After, he took Katrin aside. An older man, the physician had kind gray eyes. He did not give her false hope.
“Mistress, I take it ye still ha’ far to travel?”
“Aye. Far.”
“If ye were not on a journey, I would recommend removal of that leg. But he would not withstand travel, after.”
“I maun get him home.” It had become her one goal, if a half-crazed one.
The physician shook his head. “I will tell you truly, I doubt he will make it.”
“But—” Katrin gulped back her panic. “He is strong.”
“Aye, so he may have been. Once.”
Katrin took that like a blow to the gut. They were all debilitated. Beyond spent.
“I will give ye some medicines to take with ye. For the fever.”
“I ha’ nay money to pay.”
“No matter.”
Aye, he’d been kind. But he’d been terribly certain.
If Da did not make it home, what was she to do? What would become of the clan? Their chief gone and no heir. Many of their men who’d gone away to fight would not come home. They would be left destitute.
She would have to step up and lead, if she was the only one remaining. Marry one day and provide—
Nay, she could not think of that either. Not yet. Possibly not ever.
She decided on that day, standing outside the physician’s home in the autumn sunlight, that she would do best not to think at all. Just get Da home, if she could.
She gestured to Rannie, who stepped up to her.
“Katrin?” They were long on a first-name basis.
“Rannie,” she said for his ears alone, “the physician does no’ think my da will make it back to Murtray. ’Tis a long way yet. If ye and yer fellows wish to go on wi’out us, wi’out the burden we have been—”
He studied her with his gentle, dark eyes. “Well, now—’tis hard news to bear, that.”
“Aye.” She did her best not to cry but she was tired.Tired.
“Wha’ ha’ ye there?” he asked.
“Some powders the physician gave me.”
“Those just might do him some good. So we will carry on helping ye for the now, as we ha’ been, aye?”
“Ye be a good man, Rannie MacLeod.”
“I would no’ be too certain about that.” He gave a weary grin. “But I do my best.”
“Ye shall ha’ yer reward in paradise.”
“Aye, just so long as that does no’ come too soon.”
Chapter Forty
