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her face appeared even paler than before. He frowned and approached her, checking her pulse at the base of her neck. Visibly sighing with relief at the detection of a heartbeat, he dropped down in the chair next to the bed. He sat there simply looking at her and couldn’t remember feeling this grief-stricken since his father’s death.
Sighing, he told her, “I’m sorry, Anna.”
Of course he received no response and he wouldn’t blame her if she never spoke to him again. He dropped his eyes, feeling a strong ache pierce his heart. If she were gone, he knew at that moment, there would be a gaping hole in his life.
Seeing the book in his hand, he raised it and opened to the first page. Then began to read out loud.
* * *
He awoke with the realization that he must have fallen asleep while reading to Anna. His head lay on the side of her bed, brushing against one slender arm. Blinking rapidly, he straightened and immediately looked down at her face. She remained unchanged. Placing his elbows on the bed he ran both hands through his hair and rubbed his throbbing temples. He sighed heavily and got to his feet. The book which had fallen unnoticed to his lap, fell the remainder of the way to the floor. He bent and picked it up and laid it on the bedside table. Something caught his attention in his peripheral vision. He turned and looked down at her lifeless body. She lay completely still. He frowned, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him, then left her to go downstairs for some coffee.
He had just shut the door quietly behind him when he saw Kathleen heading towards him. The look on her face reflected her shock at seeing him emerge from Anna’s room so early, then quickly turned to concern. “Is she all right?”
“Yes.” He nodded, “But no, she hasn’t woken.”
Her eyes became fidgety as she darted a worried look between the door to his room and Wade. “Maybe we should send for the doctor.”
He hesitated, before nodding sadly. “I’ll send Neil.”
They parted then, Kathleen going in to see Anna, while Wade headed for the back staircase to the kitchen. Putting the kettle on, he went over to the back door and began slipping his boots on, when he heard footsteps running overhead.
“Wade,” Kathleen sounded breathless as she appeared at the top of the stairs. “She’s awake.”
A new unidentified emotion swept the course of his body. Wade wasn’t sure if he wanted to break out in a smile or cry. He did neither. “I’ll have Neil fetch the doctor immediately.”
“She spoke Wade.” His sister added softly. “She asked for you.”
He froze. It just wasn’t the fact that she spoke that had him stunned, but the impact of those words. He questioned his ability to remain strong when she looked up at him with those huge melancholy brown eyes.
“I’ll come up as soon as I return.”
He ran down to the bunkhouse and woke Neil, telling him to hitch his horse and ride into town as fast as possible. His presence woke the rest of the men who started talking excitedly about Anna’s updated condition. Since he actually hadn’t seen her, Wade didn’t quite feel the same enthusiasm.
Stepping outside the bunkhouse he stopped and looked up at the house. It was still dark except for a light from the kitchen. His room faced the river so he wasn’t able to see the light burning from there, but he knew she was in there, waiting for him. He couldn’t explain the feeling that caused his feet to drag as he made his way back to the house and Anna.
Inside the kitchen, the kettle was boiling furiously. He poured a cup of coffee before heading upstairs. The door to his room was open and he could see Kathleen hovering over Anna, speaking in low tones. Too low for him to make out anything coherent, but Wade didn’t care much what she had to say. His eyes instantly drew to Anna’s face. It was still pale, but her eyes were now open.
He walked into the room and her gaze darted from Kathleen to him immediately. An expression crossed her face and he thought she would cry, but instead she said, “I remember.”
A funny tingling sensation rippled down his spine at the sound of her voice. No matter how prepared he was for it, it still had an impact on him. He frowned and came closer. “What are you talking about?”
“In the village,” she said in a breathless whisper and he felt his insides do a painful twist. It was a memory he had hoped she would never recover. He could only imagine the horror she had endured.
“You don’t have to talk about it now,” he said quietly and tried to sound as comforting as possible.
“It’s the constable,” she spat out in a hoarse tone. Obviously, after so long of not speaking, she was finding it difficult.
Wade frowned and tried not to think about that. “What about him?”
“There were three of them.” Her eyes winced and she touched her jaw.
“Hush, don’t try to talk, Anna, your jaw has been fractured.” He wished with his entire being he could take her suffering away. Both physical and emotional.
But she continued to speak, her eyes growing dark as she asked, “The two men down by the river?”
His face cringed at the mention of the men but assured Anna. “They’re dead.”
Relief filled her eyes, but just as swiftly flooded with pain. “They killed my family.”
