She moved the tuna noodle pan off the wood stove and replaced it with a big pot of water. She went outside, loaded up the wood she’d cut, and moved it into the shed. If she didn’t say so herself, she’d cut quite a bit. That felt good, and she looked forward to doing it again. She loved the smell of fresh split wood and liked feeling the muscles in her arms, chest, and back.
She went back inside, checked on Bart, and put a second pot of water on the stove. She took the hot bucket and dumped it into the shower bin, then filled both bins with water from the Spring. She went back inside and tinkered around in the kitchen before deciding the second pot was hot enough. She carried it out and added it to the shower bin. She was looking forward to this shower. She was sweaty and dirty from the wood chopping, and the second pan of hot water would give a warmer shower.
She stripped and stood under the shower until she was entirely wet before turning off the water to conserve for the rinse. The added temperature was nice. Not a hot shower, but certainly a warm one. She took her time shampooing her hair and soaping her body. She wanted to get clean and didn’t want to run the short supply of water until she was completely soaped up. But just before she started the rinse, Bear and Shadow let loose with a series of loud, urgent barks. Crap. Something was up. She hoped it wasn’t a bear. The barks were urgent and desperate. Her guns were inside.
She ran into the cabin. Both dogs were standing by Bart’s cot barking their heads off. Oh no, she knew animals could smell death. Had Bart passed and the dogs were trying to bring him back? She was stark naked, shampoo dripping from her hair, her body completely soaped, her heart pounding out of her chest. She stopped on the bear rug, terrified. That’s when she saw Bart’s face. His eyes were open and he was smiling at her.
Molly screamed, ran to him, and smothered him with soapy kisses. She felt his forehead. The fever had broken. Bart’s white blood cell soldiers were winning the battle. She put two soapy hands on his cheeks and stared at his smiling face. He wasn’t saying anything, but there was definitely a slight smile. She knew he was trying to process what was happening. What were Molly and Shadow doing in his cabin? Why was she naked? She assumed he thought he was in a dream.
She sat on the chair staring at him, “Hi Cowboy.”
He didn’t say anything, but he was awake and looking at her. It wouldn’t be like Bart to say anything until he was ready.
Finally, he said, weakly, “Am I in heaven?”
Molly started laughing and couldn’t stop. She was just so happy. A naked, soapy mess, she’d smeared soap all over his face when she’d kissed him.
“Yes, we’re definitely in heaven. Both of us. And I’ve never been happier in my life.”
Molly went to work, starting with the shower rinse, then a quick dry and clean clothes. She took Bart a glass of water, propped his head up with an extra pillow and had him drink it slowly. He started with small sips and finally took a drink. She put the leftover oatmeal from breakfast on the stove and brought him a warm bowl with raisins and brown sugar. She stirred it and fed it to him slowly. He was weak, but he was alive, and the fever had broken.
“Are you going to tell me what you’re doing here?”
“I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop to see if you could come outside to play.”
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Don’t know. I arrived yesterday late afternoon and found you like this.”
Then she told him the whole story.
Chapter 26
“So what do you remember?”
Molly had given a detailed chapter and verse account of Bear showing up, the rescue team, her hike into Dark Hollow, finding Bart, and her medical research.
He was weak but talking slowly and softly. “I got sick. I don’t know what it was, but it hit me hard. I laid down to sleep it off, and the next thing I remember is being attacked by a naked, soapy woman.”
“We’ll probably never know. But my research indicates it was a tick bite that led to Lyme Disease. It hit you so hard that your body completely shut down to focus on fighting the infection. I hope the IV and antibiotic worked. You woke up about eighteen hours after the antibiotic went into effect. How are you feeling now?”
“Weak.”
“You probably haven’t had food or water for at least two days, maybe three.”
“Something smells good.”
“I made a pot of tuna noodles. After the oatmeal settles in, we’ll try some. Not a good idea for you to eat too much right away. We’ll ease into it.”
“Any chance of another kiss or do we have to ease into that, too?”
Molly wiped a tear from her eye, put both hands on his face, leaned down, and gave her man the longest, sweetest, most tender kiss she had.
When it was over, she was wiping tears off both cheeks.
In the afternoon, Molly helped him walk to the outhouse. With his arm around her shoulder, they made the trip slowly.
“This is how we carried our wounded buddies out of harm’s way.”
