Chapter 8: A Refuge of Sorts
Disclaimer: D. Gabaldon owns all rights to Outlander
"There—all done." I held up the last suture in my forceps, to show Jamie, then dropped it in an earthen bowl with the rest of the silken threads. Wiping the suture line with a swab soaked in alcohol, I re-wrapped his leg, winding the bandage so that it covered the whole of the appendage.
Jamie's brows knit together. "Ye told me it was healed, Sassenach. Why do I havta stomp 'bout with my leg trussed op like a mummy?"
"I am not taking any chances of that wound opening, so you'll just have to bear with it."
He made one of those rude Scottish noises, and rolled those beautiful lake-blue eyes.
Jenny entered the room, carrying a tray of breakfast. "It'd be wise o' ye to listen to yer wife. I dinna think she'd steer ye wrong."
"I am listenin', that's no to say as I like what I'm hearin', mind."
"Weel, ye'd best eat op. Young Ian and Fergus have gone to fetch Murtagh, so we can decide what's to be done with the lot o' ye."
"Good. Murtagh will have some grand ideas."
It was my turn to give him an eye roll. "Perish the thought."
# # # # #
"Are ye daft, lad? Ye canna bring a pregnant woman to live wi' ye in a dark, and might I add, cold cave."
"Tell that to my wife. It wasna my idea."
Murtagh, scratched at his beard. "Ne'er be it said as yer wife were a shrinkin' violet."
"Nay. So what say ye? Will ye help us?"
My godfather jumped op from the settle, clearly insulted. "What? Ye're an affront to my honor. D'ye suppose ye havta ask for my help? Ye ken as I'd lay down my life for ye, Jamie."
"I'm sorry to have offended yer sensibilities."
"Weel, be that as it may, I ken as The Watch might weel be suspicious, so it's best as ye'd be gone from this place. We'll need a story to explain why Claire here, is nay longer lodgin' here tho'."
"The Watch doesn't know much about me, so I imagine it could be said that some relatives in Edinburgh came and whisked me away."
Ian chimed, "That sounds reasonable enough. It would seem as she'd be more comfortable amongst her own kin."
Murtagh rubbed his brow wi' two fingers. "So, if that's settled, I'll see 'bout hirin' a boat to take ye to the Isle o' Skye. I doubt as the Sassenachs—beggin' yer pardon, Claire—or The Watch will follow ye there. It'd be too much o' a nuisance to be toolin' 'bout searchin' out one man, I expect."
"Should we leave t'day, d'ye think?" I asked.
"Aye. Nay tellin' when those filthy ruffians will show their ugly mugs agin."
Ian leaned forward in his chair, interjectin', "We can see as ye have blankets and such, sufficient for yer stay. It wouldna do to have ye found half-frozen on the hill."
My sister added, "Or starved … I'll pack op enough victuals to last two days or so. Will that be enough to tide them o'er 'til ye can return wi' good news?"
With a shrug, Murtagh answered, "I canna say for sure. I'll do my best."
Fergus, not to be discounted, supplied, "Young Ian and I can bring you more if need be, père."
Clappin' my hands, I declared, "All right then." I picked op Ian's crutches, ready to begin the packin' when Claire scolded, "And where, pray tell, do you think you're going?"
"There's work to be doon, Sassenach."
Ian hobbled to where I was seated, and snatched the crutches away from me. "I'll thank ye to return the use o' my crutches. I may no have a wound to vex me, but as ye weel ken, I've only one and a half legs to stand on. Now, set yer arse down."
# # # # #
Jenny, with Fergus' help, came outside carrying the supply of food. I felt bad that she and Ian had to share their stores with us, considering how their children depended on it, and said as much.
Handing me two large baskets, to set in the wagon with the rest of the provisions, she said, "Would ye have me send my own brother and his dear wife to fend for themselves when I have the means to succor them? Nay, I canna do it. My parents would rise op from their graves and chastise me for such neglect. Now, ye'll take this wi' ye, and be thankful for it."
"Bless you, Jenny."
She turned to go back inside the house, saying, "Someday ye may havta return the favor."
"I'm counting on it."
Tears fell as goodbyes were spoken, and hugs exchanged, but Jamie assured both his sister and brother-in-law, Fergus, too, that this was not a final separation. We would see them again in due time.
Jamie was carefully aided into the back of the wagon by Murtagh and Fergus, and I, myself as well. The dray began to move, and we waved one last time to our family and Lallybroch.
On the way to wherever the hell we were headed, Jamie began to sing in Gaelic, and Murtagh joined in. Their voices were bloody awful, and yet it cheered me. For all I knew we might be spending the next few days lying in a swamp, but the thought didn't dampen my spirits. At any rate, our final destination was reached a little more than half a mile away. Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ! Our refuge was a hole in a rock face. I heard the word cave, but this was more like a burrow.
My cheerful attitude changed dramatically while staring at the tiny opening. Lovely … I couldn't very well voice my concerns, especially since Jamie had warned me about his choice of a hidey hole. My pride wouldn't let me ask Murtagh to drive me back to the Murray's either, so I'd have to make do.
Murtagh descended from the driver's seat and drew his sword.
"Whatever are you doing, Murtagh?"
"I'm checkin' for certain as the place is unoccupied. Ye dinna wanta share yer lodge wi' any wild animals, d'ye?"
"Um, no. I suppose not."
What kind of animals? Raccoons, cougars, boars? I shuddered to think about it.
The brave little man, ducked his head to enter, and made a clean sweep of the space. His head popped out of the opening, and he motioned to me. "Ye can start unloadin' the wagon. I didna find any signs o' wee beasties livin' here 'bouts."
"Are you positive that all of this is going to fit inside?"
Jamie tried to assure me. "The size o' this cave is deceptive, Sassenach, only the mouth o' it appears verra small. My da used to store his whiskey here, 'til it got so it became a bit risky wi' The Watch and all. I'm no sayin' as I'd wanta live here permanent, mind. Anaways, it'll do right fine for a couple o' days, I expect."
I swallowed my fears, and began removing food and bedding from the cart.
Just as Jamie said, the depth and width inside was much greater, although the height wasn't to my liking at all. At least it could easily accommodate our provisions. Murtagh and I arranged everything at the far end of the cavern. I made Jamie stay in the bed of the wagon, until we'd finished.
He gingerly walked with our help to the cavern, and slipped inside. Murtagh jerked his head back toward the entrance. "I'm in need of yer wife's assistance to gather wood for a fire, lest ye freeze yer ballocks off."
Jamie carefully lowered himself onto a crate that held the bedding. "Take her, but I'll be wroth wi' ye if ye dinna return her, mind."
"I'm no in the habit o' runnin' away wi' another man's wife; leastwise no a feisty one such as this one. Come along, Sassenach, we've firewood to bring in."
I saluted him, in a mocking manner. "Yessir, no sir, three bags full sir."
Jamie smiled and lifted one shoulder. Murtagh shook his head. "Women," he huffed. "I dinna ken them atall."
I followed Murtagh outside, and we trailed a sheep path to a copse of trees. I collected branches that Murtagh had lopped off with an axe, and fallen trunks he hacked into manageable size. We loaded them all when he thought we'd amassed enough, and headed back to that miserable little hole in the wall.
Dragging the wood into the cave, I felt that dread again of being confined in this shallow dugout with not nearly enough air to breathe. There was enough fuel for our fire, and so Murtagh and I left the rest nearby with a canvas tarp covering it to keep out the rain, and bits of brush and detritus over that to camouflage it from the eyes of anyone who was searching for us. I brought the axe in with me and laid it down by the rock wall. I hoped we wouldn't need to implement it for cutting wood or, god forbid, defending ourselves from unscrupulous renegades.
Murtagh brushed his hands together signifying a job well done. He then bid us farewell, and told us, "I'll return the cart and horses to Ian, then take my own animal to make the arrangements for yer transport. I'll be back in a couple o' days or so. Ye'll be safe here, ken?"
"Aye, thank, ye, Murtagh, truly."
"There's nothin' I wouldna do for ye, Jamie …" He scratched his chin. "… except maybe for gettin' marrit, seein' as there's only one woman worth havin', and she's taken.'
He waved his tam o'shanter. "I'll be off then. Good luck to ye both."
Jamie seemed pensive while he sat by the roaring flames, stoking the fire with a long stick.
I pushed him over slightly to make room for myself. "Out with it, Jamie."
"I'm sorry ye havta stay in this foxhole wi' me. I'm thinkin' as maybe ye shouldha left me to die on that field, then ye wouldna havta suffer like this. Murtagh was right. This isna place for a woman in yer condition. Ye'd be better off if ye'd ne'er marrit the likes o' me. I've only brought ye hard work and misery."
"Stop that right now. I won't hear that kind of talk from your lips. I love you Jamie, and nothing can change that. I'd be lost without you. This is but a tiny scrap of time, and it will pass as these trials always do. It most likely will make us stronger, and able to face any other adversities put in in our path. And by the way, I distinctly remember refusing to heed your words, and it was my own doing to follow you on this adventure.
"Are you hungry? I can fix us something to eat. So see, we've been in worse predicaments. At least this time we won't starve."
"Ye are a most optimistic person, Claire. Glad I am to have ye."
Remaining calm was more difficult than I imagined when it came time to bed down. I never told Jamie about my phobias, claustrophobia being the star of the hour.
"Are ye no gonta lie down t'night, Claire?"
"I can't. I … I need to move the blankets to the mouth of this cave."
I could make out a frown on his face in the dim light from one of Jenny's oil lamps. "Sassenach … it's cold enough to freeze yer nose off outside. I dinna ken why ye'd wanta do that."
Grimacing, I announced, "You may as well know; I suffer from claustrophobia."
"Eh? I canna take yer meanin'."
The words spewed out of me like shells fired from a machine gun. "I get bloody anxious in closed spaces, and I won't be able to breathe if I lie flat." Patting my rounded abdomen, I continued, "And now, being in my present state, well … you can see my dilemma."
Jamie burst out laughing, the noise echoing in the chamber. "Ye mean to tell me, after all this time as I ne'er kent that fact?"
"Obviously not."
"Ye amaze me, mo nighean, and I love ye for it. Let's move the blankets, aye?"
# # # # #
We slept wi' our heads outside the cave, so Claire could breathe. It was a bluidy wonder as icicles hadna formed in our hair. For two nights tho', I expected as we could endure the bother o' it all. Leastwise, I was happy as she was still sharing my bed. If I had to die o' the cold, I'd rather freeze wi' my Sassenach in my arms than wi'out her. I smiled at the thought of us frozen t'gether, limbs curled 'bout each other, in a frost-covered embrace.
The light was streamin' o'er the hillside, and Claire woke wi' a start. "Ah, so we're still alive, I see."
"Aye, just barely. Can we warm our parts by the fire now?"
"Yes, that would be lovely. What I wouldn't give for a nice hot cup of tea as well."
