by Lynn Donovan
“Yeah, kind of.”
“Good. I’ll bring you some broth. Drink that water.” She nodded to a glass. “Your Missus can help.” She nodded toward Purity in the chair asleep.
Goodness Gracious! Had she been here this whole time? “Miss Graham? What day is it?”
She smiled. “Evelyn.”
Seth nodded. “Evelyn.”
“It’s just Sunday.”
“I’ve been here… a day?”
“Yep. Two actually, but twenty-four hours.”
“And… has she gone home at all?” He gestured toward Purity.
Evelyn shook her head. “Been right here the whole time.”
Seth nodded. Evelyn walked out. He thought he heard Adam’s voice outside of his room. Maybe Adam could help Seth convince Purity to leave him. She didn’t need to put herself through this living with a cripple! Evelyn stepped back into his room gesturing for someone to walk in. Adam and Mercy were right behind her. Mercy’s two daughters peeked around their mother’s skirts.
“Momma. Is Seth going to be all right?”
Someone on the opposite side from where he was facing stood. He heard his momma’s voice. He had no idea she was there, too.
“He survived. That’s the first step. We don’t know yet how much damage the bullet has done.”
“Adam,” Seth’s voice was still rough from the chloroform.
Adam rushed to his side. “I’m here.”
“Did you hear the good news?” Seth croaked.
Adam glanced at Purity and then their mother. “What?”
“I’m gonna be a daddy!” The effort to speak cost Seth and he choked and coughed violently. Oh, the pain when he did!
Adam waited through Seth’s hacking. “Well, that gives you two good reasons to get up outta that bed.”
Seth settled into strained breathing to control the wrenching cough. When he could, he swallowed to moisten his throat. “Why two?”
Adam looked at Mercy. “I say two because I need you to stand with me at our wedding.”
Mercy’s girls ran in the room. Seth couldn’t see them because they had run to his momma. “Doctor Honor, you’re gonna be our grandma!”
“Oh, goodness me!” Honor exclaimed. “That is more good news! Congratulations, you two!”
Seth squeezed his eyes closed. Sure, this was great news, but how in the world could Seth promise to stand with his brother for a wedding. He had five other brothers, why come here and put this burden on Seth? He watched the family congratulate each other. Purity smiled for the first time since Seth had woken up.
She sniffed. “Now it’s up to Seth. You’ve gotta get well for the sake of our baby and so you can stand with your brother at his wedding.”
“Yeah.” Seth whispered. “I’ve got a lot of reasons to get well.” He squeezed his eyes tighter and breathed a haggard breath. Trust me, it’s what I want! “Lord knows I wanna walk again.” But how can I make either of you a promise that I will?
Adam looked around the room and smiled. “We all want you to walk, brother. The whole church is praying for you to recover… but if the Lord has other plans, then… we’ll figure things out. After all, we are sons of Honor and we always find a way to live life to the fullest. Right?”
Seth stayed still with is eyes tightly closed. How can you be serious? Then he opened them and met Adam’s eyes.
“Right.” He gritted his teeth to keep back tears. “Uh, Adam, could I talk to you… in private?” Seth glanced at Purity. She made that face she makes when she doesn’t agree with him. “Please, Purity. Can I talk to my brother?”
She sighed heavily, but then stood and Seth heard feet shuffle out the door. Everyone had left the room.
“What is it, Seth.” Adam sat down where Purity had been.
“For one.” Seth cleared his throat, for what good it did. “Will you please make Purity go home? She’s been here this whole… twenty-four hours and with her being in her condition, she needs to get some rest, in her own bed.”
Adam tilted his head. “Well, I can try. But I think you know better than I how stubborn these Coffey women can be.”
“Yeah, I do. But she’s gotta think of the baby now. Tell her Momma’s here to watch over me or something. Please make her go home and get some rest. I can’t—” He swallowed hard. “I can’t just will myself healed and take her home.”
“Sure.” Adam nodded. “I’ll make sure she takes care of herself… until… you do come home.”
“Yeah, that’s another thing. Adam, I don’t want to be a burden to her!” The words clotted in his throat. “I told her I want a divorce. But she didn’t believe me.”
“Why would you tell her that? She’s gonna have your baby, after all this time!”
“Yeah, and I’m probably paralyzed for life!”
“You don’t know that!”
“And YOU don’t know that I’m not.”
Adam shot to his feet and jammed his fingers through his hair. “So what if you are? People manage. You’ll manage. You know Momma will find the best treatment for you. It’ll be all right!”
Seth hated being stuck in this bed, lying on his side. He wanted to leap to his feet and stand nose to nose with his stubborn brother. “HOW?”
“I DON’T KNOW, but it will. We always figure out a way to… to make things work!”
Seth stared at his brother long and hard. “You’re right. But I just don’t see how I can support my wife and child if I’m laid out in a bed the rest of my life.”
“You won’t be! Surely you won’t be! There are chairs with wheels. They’re pretty fancy looking, too. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll make you something so you can get around and work. Surely we can modify your tanning equipment so you can continue making leather and tooling saddles and such.” Adam squatted beside the bed, so he could level his eyes with his brother. “Seth, I’m telling you, we’ll figure this out! Don’t give up… on yourself or Purity! Besides, I will do whatever it takes to make sure you can be by my side when I finally marry Mercy. You of all people know how long I’ve waited.”
Seth smiled. “Yeah. That’s the real miracle around here.”
Adam grinned. “From your lips to God’s ears. Don’t I know it.”

Purity waited in the clinic’s parlor with Mercy and Momma Honor while Adam and Seth had a private talk. Her nieces sat on the floor chatting away about their ideas for the wedding. Ribbons and flowers, new dresses and shoes. Purity tried to listen, but her mind was on her husband. How close had she come to losing him yesterday? This was all her fault. She had taken him for granted and let her marriage become so bland, like stew without salt.
She had forgotten how much she loved Seth. Their lives were beautiful together. They had a home and a business that kept them comfortably fed and clothed. How selfish she had been. She focused on her nieces. Like these children, Purity expected Seth to make her the center of his world. But that was ridiculous. He had his work to do and a living to make. The Good Lord had finally blessed them with a child. Obviously He had bigger plans for her marriage.
Could this baby be a sign that Seth would heal? Purity looked down the hall. Would Seth walk again? “Momma Honor.” She couldn’t wait another minute. Questions were bursting out of her heart.
“Yes, dear.” Honor looked tired.
“What… options does Seth have, if-if the bullet did cause damage to his spine?”
Honor nodded, as if she were reflecting on the question. She glanced at the girls and sat down beside Purity. “I know from experience that people can do just about anything they set their mind to. That said, if Seth’s spine is damaged, then his legs will shrivel up and look like skin and bone, but as long as he continues to sit up and use his arms, he will remain strong, maybe even get stronger. I’ve read about incredible things men did after the War when they lost their legs. There’s no reason Seth can’t adjust to not having the use of his. We can help him. But we mustn’t baby him. He has to do this
himself.”
Purity listened to her mother-in-law. She couldn’t imagine what all this meant, but whatever Seth needed her to do, she would do it for him. She needed him. He needed her. They needed each other. And she knew this was the spice their marriage needed to not be bland. Guilt swamped her heart. If she hadn’t let her marriage go bland, would God not have let this happen to Seth?
“Momma Honor?” Purity squeaked through restrained tears. “Is this my fault?”
“Oh, darling! Why would you say that?”
Mercy scooted over beside Purity and wrapped her arms around her sister. “Purity, you’re the kindest, most creative and most loving person I know. God didn’t make this happen to teach you a lesson. Please don’t think that way.”
Honor nodded. “Your sister’s right. Things happen. We don’t know why. But I don’t believe any of it is because God wants to punish us. Perhaps, if it is God’s plan for our lives, it is because he wants to strengthen us and make us better than we realized we could be.” She stared at Purity a moment. “I don’t know. This is Uncle Harrison’s area.” Honor chuckled. “Not mine.”
Purity pursed her lips and sniffed. “I know one thing.” She looked at the two women. “This certainly has opened my eyes. I realize how much I love my husband, and I’ll do whatever he needs to get well. I’m certain he didn’t mean it… when he said he wanted a divorce.” She choked on the tears. “Surely, he didn’t mean that.”
Honor now wrapped her arms around Purity too. “He was probably thinking like a man. One thing I learned from raising six boys is that they don’t think like we women do. Knowing Seth, he doesn’t want to be a burden on you and that’s why he said that. We women have to be strong for our husbands and let them realize they are not a burden. We love them and everything we do for them is because we love them.”
Purity blinked and settled her eyes with Honor’s. “Yes. Everything I do for Seth is because I love him. Everything you do is because you’re his mother and you love him.” She took Honor’s hands into her own. “Together, you and I will help Seth to heal and be strong and to feel… useful. Men need to feel useful. I’ll never let Seth think he’s a burden! And you’ll help me, right? If you see me coddling my husband, you’ll remind me of this conversation. Won’t you?”
“Of course.” Honor smiled and shook Purity’s hand slightly as a reassurance.
Adam walked down the hall. “Purity. Seth wants you to go home and get some rest. I’m sure Momma will agree with him and me, that… in your condition, you need your rest. I know how much you want to stay here with Seth, and that’s great… but Momma’s here to watch—”
“Yeah. You’re right.” Purity stood. “I’ll just go tell Seth I’m leaving.”
Adam stared at her with his mouth open as if he had more to say. His eyes shifted to Mercy. “That was too easy.”
Mercy smiled and stood with Adam. “Your momma and I have been talking to Purity about Seth’s recovery. She has a… different perspective, I believe.”
Adam nodded slowly. “You Coffey gals never cease to amaze me.”
Mercy laughed. “Oh really?”
Chapter Six
Purity stepped into Seth’s room. She lifted her chin and squatted down beside his bed. “I’m gonna go home and get some rest.”
Seth’s eyes popped open. “Yes. You look tired.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“No, I just mean, you are carrying our child and need to think about your own needs.”
“Right.” She pursed her lips. “And you are fine.” She swallowed. “I’ll be back later. Is there anything I can bring you from home?”
“Uh, not that I can think of.”
“All right. If you change your mind, have your momma send me a message.”
“Sure.” His brow wrinkled. “Go rest.”
“I am.” She stood, then bent over and kissed his lips soundly. “I love you, Seth.”
“I love you too, Purity.”
She hesitated, then turned and left his room. It was the hardest thing she’d ever done, walking away and leaving him alone. But Momma Honor was right. He had to find his own strength before she could help him recover. Entering the parlor, she was relieved to see Mercy and the girls were still there.
“Don’t cook when you get home.” Mercy took hold of Purity’s arm.
“What an odd thing to say to me.”
Mercy laughed. “Trust me. Don’t cook anything to eat. Come to my house. Every member of Lantern has brought their dish from the Founder’s Day Dinner to me. I’ve got enough food to feed this town and two more.”
Purity snorted a slight laugh. “Really?”
“Would I tease you about such a thing as food? Especially in your condition?” They giggled. “Come on. Adam and I’ll walk you home. But when you wake up, promise you’ll come over and eat before you come back to the clinic.”
Purity leaned her forehead against her sister’s. “All right. I promise.”
They walked out of the clinic with linked arms. The girls skipped along their sides and Adam followed. Purity thanked them for everything, which had so much meaning considering Adam brought her to the clinic when Seth was hurt, and later told Seth about their impending marriage. The more Seth knew was expected of him, the more likely he would be to realize how much everybody loved him and needed him. Not just Purity. Not just this baby. His whole family. This whole town. He was the only tanner in town. Everybody needed him.
She turned on her porch to face her sister. “Thanks again. Oh, and congratulations! When’s the wedding?”
Mercy laughed. “We haven’t even talked about a date.”
“Well, let me know. I want to help with the planning.” She made eye contact with the girls and they giggled, knowing Aunt Purity would have great ideas to make everything beautiful. Purity smiled. Her nieces were her joy. Making them happy made her happy.
“Get some rest!” Mercy insisted.
“I’ll try. Leaving Seth alone back there was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Mercy ran up to her and took her hands. “I know. But you’re doing right by him. We all will do our best not to coddle him. He’ll be better off finding his own… fortitude.” She giggled.
Adam smiled. “We Featherstones are a strong bunch, our momma raised us that way. My brother will be fine.”
“I know you’re right.” Purity let go of Mercy’s hand and kissed Adam’s cheek. “Thank you for reminding me. It’s just… instincts to want to do everything for him.”
Mercy gathered her girls. “We know. Go get some rest. I’ll see you for supper?”
“Yes. I’ll come over.”
“Good.”
Purity watched her sister, nieces, and Adam walk away. She stifled the sob that beckoned to break her resolve. A whimper at her door caused her to turn and open it. Charlie ran out and into the yard. He needed relief. Then he ran back and circled her skirts. “Come on, boy. Let’s go take a nap.”
She entered their home and the flood gates opened. She bent at the waist and pressed her hand against her chest. The sobs came in waves as she collapsed on the divan. Charlie sat at her knees and put his chin on her lap. She ran her hand over his head and let the tears flow. How close had she come to losing her husband? Exhaustion washed over her. She laid her head on a hand pillow and cried herself to sleep.

The days passed quickly for Seth. In fact, they blended into a confusion of night and day. He lost track of time or which day it had become. He spent the majority of the time sleeping under the heavy influence of laudanum. The bitter tasting liquid eased the pain in his back and let him forget his worries. But when Purity came to see him, he wished he could shake off the effects of the opium stupor. He missed her. She talked to him about what was going on in town, but he couldn’t make sense of her stories. He closed his eyes and drifted away to a dream world where he stood on his own two feet and walked like a man should.
Momma forced him to sit up, swing h
is legs over the side of the bed, and scoot into a wheeled chair. His head felt heavy. He could barely keep it up right. All he wanted was to get back in bed and go to sleep.
Evelyn, Momma, and Purity made him eat. The food was tasteless. No amount of sugar in his tea gave it flavor. He shoved it aside and begged to be put back in bed. Each of his brothers came to see him, in turn. But none stayed long, except Adam. He talked about his wedding and the livery. Something was said about a government land grant, because they were sons of a War veteran, they could get over a thousand acres. Seth couldn’t make sense of it all. Why would the government hand out more than a thousand acres just because their dad had died in the War? Adam told Seth he should try to get some too. They could go in together and raise horses and cattle.
Seth just wished Adam would go away and leave him alone. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep. His back burned and his legs were useless. He reached for the laudanum, but it wasn’t there. His eyes popped open, and he turned his head to look on the table beside his bed. “Where is it?”
Adam stopped talking. “Where’s what?”
“My laudanum?”
“I don’t know. Momma came in a while ago and said you didn’t need it anymore.”
“What!” Seth propped himself up on his elbows. “Evelyn! I need my laudanum!”
Adam stood and leaned over him. “Seth, calm down. I’ll go ask.”
Honor stepped into the doorway. “Ask what, Adam.”
“Seth needs his laudanum.” Adam sat back down.
“Well, no, he doesn’t.” Their mother entered the room. “Son, you need to ease off that stuff. It’s not good to become so dependent on it.”
“Momma! I hurt! I need the laudanum!”
She sat on his bed. “I know you have pain. But the laudanum is not the answer. You’re going to have to learn to live with it and without the laudanum. Otherwise, you’re not going to have a life worth living.”
Seth glared at her. “Live with it? YOU live with it! I hurt like a branding iron’s being jammed into my back. I need the laudanum!”