Eli shook his head. “We ain’t got no money for a doctor.”
“I’ll pay the bill,” she insisted.
“We don’t take—”
“Charity, I know, but I couldn’t help my aunt earlier this year. Please let me help your Pops.”
He weighed the idea until his grandfather reached out and took his hand. The older man didn’t speak, but Eli seemed to understand. “We thank you for your kindness.”
“He’ll see a doctor?”
Eli nodded slowly, resigned to the idea of more charity when he preferred none. This boy who fought hard for his grandfather alone would grow into a reliable man. One who could be trusted.
“Very good,” she said. “Now how to guide Dr. Blackwell back here...”
“I’ll help you.”
The afternoon passed in a flurry. Dr. Blackwell asked her neighbor Garrett Lamb for help, and within the hour, Mr. Lamb brought a horse, both of his sons, and a sled that would serve as a stretcher. Thetransportation of Mr. Manning was a messy affair, but they padded the sled with a straw mattress and blanket to carry him through the woods.
Olivia insisted they take Eli’s grandfather up to Haven House for care. When the physician saw the disaster inside, she knew it took a supernatural act for him not to comment on her lack. Graham never would have allowed their house to fall into such a state. He would have hired help to put it back into order. She couldn’t explain to the good doctor that she hadn’t wanted anyone here until she invited Eli and his grandfather to stay.
She covered the sitting room sofa with fresh linens before the men transferred the frail farmer from the sled onto the makeshift bed. Dr. Blackwell arranged the tools from his medical bag on a platter before he examined Mr. Manning.
“He only has a few days left,” Dr. Blackwell told her as they walked to the front door. “Maybe a week with care.”
“I suspected that.”
“I’m sending a nurse to bathe him, and I’ll bring morphine tonight to keep him comfortable.”
“Thank you,” she said, wishing that she could do more to help the older man. “He can wear one of Graham’s robes.”
The doctor paused by the door. “How are you doing, Olivia?”
While she wanted to insist that she was fine, like she told everyone who asked at church, Dr. Blackwell would see straight through her facade. “My heart still feels broken.”
He glanced over her shoulder, toward the sitting room where Eli watched over his grandfather. “It seems like God has something in store for you right now.”
She sighed, her shoulders sagging with their weight. “All I’ve got left are stories.”
“Then tell those stories well.”
“Wait here.” She stepped back. “Before I forget—”
In the kitchen, she opened a drawer beside the refrigerator where she kept, tucked in the back, an envelope with ready cash. Last she remembered, months ago now, it contained more than a hundred dollars for emergencies, but the envelope was empty now except for a five-dollar bill.
When did she spend that money? She couldn’t tell the doctor that she’d forgotten. He would surely send her to an institution until her memory recovered.
“I’ll visit the bank in the morning,” she promised. To pay his bill and replenish the envelope. Thankfully, the sales fromLavender Ridgecontinued to supply her with income, and she would have an advance soon for her next book.
He lifted his bag again. “Don’t worry about payment.”
“I will worry, and you know that’s terrible for my health.”
He smiled. “Then pay me whenever you’d like. There’s no hurry.”
“I’ll reimburse you for whatever Mr. Manning needs in the way of care.”
Dr. Blackwell stepped outside but then turned. “The boy said he’s thirteen.”
