Miracle at the Sideshow: An Astounding Novel of the First Infant Incubators by Amy K. Sorrells

Author:Amy K. Sorrells [Sorrells, Amy K.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: historical romance, women historical, clean historical romance, women's literature and fiction, clean fiction, American historical romance, medical fiction, circus fiction, coming of age, clean historical fiction, historical, 20th century historical, new york city historical fiction, clean romance, 20th century historical romance, sisters fiction, motherhood fiction, medical historical fiction, womens fiction
Publisher: Black Dog Publishing USA
Published: 2022-09-03T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 25

“What’s all this?” Dr. Couney’s voice boomed. He was a perfect picture of a physician in his suit and pressed white lab coat, in stark contrast to the inspectors dressed in drab black and gray. He took his stand close to the incubators, side by side with Louise and Maye. His face was red with rage as he seethed.

The investigators carried on with hardly a glance at him, instead focusing on checking thermometers on all the incubators, picking up and examining each infant, checking the temperature of the hot water for bottle and tube sterilization, and even interrogating wet nurses.

Color rose in Dr. Couney’s face such as Sophie had never seen. She eyed a tall, thin man with shifty eyes, a hawkish nose, and straw-like hair. He wore a vest, its pocket stained with ink. He held a small notepad and scribbled furiously.

“A reporter, “ said Bridget.

Sophie pressed herself close to Mercy’s incubator. She was not about to let her niece leave her sight so soon after the choking scare, and now these strangers touching and contaminating everything Louise—who stood wringing her hands beside them—made sure to keep spotless.

“Stop I say!” Dr. Couney turned to the gray-haired man who appeared to be in charge. “My dear man, if you knew anything about pre-term infants, you would make them stop.” He flippantly brushed his hand across the lapel of the man’s suit jacket and continued. “Who knows what diseases you’ve tracked in from the streets? When will you and your... minions... not realize you do more to harm these infants during your nonsensical, unannounced, and unorganized visits than anything I might be accused of this time?”

This time? Sophie recalled the newspaper article she had read criticizing the exhibit. How often had this occurred?

“We’ve had another complaint from the Society. It is our responsibility—”

“Responsibility? You care nothing for the lives of these infants, or that most of them would have ended up in the waste bin of a surgical suite, but you will do everything you can to shut down my exhibit?”

One of the police officers, seeing Dr. Couney’s rising anger, approached the two men. “Careful, Couney. Let the team do their job.”

“I’ll let them do their job if they let us do ours, which is to protect these infants.”

Helen pulled her mop and bucket near to Sophie, then leaned down and whispered, “The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children—SPCC. Ironic, isn’t it?”

Cruelty to children? Here? Why weren’t they at hospitals like the one Molly had been taken to, that doctor tossing Mercy into the waste bin? Sophie wondered to herself as she watched the female inspector move from incubator to incubator, her features as pointed as her attitude. She had seen the woman before. Yes. It was the same woman who had crossed her arms and snorted impatiently behind Achille and his friends when they’d come through the line. Sophie wondered if the woman had been spying and saw something then prompting all this.

“And you, Miss? Where is your

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