Lucinda by Paige Mallory Page B

talk,” he informed her, walking through the door into the treatment room.  His whole demeanor changed when he saw Flo lying on the treatment bench.  It made him sick to think of Jasper doing this to the much smaller woman.  “Let me look you over, Flo, and see if we can’t help you feel a lot better.  You cleaned the wounds, Lucy?” he asked.
    “Yes, Henry,” Lucy answered.  “I considered laudanum, but wasn’t sure I should give her any until you made sure it was the right thing to do.”
    “You did well,” he said in approved, checking Flo for internal injuries.  Her ribs were bruised, but nothing seemed broken.  Henry gave her pain medication and asked Gracie to sit with Flo while he went to check on the Sergeant and the young soldier.  The younger man was sleeping and doing well.
    “Your little wife is some lady, Doc.  She handled that drunk sure enough.  I was going to shoot him dead; I sure couldn’t of done anything else, and I wasn’t going to let him hurt her like he done that other gal.  She stepped in front of me before I could get a shot off, and it didn’t take her long to make him howl in pain, I’ll tell you.  I’ve never seen anything like it, Doc!”  He shook his head, and then added, “I didn’t pull any stitches loose.  I’m doing okay.”
    “You are on the mend,” Henry agreed.  Then he lowered his voice and said, “Thank you for trying to protect Lucy, Sergeant.  I appreciate that.”
    “She’s a sweet little lady, Doc.  I wasn’t about to lie here and let someone hurt her.”
    “You get some sleep now, Sergeant, and tomorrow we’ll get you up for a while.”
    Henry left the room and went to check on Flo again.  She was sleeping soundly, and so was Gracie, who was sitting in a chair beside Flo.  He decided to go and find his wife.
    Lucinda was in the kitchen, putting food on a plate.  She gave him a smile and said, “You must be hungry, Henry.  Sit down and eat.”
    “Feeding me isn’t going to get you out of trouble,” he warned, but decided he really was hungry, and it was very nice to come home to a hot meal.  “Thank you, Lucy,” he said gratefully as she put a plate in front of him.   “This looks real good.”
    “How did the delivery go?” she asked cordially.
    “Fine.  Jenny had a baby boy,” he said proudly.
    “You like to deliver babies, don’t you?” she asked, smiling at him.
    “I do.  Bringing a new life into the world is a miracle, Lucy.  Jenny and her husband are happy with their son, and they are ready to be parents.”
    “I’m happy for them, even though I don’t know them yet.”
    “You’ll like Jenny,” Henry told her.  “All right, I want to hear what happened tonight, and don’t leave out anything.”
    “I was sitting there and working on our new kitchen curtains, and there was pounding on the door.  Gracie was yelling for you to help her.  I could hear how frightened she was, and I let her inside and she was half carrying Flo.  She warned me to relock the door because Jasper might come here to look for Flo.  I did, and then I helped Gracie get Flo into the treatment room, and did what I could to help her.  That’s when Jasper came.  I told Gracie and Flo to stay in the other room, and I went to the door and told Jasper through the door that you weren’t here and that he was disturbing the soldiers.  He was sure Flo was inside, and making all sorts of threats.  I ordered him to leave, but he kicked open the door and came inside, making all sorts of threats about what he was going to do to me.  The Sergeant came to the treatment room door with his gun in his hand and told Jasper to leave, but Jasper was drunk and decided he was going to fight a wounded man!  I stepped between them and clobbered Jasper.  I know the Sergeant meant well, but I wasn’t about to let him re-injure himself!” Lucinda explained.
    “You were told not to open the door in the first place,” he reminded her.
    “I know,