by Jennae Vale
“This is so unbelievable, Edna,” Arthur said.
Edna’s confident smile was meant to put him at ease. His first trip as a time traveler had come sooner than he’d expected. Edna had always planned to send him back, but the plan had been for him to arrive shortly before Ashley gave birth and to stay until Jenna had. “I dinnae ken the full nature of Rory’s illness, but if all goes well we’ll be done here in no time.”
“I’m excited to stay here until after the babes are born. I’m not expecting there to be any problems, but if there are, they can rest assured I ken what to do.”
“The lasses are thrilled ye’ll be staying. ’Twill give ye plenty of time to explore life here in this century.”
“I’ll also be excited to see Lady Jefford. I hope it works out that I can.” He looked hopefully at Edna.
“I’m sure the MacKenzies will make it happen.” It did Edna’s heart good to know another match was in the making. One that she could manipulate to her heart’s content.
The horses were saddled and ready to go. Nick had given Logan directions to where the accident had happened and he was confident he could find it.
“Thank ye fer yer help, Logan. It means so much to our family.”
“’Tis the least I can do,” Logan said. Looking past Nick, Logan saw three people ride through the gates - a man and woman, whom he didn’t recognize and a second woman he did. He pointed them out to Nick who turned to see them.
“Good day to ye,” Nick called.
“Good day. Ye must be Nick Mackall. I’m Edna Campbell and this is Dr. Ferguson and Aisla MacGuirk. We’ve come to help with Rory.”
“Edna? The Edna?” Nick asked.
“Aye. The one and only.” Edna smiled brightly as she and Dr. Ferguson dismounted.
Logan closed his gaping mouth. “I’m pleased to meet ye, Edna. I be Logan. Ye sent me to San Francisco with Dougall.”
“I ken who ye are, Logan. How are things with ye and Sara?”
“Unsettled,” he admitted.
“Well, hopefully if we can get Rory back on his feet things will be different for ye.”
“I can only hope.”
“Shall we go inside?” Nick led them into Dunaill.
“Edna! Aisla! You’re here!” Sara cried as she ran to them.
“We are here to help.” Edna hugged Sara to her and whispered. “I cannae meddle with ye and Logan, but I can help Rory and that’s why we’re here.”
“Thank you,” Sara said, feeling that it was the most inadequate thing she could possibly say to this woman. She turned to greet Aisla, who stood silently by Edna’s side. “Aisla thank heavens you’re here. He really needs you now.” Aisla’s slumped shoulders and drawn face, were an indication to Sara that she was worried. Feeling a strong kinship with her, Sara wrapped her in a hug. “All will be well, Aisla, now that you’re here. I can feel it.”
“So, we’d like to have a visit with Rory, if ’tis alright with ye.” Edna faced Nick and awaited his answer.
“Aye. I’ll show ye the way.”
They followed Nick to Rory’s chamber and stopped outside his door. “Aisla I believe ye should go in first. We’ll wait here until ye call us in.”
Aisla appeared to be both frightened and happy. She hesitated for a moment, in what appeared to be an effort to control her emotions before opening the door and walking in.
Aisla couldn’t believe her eyes. There was Rory, the man she’d been dreaming of for weeks. He was still as handsome as ever, but she could see he’d been ill for some time. She slowly crept to the bed, not wishing to disturb him if he slept. She reached out a hand to touch his and that old, familiar sensation of being on fire when he touched her came immediately back to her. Rubbing his hand and arm, she waited for a response. His eyes didnae open, but a smile appeared on his lips.
“Rory? ’Tis I, Aisla.” She silently willed him to open his eyes, but nothing happened. Perhaps if she told him about the babe it would rouse him. “I came all the way from Breaghacraig to see ye. We’re to have a bairn, ye ken. I want so much fer ye to be with me when he’s born.” She’d taken to believing that the wee bairn she carried was to be a little boy. A little boy who would look just like his Da.
Her heart sank. He wasn’t responding to her. Tears formed in her eyes and ran down her cheeks. “Please don’t die, Rory. I need ye. Don’t leave me.” She sat on the edge of the bed and laid her head on his chest. She could hear a faint heartbeat and felt the soft rise and fall of his chest. He couldn’t leave her. Not when she’d just found him again and couldn’t imagine a life without him. When she thought he didn’t want her, she would have married Logan for the babe’s sake, but now that she knew the truth she’d stay here with him for as long as it took.
She felt Rory move and then felt his arms wrap around her. “Aisla?” His voice was hoarse, but the sound of her name was distinct.
“Aye.” She didn’t dare move. She wanted to stay in his arms forever.
“Yer here. I’ve dreamt it for so long. Is it really ye?”
“It’s me. I’m here.”
“Why are ye crying, love?”
She sat up a bit and wiped the tears from her eyes, but stayed within the circle of his arms. “Because I dinnae wish ye to die.”
“I’m nae dead yet. I’ll fight on fer ye… fer us.” It seemed to take every ounce of energy he had to get those words out.
“I’m so happy to hear it. I’ve brought some people with me who hopefully can help ye.”
“Did ye now?”
“Aye. Shall I have them join us?” Aisla asked.
“Please do. Ye willnae leave me, though, will ye?” His voice was still weak, but it had grown stronger the more he spoke.
“Nae. Never, my love.” She would stay with him now and forever.
“I love ye, Aisla. I dinnae wish to see ye cry.” His hand softly brushed the tears from her face. “I promise, I’ll nae give ye reason to.”
She smiled through her tears and caressed his face. He loved her and all this time she’d thought he’d left her behind. “I love ye, Rory.” She turned toward the door and called, “Edna… Dr. Ferguson, please come in.”
The door opened and they entered. “We’re here. How’s our patient?” Edna asked.
Aisla stood and walked to the other side of the bed to give Edna and the doctor room to work. She took hold of Rory’s hand. She wasn’t prepared to let go.
Edna watched as Arthur took out his stethoscope and listened to Rory’s heart. He checked all his vital signs, looked into his eyes, his ears and down his throat. He also lifted the bandage to get a better look at his wound. He stood and packed his things back in the bag.
“Well,” Edna said.
“I believe he may have been poisoned,” he stated. “Without the proper equipment and the ability to run tests, ’tis only a guess.”
“How?” Edna was quite surprised by this.
“I’m nae sure. ’Tis possible that ’tis something he ingested. Nick, you said the wound was received as he rolled down hill. Is that correct?” Dr. Ferguson looked to him for an answer.
“Aye. We believe so, but we cannae be certain. It took quite some time to heal, but eventually it did.”
“Do ye think the wound is the problem, Arthur?” Edna asked.
“Without opening it back up, it would be hard for me to say. There are a number of possibilities, none good. After seeing the sight of the scar, I’m thinking perhaps a bowel puncture. ’Tis possible that is the reason he’s been so ill, but he wouldnae have lingered this long.”
“May I,” Edna said. She made her way to Rory’s side and looked under the bandage at the scar. “Rory, I’m going to place my hands on ye. I mean ye no harm.”
Rory nodded his permission.
She placed her hand over the scar and closed her eyes. After a few moments she spoke. “Yes. I see it. He was poked by a sharp stick as he fell. I don’t believe it perforated his bowel, but I do believe it was a poisonous plant
that may have been the culprit.”
“How is that possible?” Nick asked.
“I dinnae ken, but we must send Logan off to find the plant if possible.”
“What good will that do?” he asked.
“If we have the plant, we may be able to create an antidote to the poison. If it works, he will be well again.” Edna did her best to sound positive about the situation. She was anything but.
“There’s no time to waste then,” Nick said, standing and heading to the door.
“Bring Logan back here to me so I can explain what he must find,” Edna instructed.
Nick was out of the room like a shot. “How do ye do that?” Dr. Ferguson asked.
“I don’t do it, it just comes to me,” Edna said. “I know it seems crazy and sometimes I feel that ’tis, but if it works, why would I question it?”
“And why would ye? Why would I?” Dr. Ferguson smiled.
“Rory, ye must concentrate on living while we do our best to find a cure for what ails ye,” Edna said. He nodded, but his focus was on Aisla. His eyes hadn’t once left her face. She was just the medicine he needed. Edna was happy to have her assistance.
The sound of feet thundering down the passageway announced the arrival of Nick, Logan and Sara.
“Good. Yer here,” Edna said when they entered. “Logan, I ken ye were about to leave when we arrived. Ye must continue on that quest. Find the place where Rory fell and look for the stick or branch that impaled him. Do ye understand?”
“Aye. How will I know ’tis the one.”
“I cannae tell ye that, because I dinnae ken it meself. I’m hoping that it will be clear to ye when ye do find it. Bring back whatever ye come across that ye think may be of help. Pieces of the plant it came from would be particularly helpful.”
He appeared skeptical, but Sara had faith. Edna could see it in her eyes.
“We can do it,” Sara said to Logan. “Let’s go. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we’ll be back.” She took him by the hand and hurried him out the door.
“Do ye think they’ll locate it,” Dr Ferguson asked.
“I have already given Logan direction as to where the accident happened. He should be able to find it soon enough,” Nick replied.
“I believe they will,” Edna added.
“Come. Let’s leave these two alone. They’ve much to catch up on.” She led the men to the door and then turned back to Aisla. “Dinnae allow him to tire. He still needs his rest.”
Chapter 16
Scanning the roadway for any sign, Sara and Logan slowly made their way down the path where the accident occurred. They were hoping to come upon a narrow area where only one horse could pass at a time. So far, they’d seen a few areas that fit the description, but there was no sign of a disturbance having happened there.
“I hope we find something soon,” Sara said.
“Dinnae fear, at the very least I can find the place where he fell. Finding the plant may be difficult though.”
“What if we can’t find it?” Sara worried.
“Then Rory will die.”
It was a simple and true statement, but not one Sara wanted to hear. “And you’ll marry Aisla.”
“Aye. I will. I have given my word and I cannae take it back,” he stated, sounding as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
“We’ll find it, I know we will. It should be fairly obvious, wouldn’t you think?” Sara pictured it in her mind and thought if life was anything like the criminal investigation shows she liked to watch, then it would practically jump right out at them.
“Mayhap, but it’s rained since then and evidence of the fall may have been washed away. I wouldnae get me hopes up if I were ye.”
Why was he being such a pessimist. “Grrr…”
“Did ye just growl at me, lass?” He had a note of amusement in his voice.
“I’m growling at the situation and yes, at you,” she replied.
Logan chuckled, which made Sara want to growl even more.
“You’re impossible,” she said instead. He laughed again.
“How can you think this is funny. This is Rory’s life… our lives we’re talking about.”
“Because if I dinnae laugh about it, I’ll surely cry and I dinnae wish fer ye to see me as anything but the braw man I am.” The twinkle in his eye told her he was teasing.
It was Sara’s turn to laugh. What was the point in fighting it? Edna was here to help Rory and she simply had to believe that he would live. Any other thoughts left her feeling hopeless, something she tried to avoid in her life. She was a determined optimist for the most part. That’s not to say there weren’t days when she felt completely down and without hope, but she did her best to keep those at a minimum, believing that as far as the universe was concerned, you get what you give.
Logan stopped his horse in front of her as they came to a particularly narrow ledge that, to Sara’s eye, seemed almost impassable, with a nauseatingly long drop off the edge.
“I think this could be the spot,” Logan said as he dismounted.
“How could it be. His horse fell, but not down the ravine. This doesn’t appear wide enough for that.” Sara dismounted and walked to his side.
“Look around the corner there.” Logan pointed to a spot that was wider, but yet still treacherous to someone taking a tumble from a horse. “Leave the horses here. Let’s take a look.”
They crept past the narrowest section. Sara hugged the wall and kept her eyes from looking down. She was terrified of heights, but she wasn’t about to tell Logan. He’d probably make her go back to stand with the horses. She breathed a huge sigh of relief as they rounded the corner and came to a spot where the path widened again. The ground around them appeared no worse for wear, but gazing down the side, which would have facilitated a rolling fall by Rory, they could see many broken branches and signs of a body sliding downhill.
“Stay here, I’m going down,” Logan said.
“No. I’m going with you,” Sara insisted, fighting back the nausea and dizziness that were overcoming her at the thought of it.
“Sara. Dinnae be so damned stubborn. ’Tis nae safe fer us both to go down there. Ye must stay here.”
She was gritting her teeth and digging her heels in. No way was she staying up here alone.
“If anything happens to me, I’ll need ye to be able to go fer help. Do ye understand?” He had his hands on her shoulders and was gazing into her eyes.
Wow. He really knew how to make her melt. “Okay,” she said.
“Good, lass. I’ll be careful, I promise.” He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.
Sara’s impulse control wasn’t very good when it came to Logan. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss. She found herself pinned against the rock wall to her back, as Logan placed a hand on either side of her and leaned his forehead against hers. “Lass…”
“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I know, this isn’t the time or the place, but I couldn’t help myself.”
He was still staring at her with those same deep, dark eyes that had undone her a moment before.
“I promise I won’t do it again.” Her fingers were crossed.
“Ye shouldnae make promises ye cannae keep.” His mouth was less than a millimeter away. “And if it werenae so important to gather plants for Edna, I’d put ye to the test.”
Her heart thudded a happily frantic beat in her chest, as her spaghetti-like legs threatened to give way beneath her. “Well, hurry up then,” she managed to squeak out.
“Aye.” He touched a soft finger to her lips and was over the side of the ravine before she knew what happened.
Sara forced herself to look over once again and was surprised to see something other than the sheer drop she was sure was there the first time she looked. The drop off from the road, while steep, was definitely climbable in most spots. There were times when Logan sat on his butt and slid, but most of the time he was able to r
emain on his feet. He ascertained the path Rory had taken on his fall by the path of broken branches and slide marks and ultimately found the spot where he landed not even halfway to the bottom.
“Do you see anything?” Sara asked.
“I see many things,” Logan teased.
“You know what I mean.”
“Aye. I’m going to gather as many samples of plants as I can. He started hacking away at shrubs, greenery and branches.
Sara was amazed at how many different plants she was seeing. This wasn’t going to be easy. She watched as Logan hacked away at the plants and shrubs. Damn he was sexy. Broad shoulders and narrow waist, muscles flexing every which way while he worked. Heaven help her, but she couldn’t stop herself from admiring him as he worked.
Logan moved past a large flowering bush that caught her attention. “Hey, Logan. See that yellow flowering bush to your left?”
“Aye.” He cautiously made his way over to it.
“I think that’s oleander and if it is, it’s poisonous.”
He hacked off a good-sized piece, flowers and all. “’Tis dripping a milky liquid where I’ve cut it,” Logan observed.
“Don’t get it on yourself.” She wasn’t sure if getting it on your skin could make you sick, but she didn’t want to take any chances.
“I willnae.” He placed it in the cloth bag hanging from his shoulder. Edna had given it to them to transport the items they found. He continued gathering plants from the spot where Rory landed and all along the way back up to Sara. “Here,” he said, handing Sara the bag.
She took it and then gave him a hand as he hoisted himself back up onto the roadway.
Taking the bag from Sara, he tied it to his saddle. “That’s it. We’re done. Now to get this back to Edna.”
Sara was overwhelmed by the number of plants in the bag. Even with everything they’d gathered, she was worried that they may not find a solution that would save Rory’s life. She was overcome with sadness at this thought. She didn’t have a very good poker face and Logan noticed her change in mood immediately.
