Chapter 6
“How sure are you that this guy doesn’t remember a single thing?” Phineas asked as soon as he and Theda were out of earshot of Jem. Theda could see how worried her brother was. He had always been the cautious one.
“I’m not sure, but when he woke up, he did seem pretty disoriented.” Theda frowned. “Do you really think someone would fake losing their memories just to spend time with a wagon train? What possible motivation could they have?”
"There are plenty of motivations." Phineas took a deep breath. "He may not be as innocent as he looks." Phineas started to pace. Her brother had reason to be overly nervous. After all, the safety of the whole wagon rested on his shoulders.
“But what if he is?” Theda asked. “Would you really risk the chance that he could just be a traveler who happened to get so badly hurt that he’s lost every memory he’s ever had and needs us right now?”
“No, I suppose I couldn’t.” Phineas ran a hand over his hair and then placed his hat back on his head.
“Look,” he said gently, “if Jem really is as innocent as you think he is and simply needs some time to get back on his feet, I’m happy to help out.
But you have to keep in mind that the opposite could be true as well.
You keep an eye on him, Theda, and if you see anything out of place, anything that seems odd to you, you come to me first, and we’ll deal with it. Promise?”
Theda nodded promptly.
She may have liked giving people the benefit of the doubt, but she knew that her brother’s caution was justified. It was a dangerous world sometimes, and they couldn’t just assume that everyone had good intentions without proof.
"I'll keep an eye out, and I'll look after him, too. He should be able to help with some tasks after a couple more days of rest. I'll keep spending the night at Della's wagon until he is fully recovered and can sleep outside with the rest of you."
“Okay, then.” Phineas grinned lopsidedly. “It looks like you really are shaping up to be just as good a doctor as our father.”
Theda shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes. “I wish that were the case, but every day I just feel like I haven’t learned enough, can’t do enough.”
Phineas reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. “You know that isn’t true, Theda.”
He took a step back. “Leland and I have to get back to patrolling and getting people on the road. We’ll be able to leave in the next fifteen to twenty minutes. Make sure that you’re ready to start driving.”
“I’ll be ready. I’m going to keep Jem resting today, so he’ll stay in the back of the wagon for the time being.” She expected her brother to argue about the dangers of her plan, but he didn’t. Instead, he just nodded.
“All right, then.” Phineas’ gaze told her that he wasn’t happy about it, but they had already discussed it and come up with a plan. “Tell Leland that I got a head start and that he can join me up front.”
“I’ll let him know.” Theda watched him mount his horse and ride away toward the front of the wagon train.
Phineas waved to her one last time before disappearing down the long line of wagons. He hadn’t been gone more than a couple of minutes when Leland took his place. Her brother’s friend looked agitated and uncomfortable. She’d spotted it as soon as he’d arrived alongside Phineas.
“Phineas already headed back?” Leland asked.
“Yes. He told me to let you know that he was going to get a head start and that you could meet him up front. Is everything all right?”
She noticed the way he kept clenching and unclenching his fist.
“Perfectly all right. I just don’t like any of this. We have no idea who this man is or why he was in the woods. For all we know, he could be part of a gang and wants to hurt somebody on this train. Not only that, but your brother is allowing you to care for him on your own? Unsupervised?”
Theda brushed his concern away with a wave of her hand. She had a hard enough time accepting Phineas questioning her judgment. She disliked it even more when it was Leland, who should have no say over her whereabouts or activities.
"It's hardly as serious as all that. I spend time alone around plenty of people in this camp.
It's part of my job, taking care of sick people.
Besides, he's so weak that even I could overpower him at the moment, at least until he regains some strength.
He's forgotten who he is, Leland. Have some compassion.
" She'd tried not to come across too harshly but could see she'd failed at that.
Leland’s expression softened, but only slightly.
“You can’t expect me to have compassion when it means putting everyone at risk.
I know that you may not be aware of the dangers on the frontier, Miss Callaway, but there are many, and there are plenty of people who would take advantage of folks like you and your brother for your kindness without a second thought. ”
Theda bristled.
“Well, you may have more experience on the frontier and with other places in general, but that doesn’t mean I am na?ve for wanting to think the best of people, and it certainly doesn’t make me or my brother na?ve for helping someone and allowing them to prove who they are before passing judgment on them.
I am sure that Jem will slowly regain his strength, and in the upcoming days and possibly weeks, we will see his character and what type of man he is. ”
“Of course,” Leland bit out, though he didn’t sound happy about it. Not one bit.
“I should get going, but I will come by to check on you every once in a while.”
“I’m sure that is not necessary,” Theda spoke up as he took a step back.
“I’ll see you this evening,” Leland called, raising his hand in a small wave before heading in the same direction Phineas had gone.
Theda sighed. She had tried to shut him down, but clearly, he was not going to take no for an answer.
When she got back into the wagon, she noticed that Jem was still sitting exactly the way she had left him, his legs folded underneath him and his elbows resting on his knees. He looked up, his expression worried when he saw her.
“Who was that?” he asked. “Is he your fiancé or something?”
"Fiancé?" Theda looked over her shoulder. "Are you talking about Leland?" Of course, Jem had come to that conclusion, given how possessive and overly worried Leland had come across.
“Yes. He seemed quite angry at the very idea that I would be in your presence for the past few days, much less that I am here.” Jem looked suddenly uncomfortable.
“He mentioned that I should get out of your wagon as quickly as possible. I had no idea that I was making things so inconvenient all these days. If there is somewhere else for me to sleep, even if it’s out in the open, I’m more than happy to leave your wagon straight away. ”
“Nonsense.” Theda pushed down the immediate reaction of anger toward Leland.
He had no right to interfere with her affairs or with her patients just because he disagreed with how she was handling things, but she had already called him out enough for one day, and reprimanding him again wasn’t going to help much.
“You need to rest for at least a couple more days, so you’ll ride in the wagon while I drive for the day.
Then this evening, you can get out and walk for a few minutes, and we’ll see how you handle that. ”
Jem opened his mouth as if he intended to protest, but Theda held up her hand to stop him before he could speak.
“Leland has no say in how I handle my patients or how I care for people. And no, he is not my fiancé. He is my brother’s friend. I don’t know what he said to you, but please disregard it completely.”
“He is simply worried about the wagon train and any threat that I may pose, as he should be,” Jem said quietly. “Honestly, I don’t know who I am myself or what my intentions were. For all anyone knows, he could be very right, and you could be making a mistake by trusting me.”
“The fact that you’re saying that shows that you are not the bad person everybody seems to suspect you might be.” Theda shook her head. What had the world come to, where everyone was accusing each other without knowing a thing about them?
“I believe that a person has to at least be proven to have done something worthy of guilt before they are accused.” Her eyes narrowed. “Why don’t we talk about something a little more pleasant?”
She hopped down from the wagon and went over to the fire, where she served up a small bowl of warm broth. She carried it back to Jem and held it out to him. His fingertips brushed hers as he accepted it.
He was taller than her and lanky. Sitting in the wagon looked a bit uncomfortable for him, but she didn't dare get him up and walking about just yet, considering his condition.
“See if you can eat this and keep it down. If it goes well, then I’ll serve you some more. You haven’t been able to eat or drink much in the last three days. You’re going to have to work hard to regain your strength.”
Jem nodded. His eyes still looked troubled, but he didn’t protest at all. Instead, he took small, cautious spoonfuls of the broth to his lips while Theda watched in approval.
She wasn't sure how long it would take for him to get stronger, and she had no idea if he'd ever know who he was. But she didn't care. She'd watched him fight death over the past several days, and she wanted to see how far he would make it.
The idea of him fully recovering and going on his way, well, for their efforts, made her smile.
He finished off the first bowl, then a second, and smiled at Theda reluctantly.
“You’ve been very kind, taking care of me.”
Theda shook her head.
“Just doing what anyone would in my position. I couldn't just leave you to die.”
“Not everyone would do what you’re doing. I may not remember who I am, but somehow, you seem…kinder than most would be.”
"Thank you." Theda found herself blushing. Her parents always encouraged her and Phineas to show God's love, to show people kindness, and to help if they could. That was all she was trying to do. Hopefully, it was the right thing to do.