“There’s a lot of blood,” he finally said, looking at Stuart. “But the good news is that it went through clean. And it doesn’t appear to have hit anything vital.”
“Are you certain?” Ruthann’s voice sounded from Stuart’s other side. He turned his head just a little, ignoring the pain, to see his sister kneeling beside him, Mrs. Young at her side.
“As certain as the sun sets.” Doc Wallen gave him a fatherly smile. “You’ll live, son. It’ll hurt for a time, but I can get you stitched up and it won’t be long before you’re back to normal.”
Stuart wasn’t entirely sure how something less than lethal could hurt so badly, but both Norah and Ruthann thanked the doctor up and down and sideways, so he must be telling the truth.
Doc Wallen stood. “If a few of you boys can carry him to my office, I’ll get it taken care of.”
Before Stuart could react, Nate and Deputy Caldwell had lifted him and began carrying him toward the door.
“Please be careful,” Norah called.
“Norah,” Mrs. Young said from somewhere behind Stuart. “Why don’t you and Ruthann come upstairs for a while? You must be exhausted.”
“Thank you, Penny, but I must go with Stuart.” Norah paused. “I can’t leave him.”
Her words were like a balm to the searing pain that had overtaken him as Nate and the deputy carried him through the sheriff’s office. He was growing light-headed again, and he felt too tired to keep his eyes open.
He closed them, smiling at the thought of Norah’s concern for him.
#####
STUART AWOKE TO A DULLthrobbing in his side and a very uncomfortable bed under his back. It was mostly dark in the room, but a low lamp cast the slightest light. It took him a moment to realize where he was—Doc Wallen’s office—and to remember why he was there.
He shifted and grit his teeth together as that dull pain became sharper.
“Stuart?” Norah’s soft voice came from somewhere across the room. In half a moment, she was by his bedside. “You’re awake.”
“I’m beginning to wish I wasn’t.” Maybe if he remained perfectly still, that knife-like feeling in his side would diminish to a low ache again.
Norah brushed his hair from his face, and then paused. She went to pull her hand away as if she thought the gesture wouldn’t be welcome.
Stuart reached out and grabbed her hand, ignoring the pain from his side that protested at such movement. Norah smiled at him and sunk onto the edge of the bed, her hand still in his.
“Does it hurt much?” she asked.
“Not anymore,” he lied.
She shook her head. “I don’t believe you, but I’m glad you can still make a joke.”
“Maddox?”
“In a cell, along with the others.”
“Good.”
“What time is it?” he asked, not daring to turn his head to find a clock.
“Nearly two in the morning. And don’t you dare tell me to go home. Doc Wallen is asleep in the next room. He was wonderful, convincing Mama and Papa that you needed a nurse by your side tonight.”
Stuart didn’t believe such a thing was entirely necessary, and he suspected Norah knew it too. Yet neither one of them was about to complain.
“Sheriff Young came by earlier, while you were asleep. He’d searched through his things and found that note he’d received before the robbery. He brought it here to show me, and I identified Jeremy’s handwriting. He’s going to get a sample of Jeremy’s writing and present it to the judge. And he’ll tell him what Mr. Maddox shared with us back at the jail. With any luck, the case will be reopened—”
“And Jeremy will be freed,” Stuart finished for her.
“Yes.” She gave him such a bright smile that it was hard to believe that anything bad had ever happened.
