Harnessed Passions (28 page)

"Is she..." Dourn looked pale as he knelt
beside his employer, yet strangely calm. Daniel shook his head.

"She's alive, but barely. Help me get her
up." They lifted Julia out of the thick tangle of branches and laid
her gently to the dry grass behind them. Daniel could hear her
breathing, but she sounded as though she was gargling. He rolled
her over to her stomach and began pushing firmly on her back,
praying silently.

Dourn watched as water spilled from her
mouth and nose, a soft cough escaping from the unconscious woman’s
throat. It seemed rather barbaric but affective as Daniel continued
to push on her back until the water turned to bile. As gently as he
could, he picked her up in arms that felt as weak as a baby’s,
cradling her to his chest. He carried her to his horse and handed
her gently to Dourn to hold until he secured his seat in the
saddle.

"Get back to the house and send for the
doctor, then tell Thompson to get her bed ready." He took Julia's
lifeless body from the man and slowly turned the horse back toward
the house. A few seconds later, Dourn raced past them running his
mare at top speed back to the stables. Daniel held Julia tight,
pleading with her softly to hold on and not leave him. He never
felt so guilty in his whole life, as he did at this very moment. He
blamed himself for her being in this condition. If he hadn't argued
with her, if he had just kept his end of the bargain, none of this
would have happened.

Daniel vowed softly, never again to allow
his emotions to interfere in his decisions. If only she would be
alright, he would promise to never come near her again if that was
what she wanted. He would never touch her, or kiss her, or try to
make love to her, no matter how impossible the task seemed. He
would keep his promise to her and keep his distance from their
marriage bed.

Julia moaned very softly, coughing weakly
against the leather jacket Daniel was pulling around her shoulders.
He held her close, listening to her weak breathing until they
finally arrived home. Thompson hurried out the front door, taking
Julia long enough for Daniel to climb off Roustabout’s back then
took his wife once again in his arms and carried her into the old
mansion. He began barking orders as he hurried to the den where the
old butler insisted she be taken.

Louise followed behind, watching as Daniel
lay her daughter’s wet, lifeless body on the sofa. She felt faint
as horror gripped her heart and soul, but quickly regained her
composure when Jeremy came rushing down the stairs with an arm load
of blankets joined by Mrs. Lester who brought some dry clothes for
Julia.

Julia began to shake, though Daniel wasn’t
sure if it was from her wet clothes or the events that led up to
her having them. A moment later, Bridget arrived with a pan of warm
water and sat it on the small table next to Julia's head. Daniel
began wiping away the dried blood from her forehead with a damp rag
before moving aside to allow Louise to administer salve to her
wound and a bandage to cover it up.

Daniel sat back on the edge of the sofa,
touching Julia’s cold face, gently whispering her name but getting
no more of an answer than he had at the pond. He ignored everyone
around him, as he quickly towel dried her long hair and began
stripping off her wet clothes. Jeremy and Thompson stepped out into
the hall, allowing Daniel the privacy he needed to ease his wife
gently into a dry flannel nightgown.

Louise, now recovered from thinking her
daughter dead, sat in a chair next to the sofa, silently praying.
She glanced to the young man who doted over the unconscious woman
and sniffed back the tears that slowly slid down her cheeks. She
knew the horror that came with the thoughts of death; she knew how
it felt yet couldn't think of anything comforting to say.

"Why don't you go get into some dry
clothes?" she finally said, whispering softly as though afraid to
wake Julia. Daniel stared at the woman with a frown creasing his
brow and shook his head.

"I’m not leaving her," he insisted.

"You can go," Mrs. Lester spoke up, tucking
in a third blanket around Julia's legs and arms. "We'll stay with
her. She'll be fine." Daniel rarely talked back to the older woman
knowing he could never win an argument with her, but this time he
felt strong enough to compete. Leaving Julia right now was just too
difficult; he had to stay with her, no matter what the outcome may
be.

"I said I’m not leaving her," he answered at
last, his tone warning everyone near not to push his stance as the
door opened and Jeremy stepped back into the room.

Several silent minutes passed by, then an
hour and Daniel found waiting for the doctor to arrive was harder
than wondering how bad Julia really was. The more he paced the
room, the worse the waiting got. He felt like a caged animal,
feeling the tight confinements of the room closing in around him.
The night slowly wore on and he couldn’t help but look at the clock
again; half past one o’clock. Maybe Dourn hadn’t made it to town,
maybe he wasn’t able to locate the doctor, he thought with a deep
frown.

Daniel stretched his neck as he sat back on
the sofa next to his wife, counting the seconds with a soft growl.
The ticking of the old grandfather clock in the hall combined with
the crackle of the fire in the fireplace and the soft uneven
breathing of his wife was making the wait seem impossible.

"For heaven's sake, will you please sit
down?" Louise insisted as he again began to walk the room. Watching
Daniel's constant pacing back and forth was only making the
situation worse and was quickly wearing on her nerves.

"Where the hell is he?" Daniel snapped,
looking back to Julia. "He should have been here hours ago."

"Wearing out the carpet isn't going to get
him here any faster," Mrs. Lester added from her perch in the chair
next to Louise’s, feeling the same irritation her employer was
struggling with. "Why don't we move her upstairs. Perhaps she'll
rest better in her own bed." Daniel narrowed his gaze on the older
woman.

"Why don't you just go..."

"Daniel!" Louise interrupted, forcing the
man to leave his suggestion unfinished, watching as he ran his
hands through his long hair. "It's going to be a long night. Why
don't we all just try and get through this with as much dignity as
possible. Mrs. Lester, I think the doctor will want some coffee
when he gets here and I know I could use a cup. Please make a fresh
pot and have Bridget help make some food."

Mrs. Lester knew there was enough coffee
made up to feed the small army of stable hands lingering on the
front porch, and Bridget had already taken care of preparing
sandwiches, but having something to do made the situation feel less
tense and she quickly did as ordered.

Daniel looked back to Louise, then to Julia.
He had to get out of there; seeing her like this was killing him.
He blamed himself for her again for her being at death's door; if
only…he thought silently. He leaned down next to Julia kissing her
gently on the forehead, before heading to the door. He turned back
around, looking at the pale flesh covering her delicate face and
frowned. Louise smiled at the man, sympathy etched on her aging
features. Daniel cleared his throat softly and looked back to the
exit.

"I'll go check on the horses," he said,
knowing the stable hands had more than likely already bedded
Biscuit and Roustabout down for the night. "Let me know when the
doctor gets here." Louise nodded softly, knowing the man had no
intention of going to the stables. He needed some air and a few
minutes to collect his emotions, before being confronted with the
facts of his wife's condition.

Daniel walked alone in the moonlit night,
trying to regain his composure. He was angry, frustrated and tired
and it was beginning to play on his nerves. After spending the
entire day at the stables, then the argument with Julia and the
lack of supper made for a very long night. He glanced down the path
to the stables and briefly remembered his excuse. He thought about
going down and making sure Biscuit and his own stallion had been
cared for, but it really didn't seem all that important. His
concerns weren't with the stables, or the horses, or their
condition. His worries lay inside, with his wife.

The images of Julia laying beneath him,
panting and moaning as he explored her delicate body made his eyes
cloud over with unshed tears. He tried to block out the feelings of
guilt, of self-persecution, but it just didn't work. He knew it was
his fault; Julia was lying in that room fighting for her life
because he couldn’t stay clear of her as he promised. His mind kept
playing with the images of finding her unconscious and soaking wet
by the pond, over and over. The feelings of terror raced through
his soul as he thought of how fragile and helpless she looked.

It was at that moment, as Daniel walked
along in silence listening to the crickets and the owl in the old
oak tree out front, that he realized the truth. A knot formed deep
in his gut, as the thought began to take hold.

He was in love with his wife; not the
weekend or evening type of love but the whole heart wrenching, soul
splitting kind of love. He had loved her since the first moment he
laid eyes on her; her stubbornness, her temper, her long beautiful
hair, even her fear of loving him all added up to the reason his
heart beat. He would never be able to live, if she died.

That thought took over the lump in his
stomach, making the feeling of surprise and confusion turn to
nauseous horror. He turned on his heels and headed back to the
house. There was no way in hell he was going to lose her; not after
all he'd just realized. He loved Julia and he was damn well going
to keep her alive until he had the chance to tell her so.

The doctor arrived shortly after five the
next morning to find Julia lying beneath a tower of blankets,
encasing her in the warmth of her own bed. Daniel had moved her
upstairs just before dawn and now sat in a chair next to his young
wife, speaking to her so gently the words were inaudible, only the
tenderness in his tone a witness to his words. Julia’s breathing
was labored and she suffered from frequent bouts of shaking and a
fever that seemed to be getting higher as time passed.

She had managed to stay alive throughout the
long hours of the night, a miracle in itself, or so Dr. Stewart
insisted who rubbed the grey stubble on his chin and yawned
unconsciously as he walked into the room. He ignored the irritation
on Daniel’s face as he approached the unconscious woman.

"Where the hell have you been?" Daniel
demanded, losing the control over of his pent up emotions.

"I was delivering a baby," the old man
explained, unaffected by his temper. "I couldn't exactly tell the
mother to hold on while I came out here, now could I?" Daniel
understood the doctor’s reasons, but it didn't make the situation
any easier. Julia was still unconscious and could have easily died
waiting for the damn fool!

"Well now that you are here, take care of my
wife."

"I'll be happy to just as soon as you move
so I can get near her. I can't examine her by telegraph, son." The
old man made Daniel's temper rise with his attitude of common
place, but Louise quickly stepped up behind Daniel and laid a
reassuring hand on his broad shoulder.

"Come on Daniel," she insisted. "Leave the
doctor to his job." She escorted her son-in-law out of the room and
into the hallway. “I’ll stay with her, you go get some coffee.”
Louise closed the door to him before he had the chance to say
another word.

Daniel paced the long narrow hallway with
Jeremy; glaring at the closed door. Neither one wanted any more
coffee; they felt like they’d had enough to launch a ship. Anger,
frustration and confusion all played havoc on their weary minds as
each shuffle of their feet on the carpet echoed through the
stillness. Daniel couldn’t stop thinking of Julia; her small weak
body, her pale face, her soul wrenching gasps for air. The fear was
mounting and he wanted to do was go to her, embrace her and cradle
her in his arms, but that old man wouldn't let him near her!

Harold and Margie arrived a few minutes
after the doctor had, making the wait unbearably worse. They
insisted that Daniel and Jeremy join them downstairs and
practically drug them down into the dining room while Mrs. Lester
took Harrison and Maggie and put them to bed in her room. The old
grandfather clock in the entry ticked by the seconds and Daniel
growled at the soft noise. It had only been twenty minutes since
the doctor arrived and that was enough to aggravate his already raw
nerves.

"What the hell's taking so long?" Daniel
demanded, looking up the long flight of stairs in the foyer. The
others had taken up seats around the table, watching as Daniel
began pacing back and forth again.

"Just calm down Daniel," Harold began
softly. "He'll let you know when he's done. You know the old
saying, 'no news is good news'."

"What the hell do you know about it?"
Daniel's voice rang through the quite house. His anger was full
blown and on the verge of eruption, and unfortunately his best
friend just happened to be his nearest victim. "That's my wife up
there damn it! I have a right to be with her."

"Daniel quit shouting," Margie insisted
firmly, walking over to him and stopping his pacing with a hand on
his shoulder. "Julia is in good hands. You have to trust Dr.
Stewart."

Daniel was about to snap a snide remark to
the woman when the sound of a door opened upstairs and Louise
appeared, hurrying down the steps followed close behind by Bridget.
The young maid ran down the hall towards the kitchen as Louise
stepped into the dining room.

"Well?" he demanded, anger still etching his
tone.