The doctor asked Zelma what she thought she was going to do with her strange smelling liquids. “I’m going to try to help Liza, what can you do?”
“We can only wait and hope that the flow stops soon but she is losing too much,” said Tom.
“Then you have nothing to lose by letting me help her, have you?” said Zelma scornfully and Patrick agreed as he knew that Zelma had skills that others would be amazed at and it may help because there was nothing else that could be done and he didn’t want to give up without a fight.
Zelma went to Liza, held her nose and poured one of the liquids down her throat. Liza choked but also managed to swallow a great deal.
Zelma then said, “I need to get to where she’s bleeding from; I need help to see so I want somebody to try to clean her up as much as possible. There’s hot water downstairs can somebody get it please.”
Dr Tom realised that he could be learning something that was probably so basic that it was not even thought worth telling doctors about, but he knew that Zelma would never hurt Liza and he went and got the water whilst Kathy pulled the covers back and prepared to clean Liza.
Patrick was trying to talk to Liza and his voice was shaking and tears were in his eyes and all the while Zelma was preparing a smooth tube with the other concoction which was thicker than the first one, but smelled just as bad. Suddenly Liza was quietly talking but it was in the Cherokee language and Zelma was answering her gently and much as nobody knew what was being said, they all knew that it was important to the two of them.
Dr Tom appeared with the water and he and Kathy cleaned Liza as best they could and when they had done as much as possible, Zelma gently pushed the smooth hollow wooden tube inside Liza and with a smaller one, pushed the contents as far as she could in Liza.
“I need towels now,” Zelma barked at Kathy who got them and they both gently padded Liza comfortably. “Now we wait and pray,” said Zelma and she looked defiantly at both Kathy and Tom, but gave a small nod to Patrick who had given up talking to Liza as she was still talking to Zelma in Cherokee.
“The drums are telling me that messages are being offered up for me, Little Dove,” said Liza in Cherokee. “Am I that ill?”
“Yes, Green Eyes, you are very ill, but your shadow hasn’t appeared and you know he only comes when someone is about to die, or you need his help,” said Little Dove.
“I’m very cold, have I lost much blood?” said Liza.
“Yes, you have lost so much that we are all concerned for you but I believe I have managed to stop the flow. It is going to take you a long time to get it back again, Green Eyes,” said Little Dove.
Patrick interrupted and asked Zelma what was being said and she told him that they both could hear the healing drums with the messages going out to help her.
“Patrick,” said Zelma, “the shadow hasn’t come for her and you know that he would if her time was here.”
Patrick nodded with some relief, but he knew that she wasn’t out of danger yet.
Little Dove then started a quiet chant which unnerved both Kathy and Tom, but Patrick seemed quite comforted by it.
Liza carried on talking to Little Dove in Cherokee, remembering how they had been friends which had meant that she had been hurt because of it and how sorry it had made her. She could still hear the drums and still there was no shadow to take her.
Patrick, Kathy and Tom were also praying and their prayers seemed as though they were being answered. Patrick then noticed the shadow which passed over Liza and he yelled at it to go away, and he then heard a very gentle male Irish voice saying that he always watched over her when she was in danger but her time was not now. The shadow took a form in Patrick’s eyes and nodded to Patrick and smiled down lovingly on Liza, looked towards little Meg and disappeared.
Tom and Kathy had seen something also, but had heard nothing and they were both very much unnerved. Zelma was quite calm and continued with her gentle chant.
Liza said a thank you to Little Dove and went to sleep, smiling and peaceful. Little Dove finished her chanting and to both Liza and Little Dove the drums stopped.
Tom examined Liza and realised that the bleeding had nearly stopped and a little colour was returning to her cheeks, he looked at Zelma and told her that he needed to know what she had done.
“People think of Indians as just savages who are unable to look after themselves. What nobody realises is that we have survived for thousands of years with our own medicines. We only need the white man’s medicine because of the diseases that the white man brought to us. We know how to deal with ailments that you have no idea about, but when I have time, I will talk to you about many cures. It’s just that you white men have never asked before,” said Zelma rather scathingly.
Kathy was shaking having experienced such strange events and suddenly she seemed to wake up and said, “The boys, they must be very upset. I had better go and find them and they need reassuring again, I think you will have to do that in a little while, Patrick. How’s little Meg, she seems to have slept through it all. I’ll come back later and help to clean this room up, although I think there will be many willing to help.”
“I think you ought to try to clean yourself, Kathy,” said Patrick, “I’m afraid you are also covered in blood.” She nodded and made her way down to the washroom and she was surprised to see Sean sitting down there as was Ellen. They were both shocked to see the state that Kathy was in, but she assured them that the crisis was over and that Liza was successfully fighting back.
Both Ellen and Sean said that they would go and try to comfort the boys and Ellen said that she would come back and see what she could do to watch over and feed little Meg whilst she knew that everyone else was looking after Liza.
Sean quietly went to Kathy and said, “I saw the shadow, Kathy, was I right, I wasn’t seeing things, was I?”
“No, you’re right, I saw it too, but it didn’t come to take her, I think it came to help her. I do wonder whether I’m talking nonsense saying this. How could you have seen it? You weren’t there,” said Kathy.
“I was expecting it, Kathy and I know that Liza can call on him when she needs him, or when she wants help for someone close to her. You know exactly why the Indians think she’s special, it’s because she is. It’s as simple as that,” said Sean.
“I wasn’t sure that you knew about her past, Sean,” said Kathy very quietly so that Ellen couldn’t hear.
“Patrick finally had to tell me when we went to the Cherokee camp last year because we came across something that made it imperative that I was told. I have seen that shadow before though, Kathy, twice, once when your dear Danny died and then when Liza was so ill after the Frank Wyley problem,” said Sean.
Kathy stared at Sean, “You were there when Danny died? I didn’t know that.”
“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to call up bad memories, Kathy. Yes, I saw Danny die and Liza eased him through to the other side and called for help to take his fear away, and she did that, Kathy. I can honestly assure you that Danny did not die in fear, he died surrounded by love and tenderness and was helped every step of the way. Liza did that and so did her ‘shadow’, for want of a better word,” said Sean.
By now Kathy was leaning on him and sobbing. “Thank you for telling me that, Sean. I was always pleased that Liza was with him when he died. I would have liked to have been with him, but it all happened so quickly. I had heard rumours of something supernatural, but people often like to put stories about. She probably did for him what I would not have been able to, so it all worked out for the best. If anyone dying at that age can work out for the best. You had better go to the boys now, Sean. Is Ellen still there?”
“Yes, I’m still here and I’m afraid I did hear what you were saying. Since I’ve met Liza I’ve always thought that there was something strange but not frightening about her. I take it that you would prefer that I had heard nothing but I did, although I will pretend that I didn’t. I have many reasons to keep Liza’s secrets
to myself,” said Ellen.
Sean and Kathy realised that Ellen was much, much older than her years and that she must have been through a great deal to know how to keep secrets as a very much older person would. This isn’t Tom’s niece, thought Kathy. This is one of Liza’s rescued children, so the twins must be also. It’s best to keep that quiet then. That would be Liza’s and Tom’s and Hannah’s decision, and rightly so.
Sean and Ellen found all the children at Hannah’s and they were all sitting quietly on the sofa with the twins on chairs in front of them. Bea was there with young Judith, but Rachel was determined that she was going nowhere until Matthew and John knew how their mother was, and even then she was going to stay with them. Si also needed the comfort of the boys, Rachel and the twins, who didn’t speak but whose eyes said everything.
Everyone looked up as Sean and Ellen entered and Sean immediately crouched down in front of the children.
“Matthew, John, your mother has been very ill, she still is but she is not dying, I can assure you of that. Your father is staying with her for the moment, but he will come to see you as soon as he can and when she feels a bit better you can go and see her. Please stop worrying and think about what you would like to take to her when you visit her. We’ll all help you choose nice things for her to make her feel better.”
Kathy had been home and changed and got her home ready for everyone to come and eat at the general store, although she wasn’t sure that anyone would feel hungry, but she was going to try to make this Sunday lunchtime as normal as possible. She presumed that Joe was with the boys at Hannah’s and she went over and told everyone to come over to her, including Hannah, the twins and Ellen.
Ellen declined saying that she had promised that she would look after little Meg for Liza and Patrick, but she would take the twins over with all the other children. Bea and Hannah were pleased that there was going to be some distraction for everyone and Ellen helped Hannah pack up what she had been planning for Sunday lunch and take it to Kathy’s. Sean, George and Angela made sure that all the boys’ toys and games were gathered up and taken and Joe said that everyone could see what they would like to take from the store as a present for Liza.
It was obvious that Sean’s chat to the boys had relieved some of the tension as they all looked much happier as they made their way over to the general store chatting.
Little Meg was making small sounds, almost like crying but not very loudly. Zelma looked up but didn’t want to leave Liza and luckily Ellen arrived in the room and went and picked her up. Zelma told her that one of her baby concoctions was ready downstairs and just needed warming a little and Ellen picked the baby up and took her out of the room. She was going to settle herself in the main room next to the fire and look after this little sickly child as best she could.
Ada turned up to see what she could do to help and found Zelma and Patrick cleaning and washing Liza and Dr Tom rolling up the mattress which needed to be disposed of. Ada took over from Patrick and he helped Tom down the stairs with it. They were going to leave it in the garden and burn it later, but Charlie Penn saw them and got his cart out and took the mattress to his place in a clearing in the woods where he burnt all his rubbish and useless pieces.
When Patrick returned, Zelma and Ada had dressed Liza and wrapped her in a warm blanket and Patrick picked her up and sat with her on his lap whilst Zelma, Ada and Tom washed the bed and floor and moved the mattress from the spare room and made the bed up for Liza.
Liza whispered to Patrick that it was a shame that the mattress had to go as they’d had such wonderful times on it. It was the first time that Patrick had heard her say anything other than in Cherokee for a while, and he held her tightly and at last he managed a smile. She asked where the baby was and she said that she was pleased that Ellen was able to look after her. She then wondered where the boys were and Ada told her that everyone was over at Kathy’s and that Sean had managed to calm them down, but they knew that she wasn’t well enough to see them just yet. They were all discussing what they could bring her to make her feel better.
Patrick was happy with Liza on his lap; for a brief time earlier he thought that he had lost her and if it hadn’t been for Zelma he would have done. He had known that Liza and Zelma had a close bond, but he hadn’t realised that they instinctively knew how to totally care for one another. He had always accepted that Zelma was part of their family and he was so grateful that she had been brought to Liza all those years ago.
Liza was well-padded and comfortably leaning on Patrick, but he had to lay her in the bed and she was sorry not to keep his arms around her. She was so very tired but she didn’t want Patrick to leave her; she was frightened without him.
“The doctor, Ada and Zelma are here, Liza and I need to get changed and clean myself, but I’ll be back very shortly, I promise,” said Patrick. “Also I must go and see the boys.”
When she next opened her eyes, he was sitting watching over her and she had no idea how long she had been asleep. Zelma had also changed and Tom had been away and returned also in clean clothes. Ada had stayed and was helping Ellen with Meg, who was not eating very well. She looked very blue and Tom examined her and said that she was doing well considering her heart was not sound.
“We can’t worry Liza with that,” said Ada to Tom.
“She already knows that the little one is not faring well, but I’ll tell her that she is doing quite well and that you and Ellen are looking after her so carefully,” said Tom. “Are you going to stay here through the night, Ellen? I’m sure that a bed can be arranged for you in the boys’ room, and you could have the little one in with you. I believe Zelma will also be in the room, but she is caring for Liza as her main priority.”
“I would like to do that; I feel sure I could be useful,” said Ellen.
Liza looked so pale and had large black circles under her eyes, everyone was so very concerned about her, but they knew that the crisis had passed, although it was going to take a long while for her to be considered fit.
“Patrick,” said Liza, “don’t you think that the boys need to visit me soon and looking around I think that all the evidence of this morning’s problem has been cleaned away, so perhaps now would be a very good time. Do I look well enough that they won’t worry?”
“Liza, you’re still very ill, but I know what you mean, they need to be reassured again,” said Patrick.
It was late afternoon and Ada said that she would go and fetch Matthew and John to visit with their mother for a short while.
Patrick said, “Don’t be surprised if you are followed by all the children. It’s what happened yesterday. Even the twins needed to be in on it.”
Matthew and John arrived but this time they weren’t allowed on the bed, but they managed to lean over and kiss her. Their present to Liza was a small bag each of sticky toffees, which had more fluff on them than was healthy, but she thanked them and said that she would have one after her supper. They each sat on one of Patrick’s knees and talked happily to Liza. Si was making his way up the stairs with Rachel, and the twins could be heard tripping over their feet as they also came up the stairs.
Si had drawn a picture of Liza and her baby, which Liza was pleased that he explained to her as otherwise she would have had no idea what it was, but she said how good it was and she would put it on her dressing table so that she could see it from her bed.
Rachel had made her a small purse, which was remarkably well done and Liza asked Patrick to put some money in it and she would put it under her pillow for safety.
The twins came into the bedroom each carrying some flowers which really were the worse for wear as they had picked them early in the afternoon and had insisted on holding on to them until they could deliver them to Liza. Ada got two small glasses of water and put the flowers also on the dressing table.
Kathy called up the stairs telling the children that supper was ready and they all left saying goodnight to Liza. Matthew and John said that they would see her tomo
rrow before they went to school and they kissed her goodnight and went off happily looking forward to their supper.
Mrs Henshaw’s daughter, Matilda, knocked at the front door and asked if it was possible to see Liza as she felt she could help with her daughter. Zelma looked at her and could see that she was a relatively new mother and said that she would check to see if Liza was awake. Matilda’s offer was almost breath-taking. Less than a month ago she had given birth and her son was thriving well, but she had too much milk and she knew that Liza was very unwell and that her daughter would probably need feeding by now. She offered to come and feed Meg each morning and each evening if it would be of any help. Liza was quite overwhelmed by the offer and accepted on the spot as she knew that, with her loss of blood, she would be in no position to feed her daughter. She remembered that she’d not really made enough milk to feed Matthew properly and Zelma had made one of her wonderful concoctions and he had then thrived.
Liza felt clean, comfortable and tired. She was pleased that little Meg was now going to be well-fed; all the children seemed to be happy. Looking at Patrick she realised how exhausted he was. “Come and lie down with me Patrick, you must get some sleep. The boys are safe and well, Meg is being fed so you can relax now.”
“Well, I’ll just lie with you for a while and rest. You really frightened me, Liza; I thought I’d lost you,” said Patrick and his ‘just lying for a while’ ended up being the whole night.
They were woken up the next morning by three faces staring at them closely. Patrick jumped somewhat startled and Liza found it difficult to realise what was happening. Matthew, John and Si were dressed and ready and as promised had called in to see them on their way to school.
“We’ve already seen Meg and they are feeding her at the moment. Ellen spent the night here. When can John and I move back with you?” asked Matthew.
Patrick said, “Let’s give it another night and we’ll see how Mummy is then and perhaps you can come back tomorrow night, all being well.”
Against All Odds Page 51