Page 68 of A Bridge Through Time
“She has drifted in and out since she fell from my horse during the battle.”
“Ashley? It’s me – Edna. I’m so sorry. I was selfish when I set you up to cross the bridge. I wanted you to find Arlena so badly. I honestly didn’t know you might be harmed.” Edna gripped Ashley’s fingers in her own. “You must believe me. If I had known, I would never have thought about sending you.” Tears coursed down Edna’s cheeks and Angus pulled her into his embrace.
“Edna, I don’t blame you,” Ashley croaked weakly as she opened her eyes. “Without you, I wouldn’t have met Cailin.”
“She needs some water,” Cailin said.
Angus poured a glass of water from the pitcher by the bed, handing it to Cailin.
Cailin lifted Ashley’s head and tipped the glass to her lips. “Here, love, drink a little.” Ashley managed a couple of sips, and moaned softly as he laid her head back against the pillow.
“The doctor’s on his way, he should be here any minute.” Edna wrung her hands together nervously. Angus handed her a wet cloth, which she used to wipe the dirt gently away from Ashley’s face.
There was another knock at the door and Angus opened it to reveal yet another strange man. Cailin tensed, reaching for his sword and prepared to protect Ashley if need be.
To his relief, Edna was relaxed as she greeted the stranger. “Come in, doctor. Thank you for coming so quickly.”
Dr. Donaldson glanced down at Ashley, and frowned when he saw the bruising and swelling around her face and neck. “Tell me what’s happened.”
Edna nodded to Cailin. “It’s alright, Cailin. You can tell him everything, Dr. Donaldson knows about the bridge and the fog which leads to your time,” Edna assured him.
Cailin told Dr. Donaldson about Ashley’s kidnapping, the rescue from Sir Richard’s encampment, the final battle and Ashley’s fall from Cadeyrn after she’d been hit by the sword.
Edna gasped, covering her face with her hands as she listened in horror to Cailin’s story.
“Edna, I’ll need some help here. Angus you can leave for now,” Dr. Donaldson announced brusquely. He turned to Cailin and studied him for a moment. “Young man, you should get yourself cleaned up. A hot shower will do you a world of good. Edna, I’ll need some warm water, towels and if you could find a clean nightgown for the lass, we can dress her in it when I’ve checked her injuries. I’ll also need some scissors to cut the remains of this dress off so we don’t injure her any further.”
Edna nodded and walked over to Cailin, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Yes, Dr. Donaldson. Cailin, I promise you, Ashley is in good hands with Dr. Donaldson. Come. Let me show you how things work in the bathroom.”
Cailin let go of Ashley reluctantly and followed Edna through a small door on the other side of Ashley’s chamber. He watched Edna touch a thin box on the wall and to his amazement, the room lit up brighter than he could have imagined was possible. Edna caught him staring at the box in amazement.
“This is a light switch. It turns the lights on and off,” she explained, showing him how it worked. “Don’t touch it when your hands are wet, you’ll get a nasty shock.” She must have realized he had no idea what she was speaking of, because she smiled and explained further. “If you touch the switch when your hands are wet, you’ll be hit with electricity and it would be very painful.”
Her motherly concern touched him, even though he’d never heard of this ‘electricity’. Edna pointed out the other fixtures in the room and explained what they were used for, much to his amazement. “And this is the shower. These knobs turn the water on and off and adjust the temperature.” She demonstrated for him as he examined everything silently. “Here is some soap to wash yourself with, and shampoo and conditioner.”
Cailin frowned, studying the bottles she pointed out. He had nae idea what she was talking of. “Shampoo?”
“Yes, it’s for washing your hair.” Edna explained the process and he nodded his understanding, marveling at the inventions of this century.
Edna produced a pile of fluffy white towels. “To dry with,” she announced, “when you’re finished. Take your time. Cleanliness is very important, when you’re with people who are sick or have been injured. It reduces the risk of infection.”
“Thank ye, Edna,” Cailin said politely.
“I’ll find you a clean plaid as well.” With that, Edna left him alone in the strange chamber, where he continued examining everything – turning the lights off and on, the water off and on, and flushing the toilet repeatedly. He watched as the water swirled down through the strange item and thought what a wondrous thing it would be, to have this at Breaghacraig.
He turned the shower on once more and the hot water began to fill the room with steam. He dropped his shirt and plaid onto the floor, opened the glass door, and cautiously stepped inside.
He thought he had died and gone to heaven. The hot water felt amazing on his body, so wonderful that he merely stood and let it flow over him for quite a while. The soap was different from what he was used to and it had an unusual, but most pleasant scent.
Next, he tried the shampoo, squeezing some onto the palm of his hand, as Edna had explained. He rubbed it through his long hair, discovering he liked it. Much easier than the soap, which he usually used to clean his hair. It smelled flowery, but he couldnae recognize the scent. It certainly made a generous amount of suds. He rinsed his hair and then turned off the water, regretful of leaving this magical chamber, but eager to get back to Ashley. He discovered the towels were thick and soft and he wrapped one around his waist before peeking into Ashley’s chamber. Dr. Donaldson was packing items into a satchel of some description and talking to Edna, who glanced up and noticed Cailin’s appearance.
“I hope you won’t mind wearing a Campbell plaid, Cailin, it’s all I have. I’ll get yours cleaned and back to you as soon as possible.” Cailin was embarrassed when Edna gave him an appreciative once over, before handing him the folded plaid. “I’m not sure if the shirt will fit you, I think it’s going to be a bit small. Try this t-shirt instead.”
Cailin took the clothing and thanked her.
“We’re going to take Ashley to the emergency room at the hospital a few towns over so they can set her arm.” Dr. Donaldson explained. “An ambulance will arrive shortly, so you’d best get dressed quickly if you want to go with her.”
“Aye. Will Ashley be alright, then?” he asked worriedly, glancing at her still form.
