Chapter 13
The entire hold got sick except for me, but I’d never been sick that I could remember, not from normal illnesses, anyway.
The burnout fever didn’t seem like it counted.
Two months of absolute hell passed, but finally, the sickness receded.
About a dozen older people and a handful of others died before I reached them, but it would have been a hell of a lot more if I hadn’t pushed myself to the brink of burnout every single moment.
If I hadn’t brought the kids into the clinic, most of them probably would have died alone in the snow.
“C’mon, Shortcake,” Sam said as I leaned on the wall, trying to get the room to stop spinning, “time to go back.”
“One more,” I argued, wiping my face with my sleeve. “I can do one more.”
“Bones,” Trey warned, “you’re done.”
“I gotta keep on top of it,” I snapped. “It’s startin’ to let up, but if I relax now, it might surge again.”
“There’s a huge fucking difference between relaxin’ and lying down for a couple hours before you pass out,” Sam challenged, looking as exhausted as I felt.
The woman and her five small children huddled in their bed of blankets on the floor and watched us argue. All six of them had been ill, but I’d healed each one.
“I could make you some food,” the woman tried.
“Thank you, Miss Shaw,” Trey said, “but what Bones needs is to go sleep for a while.”
Before the woman could respond, Apple raced in. “Trey, Clarity’s sick!”
The flicker of fear in Trey’s eyes gave me the adrenaline boost I needed. “Let’s go.”
As we left the shack, Mac came striding up. “I heard Clarity is sick. Sam, you go take a break. I’ll cover for you.”
“Fine, but make her rest after Clarity,” Sam said, glaring at me.
I returned his glare and as he stepped backward, he raised two fingers, pointing at his eyes, and then pointed at me with one. I rolled my eyes and turned toward the horse, but a smile tugged at my lips.
“I’m gonna run ahead,” Trey called, taking off with the med kit.
“Bones, c’mere,” Mac ordered, “I’ll give you a boost.”
He knelt next to Violet and lifted me into the saddle.
We’d been on friendlier terms since I’d healed him, but I still wasn’t sure how much he recalled from when he’d been sick.
I wrapped my cold fingers in Vi’s mane, focusing on not falling off, but instead of taking the lead like Griz and Sam had, Mac swung up on the horse behind me like Trey often did.
I stiffened in surprise, and he stilled.
“This alright?” he asked. “You look like you might fall off.”
I felt like I might fall off, so I simply nodded.
He reached around me to take the reins and then loosely wrapped an arm around my waist as he nudged his heels into Vi’s side and clucked his tongue at her to trot. I sat stiffly for a while, but exhaustion and cold soon had me sagging against his chest. His arm tightened around me.
“You doin’ okay?” he asked.
“Tired,” I mumbled. “Gotta get to Clarity first, though.”
“ ’Kay, but you’re restin’ after her, got it?”
I hummed in agreement, fighting my heavy eyelids.
“Don’t know what we woulda done without you,” he said. “We probably woulda lost half the hold by now. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for saving us.”
I didn’t know what to do with that. Mac wasn’t usually one for handing out compliments.
“Something’s off about this sickness,” I muttered after a bit.
He stayed quiet for a moment. “I thought so too,” he finally said in a low voice.
“Seems like the loggers brought it back. A couple of ’em visited a bar in Fish Lake and they were the first ones sick.
But we don’t have radio contact with Fish Lake, so I don’t know if more people are sick there or not. ”
“How far’s that?” My eyes closed on their own accord, sleep calling me.
“Half a day south on wheels.”
He felt like a furnace behind me, and I slowly melted into him.
His arm tightened around my waist as my head lolled to his shoulder.
I could’ve sworn only a couple of seconds had passed before Mac shook me awake, and I blinked blearily at the brothel in front of us.
Mac swung off the horse then helped me down.
I rubbed my eyes hard as I followed Mac inside.
We went up to Clarity’s room and found Trey crouched at her bed, looking stricken.
Clarity’s breathing rattled in her chest and her skin was slick with fever. She stared at the ceiling, muttering nonsense.
“She’s not responding to me at all,” Trey said in a tight voice.
I crouched on the other side of the bed and placed my hands on her bare, bony shoulders.
“Clarity?” I said. “It’s Bones. Can you hear me?”
She continued to mutter, her eyes darting around.
I gathered my strength and pushed the faint remnants of my power into her.
The cases all ranged in severity, but Clarity’s was the worst I’d seen yet.
As healing her drained my powers, I started to fear I didn’t have enough left.
The little girl I’d been unable to heal after the fire flashed through my mind, and renewed determination filled me.
I would not let Clarity die. Warm liquid trickled across my lips and I tasted blood.
Trey glanced up at me from the other side of the bed and swore.
“I’m alright,” I muttered, focusing on the color returning to Clarity’s face.
Trey shifted and held up a handkerchief. “Mac.”
I blinked, about to reassure Mac he didn’t have to wipe my nose, but he took the handkerchief and kneeled beside me. It surprised me to see he didn’t look uncomfortable.
“May I?” he asked.
When I nodded, he gently dabbed my nose. He had to do it again several times when blood started trickling out again, but he never hesitated or complained. Again, the intimacy of the simple act overwhelmed me.
“Trey, she’s gonna be okay,” Mac murmured.
I glanced up to see Trey’s face creased with worry, and I started praying that Mac was right as more blood dribbled from my nose.
After what felt like forever, Clarity focused on my face. Her brow furrowed in confusion.
“Bones?” she whispered.
“S’okay,” I said, “you’re sick, but I’m healing you.”
“Clare?” Trey leaned forward.
“Trey,” she whispered, her head rolling to see him. “Hi.”
“Hi,” he replied, voice thick with emotion.
“Hey, Clare Bear,” Mac said from beside me.
Her eyes widened at the sight of Mac, but a tiny smile played on her lips. “Hi, Macaroo.”
I had to fight the urge to smile. Macaroo?
“Sorry,” she murmured.
“Don’t say that. You got nothin’ to be sorry for,” Trey scolded.
“Scared you again.” Her voice was so faint.
“We’re your big brothers. It’s our job to worry ’bout you,” Trey said with forced lightness.
Big brothers.
Longing stabbed right through my heart, and I must have made some sort of noise, because both Trey and Mac focused on me.
“Bones,” Mac snapped.
“I’m almost done,” I growled. I could feel the illness shrinking, yielding to the warmth of my powers. “Let me work.”
Thank the gods he listened, though he hovered at my shoulder, watching and waiting. Finally, the last speck of darkness gave way, and I let go. Immediately warmth fled my bones, and I started shivering so hard my teeth rattled. Trey looked between me and Clarity, his face pained.
“I’ll take her back,” Mac said.
I glanced at Mac, surprised, but he was looking at Trey.
“You stay with Clare,” he added.
“Thanks, Mac,” Trey said roughly.
My legs wobbled. Mac helped me stand, wrapping an arm around my ribs and half carrying me down the stairs so I didn’t tumble down like a drunk.
I could hear coughing from multiple rooms and made a note to come back later and check the other brothel workers.
They’d gotten better about asking for help when sick or injured, but many of them still tried to handle it on their own.
By the time we got to Violet, my knees were buckling, and my vision was fading in and out.
“Mac.” I gripped Violet’s mane for support as I stood facing her, shivering. I hated asking for help, but the horse seemed impossibly tall. “I don’t think…I can…”
“It’s okay,” he said, his voice calm and steady. “Here.”
I managed to get my foot in his hands, and he slowly stood, lifting me so I didn’t have to pull myself up as much.
The whole world spun, and for a moment I thought I’d be sick, but suddenly I was sitting on the horse.
Mac swung up behind me and wrapped his arm around me again.
Thank the gods he did, because as soon as Violet started moving, I tipped sideways and would have fallen right off.
“I got you,” Mac said, his hold tightening.
“I’m sorry if I puke on you,” I muttered.
He chuckled, or maybe I imagined it. “I can handle it, Bones.”
I let my head fall back, wincing as it thudded against his shoulder. “Sorry.”
“Stop apologizing,” he said, but he didn’t sound mad.
He slid a hand under the wild strands of hair that had escaped my braid to press against my forehead, checking for burnout fever.
“I’m fine,” I said, my eyes closing.
“ ’Course you are,” he said dryly, dropping his hand to hold me more securely.
“Just tired.” My words slurred.
“Hush.”
“Don’t hush me,” I grumbled.
I thought I heard him chuckle again as I dozed off.
What felt like a second later, I woke up to someone taking my boots off. I bolted straight up, my heart seizing, to see Mac staring at me with surprise, one hand still gripping my ankle.
“It’s me.” He sounded irritated. “Didn’t want you to get mud all over your bed.”
I sat on my mattress at the clinic. I glanced up at the loft out of habit to see several little pairs of eyes peering down at us. They looked worried.
“It’s okay,” I told them, “go back to bed.”
They retreated out of sight. All except a little blond head that stubbornly stayed to keep an eye on me. Apple, being protective again. Mac pulled my other boot off and moved to throw more logs in the woodstove.
“Apple, go back to sleep,” I said, pulling my blanket over me and lying back down.
“Where’s Trey?” she asked, her little voice suspicious.