Maggie's Journey (McKenna's Daughters) Page 22

  Not too much later the doctor arrived. Joshua shook his hand, then indicated the basin. The doctor rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands. “What can you tell me about what happened?”

  “We’re not sure. I think he tripped and fell down his stairs. I found him lying on the marble floor.”

  After drying his hands, Dr. Wharton pulled the chair close to the bed and perched on the seat. “How long has he been unconscious?”

  “Don’t know that either.” Joshua shook his head. “About half an hour since we first found him. He couldn’t have been there too long before we arrived.”

  The doctor pulled out his stethoscope. He pressed the wooden, bell-shaped chest piece over Charles’s heart. “His heartbeat is steady and strong.” He removed the stethoscope from his ears. “Did you examine him closely?”

  “No. We hurried to get him here and send for you.”

  The doctor lifted one of Charles’s eyelids and peered into his eyes. “His pupils are reacting to light. That’s good.”

  Joshua let out the breath he’d been holding.

  With practiced fingers, the doctor gently explored his patient’s scalp. When he reached one side of the head, a loud moan escaped from Charles.

  “There’s a large lump up high on this side . . . hmmmm.”

  Joshua wondered what that meant. Was it a good thing, or was Charles more seriously injured than he’d thought? Dear Lord, please let it be a good thing.

  The doctor glanced up at him. “Actually, that’s a good sign. If I couldn’t find a knot, I’d have to try trepanation to release the pressure on the brain. A very delicate and dangerous procedure. I don’t like to use it if there’s any other way to treat the patient.”

  Joshua hadn’t heard that word before. “What is trepanation?”

  “I’d have to drill holes in his skull.” The doctor grimaced. “I only use it as a last resort. Not at all a pleasant thing to do.”

  Joshua nodded, relief filling him.

  The medical man continued his examination until he’d studied every limb and the patient’s torso, front and back. “I think we can wait awhile and see if he’ll awaken on his own. I don’t see any sign of broken bones or other trauma. He’s young, and with tender care, he should recover quickly.”

  “We brought him to our home so we could take care of him, since his family’s all gone.”

  The doctor went to wash his hands again. “I’m surprised none of his servants were in the house. You checked, right?”

  “Yes, no one was there.” All of this was perplexing. Joshua felt almost helpless, and he didn’t like it one bit. “Is there anything we can do to help him get better?”

  “Watch him closely. If he awakens and is lucid, give him sips of water and maybe some broth, but administer it slowly. Later he can have noodles, maybe some bread.” Dr. Wharton picked up his jacket and thrust his arms into it. “I feel sure our patient has sustained a concussion. When he awakens, he needs to take care and not do too much too quickly.” Dr. Wharton donned his bowler. “I’ll be back tomorrow to check on the patient. In the meantime, if there is any change for the worse, send word. I’ll come right away.”

  Joshua nodded and saw the doctor to the door. Then he went into his study and shut the door behind him. Kneeling beside the rosewood desk, he bowed his head and prayed for his partner, gratitude filling him that the prognosis looked good. And wonder filling him at the thought of his daughter loving Charles.

  Charles had to recover!

  Chapter 25

  Wringing her hands, Maggie sat in the parlor with her mother. She had tried to hide her anguish from her father, but she knew she had done a poor job of it. Her heart ached. Lord, please let Charles be all right. Even if she and Charles would never have a future together, she couldn’t deny her love for him. She wanted him to live and become the man she knew God wanted him to be.

  When her father finally came into the room, she looked up eagerly. “What did the doctor say?”

  “He says Charles likely has a concussion and that when he awakes, he needs to take it easy for a while.”

  “Do you need my help?” Maggie gave a relieved sigh. Charles wasn’t going to die. “Could I sit with him?”

  Daddy glanced at Mother, and a look passed between them that Maggie couldn’t interpret.

  Mother hesitated. “I’m not sure it’s appropriate for you to be in there since you’re a young lady and he’s a single man.”

  Daddy stepped closer. “It’s not going to hurt anything for her to be with him until he awakes. Maybe she could read to him. It’ll help Charles to hear her voice, since they spent so much time together on her journey. Maybe he’ll awaken sooner.”

  Maggie jumped up, hope filling her heart. “Maybe I should read healing scriptures over him.”

  Daddy put his arm around her. “That sounds like a very good idea.”

  Maggie retrieved her Bible, then hurried to Charles’s room, where she pulled a chair close to his bedside. While she read to him, she glanced up often to study him. Reading a psalm she had previously memorized helped. She didn’t have to look at the text in the Bible. She spoke the words with feeling that came straight from her heart.

  His dark hair looked as if he had raked it with his fingers before he fell. His usually tanned complexion appeared pasty, and she could almost count the whiskers that barely peeked out of his waxen cheeks and chin. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn’t see his warm brown eyes, one of his best features. Worry for her dear, dear friend clawed at her. Lord, please don’t let anything serious be wrong with him.

  •••

  Charles heard the familiar voice calling to him. With words from Scripture. Words he’d heard and read so many times in his life.

  “‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men. For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’”

  Words spoken by a familiar angel with curly red hair. Now how did he know that? Words from the Psalms. A voice that enticed him up from the darkness.

  But he couldn’t reach the light, so he let the words pour over him like a healing balm.

  “‘Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.’” The voice paused, and the angel took a deep breath. “‘He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.’” This time the breath sounded like a soft sob.

  He tried once more to open his eyes and look at his angel, but his eyelids wouldn’t obey.

  “‘And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters. These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.’”

  He drifted back into oblivion accompanied by the wonderful voice.

  •••

  The comforting words of the psalm soothed Maggie. She just hoped they also reached Charles, wherever his mind was. Surely it wasn’t a good thing for him to stay unconscious so long. She had to swallow several times between the words to keep from breaking into sobs. Even if she couldn’t have Charles, she wanted to be able to see him sometimes. Her world would be a dreary place without his presence.

  She read until her voice almost gave out, then she stopped before she completely lost it. Leaning back in the chair, she sighed and squeezed the tears from her eyes. As they made trails down her cheeks, she dabbed at them with her hanky.

  “Please . . . ” The word was spoken so softly, she thought she’d only imagined it. “Don’t . . . stop.”

  Her gaze cut toward the man in the bed. Although he hadn’t changed position, his eyes were open, staring straight at her. Pleading filled his expression as much as it had his words.

  Afraid he might close his eyelids and slip away again if she didn’t comply, she picked up the Bible and con
tinued. Every few seconds she gave him a quick glance. He still had his gaze on her but hadn’t moved another muscle. She continued reading for a few pages, then dropped the open book into her lap.

  “Are you completely awake?” Her words were almost as soft as his had been. She was afraid anything louder would scare him back into unconsciousness.

  He blinked a couple of times before slowly opening parched lips. “Yes,” he rasped.

  “Then I need to let someone know.” She stood without taking her eyes off him, trying to communicate to him through her gaze how much he meant to her.

  His eyes didn’t waver from her either. “I know . . . but you’ll . . . return?” Both his voice and his eyes begged her.

  “Yes.” She backed out of the room and hurried toward her father’s study, thrusting open the door so fast it slammed against the wall. “He’s awake!”

  Daddy jumped up from behind the desk and ran out the door. “How is he?”

  “He just woke up a few minutes ago when I stopped reading.” She scurried behind him, skipping every few steps, trying to keep up with his long strides. “He wanted me to continue. I wasn’t sure he was truly awake, so I kept reading a bit.”

  “Good job, Maggie.” Daddy rushed into the room and dropped into the chair beside the bed. “Charles, I’ve been so worried about you. I’ve been in my study praying.”

  She noticed Charles’s lips move slightly at the tip ends, probably trying to smile.

  “Maggie.” Her father glanced over his shoulder. “Go tell Mrs. Jorgensen that we need some water and broth for Charles.”

  Unable to contain her excitement, she went straight to the kitchen and burst through that doorway as well. “Our patient is awake!”

  Mrs. Jorgensen smiled and started pumping water into a pitcher. “That is good, for sure. You take the water, and I’ll dish up some nourishing broth for him.”

  When Maggie returned to the doorway of the guest room, both of her parents were leaning over the bed, talking to Charles.

  “I brought some cool water for you.” Maggie set the empty glass on the bedside table and filled it halfway.

  Her father moved around the bed and helped ease Charles up against the pillows. Mother pushed behind his back. He winced and gasped a quick breath. He looked nearly as pale as the snow-white sheets, but his eyes held a spark of life now instead of looking so dull.

  “Did we hurt you?” Mother’s soft tone sounded soothing.

  He opened his eyes and stared at Mother. “Not too much.”

  Maggie handed the glass to her mother and watched the way she gently tipped it to let only a small amount trickle down his throat. Then she pulled it back for a moment before offering him more.

  By the time he had taken several sips, Mrs. Jorgensen entered carrying a mug with a tea towel folded around the bottom half. “Well, now, I’ve brought you some nice warm beef broth. It’ll be good to settle your stomach and help you heal.”

  Mother and Daddy moved back and let the housekeeper sit in the chair beside the bed. She spooned the broth into his mouth, going slowly enough to keep from spilling any.

  After several spoonfuls, Charles settled back into the pillows. “That tastes good, but I’m tired . . . want to lie . . . down.”

  Daddy helped him with Mother pulling the extra pillows out of the way. Maggie winced inside as she noticed pain flit across his features. Finally, he was nestled in the bed again.

  She turned to go, but his voice called to her. “Don’t go, Maggie. . . . I like to hear you . . . read.”

  Soon after Maggie started reading, his eyes slid closed, and he slept. Mother must have been standing near the door, because she came into the room and leaned toward Maggie. “Mrs. Jorgensen has our dinner on the table. I don’t think he’ll miss you while he’s asleep.”

  Maggie didn’t really want to leave him, but she followed her mother from the room, her heart singing. Charles had awakened. And he was going to be all right.

  Chapter 26

  Charles realized that his recovery was nothing short of miraculous. Without a doubt, when Maggie read healing scriptures over him, they accomplished what they were meant to do. He knew about the words in the Bible being alive and powerful. The speed of his return to health testified to that power, but he’d never before experienced the effects to this extent.

  After only two days, here he was sitting up by the windows reading a book from Joshua’s library. But he couldn’t remember a word on any of the few pages he’d covered. His mind was so distracted. How had his life become so complicated?

  He only had himself to blame. His own choices had carried him to this point. He had been so full of himself, claiming responsibility for the blessings God had given him. Even when they were in Arkansas, he had spouted Christian platitudes to Maggie at the same time that he had a firm grasp on the reins of his life, never giving a thought to what God’s will was for him.

  Certainly not to pursue Georgia Long as he did. Vanity! His actions had been dictated by his vanity. Well, no more. God had chosen to save his life when the fall should have killed him. Thank You, God.

  The words Maggie read over him had reawakened his zeal to be a true servant of the sovereign God. To follow through on the commitment he made as a boy and all but ignored as a young man. When he was able to get out of the house, he’d be in the very next church service. He had made his true peace with God in the last two days, but he wanted to go to the Lord’s house and submit to Him in that hallowed place as well. To give more to God than just lip service.

  “Charles.” Mrs. Caine’s voice summoned him from his ponderings.

  He shifted in the chair until he was facing her with a smile. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Morris Tall Pine is here to see you.” She ushered his tall servant into the room and turned away.

  “I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone.” Morris never was one to beat around the bush.

  Charles sat up straighter and closed the book in his lap. “How did you know where to find me?”

  “Mr. Caine sent word. White Dove worried when we came home and you weren’t there. Even cooked your favorite meal, but you never came home.” The older man crossed his arms over his powerful chest and shook his head. “No neighbors even knew where you were.”

  “Pull that chair over here and sit down.” Charles waited until his servant complied.

  By the time he finished explaining things to Morris, the older man agreed to leave Charles with the Caines until the doctor told him he could go home.

  After Morris left, Charles didn’t even pretend to read. He had too many things bouncing around in his head. The chief of them was Maggie. What did she think of him since their journey together? After all, she’d witnessed him flirting shamelessly with Georgia. What a fool he must appear to her.

  She had been a friend for so long, and he thought that was all he felt for her, friendship. Now he realized he wanted the two of them to have a different kind of relationship. So many things about her drew him. He loved the fact that she was interested in owning her own business. He would like to spend the rest of his life with a woman who thought about more than just what to wear and who was having the next party. Although with her interest in fashion design, she would take an interest in clothing. He smiled at the thought. She had so many dimensions to her. Dimensions he’d love to explore at his leisure over the coming years.

  Not only that, but he was totally aware that Maggie was a desirable woman. Her childhood dusting of freckles had given way to a smooth creamy complexion with only a hint of the coppery dots he’d teased her about. Instead of girlish braids, she wore her hair in stunning updos that revealed the graceful slope of her neck. And her dresses enhanced every curve of her body.

  His attraction to Maggie was so powerful it took his breath away, but it was much more than physical. His felt connected to her emotionally and spiritually as well. She too dealt with the loss of parents—even though she had never known them. She too looked to God for her
strength. Why had it taken him so long to recognize what was right in front of him?

  Lord, forgive me for my arrogance and self-centeredness. And for rushing ahead instead of waiting for You to show me the woman You planned. He quieted his mind and waited in silence—what he should have done months ago when he thought Georgia was the one for him. When he felt nothing but peace, he smiled.

  He needed some way to find out if the portrait she drew was a true depiction of how Maggie felt about him. But how could that happen? He couldn’t just come out and ask her. What if all of this was only in his mind? But would he feel this peace from God if it was?

  And what of Joshua himself? Over the last few days, as he engaged in their business and now recovered in his home, Charles had found no reason to distrust his business partner. From what he could glean from his limited interactions with the family, Maggie had reconciled with her parents. But there was still much he did not know and could not guess about their relationship without asking directly.

  At the knock on the doorpost, Charles cast a glance at his host standing in the entrance.

  “Mind if I visit with you a bit?” Joshua waited for his answer.

  Charles shifted in his chair. “Come in.” He hadn’t even noticed that daylight was waning outside the window. “I didn’t realize it was time for you to come home.” He started to get up.

  “Keep your seat.” Joshua slid into the chair where Morris had been sitting. “Has someone been visiting with you?”

  “Morris came by to check on me. Thank you for letting him know I was here. He was worried when he didn’t find me at home.”

  Some unexplained emotion flitted across Joshua’s face but quickly vanished. “Think nothing about it. Have you been up all day?”

  “I did take a nap earlier, but I’m much stronger than I was yesterday. I took a few turns around the room when no one was in here.” Charles held up the book. “I even made it to the library to borrow this.”