by A. R. Ford
“Tristan Luca Walker,” Nyssa murmured.
“And a fine young boy he is,” he said. “Congratulations to you both.”
Days passed into weeks. Tristan grew and took on his father’s stockiness. The baby had his mother’s chocolate eyes and Luca’s dark hair. If it were possible, Luca and Nyssa fell deeper in love. Donovan envied them.
Most evenings when they sat by the fireplace she would rest in his lap, his arms holding her securely. And for a brutal man like Luca to demonstrate the gentleness he did with the baby and Nyssa? It made him believe that miracles were possible.
Donovan’s cabin was finally complete. He needed to get out from under Luca and Nyssa’s feet. They often gathered together at one cabin or another. Jack and Mary joined them. The group of friends would sit long into the night talking by the fire. And as always, Donovan retired to his bed alone.
Part Two
Medicine Man
Donovan and Kallie
Chapter 17
Donovan
Feeling the need to contribute more to their group led to Donovan borrowing Luca’s bow. “I’ll see if I can find a deer,” he added before walking off into the forest early one morning.
Luca spent hours showing Donovan the game trails in the woods. He knew where to find a buck that would feed the group for days. There was nothing better than fresh venison fried on an open fire.
Donovan found a spot within a thicket of laurel. A game trail lay a hundred feet or so from where he stood. He removed an arrow from the quiver in preparation for the hunt.
It didn’t take long before a deer moved along the path. Its white tail flickered, head coming up nervously every few minutes. He let the doe pass.
Moments later movement stirred the brush. A buck’s rack came into view. Donovan drew back the arrow and waited until the buck came into view. A deep breath in, and the buck leapt away just as he released the arrow.
Something thrashed in the brush. Donovan was certain the arrow missed the buck. He ran toward the brush hoping to see the buck lying there. What he saw made his heart race and gut clench.
A young woman with wild, dark auburn curls lay there with an arrow piercing the left side of her chest. Blood puddled around the wound. She whimpered, emerald eyes opening. She tried to roll to her feet but collapsed.
Donovan was at her side in an instant. “I’m here to help. I didn’t mean to shoot you. Dammit!”
His hands moved over her chest and back. The arrow was buried in the dirt. Donovan snapped it off first one end then the other, leaving a few inches protruding from each wound. He grimaced at her cry of pain.
Donovan had thought to bring some rags to clean his hands with if he killed a deer. He used the rags to staunch the bleeding. A long strip torn from his shirt served as a makeshift bandage that he tied around her chest and shoulder to hold the rags in place.
She was as light as a feather. Donovan picked up Luca’s bow, the girl, and ran. Luca’s cabin was closer. He would head there and hope they could save the girl.
“What’s your name?” he asked before settling into a run.
“Kallie,” she whispered. “Don’t let me die.”
“I won’t.” There was no time to think about the ramifications of the promise. She was gravely injured.
Donovan had no way of knowing if the arrow pierced a lung or artery. Without proper diagnostic tools and tests, he was on his own. It would take every bit of skill and knowledge he attained over the years to save her.
Luca stood in the open doorway of the cabin. He ran toward Donovan when he appeared over the rise.
“What the hell happened out there, Dominic? You go for a deer and bring back a girl.” Luca’s eyes fell on the arrow’s shaft protruding from her chest. “A girl with an arrow in her chest. Get her inside.”
Without question Luca opened his home to the girl who was a stranger. Donovan grinned at his back. The Luca he knew from the resistance would have never allowed something of this nature to happen. Nyssa was softening his heart.
Luca beckoned at the massive table shoved against one wall. “Here.” He cleared the table of the few items sitting on its top.
Nyssa appeared with the baby in her arms. She gasped, her eyes locking with Luca’s. “What happened?”
“I shot her by accident. I had a big buck in my sights. He spooked at the last second. There’s not time to hash this out. I have to save her.” Donovan explained in a rush while placing Kallie on the table. She groaned, a hand going to her chest.
Nyssa kissed Luca’s cheek. “Please take Tristan. Let me help Donovan.”
Luca took the child and left the room without question. He had never been one to hang out in a field hospital, not that Donovan could blame him. He often wondered about his decision to enter the medical field. Perhaps he was a glutton for punishment? There was no time to explore the question. The girl was his priority. It was his fault she was gravely injured.
Nyssa assisted with innate skill. She pulled the field kit from Donovan’s backpack and handed items to him without question.
Donovan desperately wished the old blood pressure cuff had not disintegrated from dry rot. The girl paled and now lay silently, chest rising and falling rapidly. He knew her pressure was lower than it should be just from physical signs. He cut her shirt but left one side in place to preserve as much of her dignity as he could.
“I’m praying it didn’t collapse a lung. So far there isn’t any sign that it has. Get the dressings covered in petroleum jelly, Nyssa. I need to put one on both wounds.” Donovan set to work cleansing not only the area around the wound but the arrow.
“Let me roll her onto her side. I’ll pull the arrow through and you slap that dressing on it quick, Nyssa.”
Nyssa inclined her head to indicate she understood Donovan’s instructions. Blood welled from the entrance wound. Donovan staunched it briefly with a wad of gauze. Nyssa applied the petroleum jelly coated gauze directly over the wound. The same process was repeated on the exit wound.
The bloody arrow shaft fell to the floor. Donovan ignored it. He focused his energy on adding a thick layer of gauze to each wound. Tape secured the gauze.
Nyssa placed a hand on Donovan’s arm. “I’ll clean up. You attend to her. Let me know if you need help.” Nyssa gathered soiled gauze, wrappers, and other debris. Everything fed the fire in the fireplace. It was the most effective way to avoid the spread of infection.
Donovan found himself gazing down at the pale beauty lying on the table. He gathered the edges of her shirt together. It bothered him that she lay partially nude and unconscious as a result of his carelessness.
Luca reappeared in the room, eyes flicking to meet Donovan’s gaze. “Will she make it?”
“I don’t know, Luca.” Donovan sat down before running a shaky hand through his hair. “I’m so stupid!”
“There was no way you could know she was there. I know you, Donovan. You don’t take unnecessary risks.” Luca clasped Donovan’s shoulder after returning Tristan to Nyssa’s arms. “Do you want to stay here for the night? If not, I can help you get her to your cabin.”
“Yeah, I should take her back to my cabin. I don’t want to disrupt your evening.” Donovan carried Kallie while Luca followed behind him with the backpack and medical kit. His friend insisted on building a fire and carrying in firewood before leaving.
Luca paused at the door. “I’ll bring food later. I’m sure you’ll be hungry at some point. Nyssa and I will drop by to give you a break every now and then. She’ll make it, Donovan.”
After the door closed behind Luca, Donovan settled the girl in his bed. He removed her boots and pants and ensured she was covered by a light blanket. She had not moved since passing out at some point during their travel to Luca’s cabin.
He pulled a chair beside the bed in preparation for a long night by the girl’s side. She was exquisitely beautiful. A pale oval face framed by a mass of dark auburn curls attracted further attention. Delicately arched brow
s emphasized the emerald eyes he had glimpsed briefly. She was nearly as tall as he was. Her body was lean and willowy. He knew her breasts were perfect, tipped with pale pink nipples that brought a rift of lust when he first saw them.
Donovan’s mind drifted to thoughts of those long legs wrapped around his hips. He cursed himself for the inappropriate track of thoughts that should be dedicated to saving the girl’s life.
Throughout the next hours he checked on her frequently. A small patch of blood saturated the gauze. He marked the outline with an ink pen, one of dozens he scavenged from a deserted general store. The process was repeated throughout the night to gauge blood loss. True to his word, Luca appeared with a plate of food and a mug of coffee before the sun set.
“Thank you, Luca. Did Nyssa make this?”
Luca chuckled and shook his head. “Tristan was hungry. And since Nyssa is his only source of food, she was tied up with nursing him. I’m a good cook, actually. Just ask Nyssa.”
Luca settled in a chair near Donovan. He indicated the woman lying on the bed with a bob of his head. “Is she doing okay?”
The coffee was hot and strong, just the way he liked it. He chugged nearly half the cup before replying. “She’s doing as well as can be expected. The next day will be the critical point. She’s not showing any signs of distress, which is a blessing.” He stabbed a piece of meat with a fork and nearly swallowed it without chewing. His stomach ached with emptiness.
“Any idea who she is?” Luca asked.
“She said her name is Kallie. That’s all I got before she passed out. I wonder why she’s out here alone? The wasteland can be a rough place for a woman to survive,” Donovan replied.
Luca laughed. “That’s how I met Nyssa. She ran right over top of me at night when I was camping in the woodland. I can’t say it was a bad thing. I mean, look at us. We’re practically a domesticated couple now.”
“You love her. And I know she loves you. What I wouldn’t give to have the same thing, Luca.” Donovan took another bite of food and chewed it while listening to Luca talk.
“Look at us. A couple of the best fighters the resistance had. And here we are worrying about our women. I’m not complaining, mind you. Nyssa has changed my life for the better. And like the stupid asshole I was, I nearly lost her on a couple of occasions.”
Our women. Donovan smiled at his friend’s choice of words. If only Kallie could be his woman. He barely knew her well enough to do more than bandage wounds created by his hand. “What happened?”
Luca stood and stoked the fire. He leaned against the mantle. “When you find someone like Nyssa, you stop looking elsewhere. I wasn’t that smart, Donovan. And I treated her horribly. Shackled her in a closet while I had a go at some whore in Walden. It broke her and she hid from me in her head for weeks. The next time she ran away, hid in a cave and nearly died from exposure.”
Donovan could tell the confession bothered Luca. Luca fidgeted at the fireplace while talking and could barely meet his gaze. “It’s different now that we’re not with the resistance. We’re trying to learn how to live normal lives again. Don’t beat yourself up, Luca. From what I’ve seen you’re a changed man. Nyssa sure is something special.”
“That’s not all, though. You remember Eden? She showed up here with a kid saying I was the father. I didn’t handle that well either. I kept the relationship from Nyssa. She saw things, with her mind, and I snapped at her. It was a stupid mistake. When she ran away then, it was the worst. It nearly broke me knowing she was out there, carrying my child, trying to survive alone.” Luca gazed at the ceiling, his eyes half-closed, a grimace twisting his mouth. “I found her, though. That’s when I did what I should have done at the beginning. I made her mine, officially.”
“You two have been through it together.” Donovan’s observation was met with a grin. He noticed that Luca reacted that way when Nyssa came into a room or if her name came up in conversation.
“I’d do anything for her,” Luca admitted. He turned from the fireplace and sat with Donovan again. “All she has to do is give me a smile or touch my arm when she’s speaking. I get all weak in the knees even after all these months together. It’s just over a year ago that she found me. And when I see her with Tristan, my heart melts. She’s a good mother and wife. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Their conversation ended when Kallie moaned and tried to sit up. She fell back against the bed with a sob. Donovan stood up, food and conversation forgotten. “It’s alright, I’m here with you,” he assured her.
“Am I dead?” The girl’s emerald eyes opened briefly. She squinted at the ceiling then turned her head toward Donovan. “You shot me.”
Donovan groaned, a hand pushing the hair back from his forehead. “Yes. It was an accident. How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve had an arrow through my shoulder.” Kallie looked past Donovan at Luca. Her eyes widened slightly. “Are you a giant?”
Luca chuckled and clapped Donovan on the shoulder. “I’m not a giant. You must be Kallie. How did you end up here?”
Kallie’s eyes closed. Her throat moved convulsively then she spoke. “I’d like to know the answer. And who took my shoes and pants? Who is Nyssa?”
“I’ll be going, Donovan. It looks like you’ve got your hands full here. I’ll be by in the morning with some more food.” Luca waved at the girl lying in the bed before he turned and left the cabin. The door thumped when it closed.
“I took your pants and shoes. You needed to be in bed. Nyssa is Luca’s wife. He’s the almost giant that just left. Do you think you could drink some water?”
Kallie gave a nod. Donovan sat on the bed and supported her upper body with one arm while pressing a cup against her mouth. She drank every bit of water in the cup. “Thank you. I shouldn’t be so hard on you. I was lost, trying to find a way to the ridge so I could see where I needed to be going. You couldn’t see me with all the foliage in the way.”
Her words eased Donovan’s worry and self-blame. She moaned when he eased her onto the bed. He sat there watching her, eyes tracing every feature of her face. “Why were you out there alone, Kallie?”
“Because I don’t trust a lot of people. I can survive just fine on my own.” Kallie’s words were clipped. She lay there with her eyes closed while speaking. He got the feeling that there was more to her story than what she shared.
A hand eased against her forehead to check for signs of fever. The skin was cool and damp. “You can trust us. There aren’t many of us here. Just Luca and his family. Jack and Mary in the valley and the Foster family. I’m the latest arrival.”
Kallie’s dark eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes opened. The emerald depths reflected the fire’s light. “Nyssa spoke to me, in my head. She has some sort of power, doesn’t she?”
“Something like that. She doesn’t use it for anything but good. What makes you ask about her power?”
“I’ve never met anyone that could walk around in your head like that. I’d like to go to sleep now,” Kallie whispered. Her eyes drifted shut while Donovan sat there like a puppy dog waiting for its master to come home.
He was well and truly bewitched by this mysterious girl. For some reason it really mattered to him if she made it. He would do everything in his power to make sure she did.
Chapter 18
Kallie
The demons found her dreams. Twisting, swirling, taunting her. Wanting her to go back there. Kallie would never go back, never to what she came from. She was hated from the day she was old enough to understand what the word meant. Beaten by the no-good bastard who called himself her father. Hidden from view.
The first incident came when Kallie was just a child. The knowledge of plants and herbs was always with her. It was a part of her mind from the time she was old enough to remember anything. Another child close to her age cut his finger.
Kallie wanted to help after the wound became infected. The herbs and plants she needed grew wild near her home. She gathered what was needed a
nd made a poultice. It drew the poison from the cut. A simple plantain leaf bound with a strip of old cloth served as a bandage.
Her playmate’s finger healed within days.
Betrayal came in an innocent form. Her playmate’s mother came by to thank her father. Of course, he made nice to her face but once the door closed, he beat her until she could barely walk. The accusation came that she was a witch, just like her mother. She didn’t see the outside of the house for a month.
If her father suspected she gathered or helped someone with herbs, he beat her again. Once she was old enough and had a stash of survival gear hidden in an abandoned building at the edge of town, she left. And she never looked back.
The wound created by the arrow left her weak and unable to fight the demons. She tried so hard to push them away. One sat on her chest, right over the wound that lanced deep with pain. Darkness pulled Kallie under as the demon stole her breath.
I’m dying. Floating in the afterlife. Donovan’s voice pulled her back.
Awareness faded into the darkness. Donovan giving Kallie his breath. Warm, rich, living. It filled her lungs. His fingers pressed against her neck. He gave her another breath and begged her to stay.
“Come back!” The deep timbre of his voice vibrated within the depths of her soul.
Gasping. Struggling. Fighting. Just. To. Live.
Kallie finally found the strength to suck air into her lungs. Her eyes opened to find his face next to hers. A gentle hand caressed her cheek. Kallie’s heart welled, filled with his compassion. She knew at that moment that she loved him. He gave her his breath and so much more. He cared.
“Stay awake,” he begged. “Don’t leave me.”
Tears clouded Kallie’s vision. “I won’t.” His lips brushed her cheek. He lay beside her, an arm gently curling over her waist.
“I’ll stay here like this so I can monitor you more closely.” His breath caressed her cheek. The corners of her mouth lifted for the first time in years. She could smile. She wanted to smile.
