* * *
Jessica cared for Clint in the days to come. She read to him from the Bible, prayed aloud for him, nurtured him, sat with him. She never left his side, other than to clean up and eat, or while Mary bathed him. She made sure someone was with him at all times. The care for Clint from everyone was immense; the love for him ran deeper yet. All the people at Harper ranch wanted this normally great pillar of strength back in their midst.
All the while, Jessica's love for him intensified, growing deeper with each passing day. Johnnie kept Rose Marie from coming near him. Jessica was grateful for that. Her energy was flagging, so she knew a confrontation with Rose Marie would put her over the edge.
On one occasion, when Clint awakened for a short time on Mabel's shift, Mabel told him of Walt's passing. He'd been so stricken, she wished she'd waited. It had broken her heart to see tears squeeze out of the corners of his eyes and slide past his temples until grief threw him into another round of sleep.
While Jessica continued her daily reading of the Bible, God's peace took root in her spirit again. First she read all of the verses about God's healing power, then those on hope, and relationships. But her favorite Scriptures were the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, where she read the account of what Christ has done for all His children—to be scourged almost to death; to be humiliated and suffer unbearable pain as he was nailed to the cross; to take mankind's sins on His blameless, sinless body, to save those He loved from eternal damnation and separation from God.
After reading these verses, she talked to a sleeping Clint about how they had touched her heart. Many of the cowboys, including Johnnie and Uncle Roy, had come and gone to listen as Jessica talked, read, and prayed incessantly. She was never silent. They seemed amazed and moved.
The Lord used this time to bring many to Him. As Jessica's love for God poured over them, several of them came to a saving faith in Christ. At the point of their readiness Jessica prayed with each individual, never forgetting that Walt had been the one to sow the soul-redeeming seeds, and she'd been blessed to witness the harvest.
Nearly three weeks into Clint's horrific illness, he took a turn for the worse. Jessica was frantic with worry. Thankfully, Johnnie had been spending a great deal of time with her and was here now. He pulled up a chair to within a couple feet of hers.
"He's going to be all right, Jess."
Moisture filled her eyes as they met Johnnie's. "I pray you're right. He has to be."
Johnnie grasped her hand and turned her toward him to take hold of the other as well. "Why don't you pray for him? Right now. It'll make you feel better."
She nodded. Her voice cracked as she began. "Father, only you know what your plans are for Clint. But my prayer is for You to heal him. I promise to do my best to introduce him to You and to make sure he knows You love him unconditionally."
Johnnie seemed particularly roused by Jessica's faith and Christ's offer of eternity. She could see it in his eyes when she lifted her head after her prayer.
"Jess, I know you're worried about Clint, but can I ask you something . . .?"
Jessica pulled her hands from Johnnie's to re-apply a cool cloth to Clint's forehead, then turned back to him. "Of course you can. Anything."
"I believe I've learned about Jesus from you. And I also believe I have committed my life to Him, in my own way. But, I know it's important to be assured of this . . . so . . . I mean . . . will you pray with me?"
Tension drained off and the lines from fatigue and stress smoothed out as she smiled with her whole face. "Johnnie, that's wonderful. Absolutely!"
Jessica shifted back around and recaptured Johnnie's hands in hers. She looked into his startling blue eyes that had grown larger and more alive in anticipation of the most life-altering step he would ever take.
Jessica dropped her chin to her chest and closed her eyes. "Lord we come to You on this special day. Johnnie wants to give his heart to You and receive Your gift of eternal life. I pray he will have a repentant heart and faith in You."
When she had explained the gospel message in detail and he prayed to receive Christ, Johnnie brought his head back up and met her gaze. They smiled as emotion gripped them both.
Johnnie struggled with speech. Jessica watched as his Adam's apple bobbed in the effort to swallow, and he finally hurled out a laugh. "I've never been so choked by emotion in my entire life!"
Jessica's heart beat against her breast bone as she grinned and nodded in agreement.
Clint let out a moan and began thrashing about the bed. Jessica spun to him. She laid a hand on his face, then to his chest. "He's burning up!" The fever had sky rocketed. She had never felt him this hot before. "Johnnie, we have to bring his fever down, now!"
"Tell me what to do."
She leaped up, grabbed the alcohol bottle from the dresser, and returned to pour a great deal of it in the porcelain bowl that was already half filled with water. Dipping a hand towel in it, she then wrung it out, and handed it to Johnnie. "Here, uncover his legs and run this down each one, over and over again. I'm going to crush up some aspirin, add water, and try to dribble it down his throat. The fever has to come down."
Clint mumbled, "No! No, don't . . ."
"What is he saying?" Johnnie asked.
Jessica shook her head. Worry flooded her.
"No! Stay away. Please John . . . sir!" Clint whimpered and his voice was an octave higher, making him sound unusually young. His body thrashed about but his arms were stretched oddly tight across the bed, as if secured there.
"Clint, can you wake up? It's me, Jessie. You're here with me. You're safe—"
"What is that he's saying?" Johnnie asked as he worked at cooling Clint's legs.
Jessica was working frantically at cooling his head and chest. "I don't know. He's having nightmares, Johnnie. It sounds awful. He actually sounds young. Tortured."
She prayed fervently for him, wet another towel, laid it across Clint's torso, then crushed aspirin into a tablespoon of water. Using an eyedropper she sucked up some of the liquid and placed it through Clint's lips, squeezing slowly. Clint's throat convulsed. He gagged and coughed, but didn't wake up. She tried again with the same results. Finally, when all of the solution was gone, with most of it making its way where it belonged, Jessica turned her attention back to the dampened towels on his fiery skin.
Clint's fever finally broke near midnight, and sweat gushed from him, pooling in the grooves along the hard planes of his body. His breathing quieted, his writhing ceased. Jessica used the damp washcloth to clean his sticky skin, dried him, and then pulled the sheet up to his chin. She sat back in the cushy chair, and inhaled a ragged breath.
Johnnie waited another hour, then finally rose and took himself off to bed with a pat to her shoulder and a kiss to the top of her head.