Touch the Sky
Chapter 6
Delilah waited until her back was to the other woman before she let out a soft sigh and rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure what a Farrell healer might look like. But she supposed she was expecting a withered old woman with leather hands and wise eyes. Even an old man would suffice. But no. Of course their healer had to be the pretty redhead that kissed Foster when he arrived home. That was just the type of luck Delilah had. If anything could go wrong, it would. And once it went wrong, something else worse was bound to happen.
As the healer woman fussed over Foster, sticking an extra pillow under his head and bringing him stinky herbal tea, Delilah unpacked the medical supplies she brought. The most important were the antibiotics. They were technically the kind you'd give to an animal. But that's all she had available. And it seemed better than letting Foster develop an infection from a dirty puncture wound.
"Do you know what antibiotics are?," Delilah asked, hoping the woman wouldn't be insulted by her question. G'Win glanced at the small glass vials in Delilah's hands and shook her head. "It's medicine that can heal an infection from the inside out." Delilah paused, continuing once the other woman nodded her understanding. "I gave him one dose already. He needs one more every day for the next four days. Even if he feels better. If he doesn't get it, the infection will come back and then even this medicine won't cure it." Delilah felt like she was being slightly dramatic. But she wanted to make this woman would give Foster the injections. "Have you ever given an injection before?," Delilah asked. She wasn't surprised when the woman shook her head again. "I dosed him last night. But he needs another one today. I'll give him half the dose, to show you how to do it. And then you can give him the other half…"
Once G'Win nodded her agreement, Delilah got out her syringe. She showed the woman how to clean it. And then she demonstrated how to give the injection, showing G'win how much liquid to put in the syringe. Foster did his part by staying quiet and baring the top portion of his ass cheek for their torture without complaint. Delilah noticed that he looked a little more nervous once his redheaded friend got the needle in her hand. But to her credit, G'Win did everything exactly how Delilah showed her. The woman might not be educated, but she was smart.
"I brought more medicine than he's going to need," Delilah said. "If you keep in a cold place, it'll last a long time. You give the amount according to how much someone weighs. So if they're half the size of Foster, they get half as much."
Delilah worried the Farrells might not want low-lander medicine hanging around. But whether or not it was allowed, G'Win took the vials and extra syringes with a sincere nod of thanks.
"Is there anything else I need to do?," G'Win asked once she'd tucked the medicine away in a wooden cupboard. Delilah shook her head with a small smile.
"Make him stay in bed and rest," she suggested. G'Win cast an amused glance in Foster's direction as she walked Delilah out into her greenhouse and towards the door.
"The injections will be easier to manage," she joked. Delilah smiled. She had her hand on the door when G'Win reached for her. Delilah wasn't expecting a hug. But after her initial shock wore off, she relaxed into the other woman's gentle touch.
"I owe you a debt of gratitude I fear I'll never be able to repay," G'Win said, pulling back and taking Delilah's hands in hers. Her expression was so sweet and sincere that Delilah instantly felt bad for all the petty thoughts she had about the woman. She was beautiful and sweet. And probably madly in love with the man Delilah just risked her life to save. At least someone in this situation was about to get a happy ending, even if it wasn't her.
"Just take good care of him," Delilah said, fighting back the surge of sadness that was swelling up inside her. "...and I'll consider us even."
Delilah whistled for Remy and darted out the door before her emotions got the better of her. The dog was on the floor next to Foster's cot. But he came running when Delilah called, following her out the door and staying close while she walked herself back over to the main clearing. The Bren'in was no longer there. But another woman was waiting for her. Delilah followed her inside a house that vaguely resembled a log cabin. As she was heading in, a tall thin man was heading out. Delilah nearly collided with him. And while his face lit with recognition immediately, it took her a little longer to reconcile the young man she once knew with the ragged scarecrow in front of her.
"Lilah?" He said her name like it was a question. But he didn't wait on an answer before he swept her up into his arms.
"Alex!," she gasped, hugging him back. "I haven't seen you in years!" The last time she saw her father's former student was before she left for college. When she got back, her dad was dead and her mom was slowly fading away from the grief. She wondered later what became of her friend. But no one was able to give her any answers. Probably because he'd come home to the mountain.
"It's Asa here," he quickly explained. Delilah nodded as the woman that was leading her inside gestured impatiently for her to continue on into the house. "I'll wait here for you," Asa quickly offered. "We can talk when the Bren'in is done speaking to you." Delilah nodded again as she followed the woman into the house. Remy was also granted entrance. And thankfully, the large dog was of a mind to behave himself. The woman had a small fire burning in a brick wood stove. And the large dog settled down next to it to enjoy the warmth. The woman that led her in approached the Bren'in and whispered into the woman's ear. Once she was finished, the wise old woman dismissed her with a wave of her hand.
Delilah was nervous to be alone with the Bren'in. She'd seen elderly people before. But never one that looked like this. The strength in this woman's eyes seemed to radiate out from somewhere deep inside her. And like she had outside, Delilah felt like the woman could see directly into her soul.
"Have a seat girl," the Bren'in said, gesturing towards a well loved plush loveseat. Delilah sat, trying her best not to squirm under the woman's shrewd gaze. "I'm Lady Ray."
Rising from her seat, she poured two cups of tea. Handing one to Delilah, she took the other for herself before she joined Delilah on the small sofa. Delilah didn't care much for tea. She was more of a coffee drinker. But she thanked the woman anyway and made sure to take a few polite sips from her steaming cup.
"How do you know Asa?," the woman asked. Delilah let out a sigh of relief. She was sure there were more questions coming. But that was an easy one. Her father tutored Asa, who'd been Alex at that time. He taught him how to read and write. And Delilah's mother took Alex out and taught him how to blend in with the low-landers, her favorite name for the people of Blackburg.
"You're really her, aren't you?," the woman asked. "Anna's daughter." Delilah nodded, taking another sip of tea to help with the lump that was forming in her throat. "You know they called your mother the beauty of the hills," the woman said, giving Delilah a soft smile. "When she came of age it caused such a stir that my husband had to hold a contest to see who would have the right to request her hand in marriage." Delilah smiled. That wasn't exactly the story Delilah heard from her mother. But she knew about the contest. "Tell me what became of her," Lady Ray requested. Delilah took a deep breath. Talking about her mother still hurt. But the pain of losing her wasn't as fresh as the pain of losing her husband. She could talk about it without losing her shit. Or at least she hoped she could.
"She told me about the contest," Delilah admitted. "But she said she didn't want to marry the man that won." Delilah paused. Her mother also said the man that won was the son of the Bren'in. Which made him this woman's son.
"Go ahead," Lady Ray encouraged. "Speak freely, girl. You'll not be punished for telling the truth."
"She said he was a bad man," Delilah said, watching nervously for the woman's reaction. But Lady Ray didn't seem surprised by this admission. Maybe she already knew her son was an asshole. "She ran away because she didn't want to marry him. She didn't know where she was going. My mom said she just ran until she couldn't run any more. When she woke up, she was in a hospital bed. My father found her passed out from dehydration and exposure while he was out hunting. He carried her five miles down the mountain and slept in a chair next to her bed until she woke up. They got married two weeks later. They were together until he died a few years ago. After that happened, the grief took her."
"They searched for her for weeks," Lady Ray said. "I'm glad she found some happiness. Your father was a kind man?"
"He was the most gentle man I've ever met," Delilah said, her eyes flicking towards the door as thoughts of the man she saved filled her mind. "Until…"
"Until you met my grandson…," Lady Ray said, finishing her thoughts for her. Delilah could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She meant to keep that last bit to herself. But somehow it slipped out anyway. She could tell this woman had a gift for drawing the truth out of people. Delilah stared down into her tea, hoping the blush in her cheeks wasn't too obvious.
"It would please me for you to stay and break bread with us," Lady Ray announced with a bit of flourish. "I'll have Hasil and Alex escort you down the mountain first thing in the morning."
"Really?," Delilah gushed. Before she could stop herself, she lurched forward and wrapped her arms around the old woman, hugging her tight. Lady Ray laughed and waved her hand towards the door, which Delilah assumed meant she was being dismissed. She and Remy made it to the doorway before Lady Ray called out to her.
"Delilah!"
Delilah smiled, happy to hear that she'd been upgraded from 'girl' to her actual name. She turned back to see what else the woman had to say.
"My grandson isn't married," she said, a sly smile on her weathered face. "G'Win might sleep in his bed. But she's not his wife."