by Barbara Goss
Maria slept that night sitting in a chair, her head resting on Ned’s pillow, still holding his hand. She awoke when she felt her hand move. Sitting up straight, she looked at Ned, struggling to open his swollen eyes. She’d put a cool cloth on them in the hope the swelling would go down, but it hadn’t gone down enough for him to be able to see.
“Ned?” she whispered.
He groaned.
“Don’t try to talk. Just lay still and try to sleep, because I want you to get better.”
Another groan was all she heard. She noticed he moved his legs a bit, but then he fell back asleep.
Hugh had tried two doctors in town but neither was available. There had been a shoot-out in town that same night, and several men had been shot. Doc Peters promised to come out in the morning—she wished he’d hurry.
Maria placed a fresh, cool cloth over Ned’s eyes and prayed over him until she heard a commotion coming from the kitchen. She left the room and walked out to see Doc Peters being greeted by Hugh and her mother. Hugh was relating what he knew of the incident to the doctor.
“Well, let me take a look,” Doc said.
“Please come this way, doctor,” Maria said, leading him to Ned’s room.
“Thank you.” The doctor then opened the door to Ned’s room, and said, “Wait out here while I examine him. When I’m done, I’ll come out to talk to you and his family.”
Maria nodded as she twisted the handkerchief in her hand. She turned to see Hugh and her mother behind her.
Vera took Maria’s shoulders and steered her into the sitting room. “You need to relax. Ned will be fine now that the doctor’s here,” she said. “Did you manage to get any sleep last night?”
“A little. He tried to open is eyes this morning. Oh, Mother, he couldn’t, and, thankfully, he went back to sleep. It was hard to witness.”
“Did he say anything?” Hugh asked.
“No, but he groaned a few times.” Maria sat down and held her head in her hands. “I love him, Hugh. I always have.”
“Tell me,” Vera said, “when did you know you loved him. At what point in time?”
“I knew it the day we rode to the river. After that, my heart lurched each time I saw him. The night Balcomb assaulted me he kissed me and that was when I knew he had to find out if he still loved Ellen, because I’d fallen deeper, and I couldn’t let myself fall more in love with him than I already was. I talked him into going to England to find out just what it was he wanted and needed.
“I prayed the whole time he was gone that he’d come back to me. Then I got the letter.”
Just then the doctor came from Ned’s room and sat down in an armchair. “Well, he’ll live, but it’ll be a long time before he’ll be able do anything strenuous, and it’ll be a long recovery.”
“What are his injuries?” Hugh asked.
“Going completely by an external examination, I’d say he had a few fractured ribs, a broken arm and more bruises than I’ve ever seen before. His legs are bruised and sore but I didn’t feel any fractures.”
“He took quite a few blows to his head,” Hugh said. “Any injuries to his head that we need to worry about?”
“That’s hard to say until he can talk to us. I didn’t see any sign of a concussion.
“I checked his spine for injuries that could cause paralysis but didn’t find anything,” the doctor said. “It’s all up to Ned now.”
“Is there anything we can do to speed up his recovery?” Maria asked.
“Not really. Just give him as much liquid as he’ll take, and the cool cloth you had on his eyes was an excellent idea. Keep doing that until the swelling goes down. I’ve left a bottle of laudanum on the nightstand. Add it to his liquids as needed for pain.” Doc Peters said. “I’ll be going. I have a few gunshot cases to check in on.”
Vera walked the doctor to the door.
At first, Ned thought he was waking up as usual in the morning, though he wondered why his whole body—especially his chest—hurt. He tried to open his eyes, but found he could only view the room through the tiniest slits. What had happened to him? He felt his heart beat a bit faster—he thought perhaps he might be dying.
What happened to him? Then it slowly started coming back—Balcomb and his friends had beat him and left him to die.
He tried to move his legs and once he knew he could, he relaxed, knowing he’d at least be able to walk again. Then he fell back asleep, welcoming the black abyss where he knew no pain.
The sound of male voices woke him. Was that the sheriff Hugh was talking to? Hugh was telling him about Balcomb and whoever he had helping him. Good. Hopefully, he’d throw the lot of them in jail for a while.
He heard the sheriff comment that he’d never seen anyone so beaten up before, which only served to confirm he was a mess. The room grew quiet again. Just as he was drifting back into the painless, black void, he felt someone kiss his hand. Maria! Please, God, he prayed, let it be Maria. He turned his head despite the pain, peeked through the slits he managed to open, and gazed at the most beautiful sight: Maria, sitting with her head on his bed, holding his hand. He felt an immediate spurt of happiness before allowing himself to be pulled back to the blackness that took his pain away.
“Maria,” her mother called to her. “I want you to get some sleep. I’ll sit with Ned tonight. The spare room is at the end of the hall on the right. Now, go.”
“I can just as well sleep here, resting my head on Ned’s bed, Mother.”
“No. You can’t get a good night’s sleep that way. I promise that I’ll call you if Ned awakens.”
Maria grimaced, but she stood and walked to the door. “We have no nightclothes here.”
“There’s a bag in the room with your clothing and mine—I went for it this afternoon. Now, go lay down and relax.”
Maria stood in the doorway, reluctant to leave Ned, watching her mother settle down on the chair beside him and open a book. She supposed Ned would sleep all night after the dose of laudanum she’d put into his water and got him to sip.
At the first light of day, Maria was up, dressed, and in Ned’s room. Her mother stood so Maria could sit near him.
“He didn’t wake up at all,” she said. “I’ll go and sleep, now” she said moving toward the doorway, stifling a yawn.
“Thank you, Mother.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m rather fond of him myself. See you later today, dear.” she said and disappeared down the hall.
Maria took the seat her mother had just vacated and kissed Ned’s hand again. It was the only place without bruises, so she knew her touch wouldn’t give him any pain. She laid her head beside his hand and stroked it gently, studying the hand. It was strong, with short nails that were fairly clean despite what they’d been through. They were rough hands, hands that worked hard. She traced the blue lines of his veins and kissed his hand again. He had to recover fully; he just had to.
She stood and looked down at his face. She lifted the cloth that lay across his eyes and noted that the swelling had lessened. She brushed the hair from his forehead, noticed no bruises there, and kissed it. He began to stir, so she sat down again and recaptured his hand.
Without warning, he started to swing his hands as if he were hitting someone, and Maria had to dodge a fist as it whirled past her face. She stood, ran to the door, and scurried to the kitchen where she found Hugh.
“Come quickly! Ned’s fighting the air.”
“Fighting the air?” Hugh stood up, ran to Ned’s room, and he caught the last few seconds of Ned’s struggle.
“He thinks he’s still fighting those men. He must be remembering somewhat. I hope it’s a good sign.
“Have you given him any laudanum this morning?” he asked.
“No,” Maria answered.
“I’ll bring him some fresh water. His eyes look better today, too.” Hugh left to get some water.
Maria sat back down and hoped it hadn’t been her touch that set him to thinking he was
being attacked again. Every so often, Ned would groan, so she imagined he was still in a lot of pain.
Hugh came back with a fresh urn of water and a clean glass. He set it down on the nightstand.
Maria poured Ned a glass of water and put a dab of laudanum in it. “Are you ready, Hugh?”
“Yes,” he said. Hugh gently lifted Ned into a sitting position and Maria held the glass to his lips. He sipped a bit and then would drink no more.
“Drink, Ned,” Maria said. “It’ll take your pain away. Please, drink a bit more.” She pressed the rim of the glass to his lips. “Please, Ned, drink!”
Ned refused to open his mouth.
“Hold the glass right where it is,” Hugh said. “Get ready to pour some into his mouth.” Hugh squeezed Ned’s cheeks and his mouth automatically opened. Maria poured a few more drops of water into his mouth. He swallowed and then turned his head.
“I think that’s the best we can do for now, Hugh.”
“It might be enough. I have some work to do outside. Your mother and I sat with him last night, so I may lie down for a spell when I return. Will you be okay with him for a while?”
“Of course, but if he starts fighting again, what should I do?” she asked.
“Get out of his way,” Hugh laughed.
Chapter Sixteen
Ned and Hugh’s housekeeper, Helena, came into the room. “How’s he doing?”
“I wish I knew,” Maria answered. “He’s been sleeping and I guess that’s good for him.”
“His friend, Travis, is here. Shall I show him in?” Helena asked.
“Please, do!” Maria said as she stood to welcome Travis.
He walked in slowly, carrying his hat. “Is he any better?”
Maria shook her head.
“Do you mind if I sit with him for a while?” Travis asked.
“No, of course not. I welcome your company,” she said. “Sit here in my chair. I’m going to try to eat a bit of lunch. Would you like something?”
“No, thank you, but before you leave, I need to tell you what I discovered in town,” he said. “It seems Pete Balcomb has been running with a wild bunch of no good cowboys from the Double U Ranch. He’s been working there, and…I want you to know, Ned and I would never have introduced you to him had we known about his behavior or the company he’s been keeping.”
“I know that,” Maria said softly.
“What have those men been up to besides beating Ned up?”
“According to the sheriff, they’ve all been locked up. They’ve been stealing cattle from other ranches, burning down outbuildings, and responsible for a whole lot of other mischiefs. The sheriff isn’t sure about the fires, but he has a hunch it was them, too,” Travis said.
“I’m glad they’re being punished, but it isn’t helping Ned any.” Maria kissed Ned’s hand before leaving the room.
When Maria returned, she pulled up a chair next to Ned.
“Let’s switch chairs,” Travis said.
“Why?”
Travis stood. “I want you to be closer to him. I know he’d rather see you than me when he awakens.” He laughed softly. “Who wouldn’t?”
After switching chairs, Maria put her hand over Ned’s again. “His eyes look a bit better today, don’t you think?”
“I’ve noticed that. I think some of his bruises are a lighter shade of purple, too.” Travis sighed and said softly, “I guess I’m relieved the sheriff locked Balcomb up because I was on my way to settle the score with him.”
“You were going to fight him?” Maria asked. “Isn’t one man in this shape enough?”
“Balcomb could never beat me—or Ned for that matter. That’s why he needed his friends to jump in.”
“I was waiting on my porch for him that night. I couldn’t wait for him to court me for the first time,” Maria said, gazing into space. “He never arrived, and I feel ashamed I’d thought that he’d changed his mind about courting me.”
“According to Hugh, he was just as anxious,” Travis said.
Ned groaned loudly and started jabbing his fists in the air again. Travis pushed Maria out of the way, took both of Ned’s arms in his hands, and held them down on the bed while Ned continued to squirm and groan.
“Travis, let him go! He thinks he’s still being attacked,” Maria said.
“Ned!” Travis said sternly. “It’s over. They’re gone. You’re safe now.”
Calmed at last, Ned tried to open his eyes. “Gone?” he said hoarsely.
“Gone—. All six of them,” Travis said. “Look who’s here, Ned: Maria.”
She stepped into his view as Travis let go of Ned’s arms.
Ned turned his head away from Maria.
Maria gave Travis a look of puzzlement.
Travis, whispered, “Maybe he’s ashamed to have you see him like this.”
“Nonsense,” she whispered back.
“Ned, please look at me,” Maria prompted. “I’ve already seen what you look like, and I’m here to nurse you back to health. You might as well look at me because I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll love you no matter what.”
He slowly turned his head toward Maria and tried to smile, but then moaned.
“You don’t need to talk or smile, just squeeze my hand to let me know you want me here,” she said softly.
After several seconds, Ned squeezed Maria’s hand, hard and long—she got the message, loud and clear. He wanted her with him. She smiled and sat down, still holding his hand.
“Travis, will you help me get him to drink some water?” Maria asked.
“Okay. What do you want me to do?”
“Gently, pick him up into a half-sitting position and I’ll do the rest.”
Travis did as directed. This time, Ned drank several good swallows.
“That was a great drink, Ned,” Maria said. She set the glass down, replaced her hand on his, and he squeezed her hand once more before falling back to sleep.
This was the first time she’d ever told Ned she loved him. She knew he loved her back; it was he who had needed the reassurance, and it was something he needed.
That night, Vera and Hugh sat with Ned again, and Maria relieved them in the morning. The routine went on like that for three days before they noticed any significant improvement in Ned’s health.
Maria was resting her weary head on the bed. She’d had her hand over Ned’s, but as she drifted off to sleep she let it fall. A hand stroking her face jarred her from sleep. She opened her eyes to see Ned smiling down at her.
“Ned!”
“Yep,” his hoarse voice said, “I’m still here.”
Maria sat up straight, and grabbed his hand, and squeezed it. “And so am I.”
“You can talk now?” she asked.
“I would have spoken sooner but someone gave me so much laudanum, I couldn’t stay awake.”
“I didn’t want you to be hurting,” she said. “Are you in pain now?”
“Yes, but enough laudanum, please. I can bear it,” he said, still smiling.
“If you’re sure. It’s right here if you need it.”
“Did I hear you say you loved me a few days ago?”
Maria didn’t think he’d heard it or remembered it. She felt herself blush, but she was determined to stand by her words.
“You did.”
“Did you say it out of sympathy?” he asked. His smile faded as he searched her face.
“Sympathy?” she repeated. “I don’t feel sympathy for you. You’ll be fine, the doctor said so.”
Ned continued to study her face. “The day I first became aware you were here, I turned my head because I didn’t want you to see me like this. Did you say you loved me just to get me to turn my head?”
“No, that wasn’t why I said it. I saw you right after they brought you here. You’re still as handsome as ever, just a bit more colorful.”
Ned smiled at that. “Then why?” He took her hand and held it by his face.
“Because it’
s the truth,” she whispered. How she wished he would say it back, but she knew he wouldn’t.
“You’re blushing,” he said with a grin.
Maria didn’t answer him. He kissed her hand and held it against his chest.
“Does it bother you that I haven’t said it back?” he asked.
“Not one bit,” she said. “I know you love me. I can sense it. Words aren’t always necessary. Besides, a woman knows these things.”
“Oh, do they?” he said, and then coughed, grimaced, and held his chest.
“What’s wrong, Ned?” she said anxiously.
“Are my ribs broken?”
“A few of them,” she said.
“There’s a reason I don’t say those three words back to you,” he said.
“And I know what that reason is,” she said. “You said it recklessly before and you’ve learned a lesson.”
“Yes.” He kissed her hand again. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t. I just need to be careful. If I ever say those three words again, you can be sure I mean them, and they won’t be said in the heat of passion.”
Maria looked into his gray eyes and saw all the love in them she needed. He loved her, she’d bet anything on it. She smiled at him. “I understand completely.”
Ned wiggled his toes. “Are my legs going to work?”
Maria nodded. “Nothing’s broken down there.”
“Why can’t I move my left arm?”
“It’s broken. There’s a splint on it.”
“Oh, no wonder.” Ned sighed loudly. “Any other injuries I don’t know about?”
“No, I think that’s the extent of it, but you’ll be happy to know those men are in jail.”
“Good, because otherwise, I’d have to find Balcomb after I’ve healed, and give him a taste of what’s it’s like to be in pain. He couldn’t fight me, man to man, he had to call in his gang.”
“Travis told me Balcomb got a job on a ranch where he got mixed up with a bunch of ornery cowboys,” Maria told him.
He smiled at her and rubbed her hand. “Have you been here all the while?”
