Author's Note: I may have taken some liberty with medical issues here, but sometimes you have to tweak the facts to fit the story. This is fiction after all.
Everybody was surprised when not too long after lunch a horse-drawn farmer's cart arrived in front of the house; and they were even more surprised when they realized it was Erminia who was climbing from the rickety vehicle. She handed the lad who'd been driving a few coins, which he accepted gratefully by doffing his cap. By that time Mr. Buxton had arrived on the scene and greeted his ward warmly.
"My dear, we did not expect you until later in the afternoon - and not with such a mode of transport!"
"Oh uncle, I just did not have the patience to wait for the connecting train, I wanted to be here as quickly as possible. So I flagged down this young man who agreed to drive me." She put her hands on her lower back and arched her spine while pulling a face. "I had no idea how bumpy and uncomfortable these things are. I'll be black and blue, I'm sure. And will require a cushion on my chair. But I'm glad I'm here. Take me to William at once, I need to see with my own eyes that he managed to survive this explosion! How ever did he manage to get mixed up in something like that?"
Mr. Buxton did not try to interrupt her chatter. He knew it for what it was, nervousness in what kind of state she would find her beloved cousin. He signaled for the footman to bring in Erminia's bag and led her into the house. Outside William's bedroom door he stopped.
"Mrs. Hargrave is with him. She has medical experience and has been invaluable. But she needs to be relieved at times, that's why I asked you to come. Go on ahead, my dear. She will tell you everything you need to know."
Her hand already on the door handle Erminia frowned. "Are you not coming in with me?"
Mr Buxton shook his head. "The surgeon advised against it. William and I have not been on the best of terms lately, and my presence might upset him."
Erminia sighed. She could imagine only too well what their disagreement was about. But she was not going to add to her uncle's worry by bringing up the sore subject of Peggy. Instead she briefly put a hand on her uncle's arm before stepping into the room.
When the door opened Mrs. Hargrave put away her darning and started to rise, but Erminia just shook her head with barely a glance the the housekeeper. She only had eyes for William. He looked so young and fragile lying there. His face was as white as the sheets, but two spots of red burned on his cheekbones. And he seemed to be in pain, his face was drawn and his hands twitched on the coverlet. She stepped closer and pulled in a sharp breath when she saw his left arm lying in its nest of cut bandages in the cradle of the brace. It was bruised and swollen, and a nasty gash was running along the top, held together by black surtures. For a moment Erminia felt faint, but then she called herself a silly goose and steeled herself. William needed her, and she would not let him down.
Mrs. Hargrave had watched the young woman closely. She knew what the the sight of blood and injury did to some women, especially that protected kind of the upper class. Of course she had noticed how Erminia's face had gone pale there for a moment and had been prepared to catch her if she fainted - but then the girl had rallied. The housekeeper nodded to herself; Erminia would do.
The young woman sat down on the side of the bed and took her cousin's uninjured hand in hers. William shifted and moaned softly and she quickly let go again.
"Did I hurt him?"
"No, Miss, but even when they're uncoscious they can be aware of their environment. Talk to him, so he knows it's you. It will do him good to know you are here."
For the first time since she'd entered the room Erminia looked at the housekeeper.
"I am so sorry, Mrs. Hargrave, where are my manners. A good day to you."
"No need to apologize, Miss, Master William should be your first concern."
"His hand feels warm, and he looks feverish."
"When the doctor was here this morning he said it's just a temperature, and that it was not high enough to be worrysome."
Erminia noticed the sunken cheeks and the tired lines around the older woman's eyes.
"How long have you been watching over him?"
"Ever since he was brought in yesterday evening."
"You must get some rest then. Just tell me what I should do, and I shall sit with him."
In spite of her assurances to the physician Mrs. Hargrave had to admit that she was nearing the end of her endurance. She showed Erminia the bottle of Laudanum and told her how many drops to administer if the pain started to make William restless to the point of thrashing about. She also instructed her to offer him water to drink whenever he was more conscious, and to watch for signs of respiratory distress.
"His breathing seems a bit labored now," Erminia declared.
"That is not unusal. When a patient is lying prone without sitting up for a long time fluid tends to accumulate in their lungs. When the doctor comes back tonight we'll raise Master William up and apply rubbing alcohol to his back. That will make him breathe deeply and should remedy his condition. The warning sign is when a patient starts to wheeze or cough wetly. In that case you'll have to call for help immediately."
Erminia nodded, then settled herself in the armchair by the bed which the housekeeper had vacated. "I'll watch him closely. You go and get some rest, Mrs. Hargrave."
"Thank you, Miss. I will be back in a few hours, at the latest when the doctor returns."
The housekeeper dropped her a curtsey and left. For a while Erminia was content just to sit there watching her sleeping cousin. But then her mind grew restless. She reached for a book that was lying on the bedside table. It was a collection of poems by Robert Burns, one of Williams favorite writers. Remembering the housekeeper's words she started to read out aloud, hoping her voice could get through and the familiar words and rhymes would help ease the young man's mind.
Hours passed and there was no change in William's condition. The room started to grow dim as the sun drew closer to the horizon. Erminia yawned. Her journey had been long and tiring, the stuffiness of the room made her drowsy, and the armchair was so comfortable. She rested her head against the back of the chair and decided to close her eyes just for a moment...
- 0 - 0 - 0 -
A loud exclamation brought Erminia out of her slumber with a start, just in time to see Mrs. Hargrave rush to William's side. The sun had set and the room was quite dark, but the housekeeper quickly lit the oil lamp on the bedside table. The sight that greeted the young woman when the light illuminated William's face would haunt her for the rest of her days. Eyes wide open and panic stricken the young man was desperately gasping for breath, his hands clawing at his own throat. That he had managed to lift the heavy brace from the bed with his broken arm was almost inconceivable and must have been excruciatingly painful; but clearly he had lacked the breath to make any sound.
"Oh God, what's wrong, what's happening to him?" Erminia cried out.
"Punctured lung," Mrs. Hargrave threw over her shoulder. She had seen her fair share of this condition in the field and recognized the symptoms immediately.
Erminia buried her face in her hands. "It's all my fault, I fell asleep and he..."
"This is no time for self-recrimination," Mrs. Hargrave snapped. "Send someone for the surgeon, and come back immediately. I will need your help. QUICKLY!"
Without taking offense at the housekeeper's brusk manner and commanding tone Erminia flew from the room, shouting for her uncle before she'd even reached the door. By the time she returned Mrs. Hargrave had the covers pulled back and William's shoulders wrapped in a firm grip in preparation for pulling him upright. Before the young woman could say anything she called out to her, "Grab all the pillows you can, and stuff them behind his back when I sit him up."
Erminia grabbed two pillows, ready to do as told. But when the housekeeper lifted William from the bed and she caught sight of his back she cried out in horrror. "He's bleeding!"
"What? But..." Mrs. Hargrave pulled the patient against her chest and William's head lolled to the side and came to rest on her shoulder. She was shocked at how hot he felt to the touch. Cradling him in one arm she used her other hand to push some of his damp blonde curls aside so she could peek down his back. Indeed, the bandages around his ribcage were saturated in caked blood. For a moment she was puzzled since they had not found any wounds there during the examination the night before, but then she remembered how William had fought her hold earlier, and how he had cried out before succumbing to her. Her expression turned grim.
"He broke some ribs, and one of them must have come apart when he was struggling earlier. One end tore through the skin, and it appears the other injured his lung. Oh dear, we should have realized..." Remembering her own words from earlier she broke off to attend to the business at hand.
"Stuff those pillows behind his back. The wound is already closed, it doesn't need immediate attention. We have to ease his breathing first."
After they had settled William against the supporting pillows in a more upright position he did have slightly less trouble drawing breath. His eyes had fallen shut and his arms had relaxed at his sides, but his chest was still heaving, and there was an ominous gurgling sound every time his lungs inflated.
"What now?" Erminia asked. She noticed that her hands were shaking like leaves, and quickly clasped them in front of her waist.
"Now we hope that the surgeon gets here in time." Mrs. Hargrave did not feel the need to sugarcoat the situation. They were both at fault that William was fighting for his life now, and she was determined to make it right for him - sparing somebody's feelings did not figure in this equation.
Erminia flinched at the unspoked implication. "But... but he's getting better, isn't he?"
"The relief is only temporary." Years of training newly arrived nurses kicked in, and she went on to explain, "When a lung is damaged there are two things that can happen. Fluid can get into the lung, or air escapes into the chest cavity. Both conditions are life threatening because they obstruct breathing. I can't tell which one of them is the case here. Getting Master William upright helped because it concentrates the fluids or the air in a smaller area, giving the lung more room to do its work. But it will get progressively worse again - unless you open up his chest to let the obstruction escape. And that's why we need the surgeon."
While he housekeeper was speaking Erminia's folded hands had slowly risen until they covered her mouth in horror. Seeing the young woman's distress Mrs. Hargrave regretted her candid words, and was just about to follow them with something more reassuring when they heard hoofbeats in the courtyard below. Erminia rushed to the window, hoping to see the doctor arriving, but it was just the groom who had been sent to fetch him - and he was returning alone.