Love Takes Wing Page #4

worth of dishes to do.

[ Carriage Approaching]

Need some help with that pail?

I've done my fair share of chores.

I think I can manage on my own.

I'm sure you can.

But just because you can manage

doesn't mean you ought to.

You only have yourself to rely on, Mr. Owens.

Best not to forget that.

I thought I was the only one

who made house calls.

Miss Clarence is having some

trouble with her gutters.

Thought I'd stop by and take a look.

You know, I'll just be up there

for another half hour.

After that, I'd love your company

for lunch, if you're free.

[ Chuckles ]

Uh, I don't even know you.

Well, lunch could go

a long way to remedy that.

Mr. Owens...

I thank you for your invitation...

but I'm afraid I'm much too busy.

I'll be using my lunch break

to do research at the clinic.

Well, seems like the children

are in good hands.

Another time then?

[ Groans ]

[ Lillian Sighs ]

Sorry I made you sick, Katie.

I swear I didn't mean it.

I promise Doc Belinda's doing everything

she can to make you better.

I'll be right here to help her.

I'll be okay, Lillian.

- He's gettin' worse, isn't he?

- He's fighting, Mrs. Pine.

[ Exhales ]

- [Horse Whinnies ]

- [ Exhales Deeply]

[ Chattering]

Even the busy need to eat.

You are a very persistent man, Mr. Owens.

Uh, I thought I'd...

help you with your research.

Oh, I can read. So-

As you wish.

Just, uh, tell me what youre looking for.

Oh.

Thank you.

Why can't it be the food?

Because it doesn't make sense.

The orphanage doesn't grow their own food.

It comes from the farmers.

The farmers sell it to the general store.

The whole town buys from Gus.

And they don't have a garden?

Well, you've seen what Miss Clarence

has to contend with.

She doesn't have time for a garden.

[ Lee Clears Throat ]

I should get back to the shop.

Oh. Thank you for your help-

and lunch.

Oh, you're welcome.

You know, those children are lucky to have you.

They could use a few more defenders.

Well, I grew up in an orphanage,

just like them.

I know what it's like to feel like

you're nobody's child.

I'm sorry.

N- Nobody deserves that.

No one does.

Well-

[Door Opens, Closes ]

[ Chattering ]

[ Man ]

What's Hattie Clarence doing in town?

- [ Man #2 ] Make her tell us the truth, Mayor.

- Hattie Clarence...

has the same rights

as anyone else in this town.

- [ Woman Shouts ]

- [ Evans ] She came to me

like a responsible citizen.

[ Man ]

You're supposed to be protecting this town!

- [ Miss Clarence ] Please try to

understand. We need your help.

- What do you think is going on?

- [All Shouting ]

- [ Man ] We gotta get some answers!

[ Man #2 ] Take Florence Nightingale

and her children back where they came from!

People, quiet down.

Yelling doesn't solve anything.

I will address your concerns

one at a time.

The Malloys caught

the sickness last night.

The Malloys and now Betsy Donovan.

And this plague is spreading, folks.

Please! My children can't be responsible.

I haven't let them come near town

since this thing started.

They havent been

anywhere near you people!

"You people"? Our taxes pay for

that place, Hattie. Don't you forget it.

This town hasn't put

10 cents into that orphanage!

You people built it

with the best of intentions...

and then just left it there to rot!

All right. Now don't make it

personal, Hattie.

This is as personal as it gets, Mayor.

That woman is playing with our lives.

Ray, you can't blame Miss Clarence

or those children for whats happening here.

We don't even know

what this disease is yet.

We do know.

Doc Simpson says it's cholera.

[All Gasping]

[ Chattering]

Ray.

- You knew about this, and you didn't warn us?

- She's doing the best she can.

Well, her best doesn't seem

very good, now, does it?

We need a real doctor, not some uppity

spinster who wants to play pretend.

Everyone, calm down.

We need to give Dr. Simpson enough time

to do her job. She needs a chance.

Our families are sick, Mayor.

How long are we supposed to wait?

Those orphans need to be run out of town.

All right. Now that's it.

That is enough.

We will have a town meeting,

tomorrow night, right here, 5:00.

And we will decide the fate

and future of the orphanage.

You heard it. The mayor said it.

On your way then.

[ Crowd Chattering]

Oh, Belinda.

I know how much you miss Drew.

- [ Rooster Crows ]

- [ Clanging]

- [ Dog Barking]

- [ Chattering]

What is it?

What is it?

I know why the sick

aren't getting any better.

Cholera doesn't directly kill the body.

It drains it of all its fluid...

and so the patient dies

from dehydration, right?

[Annie ] Well, that's why youve been

giving them so much water.

- Except for the fact that most

of it keeps coming back up.

- Exactly. So...

we need to find a way to give the children so

much water that their bodies retain some of it.

I don't understand.

The hospital at johns Hopkins

is doing an experiment-

a method called intravenous therapy.

Works just like taking blood,

only in reverse.

You drip a fluid- usually a medication-

into the body through the veins.

So by injecting it directly into the bloodstream

it's harder for the body to reject.

We have no idea how to

build something like this.

I'll go to the post office

and telegraph johns Hopkins.

Wait. Belinda, where are you going?

The post office doesn't open for two hours.

[ Chattering ]

- [ Girl] You got the hang of it.

- [ Girl #2 ] Yeah, I did.

- Oh, do you want to learn ones that I know?

- Okay.

I truly think this could work.

Dr. William Halsted

of johns Hopkins agrees...

it could be the most effective

way to treat the sick.

We don't have anything

like this in our infirmary.

Well, no one does.

Not yet at least.

Um, it's still fairly experimental.

We'd have to build

each one of them on our own.

Sounds expensive.

Belinda, I-

We hardly make ends meet here.

You're right.

I'll pay for it.

What? I can't ask you to do that.

You're not asking me.

And my father loves his causes.

Hed be more than happy to give us

anything that we needed.

So let's make the list,

and let me worry about paying for it.

Well, the most important element

is the rubber tubing. We can start there.

[ Exhales ] If you want more tubing,

I'll have to order it from St. Louis.

Would you? Oh, and I need as many bottles

as I can find. Soda bottles would be best.

[ Exhales ]

"Sody" bottles.

- Is this all right?

- Perfect.

Hey, Doc. I'd offer to help,

but I think I know what you're gonna say.

You're a fast learner, Mr. Owens.

[ Whispers ]

She's spending too much time here.

[ Whispers ] Would you mind

ifl took her to the clinic with me?

But if the disease

is passing person to person...

should she really be out there

with the townspeople?

She's not sick, and neither are we.

[ Chattering]

[ Lillian Sighs ]

You sure do have a lot of books.

Books are very important to me.

- There's nothing useful in books.

- That's not true at all.

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