This Loving Land - Dorothy Garlock [86]
“Santi, tell Bermaga thank you. Tell him if we can ever help him or his family to come to us.”
Santi spoke the guttural words and Bermaga listened, his face, as usual, expressionless. When Santi finished, he gazed for a long moment at the slender girl beside the bed, then turned and went out of the room.
Summer pulled a chair close to Slater’s bedside and sat down. She could hear their voices in the hallway talking in hushed tones. Slater moved restlessly on the bed, and she leaned over and kissed his forehead and commenced to talk to him.
“You’re home, darling. You’ll be all right. I’ll take care of you, not leave you, ever. Lie still, darling. Please lie still.” She stroked his bare arms and smoothed the hair back from his face. Dipping a cloth in the cool water, she placed it on his hot forehead. “There, there,” she crooned. “Is that better?” Her voice seemed to have a soothing effect. His head ceased to roll. She lay her head on the pillow beside his and talked softly into his ear. “I’m here with you, darling. Your summertime girl is here. I love you so much. You’ve got to get well, so I can tell you my wonderful news. I am so happy about it and I know you will be, too. I don’t care if we’re not married yet, darling. We belong to each other, that’s all that matters. Please get well. Please open your eyes and look at me. I want you to know that I’m here.”
Teresa moved in and out of the room. They mixed the powder Bermaga brought with a little water and spooned it into Slater’s mouth. It was bitter and he choked and gagged, but Teresa was merciless and held his mouth shut until he swallowed it. After that, he was calmer, but his fever soared. Summer bathed his face and changed the wet cloths on his head every few minutes. The Mexican women kept the basin filled with the coolest water from the deep well. Finally, Teresa threw back the covers, and they covered his legs and thighs with wet towels.
It was well after midnight when Summer noticed the small beads of perspiration forming on his temples. Almost afraid to believe the fever was breaking, she removed the wet cloth from his head and waited. Soon, the forehead was damp, and she called Teresa.
“Teresa. I think the fever is breaking.”
The Mexican woman bent over him and slipped her hand under the cover to feel his body. A smile lighted her face.
“Bueno, bueno, señorita. It is true. He will sleep now.” Quickly, she removed the wet towels from his legs and dried him.
“Will he be all right now, Teresa?” Summer held her breath while she waited for an answer.
“I pray to the Madonna it is so. You rest, señorita, so when the señor wakes he will see his bella novia.”
“I’ll sit here, Teresa. This chair is quite comfortable.”
She leaned her head back and for the first time in days let thoughts other than of Slater come into her mind. The Mexican women and children were bedded down on pallets all over the house, but only whispered sounds of them had come to Slater’s room. One had brought Summer a plate of food and smiled shyly. The food was still on the bureau, she had forgotten to eat it. She wondered how Sadie had managed with Ellen. Poor Sadie. She was in love with Jesse and had promised him she would stay here at the Keep, under Slater’s protection, until he worked out problems of his own. Jesse and Slater had had a long talk before Jesse left with the army. The only thing Slater had to say about it was to caution the women to take the children into the house and bolt the door if Travis should come riding in. When Summer questioned Slater, he kissed her and told her to do as she was told.
Sadie, on the other hand, was eager to do whatever Slater suggested, and her old, bubbly spirit returned, causing Summer to wonder, more than ever, if her depression of the last few weeks had anything to do with Travis. She had been so ecstatically happy since the night of the storm that Summer didn’t want to put a damper on her happiness by telling her she had doubts that she and Jesse could have a life together. She couldn’t imagine Ellen letting Jesse go.