Page 299 of Conveniently Wed
“I don’t think I could eat.” Aundy stared into the flames, trying to understand why a good man like Erik was lying in the other room near death. Beyond that, Aundy wondered what shewould do. She absolutely wouldn’t allow herself to think about returning to Chicago. There was no future there for her. None whatsoever.
“Yes, you can and you will. Anyone who’s been through what you’ve been through today without breaking down into hysterics can manage a little supper.” Nora placed her hands on her hips for emphasis before she bustled out of the room.
The front door opened. Aundy glanced at Garrett as he walked in, rubbing his hands to ward off the evening chill. “You might as well do as she says because she always gets her way.” Garrett offered her a conspiratorial wink.
“I heard that,” Nora called from the kitchen.
Garrett grinned, stepping closer to the fire and holding out his hands to the warmth. “I can stay and sit with Erik if you like or Ma will. You don’t need to be here alone.”
“I’ll be fine.” Aundy accepted the plate Nora held out to her. The woman set another cup of tea on the small table near her chair. At this rate, she might float away before Garrett and Nora went home for the evening. “I don’t know how to thank either of you for all you’ve done today. You’ve both been so kind and...”
When Aundy’s voice broke, Garrett felt an unfamiliar tug in the region of his heart. The girl had been so strong and stoic throughout the entire day’s ordeal. He knew she had to be exhausted, frightened, and beleaguered by all that had happened on a day that should have been filled with love, happiness, and celebration.
“Don’t give it another thought. That’s what neighbors are for,” he said, stepping away from the fire and Aundy as he picked up his mother’s coat and held it for her.
“Pops will think we’ve abandoned him since we’ve been gone so long. We best get home. I sent Jim and Tom home earlier to oversee the chores, but it’s getting late.” Garrett picked uphis mother’s basket of medical supplies as well as the gloves he thought were in his coat pocket when he went outside earlier.
“I didn’t even think to call your father and let him know what was happening.” Nora glanced at her son then turned toward the kitchen. “If you need anything, Aundy, anything at all, you pick up the telephone and ask to be connected to the Nash family, our number is seventeen. The telephone is on the wall by the kitchen table. We’ll be back to check on you in the morning.”
“Thank you.” Aundy started to get up from her chair, but Nora waved her back down. “Try to sleep, honey, and don’t worry. We’ll be praying for both you and Erik.” Nora went out the door in a swish of her lavender skirts.
Aundy took a bite of the food Nora prepared and discovered that she was hungry, after all. She cleaned her plate and slowly drank her tea, lost in her sadness.
Her tired mind refused to register the thought that Erik might die after she traveled all the way across the country to marry him. The doctor had to be wrong. Maybe Erik just needed a good night’s sleep. Maybe he’d wake up tomorrow and be fine. Maybe she’d wake up tomorrow and everything would just be a dream, and she’d find herself to be nineteen again, engaged to Gunther, and looking forward to a life with her beloved.
With a heavy sigh, Aundy placed her empty cup on her plate and carried both to the kitchen. It was awkward to wash the dishes one-handed, but she managed. She didn’t take time to examine her new home. Instead, she walked back to Erik’s room and nudged the chair she’d sat in earlier close to the side of the bed.
Gingerly taking Erik’s hand in her own, she held it on her lap, rubbing the back of it with her right hand.
Her left arm ached and throbbed with a painful force and she was sure a multitude of bruises would show up tomorrow. Sheignored the pain and her discomfort, swimming in sorrow for the man who had offered her a new home, a new life.
His breathing sounded shallow and raspy in his chest, but at least he continued taking one breath after another. His arm felt cool, so Aundy carefully slid it under the covers and reached up to smooth the hair back from his forehead.
A Bible on his nightstand caught her eye. Aundy turned up the wick in the lamp and pulled the leather-bound book to her lap. She opened it to one of her favorite Psalms and read aloud.
An hour later, she realized she should either go to bed or find a more comfortable chair. She turned down the lamp and she set the Bible where she found it.
Lest he should awaken and need her, she refused to leave Erik alone. Since they were technically married, she decided it would be acceptable for her to sleep on the other side of his bed. It had more than enough room for two people to rest comfortably and she was so tired.
After finding a quilt in a trunk in the corner of the room, she slowly stretched out on the bed, mindful of not disturbing Erik, and spread the quilt over the top of her. She rolled onto her right side, closed her eyes, and surrendered to her need for sleep.
The sound of footsteps on the porch awakened Aundy. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked around an unfamiliar room, taking in a chest of drawers, a nightstand, and a small closet.
She rolled onto her back. Her arm felt heavy and she lifted it, surprised to see it bandaged with splints.
The nightmare that tormented her dreams failed to disappear with the morning light.
She sat up and studied Erik. He looked just as pale and still as he had when she’d fallen asleep.
Determined to face the day, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, tossed the quilt onto the trunk where she’d found it, and walked into the front room. Noises from the kitchen drew her that direction and she wasn’t surprised to find Nora taking food out of a basket and setting it on the table.
“Mornin’, honey. You were sleeping so soundly when we came in, I told Garrett to keep the hands from banging on the door and waking you.” Nora greeted Aundy with a motherly hug.
“Thank you.” If possible, Aundy felt worse than she did the night before.
“Do you think you could eat a little something?” Nora took cups from the cupboard and began making tea.
Food was Nora’s way of reaching out and helping, so Aundy nodded her head. If eating a bite or two would make the woman happy, Aundy wouldn’t deny her that.
