As he slipped inside, the man standing beside Dinah cried out.
Jericho's pulse slammed in his neck, and he aimed at the stranger. "Get away from her or I'll shoot."
* * *
Dinah had to get this artery closed. She pressed hard on the binding she'd secured, but blood still leaked through. At least it wasn't the full flow.
This was how Pop had stopped the bleeding the time she’d helped him with the amputation. Wasn't it? Had she missed a step?
A voice buzzed behind her, and it wasn't until the man at her side turned and spoke to the newcomer that she registered what was happening.
Was that Jericho?
Keeping steady pressure on the bandage, she glanced over her shoulder. Her heart raced at the sight of him holding a rifle. He must think she needed saving. At one time she did, but now she was willingly performing this surgery. How had he found her?
He wasn't looking at her though. His steely glare focused on Mr. Ishmael, the driver who'd brought her here. "Get away from her or I'll shoot."
Mr. Ishmael sidled away. She had to turn back and focus on slowing this artery enough that she could stitch it closed. But she could talk as she adjusted the pressure. "Jericho, he's not dangerous."
"Are you hurt?"
There. The flow had slowed enough that she could stitch the artery closed. She reached for the suture she'd already prepared. "I'm not hurt. He brought me here to doctor this man's broken leg. The only way to help him was to remove the limb. I have to move quickly so he doesn't lose too much blood."
She nodded toward Ishmael, whom she'd made scrub his hands and arms clean before they began the surgery. "Hold this steady for me."
He’d been an unwilling participant from the start, but she couldn’t manage this operation without an extra set of hands. He didn't approach to do her bidding, so she glanced up at him. His leathered face had turned impossibly pale, and he stared at the wash of blood before her.
She used a stern voice to pull him from the stupor. "I need you to hold this. Now. He'll bleed out if I don't hurry."
"I'll do it." Jericho's quiet tone came from behind as his footsteps approached.
He placed himself between her and Ishmael, keeping his rifle in one hand.
"You'll have to put down the gun. He won't hurt us. He just wanted help for his friend here." She shifted to allow Jericho room to take the bandaged artery from her. "Hold it just like this. Firm and steady pressure while I stitch."
He leaned the gun against his leg and did as she directed. Thank the Lord Jericho wasn't squeamish around blood.
With a capable assistant, she was able to focus fully on closing up the new end of the limb. By the time she finished the job, washed her hands, and applied a clean bandage to the site, the strain had tensed every part of her. Especially her neck and shoulders.
Her back ached when she attempted to straighten.
Jericho was packing the last of her supplies in her case as he glanced at her. "I'm sure you're exhausted, but we need to get back to your sister. I think she's having the baby."
Panic jolted through her. "She is?" In her focus on Thomas’s leg, she'd lost sight of everything else. "What's happened?" She nearly grabbed Jericho's arm to shake the answer from him.
He closed her bag. "Gil and the children are with her. The pains are coming off and on. She said she thinks it's time."
Dinah spun to Ishmael. "I have to help my sister. Can we take your wagon?"
The man frowned, then nodded toward Thomas. "What about ’im?"
She blinked, trying to think of what instructions he'd need. “I just removed the chloroform, so he'll wake soon. Give him the dose I've poured of this medicine as soon as he's alert enough to swallow it. " She glanced at Jericho. Was it safe to come back here? She couldn't abandon a patient after such a life-threatening surgery.
A thought slipped in. Naomi and the babe—if either survived the birthing—wouldn't be able to travel all the way to the ranch yet. They could come here for shelter while they recovered.
She threw a glance around the ramshackle building. It would be better than nothing. And she’d have all her patients in one place.
She turned back to Mr. Ishmael. "As soon as my sister is through the birthing, I'll bring her and the babe here so I can care for them all. Keep Thomas comfortable until I return. If I'm away long, I'll send more medicine for his pain."
