“Da learned to ride when he was very young,” Codie said, his voice getting quieter as the medicine began to make him drowsy. His words were starting to slur slightly at the edges. “He told me once that his da put him on a horse when he was only five years old.”
Iris felt Elijah’s presence more keenly at those words, could imagine the tension that must have settled into his shoulders at the mention of his own Da. She kept her eyes on Codie, but her awareness of her husband remained sharp.
“Did he?” Iris kept her voice soft and soothing. “That must have been frightenin’.”
“He said it was, but his da told him that fear was somethin’ to overcome, nae somethin’ to give into.” Codie’s eyes were half-closed now, his breathing becoming slower and more even. “Do ye think I’m brave enough to learn to ride?”
“I think ye’re one of the bravest boys I’ve ever met,” Iris said honestly, her voice thick with emotion. “Ye took that terrible medicine without fussin’, and ye’re handlin’ bein’ sick with grace. That takes real courage.”
“Really?”
“Really. Bravery isnae just about big, grand gestures. Sometimes it’s about doin’ small, hard things when ye’d rather nae. Like takin’ medicine that tastes awful, or admittin’ when ye’re scared, or askin’ for help when ye need it.”
“Like takin’ medicine?”
“Exactly like takin’ medicine.”
Codie was quiet for a moment, his breathing becoming slower and more even as sleep began to claim him. “Lady Iris?”
“Aye, sweetheart?”
“I’m glad ye married Da.” The words were soft, almost dreamy. “Even if he can be scary sometimes, I think he’s happier now. And I ken I’m happier.”
The simple words hit Iris right in the chest, bringing sudden tears to her eyes that she had to blink away quickly. “I’m glad too, Codie. Very glad.”
“And I’m glad Mairie is here now. It’s nice havin’ more people who care about ye.”
“It is, isnae it?” Iris smoothed his hair back gently, her touch feather light. “Now rest. We’ll all be here when ye wake up.”
Within minutes, Codie had drifted off to sleep, his breathing deep and even despite the flush still coloring his cheeks. His small chest rose and fell with steady rhythm, and some of the tension had eased from his face now that the medicine was working its way through his system.
The healer moved forward quietly, checking his pulse and temperature with practiced efficiency. She placed her weathered hand against his forehead then nodded with satisfaction.
“He’ll sleep for a few hours now. The medicine will help with the fever and settle his stomach.” She gathered her supplies, placing various vials and pouches back into her worn leather bag. “I’ll leave more medicine with ye, me lady. He’ll need another dose when he wakes and then again before bed. Three days of treatment, and he should be right as rain.”
“Thank ye,” Iris said gratefully, her voice barely above a whisper so as not to disturb Codie. “I daenae ken what we would have done without ye.”
“Och, it’s what I’m here for.” The healer smiled, the lines around her eyes crinkling with warmth. “Ye did well with him, me lady. Ye have a way with the boy that’s lovely to see. He trusts ye, and that’s a precious thing.”
After the healer left, moving past Elijah with a respectful nod that he must have returned silently, Iris remained by Codie’s bedside. She watched him sleep, one hand resting lightly on the coverlet near his small form. Mairie and Aliana stood nearby, both women looking at her with something like admiration in their expressions.
Elijah remained in the doorway, a silent sentinel. Iris could feel his gaze on her, on his son, on the scene before him. She wondered what he was thinking, what emotions were churning behind that carefully controlled exterior.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Elijah stood frozen in the doorway of his son’s chamber; he couldn’t make himself move—couldn’t make himself step fully into the room.
“Ye can come in properly, ye ken. Ye daenae have to lurk in the doorway like some ghost hauntin’ the halls.”
Elijah’s hand stilled on the doorframe. He’d been standing there for the past ten minutes, watching Iris coax Codie into taking his medicine, watching her promise riding lessons with such easy warmth it made his chest ache.
Codie had looked so small lying there in his bed, pale and miserable, but Iris had known exactly what to say to comfort him. Had known how to coax him into taking his medicine, how to distract him from his discomfort with promises of future adventures.
“I’m glad ye married Faither,” Codie had said, his voice drowsy with sleep and medicine. “Even if he can be scary sometimes, I think he’s happier now. And I ken I’m happier.”
The words had hit Elijah like a physical blow. His son thought he was scary. His own child, who should feel nothing but safety and love in his presence, was frightened of him. The knowledge settled in his chest like a stone, heavy and cold.
Iris began humming softly, some Highland lullaby he recognized from his own childhood though he couldn’t remember who had sung it to him. The sound was soothing, melodic, filling the warm room with a sense of peace that felt almost sacred.
