He gave her a sidelong glance. “They are that obvious then?”
She gave him a smile. “I wasnae talking aboot the one on yer face,” she answered. “’Tis the knee. How long has it been giving ye fits?”
He didn’t bother to hide his surprise. “Since the battle. I fell into a hole trying to drag his heavy arse out of the clearing.”
“Rest and cold water,” she supplied. “At night, make sure tae prop it up or drench it in cold water. The colder, the better.”
“Thank ye,” he said after a moment. “I hope ye wilnae see it as a weakness.”
Ferra imagined this Scot would charge into battle on his deathbed and win. “Nay, but now, I know how tae take ye tae the ground if needed.”
Erik’s eyes widened before he threw back his head and laughed. “Aye, ye are perfect for Kaiden. Come, let’s find the healer.”
The healer was a middle-aged woman who had a dour face the moment Ferra told her that she too was a healer. “Ye cannae be the ladyanda healer,” the woman snorted, her hands on her hips.
“She can, and she will,” Erik spoke up in a near growl. “Tell her wot she wishes tae know.”
“I only want tae help him,” Ferra prodded, knowing that the healer saw her as a threat to her own profession. It would be the same way Ferra would react if she were in the woman’s shoes. “I’m certain ye have tried everything.”
The woman glared at her. “Of course, I’ve tried everything. I’m not daft, ye know. He’s given up. Part of the healing process is the will tae live, and that man in that bed has nary a will any longer. I’m surprised he’s lasted this long.”
It was as Ferra had suspected. A healer could only do so much, but if their patient didn’t want to live, then it was fighting a battle that couldn’t be won. She had to find a will for Kaiden to live, though all he had to do was look around him. He had a father that cared for him greatly and a second-in-command that worried about him. Those were just the two people she had encountered so far. Ferra imagined it wouldn’t be all that cared for the warrior.
“Thank ye,” she said softly, turning to go.
“Mah lady?”
Ferra turned back to the healer. “Aye?”
The healer drew in a breath, sadness crossing her face. “If ye truly are a healer, ye will see that ’tis a hopeless cause. I...we all want him tae heal, but he has tae want tae heal too.”
Ferra gave her a sharp nod and quit the hut before she broke into tears. Did no one still believe that Kaiden could heal?
“Is it true?” Erik asked softly. “Is that the reason Kaiden isnae healing?”
Ferra looked at the second-in-command, pulling herself together. “Aye,” she said. “But we are going tae make him see wot he has tae live for.”
A glint of stubbornness reflected in Erik’s eyes. “Aye, we are, mah lady.”
She laid a hand on his arm. “Ferra, please. Now, tell me wot I am up against, wot his da failed tae mention.”
As Erik launched into all the ways that Kaiden could be stubborn, Ferra felt a flare of hope grow in her chest. She wasn’t going to let him give up without a fight, and with his clan surrounding him, he was going to have more of a fighting chance than most.
He just had to believe it as well.
5
Kaiden pushed the tray away and settled on the pillows, no longer wishing to taste the gruel he was being fed. He had slept poorly the night before, filled with nightmares of his clan being crushed under their enemy, and Kaiden helpless to answer their cries. After what Erik had told him the day prior, it seemed that they could be looking at reality in a matter of weeks.
And Kaiden could do nothing to help. He had tried to move his leg this morning, but the searing pain had him panting with each movement until he had given up, arching his back against the pain that had progressed for over an hour. Not even the healer had been by to visit this morning, and he wondered if he had finally given her just cause to leave him to die.
He wouldn’t blame her.
Just as he was wondering if no one was going to come and visit, the door opened, and his wife strode in, her arms ladened with supplies. “Good morning,” she said cheerfully as she placed the supplies on the table by the bed. “Are ye done with yer fast?”
He eyed her, attempting and failing to ignore the rosy hue of her cheeks. In fact, he was getting a better view of her this morning, from the delicate features of her face to the way her gown clung to her womanly curves, and his cock stirred to life.
Bloody hell.
