Simon's office was full of Mavericks. He'd quickly examined Maudie and pronounced her fit, then turned his attention to Momma and child. "Where did you have her?"
"Right in the wagon," Doralice told him, as I gave him a quick run-down of why we were fleeing the Comanche in the middle of the night.
Simon turned to me and asked for something I never expected. "Still got the knife? Can I see it?" I nodded and pulled the knife out of my belt, then handed it over to him. "You cut the cord?"
I nodded again and waited. Even in a serious moment like this, I knew Simon had to get his good-natured harassment in. "And this is the same man that used to pass out at the sight of blood?"
"Only when it was mine," I reminded him.
"Alright, take Maudie out and get her something to eat. Don't come back for at least thirty minutes, and bring your father with you. I need private time with these two ladies."
I bent over and kissed our newborn on the forehead, then did almost the same to Doralice. "Good work, beautiful," I told her before squeezing her hand and putting my arm around Maudie. I guided our oldest out the door and up the street to Sawyers, where I asked Sawyer herself if she would go get Pappy and bring him back. I drank coffee and Maudie tea while we waited, and in just a few minutes my father came bursting through the front door, Sawyer trailing him like a puppy.
"What in God's name . . . Maudie, honey, come over here to Paw Paw and tell me what happened."
Maude did as requested and sat in Pappy's lap while she told him the tale of the night before, up until my slitting open the back of the tipi. That's when I took over and got us here to Sawyers. "She's beautiful, Pa, but she's the tiniest thing you ever saw."
"How's Doralice?"
"Good, so far. Simon sent us out so he could do his exams. Let's get this one fed and then I want to talk to Parker about the kidnappings." I didn't figure there was much the sheriff could do, but I thought I'd check anyway. When breakfast was over I sent Maudie home with Pappy and crossed the street to the sheriff's office. Dave, as I suspected, had already heard, and wanted to know how we were. "Does that mean there's nothing you can do?"
"About Nan and her sister? Nope, not a thing. It's up to the Indian agent. I have to stay out of it."
"What if they still had Maudie?"
"That's different. The point is, they don't."
"But Dave . . ."
"Forget it, Bart. Go back to Doralice and the baby. By the way, boy or girl?"
"Girl, little tiny thing. Alright, I'll be at Simon's with my girls. You let me know if you need anything from me, okay?"
I hurried back to Simon's and found Pappy and Simon sitting in the office drinking coffee and whispering. "How are they?" I asked as soon as I saw the look on the doctor's face.
"Asleep. They both need the rest. What Doralice went through wasn't easy; the two of you did a great job in difficult circumstances."
"You look concerned. What's up?"
Simon hesitated a minute before answering. "I'm worried about an infection in the baby. We need every bit of luck we can get. I'd like you to leave them here where I can keep an eye on them for a day or two."
"Are you gonna stay with them?" I already knew the answer to that question before Simon had a chance to answer it.
"Uh-huh."
"Alright. Then I'll be here, too. Pappy?"
He nodded and finished his coffee. "Yep. Lily Mae and Maude are with the kids. They're well taken care of. Maude'll be by a little later to see everyone, and Maudie insists on coming back."
I sat down next to Pappy but directed my question to Simon. "How is Maudie? She had quite an ordeal yesterday."
"Physically, she's fine. I'm not sure a seven-year-old should ever help deliver a baby, especially her sister, but she seems to have come through it just fine. From what she says about the Comanche's, it's a good thing you got there and got her out when you did."
"Do you think they . . . " I started to ask, but Simon stopped me.
"No. And I don't think they were going to. But I think they were gonna trade her to one of the other tribes, and she could have been lost forever."
The front door opened and Simon went to retrieve a patient. Only it wasn't a patient, it was my mother-in-law. They went straight back to the exam room, and I followed them. Doralice was awake, and she had the baby.
"My God, she's tiny! How are they, Simon?" And the two of them moved away from the bed and out of earshot. I turned to Pappy.
"They look good," he remarked.
"There's something he's worried about."
"How do you know that?" he asked.
"First of all, he asked to see the knife I used to cut the cord. Second, he's stayin' with 'em tonight. That's unusual by itself. Third, he's not tellin' us we have to go home."
"You've known Simon a long time, haven't you?"
"Yep, Pa. That's why I'm stayin' here tonight, too."
"He already said he was worried about an infection, Bartley."
"Yes, he did. But he didn't say why."
"And you suspect . . . ?"
"The knife. But there's somethin' else."
"What?"
I wished I had an answer for him. But I didn't. "I don't know. But I'll find out."
Maude came out of the exam room with a big smile on her face. "I'm going back to the house to get Maudie. Is there anything you want?"
"For them to be alright." There was nothing else that was important to me right now.
Maude winked at me. "I'll see what I can do."
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