Chapter 26

26

T wo weeks passed and he ached for her every waking and sleeping moment. The dream was back. Almost nightly as he slept now, they were together in the cave, but now the feelings were so much stronger than before they had actually lived the experience. He woke panting and soaked with sweat.

He caught himself walking though the village trying to catch a glimpse of her as she visited those who needed her care. Once or twice he’d been successful but it was not enough. She passed close by him in the hall and he struggled with the urge to reach out to her. It wouldn’t have hurt as much if he hadn’t caught her glance and if he hadn’t seen the same struggle and desire in her eyes.

It had to be this way, it had to. To do otherwise would leave her open to ridicule and shame when he left. But, he was tempted—oh so tempted—to reach for her hand and draw her into his arms.

One morning as he was eating breakfast, he received a summons to the solar from Anice. Surprised and curious, he answered it without delay. The heavy wooden door opened before he could knock. The lady Anice stepped in front of him and prevented him from entering. Taking his arm, she led him a few steps away to a small alcove.

“I have need of your help, Douglas,” she said in flawless English.

He blinked in surprise. “I didn’t know you could speak English.” He’d been speaking Gaelic here since his arrival and had never heard anyone speak anything else .

“I learned many years ago and rarely have the chance to use it here in Dunnedin.”

“What is it you need from me?”

“I know of the difficulties between you and my son over Caitlin. She’s been a part of his life since he was a child, even through his betrothal to Margaret MacKillop, and he finds it impossible to let her go.”

“Not to be rude, but I know all this. Your son made his position quite clear in the yards a few weeks ago. See,” he pointed to his still-bruised jaw and eye, “I still bear his mark.”

His defeat by the heir of the clan had been rubbed in his face daily. He would take it because of the protection it offered Caitlin, but he didn’t have to like it.

“Please, I do not mean to insult you. You and I both know that you could have won that particular battle if you had wanted to do so.”

Her assessment and honesty surprised him. The lady Anice was clearly not blinded by a mother’s love. He nodded for her to continue.

“He was on his way back from the MacKillops’ holding and was ambushed by outlaws.”

“Ambushed?”

“Yes. Our men chased off the attackers but Craig took an arrow deep in his arm. He’s lost much blood and they haven’t yet removed the arrow.”

“You want my help?”

“Of course! You are a trained surgeon and know more than any healer here and now. I’m afraid he’ll lose the use of his arm if the arrow damages more on its removal.”

She stepped closer to him. “Please? Please help my son?”

His instincts took over then and he nodded.

“Yes, certainly I’ll help. Where is he?” Already his thoughts were filled with thoughts of what he’d need for this procedure. “Can Connor run for me?”

“Connor, come here to me,” her voice carried through the hall and the slapping of feet on the stone floor told her the boy had heard her call.

“What is it you need, Douglas? Connor, do as he says. ”

Douglas ran down a list of supplies he’d need and directed him to Moira’s cottage. Then he followed Anice into the solar. Craig lay on a raised pallet by the fire. His face was a pasty white from loss of blood and his arm still had the arrow stuck in it.

“No, Mother, not him,” Craig yelled out as soon as he caught sight of him.

“Cease this tirade, Craig. You willna allow me to call Caitlin or Moira. You will allow Douglas to see to this wound.”

The man had used up his energy trying to make his stand and he wilted back against the pallet. Douglas approached and laid his fingers against Craig’s neck, testing the strength and speed of his pulse. It was rapid and erratic. Until his supplies got here, there was not much he could do.

“I will need plenty of linens, hot water and soap first,” he said to Anice, who stood nearby. She gestured to a servant girl who ran to get it.

Taking his dagger from his boot, Douglas cut through the rest of Craig’s shirt and pulled it from him. He tested the position of the arrow and grimaced as Craig paled even more.

“It is lodged in the bone, I’m afraid.”

“Do ye think to take my arm?” Panic filled the man’s voice and face. He began to struggle to rise.

Douglas held his shoulders down on the pallet. “Nay, Craig, I won’t take your arm. You will just require some surgery to remove the arrow without more damage.”

“And ye would do this for me?” Craig’s eyes were wild with pain and fear.

“Of course I would. Now lie back and be quiet.”

When the linens and soap and water arrived, Douglas washed the wound. Standing up, he took hold of the arrow. Craig’s face lost the little color it had as he broke the shaft off closer to where it had entered Craig’s arm.

A knock sounded at the door and a servant opened it. Finally his supplies and tools had arrived. He turned to thank Connor and instead found Caitlin standing before him.

“I’d like to help ye in this, Douglas, if ye’ll let me. ”

It was the first he’d seen her up close since the fight. Her face was lined with fatigue and her eyes were dulled. He started to reach for her face and realized where they were and who was with them.

“You look ill, Caitlin. Are you certain you’re up to doing this?”

“I am just tired. Tell me what has happened to him?” She pointed at Craig, who looked horrified at the thought of the two of them treating his injury.

That look on her face struck something in his memory. She didn’t look tired so much as used up. “You did it again, didn’t you?” She’d used her healing gift and worn herself out.

A slight smile was her reply. “A gift is to be used, Douglas. Someone had need of it and I couldna refuse them.”

“But Caitlin, look at what it does to you. It pulls the energy from your body and your soul. How can you—”

“Douglas. Why don’t you finish with Craig and then you can have this discussion with Caitlin outside?” Anice interrupted.

Douglas looked at Anice and then at Craig who watched with interest the exchange going on over him. “You are right, Lady Anice. Caitlin, here is what I want to do.”

He leaned over and explained to Caitlin how he wanted to proceed. She listened and agreed and offered suggestions for what they would need to do. In a few minutes they were ready to begin.

Douglas watched as Caitlin brewed a mixture of poppy juice and held it out to Craig. Not sure if he wanted to partake or not, Craig sniffed at it and wrinkled his nose. Anice stepped forward and gave him no chance to refuse, pouring it into his mouth even as he objected.

Trying not to laugh at the similarities between the lady Anice and his own mother, Douglas set out the surgical tools that Pol and Ramsey had completed so far. As he looked up, he caught Caitlin staring at him. She reached out to touch his face and froze. He smiled back, knowing exactly what she was feeling.

Craig grew a bit drowsy so Douglas began probing around the wound. Before he could go much further, the door slammed open against the wall with a thump and Robert strode in with Brodie behind him.

“How is he? Douglas? I’m glad ye are here to tend him. Caitlin, too? God be praised, the lad is in good hands, then.” Robert slapped Douglas on the back and winked at Caitlin. “Can I help ye at all?”

“Actually, you can. We’ve given him the poppy juice to make him sleep but he will fight what we will do. Can you hold him down?”

With a nod to Brodie, they took places at Craig’s head and feet and waited for his signal. Anice stood near Caitlin, twisting a piece of linen between her shaking hands.

“The good news is he’ll survive with his arm intact,” he said motioning to both men. “The bad news is he’ll probably still feel this....” Douglas made his first incision into the skin on Craig’s arm, opening the area surrounding the arrow. Caitlin followed his every move, dabbing and wiping the blood away so he could see. Craig moaned in his stupor and tried to pull away from his grasp. Robert and Brodie were prepared and held him down.

Douglas worked quickly, though doing this without gloves still felt strange—like walking around naked. He cut through the skin, layers of muscle and fascia, and deeper still until he uncovered the arrowhead lodged in the bone.

“He’s lucky. The head missed the major artery in this area. He could have bled to death if this was half an inch to the other side.” He pointed the artery out to Caitlin and she took a closer look. “We’ll need to cauterize that bleeder there.” He touched a damaged blood vessel that still spurted.

Caitlin called to Anice and gave her some instructions and some of their instruments. Anice blanched but did as she was asked, heating the tools in the open flame in the hearth. Douglas continued his work, cutting out the arrowhead, cleaning the area of bone fragments and other debris and preparing to make his repairs. He marveled that she kept pace with him through each step of the procedure, at times she was ready before he was .

“Are ye ready for these?” she asked.

“Yes. Let’s do it quickly now.”

Holding out his hand, she placed a long, sharp-ended tool in it and he touched the bleeding vessel, sealing it with the hot contact of the superheated metal. They exchanged instruments and he repeated it in different locations until the bleeding had stopped. His laser unit at the hospital would have done a cleaner, finer job, but this rudimentary system worked once they got their selection and timing down.

A few minutes later and they were ready to suture the outer incision. Douglas stepped aside and let Caitlin do it since her stitches were far better than his. He followed her movements, dabbing and patting the surgical site so that she could see her way. Soon they were done—an ointment and tight clean bandage finished the job.

Caitlin stood and stretched her back as she stepped away from the pallet. She stumbled as she turned and he reached out to support her. They stood, looking at each other, completely ignoring the world and people around them. He savored every moment of holding her near to him.

He would have so little chance to do this again before he left.

“You have not even recovered from using your gift. I should have sent you home to rest.”

“’Twas important for me to see how you did this, Douglas. I need to know as much as possible afore ye...” Her voice trembled and she never said the word. He heard it though.

Left.

“Caitlin, here lass, let me see ye home.” Brodie stepped closer and took her by the arm. Robert walked over to whisper to Anice as Douglas stood by watching, unable for so many reasons to stop their separation.

“Douglas, the ointment is there,” she called over her shoulder. “Give it to Anice with instructions.”

His throat was too tight to answer so he simply nodded. Gently pulling the bloody linens from under Craig’s sleeping form, he began cleaning up the surgical instruments. He would take them from here to finish the scrubbing and sterilize them as best he could afore returning them to Caitlin. Anice came to his side and tapped on his arm.

“There is no reason for you to do this. Come, let Suisan clean this up.”

He followed Anice away from the pallet where Craig now lay sleeping peacefully. She gestured to a chair and he sat down heavily on it. A servant girl collected the bloody sheets and bandages, rolled them up and carried them out of the solar. She returned and gathered up the instruments. She looked to him for guidance. He pointed at the pail sitting on the floor next to the bed. She nodded and made quick work of getting everything ready for him to take.

“Douglas, I cannot thank you enough,” Anice said, speaking in English once more. Robert came to stand next to her and stared at her as she spoke.

“You are welcome, both of you,” he answered, also in English. Robert frowned at him. Apparently the laird did not speak it or know that his wife did.

“I feared that you would be unwilling to help him.”

“Anice? I didna ken ye could speak to him like that,” Robert said. “Another secret?” His tone was very much a teasing one, one that spoke of the secrets between him and his wife.

“I fear so, Robert, I fear so,” she answered in Gaelic once more. “Please, give me a few minutes with Douglas?”

Robert turned in answer and walked to the bedside to check on Craig’s condition.

“You worried that I wouldn’t help him because he won our fight?”

“Well, there is that... and my treatment of your own mother when she was here.”

“I don’t understand. What has my mother got to do with this?” Douglas searched his memory for any mention his mother may have made of Anice. Only a few vague comments came to mind.

“I was not so kind or accepting of your mother. I even had her— ”

“Beaten?” Anice wouldn’t meet his gaze so he knew that was it. “Now I remember.” His parents had mentioned Anice many times—about how she had beaten his mother and tried to seduce his father, whom she thought was her fiancé. But his parents always ended any comment about Anice with their wish that they could have brought her back with them.

“I am still shamed by my actions against your mother. Even more so when I found out the truth of who your parents really were.”

He could feel her pain and remorse and took her hand in his. “They always ended any story about you with their wish that they could’ve brought you back with them.”

Tears filled her eyes and spilled onto her cheeks at his words. She dabbed at them with her handkerchief and then looked at him.

“Now I am truly ashamed. I can see now where your sense of compassion comes from, Douglas. Thank you for helping my son”—she glanced at Craig across the room— “both today and in your dealings with him about Caitlin.”

“You make me sound so altruistic, lady. I do what I do for Caitlin.” And he didn’t like it one bit.

“Then I will thank you for your actions and for those of your father, whom I never had a chance to thank.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Your father suffered physically for my benefit just as you chose to do for Caitlin’s.” She wiped her eyes once more and looked at him.

“But my father wasn’t successful, was he?”

A flash of pain, shame and fear crossed her face and was gone so quickly he didn’t know if he’d really seen it. Then he remembered Moira and Pol’s words about Craig’s father and what he’d done to Anice on their wedding night.

“Your actions will be,” she answered, evading his real question and standing. “Now then, it appears my husband is anxious to have words with me. So, tell me what Craig will need.”

Douglas walked with her to the pallet and explained the ointments and what she should do in the next day for Craig’s injury. After checking the surgical site and Craig’s breathing, Douglas picked up the pail with his tools and prepared to leave.

“Douglas?”

He looked over at Anice, who stood clutching Robert’s hand.

“Remember me to your parents when you speak to them. Give your father the thanks I could not.”

“I will, when I see them.”

That day, if all went as Moira thought it would, would be just over a week away. He should be happy about his own time and his own life but his happiness was dimmed by the thought of Caitlin being left here.

Douglas pulled the solar’s door closed behind him and went out through the great room and into the kitchen. He would scrub and clean the instruments before returning them to Caitlin.

Then it hit him... maybe Caitlin could return with him to his time? He didn’t know why Anice had not returned with his parents, but maybe Moira did. He hurried to finish so he could track down the woman and ask her.