Melody smiled and put her hand on Marybeth’s shoulder. “I’ll do just that. We’ll be praying too. Da said it was pretty bad.”
“Yes, he lost a lot of blood.” Marybeth refrained from saying anything more. She didn’t want to speak her fears aloud for fear of giving them some sort of power.
“Try not to worry. A lot of folks are praying. God will see you through this.”
“It’s just so hard. I can’t lose him.”
“You won’t.” Melody touched her shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll recover. I wish I could stay here with you, but I know I’ll better serve you taking care of Carrie.”
“There’s nothing here either of us can do but pray. And we can do that anywhere.” Marybeth gave Melody a glance. “Thank you for coming and for helping with Carrie.”
“That’s what friends do. They bear one another’s burdens.”
When she’d gone, Marybeth stared down at Edward and forced a smile. She would trust this to God. She had to. She wouldn’t let Satan defeat her. No matter what happened, God was the one she would trust. Let His will be done. But, oh, how she prayed that Edward’s survival was His will.
Marybeth didn’t remember when she had slipped onto the cot. When she woke up, she was covered in several blankets and felt quite rested. She glanced over at Edward. His color was better, but she didn’t know if he’d regained consciousness.
She pulled on her boots and fumbled with the buttons. It seemed to take forever without a buttonhook, but she finally managed to secure the lower half of buttons on each boot. She had just transferred from cot to chair when Dr. Scott came in to check on Edward.
“How is he?” she asked.
“Doing well. His heart rate has been strong and regular and his breath more relaxed. The bleeding has stopped just as we hoped. It’s all very positive.”
“I’m so glad.” Marybeth watched as the doctor felt Edward’s head.
“He’s running a slight fever, but that’s typical. The body is fighting, and a low fever is actually a good sign that all isworking as it should. We’ll keep an eye on it, though. We don’t want it to get out of hand.”
She’d never heard anyone say a fever was a good thing. “Should I try to cool him down? Maybe wipe him with a cold cloth?”
“Not just yet. Let’s watch him carefully. The next hours are critical. If he takes a turn for the worse, the fever will climb, and his breathing will be labored. I’ll be back to check on him every hour. Now, what about you? How did you sleep?”
“Quite well. Thank you.” Marybeth wasn’t at all interested in discussing herself. She reached for Edward’s hand and held it fast.
“Mrs. Scott hopes you’ll join us for breakfast.”
“No, I don’t want to leave him, but please tell her thank you.”
“You can tell her yourself. I’m sure she’ll insist on bringing you something on a tray.”
Marybeth shook her head. “I wouldn’t want her to go to any trouble on my account. You have both been so good to help Edward.”
Dr. Scott smiled. “That’s my job, child. You’re only going to be trouble to me if you pass out from weakness because you didn’t let Mrs. Scott feed you. Cooperate, and that’s the best thanks you can give me.” He left the room, and Marybeth couldn’t help but smile.
“He’s a good man, our Dr. Scott,” she told Edward. “I think you are in the best hands available to us.” She touched Edward’s forehead. It was warm, and it worried her even if the doctor said a fever was good. “You must get well, Edward. I need you so much. Please don’t die.” Those pesky tears came again, and Marybeth didn’t even attempt to stop them.“Don’t leave me. I ... need ... you.” She pressed a kiss on his cheek. “I love you.”
“Love ... you,” he whispered in return.
Marybeth straightened and could see Edward was looking at her. “Oh! You’re awake. Dr. Scott! Dr. Scott, come quickly.” She jumped up and ran to the door. “Dr. Scott!”
“What’s all the excitement about?” the older man questioned as he appeared.
“Edward is awake. He’s speaking.” She didn’t bother to tell him what Edward had said. She wasn’t even sure what he meant by it.
Dr. Scott smiled and approached Edward’s cot. “Well, it’s good to see you back amongst the living.”
“What ... happened?”
“You were shot. Hank Garlow was trying to set things right with a cardsharp and accidentally hit you with a bullet.”
