* * *
Panic seized Jessica. "No! Clint! You have to do this. I can't carry you!"
Mary's cabin door flew open. The sound sent a surge of hope through Jessica. She glanced up in time to see a mature woman dressed in an apron and worn boots. "Mary, help me!"
Mary clomped down the steps and hoisted a portion of Clint's weight faster than Jessica expected.
They staggered together under Clint's weight to Mary's guest room, and guided him onto the bed before he passed out. Fighting a wave of terror, Jessica removed Clint's hat and boots, listening all the while to his steady breathing. Together they turned him to his back.
Jessica straightened. Her back twinged from all the exertion, but she felt strange comfort with Mary by her side. "He's lost a lot of blood," she said. The words came out thick, swollen with tears she could not let loose. There was still too much to do. She glanced at Mary, whose face was rosy with the same exertion, and whose eyes were intelligent and warm and creased with worry.
"Tell me what happened," Mary said, "and we'll fix him right up."
Jessica introduced herself and gave a fast version of the accident with the wagon, telling of Clint's injury.
"I'll get some hot water started, to soak his arm in," Mary said, moving toward the kitchen.
"Do you have golden seal? Or better yet, how about colloidal silver? It's a natural antibiotic."
"How did you know? Are you a nurse?" Mary asked from the kitchen.
"No. I grew up on a farm. Dad taught me about natural remedies."
"I'm glad to finally meet you. Sorry it had to be this way."
Jessica began un-wrapping Clint's arm. He groaned in his sleep as she yanked against the stubborn tape. Once she peeled the bandage back, she was alarmed at the swelling and redness and the horrendous smell—like decaying garbage. Seeing the flush of his skin, she touched his forehead. Just yesterday, he'd been cold and clammy. Today he was hot. She worried about a serious infection that bacteria from horse gear could cause
"Mary." She raised her voice so Mary could hear. "We should give him some silver orally, not just topically, as soon as he wakes up. Do you have enough?"
"Plenty," she called out. "It's what keeps me infection free up here."
"Thank God," Jessica said.
"Amen to that," Mary called back.