John’s face turned very serious, and Havyn put a hand to her mouth. “I didn’t think about that.” With a hand to her expanding stomach, she winced. “I’m sorry we won’t be able to help.”
John took his wife by the arm. “We’ll move into the room I used as a foreman right away.” He turned to Havyn. “Don’t worry, darling. There’s plenty of family to help. Let’s just keep you and the baby healthy.”
Peter gripped John’s shoulder. “Keep her away from the house. You keep your distance as well and keep your hands washed.” He turned and looked at the rest of the family gathered outside of the room Bethany shared with Ruth. “If this is what has been spreading through the villages and now Nome, we need to take it very seriously. I need everyone’s help to keep things clean. Wash your hands. Regularly.”
They all nodded.
“Who’s with her now?”
“Madysen.” Whitney said. “We were going to take turns sitting with her.”
“Since you live in close quarters, you all might get sick. My highest priority right now is to help Bethany’s fever to break, but second to that is to ensure that Havyn doesn’t get it.”
Whitney’s chin lifted. “We’ll do whatever you need us to do.”
“How many of you have had the measles?”
“We all have.” Whitney answered for the group.
That, at least, was in his favor. But the influenza had proven deadly, and none of them were protected from that.
At that moment, a terrible cough came from the other room. “Keep hot water boiling on the stove. I’ll need asmany rags as you can find. Keep them boiled and clean. I’ll have to use them for poultices that need to be changed out regularly.”
He moved into the room and saw young Bethany, flushed and sweating. “Why don’t you take a break, Madysen.”
She nodded and joined the rest of the family in the hall. All except Whitney. She came in and opened his bag. “Let me help you.”
He nodded. “I want to listen to her heart first.”
She dug in his bag and handed him the stethoscope.
After he examined her, he turned to face Whitney. “We’ll need to get some tea brewing right away and some poultices ready. Why don’t you get her changed out of this wet nightgown and I’ll go work on those things.”
“Of course.”
Three hours later, they’d worked side by side with precision, in perfect harmony. Something he hadn’t had in years. But the young girl’s temperature was finally coming down. “Thank you for your help, Whitney. Your gifts never cease to amaze me. Will you sit with her while I go speak to the rest of the family?”
She touched his arm. “Thank you.”
He dipped his chin. “It’s not over yet, but I’m hopeful.”
Walking down the hallway to the parlor, he tried to wrangle a thousand thoughts scrambling for attention. First and foremost, how good it was to work side by side with Whitney. Second, he’d barely skirted this sickness wiping out the villages and gold camps. But now, it was here. And there were a lot more people in Nome.
Everything got quiet as he walked into the room and approached the family. “It’s not as bad as we thought. She’s strong, but everyone needs to be vigilant.”
“How’s her fever?” Chris twisted his handkerchief in his hands.
“She’s sweating, which is a good sign. The fever started coming down after I applied the elderflower tea and some apple-cider vinegar compresses to her forehead and feet. It’s the cough I find most worrisome now.”
Dark circles under Chris’s eyes accentuated the tears that pooled there. “Can I see her?”
“Of course, but remember to wash your hands before and after seeing her. Talk to her and encourage her to keep fighting the fever.”
Eli stood up and grabbed onto his dad.
That was when Peter noticed Ruth. She hadn’t said anything in a while. Her face had paled considerably. “Ruth, how are you—”
“I fixed some sandwiches for everyone. They’re in the kitchen.” Madysen’s entrance into the room interrupted his question.
