“Get out of my way, Faith.” Nancy closed her hand over her cousin’s. “I have to see him. It doesn’t matter what he looks like. I have to be here.”
“Me too,” Clementine whispered.
Faith let go of the handle. “Very well. Just prepare yourselves.”
She pushed open the door and stepped inside to make sure Seth was still alone and still alive. She motioned for the other two women to join her, then closed the door.
Nancy went immediately to her husband’s side. She was stoicand gazed down at him without grimacing. She took hold of his bandaged hand. “Seth, it’s Nancy. I’m here.”
Clementine did her best to control her tears, but they made a steady stream down her face. Faith put her arm around Seth’s sister as she buried her face in her hands.
“Seth, I know you can hear me. I need you to fight. I need you to live,” Nancy said, still showing no sign of emotion. “Seth, I love you so much. You cannot die. I will not let you.”
The puffiness in his face was even worse than when Faith had been there earlier. She worried about the brain swelling that must be going on but said nothing. There was nothing to say. If she mentioned the things that worried her, it would only make matters more painful for Nancy and Clementine.
“Who could do such a thing?” Clementine asked yet again, looking up at Faith. “Why would anyone treat another human being like this?”
“I don’t know.” Faith gave her shoulder a squeeze. “But God does, and hopefully He will bring Seth justice by leading the police to the man or men responsible.”
“Do you think this was random?” Clementine asked.
Faith got no chance to reply.
“No. This was personal,” Nancy said, her gaze never leaving Seth’s face. “No one would take the time needed to beat a man this badly if it wasn’t personal.”
“I had the same thought.” Faith let go of Clementine and went to the opposite side of the bed. “If it was a robbery, they would have knocked him unconscious and taken his money. They wouldn’t have stuck around to do this. Even if he had fought back.”
“Someone tried to kill him.” Nancy looked at Faith and then Clementine. “That much is clear. They wanted him dead.”
Clementine’s face hardened. “I hope they die.”
Faith shook her head. “Our rage won’t help. We have to give this to God and focus on doing whatever we can to help Seth. I suggest we spend a few minutes praying—here at his side.”
The other two women nodded. They prayed silently for several minutes, and then Nancy spoke aloud.
“Father, Seth is a good man and He loves you. I know it is appointed unto everyone to die, but I’m asking that you delay that time for my husband. He has so much to live for, and we need him, Father.”
The door behind them opened, and all three women turned to find a startled nurse looking back at them. “What in the world are you doing here at this hour?” she asked.
Nancy was not chastened by the woman’s question. “This is my husband. The police came a few hours ago to tell me he was here, near death. I wasn’t going to wait until morning.” She let go of Seth’s hand.
“You’re in no condition for this.” The nurse nodded at Nancy’s abdomen. “Not only that, but it’s against the rules.”
Faith stepped forward. “You look familiar. Have we met? I’ve been here with the students from the medical college.”
The nurse seemed to relax. “I thought you looked familiar too. I’m Caroline Harmon.”
Faith went to her and extended her hand. “Dr. Faith Kenner—or soon to be.” She saw no reason to mention her college dismissal. It was clear the distraction was helping their cause. “We were just leaving. My cousin, as you can see, is going to have a baby soon, but she was so worried about her husband, I felt I had to bring her.”
The nurse bit her lower lip and nodded. “The doctor doesn’t have much hope,” she whispered.
Faith nodded. “I read his notes. However, we are women of prayer and believe that the God who created this man to begin with can also knit him back together.”
“I hope so,” the nurse replied. “But now you need to go.”
Nancy leaned down and placed a kiss on Seth’s swollen face. “I’ll be back in the morning. Make sure you’re here to greet me.”
The trio made their way home in silence. What could they say to one another? How could they begin to express their thoughts without giving way to their fears? Faith secured the carriage brake and decided to see Nancy inside before returning the rig and horse to the Taylors.
