said triumphantly, “Got it. Now let me sew him up and there’s an end to it.”
Linn raised her head, blinking through her tears. “He’ll be okay?” she whispered. “He doesn’t need a transfusion?”
“Of course not. He’ll be fine. No doubt of it. This looks a sorry lot, worse than it actually is.” He saw Linn’s death grip on his patient and added gently, “You can let him go now. Help me clean him up.”
Linn settled Con carefully on the bed and wiped her face with the sleeve of her blouse. She crawled around to the doctor’s position and assisted him silently while he cleaned and dressed the wound.
“There,” McCarthy said, taping the gauze in place. “Done, and done.” He glanced at Linn. “You look like you could use a drink yourself.”
Linn tried a smile. “I guess I could.”
McCarthy raised his flask. “Neat, from the jug?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He handed Linn the bottle. She bolted a large swig and gasped, more tears springing to her eyes.
“That’ll set you up,” the doctor stated, then took a substantial pull of his own. He eyed Linn worriedly. “Are you all right, girl?”
“Yes, I think so. I guess I didn’t realize that it would… hurt him…quite so much.”
The doctor nodded thoughtfully. After a moment he said, “Does he know how you feel about him?”
Linn stared at McCarthy in silence.
The doctor shrugged. “I’d tell him if I were you. Con’s a smart lad about most things, but he can be a bit thick when it comes to women.”
Linn couldn’t think of a suitable reply to that observation, but McCarthy didn’t seem to expect one. He set about washing his things in the sink at the other end of the cottage, humming cheerfully. Linn had composed herself by the time he returned. He loaded a syringe from a bottle and injected Con with the solution.
“This will hold him ‘til morning,” he said. He gave Linn a paper packet with a handful of pills inside it. “Give him one of these every four hours. The shot was a pain killer and these are antibiotics.” He looked at Linn. “You’ll stay with him?”
“I’ll stay.”
“He’s a tough character, you know. Terrible strong- minded. He has to stay quiet and he may take a notion to get out of bed when he wakes up.”
“I can handle him,” Linn answered with grim determination.
McCarthy turned away to hide his smile. “I believe you can,” he said evenly. “Now he may spike a fever, which is normal under the circumstances; just keep him warm and off that leg. Call me if he becomes agitated or if anything seems wrong. I’ll be back to check on him tomorrow.”
“All right. Thank you, doctor. I’m so grateful that you came to take care of him.”
“Oh, Con’s a favorite of mine. He’s trouble on horseback, to be sure, but he has a great heart.”
That’s just what Bridie said, Linn thought.
“By the way,” McCarthy said as he was packing to go, “do you know how he got back here without his car?”
“No, I don’t. I don’t even know how he was hurt, except that it happened while he was trying to spring some friend of his who was picked up for internment.”
The doctor nodded. “A familiar story. Those boyos stick together.” He picked up his bag and glanced around to see if he had left anything.
“I think that’s all,” he said with finality. “Goodbye then, Miss Pierce, and take good care of our patient.”
“I will. And thanks again for coming.”
He made a deprecating gesture. “Not at all.” He saluted Linn with two fingers and slipped through the door.
Linn glanced at her watch. It would be a long night. She settled down in the chair next to the bed and decided to take a rest.
Later, while Con slept, she would tidy up the cottage.
* * * *
Linn fell asleep in the chair and woke an hour later. The moon had risen and shone through the window above the bed, casting a shaft of light across Con’s face. He was sleeping peacefully and Linn pulled the cover up under his
Linn raised her head, blinking through her tears. “He’ll be okay?” she whispered. “He doesn’t need a transfusion?”
“Of course not. He’ll be fine. No doubt of it. This looks a sorry lot, worse than it actually is.” He saw Linn’s death grip on his patient and added gently, “You can let him go now. Help me clean him up.”
Linn settled Con carefully on the bed and wiped her face with the sleeve of her blouse. She crawled around to the doctor’s position and assisted him silently while he cleaned and dressed the wound.
“There,” McCarthy said, taping the gauze in place. “Done, and done.” He glanced at Linn. “You look like you could use a drink yourself.”
Linn tried a smile. “I guess I could.”
McCarthy raised his flask. “Neat, from the jug?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He handed Linn the bottle. She bolted a large swig and gasped, more tears springing to her eyes.
“That’ll set you up,” the doctor stated, then took a substantial pull of his own. He eyed Linn worriedly. “Are you all right, girl?”
“Yes, I think so. I guess I didn’t realize that it would… hurt him…quite so much.”
The doctor nodded thoughtfully. After a moment he said, “Does he know how you feel about him?”
Linn stared at McCarthy in silence.
The doctor shrugged. “I’d tell him if I were you. Con’s a smart lad about most things, but he can be a bit thick when it comes to women.”
Linn couldn’t think of a suitable reply to that observation, but McCarthy didn’t seem to expect one. He set about washing his things in the sink at the other end of the cottage, humming cheerfully. Linn had composed herself by the time he returned. He loaded a syringe from a bottle and injected Con with the solution.
“This will hold him ‘til morning,” he said. He gave Linn a paper packet with a handful of pills inside it. “Give him one of these every four hours. The shot was a pain killer and these are antibiotics.” He looked at Linn. “You’ll stay with him?”
“I’ll stay.”
“He’s a tough character, you know. Terrible strong- minded. He has to stay quiet and he may take a notion to get out of bed when he wakes up.”
“I can handle him,” Linn answered with grim determination.
McCarthy turned away to hide his smile. “I believe you can,” he said evenly. “Now he may spike a fever, which is normal under the circumstances; just keep him warm and off that leg. Call me if he becomes agitated or if anything seems wrong. I’ll be back to check on him tomorrow.”
“All right. Thank you, doctor. I’m so grateful that you came to take care of him.”
“Oh, Con’s a favorite of mine. He’s trouble on horseback, to be sure, but he has a great heart.”
That’s just what Bridie said, Linn thought.
“By the way,” McCarthy said as he was packing to go, “do you know how he got back here without his car?”
“No, I don’t. I don’t even know how he was hurt, except that it happened while he was trying to spring some friend of his who was picked up for internment.”
The doctor nodded. “A familiar story. Those boyos stick together.” He picked up his bag and glanced around to see if he had left anything.
“I think that’s all,” he said with finality. “Goodbye then, Miss Pierce, and take good care of our patient.”
“I will. And thanks again for coming.”
He made a deprecating gesture. “Not at all.” He saluted Linn with two fingers and slipped through the door.
Linn glanced at her watch. It would be a long night. She settled down in the chair next to the bed and decided to take a rest.
Later, while Con slept, she would tidy up the cottage.
* * * *
Linn fell asleep in the chair and woke an hour later. The moon had risen and shone through the window above the bed, casting a shaft of light across Con’s face. He was sleeping peacefully and Linn pulled the cover up under his
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