Rosemary's eyes fluttered, and with great effort, something far, far away could be seen. It looked like a man, it looked like, yes- it was Lee. The way his eyebrows were drawn together- he only looked that way when he was deeply troubled. He continued to call her. Oh dear, it couldn't be, could it? She was dying! She didn't get the ginger in time. If only she had time for a making a ginger tea, perhaps she could have evaded her death a bit longer and been able to say a proper good-bye. A tear swelled in her eye and slid down her cheek.
"Lee, always remember me."
She reached out a hand to him, but her arm wouldn't stretch that far. She shut her eyes. "I love you."
Everything went quiet. Then someone cleared their throat. She popped her eyes open. Lee's bemused countenance met her. Now he was up close, in fact, he was holding her hand. Saints alive, she wasn't gone. She'd been given a second chance.
"Rosemary, believe me, I'll always remember you and I love you, too." He squeezed her hand twice and looked as if he was trying unsuccessfully to wipe a laughing smile off his face. He glanced over at someone to his left. Oh, so they were not alone. She froze. At least half a dozen people were gathered around her. What was she laying on? It was hard and wooden? A porch? Oh, Mr. Yost's porch.
"There we go. Her pulse has returned to normal. I'd give her another minute or so and I'll help you get her home, Mr. Coulter." Doc Carson's gentle touch was on her wrist and he smiled. "You were out for the count there for a few minutes, Mrs. Coulter. Tell me, have you eaten enough today?"
"Uh, well, actually, I haven't had any appetite today."
"Well, there you go. That's the culprit. We will get you something to eat right away."
Lee was nodding as the Doc continued to give directions. Then the world was tilting. Lee held one of her arms, Doc Carson the other, as her legs desperately searched to gain balance on the boards. What a sight she must be. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
"Upsy-daisy." Doc Carson held onto her left arm.
"There we go, sweetheart. Let's get you home." Lee linked her right arm in his and they awkwardly led her down Main Street, hopefully towards home. Why, she had never felt so humiliated.
Later that Day
After a warm tea and biscuit with jam, Rosemary returned to herself. Doc Carson had rechecked her vitals and declared her "fit as a fiddle" before departing. She pulled the knitted shawl tighter around her shoulders. Lee's accessing looks from across the table made her nervous.
"Better?" He said moving closer.
"Much."
"You had me worried there for a minute."
"Serves you right for letting me lay on the ground in front of the mercantile."
Lee raised both his hands defensively. "Hey, that wasn't my doing. I was just walking home for lunch when Jack called me over saying you'd fainted. My heart was racing, Rosemary. I'm just glad you are okay."
"Well, mostly okay."
"What's that to mean?"
"To be honest today is one of the absolute worst days of my life. There was the horse trough and a most revolting experience, and the home remedies book and the ginger. If only I could have taken the ginger on time maybe this could have been avoided."
"Whoa, you lost me." Lee rubbed reassuring circles with his thumb on the back of her hand. "Back up a bit. To this morning."
"Okay, well, I was going to have breakfast at Abigail's. I couldn't eat there. It was just emitting this horrid smell. Before I knew what was happening, I was…" Rosemary's cheek's heated.
"Yes?"
"Well, it's not very ladylike."
"I think I can handle it."
"Okay, but don't tell me I didn't warn you. Well, I… 'tossed my cookies' right there in the horse trough."
"Oh, so that's how the horse trough fits in."
"Are you being smart with me, Lee Coulter?"
"Nope, just trying to piece this together. So, then what?"
"Well, that was just the most horrendous experience I've ever had. I was able to come home and recover and figure out that ginger somehow makes illness like this go away."
"An illness?"
"Well of course an illness. This is definitely not normal!"
"I'm sorry, go on."
"So I ventured to the Mercantile for ginger to help with this illness. Next thing I knew, I was waking up to you."
"What about the part you thought you might be dying? That was what that whole dramatic good-bye was about, right?"
Oh if she could just reach out and wipe that smirk straight off his face. This was serious. She truly felt as if she was dying. It was all simply horrible. What had caused her to fall? Weakness? Fatigue? No it wasn't that, it was— then it came back to her. The completely life altering possibility. She swallowed, her dry tongue getting in the way. She couldn't tell him Florence and Molly's prediction. She just couldn't. Not until she was absolutely sure. It was what he wanted more than anything. She wouldn't toss out the bait of hope, only to reel it back in later. No, she'd wait until she was absolutely certain. For all she knew, it still could be a life-threatening illness.
"I know you are often one for dramatics, Rosemary—"
He held up his hand, halting the objection on the tip of her tongue.
"But I do want to know if you have any cause for true concern or any idea of what could have caused this?"
Rosemary swallowed. God forgive her. She was going to lie to her husband, the father of her future unborn children. She couldn't manage to squeak out a word so she settled for a shake of the head.
"Well, I for one am not comfortable with the continuance this. If it's just a one time thing like the flu or something, it should clear up in a day or two. But if you have any other symptoms—"
"Symptoms of what?" Did he already suspect? The panic caused her voice to alter up an octave.
"Any kind of symptoms- fainting, nauseous, dizzy. Let me know immediately. If it is something more serious, believe me, we will, with Doc Carson's help, get to the bottom of it."
Gently he caressed her cheek. "Promise me you will tell me if you are experiencing anything out of the normal."
Rosemary swallowed. "I promise." But as she said the words she had a feeling if what was suspected was true, all she'd be experiencing from here on out would be far from normal.