Pony Express Special Delivery

by Rhonda Gibson

  Maggie moved to his feet. “Do you think we should take his boots off?”

  Thinking she didn’t want the mud on her sheet, he nodded. “We can take them off, if you want to.”

  “I just thought he might be a little more comfortable.” Maggie looked up at him with wide eyes.

  Sally came into the room. “Dinah is happily eating cake. Is there anything I can do to help in here?” She looked at Abraham. “He’s a big one, isn’t he?”

  Clayton chuckled. “I don’t think there is much any of us can do until he wakes up, and to answer your question, I suppose Abraham could be considered a big man.”

  “Oh, I don’t mean big as in fat. I meant that he’s tall.” Her voice trailed off as she studied his face.

  Clayton moved to Abraham’s feet and pulled off one boot and then the next. He placed each stockinged foot back onto the sheet. “I wish he’d wake up. In all my studies, it says that the longer a man is knocked out, the worse the injury could be.”

  Silence filled the room as each person stared at the patient.

  “Have you tried to get him to wake up?” Sally asked.

  Maggie giggled. “Yeah, have you tried to wake him up?”

  George shook his head. “You’d think that being jostled around in the bed of a wagon would wake him.”

  Clayton agreed with George.

  Sally huffed. “Well, if none of you are going to try, then I will.” She walked over and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. “Abraham. I need you to wake up. You’re scaring Clayton.” She gave him a cheeky grin.

  Clayton couldn’t deny her words. Maybe he wasn’t scared, but he was definitely concerned. “Keep talking to him, Sally.”

  She shrugged. “Abraham? What color are your eyes? I bet they are blue. Most people have blue eyes. Are your eyes blue?”

  Abraham groaned.

  Clayton’s pulse jumped. “Keep talking, Sally.” His gaze flew to Maggie’s hazel eyes.

  They were filled with compassion and worry.

  “Well, since you aren’t answering me, I’m going to guess again. Maybe they are brown. Are they brown? Abraham, don’t make me frown.” She giggled at her own silliness. “Hey, that rhymes.”

  Abraham answered in a grumpy voice, “No, they are green.”

  “I don’t believe you. I can’t see them. I think they are brown. If your eyes are really green, open them and prove it.” Sally leaned closer to Abraham.

  “You smell good.” He sighed and twisted his face toward Sally.

  Clayton motioned for her to keep him talking. He wondered how much of this conversation his foreman would remember, and if the situation wasn’t so serious, he’d probably laugh at the ridiculousness.

  “Well, thank you.” Sally lowered her voice and said in a firm tone, “Abraham, open your eyes.”

  His forehead furrowed above dark eyebrows. “I can’t.”

  She placed her hand on his forehead. “Sure, you can, honey. Open your eyes so I can see if they are green.”

  Clayton watched as Abraham’s face muscles worked. It was as if he were trying to open his eyes but couldn’t. He asked, “What happened out there, Abraham?”

  If Abraham heard Clayton, he ignored him. Clayton motioned for Sally to ask the same question.

  “Abraham, what happened to you out in the pasture?” She spoke sweetly to him, as if trying to coax answers from him.

  He sighed. “I don’t know.” Abraham slowly opened his eyes. He squinted as if the room were filled with brilliant light. “My head hurts.”

  Clayton felt all the pent-up air in his lungs release. “Thank you, Lord.”

  Abraham tried to sit up. He looked at Sally and grinned. “See? They are green.”

  She leaned forward and stared into his glassy green eyes. “Yep, they are a pretty grass green. Clayton, come look how pretty his eyes are.”

  Clayton looked at the vacant eyes. “What do you see, Abraham?”

  “Nothing. It’s dark in here. How about turning on a light?” He rubbed his eyes.

  Sally put a hand over her mouth. Her gaze searched out Clayton’s. He held a finger to his lips as if to silence everyone in the room. It wouldn’t do for Abraham to realize he was blind.

  “Hey, where is the lady with the pretty voice who smells so good?” Abraham asked, moving his head from side to side as if looking for her.

  “I’m here.” Sally placed her hand on his shoulder again. Tears filled her eyes. “Why don’t you shut your eyes and try to get some sleep? You’ll feel better in the morning.”

  Abraham did as she asked and shut his eyes. “Don’t leave me. I want to see how pretty you are in the morning.” He reached up and put a hand over Sally’s.

  She vowed as a tear slipped down her cheek, “I won’t leave you. Go back to sleep.”

  Clayton wasn’t sure they should be letting Abraham sleep, but he didn’t know what more to do for the man. He felt helpless. What kind of doctor was he going to be if he didn’t know what to do for the sick or injured?

  Maggie placed her hand on his shoulder. “How about we all go to the kitchen until the doctor gets here? There’s nothing more we can do.”

  “You two go on. I’ll stay with him,” Sally said. She sat down on the floor in front of the settee.

  Clayton nodded. He and George followed Maggie into the warm kitchen. She was definitely limping.

  Dinah sat at the table eating cake. She smiled broadly at Clayton.

  “Would you like a cup of coffee and a slice of cake?” Maggie asked.

  Both he and George nodded.

  Maggie got the coffee and placed it in front of the men. Then she sliced large chunks of cake for each of them. Her hand shook. Did she feel as unnerved as he did by what had just happened in the sitting room?

  Clayton looked back into the sitting room. He took the cake Maggie offered but didn’t have the stomach to eat it.

  Maggie limped back to the coffeepot and poured a cup for herself. Her face looked pinched and her lips tight.

  “Maggie, honey, what’s wrong with your leg?” he asked. Clayton stood and offered her his chair.

  “Nothing.”

  George grunted. “Something’s wrong with it. We can all see you are limping.”

  Maggie frowned at him. “I’m fine.”

  Clayton shook his head. “What happened?”

  She sighed. “I fell, but I’m fine. Really.” Her eyes pleaded with him to drop the subject.

  “Well, when the doctor gets here, as soon as he’s done looking at Abraham, I’m going to have him examine you.” Clayton set his cup on the table and then returned to the sitting room.

  “Sally?”

  The girl looked up from where she sat.

  “Would you help me clean the wound on the back of Abraham’s head?”

  Sally stood up. “What do I need to do?”

  “Get me a bowl of hot water and a cloth, please.”

  She nodded and walked to the kitchen.

  While she was gone, Clayton asked Abraham, “Abe, are you still awake?”

  “Yep, but my head feels like it is going to explode.” He sounded more like Abraham and less like a schoolboy with a crush.

  Clayton nodded. “Good. I need you to sit up so we can clean this cut on the back of your head.”

  Sally returned with two bowls. She handed the one with hot water in it to Clayton. “Abraham, I brought you a bowl. Just in case you decide to get sick when we sit you up.” She placed the bowl in his broad hands.

  Together they sat Abraham up. He immediately lost his lunch in the bowl. Clayton watched as Sally wiped his face and mouth with another rag that she’d brought. She took the bowl and tossed the contents. When she returned, she gave him back the bowl.

 
Clayton cleaned the cut on the back of Abraham’s head. He was pretty sure it would need to be sewn back up. Sally’s soft voice soothed Abraham. She told him her name and began talking about her family. He sat still and listened to each word she spoke.

  Once the wound was clean, Clayton asked, “Do you want to lie back down or sit up until the doctor gets here?”

  “I’ll sit up.” Abraham sounded more like himself. “When is the doctor supposed to arrive?”

  Clayton had been wondering the same thing. “He should be here any minute. I sent Bud out to get him.”

  A short nod of the head was all that told Clayton that Abraham had heard him. Clayton sat down in Maggie’s rocker. This day hadn’t turned out as he’d expected at all. Abraham was seriously injured, Maggie had been hurt in a fall and Clayton had realized just how much his wife meant to him.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The next morning, Maggie woke hurting all over. She eased out of bed and took tiny steps to James. Her arms ached as she picked him up and then walked to her rocker to feed him. The doctor had said nothing was broken. She was just bruised, but right now she felt as if someone had beaten her with a stick.

  She heard Clayton moving about his room. His lamp had been on most of the night. Maggie knew he was concerned for Abraham. The doctor had said head injuries were odd and that everyone reacted to them differently.

  Abraham was blind, but Doc had said that it might be temporary. Abraham also couldn’t remember what had happened in the pasture. The doctor had claimed that was normal also. But no matter what the doctor said, they had a man in their sitting room who was blind and had no memory of what had happened to him.

  She thought about Sally as James nursed. Sally hadn’t wanted to leave Abraham’s side. She’d kicked up a fuss when Clayton offered to take her home. She said she’d promised Abraham she’d stay by his side and refused to leave.

  It was all one big mess. What were they going to do?

  Clayton had sent Hal to the Morris place to tell them that Sally would be staying the night. Mr. Morris had come back with Hal and insisted Sally return home with him. She’d refused.

  Maggie understood the girl’s determination to keep her promise. Hadn’t she been just as stubborn? Jack had made her promise to save the ranch for his son. And she had. Even though Gus had all but begged for the land and she didn’t really want it, she’d stubbornly kept her promise.

  Mr. Morris had gone home angry and without his daughter.

  Sally had asked for blankets so she could sleep on the floor beside the couch where Abraham slept. The doctor had given him enough medicine to knock out two men, so Maggie had allowed the girl to stay unchaperoned with the foreman.

  Maggie was sure that all these same thoughts had kept Clayton awake. That, and not knowing what had happened to Abraham. She heard Clayton’s bedroom door open and close. She sighed, knowing as soon as James finished his breakfast she’d need to get dressed and start everyone else’s breakfast.

  Getting dressed took longer due to her sore muscles. Each step down the stairs was excruciating. At the bottom, she paused. Abraham’s soft snores filled the room, but there was no sign of Sally.

  The smell of bacon and eggs filled the house. Maggie inched her way to the kitchen to find Sally and Clayton having a discussion over plates of food and coffee. She walked to the stove and lifted the coffeepot. Her muscles screamed in protest.

  “Good morning, honey. I thought I’d let you sleep in. How are you feeling?” Clayton smiled at her over his cup.

  Maggie frowned. What was this sugary sweetness that was pouring from his lips, and why did it happen only when other people were around? “I’m sore but I’ll live,” she answered.

  Sally pushed her chair back. “I’ll dish up some breakfast for you.”

  “What are your plans now, Sally?” Maggie asked, easing her bottom into the hardwood chair.

  “Clayton and I were just discussing that. Pa is angry and told me if I stayed last night I’m not welcome home.” Tears filled her eyes. “He just didn’t understand.”

  “No, I reckon he didn’t,” Clayton agreed. “I’ll ride over there this morning and see if I can talk some sense into him.”

  Sally set a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and fresh biscuits in front of Maggie. “It won’t do any good. Pa is a man of his word.” She slipped into her chair.

  The fork felt as if it weighed as much as a sack of sugar. “You are welcome to stay here,” Maggie offered.

  “I’m still going over there, even if he’s as stubborn as you say he is. Is there anything I can get for you?”

  Sally nodded. “See if Ma will pack a bag of clothes for me.”

  He nodded. Clayton looked at Maggie. “Maggie, a hot bath might loosen your muscles some.” She felt as if he had switched from husband to doctor.

  “Maybe.” She ate. A hot bath would probably do wonders, but with two grown men in the house, she didn’t see it happening anytime soon.

  Dinah came into the kitchen. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. “Sissy, I’m hungry.”

  Once more Sally pushed her chair back. “I’ll get her a plate.”

  The little girl climbed up onto her chair. “Good morning, Clayton.”

  “Good morning, half-pint.” He tugged at her braid. “Did you sleep well last night?”

  “Uh-huh.” Dinah looked at the plate Sally sat in front of her. “Thank you, Sally. Do you live here now?”

  Sally caught her lower lip between her teeth. “I think so, Dinah. Is that all right?”

  Dinah nodded. “You can stay in my room with me, if you want to.”

  Maggie smiled at her little sister. Dinah had a big heart. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone was as giving as her little sister?

  “That is very sweet of you, Dinah. But Sally might like to have a room of her own. How about after breakfast you show her the room next to yours?” Maggie reached over and brushed the soft bangs out of Dinah’s eyes.

  “All right.” Dinah nibbled on a piece of bacon.

  Clayton pushed his chair back. “I’ll head on over to your folks’ place, Sally. I have an Express rider coming through this afternoon.”

  Maggie spoke up. “Clayton, what are we going to do about Abraham?”

  He glanced into the sitting room. “He should sleep most of the day. Doc left medicine to give him for pain.”

  Maggie nodded. “Be careful.”

  Clayton walked around the table. “If the pain gets too bad today, you can take a little of Abraham’s medicine and take a nap. I’m sure Sally wouldn’t mind taking care of the children for a few hours.” He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”

  Maggie’s forehead tingled where he’d kissed her. She watched his shoulders sway as he walked out of the kitchen. Why had he kissed her? Was Clayton falling in love with her? Or had yesterday’s events shaken him up more than she thought? Maggie hoped he was falling in love with her. She wanted him to love her so much that he’d never even consider leaving. Was that too much to ask?

  * * *

  The ride back from the Morrises’ seemed to take forever. Sally had been right. Her father no longer welcomed her in his home. Personally, Clayton thought he was being a bit harsh. He didn’t believe he would ever be able to do that to one of his children.

  Dinah came to mind. She wasn’t his daughter, but he cared for her as if she were. No, no matter what she did, she’d always have a home under his roof.

  Clayton took Bones to the barn, where George waited. The older man seemed more shook up about Abraham than any of the other men. After Doc Anderson left the night before, Clayton had gone to the bunkhouse to tell the men about Abraham.

  Each man had reacted differently. The four new men simply nodded their understanding of Abraha
m’s condition, but since they really didn’t know the man, their reactions were expected. Hal had nodded and asked Bud if he could read his Bible and say a prayer for Abraham. Bud had handed the book to Hal and then offered to run things until Abraham got back on his feet. It was all Clayton could do not to laugh at Bud. Of all the men, he was the least likely to be chosen to replace Abraham.

  Maybe it was because George had seen Abraham at his worst that it affected him the most. The older man asked, “Clayton, what’s to become of Abraham?”

  Clayton shook his head. “You heard Doc. He might snap out of this and be as right as rain in a few days.”

  “Yep, I also heard him say that Abraham may never get his sight or memory back. Then what?” He leaned against the pitchfork he’d been using to muck out the stalls.

  Clayton sighed. “I don’t know. Let’s give him time to heal and if worse comes to worst, we’ll decide what to do then.”

  George nodded. “Fair enough.” He went back to mucking out the stall.

  After putting Bones back in his stall, Clayton walked up to the house. He carried the carpetbag full of Sally’s personal belongings. Mrs. Morris had handed them to Clayton with tears streaming down her face. He could still hear her saying, “You tell my girl I love her and to be good.”

  Clayton opened the door to find Abraham sitting up eating and smiling. Sally sat beside him working on a sampler. “It’s good to see you sitting up.”

  “Wish I could say it’s good to see you, too, but I can’t. Seems I’m stuck in the dark at the moment.” Abraham bit into the roll of bread in his hand.

  Clayton hung his coat up and then walked to the settee. “Well, you’ll be seeing again in no time.”

  Abraham nodded. “From your lips to God’s ears.” He tilted his head to the side. “That’s a funny saying.”

  Clayton handed Sally the carpetbag. “Sally, your ma said to tell you she loves you and to be good.” He offered her what he hoped was an encouraging smile.

  “Thank you for trying. Pa can be stubborn. I didn’t expect anything more from him.” She laid the sampler on the end table and stood. “If you will excuse me, I’ll just take this to my new room.”