The Highlander Series(54)
Her brow crinkled about the time pain stabbed through her side as if someone had prodded her with a hot iron. She clutched at her side and bobbled, but the laird caught her by the shoulders with gentle hands.
“But why? Surely you can’t …” She leaned forward and whispered urgently, “ ’Tis not the time for loving, Ewan. ’Tis broad daylight. Why, it isn’t much past the noon hour.”
He ignored her and then leaned forward and plucked her right off the ground. She landed with a thud against him, which sent another shard of pain through her side. She gasped and the world went a little watery as tears welled in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, lass,” he said gruffly. “I did not mean to hurt you.”
Perhaps it wasn’t a bad idea that he was taking her up to their chamber because it was God’s truth she was suddenly so tired that it was quite a task to keep her eyes open.
“If you would stop your shouting, I could go to sleep,” she said crossly.
“Nay, lass, don’t go to sleep. Not yet. I need you to stay awake until I can assess your injuries.”
He then shouted again, this time for someone to fetch the healer. Healer? She didn’t need a healer. What she needed was a nice long nap. And she told the laird so.
He ignored her and carried her into their chamber, where he laid her on the bed. She was prepared to close her eyes when he began tugging at her clothing.
Her eyes flew open and she smacked his hands. “What are you doing?”
Ewan looked grim as he stared down at her. “You’ve been hurt. Now let me take your clothing off so I can see where.”
She blinked. “Hurt?” Well, actually, there was a bad pain in her side.
“The arrow must have hit you,” he said. “There was blood on the ground where you stood. Do you hurt anywhere?”
“My side. It does ache something fierce, now that you mention it.”
When he moved his fingers up her side, she let out a whimper. He grimaced. “Bear with me. I’m sorry, but I have to see what we’re dealing with here.”
He took a knife from his belt and sliced a large opening in the side of her dress.
“You’re forever ruining my clothing,” she said mournfully. “Before long, I’ll have nothing to wear but my nightdress.”
“I’ll have a new dress fashioned for you,” he muttered.
That cheered her considerably as he made quick work of her clothing with his knife.
He rolled her to the side that wasn’t hurting and she felt him tense against her.
“Ah, lass, you’ve gone and gotten yourself shot by an arrow.”
She went rigid. And then she sputtered. “Gotten myself shot? More like one of your men shot me. I’d like to know who it is. I’ve a mind to take one of Gertie’s pots to his backside.”
Ewan chuckled. “ ’Tis not so bad, but you’re still bleeding. You’ll need stitching.”
She went completely still. “Ewan?”
“Aye, lass?”
“Don’t let them take a needle to me. Please. You said it wasn’t so bad. Can’t you clean it and bandage it?”
She hated the pleading in her voice. She sounded weak and silly, but the idea of a needle being plunged into her flesh was worse than an arrow slicing through her skin.
Ewan pressed his mouth to her shoulder and kept it there for a long moment. “I’m sorry, lass, but it has to be done. The cut is too deep and too open for bandaging. The wound needs to be cleaned and closed.”
“Will you … Will you stay with me?”
He stroked his hand down her arm and then back up and over her shoulder to her cheek. He pushed her hair away from her face and then his hand cupped her nape.
“I’ll be here, Mairin.”
CHAPTER 19
“What do you mean the healer isn’t here?” Ewan asked in disbelief.
Cormac had no love for telling his laird that the healer couldn’t be fetched. The dread was there to read on his face.
“Find our healer and bring her here,” Ewan said through clenched teeth.
“I cannot, Laird,” Cormac said with a heavy sigh. “The MacLaurens lost their healer and Lorna went to help deliver the laird’s babe. You gave her permission yourself.”
Ewan blew out his breath in frustration. Of course he had. Lorna was a skilled midwife and MacLauren had sent a frantic appeal to Ewan for help when his laboring wife had failed to bring forth a babe in a timely manner. At the time, he’d considered that if any of the McCabes needed the services of a healer, he himself would tend to the need.
Only now his wife needed stitching and it was God’s truth he had no liking for the chore.