Free Rorey's Secret by Leisha Kelly

watching. Katie had tears trailing down her cheeks, but she was doing what I told her, holding that towel tight against his leg. I picked up the bowl of water again. I knew it wasn’t very warm. What Katie’d put on to heat hadn’t had time to get hot. But the cool would probably feel good on his head. I hoped so.
    Something had hit him; that was clear to me. On the back of his head I felt quite a lump beneath a small but jagged cut with dried blood caked over it. A wonder he hadn’t bled more.
    I wished the doctor were here already to ask about this. But it worried me, knowing there was very little even a doctor could do for a head injury. Dr. Howell had told us that before. I began to pray that nothing was serious, and nothing broken.
    “How do you feel now?”
    “Sore.”
    I kissed him again, remembering his tender caress of such a short time ago. Lord, help him. Heal him quickly.
    I let Kate bathe his forehead for a minute, which Samuel seemed to welcome.
    I could hear Delores in the kitchen talking, probably to Bert, but I couldn’t quite make out what she was saying.
    “Let me see your side,” I said, carefully unbuttoning Samuel’s shirt. But I couldn’t see any injury there. I couldn’t feel anything either, but my touch hurt him. I could tell, even though he didn’t say so.
    Feeling numb, I went to get another cloth and bowl. Delores looked up as I entered the kitchen. “How is he?”
    “I don’t know yet.”
    She was setting Bert’s foot down to soak in a mixing bowl full of water. She glanced up at me again with concern on her face. “Do you need to sit down for a minute?”
    “No. No, not at all. There’s too much to do.” I grabbed a clean cloth, scooped some water out of the kettle into another bowl, and then threw a kitchen towel over my shoulder. “How’s Thelma?”
    “Still rockin’ the baby. Don’t you worry ’bout her. She’s got a strong constitution about her, that one. She’ll be fine bein’ up this soon. And I’ll see that she don’t overdo.”
    I nodded. It was all I could manage before hurrying back into the bedroom. Samuel’s eyes were closed. That bothered me at first, even though I’d told him to rest. What if he was unconscious? What if something was seriously wrong?
    But he opened his eyes as I neared the bed. “Juli, all of you need to get some sleep.”
    “There’s no way we can sleep with you and Berty hurt! And that fire going on. We’re not even half started cleaning you up.”
    “I should be helping,” he said. His voice sounded weak.
    “I don’t want to hear such nonsense. The only way you’re to help is to stay still while I see to you. I want to get your shirt all the way off and wash you up and see if there’s anywhere else—”
    “I love you.” His words were quick and soft, stopping me in midsentence.
    I just stared, wishing I could hold him till forever and make all the hurt go away. “Oh, Sammy, I love you too. I’m so glad you’re all right.”
    As soon as I said it, the cruel doubts started beating my insides. Was he all right? I’d once heard about a man who’d been hit with a chunk of rock inside a cave. He thought he was fine. Everybody thought he was fine. He just went home, and the next day they found him dead in his bed.
    I couldn’t say anything else. And Samuel didn’t either. He closed his eyes again as I bathed the back of his head. Katie went to get fresh water and came back as I was taking the towel off his leg.
    “Can you get his boots off for me, Katie?”
    She nodded, looking grim. “Do they know how the fire started?”
    “I don’t know, honey. I doubt it.”
    “It’s so good he isn’t burned.”
    “Yes,” I said, feeling a little sick inside. “Thank God for that.”
    I took the sewing scissors to Samuel’s pant leg again and cut the rest of it completely off from midthigh so I could really see the wound and not have to bandage over or under the dirty denim. Katie struggled with the boots and then