Chapter Sixteen #2
She shook her head, strands of her hair catching against the wet streaks on her face. “I was with her for most the day. I–I should’ve realized something was wrong. I should’ve checked on her more often!”
“You didn’t wanna wake her up,” Jed reminded her.
“She weren’t acting like herself!”
“Because she spent the night before up ‘til dawn.” Jed gently took Maeve’s mug as it trembled horribly in her grasp.
He set it aside, then moved to take her hands, squeezing them firmly.
“You made the right call, Maeve. You let Lila sleep as much as she needed. That’s what folk need when they’re sick. ”
“B-but if I’d noticed earlier… If we’d gotten her the medicine she needed–”
“Maeve.”
She looked up at Jed, her eyes filling with fresh tears.
“You did everything right.” Jed exhaled slowly, then repeated the sentiment for his own sake. “We did everything right. Lila is safe, and loved, and cared for.”
Maeve weakly shook her head, unable to look Jed in the eye any further.
“I know your mind’s being cruel to you right now,” Jed went on. “But I’m here to remind you that the minute you realized something weren’t right with Lila, you ran to get help.” Jed hesitated. Breathed. Dug deeply for words that would help him speak the truth.
“What matters is that right now she’s in the best hands possible. And you made sure that happened, Maeve. That li’l girl’s gonna be beyond lucky to have a Mama half as good as you are.”
Maeve lifted her gaze to Jed’s. The clouds in her eyes had begun to clear, showing a hint of that brilliant blue again. She carefully freed one hand to try and clean her face. “I–I reckon Lila’d be lucky to have a Pa like you, too.”
Jed managed a weak smile. “How ‘bout one that don’t forget her blanket at home?”
That got a wobbly giggle out of Maeve. “Ye’re so fixated on that!”
“I still feel awful ‘bout it.”
Maeve continued to chuckle, giving Jed’s hand a squeeze. “Well, don’t. We were focused on other things. More important things. You-” She paused, hiccupping on a sudden sob. “You did everything right, too.”
Jed hadn’t realized how badly he also needed that affirmation. Without thinking about it, he pulled Maeve into a hug, relieved as she returned the gesture in full force.
The bedroom door let out a soft squeak of its hinges, and both their heads swiveled in its direction. Dr. Whitaker appeared, buttoning up his medical bag before facing the pair.
“Well?” Jed was almost afraid of the answer, but he needed to know how Lila was doing.
The doctor gave them a reassuring smile. “She’ll be alright with a bit more rest. The medicine proved quite effective.”
Jed felt his legs nearly give out. He was glad they didn’t, or else he wouldn’t have had the strength to catch Maeve as she gave out in his arms.
“Sadie told me how troublesome nights have been for Lila,” Dr. Whitaker went on, “and with the added bandit attack, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if her fever was brought on simply by stress.”
“D-Do you think she’s safe with us, Uncle Wit?”
Maeve’s question was like a dagger to Jed’s heart, but she was right; if their way of life had contributed to Lila falling ill, Jed knew they would have to give her up. For her sake.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Dr. Whitaker assured them. “Stress is not a unique concept only found in the far countryside. And from what I’ve heard,” he added with a kind smile, “you two have been doing a wonderful job with her.”
“Can we see her?” Maeve asked.
Uncle Wit barely managed to nod before Jed started down the hall past him, ensuring he kept a supportive arm around Maeve.
She was beginning to find her footing again, managing to stand on her own once they reached the bedroom proper.
Joshua stood off to the side tidying up while Sadie sat on the edge of the bed, stroking Lila’s hair as she snored softly.
Her face had lost a significant amount of its flush, and Jed could have wept with joy.
“We’re right outside if you need us,” Sadie assured them.
“Don’t worry about dirtying the bed, either,” Joshua added.
With that, she and Joshua slipped out of the room, and Maeve immediately went to Lila’s side. “She doesn’t feel as hot anymore,” she remarked, her hand pressed lightly against the toddler’s forehead.
Jed did the same, relieved to reach the same conclusion. “I didn’t know Sadie’s uncle was so incredible.”
“We don’t call him ‘Wit’ just ‘cause of his last name.” She let out a massive sigh of relief, immediately lying beside Lila and gently resting a hand on the toddler’s stomach.
Jed followed suit on the opposite side, his hand sitting on top of Maeve’s.
The frantic energy shared between them had finally begun to die down, and he watched his wife’s eyes flutter heavily.
There was so much he still wanted to talk about, so much he wanted to ask…but he knew it wasn’t the time to do so. “Go on and sleep a bit,” he said instead. “I’ll keep an eye on Lila.”
“You sure?”
Jed nodded, his thumb brushing across the top of Maeve’s hand. “Trust me. Ain’t nothing bad’ll happen while I’m here.”
Maeve’s eyes fell shut immediately, and Jed couldn’t stop a sudden warmth from flooding his every vein at how she must believe in him and trust him enough to fall asleep so quickly.
His thumb continued to brush over her hand and, for a moment, everything was right in the world.
Lila was safe. He and Maeve were back on the same page.
Now they could look forward to the coming days with a renewed sense of purpose.
A dark thought crept past Jed’s mirthful mood as the letter in his jacket weighed heavily on him suddenly. Jed gritted his teeth, trying not to squeeze his wife’s hand too tightly. The first week of July was coming to an end. Edgar would be in Bighorn Basin soon.
And Jed still had a monumental decision to make about his future.