Chapter 23 #2
Jonathan put Dawson down, and, placing his hand on Elizabeth’s forehead, looked down at her. Sure enough, she was burning with fever. He pulled back the covers and examined her wound. It was angry and red, and he’d never felt more helpless in his life. He muttered a curse.
Dawson tugged on his hand. “Shh,” he whispered. “Mummy is sleeping.”
Momentarily distracted from his problem, Jonathan smiled. “Speaking of sleep, I think it’s time for you to go to bed, lad.” He pulled open a drawer and retrieved a hammock, which he strung across the room. He eyed Dawson. “Have you ever slept in one of these?”
Dawson shook his head, his eyes huge with wonder.
Jonathan placed a pillow and blanket in the hammock. “You’re going to like this,” he said as he scooped the child up and placed him in the hammock. “See, it’s like a swinging bed.”
Dawson giggled. “Will you tell me a story?”
Jonathan pulled a chair over beside Elizabeth, and then turned back to Dawson. He didn’t want to alarm the child, but he needed to see her, to know she was breathing. “Shut your eyes,” Jonathan told Dawson softly. Then he dug way back to his childhood to find an entertaining story for Dawson.
In less than ten minutes, Dawson was fast asleep, and Jonathan could once again focus his attention on Elizabeth. He called for the cook to bring him water, made cool compresses, and bathed her down. To be on the safe side, he poured some whiskey into Elizabeth’s wound to prevent infection.
She jerked and cried out when the alcohol hit the raw wound. Jonathan swallowed past the lump in his throat, and whispered soothing words to her until she settled down, then slipped back into her fever-induced sleep.
“Don’t leave me, Elizabeth.” Jonathan heard his ragged voice as if it came from far away. “I won’t let you leave me again.”
All night, Jonathan bathed Elizabeth with cool compresses until sometime early in the morning when he fell into an exhausted sleep.
Dawson woke up screaming. “Mummy, Mummy, I don’t like this man.”
Jonathan came to his feet in one swift motion. He shook Dawson awake. “You’re having a bad dream,” he said, trying to soothe him.
Dawson opened his eyes and huge tears rolled down his cheeks. When he saw Jonathan, he held his arms up to him, and Jonathan took the boy and sat back down beside Elizabeth with Dawson in his arms. He withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped Dawson’s face off.
“I don’t like that man,” Dawson whispered.
“What man?”
“The one on the other ship.”
“Shh.” Jonathan wrapped his arms a little tighter around the child. “You don’t have to worry about him anymore. He won’t ever bother you again.”
Dawson squirmed and looked up at Jonathan. “Will you keep us safe?”
“You mean protect you?”
Dawson nodded.
Jonathan leaned down and kissed Dawson’s forehead. “Yes, I’ll protect both you and your mother.”
Jonathan spent the rest of the night with one arm around Dawson and the other hand resting on Elizabeth. Something told him that all would be well.
Once the ship docked at New Orleans, Jonathan wasted little time getting Elizabeth to the hospital. The doctor started working on her right away.
A messenger was sent to Four Oaks for Adam and Jewel.
When Adam arrived, he found Jonathan and a child who looked a lot like Jonathan sleeping in a chair. Adam nudged Jewel, who smiled at what she saw.
Adam shook Jonathan. “You look like you’ve had a long night,” he said as Jonathan jerked awake.
Jonathan’s jump woke Dawson. “Adam. Jewel,” Jonathan said, a little startled. “I’m glad you both are here.” He looked at Jewel and smiled. “I see you have changed since the last time I saw you.”
“Yes, I am a little smaller.” Jewel laughed and then asked, “Why are we at a hospital?”
Adam looked around. “And where is my sister?”
“The messenger didn’t tell you?”
“Only that both of you were at the hospital.”
Jonathan’s eyes burned from lack of sleep. The few moments in this hard chair were hardly enough. “Elizabeth was shot. The doctor is removing the bullet.”
“What happened?” Confused, Adam paced restlessly around the room. “I told you to find her a husband, not shoot her!”
Jonathan gave him a sarcastic look. His back ached between his shoulder blades, and his temper was short. “She was shot by Captain Lee.”
“Lee?” Jewel gasped. “He’s dead. He couldn’t have shot her.”
“Lee is dead now, because Jean killed him. Believe it or not, Lee survived the treasure hunt, then appeared in England and accused me of treason. It’s been a bloody mess.”
Dawson rubbed his eyes and yawned. Then he glanced curiously at the two strangers. His gaze followed Adam as he moved around the room.
“Look.” Jewel nudged her husband. “I bet Dawson sees Elizabeth in you since you’re twins.”
Adam’s attention turned to the child. “Hello, lad. I’m your Uncle Adam, and this is your Aunt Jewel.”
Dawson didn’t say anything, but his expressive face became somber as he absorbed what he’d been told.
Jewel held out her arms. “Do you want me to hold you for a little while?”
Dawson seemed to think about the offer. Finally, he went to Jewel. Jonathan rose and stretched, trying to rid himself of aches from too many nights with too little sleep. It would be a miracle if he ever got all the kinks out.
The doctor swept through the door. “That bullet was deep, but I got it,” he told the group. “She’ll be all right with a little rest.”
“Can we see her?” Jonathan asked.
“Yes, but don’t stay long.”
The doctor showed Jonathan and Adam to Elizabeth’s bedside, while Jewel stayed in the waiting room with Dawson.
“Elizabeth,” Jonathan said gently. “I have someone here to see you.”
Elizabeth opened groggy eyes and blinked. Finally, her vision seemed to clear. “Adam?”
“Yes, sweetheart.” Adam bent down and hugged her, and she started crying. “Don’t cry. I’m here. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“It’s not that—it’s just that I’ve missed you so much. Have you seen my son?”
“Yes. He’s a fine boy,” Adam told her. “Jewel has him at the moment. Dawson will enjoy meeting his cousin when we go back to Four Oaks.” Adam had no more finished his sentence than Elizabeth had drifted off to sleep. “We’ll take her home tomorrow,” he said to Jonathan.
“The last two months have been hell, ol’ boy,” Jonathan said as he raked his hand through his hair.
Adam folded his arms and asked, “Did you find my sister a husband?”
Jonathan gritted his teeth. “I tried.”
“Tried isn’t good enough.”
A suggestion of annoyance hovered in his eyes. “Don’t push it, ol’ boy,” Jonathan warned. “Especially when you knew damned well what you were doing.”
Adam chuckled. “And just when did my plan occur to you?”
“Not until after your sister gave me a lot of grief,” Jonathan retorted, a critical tone to his voice. “She doesn’t listen worth a damn.”
Adam nodded. “I agree. Never has. You know, she’s a lot like you.”
With a mischievous smile, Jonathan said, “When she is well again, I intend to marry her.”
An arched eyebrow indicated Adam’s humorous surprise. “Is the lady willing?”
“She says she is. But will she show up at the church? That’s the big question.”
Three weeks later, under a cobalt blue sky, Elizabeth and Jewel sat on the lawn at Four Oaks watching their children play. Dawson scampered on the lawn while Jewel’s baby, Nelson, kicked and gurgled on a blanket as he watched his cousin running around.
“How are you feeling?” Jewel asked.
“Much better,” Elizabeth admitted, shifting in her chair. “I’m growing stronger every day. The nightmares have finally stopped.”
“That’s a good sign.”
“I think so,” Elizabeth agreed with a delighted smile. “I can’t believe that both our children are here playing in front of us. Of course, Nelson is still too young to play, but it won’t be long before he’ll be tagging along behind Dawson.”
“It does seem strange, doesn’t it?” Jewel said with a sigh.
“If someone had told me that I’d be a mother in a couple of years, I would have laughed in disbelief.
Now I can’t imagine life without Adam or Nelson.
I know you were scared to death when Lee kidnapped Dawson,” Jewel said and looked at her sister-in-law.
“It was a nightmare that I don’t ever want to relive,” Elizabeth admitted.
Jewel reached for the pitcher that had been set up for them and poured two glasses of lemonade.
“I also can’t believe what you went through in London with Jonathan’s trial and everything with Lee.
As for that matter, I can’t believe that Lee survived.
I would have fainted dead away if I’d seen him. ”
“I almost did,” Elizabeth admitted. “It was our worst nightmare in the flesh. Thank God we don’t have to worry about him anymore.” She sighed. “I hope Jonathan’s father got everything straightened out so Jonathan will be able to return home.”
A ball rolled over and bumped Jewel’s foot. She picked it up and tossed it to Dawson. “And will you go home with Jonathan? You haven’t said much about him since you’ve been back.”
Despite all she’d been through, thoughts of Jonathan took up much of Elizabeth’s day. “I feel Jonathan has been waiting for me to regain my strength before we talk,” she said and looked pensively at Dawson. “I must admit that he and Dawson get along very well.”
Jewel’s faint smile held a touch of sadness. “I think Dawson favors Jonathan. Are you sure he’s not the father?”
“I would love to know that he is, but I have no way of proving it.” She cast her eyes downward. “I’m just grateful that Jonathan seems to accept Dawson even if he is Lee’s child.”
“Then we should be planning another wedding.”
“I sure hope so.” Joy bubbled in Elizabeth’s laugh and shone in her eyes. “Maybe I can start by setting everything straight.”
Jewel laughed. “There is one thing I’ve learned about life,” she said. “It is never a smooth road. There is always a bump or two in the road.”
Elizabeth’s gentle laughter rippled through the air. “Well, lately, I’ve been hitting all the bumps.”
That night after dinner, Jonathan invited Elizabeth out onto the verandah. The warm breeze and star-filled sky made everything feel peaceful. Crickets chirped nearby and the scent of honeysuckle was all around them.
Jonathan leaned against a post and looked at her and smiled. “Elizabeth, the bruise on your cheek is gone, your lip is healed, and your shoulder is recovering. So, tell me, how do you feel?”
Her laughter was like a bird singing and it made his heart feel light and carefree. “I’m well. But I have missed your kisses.”
His gaze dropped from her eyes to her shoulders to her breast. “Let me remedy that right away,” he said with a chuckle. Gathering her into his arms, he held her snugly. “It’s been much too long, my love.”
“Yes, it has,” Elizabeth whispered as her fingers slid into his hair. She loved its silky feel.
He traced her lower lip and the motion sent shivers through her.
His lips produced a tantalizing blush that covered her body as they moved to her earlobes, where his warm breath made her melt.
As his grip tightened, he pressed tender kisses along her throat, then finally moved back to her mouth, where he claimed her as his.
He thrust his tongue deeply inside, and she responded ever so gently until he gave a husky growl.
Fire raged in Jonathan. Blood pounded in his brain. It seemed this was the only woman who could cause such a blaze. He wanted her to be his forever.
He tore his mouth from hers, and as his lips grazed her earlobe, he whispered, “Marry me, Elizabeth.”
Joy filled her, but she had to be sure. She pressed a kiss on his chin. “Will you accept Dawson?”
Jonathan took her by the upper arms and held her from him. “How could you even consider that I wouldn’t want your son?” Jonathan said. “He’s part of you, so why shouldn’t I love him?”
Elizabeth gave him a brilliant smile. “I want a big wedding.”
Jonathan chuckled. “Then you shall have it. I believe you already have the dress, though I’ve never actually seen it.”
“Touché, ” Elizabeth quipped. “I’ll marry you in two weeks.”
“I do have your word that you’ll show up?”
Elizabeth’s knees weakened as Jonathan’s mouth descended. “I’ll be there, Jonathan Hird. You can count on that.”