Dinah slipped into Naomi's room quietly in case she slept. Her sister lay without moving on the bed, but as Dinah approached, her eyelids lifted.
A knot twisted in Dinah's belly as she sat on the edge of the mattress. It sagged even more with her weight. If there was a chair in here, she would pull it over, but the room only held a single chest of drawers and the two narrow beds. If this was the children's room. Why were there not dresses and clothing lying around? And toys and books?
"What is it, D?"
She turned to her sister's weary face, concern adding wrinkles to the puffiness there, and tried for a smile. "I've had a talk with Mr. Coulter, and I'm afraid things aren't what we hoped."
As she shared the sordid details, Naomi took her hand. Her expression turned sad, but not devastated as Dinah had worried.
"I see," Naomi said softly. "I suppose we should have been more cautious. But I had hoped this was the answer to our prayers."
Dinah squeezed her fingers. "We'll figure something out. Hopefully I can scout out the local towns and find a place for us before we have to move on."
Naomi nodded, her weariness showing as her head sank deeper into the pillow. "We'll make it work. We always do."
Despite all she'd been through, Naomi's optimism never wavered. That was why Dinah had to stay practical. Her sister needed her now more than ever.
She patted Naomi’s hand. "Rest now. I just wanted to let you know what I learned so you wouldn't—"
"Doc?" A voice called from the other room.
Dinah rose. "Jonah must be waking up. Call if you need me."
Hopefully Jonah hadn't slipped into fitfulness—or worse, a fever. The call hadn't sounded frantic, but why else would one of the men shout through a house where two patients rested?
She slipped out of Naomi's room and closed the door, then stepped through the open doorway beside it. Two of the brothers, Jude and Gilead, stood beside Jonah's bed.
The patient still lay with his eyes closed but muttered something under his breath.
Not a fever.Please, Lord, no fever. She approached and touched his forehead. The skin felt clammy, but no excess heat.
"Jonah, can you hear me?" she asked softly.
He groaned, and his eyes opened to slits. They stared ahead, unfocused.
She brushed the hair from his brow. "How are you feeling?"
He squeezed his eyes shut, maybe trying to decide how to answer. She should probably offer laudanum.
Gilead moved down to the foot of the bed so Jonah could look straight at him. "You awake there, big brother? Bet that leg's got a powerful hurt."
She moved to his thigh and lifted the quilt to examine the bandages. A tinge of red seeped through the fabric. The dressing had to be changed and the wound cleaned. Better to give him something for the pain first.
She glanced at his face. "I need to change your bandage, but I can give you laudanum first."
He squinted at her. "Who…are you?" His voice came out so raspy it was hard to decipher.
She offered a professional smile. "Dr. Dinah Wyatt. My sister and I came along just in time to help you."
Jonah's brow furrowed. "A doctor?"
She smiled. "I know, it's not common for a woman to be a doctor. But I assure you, I've been trained by the best."
Gilead leaned forward. "We're glad to have her. Jude said you nearly died out there. A bucketful of blood leaked out of yer leg."
She glanced at Jonah's face to see how he responded to such crassness, but his eyes had drifted shut.
She turned to her case and prepared a small dose of laudanum, then helped Jonah drink it. Within minutes, his breathing evened out, and he fell asleep.
