Cedar Woman (27 page)

o
f
t
h
e
s
m
all,
frig
h
te
n
e
d
b
e
i
n
g
t
h
at
h
ad
p
ee
p
ed
futilely,
hu
rt,
fr
i
gh
te
n
ed

a
n
d
a
b
a
n
do
n
e
d
.
Her
tho
u
ght
ju
st
c
o
m
p
let
ed
,
Le
n
a
tur
n
ed
to
see
Nellie C
o
u
n
try
m
an
r
u
s
h
i
n
g
to
h
er
sile
n
t
m
o
t
h
er, gi
v
i
n
g
a s
m
a
l
l
cr
y
and
p
u
lli
n
g her into a
prot
e
ctive e
m
brace.

“
Mary,
it’s
go
i
n
g
to
b
e
ok
ay,”
Nellie
affi
r
m
e
d
.
Dean
h
as
g
i
v
e
n
the ho
s
pital
all
t
h
e
i
n
s
u
r
a
nce
i
n
f
o
r
m
ation.
Y
ou
k
n
o
w
t
h
ey
got
i
n
s
u
r
a
nce t
og
et
h
e
r
?
N
o
?
W
ell,
it
d
o
esn’t
m
a
t
ter,
b
eca
u
se
it’s
o
k
ay.
I’m
go
i
n
g
to s
t
ay here
w
i
th
y
ou,
a
nd Dean is
goi
n
g
to
take
Lena
to o
u
r h
o
use
f
o
r
t
h
e n
ig
h
t
.”

“
No!” Le
n
a
crie
d
,
ca
u
si
n
g Nellie to
s
p
in
toward
h
e
r in ast
on
is
h
m
e
n
t.
S
i
m
u
lta
n
eo
u
sly,
a
s
m
all
flic
k
er
of
lig
h
t a
pp
e
ared
in
Mary’s eyes.

“
I
won’t le
a
v
e
Ate!
¹⁷

Kneeli
n
g to r
e
ach Len
a
’s le
v
el, and e
m
bracing t
h
e tre
m
bling gir
l
, Nellie
d
rew
t
h
e
c
h
ild
to
h
e
r
a
m
p
le
bo
s
o
m
.
R
o
c
k
i
n
g
h
e
r
s
l
ow
ly
for
a
few

seco
nd
s
,
Nellie
cr
o
o
n
e
d
,
“It’s
all
rig
h
t,
Sweet
h
eart.
You
can
stay.
Dean will stay t
oo
, a
n
d if
y
o
u
b
ecome t
o
o
tire
d
,
he’ll ta
k
e you
t
o t
h
e
far
m
.”

Reass
u
re
d
,
Le
n
a
lea
n
ed i
n
t
o
Nellie’s
hu
g
.
Ge
n
tly
brea
k
i
ng t
h
e

e
m
brace,
a
nd
walking
to
a
plastic
m
o
lded
chair,
s
h
e
sa
t
,
placing
h
e
r ha
n
d
s
b
e
neath
her
t
h
ig
hs.

W
as
it
ho
u
rs
o
r
d
ays
t
h
at
passe
d
?
Fo
o
tste
p
s
clic
k
e
d
t
h
r
o
ugh
the wa
iti
ng
r
o
o
m
.
Je
r
k
in
g
h
e
r
n
o
w
n
od
d
in
g
head
u
p
r
i
ght
and
t
u
r
n
in
g
i
t t
o
w
a
rd
t
h
e
sou
n
d,
s
h
e
obs
e
rved
the
doctor
t
aking
her
m
o
ther
by
the
arm

and es
c
o
rting
her to one
of the
h
a
rd,
plastic
chairs.

“
M
rs.
C
a
t
che
r,
”
he
b
e
ga
n
,
“
H
i
,
I
’m Doc
t
or
G
a
ff
in
,”
re
a
ch
in
g
f
o
r Mary’s
h
a
n
d
,
a
n
d
g
e
n
tly
l
o
wering
h
er
i
n
to
t
h
e
chair,
t
h
e
d
o
ctor cont
in
u
e
d.

“
Your
hu
s
b
a
nd
is resting
fr
o
m t
h
e
sur
g
ery
and
re
m
ai
n
s
in
critical c
o
n
d
iti
o
n.”
Dr. Gaffin
p
aused
f
o
r
a
m
o
m
e
n
t,
caref
u
lly
watc
h
i
n
g
Mary’s reaction.
It
was
clear
she was
in
d
ee
p
dis
t
ress, u
n
d
e
rsta
n
d
able,
b
u
t he wan
te
d her as
calm
as
po
s
s
i
b
l
e.