A Bride to Heal His Broken Heart

by Melynda Carlyle

  Lorna kept that comment to herself and headed out to the yard, grabbing her shawl and her small medical bag on the way.

  She’d shared with Doctor Ellsworth the symptoms she’d observed at the camp, and he’d given her a few suggestions to try the next time she went out there to visit.

  She reached the wagon, and Darren came around to help her up. He took the medical bag and placed it in the back and then silently held her elbow while she climbed the steps into the buckboard.

  He was silent for most of their drive and Lorna contented herself with watching the landscape they passed. It was so different here in Nevada from where she’d lived in Nova Scotia. Deep red dirt covered the ground and differing shades of red and orange could be seen in layers on the rising mountains and mesas.

  Large cacti dotted the open areas, along with a strange tree that June had said was called a Joshua tree, named so by the first Mormon settlers to the area.

  Lorna had never heard of a plant being named directly after someone, but then she’d never been to a place like Virginia City before. It was a wild place, and yet the townsfolk had worked very hard to try to bring some civilization and structure to the town – a town she was now questioning as to whether or not it held her future or was just a stepping-stone to something else.

  They arrived at the camp and Lorna knew right away that something was extremely wrong. Loud crying was coming from many of the women who were sitting around a fire with what looked like gray ashes streaked across their bodies and clothing. No one was smiling and the children were nowhere to be found.

  “What’s going on?” Lorna asked Darren, worry evident in her voice.

  “I don’t know.” Darren looked at her, worry on his face as well. He pulled the wagon to a stop and then jumped down, quickly assisting her to the ground. Once she was steady on her feet, he headed straight for the chief’s tent. The chief, Tenaya, came out to meet them, the man’s face etched with worry and grief.

  Lorna tried her best to understand what they were saying to each other, but it was a strange mixture of English and their own language and she ended up thoroughly confused.

  Darren finished his conversation and then turned to her, lowering his head and his voice as he explained, “Tenaya’s wife went into labor many hours ago but there are complications. The birth is not progressing, and she is in a tremendous amount of pain, growing weaker by the hour.”

  Lorna swallowed. She had met the young woman on her last visit and had been relieved that she’d managed to escape whatever illness was plaguing the others, as she was with child and nearing her delivery time.

  When Lorna had mentioned her concerns to June, she’d been informed that the Indians were very good at birthing their own children and rarely sought help from anyone.

  “Where is she?”

  “Inside the chief’s teepee. Can you help her?”

  Lorna nodded and headed for the entrance to the teepee. She pushed aside the blanket covering the opening and gave her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the much darker interior. Pamahas was on her knees next to the chief’s wife. Upon seeing Lorna, she immediately rose and came to her side.

  “Please, she is hurting, and the baby isn’t coming.”

  Lorna nodded and approached the young woman. Wanekia was very pale, covered in a sheen of sweat, and obviously very tired. “When did her pains start?”

  “Last night.”

  Lorna inwardly blanched at that information. It was now almost noon, which meant the young woman had been in labor for well over twelve hours. She looked at Pamahas and asked quietly, “Will she mind if I examine her?”

  Pamahas shook her head and quietly spoke to Wanekia, who gave Lorna a hopeful look. Lorna squeezed the hand nearest to her and then took a position near the young woman’s knees. She quickly examined her and immediately recognized what the problem was.

  The baby was in the wrong position. Instead of feeling the baby’s head, Lorna felt its backside. Very few women who attempted to deliver a baby naturally in this position survived the ordeal. She’d assisted in many deliveries over the years, and had even performed the medical procedure necessary to save both mother and baby in a similar circumstance.

  She patted Wanekia’s leg and then stood up, wiping her hands on the cloth Pamahas handed her. “I need to speak with her husband. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Lorna stepped outside and Tenaya and Darren immediately turned toward her. “The baby is in the wrong position.”

  Darren’s face paled but Tenaya merely looked confused. Lorna tried to explain as best as she could, hoping Darren had the right words to make the chief understand. “The baby is backwards. Instead of trying to come into the world headfirst, it is trying with its body bent in half.” She gestured with her hands and after a few additional words from Darren, Tenaya’s eyes lit with comprehension.

  “There is a way to save her and the child, but it will require a medical procedure. I will need to cut the baby from her womb.”

  Darren looked at her in complete bewilderment and asked, “Is that possible?”

  “It is. I’ve done it before. I need him to understand the risks. Infection. Bleeding.”

  “And if you don’t do this procedure?”

  “His wife and the baby will both die,” Lorna told him sadly.

  Darren nodded and then made sure Tenaya understood what Lorna wanted to do. She had never been more grateful to have Darren around than at that moment in time.

  Tenaya and Darren conversed briefly and then the chief nodded and pulled a knife from the sheath tied to his thigh. Lorna looked at the knife and then gestured toward the wagon. “I have what I need in my bag.”

  “I’ll get it for you.”

  Pamahas, who had followed her from the teepee, stepped forward. “What can I do to help?”

  “I’ll need some clean water, boiled, and those herbs you gave me to use on Timothy for infection. Wanekia will need some of it applied to her stomach once she is sewn back up.”

  Lorna was no longer thinking about her hatred and fear of the Indians. She only saw a hurting woman who was in danger of losing her baby and possibly her own life. Lorna had the skills and experience to hopefully prevent both.

  Pamahas called to several other women, who stopped their wailing and burst into action. Lorna took the bag Darren handed her and then went back inside the teepee. Pamahas joined her a few minutes later, and Lorna immediately put her to work keeping Wanekia calm.

  “I don’t have any way to help ease her pain. This will be very painful for her.”

  Wanekia murmured to Pamahas and after a brief exchange, Pamahas retrieved a small piece of wood and placed it between Wanekia’s teeth.

  “She is the wife of a strong chief. She will not cry out. Do what you have to do to save the child.”

  Lorna was stunned, but another contraction took hold of Wanekia and it lasted so long that Lorna knew it was now or never. The length of her contractions meant the baby was slowly being squeezed to death and deprived of the ability to breath. She needed to free the baby from the womb right away.

  She retrieved the small knife from her bag and then poured alcohol over the blade. She pushed Wanekia’s gown up, and after taking a calming breath and nodding at Pamahas so that she could hold Wanekia’s shoulders down, she made a cut several inches below her belly button, from one side to the other.

  On hearing Wanekia’s muffled scream, Lorna had to clench her teeth to keep from losing her focus or her nerve. She continued to work, and several moments later she cut through the lining of the womb and was able to remove the infant.

  The baby wasn’t moving and was a slightly blue color. After cutting the umbilical cord, Lorna immediately started rubbing the child’s back and front, silently praying for the tiny infant to take its first breath.

  When that didn’t get any response, she blew across the child’s face and then stuck her finger inside the mouth, clearing away the last of the womb’s fluid.

  “
Breathe, please,” Lorna pleaded, continuing to rub the child. Then, thankfully, she witnessed the miracle of life as the tiny mouth opened on its own, the chest rose, and a lusty cry burst forth.

  Lorna felt tears sting her eyes as she gazed down at the new little human in her hands. This baby wasn’t a savage; it was simply a baby.

  Pamahas held her hands out for the baby and Lorna reluctantly gave the infant to her. She needed to finish attending to Wanekia before she lost too much blood. She retrieved the additional supplies she needed from her bag and began stitching the young woman’s womb up.

  Thankfully, Wanekia had passed out after the first incision, and Lorna did her best to get everything put together before she woke up.

  Once she was sure Wanekia was going to be fine, she cleaned her up with the boiled water and then applied the salve that one of the other women had brought in. Pamahas did her best to clean up the infant. Once Lorna had cleaned her own hands, she took the infant and examined him quickly. He was perfect. Lorna had done everything she could for Wanekia.

  Lorna took the small infant, now wrapped in a colorful blanket, and gingerly touched the dark thatch of hair on his head. His tiny features and even smaller fingers and toes were nothing short of miraculous.

  A noise drew her attention to Wanekia, who had regained consciousness and was watching her and the baby. Lorna held the infant out, making sure Wanekia held the small bundle securely before she sat back and watched the young mother place the child at her breast.

  Lorna nodded, feeling a sense of accomplishment as she picked up her bag and left the teepee. Tenaya was pacing in front of the door and upon seeing her, he stopped and stared at her. Lorna smiled at him and then nodded toward the doorway.

  Tenaya smiled at her and immediately entered the teepee, leaving Lorna standing there with Darren staring at her with a question in his eyes. “Wanekia and her son are fine,” she assured him.

  Darren drew nearer to her, searching her eyes before saying, “Thank you for everything you just did.”

  Lorna nodded and returned his smile, but there was something missing. Several days ago, Darren might have pulled her into his arms and at least hugged her. Now, he was standing just far enough away from her that there was no chance they might actually touch. She felt oddly let down in that moment.

  She’d just brought a new life into the world and saved the mother’s life. She should be celebrating that with Darren, but the connection she’d felt before was missing.

  And she had no clue as to how to get it back.

  Chapter 28

  Darren finished tying off the section of fence he was working on. He took a moment to breathe and give his tired muscles a rest. Stretching his arms above his head, he realized how tight his muscles had become. He’d been working from sunup to sundown these last few days.

  It had been three days since Lorna had successfully delivered the chief’s baby. While all was well with both the mother and the child, he couldn’t say the same about things between him and Lorna. In fact, they were very strained right now and he hadn’t spoken more than a few words to her since their return to the ranch.

  Every time he thought about her, he saw her sitting in the restaurant with Orvis smiling across the table at her. The image was burned onto his brain and he just couldn’t seem to get away from it. Lorna and Orvis – the very idea was repulsive, but he’d seen that very thing with his own eyes.

  After bringing Lorna back to the ranch three days ago, he’d been keeping himself busy with ranch work. He took on any menial task that came up so that he wouldn’t have to spend more time around Lorna or with his own thoughts. Even menial tasks were better than seeing Lorna sitting at a table with Orvis.

  The hardest part of the last three days had been trying to convince everyone at the ranch that there was nothing going on between him and the beautiful young woman. She seemed to be everywhere he was. He finally decided the only way to keep from having to deal with her was to completely distance himself from the main ranch areas.

  The day after the delivery, Lorna had requested a chance to check on Wanekia and her baby. Darren had hidden his surprise at her request. When his pa and June had immediately looked to him, he’d known he needed a ready excuse. He had claimed to be needed at the ranch and assigned one of the other ranch hands to escort her to the camp.

  The next day, he’d woken before the rest of the household, grabbing a quick bite to eat on his way out to the barn. He’d then spent the day riding the fences and mending anything that wasn’t in good repair. He’d come back at the end of the day, eaten his supper quietly, and excused himself and headed for bed.

  Today had been no different. He’d made a point of leaving the dining room this morning before Lorna had even come downstairs. He did not want to risk being tasked with spending time alone with her just yet.

  His pa and June knew he was avoiding her and it was only a matter of time before they forced his hand and he found himself acting as her driver for the day.

  Now, he found himself with no one but his horse for company and hours to go before the sun set and the workday would be finished.

  He didn’t mind the solitude, as it gave him plenty of time to think about things – all sorts of things. The ranch. The railroad men. The outlaws. Her. He looked out over the horizon, an image of Lorna smiling up at him filling his vision.

  She was a fine woman. She deserved someone who could provide things for her, someone who could give her the finer things one would find in the big cities. Orvis was such a man. He was very wealthy and lived in town: that would mean his wife would have all of the comforts the town could give and never be called upon to take on the duties of a ranch wife.

  Darren would never be able to provide those things for a wife. He was a rancher, and with that came all of the uncertainties life and Mother Nature could throw at a man – and at his wife.

  The sound of a horse approaching had him turning and waving at Ethan as he rode up and dismounted. “Darren. The fence looks good.”

  “Well, it will hold. What was so important that you rode out here to find me?” Darren asked, seeing the concern on his friend’s face.

  Ethan tipped his hat back and then took a moment to compose his thoughts. “Three neighboring ranches were hit last night.”

  “Hit?” Darren asked.

  “Cattle rustlers.”

  Darren shook his head. “They hit three different ranches, all in one night?”

  “Yep. That’s not all, though.”

  “Someone else get shot?” Darren asked, clenching his fists because he already knew who was to blame.

  “Not that I know of, but two of the ranches had their barns set on fire.”

  Darren shook his head, struggling to comprehend everything that had happened over the last month. Virginia City had always been a fairly safe and peaceful place to live. Then the railroad men had come to town and the outlaws shortly thereafter…things were going downhill fast.

  Darren sighed and blew out a breath. So many problems – he didn’t even know where to start.

  Ethan watched him for a long moment and then asked, “You seem worried. It can’t all be about the cattle rustlers and outlaws. What else has you so distracted?”

  Darren glanced at the man he’d considered his best friend for more than a decade. If there was one person on the ranch he could confide in, it was Ethan. “It’s Lorna.”

  “What about Lorna?” Ethan queried. “I thought things were going well on that front.”

  “So did I, but I think I might have been wrong about her. I’m almost sure she’s hiding something.”

  “Lorna doesn’t seem like the type of woman to lie to a man.”

  “I’m not sure she has…lied, that is. But I think she’s keeping something about her past from us. You didn’t see her reaction to the Paiute when I drove Timothy out there after he got shot. She was terrified, almost as if she expected them to attack her.”

  “Maybe she had a bad experience with
one of the violent tribes?” Ethan offered. “You know that happens a lot.”

  “I do, but if she’s uneasy around Indians, what will she do when she finds out about me?”

  “You can’t worry about that needlessly. First, you need to talk to Lorna and tell her how you feel about her. Then, you can share your family history. You might be very surprised at her response.”

  Darren nodded. “Thanks for listening. You always end up giving me good advice.”

  “Glad I could help. I should probably head out to the other pasture and check on things there. As long as those outlaws are in the area, none of us can afford to let our guard down.”

  “See you at supper.”

  “Talk to Lorna. Everything will work out; you just need to have a little faith.”