"Oh, Lord!" she said. Then turning to Kit, she said, "Roll up a blanket, like a long bolster."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Neil, when Kit's ready, I need you to pull her onto her right side so Kit can stuff the blanket under her. However, I don't want her completely on her side. I need her at an angle.
"I'm going to clean this as best I can. Kit, keep cutting off the rest of her clothes."
"She's not wearing a corset," Kit announced. "Lynn said she wasn't feeling well this morning. That's why she stayed home. And, of course, between the mounting laundry and Gallagher's staring, Kathy was happy for an excuse to stay home."
"Well, let's hope it was nothing serious, dealing with these injuries will be bad enough by themselves. She doesn't need to be sick as well. But, cut her bodice and chemise off first, please. Hopefully, the gathers of her skirt and her drawers will have provided some protection to her hip. So, we'll deal with the injuries to her upper body first, beginning with her arm."
Once Neil rolled Miranda and Kit stuffed the blanket bolster beneath her, he turned to leave. But the doctor stopped him. "No, Neil. I might need you again. Poking around for pellets will be painful, and even though I'll use chloroform to put her to sleep, she might still thrash about."
"But—"
"I need you, Neil."
"But," he began again, "I don't want to see her undressed. It might not embarrass her, but it will definitely embarrass me."
"She's a grown woman, dear. Just as you are a grown man."
""Yes, you're right," he conceded. But Victoria could still see how uncomfortable he was. However, she needed him there. And, besides, she rationalized, if they were going to be married, there was a good chance she'd be calling on him to help often.
"You know, once we're married, I'll be relying on you more. I mean, you'll be right there, living above the surgery."
"But Kit will be downstairs in the little room. She'll be there to answer the door and... and things..."
"Neil, Kit might go away to school, or get married, or any number of things. But," she said, turning to smile at him, "you'll always be there."
"Yes, Rose. You're right," he answered, smiling back. "Always."
"Now, while Kit's cutting off the rest of her clothing, could you go gather up oil lamps? Perhaps, Gus could ask the congregation, assuming they're still in church. But have him ask for them to be filled. Once we start, I don't want to have to stop for any reason. I will need all the light I can get as well as both Kit and your eyes.
"We mustn't, well I mustn't, miss even one pellet. And, it's particularly important for these wounds."
"Why?" Neil asked, as he set the first lamp on the dresser beside the table.
"Because," Kit began, in that unemotional voice she had, especially when there was doctoring work to be done, "if the doctor misses just one piece of bird shot, it could cause blood poisoning."
"But you can deal with that, can't you?" he said, looking at Victoria.
"Not really," she confessed. "The best scenario would be if the blood poisoning was in her arm. And, even that's not particularly good."
"Why?"
"Because, if it was in her forearm," Kit explained, "at least the doctor could amputate below the elbow. If it's in her hip or side, can't anything be done."
"Amputate?" Neil said. And, Victoria was surprised by the dread she clearly heard in his voice.
"I'm afraid so, dear," she answered, in as soft a voice as possible. "It's as Kit told you. If the wounds were on her forearm, and she developed a fever, I could remove the lower part of her arm, and most likely stop the bad blood.
"But, where it is, at the very top of her arm, even if I performed the amputation as soon as she came down with a fever, it probably wouldn't be soon enough. The poison would have already moved onto her body, proper."
"But, you must be able to do more."
"The doctor will do the best she can," Kit told the man.
"I know that," he countered. "But still..."
"Of course I'll do my best, Neil. There simply isn't any way to stop blood poisoning or keep gangrene from spreading throughout her body from her hip. You see how high the wounds are. Or her side, either.
"Which means we will have to keep our eyes open, too," the girl said.
"Yes," Victoria added, "so perhaps, you should go get Meg and Gus, and anyone else who's willing to help.
"Someone can keep an eye on Jake, while the rest of us concentrate on Miranda."
Neil asked, "How is Jake, anyway?"
"All right, I hope. At least he's still alive. His breathing was fine, and his heart sounded good. And, I couldn't find any damage to his skull.
"Which is a miracle, because a blow like that could very well have killed him outright. As it is, we might find, when he wakes up, his brain is addled."
*****
Once Miranda was safely inside the surgery, Kathy and Lynn and their babies were sent to the restaurant to wait until someone fetched them. Meg and Gus returned to the church. Amazingly, no one had really moved. Although, there was a definite change in the prevailing atmosphere.
However, rather than speak immediately, they remained still and listened to the conversations going on around them for a moment.
Several mothers in the group were animatedly speaking to one another, in none too soft voices, about what they would do if someone, anyone, tried to take one of their children away from them, or even attempted to say how they should be raised.
Several men were speaking about what a low-life Gallagher had always been. How they should have done something long ago. And, how ashamed they were that they'd never at least taken him aside to chat about the way he treated his wife and children.
And, finally, Mr. and Mrs. Wright were having a quick and none too quiet conversation about how Manchester might not be the Eden they'd originally taken it to be.
Gus was just about to say something to the minister when Kit appeared in the doorway and gestured to him. She whispered something to him and then left.
He looked at Colleen and said, "Could you go across to the restaurant and wait with the girls, please?" Then, he stood at the back of the church, cleared his throat and asked, "Ma, Eva, and anyone else willing to help with Miranda, please go to the surgery. And would anyone who lives here, in town proper, and has an oil lamp to lend, take it to the surgery, as well? But, please make sure it's filled first."
Then he turned to Meg and said, "I'll get Miranda's wagon and take Colleen and the girls back home. They don't need to be here, and the babies are better off at home. I'll repeat the request for oil lamps, and then go get them, while Frank is organizing whatever he needs to do to deal with Gallagher.
"Besides," he sighed, "Frank might want me to go with him to tell Moira."
"To deal with Gallagher?"
"Yes," he admitted, "after all, he might still be alive. But it's much more likely his dead. So, then I'll help him go notify his family. Remember, there are a lot of young girls. He might need someone to help calm them."
Then, more to himself than to his bride, he added, "I wish we could do something for Moira and those girls. God knows they've had a hard enough life."
Then he held the door open as Ma, Eva, and Meg filed out, before he looked back at Colleen and ended, by saying, "I'll be right back for you all."
*****
As soon as the doctor touched the wet cloth to Miranda's arm, she flinched, and her eyes popped open.
"I need you to keep still, Miranda. I'll probably have to put you to sleep with chloroform. But I'd prefer to use as little as possible. And, it's very important that you not move. Neil will keep hold of you, but you must be as still as you can."
"All right," Miranda said, nodding, adding, "I'll try. But, I'm thirsty. Can I have some water?"
"I'll give you a tiny sip," Victoria told her, "but no more. The chloroform might make you sick, and I can't risk you choking on your own vomit, although... you will be on your side, so maybe a sip
now and another in a little while. But that's the best I can do."
"All right."
Kit held a cup of water up to Miranda's lips and allowed a bit to trickle into her mouth. Then she nodded to the doctor.
"This is going to hurt," Victoria told her in a soft, soothing voice, "but once everything is cleaned out, I'll give you some morphine for the pain. Now, if you take a hold of Neil's hand, we'll get started."
Kit took the doctor's little nod as her cue and placed a little cloth over her mouth and allowed the chloroform to drip onto it. Then she capped the bottle and set it behind her, returning with an enamel tray that held a small enamel dish, several sizes of tweezers, and more clean cloths and a basin of hot water.
The doctor selected a pair of tweezers, and began the slow process of removing the shotgun pellets, one piece at a time.
*****
Gus slowed the wagon as he approached the yard. But, once he saw it was empty, he drove up to the porch. Colleen jumped down first, and then took Margaret Rose from Lynn until she was safely on the ground, and then did the same for Kathy and Jacob.
"You girls go inside. Colleen will take care of you. And, you stay inside. I'll send a man out later to take care of the animals and to stay out here to watch over you and to help with anything else you might need. All right?"
"Yes, sir."
He was moving the wagon towards the barn, when Frank came out and, after looking around and saw the girls entering the house, came up and said, "He was dead when I got here, but it looked as if he was trying to get to his wagon.
"It's back behind the barn and it's packed full of stuff. He really must have thought he could just take Kathy and Jacob and start all over again."
"What do you want to do next?" Gus asked. "Take him to town, or go see Moira?"
Frank let out a deep sigh, and after a minute answered, "Go see Moira. Lord, she doesn't need this." He looked up at Gus and asked, "How is it someone so kind ended up with a man like Gallagher?"
"I have no idea. I'll follow you in Gallagher' wagon. Will she and the girls be all right without him?"
"Yes. At least, for the time being. But, I'm not so sure about once the weather changes. Gallagher never did much, but he usually kept the wood pile stocked."
"Then we will have to figure out something before then. But, for now, let's get this over with. Then we can drop the body off at the funeral parlor."
"What about Miranda? Is she all right?" Frank asked the concern evident in his voice.
"I don't know. Victoria wanted to borrow oil lamps. But, from what I saw when I dropped Meg back, it looked bad. Her arm looked like it had been chewed up by a big dog."
"Christ!" was all the sheriff said.
Frank and Gus stood at the door, studying their boots for a moment, before they knocked softly.
Bernadette opened the door, but before either of them could speak, she said, in a whisper, "It's all right. Mama knows. We talked her into lying down."
"How did you all find out?"
The twins were in church and came back home, instead of going to work. I only hope they don't lose their jobs. We'll need the money more than ever now."
"They won't lose their jobs," Gus told the girl. "I'll make sure of it. And, I don't know how, but we'll figure out a way to help you all.
"Now, do you think your mother is well enough to speak to us, or should we leave her alone for the time being? And, would you like us to do anything? Do you need anything? You only have to ask..." Gus said.
"Please, as long as you're here, why don't you both come inside, and I'll go ask Mama if she'll come out to see you."
"Don't make her feel she has to," Frank said solemnly.
"I won't. Please, come in and sit down, I'll be right back," Bernadette said. As she headed through the kitchen, she told several of the younger girls, "Be quiet now. Mama doesn't need the noise. Instead, why don't you offer the gentlemen some water, or something?"
"Would you like some water?" the oldest of the young ones asked. "I suppose I could make some tea, I mean, if you wanted something more."
"No," Frank said, shaking his head, "we don't need anything. But, perhaps you should make some tea for your mother."
"Well, I'll set the kettle on, anyway. But I should have asked her before I offered you something. Now that... with everything that's happened, we can't make tea or anything without asking Mama first."
"Then you do that. You can ask your mama after the kettle's on."
"Yes sir." The girl stared at Gus and then asked, "You run that spinning shop, don't you? The one where Bernadette is going to work at soon."
"Yes, I do."
"She's really looking forward to working there. She told me that more of us might be able to get jobs there sometime. And now that Papa is... is gone... I suppose we'll need to."
"Well, why don't we let things settle down a bit, before you all decide you need to work, all right?"
Just then Moira Gallagher entered the room, closely followed by Bernadette and the twins. She was pale, but she wasn't crying. In fact, it didn't appear she had been, either.
"Mrs. Gallagher—" Frank began.
But Moira cut him off. "It's all right, Sheriff. Really. It was only a matter of time. And, as hard as things might get from here on out, at least, I know the girls are all safe, now. We'll be fine, really."
"We'll make sure of that," Gus told her. "Now, is there anything you need today? Right now?"
"No, honestly..." the kettle began boiling over, causing her to turn. "Why is there water boiling?"
"They said we should make you tea."
"Girls, we talked about this just a while ago. We have to watch what we eat and drink. We can have coffee in the morning and then tea with our supper. But we can't have them more often that."
Bernadette was heading towards the cook stove, when Gus caught hold of her sleeve, gently. "No, you make tea for all of you." Then he looked at Moira and said, "I'll have groceries out here tomorrow. Earlier, should you need it."
"That's kind of you," she argued, "but don't. We... I... I don't know how or when I can repay you."
"Mrs. Gallagher," Gus said, "please listen. We should have been helping you long before this morning... what happened this morning."
She shook her head in protest, but he ignored her, and continued, "My wife will be out tomorrow or the next day. As will the doctor. And, we'll figure out a way the younger girls can go to school."
Tears rolled down Moira's face, as she whispered, "The girls can go to school? Oh, that would be... be so wonderful." She blanched white, and gasped, "I suppose that sounds awful. It's almost as if I'm glad my husband, their father, is dead. I'm not... exactly."
"Don't worry about it," Frank said. "Don't feel guilty if things improve for you and your girls."
"I'm not afraid to work," she blurted out.
"Of course you aren't," Gus insisted.
"Now, we'll be going. But, you let them make tea and you all have some. I'm very sorry for your loss, but—"
Again, Moira cut him off, "No, perhaps this really is for the best." They were nearly out the door, when Mrs. Gallagher reached out and grabbed Frank's hand and asked, "What about Mrs. Hendriksen? The twins said she was bleeding. But, they weren't sure what had happened. Is she all right?"
"Don't worry about it. The doctor is taking care of both her and Jake Kennedy now," Frank said, and walked out to the porch.
Before Gus followed him, he added, "But, I'm sure your prayers would be welcomed." Then they left.
They needed to get Gallagher's body into town and to the mortician's. Then they needed to check on Miranda and Jake.
Chapter Thirty-Five
"How is her breathing, Kit?" the doctor asked, as she bent lower and squinted at Miranda's still bleeding arm.
"It seems fine, Miss. But it appears she's coming around. Should I dribble more chloroform on the cloth?"
"Yes," Victoria answered. Once she saw Kit had sedated their patient more
, she poured steaming hot water over the oozing wound.
Neil leaned down, putting his weight against Miranda, as he got a tighter grip on her; even in her unconscious state, she struggled against the pain of the hot water washing over her.
The doctor stepped back and asked the circle of helpers standing around the table holding lit oil lamps as high as they could, "Can any of you see any more pellets? Or, anything that might be a pellet?"
Murmurs of no went around the table. "All right then, we'll cover her arm lightly and move on to her side." She whipped off the towel covering Miranda's naked side and gently cleaned the wound, before she began picking pellets out and depositing them into the enamel basin.
She'd been working on the side wound for a while, when there was a knock on the door, before Gus peeped inside and asked, "How is she?"
"All right, so far. I'm still picking out shotgun pellets. And, I haven't even begun on her hip.
"Now, either come in or get out, so nothing blows inside." After Gus withdrew, closing the door behind him, she looked over at Neil and said, "See, that's why I insisted on a separate treatment room. So, we can keep dust and insects out. Well, out more than in these open rooms."
Then she returned to the task at hand.
Occasionally, someone would hand Ma a lamp and take a new one, while someone trimmed the wick and refilled the empty one.
After what seemed like an eternity, they moved on to Miranda's hip. These pellets were barely imbedded into her skin. In fact, many of them had fallen away when Kit cut away her skirt and drawers. Having dealt with them quickly the doctor went back and re-examined Miranda's shoulder, and then her side.
Only after she was sure there were no more pellets, did she bandage the wounds. As she was finishing up, she said, "Kit, roll up another blanket and set it on the bed in there. When you're ready call us, and Neil and I will carry her in."
"Yes, ma'am. I won't take but a minute."
"And then, you should get yourself dinner. But, let me look at Jake first. He might be ready for some food."
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