“Nay! ’Tis no’ what I meant.” Of course, he wouldn’t. He had too much compassion to take a lass’s life. “If ye think she canna be cured, then if ye can make her comfortable, make a preparation I can use to dull her pain, help her breathe, something, until she leaves us. Her husband has suffered along with her. For his sake, and for hers, to ease her suffering would be a blessing.”
“Where is she?”
“The farm is on the far side of the village and up the hill. ’Tis a good walk from the keep.”
“Then we will go in the morning to see her.”
“Do ye want to see Alastair first?”
“Aye. If he’s been harmed, I dinna want the lad to suffer, either.”
And there, she thought, was Jamie—the Jamie she was coming to know. Caring for women and children came as naturally to him as curbing a bully’s worst impulses. The healer and the warrior. She’d seen both, and both impressed her.
* * *
Niall wasasleep when Jamie finally got to his chamber. Neve nodded in her chair and Jamie hated to wake her, but he needed to tend to Niall before he could sleep, and he could not do what he needed to do with her there.
“Lass,” he whispered. “’Tis been a long day. Go to yer rest.”
Neve blinked and covered a yawn with one hand. “Will ye also? Ye need to rest as well.”
“Aye. I’ll be here only a wee while, then Rabbie will stay with Niall through the night. Ye and Aftyn will be busy in the herbal tomorrow. I left notes for several of her mother’s potions for ye to make. But first, Aftyn wants ye to find Alastair in the morning, so we can be certain he’s taken nay harm.”
Neve, nodded, stood, and softly bid him goodnight as she closed the chamber door behind her.
“She’s been taking good care of me,” Niall said, surprising Jamie.
“I thought ye slept.”
“Nay, only feigned sleep since Neve expected it.”
“She’s a good lass.”
“Aftyn, too.” Niall narrowed his eyes. “I heard what ye said about her the night ye arrived.”
“Did ye also hear she nearly killed ye? Rabbie got to the Aerie and back with me just in time.”
“Aye, and thank ye for saving me from that,” he added on a shudder, then he shrugged. “Ye also ken she stayed with me…”
“I do. The lass has a big heart. She did the best she kenned to do.” And touching her hand, earlier had soothed both her and him, but hadn’t brought out his healing response. What would happen if he did more, like kiss her? He’d often wondered if the arousal he felt with other lasses was the same as his battle fury, suppressing his healing response. Not wanting to hear how she might know the answer, he’d never discussed it with his mother.
He pulled his attention back to Niall. “But now, ’tis time for me to do more for ye. Ye have had food and drink aplenty today?”
“I have.”
“Good. Ye will need the strength that gives ye. Tomorrow, yer wound will be bound, and ye will walk—with a cane. ’Twill help ye regain yer strength and get us all home faster. But ’twill no’ be easy to bear.”
“I’ll do it.” Being bed-ridden frustrated Niall, as it would any man.
“I ken ye will. Now, settle yerself. Sleep,” Jamie added and placed a hand on Niall’s forehead, encouraging his body into a healing sleep that would let him remain unaware of any pain that came with what Jamie did to him. Soon, Jamie saw that he was deeply asleep. He moved to Niall’s leg and laid his hands on either side of the wound trench, reaching slowly and carefully into the deepest recess of flesh, encouraging tissue growth and blood where he needed it to form. His own leg ached abominably, shot through with hot stinging that felt like being stabbed with embroidery needles, thousands of them. He fought to ignore the agony and kept his focus on Niall, whose heart beat faster as Jamie taxed his body’s reserves. The tingling warmth in Jamie’s hands became a pulling sensation long before new, pink flesh began to form in the bottom of the trench.
Layer upon layer, he helped Niall’s body rebuild the calf. Jamie shook with fatigue by the time he finished and rewrapped the wound.
He rubbed his own leg, trying to ease suddenly stabbing cramps. If he stood to walk off the pain, it would fade away faster, but for the moment, it crippled him. Finally, he forced himself to his feet and limped to the door.
Bhaltair stood outside. “Neve told me ye were with him. What do ye need?”
“Some mead, I think. Then I’ll sleep. Guard him and dinna let anyone remove the wrapping.”
