For Love

Chapter 30

LAURIE

Laurie walked through the barroom with a tray laden with plates of steak, eggs, large slices of bread, apples, and a pot of coffee. The few men present in the barroom held guns in one hand, and a beer in the other. Since the attacks the night before, the town was incensed, and the men had given chase to the dark figure that disappeared into the night. Laurie's apologetic look was met more than once with an assuring smile or a, "We'll get him, Mrs. Bolt, don't you worry." It was a relief to escape upstairs to tend to the doctor's patients.

She knocked on the door, and on the affirmative sounds from the male voices within, opened it to carry the tray to the table. Only then did she glance up and blanch.

Joshua sat in his bed with his shirt off, the doctor standing over him while he finished dressing his arm. His left leg had already been propped up in a cast. Aaron lay on another bed, his eyes barely open in slits. His chest was bare as well, the doctor's wrappings looking like they were holding his ribs in place.

"How bad?" Laurie whispered, walking toward them.

"Aaron's got a cracked rib for being a hero," Joshua said for the doctor. "I'm doing alright. I'll heal."'

"You seem calm for a man whose doctor just set his bone less than an hour ago," she told him, remembering the pain her brother-in-law had been in. The doctor had focused on Aaron first, stating he preferred Joshua to get his pain under control before he worked on him. Laurie had been grateful they had gotten the bleeding to stop from the knife wound before the doctor got there, but was even more grateful for the doctor's assignment to make sure the men got a hearty breakfast. She hated she couldn't do much for Joshua except try to make him comfortable and fail.

"Laudanum," Aaron explained to Laurie. "The doctor gave him a healthy dose."

"He didn't hit anything major," the doctor told her, nodding toward the knife wound. "But Mr. Bolt needs to go easy with it. It's a good thing you broke your leg," he said to Joshua, "So you won't be tempted to go back to work. Using that arm to hold yourself two stories up didn't do you any favors."

Finding the doctor's logic odd, Laurie wasn't sure what to say after that. She smoothed the skirt of her pink morning dress and gestured back to the table. "I brought some breakfast in. Aaron, would you like me to bring you a plate? I'll take care of you when the doctor is done," she added to Joshua.

"Got some coffee?" Aaron asked, groaning while he sat up.

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, how do you like it?"

"Black."

Laurie walked back to the table and began assembling Aaron's breakfast when another knock sounded at the door. Upon opening it she found Biddie outside, fairly bursting with her blue Sunday dress on, a black ribbon adorning her curled brunette hair. She carried a basket that suspiciously smelled like muffins and set it next to Laurie's tray.

"For Aaron?" Laurie guessed needlessly.

"Yes, and Joshua. You too if you want some. Oh! I worried about him all night! Aaron! Are you all right?" she asked, hurrying to her beau's side. Laurie noted he attempted to cover himself a little more with the blanket. "Goodness, everyone's over at the church praying for you and Joshua, and Laurie... Franny and the baby... Oh, she's in a frightful state, just frightful."

"Kinda surprised you're not over there," Aaron said with his discomfort from moving showing in his voice. "Thought you'd be with the prayer circle."

"Oh, well, I was for a while, but a woman's place is beside her man, don't you know." She giggled nervously. Aaron's eyes grew soft and touched her arm. Biddie grew serious. "Is he really going to be all right?" she asked the doctor.