“Yew-oo wunnerfuh,” she rubbed her eyes again then looked up. “Teh ebber-wun take care of me… Gwa’mawcy,” she smiled, and his face lit up. “Yew-oo be nice’a ever’one yike me?” Before he could respond Sesha went on, “I go ou’side now? Be-lah, me, Gwace, go walk? P’ease?”
“Well of course,” Peter Allway swelled with some pride. He was wonderful in the child’s eyes! He was her foremost Protector, telling everyone to take care of her. “An’ I shall have the cooks send a basket; they hath made cakes and tartlets.”
“It’s a wonderful treat you wish, but Sesha may not have the cake as ‘tis made of honey. Tartlets, yes, and we shall pick more fruit so more may be made.”
“Why no honey for the lass anymore?” Peter helped Sesha to her feet and draped the shawl over her shoulders. They had given up on bonnets for there was no way to keep one on her.
“’Tis my recommendation. Miss Sesha comes from a place where this type of insect is not. The sting nigh on killed her,” Florence gathered up a blanket and handed it to Beulah, “to ingest any product from the same creatures would again bring illness an’ most likely death. Beet sugar only for this child, Reverend.”
“If that is thy belief, must be so. The Lord doth guide thee, Leech. If thou woulds’t be saved, He would take thee to better things.”
Everyone held their breath but Florence only nodded and went back to her patients.
As Sesha and Beulah left the chair near the field and walked towards the area Grace was working in, they had their important talk.
“I think we should tell Grace the truth of you. She has ever been my best friend and confidant, and perhaps she could help formulate a plan to free us and achieve your goals.” Her hair had fallen out some from the coil she kept it in; the mussed look made her appear a few years younger, which made Sesha smile over the feeling of love that rose.
“I’m not sure I agree,” she shrugged, “but…” she went along with it. Without a trace of accent Sesha approached the subject carefully, why and what and her crew in danger; how she’d told Beulah and Florence too.
Grace didn’t believe at all until Sesha expanded the Gem out to its full form, which still looked like a gem, just thin and large, covering her forearm. The woman touched it, awed at how it felt so real. Then Sesha turned off the appearance of her bracelet and took off the thin black band, again experiencing the discomfort. “Please let me put it on you, Grace,” her accent thickened a bit as she begged. “It… will feel a bit odd attaching, but then you will get a full explanation of all this.”
“How… would this device be able to speak in my mind, as you say, Beulah?”
“Imagine,” Sesha had to try and gear down the technicalities, “hairs so fine that you can’t even see them, and it would take a thousand of them to be the size of one of your hairs,” Beulah nodded, understanding since she’d already spoken with Gem, “and these hairs touch you… your mind understands what they say and you know it. There will be no harm, just a funny tingle for a moment, then you will learn what Beulah and Florence have, all right? You can see that she’s fine,”
They sat in low berry bushes so they could see all around that no one could hear them talking and picked, shifted some and picked more. Already three large baskets were full of blueberries and Beulah had smeared some juice around Sesha’s mouth, as if she had been eating.
“Well,” Grace looked at Beulah, who tried not to plead with her eyes, “all right. I see Beulah is fine and continues as she has been, Florence too, so…” she held out her arm, pushing up the sleeve.
Sesha let Beulah take it, putting it on Grace before she could register the difficulties Sesha was going through. She and Wrist Gem were a bond and this was most difficult, especially since this was the second time in a few days she’d disconnected. It felt like losing half her mind, when Shni wasn’t there!
Almost immediately it was like Grace was having seizures, so Beulah laid her down and held her head and shoulders while the woman suffered, and then…
She fainted.
“No!” Sesha gasped and reached for the bracelet, and then Shni, 4 inches tall, appeared on top of the band.
“Stop, Sesh,” he held out his hand. “I had to knock her out so I could tell both of you what’s happening. First,” he shook his head at her when Sesha reached out again, “she does believe… but I’m going to dampen it a bit for her, because,” he looked at Beulah, his small face sad, “she has a heart problem. It’s… bad. I’m sorry, Beulah, Sesha. Part of the problem Grace was having was her heart couldn’t handle this stress on top of what she’s carrying already – she went into…” he frowned, trying to explain down to Beulah, “… we call it ‘fibrillation,’ where her heart quivers. So I made her pass out. That way she will relax, and I’m using the medical unit right now to affect a small repair to her heart. It’s not nearly good enough, but my medical program is working on it.” The look he gave Sesha said he’d explain later.
“A heart attack?” Sesha asked.
“She’s had heart disease for a long time… the medical program says she’s had several small attacks and almost 1/6th of her heart muscle has already died. Her heart is consistently working at just under 50% of normal. Tell me, Beulah… how’s Grace’s health been?”
“Even before we left Boston, she tired easily. Florence treated her for palpations when a male doctor said it was hysterics. She rises slowly, oft presses her hand to her breast… oh dear God…Grace… my friend is going to die?” tears had started running down Beulah’s face as the reality suck in.
“Not this very moment, no,” Gem reached out the small vision of his hand and patted her hand, laying close to him. “But sometime today, yes. Even if Sesha had never arrived, this was going to happen, even if Sesha and you never told her. Her heart is on a steady decline and now it’s in collapse. There’s nothing I can do, and unless Sesha could get Grace up to the ship now so our… physician… there can fix her, yes, she’s going to die in a few hours.”
Beulah sat silently, her face twisted in grief; eyes closed as she sobbed a minute, then pulled herself together.
“She can at least be kept in comfort, her last hours?”
“Based on this society,” Gem nodded, “I’d send Sesha back to where men are, crying alarm in her foreign language, and collapse herself. When they come running,” despite the bad situation, his voice was wry, “have her be weepy and clingy, not leaving Grace’s side… that way I can track her condition, help keep her pain level low and give word before she…” he fell silent, sorry he couldn’t do more.
“When help arrives, Beulah, you tell them Grace spoke of being dizzy, short of breath, her chest felt like a heavy animal was crushing her. Then she pressed a hand to her heart and fainted.”
“But… what of the tale she now knows?” that really worried the woman.
“I’ve already set it in her thought processes that she can’t speak of it unless Sesha does first. She’ll have to say ‘Shni said,’ and then Grace can talk about it with you two, if she’s able. What you can do is sit with Grace… she’s not going to wake up very well, bathe her forehead and every little bit press your ear to her chest and listen to her heartbeat. I’ll let you know just before she goes. So Sesh, put me back on and let’s get this going… Grace really does need to be in bed.”
So ten minutes later a babbling, weeping Sesha stumbled to a group tending the corn; a man scooped her up and raced into the city where he cried alarm and Monitors surrounded her while the Reverend came in a hurry.
“Gwace!” she called out, hysterical, and fell to babbling while pantomiming clutching at her chest, then swooning.
“Grace! Her heart oft pains her,” her husband wasn’t on guard then; hearing her name, seeing the posture, the man panicked. “Where, Sesha?”
She pointed, then made two fists as if grasping and lifting, then pointed to the infirmary. “Be-duh, cawwy!”
“Fetch the stretcher,” Allway bellowed and two men ran, then dash
ed past. With a cry Sesha pushed up to follow, only to find arms trying to hold her back. She continued to howl and struggle – her arm was seized in a crushing grip. A fierce yank wrenched her still tender shoulder out of the socket as she was spun to the side, her body sat down so hard on the ground it rattled her teeth. Gasping in pain while holding her shoulder, alarmed, Sesha looked up to see the snarling face of Monitor Hosea over her.
“Aroint thee, child, and move not!” the man roared at her.
React, Sesh!
The scream she managed was indeed most blood curdling, her attempts to get back to Grace became a frantic effort to get away from her assailant who was still gripping her arm with iron strength. The howls were pain-filled as his repeated pulling on her arm further damaged the shoulder.
“Hosea!” the shout Reverend Allway let loose actually was heard over Sesha’s shrieks. “Cease! Shalt not potch the lass!”
Hosea let go of her arm and Sesha tumbled over, still screaming as she clutched her arm to her. Sarah snatched her into her arms and two other women helped pull her back, away from Allway’s number one Monitor.
“Take Sesha to the Infirmary, put her to bed until the Leech and Nourish may tend her,” the Most Holy Lord Reverend commanded, and the women heaved her up even though it caused horrible pain and carried her off.
“Thou shalt not attach Miss Sesha as a Patch doth, ever again!” Allway’s voice rose sternly as the two men faced off.
“The female must learn her place, Most Holy Lord Reverend,” despite his use of the title, the Monitor’s voice was defiant and sarcastic.
“Sweet Sesha is a Pagan, and must be taught gently! Have you forgotten that she has been foully abused by the Pirates who captured her ship, killed her family?” Peter Allway was in full protection mode. The woman who was to be his second wife must be protected at all costs! “Thou shalt make amends to her after we have seen to this problem or thou be breeching,” and then they were too far away.
Inside, Florence took one look at Sesha and was enraged. “Her shoulder be displaced, the back of her dress blood-boltered! An’ I hear yelling? What?” She lent a hand to Sarah, who when she tried to sit Sesha down, were audiences to a loud snarl of pain – real pain – and slid sideways, trying to curl backwards, her back hurt so bad, shoulder too. Florence clamped a hand on her bracelet, sending a message to Shni, and Sesha passed out.
“God, no!” Sarah cried, even more alarmed.
“Tis good. Women, stretch her out flat, give me the child’s hand,” and with an expert pull and twist, Florence popped the shoulder back into place. “Bind her arm tight under her breasts and pour cold water on her dress back. Ruth, sit by her.”
“Grace be coming,” Sarah threw the bandages at Leah. “Sesha ran – ran! On her own, crying alarm until the men brought her. Grace’s heart is bad, the child said.”
And then Sesha woke up for the jostling of getting her arm bound to her, so Florence bounded over and bent close. “Grace is almost here,” she rubbed Sesha’s forehead. “Try to lay still for a bit; your back is bloody again.”
“Shni,” she whispered, “touch it,” and Florence did, and heard too.
He hurt your back too, Sesh, slamming you down… the muscles are spasming badly, you’re bleeding again… all up the side where it impacted. There’s an infection brewing too, a couple of these germs from this forbidden place are taking hold. After Grace is settled and things quiet down,
The back door flew open, a child doing it then darting to the side so two men could hurry in, bearing the stretcher and patient, Beulah was right behind, undoing her bonnet and crisping out orders. Luckily for the women, the men hurried out so they could do whatever possible for Grace’s comfort. The door shut on Nicodemus’s protesting to be with his wife, his voice hitting high pitch.
With admirable efficiency, these technologically primitive women stripped the stricken woman, swaddled her in a gown and put her to bed, gently propped up. Herbal tea was fetched, to be coaxed down her throat if she should wake up. As it was for Sesha and other patients, the pad of dried leaves was placed under her to catch any voiding.
As Beulah asked for silence, then laid her ear on Grace’s breast, Sesha rolled off the bed, crawled over and slid her braceleted arm under the woman, holding Beulah’s hand as she silently wept. And she was really crying, for Sesha loved Grace too. Not as strongly as she did Beulah, but enough.
Gem, can you tell her what’s happening?
I’ll try… I’ll have to push through you strongly unless you can settle the Gem bed against her skin somewhere, then I can connect briefly to her too.
It was easy to do; Sesha burrowed her arm close to the woman, touched her head to Beulah’s and whispered “skin on Gem,” and went back to sobbing. She felt Beulah nestle her hand in and they laid across Grace. Florence saw there wasn’t enough room so she just laid her hands on Grace’s head, stroking.
And then the communication was broken.
“Wife? What in the name of the Most High God is wrong with our Lady Grace?” Allway strode in, Nicodemus behind but silent, though he was shaking all over.
“When Grace was felled,” Beulah lifted herself up, eyes streaming, “she and I were instructing sweet Sesha in the miracles of the food God has given us. We had just learnt that she doth love blueberries directly from the bush and delighted in picking, so we picked for more tartlets and ate as well. Upon rising, our Sister did state her chest was weighty, her left arm a tingle, as if asleep, then collapsed. I could not awaken her, so I sent Sesha back for help. And I have been listening to the beat of her heart. It is not sound, My Lord,” to her surprise, her husband crouched and, using his handkerchief, wiped her face.
“What dost thou mean, not sound?”
“As I have tended to the ill, using the gifts the Lord God has given me, I have listened to the working of our hearts. When well, they are a steady rhythm of life that God has bestowed; when our bodies fall prey to the Wiles of the Devil, the beating is altered. Grace’s…” shrugging, Beulah laid her ear back down and after a long moment, began tapping out what she heard. It was irregular and rapid.
“God hast not made our hearts to sound thusly,” his voice was suddenly reproving, and looking up, Sesha saw that three Monitors had slipped in.
Before Grace could answer, Nicodemus did.
“Grace did oft have unsound beating, Reverend,” The man was sharp. “Did faint betimes, press her hand ‘gainst her breast an’ go pale. The Leech did care for her, e’en before the Great Journey!”
Beulah sucked in an aggravated breath, knowing her husband was acting officiously more so for the Monitors.
“Woulds’t thou to please place thine Holy ear here, and listen then? I lie not, Most Holy Lord Reverend. Her heart doth beat poorly and tis very weak. I believe our sister will be winging her way to the arms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and God his Father.” Shni’s news of Grace’s condition had been bad; she was failing rapidly and wouldn’t live out the day.
Her challenge stopped him and he just nodded. “It be as thou sayest, wife,” with as much dignity as he could muster, the Reverend lumbered to his feet. “We will all mourn the loss of our gracious Sister.”
“Lord Reverend,” now Beulah bent her head in submission. “I pray thee that thou woulds’t let me stay by the side of my friend in her final times. I believe that poor Sesha will not move, nay,” she glanced back at the girl, sobbing her grief into the unconscious woman’s belly, “we doth not know what her culture’s beliefs on death are. I know not how to comfort her…”
“She will learn as she sees how men and women of God behave,” he patted her shoulder tenderly. “And thou mayst remain by thy sister’s side… ever she has been by thee, since the beginning of time. Be thou praying over her every moment, wife. Come, Nicodemus… thou must pray an’ prepare thy wife’s final resting place.”
“No!” Sesha’s shriek was incredible. “’im ss-tay! Ho’d han’ an’ say ‘wife, I yuv ‘oo!”
“Sweet Sesha,” Allway took off his hat and bent over a bit to catch the girl’s eyes, “in our city the men pray and dig the graves for family members. Grace is… sleeping, she will not know,”
“Uh, huh!” it was almost a childish response. “Bee-lah duh – eye, you no sit, say ‘yuv ‘oo? No nice! Nic ss-tay!”
Allway hesitated. He knew strict control was needed to keep his city together, following his rules but to win Sesha’s love he needed to bend or break rules, which he was already doing. So he did just a bit more.
“I will allow Nicodemus to visit his wife a few minutes, child. He may give her his last message and kiss, then must come and pray. I woulds’t do the same for Beulah, as it is what God commands.”
“I give most humble thanks for Nicodemus and us,” now Beulah looked up, “and I shalt obey thine commands, my Lord.” With great relief they watched the men leave.
Nicodemus fell on his knees by the bed weeping; Sesha exchanged glances with Beulah and Florence, then went to the other side. She tucked her arm under the woman’s neck.
Shni, can you bring her around just a little? Enough to hear her husband?
I’ll have Medical jolt her just a bit with her own chemicals… but it will be brief. She’s sinking fast.
Grace’s eyes opened a hair when she felt his lips on hers and murmured wordlessly.
“I love thee dearly, my wife of 40 years.”
“I, thee,” she murmured back. “So… sorry.”
“Not thy doing, my love. Go peacefully to Heaven.” He kissed her again and started to rise.
“Wait,” she was fading, but fought. “Protect… Sesha. Pro-mise.”
“As one of our own, I shall.” Again he kissed Grace.
“Tell…. Him. All.”
“I shall,” Sesha whispered. Nicodemus kissed his wife again and rose.
“Beulah, ladies, stay with her till the end an’ I shall bless thee forever.” Tears were standing in his eyes. “Now I must needs be punished for my wife’s passing.” Outside they all heard the voice of Allway preaching loudly, so Grace’s last hearing would be of his preaching. Nicodemus slipped out the back door where another man and two monitors were waiting for him.
Weathering Storms Page 32
