Robbie stared up at the dog and decided he would try to speak calmly, but then he noticed the drool slipping from the animal’s mouth. “Nay! Dinnae ye dare spit on me.” It fell, hitting Robbie right on the nose.
Cursing, Robbie yanked on the sheet until he got enough of it free to wipe his face. Geordie started to turn onto his side, only to realize he could not. Looking down to see how tangled in the bedcovers he was, he found himself staring into Loki’s eyes. The cat was sprawled comfortably between his legs. As he watched, the cat stretched out one front leg, spread apart the toes, and unleashed some very impressive claws. When the cat began to clean that paw, Geordie decided he did not have to move. He looked at James, who did not appear to be entrapped by any animal.
“How did ye end up all alone?” he asked James.
“I only have one pet left, and he always stays with me.”
Geordie looked toward the door and fought the urge to grab the sheet and hold it up over his chest like some outraged maiden. Belle was dressed in another somewhat plain but well-fitted gown. This one was a soft blue. She had not taken the time to do her hair and he had to struggle to keep from staring at the long waves of black hair that fell to her knees. He thought of how he would love to feel it wrapped around him.
“Sorry, I forgot to tell you to shut the door tightly.” She walked in, grabbed Loki by the scruff of his neck, and hefted him off the bed and put him on the floor.
Watching the cat march off, Geordie noticed the cat’s huge plume of a tail twitching, and how his ears were a bit flattened. “I dinnae think he appreciated that.”
“Never does. Like all cats, he dislikes being told no, silently or verbally.” She turned to Robbie. “Sorry about him. He has no idea how heavy he is. Waving your arms about and gasping for air sometimes helps.”
“He is holding the covers down too tightly.”
“Well, that doesn’t bode well for me.” She poked the dog on the neck. “Thor, move. Get down. Now.”
The dog stared at her and growled, but then slowly got down off the bed. He took little care about where he put his feet and Geordie could tell Robbie was struggling not to curse. When the dog trotted away, Belle looked at Robbie.
“Did the cream help?”
“Oh, aye, though I have begun to think it is the rubbing it in that helps as much.” He frowned at his hand. “And just now I actually got a good hold on the sheet when I was grabbing it to wipe the dog spit off my face.”
“That is very good. And, sorry, Thor can be a bit of a drooler. You should keep up with the cream and the massage.”
“Oh, I will.”
“When I was applying it to your leg, I noticed the bones had not healed right. The bones touched other bone, so some healing happened but it happened wrongly. That is what causes the pain, I fear.”
“I have heard that, too,” Robbie said.
“From a doctor?” When Robbie nodded, she sighed. “Did he tell you how he might fix it?”
“Aye, he said he would have to cut my leg open and break the bones again. Then he would set them correctly. He also said he didnae feel he had the skill to do it right.”
“A shame. For a moment I was going to tell you to find him again and get it done. Sounds a good, honest man. I can’t do it, although my da did it once. It didn’t make it as good as new, for the man still limped, but most of the pain was gone, which suited the man well. He was pleased with that alone. So, if you can, you might want to hunt the man down again to see if he has gained some confidence.”
She turned and started out the door. “Unless you require many hours to beautify yourselves, breakfast will be on the table by the time you are ready.”
“A bit saucy this morning,” James murmured as he got up, yanked on his trousers and headed for the washroom.
“I didnae ken ye had gone to some doctor and he’d told ye that,” said Geordie, frowning at Robbie.
“Weel, it wasnae something I wished to talk about, disappointing as it was.” Robbie sat up and rubbed his hands through his hair. “I actually considered for a moment to let him try, but the thought of my leg being broken again and that I still might have pain and a limp was more than I had the stomach to face.”
“Did ye have him check your hand?”
“Aye, and he really had little to say about that except to call the men who did it a lot of names I was surprised a doctor kenned. Them being so learned and all. He did say he thought they had smashed it so badly they had damaged the muscles and nerves, and that was what was causing the pain.”
“Being learned just makes them more creative when they want to insult someone. At least he gave ye the reasons it all stays a bit of a mess. Someday someone will have an answer. We will just keep hoping it will be in time to help you.” He grinned when Robbie laughed, then got up and pulled his pants on. “Her cream works better than Emily’s?”
“A bit, but I think it was the way she rubbed it in that really eased the pain. Haven’t slept that well for a long time.”
“Maybe that is some of the answer. Ye need to work it, massage it more.”
“Hurts like hell to do that, but I do think it is better than it was. I actually try to use the cream at home before we make the cider.”
