“She won’t be missing from now on. I will make sure of it,” he said to his brother’s wife.
Little Bird stepped closer and leaned toward him. She spoke in a hushed tone. “It is good that you are teaching her the language of The People. She has said how grateful she is for the dress we made for her, but that she wishes to dress in the manner of a man. Is this true?”
Daniel smiled and nodded. “I believe you understood her correctly.”
The shaman spoke at that moment, saving Daniel from having to elaborate.
“We, the Tukudeka clan of the Wolf, welcome you among us, Dosa Haiwi,” the man spoke in a strong voice. “The spirits have favored us with your presence, and White Wolf has chosen well to take you as his wife.” He glanced at Daniel and nodded.
Daniel stepped up to her and took her hand. Aimee smiled, her gaze drifting from him to the shaman.
“I think you need to translate, Daniel. I’m missing most of what he’s saying.”
Daniel translated the shaman’s words. The spiritual leader and medicine man of the tribe droned on in his welcome speech, then looked directly at Aimee.
“A child was brought to me by another clan. I have been trying to ward off the evil spirits surrounding her. My prayers and herbs have not cured her. I would ask that you speak to the spirits for guidance.”
“Ask him what’s wrong with the girl,” Aimee said to Daniel after he told her what the shaman had said. A quick look of unease passed through her eyes, but was quickly replaced with a lift of her chin. “If I know what the symptoms are, I might be able to offer some suggestions. Maybe I can see her?”
“The shaman says the spirits steal her breath. He says none of his chants and prayers have made them leave her alone. He has herbs that help her fight the spirits, but they keep coming back.”
Aimee’s forehead scrunched. “Steal her breath? As in, she has a hard time breathing? Sounds like asthma,” she murmured. She glanced from the shaman, who looked at her with an expectant expression, back to Daniel.
“There is medicine in the future that can help, but I don’t know of anything that can cure her in this time. Steam from some of the hot springs might ease her breathing when she has an attack, and she shouldn’t exert herself,” she offered. “It might not help, but it probably won’t hurt.” She reached for Daniel’s arm. “Can you explain to him that my form of medicine doesn’t include talking to the spirits?”
“Dosa Haiwi’s ways are different, which is good,” the shaman said with a nod. “I have been giving the child a medicine bundle I use in my sacred pipe. It eases her breathing, but it does not chase the spirits away forever.”
“Tell him if what he’s using works on her breathing, that’s all he can do. She will have to have the treatment whenever she’s having an attack,” Aimee said once Daniel had translated. “What he’s describing is a sickness in the lungs. She may always have it.”
The shaman stepped up to Aimee and nodded with a smile. He took her hands in his, and looked directly at her when he spoke.
“The spirits have told me you were here to stay. They are pleased that you have united with White Wolf. You will do much good for the people with your medicine, but you also need some guidance to learn the ways of the Tukudeka.”
Aimee returned his smile. The unease left her eyes at the shaman’s words, replaced by renewed confidence. Daniel stood beside her. Pride swelled in him again for her. She was so unlike any woman he’d ever met, which was why he’d fallen in love with her in the first place. He held back a smile. Her bravery and strength would lead her in her new life.
He silently thanked whoever was responsible for her being here. Foremost his father, who had used the snakehead and sent Aimee to this time, as well as the mysterious creator of the device. Whether that was the mythical Sky People or someone else, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that she was here and had made his life whole.
He touched the pouch around his neck again. A sudden urgency gripped him to get rid of the snakehead before someone found out about it. First, he was obligated to go hunting to repay his mother and several members of the clan for supplying Aimee with proper clothing. When he returned in a few days, he would take her to the great canyon as she’d suggested, before the weather turned and made traveling there impossible.
Chapter Six
Aimee sat outside Little Bird’s hut. A newly-tanned pair of britches lay in her lap. With the elk bone needle in her hand, she finished completing the seam on the right pant leg. She held the tool in her hand and rotated it in front of her, studying it. It was much larger than a regular sewing needle, but it certainly did the job well, and had been carved to a sharp point.
“No reason I can’t make smaller needles out of bone that would be suitable for stitching up wounds,” she murmured.
The idea of helping the people in this time with her nursing skills had never crossed her mind. Saving Elk Runner’s life and the little boy had simply come naturally to her, and she’d done what she’d been trained to do as an ER nurse out of habit.
Sure, she’d never actually performed surgery on a patient until she’d saved Elk Runner from bleeding to death internally, but she’d assisted enough times to be confident in doing it herself. Even in unsterile conditions, she’d saved his life. Granted, she’d had things in her medical kit at the time that had helped prevent infection, but there were other ways to sterilize instruments and prevent possible wound contamination.
She couldn’t simply walk away from someone who needed help. Was this her true calling - providing medical help to the people in the past? The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
The shaman had introduced her to his young asthma patient, showing her the medicine bundle he’d used to treat her. To him, medicine was more about chasing off evil spirits, and the herbs supposedly did that. Although she’d be limited from using the kind of medicine she was used to, combining the shaman’s knowledge of healing plants with her modern methods might save more people that required doctoring.
The Indian healer had been patient with her over the last three days, showing her various herbs and plants. He’d tried to explain their purpose and the healing properties they contained. She’d listened intently, not only because of the language barrier, but also because she was eager to learn and be useful in her new role.
The most beneficial plant she’d come across so far had been willow bark, something she’d even heard of back home while in nursing school. The bark of the willow tree contained a substance similar to aspirin, and was therefore a great pain reliever. While the shaman clearly liked to smoke it, it could also be brewed into a tea.
She’d been most intrigued with the plant the shaman used to treat the young asthma patient. Apparently it was a plant that wasn’t native to this area, but the Indians traded it with other tribes, using it in their pipes for tobacco. Aimee had suggested the girl drink a tea from the leaves rather than inhaling the smoke, but the shaman had shaken his head. Through various gestures and demonstrations, he’d made it clear to her that ingesting the tobacco would cause severe vomiting.
Aimee raised her head when several of the many dogs in camp barked and ran from their places in the shade. A group of men emerged from the forest that surrounded the clearing where the village was camped. Her heart did a little flip in her chest. The hunters must be returning.
She stood, setting aside the britches and joined the other women and children who moved from their wickiups to greet the men who’d gone elk hunting three days ago. Her eyes scanned the men, looking for Daniel. Three men walked ahead of the group, followed by several dogs pulling travois piled high with meat and skins. Behind them, two more men walked, one of them supporting the other.
“Daniel?”
Aimee’s eyes widened, and a jolt of dread raced through her. Elk Runner walked beside Daniel, who leaned heavily against his brother and clutched at his side. Aimee ran, calling his name again. She passed the other women and ignored the rest
of the hunters, rushing to reach the man who raised his head and pulled at her with his eyes.
“What happened?” she demanded. She shot glances from Daniel to Elk Runner, repeating her question in Shoshone.
She shook her head when Elk Runner offered an explanation. The meaning of his words were lost to her. The only thing she’d understood was patuhuya – elk.
Daniel straightened, pulling away from his brother, who still had one arm around his waist to help support him.
“You were injured by an elk? Where?” Her eyes roamed over him. There were no obvious bloodstains on his leggings or on his cotton shirt, but the various pouches, powder horn, and the belt around his waist obstructed much of her view.
Daniel smiled, but the pain in his eyes was clear. He clutched at his abdomen. “His hide will provide you with many new clothes,” he said.
“I don’t care about the hide. Where are you hurt?” she insisted again. Her eyes shot to his hand at his stomach. “Let me take a look.”
Elk Runner watched with interest, his eyes darting from Daniel to Aimee, then he grinned. Laughing, he said something to Daniel, which earned him a dark scowl. His brother slapped him on the back, then followed the other hunters to the village.
“My injury won’t prevent me from walking to the hut,” Daniel said, still glaring after his brother.
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Aimee shot him a stern glare of her own. Worry and annoyance for his stubbornness filled her. “Do you men ever take anything seriously? Getting shot with an arrow, getting stabbed nearly to death, and now tangling with an elk. This could be serious, Daniel.”
Daniel reached for Aimee’s hand. His face softened when he looked at her. “You are right, gediki. No one takes life for granted. We do what we must to survive. If a man gets injured because he protects his family, or provides food, then his life is not wasted. If he doesn’t get back on his feet, a stronger predator will come along and kill him.” His hand reached up to touch her cheek. Aimee’s hand trembled when she gripped his.
“It is a harsh lesson to learn in my world. I will not die from this injury, and you can tend to me when we reach the huts.” He looked at her, waiting.
Aimee blinked away the tears that threatened behind her eyes. He was right. She had to stop thinking like someone from the twenty-first century. She’d witnessed both him and Elk Runner walk away from near-fatal injuries, exhibiting the sheer will to live, regardless of the excruciating pain they’d endured.
Daniel’s latest injury was yet another reminder of how much she had to learn and adjust her thinking. In this primitive world, everything was potentially out to kill a person – a hostile warrior, the elements, the terrain, even the animals that provided food. If he gave in to the pain, the chances of getting killed were even greater.
Aimee nodded and wrapped her arm around his waist to support him as they walked back to the village together.
“I don’t like it, but I will remember,” she whispered.
Daniel released his hold around Aimee’s waist once they’d reached the village and stood in front of the shaman’s wickiup. His foster mother, Elk Runner, Little Bird, several of the other women and older men gathered around them. He frowned at the commotion. His injury was minor, not something that would ordinarily attract this much attention. He glanced at his wife. No doubt people were gathered out of curiosity to see Aimee use her healing magic on him.
Elk Runner leaned toward him. “Had you been quicker with your bow, the elk wouldn’t have tried to gore you.”
Daniel glared into his brother’s eyes. “If you had lived up to your name, the elk wouldn’t have come after me.”
“Stop arguing, you two, and let’s get this belt off so I can take a look at your wound.” Aimee’s eyes darted between them. She looked apprehensive with her audience, but also ready to take control of the situation as she’d done so many times before when someone needed help. It was doubtful she understood the exchange between himself and Elk Runner, but she’d clearly realized their words hadn’t been endearments.
Daniel hissed when the movement to unstrap his belt from around his waist elicited a sharp pain in his side. He pulled his cotton shirt over his head, bringing more pain to his insides that rivaled the time he’d been stabbed by Blackfoot warriors and had nearly died.
That time, he’d been careless, consumed by grief and anger at Aimee’s disappearance and what he’d assumed had been her betrayal. He hadn’t cared whether he’d lived or died. Death would have been welcome. He’d stubbornly refused to hear Aimee’s explanation for her disappearance after his father had taken him to the future in order to save his life. He’d lost her a second time, but it had been his own fault.
Once his father had finally revealed the truth about Aimee, Daniel had wanted nothing more than to find the woman who was his heart song. He gazed at her now. He no longer lived for himself, but for her, and he should have been more vigilant during the hunt. This was the season when bull elk were the most dangerous.
“Daniel,” Aimee gasped, bringing him out of his thoughts. Her hands touched his stomach, eliciting another quiet hiss. He glanced down to see the dark discoloration above his hip and abdomen, making the two long scars just below his ribs more visible.
“There is no flesh wound,” he said to reassure her. His words earned him a stern glare from blue eyes filled with worry.
Her fingers grazed along the scars. “Those knife wounds almost killed you. They’re still fresh enough that a bruise like what you have now is worrisome. You might have internal injuries.”
Daniel smiled to conceal the pain her gentle prodding elicited. His hand reached for her cheek, his thumb sliding along her jaw line.
“One thing you have to remember in this time, Aimee, is that a weak man is a dead man. I will always be honest with you, and I won’t lie and say that this injury isn’t painful, but it’s no worse than others I’ve sustained in my life.”
“You allowed the elk to nearly gore you on purpose, White Wolf,” Elk Runner proclaimed. His eyes sparkled as he looked from Aimee to her hands on Daniel’s stomach, and a grin passed over his face. “You were jealous of Dosa Haiwi months ago when she ministered to my wound. Do you remember? Now she can do the same for you.”
Daniel scowled at his brother, mostly because Elk Runner was right that he’d experienced irrational jealousy seeing Aimee touch another man. It had been a ridiculous emotion, but she hadn’t declared her love for him at the time, and he hadn’t fully recognized the depth of his own feelings for her.
“I think you’re right and there are no broken ribs. I’m guessing there’s no bleeding inside, unless the bruising gets worse. I think some willow bark tea will help with the pain.”
Daniel’s brows rose. His eyes met Aimee’s. She smiled.
“Willow bark? You’ve been learning while I was gone.”
“I’ve paid attention to the shaman. Right now, though, I’d feel better if you lay down.” She motioned to the wickiup behind her, and nudged him toward it.
Facing the people standing around them, she said in broken Shoshone, “White Wolf will live. He needs rest.”
Elk Runner chuckled and walked away first. The women followed while the shaman nodded and smiled at her. Daniel ducked into the dark hut, clutching his side.
“I’ll see about some tea,” she said softly after helping him settle on one of the pallets in the hut. She’d obviously shared the wickiup with the shaman and his family while he’d been gone.
“I didn’t expect you to be my first patient.”
Their eyes met. Daniel reached for her and pulled her onto the pallet beside him, ignoring the discomfort in his side.
“This won’t be the last time I come back from a hunt with an injury.”
His eyes locked on hers. It was best she accepted this now. She blinked rapidly. Daniel stroked his hand down her back, twisting strands of her silky yellow hair around his fingers.
Aimee nodded. “Like so many other t
hings I have to get used to in this time, I don’t have to like it. I accept it, but it won’t keep me from worrying.” She leaned forward to touch her lips to his.
“It won’t be difficult for me to get used to your care,” Daniel murmured to lighten the mood. “Ordinarily I would simply swallow my pain and resume the hunt.”
Aimee pulled away from him. “Not while I’m around,” she said heatedly. “You shouldn’t have married a nurse if you thought I’d let you go around hunting and running through the woods with injuries.”
Daniel chuckled. “I will do a lot of things that you ask, gediki, but I won’t become a man from the future.”
Her face softened. She stared at him for many seconds before acceptance grew in her eyes.
“I know, and I wouldn’t ask you to change who you are.” She smiled, then added, “I’ll ask the shaman to brew some tea for you.” She stood and glanced over her shoulder at him. “Thank you for letting me be a woman from the future.”
With a quick nod, she stepped outside. Daniel’s eyes lingered on the opening to the hut. He smiled through the pain. No. He’d never demand that she be any other way.
Chapter Seven
“Are you sure you’re well enough to travel that far?”
Daniel turned his head to meet the challenging glare in his wife’s eyes. She rode beside him on the horse he’d given her, the fringes along the arms of her new doeskin shirt swaying with the motion of the animal. Next season, he’d take her to St. Louis when he went to trade his beaver pelts, and purchase material so she could wear things other than leather. While he wore buckskin, he also preferred his cotton shirts in summer and wool in winter.
“I’m sure,” he answered with an indulgent smile.
“You’re sitting as if you’re in pain.”
Daniel stopped his horse. He turned in the saddle to face his wife fully. “You didn’t ask if I was in pain, only if I was well enough to travel.”
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