Authors: Marla Monroe
“Beverly, baby. Squeeze my finger.” He placed his finger in the palm of her hand.
Nothing happened. He tried again.
“Baby, squeeze my finger. Let me know you can hear me. I’m worried about you.”
Her hand remained open, but he could have sworn he felt her hand tremble. He rubbed her palm then left his finger there again.
“Come on, Beverly. Move your hand for me. Let me know you’re in there. You’ve got me and Caleb worried sick.”
Slowly, her hand closed over his finger. She didn’t squeeze it, but she did close her hand. Jeff grinned and pulled her hand to his mouth so he could kiss her palm and then each of her fingers.
“That was great, baby. I’m proud of you. Now rest and save your strength to get well. We need you to wake up and tell us what happened to your ankle, baby.”
Her hand jerked in his hand, but she didn’t make a sound or move her head. He wasn’t sure if she was reacting to what he’d said or if her hand had just jerked on its own. It didn’t matter. He’d gotten his answer. She could hear him and follow directions. He was convinced it wouldn’t be long before she would wake up now. Patience. They just needed patience.
* * * *
Beverly’s ankle was burning. She wanted to rub it, but she couldn’t seem to move. She tried to open her eyes, but they proved to be as heavy as lead. She wasn’t sure she had ever felt this bad before. Maybe when she’d had appendicitis as a child, but she wasn’t even sure about then. What was wrong with her?
She tried to listen to see if she could hear Jeff or Caleb talking anywhere, but there was a buzzing in her ears that was annoying as hell. It evidently drowned out all other sound.
She drifted for a few minutes or maybe it was hours, she couldn’t tell, but she tried to move again and managed to move her head and neck some. Her eyelids still felt like they weighed a ton, but she kept working to open them. She wasn’t giving up.
Somewhere she heard a voice, but with the damned buzzing she couldn’t tell whose it was. She tried to call out, but her mouth seemed to belong to another person. It wasn’t following directions. For that matter, nothing was following directions. Had she died?
The buzzing began to fade somewhat and she could hear both Jeff and Caleb talking somewhere close by. If she could hear them then she couldn’t be dead, right? Beverly wasn’t sure of anything anymore. All she knew was that she was aggravated that she couldn’t move and scared at what that meant.
When the buzzing had all but disappeared, she worked at opening her eyes and moving her mouth. She desperately wanted someone to know she was there. Even as she managed to crack her eyelids, it registered that the voices had stopped. She’d been too late. They were gone.
A sliver of light burned her eyes when she tried to look through the thin opening. After a few seconds with tears blurring her already dim vision, Beverly managed to get them open a little more and found that she was alone in their bed. It registered with her that her right ankle stung. Why was that? Had she hurt herself? Frustration left even more tears in her eyes as her breathing sped up.
If she didn’t get hold of herself, she’d hyperventilate and pass out. She didn’t want to do that now that she had finally managed to open her eyes. Surely the guys would come back to check on her soon. If she just wasn’t so tired.
Face it, I’m sick for some reason, and I’m always grumpy when I’m sick.
A sound outside the room jerked her attention toward the door. She struggled to keep her eyes open as Jeff walked through the door. He didn’t look at her right away. Instead, he walked over to the bedside table and set a glass of water down. She tried to make a sound to let him know she was awake and so damn thirsty.
Without looking at her, he disappeared into the bathroom. Her eyes remained glued to that door waiting for him to emerge again and notice that she was awake. It was taking all her strength to keep her eyes open. Why hadn’t he looked at her? Didn’t he care enough to check to see if she was even breathing? Pain slammed through her chest with the thought that he and Caleb might be relieved if she died and they could find another wife. She already knew that she wasn’t their first choice.
Jeff walked out of the bathroom carrying a towel and something else. He still didn’t seem to notice she had her eyes open. They were open, weren’t they? She could see him, so they had to be open. Why was this happening to her?
He dropped the towel and other things at the foot of the bed before bending over to pull back the covers. His eyes met hers and widened with shock. For a few seconds they just stared at each other.
“Beverly! Thank God you’re awake!”
His relieved smile melted away some of the pain and worry that had settled in her heart. He reached out and touched her cheek then turned away and ran out the door yelling for Caleb.
Beverly sighed and closed her eyes. So much for a sip of water.
“Caleb! She’s awake. Get your ass up here, now!”
Her eyes flew open when he jostled the bed with his return. She tried to speak, but her throat still wasn’t exactly cooperating. At least she managed to swallow around the dryness that plagued her. When he bent down and kissed her gently on the lips, Beverly tried to at least moan. It came out as a cracked whine. She pushed her tongue out of her mouth to try and lick her lips, but it only poked out and sat there. God, she must look like a crazy idiot.
“What is it, baby?” Jeff leaned over presenting her with his ear.
“Beverly?” Caleb’s face came into view when he shoved Jeff aside. “Can you hear me, honey?”
She couldn’t tell him that he didn’t have to yell, but she managed to blink her eyes once in a slow blink. For a minute she was worried she wouldn’t be able to open her eyes back up. That would have taken the cake. Finally awake only to fall asleep once she had their attention.
“I think she’s thirsty. She stuck her tongue out a couple of times.” Jeff reached across Caleb and grabbed something off the table.
The coveted glass of water came into view. She tried to widen her eyes to let them know it was exactly what she wanted. Caleb lifted her shoulders so that she was sitting up to some degree while Jeff held the glass of water to her lips. The first few drops ran down her chin and neck, but finally, she got the hang of it and swallowed the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. Who would have thought water actually had a taste.
When she couldn’t drink any more, they pulled the glass away, lowered her back to the bed, and dried her off. She felt so much better, but she was also tired again. Her eyelids started getting heavy.
“Can you say anything, baby?” Jeff asked, squeezing her hand.
He’d moved to the other side of the bed so that both he and Caleb could sit next to her and hold a hand apiece. They both looked as tired as she felt, and neither man seemed to have shaved lately. How long had she been sick?
“W–what happened?” she finally managed to get out even as her eyes closed.
“Honey, we don’t really know, but we think something scratched or bit you. Do you remember?” Caleb asked.
She could tell she was beginning to drift again. They sounded so far away. She licked her lips, thankful that she could do that now. She shook her head, or at least she thought she did.
“I think she’s sleeping again.” That sounded like Jeff’s voice.
Beverly struggled to say something. What? She couldn’t remember what she was going to say.
“That’s okay. She needs to rest. Now that she’s woken up once. She’ll do it again and stay awake longer next time.” She was positive that was Caleb’s deep voice.
The ringing was back. The stinging in her ankle hadn’t lessened any despite the fact that she was drifting away. She’d tell them about it when she woke up again. Right now, she just wanted to rest.
The constant stinging in her ankle was driving her crazy. Beverly groaned and opened her eyes to find Caleb sitting on the bed next to her with his eyes closed. She stared up at him then reached out to touch him. Her hand fell halfway there, but it got his attention.
“Hey there, honey. How are you feeling?”
She tried to moisten her lips, but once again her mouth felt like dry sandpaper. She did manage to rasp out a sound that didn’t come anywhere close to being
better
.
He blinked at her then jumped up and grabbed the glass of water. This time when he helped her up and held the glass to her lips she managed to start drinking right away. It was more sipping, but soon she was almost gulping the lukewarm water. She bet cold water would be even better.
“There you go.” He lowered her back to the bed and returned the glass to the bedside table. “Are you hungry? I can heat up some soup for you. Jeff’s outside tending to the horses, but he’ll be in soon.”
She tried to smile but wasn’t sure she had managed the feat by the puzzled expression on Caleb’s face. No doubt he thought she was brain damaged by now. Maybe she was. And why was her ankle stinging so badly? She struggled to move it to relieve some of the pressure she felt there.
“What is it, Bev? Is something hurting? What can I do?”
The desperation in Caleb’s voice was shocking to her. The man never sounded like that. He always appeared to have everything under control. Nothing bothered him. She wondered if there was something seriously wrong with her. She searched back, trying to remember, but all she could drag into focus was getting the garden planted and meeting their neighbors. Had they watered her garden?
“Garden?” she grunted out.
“Don’t worry about that. You concentrate on getting better. You’ve scared us to death.”
“Water.”
“You want some more to drink?” He reached for the glass.
Beverly shook her head. “Garden.”
His brow wrinkled with confusion. Finally it seemed to dawn on him what she was saying. He set the glass back on the table and squeezed her hand between both of his.
“The garden is fine. We’ve been watering it. The plants pushed through the ground yesterday. Damndest thing I’ve ever seen. It’s too early for them to be up. Jeff has been keeping your diary up for you, too.”
She smiled, or at least she thought she did. This time it seemed to have worked since Caleb smiled back at her.
“There you go. That’s my Beverly. You rest now. I’m going to warm up some soup. Jeff should be back in by then, and he can help you eat. He doesn’t make as big of a mess as I do.” He grimaced as if thinking about it.
Beverly nodded as best she could and closed her eyes again to rest. She was tired, but she didn’t want to go back to sleep yet. She wanted to see Jeff, and she was hungry. How long had she been out? If the plants had come up, it had to have been at least seven or eight days, right? But he’d said they were up too soon. How soon was too soon?
It all eluded her as she remembered that she hadn’t told Caleb that her ankle was bothering her. She’d tell them when they returned with her soup. Noises from downstairs helped keep her focused enough that she didn’t drift off too far. Still, when someone returned to the room sometime later, it took a great deal of effort to open her eyes again.
“Beverly? Wake up, baby. I’ve got your soup here for you.” Jeff’s voice penetrated the comfortable fog in her head.
The bed dipped on one side then the other. They both must be there with her, she thought. After a couple of seconds, she opened her eyes and found both men sitting next to her with smiles on their faces. Nothing looked so good to her than that. She returned the smile. Her stomach growled a long serenade on how empty it was. Both men laughed.
“Let’s get you sitting up so Jeff can feed you.” Caleb lifted her up and situated several pillows behind her for support.
“It’s mostly broth, baby, but you need to eat all you can. Shouldn’t be too hot. I checked it before I brought it up,” Jeff said.
She opened her mouth and welcomed the salty liquid. The taste exploded over her tongue, and she nearly choked trying to savor it. No more of that. She needed to eat and stop playing around. Caleb had just about knocked her off the bed beating on her back when she’d coughed.
“Be careful, Bev. Don’t choke. You’ll end up with pneumonia if you get it in your lungs.”
Jeff spooned bite after bite into her mouth until she couldn’t manage anymore. She shook her head after the last one she’d taken.
“Enough.” It came out pretty clear.
“Okay. You did really well this time. You managed to eat over half. We can try some more again later.” Jeff wiped her face with a napkin then stood up with the bowl. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to put this up and get you some fresh water.”
She smiled again. Maybe it would be cold. She really wanted some cold water after that salty soup. Caleb sat next to her without saying anything. He stroked her arm and squeezed her hand every once in a while. When Jeff returned, he offered her the water without her trying to ask for it. She had been right. It was delicious after the soup.
“Let’s clean her up, Caleb. She’ll feel better after a bath,” Jeff said.
Caleb nodded. “I’ll run the water. We’ll have to keep her foot dry though.”
Why? She wanted to ask, but for a second she couldn’t make her mouth work again. Finally it cooperated.
“Why?”
“Why what, baby?” Jeff frowned at her. “Don’t you want a bath?”
“Foot. Why foot?” she asked.
“Oh.” The confusion in his expression cleared up. “You have a wound on your ankle, Beverly. Do you remember how it happened?”
She concentrated and tried to remember, but nothing came to mind. Shaking her head, she sighed. Tears burned behind her eyes. What was wrong with her?
“Hey, don’t cry, baby. Everything is going to be fine. You’re on your way to getting better now. We’ll take care of you. Caleb and I will take care of everything.” He brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her forehead.
By the time they finished bathing her and drying her off, Beverly was exhausted. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been that tired before. Her ankle still stung, but at least now she knew why, or at least that it was injured somehow. She could see the white bandage around it but not much else. Neither man offered any kind of explanation, so either they didn’t have one or they were keeping something from her. She wasn’t sure their not knowing was any better than their not wanting to tell her about it.