She'd helped her father with gunshot wounds before, knew what needed to be done. The bullet had to come out, the wound cleaned and stitched. "Should we get the doctor from town?" Molly asked anxiously. "No time. The infection spreading," Clara rolled up her sleeves.
"I need boiling water, clean cloths, whiskey, and my sewing kit. And laudanum if we have any." They had a small amount of laudanum, enough to dull the pain, but not enough to knock Ethan out completely. He groaned as Clara probed for the bullet, his hand crushing hers. I'm sorry, she whispered. I'm so sorry, but I have to get it out.
Clara. His eyes focused on her briefly. Don't let me die. Sophie needs You're not dying, she said firmly. Not on my watch.
It took an hour to remove the bullet and clean the wound properly. By the end, Clara was shaking with exhaustion and stress. But the bleeding had stopped, and Ethan was sleeping more peacefully. She sat beside his bed all night, monitoring his fever, forcing water and medicine down his throat when he'd take it. Sophie curled up beside her, refusing to leave her father's side.
"Is he going to be okay?" the child whispered. "Yes," Clara said with more confidence than she felt. "Your papa's strong. He'll pull through." "You saved him," Sophie said. "Just like you said you knew medicine." "I helped.
He's saving himself by fighting." Sophie was quiet for a moment, then said, "I'm glad you're here. I didn't want to be at first, but now I'm glad." Clara pulled the girl closer, kissing the top of her head. "I'm glad, too, sweetheart." Ethan's fever broke near dawn. His eyes opened clear and focused, finding Clara immediately. "You look terrible," he rasped.
"You look worse," she retorted, weak with relief. "What happened?" "Someone shot you. Your horse came home without you. He frowned, trying to remember. Morrison's men.
They ambushed me on the road back. Took the testimonies I'd collected. Clara's heart sank, but she kept her voice steady. It doesn't matter. You're alive.
That's what matters. Does it? Without those testimonies, we have others. I collected 15 statements, all documented. Sam can work with those.