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Ma and I saw patients all during the rest of the afternoon, and in-between, Ma updated patient records while I worked on some homework. We closed the clinic around five, bundled Katie up and headed home. I made baked chicken, roast potatoes and vegetables for supper, which would have leftovers for several meals, and Ma and I ate together. I was clearing the table when Ma noticed the unopened package from Boston sitting on the front hall table where I had left it. "Colleen, what's this?" she asked. "My package!" I cried. I had completely forgotten about it! Quickly, I dumped the last of the dishes in the sink and went to open it. I carefully cut the twine and removed the brown paper from around the box. There was a note, which I took out first. "Is it from you grandmother?" Ma asked. "Yes, it is." I read the note. "Dear Colleen I hope that this letter finds you and the family well. I enjoyed your last letter, and am glad you are doing well in classes. Apparently, you have a talent for medicine as your mother does. Recently, I was doing some re-arranging and I came across something that I had intended to pass down to you for quite some time. Please open the small box first so you will know what I mean. Love, Grandmother" Curiously, I lifted the smaller box out and opened it. I stared, stunned at the contents. Nestled among the length of blue velvet was an antique pearl jewelry set. There were teardrop earrings, a two-strand necklace of pearl beads strung at intervals on a delicate gold chain and a matching bracelet. Ma peered over my shoulder and smiled. "Oh, Colleen, this is the set that is passed down to the oldest daughter when she turns eighteen. How sweet of Mother to think of you." "They're beautiful!" I breathed. "Yes, they are. And, they will look exquisite on you," Ma said, holding up the necklace to my neck. "I wonder what's in the other box." I parted the tissue of the main box to revel…a dress. I lifted it out, too enraptured to notice a small sheet of paper flutter to the floor. Ma picked it up and read the letter aloud. "Colleen, What good is beautiful jewelry without a new gown? I saw this in a boutique in Boston, and the color and style immediately struck me as suiting you. Enjoy! Love, Grandmother." I held the dress up to myself, and studied it with a smile. It was of silk in my favorite color - cornflower blue. It had a softly shaped, rounded "V" neck in the front. The sleeves were fitted and came to just above my wrist, where they were finished with a narrow band of matching blue velvet and fitted ecru lace. The bodice was trim, and extended into a full overskirt, which would reach just above my ankles, and was trimmed in the same shirred velvet ribbon at the cuffs and neckline. The underskirt was ecru lace lined with ecru silk, and reached the floor. At the back, there was a bustle, and from the bow fell a fanned piece of blue silk edged in the same velvet and lace. It was absolutely breathtaking, and the color was perfect with my hair and complexion. Ma handed me the matching wrap - a narrow shawl of ecru lace and silk trimmed in blue velvet. "Oh, Colleen, that will look wonderful on you!" Ma said, admiring the dress. "I can't believe it!" I stammered. Ma smiled. "That's what mother was always famous for - her surprises. Perhaps you should take that upstairs and hang it up. Put a linen wrap over it, though," Ma suggested. "I will. Oh, the dishes…" "I'll do them," Ma said. "Thanks, Ma!" I called as I took my box upstairs. I tucked the dress and jewelry away safely, and got ready for bed. I went back downstairs to sit with Ma, and worked on some more homework before going to bed. Just as I dozed off, I remembered my breakfast plans with Andrew. I smiled to myself. This was turning out to be a wonderful visit home! The only problem was, where did Mr. Patrick Collins fit into the equation? I fell asleep wondering if I would see him again and what exactly I would do, if anything. The next morning, I was up extra-early. I took a hot bath, washed my hair, and, with it wrapped in toweling to dry it as much as possible, selected my clothes. I chose a cinnamon-pink and burgundy checked dress with a simple collar, long sleeves and a wide frill at the bottom of the full skirt. It was an older dress, not at the height of fashion but at least the color suited me quite well. I pinned up my hair when it was as dry as it was going to get, and slid a wide tortoise-shell and mother-of-pearl haircomb at the bottom of the heavy coil. "Good morning, Colleen," Ma greeted with a cheerful smile when I came downstairs. "What would you like, pancakes or oatmeal? Katie and I can't decide, so we thought we'd let you." "Well, I'm afraid I'm not going to be much help. I'm not eating breakfast this morning," I replied. "Colleen, why not? This doesn't have anything to do with you wanting to lose weight, does it? Now, Colleen, I have told you many times, you have a lovely, fit figure. It's not healthy to be as skinny as a rail, no matter what any of the other girls might say! Skipping meals is not the answer," Ma said firmly. I smiled inwardly. Ma had been worried about my eating habits ever since I had gone to college and remarked that I had to have several of my new dresses taken in because I had lost weight. It was due to my schedule rather than a desire to be thinner! "Ma," I started, but she interjected. "Oh, Colleen, I knew it was a bad idea when you started wearing stays! I should have never allowed it…" she trailed off. My wanting to wear corsets had been a sore point with Ma. After she moved out West, she never wore them, and was always preaching about the horrors trying to squeeze one's body into a tiny metal frame. She had only let me start wearing them when I begged, but she was still against it. I didn't wear stays to thin myself dramatically, only to neaten my figure. With the style of my school dresses, corsets were almost a necessity! "Ma, I'm not eating because I'm having breakfast with Andrew!" I told her. "Oh. Why didn't you say so?" she exclaimed. "You never gave me a chance!" I laughed. She grinned. "No, I suppose I didn't. I'm sorry, I worry too much." I smiled, gave her a hug, and sat with her and Katie while they ate. Ma hitched up the wagon while I got Katie ready and put on my tan cloak and gloves, forgoing a hat because the weather was getting much nicer. It felt odd to go out without one, as it would be almost unthinkable in Denver! I did relax certain things when I was at home - wearing brighter colored dresses, not wearing a hat all the time, and choosing my sturdier, more comfortable leather riding boots over my thinner kidskin ones. There were certain things that I didn't do, though, like not wear corsets or not pin my hair up somehow. It was odd, but I really enjoyed being allowed to pin my hair up now that I was over seventeen. It made me feel so much more adult, and it was also much more flattering, I thought. I smiled. I had certainly changed since I had gone to college! We drove into town and stopped in front of the Clinic. I walked over to the Café, and found Andrew waiting at a table, reading. He looked up and smiled when he saw me. "Good morning, Andrew," I said as I sat down in the chair he pulled out for me. "Good morning. How's Katie feeling?" he asked. I had told him about her croup. "A little better, but she still has a fever and a horrible cough. The methanol rubs are helping a little, but I guess it will just take time for her to get better," I replied. "Well, tell her I hope she feels better," he said. Andrew and Katie were great friends, and had been almost since she was born. One of the waitresses placed two plates on the table and filled our mugs, mine with tea, Andrew's with coffee. "I will. What's that?" I asked, pointing to the papers he had been reading. "Oh, it's a brand-new journal that I just got yesterday. There's a very interesting article in here about a new treatment for consumption. Are you still studying diseases in your anatomy class?" "Yes, we are," I replied, flattered that he remembered I had mentioned what I had been doing in school. "Well, this was written by a leading research expert, a Dr. Harold Williams. According to this article, Dr. Williams finds oxide of zinc to be very helpful." "For consumption?" I asked, a bit surprised. "So he says. Two or three grains at night seem to relieve the night sweats." He scooted the journal over so I could see it better and pointed to the corresponding section. I skimmed it. I loved researching new diseases and treatments and reading about new advances, a passion that Andrew shared. It was funny; Ma hated doing research, so she always let me if I was home. She found it a bit odd that Andrew and I could discuss such topics for hours at a time if given the chance! "I could…loan you the article when I'm finished with it, if you'd like?" he offered. "I'd love that," I replied. I looked up at him for a moment. We always managed to lapse so easily into a conversation. "I miss talking to you like this when I'm at school," I replied shyly. He paused a moment. "So do I," he confirmed with equal shyness. We caught gazes for a moment. There was something in Andrew's eyes, a look of…I couldn't tell. Before I had a chance to investigate further, he looked away with an embarrassed smile and took a sip of coffee. "Good morning Miss Cooper," a loud voice boomed in greeting from behind me, shattering all pretenses of anything that had been building. "Mr. Collins!" I replied, a bit surprised as I turned to him. He surveyed the table for a moment, eyeing Andrew just as Andrew eyed him; curious but polite. "Patrick Collins," he said, offering his hand to Andrew. "Andrew Cook," Andrew replied, swallowing quickly and standing for a moment to shake Mr. Collins' hand. "Dr. Cook runs the clinic at the chateau," I added. "Really. How impressive," Mr. Collins said, as I smiled over at Andrew. Andrew looked a bit embarrassed but nodded his thanks. "Would you care to join us for breakfast?" Andrew offered. "Yes, thank you," Patrick replied, sitting down. "I met Mr. Collins in Denver," I told Andrew. "Really," Andrew said. "So, what brings you to Colorado Springs?" he asked Patrick as the waitress poured Mr. Collins a cup of coffee. "Well, all my friends travel to Europe during this time of year, but I kept hearing about all the beautiful sights around here." "Like Pike's Peak and Ozul Lake?" I interjected. "I'm embarrassed to say, I've been here almost two years and I've never seen them myself," Andrew commented. "You know how it is when you live in a place. You take it for granted," Mr. Collins replied. Although I'm sure that he meant nothing by it, I saw Andrew's smile fade slightly, as if the words really had an affect on him. "I've also heard that there's a spectacular Red Rocks formation nearby," Mr. Collins said, more to me than Andrew. "Garden of the Gods! It's beautiful, you really should see it," I suggested. Mr. Collins smiled at me and Andrew relaxed slightly. I noticed that the two of them continued to eye each other warily through out the rest of breakfast. I managed to keep the conversation on general topics, but I was a bit glad when Mr. Collins excused himself and left. The only problem was, Andrew left a few minutes later as well! I went back to the clinic, a bit disappointed that my breakfast had not gone as I had hoped. As I walked, I began to think things over a little more seriously. Maybe all that I was surmising with Andrew was exactly that - an assumption. Perhaps Andrew considered me just a friend. I started thinking about Patrick a bit more. I had been quite flattered by his attention, but had never really thought about my true feelings toward him. He certainly was charming…and clearly showed an interest in pursuing a deeper friendship. I smiled as I remembered the flowers sitting on my dresser at home. Andrew had never done anything like that, but I remembered all the bouquets that Stuart sent Mary Agnes. Beaux, not friends did those sorts of things. Was Mr. Collins…? I decided that I needed to give him a chance. Things with Andrew were not really going anywhere, and maybe it was time I stopped fooling myself. Andrew drove back to the Chateau feeling extremly annoyed at himself. WHY had he let a complete stranger intrude on his breakfast with Colleen? He knew why, of course. It was because he was a gentleman. He had always been taught to be polite and gracious. He snorted. It had certainly gotten him far with things this morning! At the stables, he turned over his horse to the groom, and headed to his clinic. He took off his topcoat and hat and surveyed his list of patients. At the top was Mrs. Callihan for her strained back. Again. Well, at least it was a legitimate complaint this time! He went to set out his supplies, when he heard a knock. "Come in?" he called. He turned with his usual courteous smile to greet what he thought was his first patient, but instead found…Patrick Collins. Wonderful, he thought bitterly. "Dr. Cook. I was hoping I might see your clinic," Mr. Collins requested. "Um, yes, of course," Andrew replied, trying hard to be polite. He had never taken an instant dislike to someone before, but there was something about this man that irked him to no end. Probably, the fact that he was showing interest in Colleen. Ah yes, jealousy, Andrew said to himself. Collins walked around, looking at the small but ornately functional room. "What a splendid looking microscope," he commented as he paused to test it out momentarily. "Yes, it is. It is very useful," Andrew replied. "In fact, just the other day, Colleen and I were discussing what wonderful advances science is making in medicine," he finished, emphasizing the "Colleen and I" ever so slightly. He decided it was time to find out just exactly what Collins intended to do with Colleen "It must be nice for Miss Cooper to have a…friend with whom to discuss her studies," Patrick replied. Ok, the subtle approach didn't work. After a moment, he said bluntly. "We're more than friends." "Oh?" Patrick said in a measured tone. "Uh, well that is to say, we hope to be colleagues some day," Andrew replied with a slightly smug smile. "Colleagues." "We share a great many interests. Research, medicine," Andrew clarified. "Yes colleagues. Well, that's wonderful," Patrick said with a tone of forced cheerfulness. He pulled a pocket watch from his waistcoat. "Hmm, would you look at the time? If you will excuse me, Doctor?" He turned to leave, stopping momentarily to glance over at the exercise machine. "Very impressive clinic." And with that, he swept out just as suddenly as he had come.