Chapter Two
Adam bounced back from his cold, and a few days before Thanksgiving, he rode into town to take Molly out to dinner to make up for the evening he'd missed while he was sick. He'd hoped to spend the night with Molly in her bedroom behind the shop, but Fionn was expecting her home that night, so Adam dropped her off at the O'Connells' farm on the western shore of Washoe Lake on his way back to the Ponderosa. It was past midnight when he stepped into the ranch house, but Ben was still sitting up in the living room and nursing a final glass of brandy while he finished off the last few pages of the book he'd been reading. He glanced up and greeted Adam as he took off his hat and gun.
"Have a nice dinner, son?"
"Great, Pa. Got some news in town, too." Ben raised an eyebrow, and Adam pulled a newspaper from the pocket of his tan jacket and tossed to his father. "President Lincoln dedicated a cemetery at Gettysburg for all those soldiers who were killed in the battle this summer. Made a pretty good speech, too. They're already calling it 'The Gettysburg Address.'"
Ben picked up the newspaper and read aloud the text of the brief address:
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion— that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
"Wow," Ben breathed when he finished. "I don't know how to respond to that."
Adam sat down on the settee. "It's powerful," he agreed. "And poignant. You realize what he's done here, don't you?"
"Oh yes," Ben said, sitting back in his chair and resting one foot on the opposite knee. "He's just made this a war to set the slaves free."
"That he has," Adam said, grinning. "You know, when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, I thought it was just a political act. But I think he's serious. I think he's trying to find a greater purpose for this ugly war than just preserving a government."
"I think you're right, son." Ben paused and smiled at his eldest as he tried to fully wrap his head around the monumental changes his nation was undergoing. Good changes. No, Ben thought, miraculous changes. Tears blurred his vision, and he quickly blinked them away. "It's appropriate we're celebrating Thanksgiving this week," he said. "We have a lot to be thankful for."
Adam smiled and thought of Molly. "We sure do. Goodnight, Pa."
"Goodnight, Adam."
Still smiling, Adam hopped up the stairs to go to bed.
The Cartwrights all rose early on Thursday, November 26 to get everything ready for their big Thanksgiving feast that day. Hop Sing had butchered two pigs the day before, and the house quickly filled with the scent of roasting ham. Josie undertook making enough dinner rolls for fourteen people while Adam and Little Joe moved some of the living-room furniture to make space for a second large table – there was no way that five Cartwrights, four Lovejoys, two O'Connells, two Marquettes, and a Hop Sing were going to fit around the usual dining-room table. After Hop Sing had slaughtered the pigs yesterday, he and Josie had baked six pies – three each of apple and pumpkin (the pumpkins coming from Fionn's harvest) – and Ben spent most of his morning slapping Hoss's hands away from them. He finally sent his largest son out to the barn to bring in some extra chairs, and while Hoss was out of the house, Ben hid the pies in the sideboard.
Ben had given the men a pig for their own Thanksgiving meal, and Jimmy and Danny were buzzing about the bunkhouse's small kitchen preparing a feast for all the hands. When the Cartwrights' guests began arriving shortly before noon, the rest of the hands were kept busy tending to all the horses.
As usual, the Marquettes arrived first. Once inside, Delphine took off her coat, and Josie caught a glimpse of her midsection. She hadn't seen Dell for almost two weeks, and she immediately noticed the high-waisted dress Dell was wearing to cover up her growing belly. Josie raised an eyebrow – Dell was a bit bigger than she would have expected for only four months into a pregnancy. It was a subtle swell – Josie noticed it only because she was looking for it – but Josie wondered if her math had been off when she calculated Delphine's due date. She didn't get to think about it for very long, though, because the O'Connells and the Lovejoys appeared simultaneously, and Josie got caught up in a swirl of greetings. Her brow furrowed in concern when Fionn tumbled into the house behind Molly; he was on the pale side and sniffling every now and again. Instead of hugging him, Josie laid a hand on his cheek to feel for a fever.
"What's wrong, Fionn?" she asked, her eyes searching his face for more clues.
Fionn shrugged. "Aw, it's nothin', Hey, You. I'm all right. No fever, see?" He grabbed her free hand and laid it on his other cheek so Josie was holding both sides of his face.
"It's that head cold that's been goin' around," Molly called over her shoulder as Adam helped her out of her coat. "I wanted him to stay home, but he insisted on comin'."
"I'm nearly over it," Fionn insisted. "Just a little sniffle left."
"All right," Josie conceded. "But if you start to feel tired, promise me you'll go lay down in the guestroom."
Fionn promised, and Josie kissed his cheek before leading him into the living room.
Everyone sat in the living room and chatted for a while, mostly about Hoss and Patience's wedding, which was now only a month away. Josie enjoyed conversing with Patience's younger sister, Hope, who was planning to attend the Young Ladies Seminary near San Francisco the following year. But she kept an eye on both Fionn, who was trying to conceal a slight cough, and Delphine, who kept shifting in her seat as if she couldn't get comfortable.
When Hop Sing announced that dinner was ready, the Cartwrights and their guests rushed to the tables. Adam, Josie, Molly, Fionn, Ross, Delphine, Hoss, and Patience sat at the smaller table in the living room while everybody else sat at the regular dining-room table. Little Joe had expressed displeasure at not sitting with his brothers (Ben had thought it best to keep him separated from Fionn, who had been throwing hints that he and Joe should get together for drinks again), but he was placated the instant that Hope Lovejoy turned to him and asked him what he thought about college-educated girls.
"Well," Joe said, puffing up, "I've always thought college-educated women were the best sort. No one encouraged Josie to continue her studies more than I did."
Adam rolled his eyes.
As Reverend Lovejoy blessed the food, he thanked God for His blessings and asked Him to keep watch "over all the men who are not with their families this day as they fight to preserve their country and to free from bondage those whom men would keep enslaved." Josie pictured her father, who had not had leave from the Army since last Christmas and was most likely shivering in a tent somewhere in Virginia. A tear slid down her face, and Fionn, who couldn't have kept his eyes closed for a prayer longer than twenty seconds if it meant his life, squeezed her hand under the table. When he tried to let go, Josie held fast until the prayer ended and everyone dived into the food.
The house lit up with voices as all the diners praised Hop Sing's cooking and passed around bottles of wine. Adam snatched one away from Fionn and Josie just as they were about to pour second helpings for themselves.
"Easy there, you two," he said with a devilish grin. "Wouldn't want you to overdo it."
Everyone but Josie and Fionn laughed as Adam handed them a pitcher of milk. Not to be outdone, Fionn accepted the pitcher and poured tall glasses of the creamy liquid for himself and Josie.
"Sláinte, Hey, You," Fionn said, raising his glass to Josie. Josie grinned and clinked her glass against his, and the friends drank to each other's health and sobriety.
As the Cartwrights and their guests grew increasingly stupefied with food (even Pip and Conall had eaten to their heart's content), Delphine shifted around even more in her seat. Josie was about to ask Dell if everything was ok when Dell's hand flew to her stomach and she let out an alarmed "Oh!" Josie sprang from her seat and darted around the table.
"What's wrong, Dell?" she asked.
Delphine looked up at Josie with tears streaming down her face as she clutched Ross's hand. "I don't know," she gasped. "Josie, I think something's wrong with the baby. I knew this would happen. I just knew it!" She dissolved into sobs. Ross just stood there holding her hand and trying to be stoic, but his face was on the verge of crumpling.
Everyone's eyebrows shot up at the word "baby." Apart from Josie, no one but the Marquettes knew that Delphine was pregnant. Ignoring the astonishment of the other eleven people, Josie ordered Ross to take Dell into the guestroom while she dashed upstairs to retrieve her medical bag. When she returned to the first floor, she had to shove past Adam, who was standing at the threshold to the guestroom, unsure whether he should go in to support his friends or stay out and give them their privacy. Josie aided his decision by ducking into the room and slamming the door in his face.
Once at Delphine's bedside, Josie asked her what sort of pain she was feeling.
"It's not pain, really," Delphine choked out as she tried to control her sobs. "It's like I've got butterflies in there. Oh, Josie, I'm losing the baby, aren't I?"
Much to Ross and Delphine's surprise, Josie's eyes lit up. "I don't know about that, Dell. Hold on a moment." She fished her stethoscope out of her bag and placed the business end of the horn-shaped instrument against Dell's abdomen. She bent down and listened intently for several seconds, waving once at Ross to be quiet when the slim man opened his mouth to say something. A huge smile broke across Josie's face, and she turned to the Marquettes with tears coursing down her cheeks. "There's nothing wrong at all," she said. "Dell, your baby's quickened. What you're feeling is him moving around in there."
Delphine's tears dried up instantly, and she broke into a giant smile that echoed Josie's. Ross, on the other hand, burst into tears and had to sit down on the edge of the bed. When he pulled himself together, Josie encouraged him to put his ear to the stethoscope and listen to his baby moving around in his wife's womb. Ross burst into tears again.
"I think you're a bit further along than we originally guessed," Josie said to Delphine as Ross recomposed himself once more. "I think maybe you're five months along instead of four. Was your cycle normal the month before you missed it?"
"Come to think of it, it was a lot lighter than usual," Dell answered. "And shorter. Only about two days."
Josie nodded. "I think you better be ready for this baby in March instead of April."
Delphine beamed, and she reached her arms up to hug Josie. "Oh, Josie, would you please go out and tell everybody? I think Ross and I need a few moments, but they've got to be worried out there."
Josie was more than happy to make the announcement to everyone during their Thanksgiving meal. When she relayed the news, a huge cheer went up, accompanied by excited barks from Pip and Conall. Adam dropped heavily into his chair and ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't known about Delphine's four miscarriages, but he knew that Ross and Dell had wanted children ever since their marriage ten years ago. As the news sank in, he wondered if the child would look more like Ross or more like Delphine. "Hopefully Dell, for the kid's sake," he thought to himself with a chuckle and hoped he could remember that quip to tease Ross with later.
Hop Sing raced to the cellar and brought up more wine, and before long, everyone was toasting Dell, Ross, and the forthcoming Marquette. Ross and Dell emerged, glowing, from the guestroom in time for dessert, and Delphine, claiming she couldn't possibly choose between apple and pumpkin, treated herself to two slices of pie.
After the meal, everyone retired to the great room where various checkers matches broke out and the rest of the guests swapped stories and expressed their hopes for the following year. Hoss and Patience both turned bright red when Ben mentioned the word "grandchildren." Adam chuckled until Ben caught his eye and followed up with "At least my SECOND son is settling down!"
"Glad I'm the youngest," Joe muttered to Fionn. "The thought of marriage makes me itchy."
"I doubt it's as bad as all that," Fionn replied. His eyes drifted to Josie and then snapped back to the checkerboard where Little Joe was trouncing him.
Much to Patience and Hoss's dismay, the Lovejoys left in the late afternoon. Reverend Lovejoy claimed he still had a sermon to write for Sunday, and Mrs. Lovejoy reminded Patience that they still had some finishing touches to put on her wedding gown. Ross took Delphine home shortly thereafter so they could get home before the temperature started to drop. But at Ben's invitation, Molly, Fionn, and Conall stuck around until the late evening. Hop Sing set the leftovers out on the table so everyone could graze on the remaining ham and biscuits at their leisure. Josie continued to keep an eye on Fionn, who was still coughing occasionally, and before he and Molly left, she gave him a shot of whiskey mixed with honey to keep his cough from flaring up on the cold drive home.
"You sure this is a good idea, Hey, You?" Fionn asked when Josie handed him the little glass of whiskey. "We got into a spot of trouble last time I started drinkin' here."
Josie giggled. "This is medicine," she said. "It's different."
Fionn winked at her and drained the whiskey in one gulp. He shivered as the alcohol sent a wave of warmth through his body. "That's good whiskey," he said, gazing at the amber droplets lingering in the bottom of his glass. "You should give me another one, just to be sure that cough won't come back."
"Nice try." Josie snatched the empty glass from him and took it into the kitchen. When she returned, she studied Fionn's face, telling herself for the fortieth time that day that he really did have just a cold and she shouldn't worry so much. She hadn't even worried this much about Adam when he'd been sick. "Stop being so silly, Cartwright," she thought to herself. To Fionn she said, "You'll let me know if you're not feeling better in a couple days, right?"
Fionn grinned and kissed her cheek. "Don't you worry about me, Hey, You. We O'Connells are a tough lot."
Josie gave him a hug goodbye, and once Molly and Adam were through bidding each other a prolonged farewell, Fionn took his sister's arm, called for Conall, and headed out to his wagon. Despite the cold, Josie stood on the porch with Adam until the O'Connells were out of sight.
Three days after Thanksgiving, the Ponderosa got its first snowstorm of the year. It was a bit early for such a heavy snowfall, but the Cartwrights didn't mind. Because of Hoss's wedding in a few weeks, they had opted not to hold a Christmas party this year, and they enjoyed being stuck inside together before the big event.
"Boy, am I glad we got your house finished," Adam said to Hoss just before bed one evening about two weeks after Thanksgiving. The brothers were standing at the front window together and watching snow swirl down in thick white sheets.
"You're glad!" Hoss replied. "I'm the one who would have to explain to Patience why there was three feet of snow in our new living room!"
The brothers laughed, but Adam could tell Hoss wasn't feeling as jovial as he was pretending to. Adam slung an arm around the big man's shoulders.
"You're giving her a beautiful home," Adam said. "And the two of you are going to make each other very happy."
Hoss gave Adam a grateful smile. "Thanks, Adam. You always could tell when I was nervous."
"It's an older brother trait, you should know that."
Hoss smiled again. "Yeah, but Little Joe is so obvious about his feelins, it don't take much intuition to figure him out."
Adam and Hoss were heading back to the living room to pour a few brandies when Pip dashed across their path and started scratching at the front door.
"Oh, lie down, Pip. You were just out," Josie said from her seat near the fire where she was attempting to embroider a pillow. Years of stitching up people had honed Josie's skills with all sorts of needlework, but she couldn't get the Christmas tree she was trying to design to look right. No matter how many times she ripped out her stitches and tried again, it kept turning out lopsided, and Josie was ready to fling the whole thing into the fireplace. Her tongue poked out one corner of her mouth as she lined up her next stitch, hoping and praying that she could get the picture even this time.
Pip looked over his shoulder at Josie and whined harder, so Adam strode over to the door to let him out. Just as he reached for the door latch, a frantic pounding on the other side of the door startled him, and he jumped back, nearly falling backward over Pip.
While Adam danced around to keep his balance, Hoss lumbered over and, one hand on his gun on the sideboard, cracked the door open. Ben rose from his chair next to the fire and joined Adam and Hoss at the door. Josie started to rise, too, but Joe laid a hand on her arm and shook his head, so she sat back down.
"Molly!" Hoss exclaimed as he recognized the slim figure shivering on the front porch. He flung the door open all the way, and Adam pushed past him.
"Molly!" Adam echoed, his eyes lighting up at this unexpected visit. "What're you doing he- Oh my god, Fionn!" Leaning against his sister, Fionn shivered violently despite the multiple layers of heavy blankets wrapped around him. His eyes were the only bit of his face visible between his scarf and his hat, and they were sunken and bloodshot. When Fionn tried to step forward into the house, he stumbled, Molly catching him just before his knees hit the porch. Adam grabbed Fionn's arm and helped Molly drag him into the house. Propping him up, Adam pulled off the younger man's hat and was unwrapping his scarf when Fionn began coughing – a deep, wet, chesty sound that frightened everyone.
Josie had shot over to the door when Hoss had said Molly's name, and the second Fionn began to cough, she started barking orders. "Get him to my clinic! I have to get my bag!" She turned and darted up the stairs, her stomach in knots.
Ben pushed Adam aside and caught hold of Fionn. "Your clinic's stone cold!" he called back to Josie. "I'm taking him into the guestroom!"
Josie stopped on the staircase landing and spun around. "Uncle Ben, he could be contagious."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take. Come on, son." Ben put an arm around Fionn's shoulders as they continued to shake with his cough. As Fionn stumbled, loose-kneed, alongside Ben, he was hit by a particularly vicious coughing fit, and dropped to all fours on the floor, one hand clutching his rib cage as he tried desperately to suck in air between coughs.
"It hurts! It hurts!" he gasped as he fell over onto his side and curled up in the fetal position, his whole body jerking with each cough.
Molly reached for her brother, but before she could touch him, Ben had scooped Fionn up in his arms and bore him toward the guestroom. Fionn clutched Ben's vest in one fist as he coughed into Ben's shirt. Fear rose in Ben's throat as he saw a half a dozen little droplets of blood sprinkled on the ivory fabric.
"It's all right, son," he said. "It's ok. We're gonna get you all fixed up." He hustled into the guestroom and laid Fionn on the bed. He pulled off Fionn's boots while Little Joe, who had also sprung from his seat in the living room upon hearing of the O'Connells' arrival, started building a fire in the small fireplace in the corner of the room. Molly, Adam, and Josie all burst in seconds later, Josie bearing her medical bag. Fionn was still seized by the savage cough, and his lips were turning blue. Ben rubbed Fionn's chest through the layers of blankets still enveloping him and told him to try to relax. Fionn clutched Ben's right hand as if holding on for dear life. Having handed over responsibility for her brother to the Cartwrights, Molly broke out sobbing as she watched the only remaining member of her family fighting to breathe. Adam pulled her close to his chest and watched over her head as his father tended to Fionn.
Her heart pounding, Josie shoved past everyone and ripped her bottle of chloroform out of her medical bag. She sprinkled a few drops onto a clean rag, which she pressed over Fionn's mouth and nose.
"Breathe it in as best you can, Fionn," Josie said soothingly. "This will pass. I promise this will pass." She was surprised at how calm her voice sounded, when in her head, she was screaming.
Fear filled Fionn's dark eyes as they locked on Josie's face and he struggled for air. After seconds that felt like an eternity, Fionn's coughing eased, and he was finally able to draw a breath, though he grimaced as the act of fully inflating his lungs sent daggers of pain through his chest. As his eyes began to droop, he loosened his grip on Ben's hand, which was turning purple from lack of circulation. Just before Fionn slipped into unconsciousness, Josie pulled the chloroform away. Fionn's eyes fluttered, and he grabbed Josie's hand.
"Thank you," he sighed.
Josie smiled at him and caressed his cheek, not surprised that Fionn was burning up with fever. "Don't mention it," she replied. "Now let's see if we can figure out what's bothering you." She glanced over her shoulder at her audience. The only person missing was Hoss, who could be heard banging around in the kitchen. Even Pip and Conall, who had followed Molly and Fionn into the house, were crowded into the bedroom. "First of all, we have too many cooks in this kitchen. Joe, Uncle Ben, please take the dogs into the living room. I need to talk to Molly." There was no point in telling Adam to get out, too; Molly had a death grip on his elbow, and Josie didn't want to amputate her cousin's arm just to get a little more space. When the room was more or less clear, Josie started unwrapping Fionn's blankets and asked Molly how long he'd been sick.
"He never got over that cold he had at Thanksgivin'," Molly replied with a sniffle. "That cough just held on, and then it started gettin' bad. I wanted to send for you, but Fionn wouldn't let me. Kept insistin' he'd be fine. Then this evenin', he started coughin' so hard he passed out in the living room. I didn't know what else to do, so I bundled him up and brought him here." She buried her face in Adam's shirt and drew a long, shuddering breath.
"You did the right thing," Josie said as she finally unearthed Fionn's coat– Molly must have used every blanket they owned when she'd wrapped him up. Fionn lay silently, too exhausted from coughing to speak, his pale face blending in with the white pillowcase.
"Josie, what's wrong with him?" Molly asked.
"I have an idea, but give me just a minute to find out for sure." Josie reached into her bag again and pulled out her stethoscope.
Fresh tears streamed down Molly's face. "It's the consumption, isn't it? Josie, is he dyin'?"
"I don't think it's consumption, but I need to listen to his lungs now." Josie turned to unbutton Fionn's coat when Molly spoke again.
"Josie, you have to tell me! He's all I've got!" Her sobs filled the room.
Josie sighed. She remembered finding Adam wandering in the desert the year before and those few terrible moments before she could determine whether he would survive, and she had an idea how Molly must be feeling, but right now, the seamstress was preventing her from tending to her patient – and she, too, was desperate to find out if Fionn would be all right. She turned to Molly, her eyes filled with sympathy.
"Molly, I will tell you the moment I know something definitive, but I won't know anything at all until I can listen to him breathe. I'm so sorry, but Adam, could you please?" She nodded toward the door.
"Yeah," Adam said. "Come on, sweetheart, let's let Josie work. I'll make you some tea."
Molly sniffled. "You hate tea," she whimpered.
"I didn't say I was going to drink any of it. Come on." Adam led Molly from the room, leaving Josie alone with Fionn.
"All right," Josie said, finally unbuttoning Fionn's coat and then his shirt. "Let's see what's going on here."
Despite his weakened state, Fionn's eyes sparkled with mischief. "If I'd known it would get you to take me clothes off, Hey, You, I would have gotten sick ages ago," he wheezed.
Josie's jaw dropped.
"Oh, but don't go misjudgin' my intentions," Fionn added.
"You're lucky my family didn't hear you say that," Josie said, her eyes still wide.
"Why d'ya think I waited till they left?" Fionn chuckled at his own cleverness and sent himself into another fit of coughing, albeit much milder than the last.
"See? That's what you get." Josie put the chloroform rag back over his face for a few seconds until his coughing eased. She gazed down sadly at him. "Oh, Fionn, why didn't you come see me sooner? I told you to come back if you weren't feeling better."
"Didna want to be a bother."
"An attempt at which you failed miserably. Now just breathe normally. Well, as normally as you can, anyway." Josie placed her stethoscope against Fionn's chest. His heartbeat was fast and prevented her from hearing his lungs clearly. "Hmm," she said. "Your heart's in the way. Do you think you can sit up?"
Fionn hauled his top half up and drew up his knees so he could slump over them, letting his open coat and shirt fall off his shoulders. "Please hurry," he said, shivering. "I'm really cold."
Between Fionn's fever and Joe's roaring fire, Josie marveled that he could possibly be cold in this room, but it gave her another clue as to Fionn's ailment. As soon as she placed her stethoscope against his back and listened to his lungs, she knew for certain. "You've got pneumonia," she said, shaking her head as she eased Fionn back onto the pillows. She wasn't happy with the diagnosis, but it could have been worse. Much, much worse. She nearly cried with relief.
A black cloud drifted across Fionn's face. "Is it bad?" he asked, his teeth chattering
"Bad enough that you'll die? Probably not. Bad enough that you'll wish you'd die? Most assuredly."
"Thanks, Hey, You, that's real comfortin'." He threw one bare arm across his mouth as he coughed a few more times. There was a spot of blood in the crook of his elbow as he drew his arm away, and he looked up at Josie in alarm. "You sure it's not consumption? I'm coughin' up blood!"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Your lungs are just inflamed from all the coughing. A few drops of blood aren't uncommon with pneumonia. Why are you and Molly so worried about consumption anyway? It's not real common out here." Josie wiped the spot of blood off Fionn's arm with a dry edge of the chloroform rag. She grabbed several of the blankets Fionn had arrived in and tucked them in around him.
Fionn turned his face toward the wall. "Our Da died of consumption."
"Oh, Fionn, I'm so sorry." Josie reached down to brush his wavy auburn hair off his forehead, and before she could stop herself, she had run her fingers all the way through his hair. "Is that why you didn't come see me sooner? You were afraid I'd tell you that's what you had, too?"
Fionn shrugged his shoulders but smiled at Josie's touch. "I've caused you enough trouble," he said.
"Fionn, if you ever stop causing me trouble, I'm going to check your pulse to make sure you haven't died." She smiled at him as she took her bottle of quinine out of her bag and poured a hearty dose into a spoon. "Here you go," she said, holding the spoon toward him. "For the fever."
Fionn's face screwed up at the bitter taste, but he took the medicine without protest. Josie leaned down and kissed his forehead.
"Good man," she said. "Now you just sit tight. I'm going to go tell Molly you're not dying and get you some of that whiskey you like so much." Fionn smiled and closed his eyes.
As Josie left the room, she nearly collided with Hoss, who was trying to come in with a large pot of steaming water and several hand towels. "Thought some warm compresses might help ol' Fionn's cough," he said.
"Hoss, you are a genius. Don't ever let anyone tell you differently."
The big man beamed at Josie, who gestured to him that he should take his water and towels inside and tend to Fionn.
As soon as she stepped into the living room, Adam, Molly, Joe, and Ben jumped to their feet. Molly tried to ask Josie about her brother, but she couldn't force out the words.
"What is it, Josie?" Ben asked, grabbing her elbow.
"Pneumonia. Just like I expected."
"Is it bad?" Joe asked.
"It's not mild, but I've seen plenty of patients recover from worse. The key is keeping his cough calm so he doesn't develop more fluid in his lungs. And I have to get his fever down. He's pretty warm. Not enough to make him delirious, but it needs to come down." Josie stepped over to Molly and laid a hand on her shoulder. "The odds are in his favor," she said. "But he'll need to stay here for a week or so."
Still clutching Adam, Molly nodded.
"You'll stay here, too," Adam said, kissing Molly's forehead. "You can have my room. I don't mind sleeping in the bunkhouse."
"No need," Josie said. "I'll be down here with Fionn for the next few nights until that fever breaks. You can have my room, Molly. Feel free to dig a nightgown out of my bureau. Joe, do you have a nightshirt Fionn can borrow?"
"You bet!" Glad to be able to help his friend, Little Joe took off up the stairs toward his room.
"A clean one!" Josie called after him.
Hoss came out of the guestroom just then. "Fionn likes those compresses, Josie," he announced. "He ain't shiverin' so bad anymore. I added a few more logs to the fire, too."
Josie thanked Hoss and mixed up some honey and whiskey for Fionn. She was about to take them in to him, when she paused and handed the little glass to Molly instead. "Why don't you take this to him?" she suggested. "It'll help his cough."
Molly nodded and took the glass from Josie. "You're sure it's not consumption?" she asked, her voice wavering.
"I promise it's pneumonia. He's young and strong; he can pull through."
Molly gave Josie a weak smile and darted into the guestroom. Adam was about to follow her, but Josie grabbed his elbow. "Give them a minute," she said before filling the family in on the cause of the elder Mr. O'Connell's death.
"No wonder they were both so scared," Ben said. He grabbed Josie's arm. "Will Fionn really be all right, Josie?"
Josie met her uncle's gaze and saw in his eyes the same concern he showed whenever one of his sons was unwell. "It's bad, Uncle Ben, but I really have seen worse. He has a lot of fluid in his left lung, but it's only in his left lung. His right lung is clear. I'll have to stick close to him for a few days, but he should be ok."
Ben nodded and relaxed his grip on Josie's arm as Little Joe came downstairs bearing a spotless nightshirt. Josie thanked him and took the nightshirt into the guestroom. Adam, Ben, Pip, and Conall followed her.
Molly was sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking Fionn's hair as tears streamed down her cheeks and left little dark spots on the blankets. The empty whiskey glass sat on the nightstand. Fionn's eyes were closed, and his chest was rising and falling a bit faster than normal, but evenly. Adam strode over and laid a hand on Molly's shoulder.
"We brought a nightshirt for Fionn," he said as she gazed up at him. He brushed the tears from her cheeks. "Why don't you let Josie get you settled upstairs while Pa and I put it on him?"
"No, I'll stay here." Molly turned back to her brother and sponged his forehead with a damp rag from a bowl on the nightstand as if to illustrate her point. Adam turned to Josie for help.
"Molly, how many nights has it been since you got some real rest?" Josie asked, noticing the dark circles under Molly's eyes.
"Three or four," Fionn wheezed, his eyes fluttering open. "Been keepin' her up with me cough."
Molly jumped; she hadn't realized her brother had woken up. "Traitor," she said as she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Go get some sleep, Deirfiúr," Fionn said, reaching up and tucking a lock of auburn hair behind Molly's ear. "I'll be all right."
Molly sighed. "All right, Deartháir. Is tú mo ghrá."
"Aye," Fionn replied. "I love you, too, a chuisle. Goodnight." He gave his sister a wan smile as she kissed his forehead before letting Josie lead her from the room.
Upstairs, Josie gave Molly one of her clean nightgowns, and the two young ladies changed, Josie putting on her dressing gown over her nightgown and sticking her feet into her slippers. No point not being comfortable while she sat up with Fionn. Molly giggled as she looked down and saw that her borrowed nightgown stopped a few inches shy of her ankles.
"I am a bit tall for an Irishwoman, aren't I?" she observed.
"You're lucky is what you are," Josie replied. "Adam and Hoss like to put my things up on high shelves just to watch me struggle to reach them."
Molly giggled again, and Josie smiled to see some of the sparkle return to her friend's green eyes. Molly smiled back and caught Josie up in a big hug.
"Thank you, Josie. I don't know what I would have done without you."
Josie returned the hug. "Glad I could help." When the young ladies released one another, Josie directed Molly to make use of the washroom, grabbed a couple books for herself, and headed back downstairs to her patient.
By the time Josie arrived, Ben and Adam had gotten Fionn into Little Joe's nightshirt and tucked into bed under the thick winter covers. The movement had made his cough flare up again, but Ben applied a warm compress to the young man's chest, and he soon settled back down.
"I think he's a little cooler," Ben said as Josie entered the room. Josie dropped her books onto a small table and stepped over to the bed to feel Fionn's forehead.
"I think you're right," she agreed. "That quinine must be working." She turned to Ben and Adam. "You fellas may as well go to bed. I've got things handled here."
"I'll come down in a few hours to relieve you," Ben said.
Josie shook her head. "It's all right, Uncle Ben. I can sleep in the armchair. Besides, I'm well armed." She pointed to the small stack of books on the table.
Ben frowned but agreed. He'd learned to listen to Josie when she was acting in her role as a physician. He turned to Fionn and laid a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Sleep well, son. When you wake up tomorrow, Hop Sing will have a nice, hot breakfast waiting for you."
Fionn smiled and thanked Ben, who bid everyone goodnight and left the room.
"You'll wake us if you need anything, right?" Adam asked Josie.
"Of course. Goodnight, Adam."
Adam, too, left the room, leaving Fionn and Josie alone.
"You really don't have to sit up with me," Fionn said.
"Yes, I do. I have to make sure that fever doesn't spike. Once it breaks, I'll leave you alone."
Fionn let out a little cough and groaned as he clutched his ribcage. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph that hurts," he moaned.
Josie pulled back his covers, removed the compress Ben had applied, and ran her hands down Fionn's bare sides. He gasped a little at her touch and then winced and tried to pull away as she found a tender spot on the right side of his ribcage. Their eyes met, Fionn's face still contorted with pain. "Ouch," he said simply.
Josie giggled. "I'm sorry, I needed to check. I had a patient once who had coughed so hard for so long that he detached two ribs. Fortunately for you, all you've done is inflame your chest wall."
"Again, ever the comforter." He coughed a couple times and shifted around, trying to get comfortable again.
"Tomorrow I'll give you a hot bath with some Epsom salts," Josie said. Fionn's eyebrows shot up, and Josie turned bright red. "Well, I mean I'll draw you a hot bath. You can, you know, you can, can bathe yourself."
"Aye, of course."
"In the meantime, here." Josie rummaged in her medical bag and extracted one of the jars of menthol salve she'd mixed up when Adam was sick. She scooped out a generous amount and massaged it into Fionn's chest and throat. He closed his eyes and smiled as the salve warmed up, soothing his sore muscles. Josie wiped her hand off on a towel and buttoned Fionn's nightshirt. "Go to sleep," she said quietly as she tucked the covers back around his shoulders. "I'll be right here if you need anything."
Fionn nodded and reached a hand up to caress Josie's cheek. "Thank you, Josie." His hand lingered on her cheek as he held her gaze. Josie's heart began to pound, and she gave her head a little shake.
"You're welcome." She kissed his forehead. "Now go to sleep." Fionn closed his eyes and, exhausted from his illness, fell asleep within seconds. Josie watched him for a few moments and then pulled the armchair closer to the bed and sat down, drawing one of the extra blankets over herself. Then, cracking open a book, she settled in for the long night.
Upstairs, Adam knocked softly on Josie's bedroom door and smiled when Molly called him in. Stepping into the room, he chuckled when he saw her standing there in Josie's too-short nightgown.
"I'll drive you home tomorrow to pick up some things for yourself and Fionn," Adam said, pulling her into his arms. The feeling of her pressed up against him elicited its usual reaction from Adam's lower half, and Molly giggled and pulled away from him.
"Steady there, Adam, your father's right across the hall."
Adam grinned and gave Molly a demure kiss on the forehead. "I really did just want to say goodnight," he said. "If you need anything, I'm right next door."
Molly stretched up on tiptoe and kissed him softly on the lips. "Thank you. Goodnight, my love."
Adam kissed her back and slipped from the room. As he crawled into bed, he imagined the day they would be able to spend every night together with no walls separating them. He drifted off to sleep with a little smile flitting about his lips. An hour later, Adam awoke to the soft sound of his door brushing open. He grinned as a tall, slim figure swept across the room and slid into bed next to him. He drew Molly close, buried his face in her hair, and inhaled deeply.
"All of our 'supplies' are at your shop, you know," he whispered. Molly sniffled, and Adam realized she was crying. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"
"Adam, I was so scared! I thought I was losin' Fionn tonight. When he collapsed on our living room floor, I was sure I was losin' him. I don't know what I would have done if he'd… Adam, he's all I've got!" She buried her face in Adam's nightshirt to muffle her sobs.
Adam told himself not to take her last statement personally. If he'd just watched his only remaining family member struggling to breathe, he'd be frantic, too. He stroked Molly's hair. "It's all right. Fionn will be all right. Josie's got him well in hand."
Molly nodded into Adam's chest. "Aye," she said at last, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I should let you sleep. I don't expect Mr. Cartwright would be too happy if he caught me in here."
"He won't," Adam said. He sat up and grabbed his alarm clock. He hadn't used it in years – his internal clock woke him up at five-thirty on the button every morning – but tonight it would prove useful again. Ben usually rose at five-thirty, too, so Adam set the alarm for four-thirty, just to be safe. "We'll have you out of here before he wakes up."
Molly smiled and snuggled up in Adam's arms. Wrapped up together, legs entwined, Adam and Molly fell right to sleep.
In the guestroom, Josie dozed off and on throughout the night. Fionn rested well, waking only once with a coughing fit. Josie gave him another shot of whiskey and honey, and he fell back to sleep. Josie was annoyed she couldn't get his fever to drop, but at least it wasn't rising, which was good enough for now – especially considering how bad off Fionn had been when he'd arrived. In the wee hours of the morning, Josie was woken from her light sleep by what she swore was an alarm clock going off upstairs. It was a long way from the guestroom where she sat to bedrooms on the second floor, but Josie's ears were sharp, and she'd been attuned to the slightest sounds all night as she tended to Fionn. As the grandfather clock in the great room struck the half-hour, Josie was certain she heard the floorboard outside Adam's room creak. She bit her lip to stifle a giggle as she realized what must be going on.
"You are a bold one, Adam Cartwright," she muttered. "Clever, though."
Fionn coughed once and rolled over in his sleep, and Josie glanced down at him, a smile still playing about her lips. His face, no longer contorted in pain, was smooth in peaceful slumber, his long eyelashes brushing his pale, freckled cheeks. Dark stubble dotted his jaw, and Josie wondered how long it had been since he'd felt well enough to shave. Maybe Ben or one of her brothers could help him with that tomorrow. She brushed a lock of hair off his forehead and leaned down to give him what her mother had called "the kiss test" to check a fever. As she bent close to Fionn, Josie realized this was the third or fourth time she'd kissed him today, and she was probably violating the emotional distance doctors were supposed to keep between themselves and their patients. She nearly drew back, but then decided she didn't care.
"He isn't just a patient," she said to herself. "He's Fionn." Somehow, his name alone summed up everything he meant to Josie, and the whole concept of "emotional distance" could go to the devil. Josie had yet to meet a doctor who could truly distance himself from his patients anyway, even if they were total strangers. And she wouldn't want to be treated by any doctor who could.
Fionn smiled in his sleep as Josie's lips touched his forehead. His fever was still steady, but this time Josie wasn't annoyed; she nearly laughed. She sat up and waved her hand in front of his face to make sure he was truly asleep, and then she leaned down again and kissed his cheek. Fionn sighed and nuzzled into his pillow. Josie scrunched her eyes shut and bit her lip to keep from giggling. She kissed his nose. This time, Fionn let out a "Murmph" sound and waved a hand vaguely near his face to brush away whatever it was that kept tickling him. Josie had to pull the collar of her dressing gown over her face. Fionn let out a few feeble coughs and one heavier one, so Josie let him be; she didn't want to set off another vicious coughing fit. She settled back in her chair, pulled up her blanket, and gazed at Fionn. He looked so snug under the thick quilts that she wished she could stretch out on the empty side of his bed and cuddle up next to him. She sighed and tucked her feet up under her.
"Sleep well, Fionnie," she whispered, and she closed her eyes.
When Josie's eyes opened again, it was to daylight streaming through the guestroom windows. The scent of frying potatoes drifted in under the door, and Josie's mouth immediately began to water. She stretched out a kink in her neck and looked down at Fionn, whose eyes were fluttering open, too.
"Hey, You," he croaked, his throat dry and angry from coughing. "Long night?"
"Not so bad," Josie said, laying her hand on his forehead. "How are you feeling?"
"Hungry. First time in days I've felt that way, too."
"We better take care of that then." Josie propped up some pillows so Fionn could sit up comfortably. He grimaced as he started coughing again and his sore chest muscles screamed. The fit passed before Josie could do anything to help him, but Fionn sat there for a few moments, massaging his ribcage.
Josie frowned. "I'll bring you some willow bark tea with your breakfast," she said. "It'll help with the pain."
Fionn nodded and dropped his head back against the pillows. Josie headed for the door to go fetch some breakfast for Fionn when Ben came in bearing a tray loaded with home fries, scrambled eggs, and biscuits with jam. He set it on the small table near the window and crossed over to Fionn.
"Sleep well?" he asked, laying a hand on Fionn's forehead as Josie had just done.
Fionn smiled and confirmed that he had while Josie zipped out to the kitchen to see about Fionn's tea. She thought Ben had brought in more food than Fionn could possibly eat even when he was healthy, and when she returned with the tea ten minutes later, she discovered why. Ben had dragged the small table close to the bed and was sitting next to it in the armchair and sharing breakfast with Fionn as he sat up in bed. Josie smiled as she set Fionn's tea on the nightstand before excusing herself from the room. Fionn was in good hands, so Josie joined her cousins at the dining room table.
"How's Fionn?" Little Joe as Josie poured herself a large cup of coffee.
"Still feverish, but his cough is a lot calmer, and he slept well," Josie reported. "Where's Molly?"
"Still asleep," Adam replied. "Poor thing's exhausted."
Josie choked on her coffee but said nothing.
"You get any sleep?" Hoss asked.
"Enough," Josie said. "Fionn will probably sleep most of the day, so I can nap when he does."
"Anything in particular Fionn needs?" Adam asked. "I'm taking Molly home later so she can pack bags for herself and Fionn."
"Nightshirts. As many as he has," Josie answered. "I'm keeping him here until Christmas whether he likes it or not."
Ben came out of the guestroom just then bearing a nearly empty tray. "That's a good idea, Josie," he said. "I've seen pneumonia before, too, and that boy's got weeks of recovery ahead of him. He ate a good breakfast, but he's really weak."
"Hope he's strong enough to come to my weddin'," Hoss said, looking a bit despondent. "The party afterward won't be nearly as fun without him."
"So long as he doesn't develop any complications, I should have him healthy enough to attend," Josie assured her cousin. "But Uncle Ben's right. He's got a long, miserable road ahead of him."
"Adam," Ben said as he handed the tray off to Hop Sing, "take Jimmy with you to the O'Connells' today. Have Molly give him a rundown of what needs to be done around their place. It shouldn't be much more this time of year than feeding the livestock, but I'm going to send him up there every day to take care of things while Fionn's out of commission."
Adam gave his father a grateful smile. He'd already planned to take care of the O'Connells' farm himself, sleeping in their barn if he had to, and he was touched that his father had thought of it, too. "I'll do that, Pa," he said.
"And Hoss," Ben said, turning to his second son, "I know we decided not to have a Christmas tree this year since we're not having a party here, but I want you and Joe to get one in the next couple days after all. We've got guests. Let's do Christmas properly."
Joe and Hoss's eyes lit up as they grinned at each other.
"Just make sure it fits in the house," Adam said.
"And no raccoons this year, ok?" Josie added.
Hoss and Little Joe stuck their tongues out at Adam and Josie even as they burst out laughing.