A Dream for Tomorrow (18 page)

Elizabeth knew that in times of high anxiety, minutes often seemed like hours. After what felt like many hours, some of the men who had gone downriver to see about Brady and Robert returned.

“What is the news?” Elizabeth eagerly asked Hugh Prescott.

“Both men are recovered.” Hugh’s expression remained serious. “We were sent to fetch the doctor to tend to the boy from unit four.” He nodded to his son now. “Julius, you run and see if you can find Dr. Nash. Asa said he’s in unit three.” As Julius hurried away, Hugh turned back to Elizabeth. “The boy suffered a severe blow to the head. He is still not conscious.”

“And Brady?”

“Brady is alive.”

She let out a relieved sigh. “I’m so glad.”

“But the poor old fellow nearly drowned before he dragged the boy out of the water.”

“Brady rescued the boy?”

“That’s what Eli said. And he was there to see it happen.”

“But Brady is all right?” Elizabeth still felt concerned.

“Matthew and Asa are helping him back to camp right now.”

“And my father’s horse?” Elizabeth knew how much Father loved Penny.

“The horse is just fine. Made out the best of the lot of them.”

Elizabeth noticed more of the group coming now. Squinting into the sun, she could see that it was Matthew and her father on foot, and Brady, slumped forward, was on the back of Penny. She ran to meet them but could tell immediately that although he was alive, he was not well.

“Oh, dear Brady,” she exclaimed. “I was so worried.”

He barely looked at her.

“Bring him to my wagon,” she told her father and brother.

“What about Mrs. Taylor?” Matthew asked.

“Never mind,” Elizabeth said. “Bring him to my wagon. Brady’s traveling with me and he’s my responsibility. Is he not?”

“But Clara can care for him,” Asa persisted. “You know she is good at medicine. Let her deal with this, Elizabeth. You already have more than enough on your plate. Your mother will be glad to handle this.”

As badly as Elizabeth wanted to help Brady, she knew her father was right. “Fine,” she conceded as she walked beside them. “Let mother care for him.” She reached up and patted Brady’s leg. “You’ll be in good hands, Brady. Mother has the healing touch.”

“Yes’m,” he mumbled in a gruff voice.

“You were very brave to rescue that boy,” she said as she walked with them toward the long line of waiting wagons. “If Robert survives it will be due to your selfless courage.”

His head barely bobbed.

“I’m going to run and tell Mother you’re bringing him.” She hiked up her skirts and scurried ahead. When she reached the lead wagon, she breathlessly relayed the story of Brady’s rescue. “But he’s not well,” she said. “I wanted to take him in my wagon, but Father insists you’re the best one to nurse him back to health.”

“Your father might be right about that.” Clara had already turned around and climbed back into the wagon. “I need to get the bed ready. Elizabeth, you and Ruthie run back and get some dry clothes for Brady.”

“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed. “And I’ll send Ruth back with them. But I’ll have her and Flax ride with me for the remainder of the day.”

Elizabeth knew that no one in this wagon train—probably not even Dr. Nash—could care for Brady as well as her mother. He truly was in good hands. Even so, as the wagons started to roll, she thought about how he had looked slumped over like that on Penny. And she prayed once again for Brady, putting him in God’s hands.

Chapter Twelve

I
t wasn’t until the next day that Elizabeth’s family learned young Robert Stone was recovering nicely from his near drowning. “Besides a goose egg on his head and a slight loss of memory, he seems just fine,” Dr. Nash told them during their midday break. “But I thought I’d drop by and check on your slave.”

“He’s a
free man
,” Elizabeth said.

“Oh, I’m sorry…” Dr. Nash looked confused. “I’m certain Abner Stone said he was a slave.”

“That’s not surprising.” Elizabeth paused from slicing bacon. “But considering how Brady saved Mr. Stone’s son’s life, I would think he’d be a little more gracious.”

“Your man
saved
the boy’s life?” Dr. Nash looked doubtful.

“What?” Elizabeth stopped slicing.

“Brady rescued the boy,” Asa told him.

Dr. Nash cleared his throat. “That is not what Abner Stone says.”

“What is he saying?” Elizabeth demanded.

“Well, I don’t like to repeat gossip. But Abner Stone seems to be under the impression that Brady was responsible for his son’s accident.”

“
What?
” Elizabeth shook the butcher knife in the air. “That’s a flat-out lie. I saw the whole thing. Robert’s horse stumbled. Robert fell headfirst, and he was swept down the river. Brady left our animals and risked his life going after that boy.”

“And Eli saw Brady drag the boy out of the river,” Asa added.

“Abner Stone is a bully and a bigot and a liar,” Matthew said. “He had it out for Brady right from the get-go—and to say this now.”

“Keep your voices down,” Elizabeth urged them, nodding toward the wagon behind them.

Now Dr. Nash held up his hands. “I’m not trying to get in the middle of this feud. I only stopped by to check on your…uh…your man. Did you say his name is Brady?”

“Yes,” Clara told him. “Right this way, please.”

As Clara led him to the wagon, Elizabeth exchanged glances with her brother and father. “Can you believe that?” she quietly demanded.

Matthew shook his fist. “It makes me want to go over to unit four and straighten that man out.”

“That’s not how we handle our problems.” Asa sat down with a perplexed expression.

“Are you saying we should take this lying down?” Matthew demanded.

“No.” Asa removed his hat and rubbed his temples.

“Well, I won’t go looking for trouble, but if it comes knocking on my door, I’ll answer.” Then he stormed away.

“Oh, dear.” Elizabeth returned to slicing bacon. She was thankful that Jess and the children had gone out gathering kindling and buffalo chips. She sure didn’t want JT and Ruth seeing any of this. And it was convenient that Mrs. Taylor was traveling and dining with Ruby and Doris today. She hadn’t even protested when Elizabeth let her know that was the plan.

“Matthew will cool down,” Asa assured her. “And I do understand his frustration. As a younger man, I might have gone over there to talk some sense into Abner Stone myself.” He chuckled. “With my fists.”

“Oh, Father.” Elizabeth shook her head. “You’ve never been a violent man.”

He stood now, coming over to see how their midday meal was faring. The beans, which had soaked all night, were bubbling, and she’d just begun frying up the bacon. “Do you think I have time to run down the captain and get his opinion on this situation?”

“Sure.” She handed him a leftover biscuit from last night. “And don’t worry, we’ll keep your food warm till you get back.”

She gave the beans a stir and then turned the bacon, trying to figure out what made some people so mean. To tell bald-faced lies about Brady! Why would someone do that?

“Keep giving him fluids,” the doctor said as he climbed down from the wagon. “And lots of rest.”

“What do you think it is?” Elizabeth asked him.

“I’m afraid he got some water in his lungs,” Dr. Nash grimly informed her. “It could turn into the old man’s friend.”

Elizabeth frowned. “You mean…”

“I mean time will tell.”

“Do you want some dinner?” Clara offered. “In exchange for your time?”

“No, thank you. The wife has some soup waiting for me.”

As she tended to the cooking, Elizabeth couldn’t stop Dr. Nash’s insensitive comment about “the old man’s friend” from running through her head. She knew he was really saying that Brady’s lungs might become so congested that he would never recover—that he would quietly die in his sleep.

“Don’t worry,” Clara told her. “I think Brady is improving. I’ve been giving him my garlic and honey remedy. And now I’m going to make him some chamomile tea. We’ll get him back to his old self. You’ll see.”

Elizabeth forced a smile. “If anyone can help him, Mother, it’s you.”

After a couple days of Clara’s thoughtful treatment and remedies, which even included an occasional tablespoon of Ruby’s spirits, Brady became strong enough to get out of the wagon and walk in the sunshine for a few minutes at a time. He even offered to go back to his old sleeping arrangement of the hammock underneath Elizabeth’s wagon.

“I just hate putting Mr. and Mrs. Dawson out of their wagon,” he told Elizabeth as she walked alongside him. “Just don’t seem right.”

“Don’t worry about it. Father says he’s enjoying sleeping outside. And my mother is perfectly content to sleep with Ruthie and me.” She lowered her voice. “And believe me, it’s much better than when I had Mrs. Taylor sleeping in my wagon.”

He made a weak smile and then coughed. “I sho’ appreciate all you folks has done for me. Treatin’ me almos’ like family. I am truly obliged.”

“We are your family,” she told him.

“I been dreaming ’bout my farm in Oregon while layin’ there in the wagon.” He paused to catch his breath. “How I’m gonna plant me some peas and corn and collards and okra.” He rubbed his stomach. “Just thinking about it makes me hungry.”

“That’s a good sign, Brady. Getting your appetite back. Maybe you’re ready for something besides soup tonight.”

He nodded but then bent over coughing and hacking so hard that Elizabeth gave him her arm to balance himself. Then, knowing he was getting tired, she waved to her father, calling out that Brady had probably walked enough for the time being.

As she and Asa helped him back into the wagon, she was glad that she hadn’t told Brady what Will had shared with her a few weeks ago. Just hearing how Brady was dreaming of his own farm, how it was helping him to grow stronger…well, she just didn’t think she’d ever be able to tell him the truth. Not while they were on the road anyway. And maybe it didn’t matter so much. If they settled far enough from others, who would be the wiser as to Brady’s true status?

Naturally, this reminded her of the other thing they were keeping from Brady—Abner Stone’s mean-spirited claims that Brady caused his son’s accident. Just thinking of this made her feel angry inside. But Asa had explained the situation to the captain, who also listened to both Eli’s and Elizabeth’s accounts of what had really happened that day and then offered to intervene on their behalf.