes, we did have a successful harvest, but if we’re going to have a good crop next year as well, it’s integral that we turn the fields now. It freshens and turns the nutrients in the soil and means that the fields will be ready for planting in the spring. We’ve been here now for seven years, and we’ve got the system down to an art. It could throw everything off if we lose sight of the schedule. I can feel it in the air that the weather might be changing. I’d get out in the fields myself except that I need my cane to walk, though I’ve done it in the past before my knees started giving out on me. Tom can do his best, but he’s just too small to handle the whole field. Doctor, I just don’t know what we’re going to do if Darryl is out for a matter of days. We need him back out there this afternoon!”
“I think I’m starting to understand.” Kenton nodded as he put the pieces together in his head. As long and as hard as he’d studied matters of the human body over several years, some of the ways of his new home escaped his understanding.
“I knew a day like this would come along at some point, but I hoped that we had longer. We tried to have children for years, you see, and eventually, Darryl and I just assumed that we would never be blessed in such a way. Then, when we least expected it, Tom came to us, and we finally had the son we’d been praying for for so long. Still, Tom is too young to take over around the farm, and Darryl is really too old to be working as hard as he does. What are we to do?”
As Mrs. Nelson looked up at him with pleading eyes, Kenton tried to consider his options. Healing Darryl had been the easy part, but now Mrs. Nelson was wordlessly begging him to do more.
“Alright, then. Well, I think the answer is clear,” Kenton said, hoping his voice sounded more confident than he did in his heart.
“You have an answer?” Mrs. Nelson asked, hope overtaking her face.
“I’ll till the fields myself. Would you mind, you know, showing me just how the equipment and such works?”
“Oh, Dr. Cook, you are an angel come from heaven to help me and my family! Thank you so much. You don’t know what a relief it is to hear you offer to take on the tilling. It means the world to me. Oh! Here’s Tom come home now. I didn’t even think to ask why he didn’t come with you, but I suppose he took off on foot.”
Tom came back in through the front door, a worried look on his face though he was significantly less wheezy than the last time Kenton had seen him in Mayor Daniels’ office.
“How’s Father?” Tom asked, after taking off his hat and greeting Kenton and his mother.
“He’s going to be just fine. Nothing more than heat exhaustion. Still, he’ll need a few days to make a full recovery. In the meantime, I have it on good authority from your mother that the fields have to be tilled today and not a second later. As such, I’ve volunteered to do the rest of the job myself. Though I’ll be needing some instruction from you with regards to how exactly, you know, till the soil,” Kenton explained.
“Well, that’s...that’s very kind of you, Doc. I’ll go get the plow up if you want to come look at how it works. I wish I could say that most of the work was done, but I don’t want to give you false hope,” said Tom, bowing his head in gratitude. Clearly his parents had raised him well.
“I’ll start preparing dinner now! It’s the least we can do for you after not only saving Darryl but also ensuring that our harvest next year is saved. You are truly our guardian angel, Dr. Cook,” Mrs. Nelson gushed before she bustled off into the kitchen and left Kenton to follow Tom toward the field.
***
He quickly picked up the plow's intricacies, and before long, he and Tom were trading off the back-breaking work as the sun threatened to settle below the mountain tops in the distance. Eventually, Tom got too tired to keep going himself, and Kenton couldn’t blame him. It was impossibly difficult, but the young doctor wasn’t the type to start work on something without getting the job done. He’d committed to helping out the Nelsons, and now that he was so close to finishing, he didn’t want to stop, even if he was almost working in complete darkness.
Finally, once he’d rounded the last corner with the plow, Kenton stopped to wipe his brow and curse himself for not being able to turn down a request from a patient. Perhaps it was that he was still getting his footing in town that made him want to please as many people as possible, but maybe it was also that he wanted to believe in the currency of kindness.
Everything that he’d grown up with in Maine would have had him believe that people existed to be taken advantage of instead of fellow humanity to depend on and create a community with. He so desperately wanted to foster a sense of cohesion within Park County and make it known far and wide that he was a man to be trusted as a neighbor and a doctor.
Still, now that he was done with the monstrous task and had a gnawing hunger in his stomach, Kenton wished he knew how to say no occasionally. With such an overwhelming daily caseload, Kenton was being worked to the bone, and if something didn’t change soon, he wouldn’t be able to carry on with the pace of it all.
Back inside, around the cozy, candlelit dinner, Kenton was reminded exactly why he had the life philosophy that he did. Eating alongside the kindly Nelsons, Kenton felt a warmth that he had never felt in Maine.
“Here’s to Dr. Kenton, and the kindest, most generous doctor that Park County has ever seen!” Mrs. Nelson said, holding her glass in the air and toasting Kenton. He smiled and raised his glass in return.
“Thank you for this wonderful meal and incredible company. You all seem to know how to make a single man who's new to town feel comfortable and welcome. This meal smells incredible, Mrs. Nelson. I’m not sure the last time I felt quite this hungry. My muscles will be aching tomorrow, but my stomach will be pleasantly full. I’m only sorry that Mr. Nelson can’t join us,” Kenton noted, nodding toward the bedroom where Darryl was still recovering.
“We’ll just have to have you back at a later date when my husband is feeling better. He seems too tired at the moment to miss anyone at all; otherwise, I’m sure he’d be feeling terribly left out.” Mrs. Nelson gave a wonderfully free sort of laugh, and Kenton was very pleased with himself for being able to help give her some peace of mind.
“I’ll write about today in my journal and then tell Father about the adventures once he’s feeling better. I try to be the man of the family as much as possible, but I’m still a bit too young to take care of a lot of things around the house,” Tom chimed in.
Kenton held back a chuckle, as he didn’t mean to make fun of the young boy. There was something odd about him, and it was clear at that moment to Kenton that Tom was the kind of child who was more comfortable in the classroom than he was in the field. In fact, there was a lot about Tom that reminded Kenton of himself at his age. No matter how much he seemed ill-suited to be a farmer, Kenton was sure that Tom would dedicate himself to whatever the family needed him to.
“How have you been enjoying Park County so far, Dr. Cook?” Mrs. Nelson asked.
“I confess I haven’t seen much of it. I’ve been working day in and day out, so there hasn’t been much time to explore the area and get to know the people. Not to say that I haven’t met some wonderful folks. Hal Daniels and his father, the mayor, have both been very kind to me. I look forward to meeting some people who I don’t happen to be treating, though truth be told, it’s not the worst way to meet the townsfolk!” Kenton replied optimistically.
“Now, I’ll agree with you on that account. I don’t doubt that there will be plenty of young women who will be very keen to meet the new handsome doctor in town. Once you can attend a church service, that’s when you’ll really be able to meet everyone. It’s how Mr. Nelson and I met many a century ago. Though perhaps I’m making assumptions. Do you have any existing attachments to any young ladies already? Is there a girl pining after you in Maine who you’ve been writing to daily?”
Kenton almost blushed at Mrs. Nelson’s question. He had no reason to blush; no lady was waiting for his letters in Augusta. Still, the question made him self-conscious.
“No, no, there’s no one. It’s not that I’m not interested in courting someone eventually, but right now, I’m not sure where I’m supposed to find the time. If you know a doctor who might want to move to Park County and help me take care of all its citizens, please let me know! Business is booming, but I’m having a very difficult time keeping up,” Kenton confessed.
Mrs. Nelson’s face fell somewhat, and Kenton realized he’d been too honest with her. He hadn’t intended to make her feel bad for further imposing upon him.
“I’m sorry that I asked you to take care of the fields. I should have gotten it all sorted out myself. I just panicked under the pressure of it all.”
“Now, Mrs. Nelson, I won’t have you feeling like that. You didn’t ask me to till the fields. I offered. Currently, I’m enjoying the best meal I've had since I arrived in Park County, and I feel as if I’m around real friends. What more could I possibly ask for?”