The Cripple’s Bride

by Elliee Atkinson

  Daryl nodded, his eyes half-open. “I know you will. I know you will.”

  The bottle almost slipped from his hand as he fell unconscious. Tom caught it and put it on the table next to the bed. He looked up at his father. “Is that good, Pa? I don’t think a couple swallows of that rum would have put him out like that.”

  The doctor shook his head. “No, it’s doubtful. There’s something ravaging through him. Let’s see if we can get this object out of his body. Then maybe we can save him.”

  Tom looked at Daryl’s face, doubtfully. “He looks bad, Pa. Real bad.”

  George nodded. “I know he does. But we have to do what we can. This is Elizabeth’s uncle. She will be devastated if we lose him.” Elizabeth was Tom’s betrothed, the only daughter of the Samuels. Tom’s eyes widened.

  “Oh no! Tell me what to do, Pa. What do you want me to do?”

  George directed his son to pull a chair around to sit with him on the side where they could see the wound. He sat in the chair and pulled a sharp knife from his bag, along with several cloths, which he handed to his son. He kept one and rubbed the blade with it.

  “Fetch that bottle.” He gestured with his head toward the rum bottle.

  Tom got up without question and brought the bottle back to his father. George splashed some of the rum on the blade before pressing it against the swollen wound in Daryl’s back. Daryl moaned loudly, but did not regain consciousness. Tom looked up at his face, worried.

  “He will be fine. Let’s get this out of here. Clean this up.”

  Tom used the cloths to wipe away the blood and puss that seeped from Daryl’s wound. “This is bad, Pa,” Tom repeated.

  “Hush, son, you’re going to see a lot worse than this if you plan to be a doctor. Men are getting shot all the time. And there’s plenty more ways for people to get hurt. You’re going to see people die. You need to remember that.”

  “I know, Pa. This just looks so… so bad. Elizabeth will be heartbroken.”

  “I shouldn’t have told you who he was. Maybe then you would be able to concentrate.”

  “I’m concentrating, Pa.”

  “Good. Now wipe this up. Use a clean towel. Rinse those off. Get this wet and press it right here.”

  Tom did as he was told, watching as his father took a pair of pincers and slid them into the opening he’d made with the blade. He moved the pincers slightly to the left and then the right. Tom looked up at his father’s face when the older man made a sound of surprise.

  “Oh my,” Dr. Campbell said. He opened the pincers with his fingers and maneuvered it to take hold of the object.

  “What is it, Pa? What is it?”

  Dr. Campbell peered at the wound, working carefully not to tear any more of Daryl’s skin than he had to. “I think… I think it’s a…” He stopped speaking so that he could focus on pulling out the object. Tom moved his eyes to the wound and held out a cloth to catch whatever it was.

  Dr. Campbell and Tom shared a look when the doctor pulled a perfectly formed walnut out of Daryl’s wound.

  “How… how…?” Tom caught the walnut in the cloth and folded it over, setting it on the table and grabbing fresh clean cloths to catch the remaining blood.

  “Let’s not worry about that. Let’s concentrate on the rest of the problems he’s having.”

  “Yes, Pa.”

  Rachel was about to go inside when she spotted Sam approaching. She lifted one hand and waved. He waved back.

  “Rachel! I’ve been following you! I didn’t know about that short cut!”

  Rachel nodded. “I’ve used it in the past when I went to the Collins’ house to help Alice or one of the children,” she called out.

  He brought his horse to a stop right next to hers and dropped to the ground. “You ride like a madwoman, Rachel. What’s going on?”

  “It’s Daryl. I had to go get Dr. Campbell. Afterward, I went to town to get you, but they said you’d already left. I didn’t see you anywhere, so I took that shortcut back to my house. It’s the best one to get to town fast.”

  “You’ve learned a lot about this area, haven’t you?” He took her arm and turned her to the door.

  “Yes, I have a map of the entire area in my head.” Rachel replied, going up the steps beside him.

  “So what’s wrong with Daryl?”

  Rachel knew the doctor was inside with Daryl. She stopped before opening the door and turned to her brother. “Sam, he had something lodged in his back. It was like if he’d been shot, but… it wasn’t a bullet.”

  “Are you sure?” The hair on the back of Sam’s neck bristled at the thought that Daryl had lied about everything and was, in fact, some kind of outlaw. He would strangle him, if it was true.

  Rachel shook her head. “Don’t go gettin’ fired up, Sam. I know he isn’t a bad man. I can feel it. I can see it. It’s not a bullet. It’s… it’s something else. The doctor is removing it now. I don’t know if he’s done. I don’t know if I should even go inside, but I know Daryl is probably feeling very alone right now.”

  “He’s not a child, Rache.” Sam put his hand on the door. “But I understand what you mean. Go in. I’m sure he could use someone right now.”

  Rachel gave him a grateful look and passed by him to enter. He followed her and was immediately swallowed by the warm air inside. He smiled. The fire was raging in the fireplace. He stepped over to it and stood there for a moment before following Rachel into the other room. He got as far as the hallway. Rachel was standing at the open door, looking at Tom Campbell.

  She turned her head to look at him. “They just took out the thing in him, Sam,” she said in a shaky voice. “It was… it was a walnut.”

  Sam frowned. “A what?”

  “A walnut.”

  Sam blinked a few times. Tom nodded. “Yes, sir, it was a walnut. But he’s got an infection and his fever is still too high. It’s going to be a rough night for him. A rough day, really. He needs as much quiet as he can get so he can rest.”

  “I want to see him,” Rachel said. “Let me see him, please.”

  “Pa says you might want to wait until we get him bandaged back up. You don’t want to see him this way.”

  Rachel shook her head. “No. I saw him when it was all fresh. I saw him when I cleaned that wound earlier. I can see him now.” She put her hand up to push past Tom, but the young man, who was just as tall as she, put his hand on hers and gently blocked her, stepping in her path.

  “Excuse me, Miss Rachel,” he said calmly, in a voice almost as low as a whisper. “I don’t think he wants you to see him this way.” He said nothing more. He stared directly at her.

  She stared back, processing his words in her mind. She relaxed and stepped away from him. “Please let me know when I can come in.”

  Tom nodded. “Thank you, Miss Rachel.” He took a few steps back and closed the door.

  Rachel stood there for a moment, looking at the closed door. Sam’s heart melted for his sister when he saw her eyes brimming with tears. “He’s going to be all right, Rachel. I just know it.”

  She looked up at him. “A walnut.” She covered the lower half of her face with her hands. He would have sworn she was laughing behind her hands. However, tears were flowing from her eyes at the same time and her forehead was wrinkled with pain. “Oh, Sam. It was a walnut!”

  He put his arm out and surrounded her shoulders with it. “Come sit down. Tom will let you know when you can go in to see him.”

  She nodded. “I know.”

  He took the handkerchief off a small hook between the kitchen and the living room walls and handed it to her. “Wipe your face, sister. I can’t tell whether you are laughing or crying or both.”

  “It was a walnut. That’s such a strange object to have inside your body.”

  “Well, we know where he fell then.”

  She looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

  He shrugged. “There’s only one area around here that has walnut trees. Mr. Fisher. He lives
in town, but he owns the walnut pasture out there.” He pointed in the direction he meant.

  “Louisville is that way, isn’t it?”

  Sam nodded. “Yeah, but it’s not the best route to take. There are faster ways to get to Louisville.”

  “But it leads there from here. That must be what happened. He left and was taking a different route and got lost in the storm. His horses may have found that route and just continued on the path, even though he didn’t know where he was going.”

  “It depends on when he got hurt. But I’m glad he found you.”

  “Sam,” Rachel breathed, leaning forward, wiping her cheeks and eyes with the handkerchief. “I don’t want to feel like this. I… I just found him. I don’t want to lose him. I just… I just don’t want to… I haven’t spent enough time with him.” Her face crumpled and she let out a few gasping sobs. “And I was teasing him, telling him he would lose his leg. Oh, Sam, I feel so awful.”

  “No, no, Rachel. Don’t put this burden on yourself. You have been an angel to him. He knows that. You would never hurt him. He knows that. He also knows how funny you are. And I think he feels the same way about you that you feel about him. And you have my blessing, Rachel. I like him.”

  Rachel blinked at him for a moment before covering her face with the handkerchief and crying softly. Sam moved to sit next to her, pulling her into a warm hug.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  A WOMAN FROM LOUISVILLE

  A WOMAN FROM LOUISVILLE

  The sounds of their hushed voices whispered through the house. They were huddled in a circle, each sitting on a chair they had drawn together so they did not have to speak loudly.

  “I think it’s time his family knew he was here,” George said, his usually gruff voice softened. “There is a chance he might not make it through the night. Don’t you think it’s about time?” He directed the question to Rachel, knowing she would ultimately make the decision.

  “He didn’t want them to worry,” she replied. “But I agree with you now. He needs them.”

  “He has what he wants here,” Tom said. “That’s you, Miss Rachel. But his family deserves to know, in case the worst happens.”

  Rachel nodded. “I understand. I’ll go and talk to them now.”

  “I don’t think you should waste any time. It may be the middle of the night, but time is of the essence.”

  “Maybe I should go, Rachel,” Sam volunteered. “You aren’t in the right frame of mind to go talking to these people right now. And if Daryl wakes up, he will want to see your face, not mine, hovering over him.”

  Rachel bit her lip. “Oh Sam, I don’t want to sit here and wait, doing nothing. I want to do something. I have to do something. And if I can get them to come back with me, I’ll know I accomplished something. If Daryl is upset, then so be it. I think he would agree, the time is now.”

  “He would,” Sam nodded. “But are you sure? What if…”

  Rachel shook her head. “Don’t. He will be fine. He is strong. He told me he’s been healthy all of his life. I know he will be fine.”

  “Go then, go get his family,” Sam urged her. He stood up and grabbed her jacket from the hook. “Get your scarf and boots back on. I’ll come with you. Dr. Campbell, are you staying?”

  “I will stay as long as there isn’t another emergency. Even so, Tom will be here. He will be cared for.”

  “Thank you, doctor,” Rachel was already slipping into her jacket. She leaned over and pulled on her boots. “We’ll be back soon. If he wakes up, please tell him I will be back and not to worry about me.”

  The doctor nodded. “You know we will take care of it, Rachel.”

  Rachel was headed to the door. Sam followed her, giving the doctor and his son one nod as he went out.

  Rachel was on her horse and riding through the melted snow minutes later, trying to put the right words together to present what had happened with Daryl without scaring his family to death. Especially his sister. Daryl made them seem quite close. If they were as close as she was to Sam, the woman would be frantic to get to him.

  Her own heart pounded for the woman. She knew the seriousness of the situation and soon Rebecca would, too. Should she make it seem less dangerous than it was?

  She inhaled deeply, her lungs filling with icy air. How she hated the cold weather. She longed for the heat. It was her favorite part of living in the West. It was dry and hot.

  Not right now, she grumbled in her mind.

  “Rachel!” She turned when Sam called out to her. He was stopped, trying to keep his horse steady in front of a trail. “You’re going to the doc’s. The Samuels’ are this way.”

  Rachel turned Prince and went back to where Sam was. “I forgot. I wasn’t thinking.”

  He shook his head. “You were thinking too much, weren’t you? You don’t know what to say.”

  “Yes, that’s exactly right. You know me well.”

  “Would you like me to do the talking?” They rode down the path side by side.

  “No, I want to tell her. It will sound softer coming from me.”

  Sam nodded. “You are probably right. But what will you say?”

  “I think I should just tell her that he had an accident with his wagon and was injured and I took him in before the snowstorm hit hard. I shouldn’t tell her how bad it is right now, should I?”

  Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. I think you might want to warn them somehow. I don’t know how to tell her without scaring her, but she really does need to come now, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t think I need to tell her the extent of it. Just knowing he’s injured should be enough to get her there now. I know it would make me come to you.”

  “It’s four in the morning. I hope we can rouse them. They are going to be alarmed enough as it is.”

  “Yes, I hate that we have to wake up the whole family. I should have come earlier. I should have come and told them when I went to see Dr. Campbell the first time.”

  “Don’t do that, Rachel. This isn’t your fault. You can’t take the blame for anything that’s happened. You did what you thought was right. Don’t blame yourself. I don’t want to hear that.”

  Rachel spotted the house in the distance and pulled in a deep breath. “Here we go,” she said, taking the lead and hurrying Prince along the path. Once they were there, she didn’t want to knock on the door. She didn’t want to tell Rebecca her brother might die.

  She waited on the porch for Sam to come up next to her. She looked up at him. Saying nothing, he lifted one hand and rapped on the door as hard as he could. “Mr. Samuels?” he called out. “Mr. Samuels! Wake up, Charles! Wake up!” He banged on the door some more, making as much noise as he could.

  “I hate this,” he whispered to Rachel.

  She nodded. “Me, too.”

  Finally, they heard shuffling noises on the other side of the door. It was jerked open and Charles Samuels stood in front of them in his pajamas, a pistol in his hand. Rebecca was behind him with a lantern. She looked frightened. When she saw who it was, she stepped down the last two steps and came up next to her husband.

  “Sam! Rachel! What has happened? What’s wrong?”

  Charles relaxed when he saw them, taking a step back and putting his pistol on the table by the door. “Come in out of the cold! What has brought you here so early in the morning?”

  Rachel looked at Rebecca. “Mrs. Samuels… Rebecca. I have to tell you something and I want you to sit down first. You need to be calm.”

  Rebecca stared at her, fear on her face. She breathed shallow and whispered, “Oh dear.”

  Charles took a step toward Rachel. “What is it, Rachel? You’re frightening her. Out with it, now.”

  “Your brother, Daryl…”

  “Oh no, oh no,” Rebecca covered her face with her hands. “Is he all right? Is he alive? Please tell me he’s alive.”

  Rachel and Sam shared a confused look.

  “What do you know about what’s happened to him, R
ebecca?” Rachel asked.

  Rebecca couldn’t answer so Charles did for her. “There was a woman here earlier,” he said. “She told us that Daryl left Louisville nearly two weeks ago and that he had not sent for her and her children yet. She was worried about him, so she came on her own. When she saw that he was not here, she took a room at the Inn until she finds him.”

  Rachel stared at Charles, stunned into silence. A woman? Children? Her heart burned and her face turned bright red. The lantern light hid the color of her face, but Sam saw fury there. He himself was shocked to hear there was a woman waiting for Daryl at the Inn. Daryl had given them no impression whatsoever that he had a wife and children.

  Rachel regained her composure. She wanted to talk to Sam. She wanted to talk to Daryl. There had to be an explanation for this. She hadn’t given her heart to any man in her life. And now… she had given it away, only to have it broken.

  She resolved to get to the bottom of it. She would see the woman in the Inn herself and talk to her about Daryl. She would let the woman know what a scoundrel he was, if he was truly married to her.

  “What about my brother??” Rebecca asked, bringing Rachel out of her thoughts.

  “He is at my house,” Rachel said. “He is resting and yes, he’s alive.”

  “Oh thank you, God,” Rebecca cried. “Thank God!”

  “Why is he at your house?” Charles asked.

  “He found his way to my house in the snow storm. But he was already injured in an accident with his wagon. He is not doing well and it is a good idea for you to come and see him.”

  “Ma? Pa?” The adults looked up the stairs to the top, where Allan was standing, a lantern in his hand. “Is it Uncle Daryl? Are you talking about Uncle Daryl?”

  Rebecca nodded. “Yes, we are, son. Do you know something, too?”

  “You were asleep when I got back from the Inn. I saw that woman you’re talking about, ma. It was before you came into the Inn earlier, Miss Rachel. She asked me about a Daryl Parker and where he was. I said I didn’t know and she said I should because he’s my uncle.” He shook his head. “I didn’t think she was very nice. I didn’t know what to tell her. I was going to ask you but Sam needed me to stay at the Horse N Saddle till it closed. I see why now. I want to see Uncle Daryl, too, Ma. Can I come?”