She didn't know how long it was that she sat curled up on the floor, but finally she felt herself begin to pull out of the overwhelming fear that consumed her. When she thought that she could move without the bout of nausea and dizziness repeating itself, she rose slowly to her feet. Not wanting the maids to clean up the mess she had made, Lou carried the wash basin over to one of the windows, opened it and hurriedly dumped its sour-smelling contents under the ground below. Luckily for her, she had been given a room whose windows faced the back of the hotel. Hopefully the puddle below would be absorbed into the ground by noon. After rinsing her mouth and the basin out, and washing her face and hands, Lou hurried downstairs and out of the hotel.
She went to the livery and procured a horse and buggy from Avery, as he was already busy replacing Lightning's shoes and drove carefully out of town. There was a smaller settlement called Log Chain about ten miles further South and it was there that Lou had decided that she would put her plan into action. It took her about an hour to arrive into the town and she immediately started looking for a general store or a dress shop. Luck was with her when she spotted a small dress shop off the side of the general store. She pulled the carriage to a stop in front of the dress shop and went inside. A young woman with blond hair, blue eyes and a big smile hurried forward to greet her.
"An what might I help you with today sir?" she asked. Her blue eyes raked over Lou with interest. Lou tried not to squirm under the woman's scrutiny. When people did that, it often made her feel like they could see right through her disguise. She knew that women tended to be more intuitive at recognizing other women and she hurried to draw attention off of herself.
"I'm looking to buy a dress for my sister. Something nice, but in a serviceable fabric like cotton or calico. My sister is a schoolmarm and she tends to dress a little severe for her age. I know she must keep up with appearances and dress proper, but I'd like to see her in something a little more frivolous. Since she won't buy it for herself, I decided that I would. It's for her birthday." Lou said gruffly.
"I think you might be able to find something that would suit your sister on this rack over here." The young woman said, leading Lou over to a wall on the far side of the shop. It didn't take her long to find one in a deep, rose colored fabric. Black lace lined the collar, wrists and hems of the dress and six shining black buttons marched down the bodice of the dress. Embroidered roses in a shade of pink, two shades lighter than the color of the dress, lined the bottom of the skirt. Two of the same embroidered roses lined either side of the v-necked collar.
"I think that my sister would like this dress." Lou said, running her hand up the silky smooth fabric.
"That is a beautiful choice. Your sister is lucky to have a brother as thoughtful as you. Would you like to purchase anything else today?"
By the time she exited the store, Lou had spent a large amount of the money she had brought with her. She loaded her packages into the buggy and headed back towards Seneca. When she reached Seneca, Lou returned the horse and carriage to the livery, then hurried back to the hotel with her purchases. Almost with reverence, Lou removed the dress from the box that the dressmaker in Log Chain had wrapped it in. She slipped into the undergarments she had purchased and then pulled the dress on over her head. It was amazing at how perfectly the style of the dress seemed to accentuate the shape of her body perfectly. After admiring her reflection in the floor length mirror that stood in a corner of the hotel room, Lou set to work on her hair.
Within an hour of returning to Seneca, Lou found herself slipping quietly down the servant's staircase at the back of the hotel, and out the back door. She made her way down the small alley between the stores for two or three blocks, before moving out onto the sidewalk. She headed down the sidewalk toward the direction of the doctor's office. As she neared the doctor's office, she paused and took a deep breath, before continuing up the walk of the cozy little house where the doctor lived. She rang the bell and waited until the door was opened. An elderly woman with a kind face opened the door and gestured her inside. The woman led Lou into a room that had once served as a parlor to the previous owner's, but was now used as a waiting room for patients.
"Would you like some tea or coffee while you're waiting?" the woman asked Lou.
Lou declined politely, as her queasy stomach began to do flip-flops. Whether it was from the earlier bout with nausea or the nervousness she was feeling Lou didn't know, but she hoped fervently that she wouldn't get sick while she was waiting to see the doctor.
"Dr. Leeds is in with a patient right now, but you can wait in here until he finishes." The woman told Lou and then left the room.
The wait was excruciating for Lou. She didn't know what was worse; not knowing what was wrong with her or the knowledge that she was about to find out. Either way had her scared to death. Not knowing what was wrong with her was hard enough for her to handle, but what if the doctor told her that she had some incurable disease? Lou had herself almost in tears again, by the time the waiting room door opened again and she was led into another room that served as the examining room.
"Now young lady, how may I help you?" The doctor asked kindly, motioning for Lou to sit down on the examining table. The kind look in the doctor's eyes were nearly her Lou's undoing. In broken sentences, Lou described the symptoms she had been having for the past couple of weeks. The doctor listened attentively, then removed a cotton gown from a cupboard and requested her to put it on. He left the room while she changed, then invited her to lie down on the examining room table. After the examination was over, he allowed her time to get dressed, then returned to the room.
"Mrs. McCloud, I am happy to tell you that you are expecting." The doctor said gently.
"Expecting what?" Lou asked, clearly puzzled by his sentence.
"A baby. Mrs. McCloud, you're pregnant."
"I'm what?" Lou squealed.
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