Free Fired Up by Mary Connealy Page A

sleeping in the early hours before dawn. All of them needed the tea, but Glynna hated to disturb their sleep, because when they were awake, they cried from the torment of the itching rash and the burning fever.
    There was barely room enough to move between them. “Paul, hold his head still. Help me.”
    Dare had moved all the children together, then put Glynna and Paul in charge. Glynna wondered if his aim wasn’t more about her safety than the importance of getting the children in one place. Some of the stricken adults had fought Dare’s treatment. Only the fact that the healthy Kiowa had helped calm their family had prevented serious injuries.
    The children fought too, but they hadn’t the size or the strength to do much damage.
    Kneeling across from Glynna, Paul steadied the child’s head, and the boy’s whimpers rose to near screams. The rash was worst on this child until it no longer looked like spots. His whole body was bright red where it showed around the white poultice. Glynna prayed as she urged him to swallow, wondering if she was causing him pain everywhere she touched.
    Anemy, the woman Luke had recognized, stuck her head inside the teepee. The suspicion in her eyes was hard to endure. Glynna didn’t blame the woman for letting the distressed child upset her.
    â€œCan you help?” Glynna knew the woman was running herself ragged trying to keep an eye on the people who had invaded her village. She didn’t trust them, but she let Dare take charge. Anemy was doing her best to translate, talking mainly with Luke but answering questions asked by Dare.
    Would helping make Anemy less worried? Or was it one thing too many for the overburdened woman?
    Nodding, Anemy picked her way between the childrento kneel at the boy’s head. She crooned to him in her native language as she used both of her strong hands to keep him from turning away from the tea. Paul supported the child in a sitting position. Glynna tried to squeeze the boy’s mouth to get it open. Anemy reached for the boy’s nose and pinched it. The child gasped for air, and Glynna, exchanging a lightning-fast glance with Anemy, quickly poured the tea in. The boy sputtered and coughed, but the tea mostly went down.
    Glynna smiled at Anemy. “Good idea.”
    Anemy said, “Who next?”
    Working as a team and using Anemy’s method, the three of them got the medicine administered just as Dare came in bearing a basin of pasty white liquid with a stack of cloths over his arm. “Time for a new poultice. Cover the rash as much as possible. It will ease the itching and help them rest more comfortably.” He set down the basin.
    â€œHow are they doing?” Glynna regretted speaking the moment the words were out. Anemy’s attention was so rigid, fearing more bad news.
    â€œWe’ve lost three more.” Dare looked at Anemy.
    Anemy didn’t respond. Glynna didn’t know if she understood Dare’s words, but there was no doubt she caught his meaning.
    â€œThey were so sick. There was nothing . . .” Breaking off his words, Dare looked overcome with guilt. Swallowing, Dare went on, “I see signs of pneumonia and encephalitis in quite a few of your tribe. Those are deadly complications.” Dare shook his head. “I’m sorry, Anemy, but there is little chance those will pull through.”
    â€œPull through?” Anemy didn’t seem to know what this meant.
    â€œPull through . . . uh, get well. Live.” Dare sighed, looked the woman in the eyes. “They will not live.”
    â€œMore Kiowa die.” The woman, though young, showed lines of grief on her face. “Red Wolf should be with his people.”
    Glynna remembered Dare saying Red Wolf had pneumonia. He gave orders to Ruthy before he left, but Glynna knew pneumonia was a killer. Yet a young, healthy man, with good care and God’s healing grace, had a chance.
    â€œRed