The Bride Price by Tracey Jane Jackson Page A

girl.”
    “Jamie?” Sophie’s eyes fluttered open, and
she stared at the vision of her husband standing over her bed.
“Where have you been ?”
    “I’ve been here, sweetheart. What do you
mean?”
    “No, you haven’t been here. I’ve been looking
for you.” Sophie tried to sit up but felt frozen to the bed. “Why
can’t I move?”
    “Ten-Cow, I’ve been here the whole time. Have
you forgotten me already?”
    “What? No!”
    “Then why haven’t you found me?”
    Tears streamed down her temples and she shook
her head. “Jamie, I couldn’t find you.”
    “I don’t know why you couldn’t find me; I
have been here waiting for you. I thought you’d never come.”
    Sophie felt both relief and frustration as
she stared up at him. “Why can’t I move? I need to touch you. I
need you to hold me.”
    “I can’t do that, sweetheart.”
    “What? Why not?”
    Sophie’s eyes flew open and she sat up, sobs
racking her body. “No, no, no! Jamie, come back.” Jumping out of
bed, she made her way to the window and drew the drapes back, with
the silly hope that maybe Jamie was behind one of them. “Where are
you?”
    She stared out the window and let out a
little sigh at the scene. Unfolding before her was the most
incredible sunrise she had ever seen. Truth be told, it was the first sunrise she had ever seen. Sophie and Jamie were not
morning people, so were more likely to see a sunset. Oranges and
yellows filtered over the ground, contrasting the stark white of
the snow, and it was almost as though the sun were painting the
landscape in front of her.
    Sophie stood for several minutes, praying for
wisdom as she watched God’s artistry before her and then walked to
her door and popped her head into the hallway to listen. The house
was eerily quiet, indicating everyone must still be asleep.
    Grabbing her book, she made her way over to
the window seat. Pulling one of the curtains further open for
light, she managed to get through the first five chapters before
movement out the window caught her eye. Several men, including
Richard, worked with the horses, putting them through what appeared
to be military movements.
    Sophie stayed glued to the window in utter
fascination for close to twenty minutes. Just as she was ready to
go back to her book, Richard looked up and seemingly straight at
her. Sophie doubted he saw her from so far away but pulled herself
away from the window just the same. The last thing a man with a big
head needed was someone staring at him. He might think she
cared.
    Hearing the household slowly rising, she
turned as Betty knocked and came in to help her dress. Once she was
finished, Sophie made her way downstairs, delighted to see that
Christine had popped around for a quick breakfast before heading to
the hospital.
    As they sat down to breakfast, they got on
that very subject. “Christine, I believe some simple changes at the
hospital could very well make the soldiers more comfortable. Would
you be open to hearing them and perhaps discussing them with the
doctors?”
    “I’m always happy to listen, Sophie. I’m just
not sure if the doctors would be, however. Especially Dr. Palmer.
It’s not our job to tell them what to do, we’re there to assist and
comfort the men.”
    Christine sat down again and gave Sophie her
full attention. “What did you have in mind?”
    “Well, for starters, washing their hands and
boiling the instruments. It would go a long way to stopping the
spread of disease. Also, do the doctors ever splint broken legs, or
do they immediately amputate?”
    “I know that we rarely see soldiers with
broken bones. For the most part, their legs have already been
amputated in the field. You know who you should discuss this
with?”
    Sophie held her hands up. “Don’t say it,
Christine.”
    “Richard,” Christine said with an impish
smile.
    “Right, like I would ever be able to talk to
Mr. Arrogant about any of this. He would never listen to a lowly
woman,” Sophie