“There are a few possibilities,” Dannan said, “but I want to do some reading before I answer.”
“You’re supposed to grow quiet and think about it,” Eli teased.
Dannan smiled. “That’s the last time I answer questions about my work.”
Eli closed his eyes with a small sigh. These sessions, where the very air was robbed from him, were taxing. He also hated the thought of Scottie waiting in the parlor. He knew she worked hard not to worry, but he was also certain that she would not go about her business until she had news.
Eli was on the verge of dropping off when Dannan asked how he was doing.
“Better. A little sore, but breathing.”
“Do you want Scottie now?” Finn asked.
“Do I look sick?” Eli asked, giving Dannan a glimpse into the relationship he had with his wife.
“Just a little pale, and you’re not in your usual place against the headboard.”
Eli thought about it. “Let her come.”
Dannan didn’t ask if he should stay. He was going to continue to keep an eye on this man until he was sure there was nothing else to be done. Backing away from the bed when Scottie came swiftly inside, Dannan retreated only as far as the foot.
“How are you?” Scottie asked, having wasted no time sitting down and reaching for his hand.
“Better,” Eli assured her. “How are you?”
“Just concerned about you.”
“It was like last time, but I think it might have lasted a bit longer.”
Scottie reached up and smoothed his hair. “You look tired.”
“I am. I think I might just sleep and not worry about tea.”
“What if you wake in the night and feel hungry?”
“I’ll use the bell for Finn.”
Scottie studied his face. Finn had finally cut Eli’s hair, so it wasn’t wild around his head, but his dark beard made his pale cheeks and forehead stand out. Scottie wanted to fret over him but knew he would allow no such thing. Still holding his hand, she turned to Dannan.
“Do you know why this happens?”
“Not yet. I plan to look into it.”
“You’ll be back tomorrow?” Scottie checked.
“Or in the night if you need me.”
“Dannan,” Eli began, but then glanced at his wife. “Thank you” was all he managed, not willing to say anything that might make her worry. “Stay for tea, Dannan,” Eli said next. “I’m sure Iris has already served Corina, and she always makes more than we need.”
“I’ll just head down and do that,” Dannan agreed, “and then I’ll be back up to see you before we go.”
Scottie thanked Dannan as he left the room and then turned back to her husband.
“He’s a fine man, isn’t he?” he surprised her by saying. She thought he would be ready to talk about the way he was feeling.
“He is,” Scottie agreed, “but I must admit that Dannan’s not really on my mind right now.”
Eli smiled, a smile that Scottie misunderstood. After all, her husband never wanted to give her reasons to worry. Had Scottie but known it, Eli’s smile was about something else entirely.
“Why don’t you head down and have your tea?” he suggested.
“I’m not very hungry.”
“But you will be later, and Iris will want to come up and see me. She can’t do that unless she knows Dannan and Corina are taken care of.”
Scottie agreed, telling him she would be back up as soon as she could.
As Scottie left, Finn came back to the room. He had been waiting in the hall. Stopping by the bed, he fixed a stern eye on his employer and did not mince words.
“This sick, and you’re still plotting and planning for the future.”
“Ah, Finn,” Eli replied, smiling without remorse. “You know me so well.”
Eleven
Dannan and Corina left the house a little early on Saturday morning for their walk to the Petersons’ house. Dannan had not been called on in the night, but he’d been awake some, thinking about Eli. As the two walked on this particular day, Corina was ready to chat.
“We have tea,” she said. Dannan thought she might be talking to her doll, but he still answered.
“You have tea at the Petersons’?”
“My doll.”
“That’s nice of you to give tea to your doll. What else do you do?”
“Read boos,” she told him, her word for books.
“With Scottie?”
“Sottie.”
Dannan smiled and just listened for a while. Corina chattered away about the little table, and having dinner, and then seeing flowers in the garden. She had her own pronunciations for most of these activities, and Dannan couldn’t stop smiling.
“Who zat?” Corina suddenly asked.
“I don’t know,” Dannan had to tell her as the man walked past and bid them a good morning.
Corina rattled on about something else, but Dannan didn’t catch it all. They were almost to the house when Dannan asked, “Do you help Iris in the kitchen?”
“I dry,” she said.
“The dishes?”
“Pups.”
Dannan knew that she was not drying small dogs; he felt it fairly safe to assume that Iris gave her the cups to dry. He praised her being a good helper and encouraged her about trying to make her bed that morning. They arrived at the house a moment later, the door opened by Iris.
“Come in, come in,” she invited. “Eli tells me you want to see him.”
“Yes, I do. Corina, I’m going upstairs to see Mr. Peterson. I’ll come and see you before I leave.”
The word “leave” caused her to possessively wrap her arms around Dannan’s leg. He bent and gave her a hug before taking the stairs. He found Eli in his usual position, Finn and Scottie standing nearby.
“Good morning,” Dannan greeted, his eyes taking in Eli’s wife and man before fastening on the bedridden man.
“Hello,” Eli greeted, looking quite chipper. “How was your night?”
Dannan smiled. “I think I need to open with that question.”
“It wasn’t the most restful, but I’m not complaining.”
“Did you have trouble getting comfortable, or was your breathing an issue?”
Dannan was aware that Scottie was slipping from the room, but he had made up his mind to keep his heart in check and managed to keep his attention on the patient.
“I think I was just sore.”
“You were a little labored about two o’clock,” Finn put in, having closed the door and resumed his position on the other side of the bed.
“Well, let’s have a listen,” Dannan suggested, and Eli began to open his shirt.
Dannan took out his stethoscope and went to work. Everything sounded calm this morning, but Dannan was a little concerned over the bruising on Eli’s chest. He kept listening with the instrument to his ear, but his mind was on those marks.
“Why are you so bruised?” he finally asked, straightening up to full height.
“I’ve always bruised easily. Finn couldn’t be more gentle, but sometimes I bruise during my bath.”
“This one’s awfully dark,” Dannan said and pointed to a very purple bruise on his upper chest.
“I started to tip over on the edge of the bed, and Finn had to catch me.”
Dannan nodded. He knew the man wasn’t being harmed, but bruising could indicate a more serious condition. Dannan was actually relieved to hear the explanation.
“How does he sound?” Finn asked, his face reflecting the concern he felt.
“Better. I’m still not sure why his breathing deserts him so fast, but I’m going to keep looking into it.”
Eli was righting his clothes by this time, and Dannan was putting his instruments away. He took a moment to check Eli’s pulse and then looked at Finn.
“Should it happen again and you can’t find me, lift him as we did last night. Putting him flat on his back might make it worse, but try differ
ent positions.”
Finn was pleased to get this information, always happy to see to Eli’s needs. Finn would have seen Dannan all the way downstairs, but Eli detained him.
“Please shut the door,” Eli asked.
Finn did as he was asked but only stared at Eli when the door was shut.
“It’s going to happen one of these days, Finn, and it won’t be your fault. You’ve made it your job to keep me alive, and you’ve got to realize that you’ve taken too much on yourself. If you can’t find Dannan, and you can’t make my breath come back, you know I’ll be in a better place.”
Finn’s eyes closed for a moment. The thought gave him such pain that his heart squeezed in his chest. He stood very still by the side of the bed, the years he’d been here all a blur in his mind. He opened his eyes long enough to meet Eli’s gaze before going down to tell Scottie she could come up.
“I’ve kept my sermon short today so we could have a time of sharing,” Douglas told his flock. “Maybe you’ve been battling with sin and can encourage us with the way you’re staying strong. Or maybe you’re having a struggle that’s not resulting in victory, and you covet our prayers. Either way we would like to hear from you. You can step to the front or stay where you are.”
This said, Douglas stood quietly and waited for someone to respond. He didn’t wait long. Nate Peternell stood to his feet but stayed in the pew.
“I think most of you know that my father is dying. He’s very ill, and probably won’t be here for Christmas. It’s hard to get time to visit him in Worcester, with my needing to stay and run my business here, but that’s not the toughest part. My father won’t discuss spiritual issues at all.” Nate had to clear his throat and take a moment to compose himself.
“He and I exchange letters every week; my mom writes them for him. We talk about so many things, but God is not on the list. I will be honest and tell you that my heart is beginning to grow heavy and discouraged.
“Part of me thinks I’m out of time and I have to speak to him about life in Christ, even if he doesn’t want to hear it. The other part thinks that I don’t want to end my father’s days on earth with aggravation and possible alienation, not to mention my last memories of him being in a quarrel.”
Again Nate composed himself. “Please pray that I’ll be wise about what to say and that I will trust God to save my father as He saves me. And if any of you have had similar experiences and have words of advice for me, I would certainly welcome them.”
“Thank you, Nate,” Douglas said from the front. “We will pray for you and Mr. Peternell.”
The room grew quiet again until Conner stood.
“I did battle with sin recently,” he whispered, “and it was all about my trust in God. I was plagued for a time about losing Reese in childbirth. I discussed it with Troy, who challenged me by reminding me that this is when our faith is defined.
“I was all ready to talk to Dannan, to gain some type of assurance that Reese is healthy and the risks are low, but then I realized that I don’t want peace from that source. I want peace because of God’s character. I want peace because of who God is, how much He loves me, and His perfect plan for my life.
“I don’t have a specific promise that Reese and the baby will be well, but I do have several promises from Psalm 34.” Conner bent his head to read from his Bible. “ ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.’
“I know I will be tempted to fear again, but I want to keep fighting, and I want to keep remembering God’s promises for me and for those I love. And I wanted my church family to know that I’m fighting the battle with sin.”
“Thank you, Conner,” Douglas said, his heart blessed by the sharing of these two men. And that was not all. Before he brought the service to a close, a total of seven folks shared from their hearts. Some needed prayer, and some were battling strongly. Douglas was renewed in his belief that God was at work in this small body of believers.
Taking a moment to look at the verses that Conner had just shared, Dannan didn’t see Corina move. One moment she was next to him, and the next she was gone. He glanced around and then stood, spotting her in the back row with Scottie. Their heads were close together, and they seemed to be in deep conversation. Dannan approached but didn’t interrupt them.
“Iris?” Corina was asking.
“She’s not at my house today. She’ll come tomorrow when you come.”
“Finn?”
“Finn is at home, taking care of Mr. Peterson.”
“Mr. Son.”
“That’s right. Now, tell me, what are you going to do today?”
Corina talked about her doll and tea, and something about flowers. Scottie sensed someone’s presence and looked up to see Dannan. She raised her brows in question, and Dannan tried to fill in.
“She was quite taken with the flowers at your house, and we don’t have many. She wants flowers around our house, and I keep telling her we’ll plant a few someday. Every day she thinks we’re going to do this.”
“I can help with that, Dannan,” Scottie offered. “We’ve so many that could be thinned and shared from our yard. Why don’t Corina and I work on that this week?”
“Are you sure?” Dannan checked.
“Yes. Just give me an idea of where you want them.”
Dannan smiled and nodded at his charge.
“Corina will show you. I somehow think she has this all figured out.”
Scottie looked back down at Corina with pleasure and then said she had to be on her way. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Corina. Bye, Dannan.”
The small family told her goodbye, did a little more visiting, and then headed home. They’d not been asked to anyone’s home this day, but Dannan might have been surprised to learn that he was actually the topic of conversation before the day was over.
Dinner with the Muldoons had been delightful, but as soon as Conner and Reese had a moment alone, Conner had a question for his wife.
“Do you think Dannan might be a bit taken with Scottie?”
Reese looked at him, her brow furrowed. “What have you seen?”
“Just a bit of interaction at the meetinghouse.”
Reese looked troubled and then only thoughtful. “Scottie has been turning heads in this town forever.”
“Even as a child?” Conner looked shocked.
“Her face has always been beautiful, and then all those curves developed. On top of that, she couldn’t be sweeter.”
Conner looked even more concerned. “You make it sound like it’s all right.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Reese said. “Dannan might be tempted in a direction that makes sense to me, but I wouldn’t agree with his giving in to temptation.”
“What about Scottie? Do you think she would encourage such a thing?”
Reese nearly laughed before saying, “If I was forced to hazard a guess, I would say that the ways between men and women are a complete mystery to Scottie Peterson. Old Mrs. Peterson kept her very protected from the time she came to live with them, and right after she died, Scottie and Eli were married.
“I’m certainly not privy to everything that goes on in the house, but I know theirs is not a romantic union—one of love and caring I’m sure, but not romance.”
Conner didn’t comment, but Reese could see that the subject was still on his mind.
“Will you speak to Dannan?”
“I don’t know. If I’ve misunderstood, I don’t want to put thoughts into his head.”
“No, you’re only willing to put them into mine,” Reese said dryly.
“You’re right. I did do that. I know that everything I see from now on will be filtered through a bias.” Conner picked up her hand. “I’m sorry if it’s ruined anything in our friendship with Dannan. I’ve not decided he’s guilty, but I had to talk with you.”
“It’s all right. I don’t think anything is ruined, and I’ll ce
rtainly pray for him and for you. Maybe you’re supposed to speak to him.”
Conner nodded, unable to completely reject the idea but certainly not sure how to proceed.
“I got a letter from Paige Nunley this week,” Maddie told Cathy. The Nunleys lived in Boston, and Maddie had worked for their family before marrying Jace.
“What did she have to say?”
“She’s met someone.”
“At her age?”
“She’s 18,” Maddie explained, shifting the baby against her breast; the women were alone in the kitchen.
“What does her family think?”
“She doesn’t say. She wants me to come and visit with Val, but I told myself the last time I went that I wouldn’t return without Jace.”
“Maybe you can go right after planting in the fall,” Cathy suggested.
“Maybe,” Maddie agreed, still wondering whether she was expecting. Jace knew of her concerns, and he’d been as excited as she knew he would be, but she wasn’t willing to discuss it with anyone else.
“I did something last night,” Cathy suddenly said.
Maddie’s brows rose and she waited.
“I prayed,” Cathy said.
“In what way?” Maddie asked.
“I told God I believe in Him, but I’m not sure it’s the same as you and Doyle.”
“What happened that you did this last night?” Maddie’s heart had sped up a bit, but she worked to stay calm and ask the right questions.
Cathy shifted a bit in her seat before saying, “I don’t know if I can explain it.”
“Where were you?” Maddie tried another tack.
“In bed.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“Mostly Doyle.”
“Were you scared?”
“No, just feeling left out.”
Maddie didn’t quite know how to respond to this. In a big way Cathy was left out, but that had been her choice.
“So what did you do?”
“I told God I wanted to believe in Him the way you and Doyle do, and suddenly I did. My heart just knew that He died for me, but I’m afraid that wasn’t enough.”
“Have you told Doyle?”