The room smelled of a peculiar odor, not offensive, but faintly of medicine. That aspect gave her some measure of comfort. On the opposite side of the room set a large desk and bookcase with two extra chairs. Neat. Tidy.
I shall not perish from filth here.
Her initial dealings with Dr. Andrews destroyed any preconceived ideas that she may have had regarding the man. She’d envisioned an elderly doctor with gray hair and stooped shoulders—not the young, good-looking man with the huge almond-shaped green eyes and hair the color of rich honey.
Dr. Andrews gently examined her while she fought the urge to be ill one more time. “You appear to be exhausted,” he said.
“I haven’t slept well or eaten properly in days.”
“That confirms my diagnosis. I don’t believe you are seriously ill, simply in need of rest and a change in diet. A few days in bed and some good home cooking should have you feeling much better. The lump on your head is minor, but it may cause a few headaches. In the meantime, I’d like for you to stay in one of my spare bedrooms so I can watch for signs of anything more complicated—just to be sure.”
“But . . . I.”
Dr. Andrews took her hand and smiled. “I don’t think you want to risk fainting again in the confines of a room at the boardinghouse. If propriety is a concern, my housekeeper lives here with me and my daughter.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your kindness. I am normally quite healthy, not at all like this. I don’t want to impose on your kindness.” Jenny dabbed her eyes. Was she babbling?
“My job is to make my patients well.” He opened the door of his office and called for Miss Mimi. A round, silver-haired woman stepped inside carrying a glass of water. She looked like a grandmother, not a housekeeper, certainly not the uniformed type to whom Jenny was accustomed. Dr. Andrews introduced the two. “Miss Mimi will help you bathe. She often assists me as a nurse, and she’ll make you feel comfortable.”
Jenny cringed from the rank smell meeting her nostrils and the way her traveling dress stuck to her undergarments and body. She bit back the tears, determined not to make any more of a spectacle of herself than she already had. Utter mortification lingered in the air as heavy as the odor of vomit. “I can take care of myself,” she managed.
“I’ll stay with you just in case you feel faint.” Mimi smiled as though she understood Jenny’s plight. “I have smelling salts in my pocket if we need them.”
“This isn’t really necessary.”
But the woman remained inside the room after Dr. Andrews excused himself.
Turning from the sympathetic face of Miss Mimi, Jenny fumbled with the buttons around her neck. Trembling fingers couldn’t seem to push them through the small loops. The longer she worked with them, the bigger the lump in her throat grew. A sob slid upward, and she couldn’t wish it away.
“Let me help you, honey.” Mimi moved closer and held out the glass of water. “Let’s begin with this.”
Jenny wrapped her fingers around it and shivered. “Thank you. My mouth tastes so wretched.”
It had been years since anyone had helped Jenny undress or bathe, and her independent nature fought the idea of a stranger performing such a task.
“I’m so miserable.” Jenny attempted to stop the flow of tears, but they flooded her eyes and rolled over her cheeks. “All those people at the train station saw me ill.”
Miss Mimi draped her arm around Jenny’s shoulders. “Let me help you. I know this must be difficult, but you are very weak. We can do this together . . . discreetly.”
Jenny nodded. She had no choice. Miss Mimi offered her all the privacy she needed while tending to her needs. Once clean and dressed in a fresh nightgown that Miss Mimi had pulled from Jenny’s trunk, she felt remarkably refreshed. Dr. Andrews helped her ascend the stairs to a bedroom.
“I’d like for you to get some sleep, and I’ll check on you periodically throughout the evening hours.”
“Yes, of course,” she mumbled through closed eyes. All she wanted to do was rid her mind of this horrible ordeal.
*****
Jenny stirred in her sleep. A nightmare clung to her hazy dream world, one in which she begged the gods of torment to leave her alone. Humiliation unlike she’d ever experienced, repeated sights and sounds no fitting lady should endure.
She blinked several times to clear her mind from sleep and usher