For a moment her medical training failed her. “Oh, Seth. Who did this to you?”
She checked him over as best she could. She’d never in all her years of assisting Grace and Hope or helping people on her own seen a man in such bad shape. There was a time when a lumberjack had fallen from high in the trees. He’d hit every branch on the way down, or at least that was what his buddies said. He’d looked very similar to Seth and had died a few hours later.
“You can’t die, Seth. You have a baby coming and a wife who needs you.”
Faith finished looking him over, then read the chart at the end of his bed. The doctor’s examination and thoughts matched her own, but where the doctor noted that the injuries were most likely terminal, Faith couldn’t bring herself to agree.
Hurrying from the room, she made her way outside. She hadn’t considered how she might get home once at the hospital. She glanced around, but there were very few carriages out and about. She tried to find a cab, but even that seemed impossible. There was no choice but to walk.
The clock in the hall was just chiming the half hour aftereleven when Faith finally made it back to the boardinghouse. Grace, Nancy, and Clementine were waiting in the front room. Each woman looked at Faith. The hope in their expressions was almost more than she could bear.
“It’s bad.” She could barely force out the words.
“I’m going to him. I won’t let him be there alone,” Nancy said. “I don’t care what any of you say.”
“We’ve already talked about this, Nancy. You must be reasonable,” Grace said, taking hold of her daughter’s arm.
“He’s my husband. I need to be with him.”
“And tomorrow you can be,” Faith promised. “The hospital won’t allow you in at this hour, so you might as well get some rest so you can deal with what you see tomorrow. Someone clearly wanted him dead. They beat him with a club or a bat or even just a plank board. It’s hard to tell, but he’s ... he’s hardly recognizable. I’m sorry to be so blunt, but you need to prepare yourself for the worst.”
Nancy burst into tears, as did Clementine.
Faith went to Clementine and put her arm around the younger woman.
“What is your honest opinion of this, Faith?” Grace asked.
Faith shook her head. “We need to pray.”
Grace somehow managed to get Nancy to her room and into bed. Faith wasn’t sure what had been said between mother and daughter, but when Grace reappeared, she seemed at peace. “I’m going to bed. I want to be able to help her in the morning.”
Faith nodded. Clementine clung to her and sobbed. She doubted either of them would be going to bed anytime soon.
“He didn’t deserve this,” Clementine murmured. “Who would do such a thing?”
“I don’t know. It seemed far more deliberate than a mere robbery.”
“It’s probably because of that investigation. They’d never tell me much, because they said it was dangerous and better that I not know.”
Faith stared across the room as she held Clementine. She was right. It was probably something to do with Berkshire and Lakewood’s plans. It might even be related to her own defiance.
Dear Lord, would they really have tried to kill Seth because of my speaking out on behalf of the Indians?
“I can’t bear the thought of him dying,” Clementine said, seeming to regain control of her emotions. “It’s even worse to imagine him dying alone.”
“That’s why I’m not going to let it happen,” Nancy said, surprising them both. She was fully dressed and ready to leave the house.
Faith knew there was no sense in trying to persuade her otherwise. “It’s a long walk.”
“We’ll borrow a carriage from the Taylors. They’ll understand,” Nancy replied matter-of-factly. “Just don’t try to talk me out of it.”
Shaking her head, Faith got to her feet. “I have no intention of doing so.”
CHAPTER21
Faith made certain the way was clear before taking Nancy and Clementine down the hall to Seth’s room. She knew there was no way to ready the ladies for what they would see. She had hardly been able to bear it herself, and she was professionally trained. Nevertheless, Faith wasn’t going to convince either woman to abandon this visit.
They stood outside the door for a moment as Faith held fast to the handle. “Look, I can’t stress enough that he is in very bad shape. He’s barely holding on to life. Are you sure you want to see him this way?”
