Her story touched him, and he remembered the days when his father was sick and how he’d suffered. He saw relief on Ruth’s face and she seemed to be more at peace after sharing her tragic story. Why he brought up Mary Jane and his father was beyond him. He had no intention of telling her about it, yet he heard it come out of his own mouth. For reasons he couldn’t fully explain, he felt he could trust her. After all, she had just shared personal stories of her life, so he felt she must trust him, too.
“Ruth,” he said, getting to his feet, “I fear if there are more cases, we will need to be prepared with space for more beds.”
“Do you think there will be more cases?” She asked, worry filling her eyes.
“There are rooms on this floor that can be used; they only need to be cleared. Would you and Rose please prepare space in those rooms in case they are needed?” His heart pounded as she watched him with those warm coffee-colored eyes that were so arresting to him. “Ensure that the rooms are sterile and if needed, I’ll place orders for additional beds and continue with Richard’s treatment.”
Ruth nodded. He didn’t want to alarm her, but they had to be prepared in case there were more cases of diphtheria. He closed his eyes and said a quick prayer of protection. This closeness with Ruth had him somewhat confused and he needed to think for a bit. Having Ruth busy with other rooms seemed like the best idea. Protection and a scripture came to his mind and, surprising himself, he said to her, “I remember in Psalm 28:7 it says,The Lord is my strengthand my shield, my heart trusteth in him.”She looked at him in surprise and her eyes held hope. “All we need to do is have faith in the Lord, to believe and pray for Richard.” Daniel appreciated her help. Her prayers were uplifting.
“You’re right, Daniel,” Ruth gave him a small comforting smile, “I’ll go find Rose and we’ll make space for more beds.” Ruth gave him a comforting smile. “Thank you for listening to me. Daniel. I know this is hard for you, too.” Her voice was calm and filled with admiration.
As he looked down at her, feeling the mass of turmoil in his heart, he said nothing but nodded and looked away, pulling his chair back to Richard’s bedside. He stole a glance and watched her leave the ward.
He was filled with gratitude for her help. It was because of her that Richard’s condition was so swiftly diagnosed.
***
The sound of Richard’s coughing and gasping for air filled Daniel with grief and hopelessness. He wished he could do more other than implement Ruth’s suggestions and keeping his friend as comfortable as possible. He had to admit that the willow bark tea and bathing Richard’s body with cool water did help manage the fever.
He heard Ruth’s and Rose’s footsteps as they went to all the unused rooms and prepared space for more beds. Odds and ends, and anything unused in every spare room was moved to one of the empty storage rooms. He thought over everything she’d told him about her father’s illness and death, and he realized she had endured it alone. His thoughts drifted to the day at the pond, and he’d observed how carefree and at peace she’d been, and how happy it made him feel.
He chuckled at the memory of her defiance the first day he met her. How she’d been so rational and he admitted to himself he could have handled the situation better. He was relieved to have made the decision to let her stay’ he felt it had been the right decision and she proved herself to be more than he ever imagined.
He heard Richard coughing again and looked up into the man’s panic-stricken eyes. He was finally awake.
“Richard,” Daniel said softly, “please don’t speak.”
“What’s hap-pen-ing?” Richard stammered, gasping
“You’re very ill, Richard. You have diphtheria,”,” Daniel said calmly and quietly. “Don’t worry; we’re doing everything we can to help you heal with the best treatment. “Do you have any idea where you may have contracted this disease?”
Richard closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. “Water, please,” he looked at Daniel, pleading. “Mary? Tom?” He coughed again and his chest began to heave. Again, Daniel saw panic cross his face.
“They’re on their way,” Daniel assured him. He couldn’t tell Richard they would be here soon. He hadn’t been able to locate Mary and Tom yet. He could only hope they would arrive at the clinic soon as they would both need to be isolated and checked for the disease.
Daniel poured a glass of water and helped Richard drink. “Don’t think about anything other than rest,” Daniel placed the glass back on the table. “Have you been anywhere unusual over the last three to four days?”
“I … don’t … know,” Richard rasped.
“This will feel uncomfortable, but I need to clean the back of your throat now,” Daniel explained. “Just try to relax.”
Richard opened his mouth and tried to hold still as Daniel swiftly swabbed the back of Richard’s throat.
“I’m sorry, Richard,” Daniel suppressed his own emotions to remain strong for his colleague “I’m almost finished. I’ll give you some ice after this; it will help soothe your throat.”
Soon Daniel finished and gave Richard ice to suck on. It wasn’t long before Richard fell asleep again, and at the sound of every wheeze, Daniel cringed. Richard was a fighter and Daniel prayed to see the man’s healthy cheerful healthy countenance again soon. It was incredibly frustrating to be a physician who helped heal people when only so much that could be done for certain conditions like diphtheria. It was one of the hardest things for a doctor to accept.
His thoughts drifted to Ruth again as he heard her footsteps once again. He knew he couldn’t deny his attraction toward her any longer and wondered if she felt the same way. He felt a strong tug at his heart as he thought of her beautiful smile and how her face shined whenever she smiled.
His heart broke for her when she spoke of her father’s illness, and he wanted to take her into his arms and wipe the tears away from her lovely face. He didn’t ever want to see her cry again and felt a strong desire to protect her. The pain she shared was only too familiar to him. Daniel remembered the deep ache he felt when he lost his father and how desperately he wanted his father back again. The realization that they’d never share stories again while they sat around the fire pit in the field facing the cabins, how Coyte would lie in wait for treats in her favorite spot—the dog trot between two cabins.
Sometimes for special occasions after foaling time, Jimmy, his father, Elizabeth, a few other ranchers and locals would get together and celebrate, talk for many hours and just enjoy each other’s company. Those days were long gone, and a touch of nostalgia swept over him.
Richard began to cough again, dispelling Daniel’s daydreaming. Bloomer’s chest heaved, and it sounded as though he was choking.
Daniel quickly grabbed the medicinal whiskey bottle, used his arm to raise Richard slightly and placed the bottle top to his lips, allowing a small amount of liquid at a time to pass between his lips. Richard’s body slowly began to react to the sharp taste of whiskey as he calmed and his breathing became stable, though still labored.
Daniel replaced the bottle and noticed that the time frame between the bouts of coughing spasms and the heaving of Richard’s chest was gradually decreasing. He sighed inwardly as dread filled him at the possibility of intubation should Richard’s breathing worsen. He checked his throat, noticing that it was slightly swollen. Rose entered the ward, checked the kettle on the boil, and added more coal to the stoves.
