“Scotland. Lost our croft when the laird got too English and decided sheep would bring him more money, so why keep his promises to his clan. They let us take only a few things. So after a sad time spent wandering, doing what work we could, and living in whatever hovel we could find, we came to America like so many others have.”
“But you didn’t stay here.”
“My folks wanted a piece of their own land, and most of the tales they heard about America implied it was a place where that could happen. But what we could find on the shore that we could afford wasnae what they were looking for. They were farmers and shepherds and wanted enough land to plant some crops and run some sheep. My da heard about all the folk going west and he wanted to go too, was sure we would find a good place. So, he got a wagon and supplies and packed all seven of us up, grabbed my mither, and hit the trail. Then we got attacked and my parents were killed so we, my brothers and me, went on despite the reluctance of the others in the wagon train to take us with them, and we found a good place. Iain and Matthew went back, found where our folks were buried, and brought them back to the place we had found, to bury them proper and near to us.”
They reached the stairs and Mary stopped to take a look behind her. “You go on. I see my boys coming around the house, so I will wait for them and we’ll deal with this.” She slapped her hand against the cart. “I will need them to help me get this down there. Just give us a yell when you need us.”
Geordie hurried down the steps to where Robbie was sprawled. His first look made his heart skip with alarm as his brother was linen white and sprawled across the steps. Belle was bent over his leg, so Geordie could not immediately see the injury. Abel sat with Robbie’s head cushioned in his lap. Belle turned when he reached her and handed her the bag.
“Your aunt is here and said her lads can bring the cart down when ye say ye need it.”
“Oh, good. Robbie will need to be carried back to the house.”
When she sat up straight and began to search through the bag, Geordie finally got a look at his brother’s leg, but it was heavily wrapped in what Geordie suspected were strips torn from Mehitabel’s petticoat. It was his bad leg, and Geordie could not even imagine how much worse this would make it for him. He feared this time it would have to be cut off, quietly muttering it to himself and hoping Belle did not hear him.
“Well, there is a bit of good news,” Belle said when she saw the despairing look on Geordie’s face. “You remember that business I said I did not think I could do?”
He struggled to clear his mind of all the fear and worry for Robbie and suddenly recalled her speaking of a procedure she knew of but was not sure she could do, one that might help his brother. “Aye. Ye cannae do it now, can ye?”
“Well”—she bit her lip and looked at Robbie—“he has done most of the work for me. He has opened the wound and broken the bones. It looks as if they broke right in the same places they had been broken before. Proof that the bones had not really healed well. It was the weakest spot. At least I can now set them right, and that might be enough. It is going to pain him. A lot, I am sorry to say. But, unless some horrible infection sets in, I don’t foresee any need for hacking his leg off.”
“Sorry, didnae realize I had said that loud enough for ye to hear me.”
“Just muttered it, but since I am sitting right next to you.” She shrugged. “But I am serious when I say this will pain him a lot.”
“I can help with that,” Mary called down the steps.
“Thank you, Auntie.” Belle looked up at her and smiled. Then she said to Geordie, “I would much rather that than me trying to use some of my father’s potions. I always fret about how much I am using, how long to hold the cloth over nose and mouth, and then start fretting over silly things like can I put myself to sleep as well by using this. Auntie uses unusual methods, but nothing that might cause a fatal mistake.”
She worked on wrapping Robbie’s leg for a few minutes longer and then yelled up the steps, “Ready to move him, Auntie.”
Mary and the two young men he had seen with Bennet came down the stairs with the top of the rolling cart. Geordie realized the clever doctor had made it so the top could be easily removed from the cart. Then he began to think that the man’s death was a true loss to the world, because he had obviously been an extremely clever man.
They carefully picked Robbie up, Geordie and Gabe both steadying Robbie’s leg as they moved him to the board. Mary put the straps attached to the board securely around his brother and then he and the others walked back up to the cart. Once the board was secured back on the top they easily walked back to the house. It was good his brother remained unconscious because Geordie knew that calm would shatter loudly when the real work on his leg began.
Once inside the infirmary they settled him in a bed as Belle spoke of readying a meal for them. Robbie woke up enough to ask Geordie what had happened, but fell back asleep, or passed out again, before Geordie had been able to explain it all. Belle convinced him to leave his brother and come get something to eat. She promised to thoroughly explain what she would be doing for Robbie, so he finally got up and went with her. He savored the smells seeping out of the kitchen and ruefully accepted that despite what had happened to his brother, his appetite was still strong.
Finally, when everyone was seated around the table, Gabe said, “Abel keeps saying your brother broke his bad leg. What’s that mean?”
“Robbie got hurt by some Rebs who felt he was old enough to get involved in that cursed war. They tried to beat him into joining with them,” replied Geordie as Mary put a slice of roast beef on his plate and he softly whispered his thanks. “By the time he came back to us they had smashed his leg and his hand. Both have caused him a lot of pain since then.
“All of us tried whatever we could think of to make it better, maybe improve his ability to fully use his hand, but we never got any results. Finally, he got a little better and took some short trips. He claimed they were trips to try to get some buyers for his cider and we were pleased he was getting back to his business. We didnae feel so guilty once we found out he had actually gone to see doctors and they hadnae kenned how to help, either, but one still wonders from time to time.”
“Of course you do. No one likes to see a family member suffer,” said Belle. “Well, unless it is Auntie and she has finally, really got herself the plague.” She grinned when Gabe and Rafe laughed, then ducked when her aunt tossed a roll at her. “Bad example for the boys, Auntie.”
“Bennet is a bad example for the boys,” Mary grumbled, then frowned at her sons. “Can you not quit now?”
“Not yet,” said Rafe. “He is plotting ways to get his fat, greedy hands on this land and we really need to find out how he thinks he can do that. There is always the chance he has actually thought of something clever, and we should be ready to fight it.”
“That could be years from now.”
“No. I think he is intending to act soon. As you saw”—he nodded at Geordie—“he has reached the point where he is planning out what he will build on the land, and I caught him figuring out what money he could gain from it quickly.”
“Lumber,” Belle said.
Rafe nodded. “He actually stands by his fence now and then and just stares at your woods and grumbles about stupid women who don’t understand how to make good use of what they have.”
“What? By chopping down every damn tree I have, like he has on his land? He’s left his animals without an ounce of shade.”
“Yup. He figures there is enough pine, maple, and oak there in your wood that he could build his fancy hotel just for the cost of getting it milled.”
“All those lovely trees,” she murmured.
“Belle, trees get cut down all the time. We need wood to build houses and furniture and all that,” Rafe said and rolled his eyes.
“Not my trees.”
“They won’t be your trees if he gets this property or if he figures out something he can tell the council that would make t
hem believe the trees need to come down. Ow,” he said, and scowled at Mary, who had thrown a roll at him, which smacked him in the forehead. “Ma, stop throwing food at me.”
“Stop arguing. She has more important things to fret about than that old fool.” Mary looked at her niece. “Belle, do you think you can put that boy’s leg back together?”
“Yes, I do. It is going to be tough, if only because it will hurt him a great deal. The ones who did this also did not bother to set the bones correctly. They didn’t know how to doctor his wounds or simply didn’t care to do it right. There will be a week or two of bed rest after that is done, which no male seems to tolerate well. I will accept your offer to help me with his pain.”
“Good. Glad to help.”
“So, we will be starting on him soon?” asked Geordie.
“Yes.” Belle looked at Geordie. “We will need some muscle to hold him still on the bed. We can strap him down, but sometimes you need more than that. And having friends and acquaintances holding patients down appears to make them fight much less than they might otherwise.”
“Then I will help hold him still, if needed.” He smiled sadly. “I have had to do it before.”
“Are you going to need us?” asked Rafe.
“I might. It is very important at times that he stays as still as possible. It can be tricky trying to set those bones correctly, and they have to be set correctly this time or the damage to his leg could become permanent.”
“Then we will stay right outside the infirmary and you can call us when you need us. We don’t have to stand right near and watch, do we?”
Belle smiled. “No, you can keep your weak little tummies out of the room.”
They just smiled, finished off their meal, and Belle helped her aunt with the cleanup, then went to change her clothes and scrub her hands clean. She slipped on the thin cotton coat she wore over her gown and headed to the infirmary. Hearing someone speaking softly, she hurried into the room and saw Geordie talking to Robbie. Belle cursed softly when she saw that the young man was awake. When her aunt came in she breathed a sigh of relief, for the woman had a true skill with keeping a patient calm and easing the pain, even putting them to sleep. Some people called it witchcraft, but she knew it was just the woman’s voice. It was as if she mesmerized the patient a bit.
“Robbie? You are going to need to be calm and still now,” she said as her aunt gently rubbed his forehead. “I have to put the bones back together and stitch up the break in your skin to help hold them in place. I will try to work as quickly as I can. I am just going to give you a little morphine. Needle or spoon?”
“Spoon,” Robbie said quickly, and Belle saw her aunt nod slightly.
She suspected her aunt, who had her hand over his heart, had felt an alarmed reaction to the mention of the word needle, so she poured a spoonful of morphine and, gently raising Robbie’s head, gave it to him, silently praying she was giving him enough to help. The face he made as he swallowed it made her smile. Now she just had to give it some time to work. As she waited, she gathered the things she would need and tried to keep them out of Robbie’s sight.
“I think it is hitting him,” Geordie said.
Belle looked at Robbie, who was heavy-eyed, his lids close to closing but he fought the need. Her aunt kept softly stroking his head and singing softly, so she fetched the hot water she needed to clean the wound. She carefully removed the cloth on his leg, ignoring Geordie’s soft gasp as he finally saw the wound. She then gently washed his leg all around the wound until he appeared to fall asleep. Her aunt’s nod when Belle looked at her let her know that he was actually asleep.
Next, she very gently washed the wound itself. Robbie flinched now and then in his sleep, even cried out in pain. She took a deep breath and applied a salve she hoped would hold off any infection. He cried out once more, but he must have slipped deeper into unconsciousness afterward because he did no more than moan occasionally after that.
Taking a deep breath, she prepared to set the bones. With the help of Geordie and her cousins, who held the leg as steady as they could, she worked as quickly as she dared to set the bones. She gritted her teeth, and with her helpers holding the sticks in place around the bones near the break, she stitched his skin back together. It was a relief to get to the point where she could just wrap the injury as tight as she was able. Finally, with Geordie’s help, she placed stabilizing boards on each side of his leg and wrapped them on.
Stepping back, she asked her aunt, “How do you think he took it?”
“Very little agitation. The only time I sensed any was when you put the bones back together, but that was the most painful thing you had to do. Oh, and a bit when you mentioned a needle. I think he may be one of those who reacts strongly to morphine, so you should probably keep a close eye on him until he wakes.”
“I’ll do that, but now I need to go wash up,” Belle said.
“I’ll stay and watch him for a while,” said Geordie, moving to take Mary’s seat when she got up. “Thank ye. All of ye.” He looked at Mary and said, “That is a verra impressive and useful skill ye have.”
“Thank you. Women having a babe think so too.” She smiled when he laughed, and then walked away.
Belle also made sure to thank her relatives before she went to clean up, change her clothes and put them in a bucket of soapy cold water to soak, then dressed and went to get a drink. With a tall glass of cold lemonade, she sat in the kitchen and sipped it. After a moment she said a quiet prayer that she had done everything right and he would be better. She was just realizing that the major reason she wished for that was that she did not want to disappoint Geordie when the man himself strolled into the kitchen. He stopped by her chair, bent down and kissed her.
A little breathless from the kiss, she asked, “What was that for?”
“For fixing him.”
“I can’t promise I have fixed him. He probably won’t get up and start dancing when it has healed.”
“A good thing, as the lad cannae dance to save his life.” He grinned when she laughed. “Nay, ye fixed what he did this time, and I think ye have fixed at least some of what he suffered from. I could see the bones were wrong before, could even feel that they didnae sit under his skin right, but ye put them together nicely this time. I have hope that at least some of the pain he suffered will be gone.”
“So do I. It did look straighter, more as it should look, and it could well be that the odd fit of the bones could have been a source of his pain.”
“It was. Now I have to go and think out what I should say to my family.”
“You are going to tell your family all about this?”
“Aye, or I will be thoroughly thrashed when I get home,” he said as he walked off.
Belle sighed, then finished her drink and went into the infirmary to sit by Robbie’s bedside. She was just getting comfortable when her cousins dashed into the room and told her Bennet was coming. Then she heard the banging on the door and her cousins slipped into the washroom. Sighing in exasperation over the man disturbing her now, Belle got up and went to the door. She opened it and stepped out on the porch after grabbing her gun, not wanting one of his bellowing arguments inside her house.
“What is it now, Bennet?” She frowned at him standing there, flanked by four of his men.
“What have you planted near my fence? My cows are getting sick.”
“I have planted nothing there. Never have. Waste of time as they’d just eat it. You’ve obviously ignored some nasty weed and let it grow up there.”
“You probably planted it so it would be easier to steal my cow.”
“What?! Why on earth would I take one of your cows? I have two milk cows and goats. You put your cow in there so you could cause trouble for me.”
He grabbed her arm. “We’ll just wander over to your barn and see.”
“No, we won’t, because it is a stupid accusation and now you try to use me to help make it stronger.” She tried to pull free of his g
rip, but he kept yanking her toward the steps leading down into the yard on the barn side.
At some point he decided it would be a good idea to disarm her and tried to yank her rifle out of her hands. Belle fought that, and when Geordie stepped outside, he began to fear they’d manage to fire it off soon. He also did not like the way the man was so roughly handling her. Just as he began to step forward, drawing the attention of the four men Bennet had brought with him, Bennet grabbed her gun and yanked again.
For a moment they participated in a childish tugging battle with her gun and he grew nervous. It was a dangerous thing to do. He watched her hand slipping as she tried to get a firm grip on the trigger guard. Then Bennet suddenly yanked her close to him and they both released the gun, but before Geordie could relax, it hit the porch and went off. One of Bennet’s men cried out and fell, clutching his leg.
“You old fool, you shot one of your own men.”
“No, I didn’t. You had the gun.”
“Of course, let us blame it on me. That was probably your plan all along. Let go, so I can tend to your man.”
Bennet released her and she hurried over to the young man who was holding his leg and moaning. Not one of the other men stopped her. They did not even look concerned by her tending to the young man, who had quietly passed out.
“I need one of those neckerchiefs you all wear to tie on his leg, a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.”
Geordie reached for his, then stopped and nearly laughed when Bennet’s men all shed theirs and put them in her outstretched hand. She snapped out the occasional order and they obeyed without question, fully trusting in her skill. He suspected that irritated Bennet a lot, but he would be willing to wager the man always brought his men here when something was wrong with them.
“I need to take him into the infirmary. The bullet is still in there and must be removed.” When the men around her stepped forward and reached out for her patient, she warned, “Try to make sure his leg is kept up and straight so that he doesn’t lose too much blood.”
They all headed into the house, the men carrying the wounded fellow following her, Bennet marching behind them and Geordie bringing up the rear. The way the men moved into the infirmary and sought out an empty bed told Geordie that, for all his rancor, Bennet’s men obviously trusted her doctoring skills. She worked fast while Bennet’s men quietly talked to a very groggy Robbie. Everyone ignored Bennet’s constant grumbling that it wasn’t his fault.
The Scotsman Who Swept Me Away Page 10