“Come with me,” Julia said, a note of pleading in her voice.
Abbie nodded and with Matthew’s agreement told the others to go back to the Beaton house. Several of the women moved to help carry the cot with Harvey Boardman on it. Abbie walked with Julia to the infirmary and suddenly Julia stopped. The woman was so pale, Abbie feared she would pass out on the street. Matthew went inside and reappeared at the door a few moments later. Abbie suspected they had tidied up the scene as much as they could.
“Come on in, Julia. Robert will want to see you. He has been calling your name,” Matthew added softly.
It was enough of an inducement and Julia followed him over to Robert’s cot. Julia let go of Abbie and rushed to the man’s side, kneeling down so she could whisper in his ear and kiss his pale cheek. Seeing Boyd standing there, Abbie moved next to him. A sad-eyed Boyd met her questioning look and shook his head. He did not have to say a word; the look on his face said it all. Abbie fought back the urge to cry because she knew Julia needed her to be strong.
“Ah, Julia, we would have been good and our child would have been happy,” Robert said in a very weak voice.
“It will be. You just have to hang on.” Julia clung to his hand while tears streamed down her face.
“Want to. Can’t. All broken inside. Take the babe to my family. They will help you.”
“No, Robbie, no. You will come with me.”
There was a high note of burgeoning hysteria in Julia’s voice and Abbie stepped closer. She noticed the doctor did as well. Julia just wept and held Robert’s hand to her wet cheek. It was heartbreaking but Abbie knew the girl would need strong people to be at her side once Robert slipped away. And he would, Abbie thought sadly, because he already had the smell of death on him.
“Let my kin know when the babe comes. Promise me. Let them know,” Robert said with a sudden show of strength.
“I will. I promise. But you can help me do it.”
“No, darlin’, I don’t want nuthin’ as much as I want to stay with you, but I can’t. My luck has run out.”
“Please don’t leave me. Please.”
“Give me a kiss, love.”
Still weeping, Julia bent near and kissed him. She was just straightening up when the man lost his grip on life. Abbie jumped when Julia screamed but quickly grabbed her when she reached for Robert’s body. Matthew stepped up and took over for Abbie, holding Julia firmly even as the woman started to slump down. When Julia was finally out cold he swung her up into his arms and looked at Abbie.
The doctor stepped up before she could and did a quick examination before turning to Abbie. “She has had a severe shock. They can often bring on labor in a woman close to her time so she will need to be watched. It could happen soon or take a few days depending on how well she recovers.”
“I understand. I also fear she is not one who will overcome the shock easily,” Abbie replied and accepted the small bottle the doctor gave her. “What is this for?”
“If she is too overwrought, it will calm her. Try to give her as little as possible since she is with child. You just want to try and keep her calm.”
Abbie nodded. “Maybe she will be a quiet griever.”
The doctor nodded and patted her on the shoulder. “It is very sad. He was very happy about his child, even talked to me about how one can best care for a babe. I think he would have been a good father.”
Abbie suspected the same. She also had the feeling he would have been a pretty good husband, too. It was all just so sad, even Abbie felt choked up and knew she would have a good cry about it all later. She led Matthew out of the infirmary.
“It is sad,” Matthew said.
“So sad. I wish I had another word for it. It seems like it deserves a much better word. She is not going to take this well. Julia is not a strong woman. She is one who is easily hurt. I think she had a lot of dreams wrapped around Robert and their marriage. Funny thing is she asked me earlier this week if I believed in people who can sense something bad or good happening to them.”
“What did ye say?”
“I did not say yes or no, just pointed out a few ways it did not make sense to put much weight on a feeling. Now I am wondering if she was having a bad feeling about her future.”
“Who has not had one in this war?”
“True.”
She entered the Beaton house, pleased to see everyone had returned. The women all rushed over when Matthew stepped in holding Julia. “What happened to her?” asked Rose.
“Robert died,” said Abbie.
“Oh no,” said Rose, and all the others clapped a hand over their mouths as they gasped in shock.
