“What troubles me is all the innocents. There is no gain there.”
Abbie looked around, spotted Matthew standing between James and Boyd. They talked to three other men she suspected were more of Matthew’s brothers. She narrowed her eyes when she noticed how Matthew kept shifting his stance as if he was having difficulty holding it. The color was stronger on his cheeks again.
“Emily? Could you hold Jeremiah for me again?”
“Certainly.” She took the baby into her arms. “Is something wrong?”
“Might be. I begin to think Matthew is about to fall on his face. It also looks like his fever is back.”
Abbie did not wait for any reply from Emily but walked straight to Matthew and slipped her arm through his. “Matthew, I think it would be best if we go inside.”
“Probably would be. Not feeling too right.”
James moved up to put his arm around Matthew’s waist and one of the young men in front of her started toward the house, waving her to follow him. “Damn, Matt, you should have said something.”
“Just need to lie down for a while.”
Matthew then began to sink down and Abbie stumbled trying to hold him up. Two of the young men moved nearer, each one grabbing one of Matthew’s legs. James took more of his weight and the four of them carried him up the stairs.
“Just be careful with his legs. He has a bad wound on one of them,” said Abigail.
“Where?” asked the one in front of her.
“Top, left leg.”
They got him into a room and onto a bed. As Abbie searched out some cool water and a few rags with Mrs. O’Neal’s help from the moment she rushed into the room, the men stripped Matthew and pulled the covers over him. Abbie stepped over and began to wash him down with cool water.
“Where was he hurt?” asked Mrs. O’Neal.
“That arm. A through shot, this leg, a bit of meat lost. And his belly.” Abbie heard the woman suck in her breath. “It was shallow.” She cautiously moved the covering and showed her the wound. “Someone was trying to gut him, but he turned. That is why it is shaped oddly.”
“Doctor said that it only needs a pair of eyes,” said James, and the three young men snickered but Mrs. O’Neal slapped him on the back of the head.
“Ow! It was just a joke the doc was making.”
“You don’t go making jokes about such things.”
“Sorry, ma’am. Fellow tends to forget how to talk around the ladies after a time spent in the military.”
“No, no. I’m sorry. This cursed war has made me forget my manners and sense of humor.” She looked at Abbie. “You do this stitching, child?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Abbie even impressed our doc, and him Harvard educated and all. Even better than how neatly she does the stitching is the fact that she can do it fast,” said James and patted Abbie on the head then ducked her swing at him.
“Fast?”
“Less pain,” said Abbie. “I practiced until I could do it faster than my da who was a doctor in Pennsylvania.”
“What’s wrong with Matthew?” demanded Iain as he stormed into the room with Emily hurrying behind him.
“Aside from the fact that he is an idiot male who doesn’t know when to rest? Nothing. He has a fever,” Abbie said as she wiped down his arms, “but it is not too high. A few days resting and he should be fine.”
Iain came to stand by the bed and look his brother over. He stared down at Matthew’s stomach wound for a long time and Abbie watched his expression change slowly from worry to puzzlement. He tugged the sheet up over Matthew’s belly and looked at James.
“Why is his belly smiling at me?” Iain asked.
James said very quietly, “He turned as the knife started to go in and so the cut was lighter and across instead of deep.”
“But it should heal well?”
“Doctor said it would. Of course he also told him to stay off horses and Matthew didn’t obey that well at all. Then there was the fighting as we traveled here. It brought his fever back. Stitches held though.”
“So bed rest and getting the fever down.”
“That’s it.”
“He’s nay going to like that.”
“He’ll learn.”
Iain grinned. “Suspect he might. Nigel, Duncan, Lachlan? Time to feed the stock.” All three young men hurried out the door. “Thank you, Abbie. And you, Mrs. O’Neal.”
Emily hurried over and gave Jeremiah back to Abbie then followed her husband out of the room. Abbie tossed the damp cloth back into the bucket and, with her free hand, felt Matthew’s forehead and cheeks. He was noticeably cooler and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Better?” James asked.
“Very much so. Cooler and, by the looks of it, sleeping peacefully.”
“I’ve got to ride back.”
“Back to where?”
“The town. Meeting up with the doc and then it is off to fight in the far South.”
“Oh, I see. Didn’t you sign up only for a while?”
“I did and I’m pretty sure that time is rapidly coming to a close. Plan to wave them all fare-thee-well when it does but have to heed orders now.”
She impulsively hugged him, holding the baby to the side. “Take care. Sorry he’s not awake to see you off.”
“Yeah, but I know he will wake up and that will do for now. You watch yourself, pigeon.”
She watched him leave, even walking over to the window to see him mount his horse and ride away. Abigail really hoped he continued to have good luck. After putting Jeremiah to bed in the nursery, she also hoped he would find a good companion to watch his back as he had so skillfully watched theirs. Abigail then went to Matthew’s room.
“Well, Matthew, you missed James’s farewell. So best you get better soon or there may be others.” She pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down then looked at Mrs. O’Neal. “Where can I find a book?”
“Is it all right to leave him?”
“I think so, but we won’t be gone that long, will we?”
“No, just heading down to the library. I am just not sure the boys will have anything that will suit you.”
After some looking through a lot of books, Abigail found one that looked good. She did wonder how the MacEnroys got so many books on how to do so many different things. The book she picked had probably been added by Emily. As she walked back into the bedroom where Matthew was she caught him sliding one leg out of bed.
“Get back in that bed.” She would have laughed at how fast he did so except she was too angry. “Are you crazy? How many times do you have to nearly fall on your face before you accept that you need to rest?” she asked as she marched up to the side of the bed.
“Did I fall on my face?”
“No, because I was there, and so were James and several of your brothers.”
“Did I open up any stitches?”
“They are all fine and there appears to be no infection in any of the wounds. The fever comes from doing things too early and doing too much. So now you will have to play the invalid for a while. In fact, you should probably do that until the stitches can be taken out.”
“Where is James?”
“James has returned to the town and the army.”
“Oh hell. He can leave it soon, so why rush back into it? I had thought to keep him here somehow until it was done.”