The Surgeon and his Lady

Chapter II

I fidgeted in my dress, tugging on it as we all wait for the honorable somebody or other to arrive. "What is the name of the man I'm meeting again? I can't really remember." I whisper to Fanny and Belle, earning a scoff from my mother and father. But Fanny was far too excited. Belle and Fanny were chatting away over my head. Finally, a carriage arrived and I glared at it. An incredibly pompous-looking man climbed out of it.

I turned a little and coughed, trying to bury a scoff as I felt a wave of nausea rush over me. I shifted and leaned a little bit, catching Belle's attention. "Are you ok?" She asks and I shake my head a little as my chest tightens. My gaze tries to focus on the man climbing out of the carriage. He wore a ridiculous top hat and some ridiculous clothes. Not anything I really cared about. And my father wasted absolutely no time introducing me to this man.

"Mr. Smales, it is my pleasure to introduce to you Lady..." He starts but stops when he bows to my sister Fanny. Father clears his throat. He tries again but this time, bows to Belle. I shake my head before I cover my mouth. I was going to be sick. I rushed inside as my mother called for me. I can only make it to a sink when I bring up my breakfast. "Get back out here!" My mother hisses to me, pulling me outside while I wipe my face.

I returned to my spot and Mr. Smales bowed to me. "I apologize, I have been under the weather as of late." I say to him as he stands back up. He didn't acknowledge me in any way, simply pulled out a piece of paper and began reading from it. "Sweet lady with eyes so bright, that fill my heart with such delight." He says. I bite my lip, squint at him and then the words tumble from my mouth before I can stop them.

"No thank you." I say before turning around and begin making my way up into the house. Fanny quickly stops me and squeezes my arm. "Say something to him." Fanny begs. I screw up my nose before turning towards Mr. Smales. I put on a faux smile and straightened my skirt. "Did you know, Mr. Smales, the human bowel is 15 feet long?" I question him. I fiddled with my hands and my handkerchief as I was speaking.

"It would be you, plus Belle, plus a little bit of Fanny." I explained before once again pinning on a faux smile and heading off inside. Once I got inside, I went up to my room and began pulling off my dress. Once it was off, I pulled on my already bloody blouse and pants. It was time to dissect this leg so that I could add it to my skeleton. I pulled a box out from under my bed and tucked it away into a bag.

If Belle knew that I had tools for surgery, she would take them immediately. "Miss, you have a letter." One of the maids says as she stands by my bedroom door. I take it from her. Opening it, it was a letter I had received once before. It was in Marie's handwriting, calling me to help a little girl who was pregnant. "Tell my parents I'll be home for dinner." I tell the maid before running out of the room, leaving behind what had been my current task.

I ran until I reached a little cabin that some women had set up. It was a small thing, where I performed my surgeries. I helped women who didn't want male doctors to give birth, as well as performing Cesarean sections. I could hear the girl screaming almost a foot away from the cabin. "How long has she been in labor?" I question as I look at the 12-year-old. "4 hours. She was assaulted by her father." Marie told me as I lifted the girl's skirt.

There was so much blood. Too much. "Marie, she's hemorrhaging. Even if I save this baby, she's never going to make it." I whisper to her. Almost 1 in 5 of my young female patients died in childbirth. Marie nods and leaves to tell the mother. Then Marie re-enters as I prepare for a Cesarean. "The mother wants the baby." She tells me and I nod. Pulling out my scalpel, Marie takes both of the young girl's hands.

"I need you to talk to me honey, ok?" I tell the girl before looking at her stomach. "What's your name?" I ask her as I try warming the blade in my hand a little before I start cutting. "My name is Carrie." She pants as I begin cutting through the skin. She was crying harder now. "Am I going to die, Doctor?" She questions as I make it through the first layer of skin. "Probably. But this baby will live. Your mother wants it and even if she doesn't someone will." I promise her.

She nods as I begin cutting through her uterus. The girl passes out and Marie puts her fingers on Carrie's pulse point. Then shakes her head. But I was pulling the baby out. Marie tied of the umbilical cord and I cut it. I cleaned out the little boy's mouth before smacking him on the butt. Loud cries flooded out of his mouth as Marie grabs a bowl of water to clean him off. I would stitch and she would clean.

Then I went out to the mother. "Unfortunately, your daughter has passed. But she had a son." I tell the woman and she gasps. "I always wanted a son." She says, brushing past the fact that her daughter had died. She took the little boy when Marie brought him out and named him. Simon, after his father. She rushed off, without taking Carrie's body with her. I sighed and turned towards Marie. "Let's start digging." I say to her and she nods.

We buried Carrie with the other girls who had been left by their mothers, or that were female convicts who didn't have anyone else. Another woman came within the hour, and didn't want the baby within her. Another boy was born and she was given orders to not work for the next few days. I stared at the wailing baby in my arms before I called it a day. I rushed into town, looking for Jack. I had changed my shirt before going in, making sure I wasn't covered in blood.

"Jack!" I shouted for him, breaking him away from his conversation between a convict and Captain Gaines. "I haven't much time. Is there a woman who can take him?" I ask, showing him the baby swaddled up in my arms. "Three hours old, perfectly healthy, he just needs a mother. No questions asked." I demand. He looks at the baby and nods, telling me of a woman he just sent to the school who had lost a little boy.

I thanked him and I rushed off again, listening as Captain Gaines called after me. But I didn't stop until I reached the schoolhouse. There I met sweet Milly Wince, who lost her son Benjy on the boat over to Australia. "I have a little boy who needs a mummy. I heard from Dr. Dawkins that you would be best fit to look after this little tyke." I tell her, showing her the little boy. She looked so happy, staring down at the little bundle.

Then, she scooped him from my arms and snuggled him to her breast. "He's so beautiful." She whispers and I smile a little. She reminded me of another mother, who survived a Caesarian but unfortunately had a crib death. "I'm going to name him Jack." She said, looking up at me. "After the doctor who gave me a new life, and let you give me a new son." She explains and I smile widely at her and her new son, Jack.

"Jack is a wonderful name, Milly." I told her before I left.