Chapter 49 - A Vigil for the Living

The doctor frowned as he finished his examination of the two boys. He signaled for the Monroes to join him in the other room.

"Jed's okay. Shaken up and upset, but of course, that's to be expected. It's Han that's giving me cause for concern. He's clearly in a state of shock. Has anyone talked to him? Do we know how much of it he witnessed?"

"No." Albert Monroe shook his head, "He won't talk to anyone beyond the basics. Maybe he's said something to Jed. He won't let Jed out of his sight - it can't be healthy."

"No, but it's a natural response to what's happened. His whole family - and Jed's - have just been butchered in the most horrific way imaginable. Even without knowing what he saw, it stands to reason that he would want to keep Jed in his sights, where he can see the boy is safe."

"So, what should we do?"

"Keep them quiet and calm, and try to get them to eat something. Don't be alarmed if they have trouble keeping anything down at first. I don't generally like to suggest it for children, but considering the circumstances, a little brandy or laudanum might be a good idea to calm them and help them to sleep. That's the best thing for them right now - plenty of rest and time to recover."

Julie Monroe reached for the doctor's hat and handed it to him. "Thank you, Doctor. How much do we owe you?"

The doctor shook his head. "There's no charge for this visit. You just give me a call if there's anything else you need. When I think of what those poor boys have gone through…"

They were silent for a moment as they thought about the fate of their friends.

The doctor cleared his throat. "Call if I can help in any way at all."

When they returned to the guest room, Han was still sitting on the bed, pressed against the wall. His arms were around Jed, who was lying against his chest. Han looked exhausted, but his eyes were instantly upon them as they came back into the room. He held onto Jed a little tighter.

Julie Monroe forced a smile. "Han, the doctor said you should both try to eat. Will you come to the kitchen so we can get you something?"

"Jed's sleeping."

"He can go back to sleep afterwards. It's important that you both have some food inside you."

Han seemed to weigh that in his mind for a moment, but before he could speak, Leah burst into the room.

"I saw the doctor leave, can I come in now?" Her eyes were red and her face wet from crying. Charlotte had been comforting her while the doctor examined the two boys.

"Certainly, Leah. We're just trying to persuade Han to bring Jed downstairs for some dinner."

Leah nodded. "Yes, he should eat something. Ma would want him to. Jed!" She was suddenly aware that she was now the head of the family. She walked over to the dozing boy and put out a hand to shake him.

Han grabbed her wrist. "Don't touch him!"

Jed woke up in time to hear Han's words, but before he could react, Leah retorted, "He's my brother, not yours! He's my responsibility now, so I'll look after him!"

She shook off Han's grasp and reached out for her brother. Han pushed her away roughly. Leah, surprised, fell to the ground, landing hard on her backside. She jumped up quickly, grabbing Jed's hand and pulling him up as the other hand delivered a stinging blow to Han's face.

Everyone in the room gasped.

Jed quickly shook his hand free from his sister's. "You leave him alone!"

He jumped back onto the bed and hugged his friend, who was staring at Leah in shock. The two boys held onto each other like a lifeline as Leah stood by, furious.

Albert cleared his throat. "Jed, Doctor Schriever said that we should make sure you have something to eat and drink. Wouldn't you like to eat something? You must be hungry."

As Albert spoke, Jed realized that he was hungry. He was only eight and he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, early that morning. He nodded.

"Why don't you and Han come down to the kitchen?"

Jed looked at Han. He didn't look like he'd heard any of their conversation.

"Alright. We'll be down soon." Jed glared at them defiantly, daring them to contradict him.

Albert decided not to push things any further. "Alright. We'll see you in a minute. Come along, Leah."

Leah looked mutinous.

Julie took the girl's hand. "Come now, Leah."

Once they'd gone, Jed turned back to his friend. There was a red mark where Leah's hand had connected.

"Han." There was no response. Jed put out a hand and squeezed his shoulder. "Han. Please."

At the word please, Han turned to him. Jed couldn't remember ever seeing anyone look so lost. He tried not to show how shaken he was. Han was usually the one that knew what to do, not him; but Jed knew he had to be the strong one now.

"Han, I'm hungry, but I don't want to go downstairs without you. Will you come with me and eat something?"

"Not hungry."

"But I am and I don't want to go downstairs without you."

Han stared at his friend for a long moment and then wiped his face with his sleeve. He was still shaking, but he put his feet on the floor and stood up, ready to go. Jed gave a ghost of a smile and took his hand. Han clutched it a little too hard, but Jed wasn't going to say a word. He led the way downstairs.

When they walked in, Leah was sitting at the table, a glass of milk in front of her. She felt a pang of guilt when she saw how lost Han looked and saw the angry mark across his cheek. She didn't know what to say.

Julie forced another tight smile. "Jed, why don't you and Han sit there next to each other?"

As the boys sat down, she pulled out some bread and started slicing it. "Do you like ham? Jed?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Han?"

He shook his head.

"No? What would you like instead?"

In a voice that was almost a whisper, he answered, "Not hungry."

Julie paused. "You need to eat something. What about if I put some bread and ham on a plate and you can see what you can eat? How would that be?"

Sensing Han was about to refuse, Jed spoke up quickly. "That would be good, thank you, ma'am."

He turned to Han and added in a low voice, "Ya haveta eat somethin', Han. Please! Do it for me, okay?"

Han gave a small nod and Jed smiled.

As Jed took his first bite of ham, he could see Han's point. It seemed to have no flavor, and as the food hit his stomach, he felt a sudden wave of nausea. He put the meat down quickly and took a sip of his drink, then waited a moment and tried again. The next bite was a little easier, but he still had to force himself to chew.

He looked over at Han.

Han was holding a piece of bread as if he had no idea what to do with it.

Jed nudged him and Han took a small bite. Jed saw his color change and said in a low voice, "Drink somethin'. You'll feel better soon."

Han did as he was told, and slowly the two of them began to eat and drink.

A little while later, Jed pushed away his plate. He'd eaten about a quarter of the food set in front of him. He yawned. The day was catching up with him and he was suddenly exhausted.

Albert stood up. "I think you boys could do with getting some rest. You can sleep in the guest bedroom tonight."

Leah frowned. "Why, it isn't even six o'clock yet!"

Shocked, Han and Jed both turned to look at the clock. It seemed impossible that so much could have happened in just a few hours.

Julie put a hand on Leah's shoulder. "Yes, but they've had a long day and a lot has happened. I'm sure they're ready for bed. Jed, let me get you settled. Han can come and join you when he's finished."

Han instantly pushed his chair away from the table. "I'm finished."

Julie considered his plate. He'd eaten even less than Jed.

"Alright. Let's get you two to bed."

Leah followed her, determined again to be the one that took care of her little brother.

Despite Leah's attempts to help, Jed quickly undressed and climbed into bed. Once he was inside the sheets, his exhaustion caught up with him. He managed to mumble a quick, "G'night" before sleep overtook him.

Julie turned to Han, who was still fully dressed. "Aren't you tired, Han?"

He shook his head.

Julie thought she knew what the problem might be. "Leah, honey, would you like to go downstairs and help Albert tidy the kitchen?"

With her brother fast asleep, Leah could see no reason to stay; she turned and left the room.

Julie turned back to Han. "Now will you get ready for bed?"

The boy nodded and quickly stripped to his underwear. As gently as a mother, he moved Jed over so that he was closest to the wall and then climbed in beside him. He pulled the sheets up to his chin and turned to look at Julie with those watchful eyes of his.

She moved to the door. "Goodnight, Han." She expected no answer and she got none.

Later, when the adults were going to bed, Albert peeked into the room. Jed lay fast asleep against his cousin, but Han was wide awake and watchful.

"Han, do you need something to help you sleep?"

"No."

"You need to sleep, Han; it'll make you feel better."

The boy said nothing. Albert gave up. "Knock on our door if you want anything."

In the middle of the night, Han woke up and was sick into the chamber pot. Shivering, he pulled his clothes back on and continued his silent vigil beside his cousin.

The next day, Han barely ate anything and refused to let his cousin out of his sight. Despite the exhaustion on the boy's face, he wouldn't sleep, and he also refused to take any brandy or laudanum. The Monroes tried to slip some laudanum into his milk, but he tasted it immediately and, after that, wouldn't touch anything but water.

Han followed Jed like a shadow, watching everyone. They could all see how tired he was but he refused to lie down. That night followed the same pattern as the previous one, with Han watching over his young cousin as he slept.

It was setting everyone's nerves on edge.

The next day was the funeral.

The Monroes decided that it would be too much for the children. None of them had thought to ask about it, and Albert and Julie decided not to tell them. It would only upset Leah, who was coping fairly well with the tragedy, and they thought Jed was far too young to go. As for Han - well, who knew how it would affect that boy? The Monroes had no idea what to make of him.

He was still silent and watchful, saying only the bare minimum. Even with Jed, he seemed to say very little, although between the two of them it didn't seem to matter. Jed still talked to Han, and they seemed to have their own way of communicating without words. Jed always seemed to know instinctively what Han was thinking.

The Monroes didn't want to leave the girls to cope with Han while he was behaving so strangely. They decided that if he wouldn't lie down and go to sleep, they would have to take matters into their own hands.

They had tried to reason with him and ordered him to do as they asked. Finally, at their wits end, they held the boy down and forced him to swallow the laudanum.

Leah and Charlotte held onto Jed, who fought to help his friend, even though he could see that Han needed to sleep.

Jed knew they could have found a better way to help Han; if they'd just told him how important it was, he'd have made Han go to sleep. Han would do it for him. They didn't need to force that stuff down his throat, it just made everything worse.

Once Leah and Charlotte released him, Jed ran upstairs after Albert as he carried Han to his bed. This time, it was Jed's turn to sit beside his friend. Jed looked uncannily like his cousin as he sat and kept watch over Han while he slept.

The Monroes were at the end of their tether. They set out for the cemetery, asking the girls to stay behind and watch over the younger children. Something had to be done.

The funeral was hard for everyone; the Currys and the Heyes had been well liked in the community, and had been amongst the first to arrive in town; they would be missed. And it was hard to see the small coffin for the baby, and think of fourteen-year-old Joseph, and know that they had been killed so brutally. The Monroes were glad they hadn't brought the children.

Albert and Julie Monroe looked at the neighbors gathered around the graveside and realized they had many friends that wanted to help.

The next day was Sunday. They would ask Reverend Elliot if they could speak to the congregation.