it soon became apparent that her patient was delirious. When she tried to anchor his flailing arms, he fought her. Even in his weakened state, his strength was great, and Kate couldn't subdue him.
"Fire!" he cried hoarsely. "Jesus Christ, it's on fire!"
Kate caught his arm as it swung upward and strained with all her power to hold it back down on the bed. "Mr.
McGovern, please. You're dreaming."
"Get out," he rasped. "Jump to me, for God's sake!"
Swinging with his free arm, McGovern caught Kate alongside the head with his wrist. The blow left her blinking away black spots. Left with no alternative, she threw her body across the man's chest so she could bring her weight into play. It wasn't enough. Tempered by years of doing heavy farm work, he threw her off as if she weighted no more than a child. She landed rump first on the floor, several feet from the bed. Pain shot from her abused tailbone up her spine.
She realized that her patient was now sitting up and looking as if he intended to stand. Kate scrambled to her feet.
She had just started toward him when Marcus Stone reentered the bedroom.
"Help me," she cried. "He's out of his head with fever."
The hired hand quickly stowed the bucket of dirt near the door and dashed to assist. Between the two of them, they wrestled McGovern to his back. Using the leftover linen that Kate had torn into strips for tourniquets, Marcus secured his boss's wrists to slats in the headboard, his ankles to the footboard.
"Snakes!" McGovern cried. "Jesus Christ Almighty…"
The horror in his voice was so real and he sounded so lucid that Kate cast a frantic glance around, almost expecting to see rattlers in the bedroom. McGovern strained against the bindings that held his arms. She knew that in his mind, he was back inside the well, surrounded by vipers. The terror she read in his glazed, hazel eyes tore at her. Until that instant, she hadn't truly realized what it had cost him to go into that well after her daughter.
He gave one last violent pull against the bindings, the veins in his neck and face bulging with the strain. A trickle of blood came from his nose, and when he finally threw back his head in defeat, Kate saw watery pinkness streaming from his eyes.
"Oh, dear God."
Marcus Stone made an inarticulate sound that bespoke the shock he felt.
"It's one of the symptoms," Kate hastened to assure him. "Doc warned me. The venom thins the blood." She scooted closer and used a strip of unused linen to wipe her patient's face. "Oh, Mr. McGovern. There are no snakes. Shhhh." Kate smoothed damp waves of dark hair from his brow. "It's all right. There are no snakes."
Still winded from the struggle, Marcus Stone stood by the bed. "It might help if you called him by his first name."
"Zachariah," she said softly. "It's all right. Truly it is. You're out of the well and safe now."
The soothing tone of her voice seemed to have the desired effect. The tension eased from McGovern's body, and after a moment, he closed his eyes. Kate pushed wearily to her feet.
Concerned, Marcus asked, "You okay? Looks like he thumped you a good one."
With a nod, Kate straightened her bodice and skirt. "It's him I'm worried about. He's burning up."
Marcus touched a hand to his boss's forehead. "Ain't he just. We gotta cool him down."
Stone had no sooner spoken than McGovern suddenly arched off the bed. His body began to jerk. For a moment, Kate just stood there, frozen and mindless. The clacking and grinding of McGovern's teeth finally jerked her back to her senses. "Oh, lands, he's being taken with fits."
Marcus raced from the room. Moments later, he returned with a galvanized basin from the kitchen, which he had filled with water. Tearing back the sheet, he began wringing a wet rag over his boss's body. Kate had a vague impression of long, muscular limbs spread-eagled on the bed, of a torso roped with muscle, and of—
She jerked her gaze from the dusky juncture of McGovern's thighs. A body was just
"Fire!" he cried hoarsely. "Jesus Christ, it's on fire!"
Kate caught his arm as it swung upward and strained with all her power to hold it back down on the bed. "Mr.
McGovern, please. You're dreaming."
"Get out," he rasped. "Jump to me, for God's sake!"
Swinging with his free arm, McGovern caught Kate alongside the head with his wrist. The blow left her blinking away black spots. Left with no alternative, she threw her body across the man's chest so she could bring her weight into play. It wasn't enough. Tempered by years of doing heavy farm work, he threw her off as if she weighted no more than a child. She landed rump first on the floor, several feet from the bed. Pain shot from her abused tailbone up her spine.
She realized that her patient was now sitting up and looking as if he intended to stand. Kate scrambled to her feet.
She had just started toward him when Marcus Stone reentered the bedroom.
"Help me," she cried. "He's out of his head with fever."
The hired hand quickly stowed the bucket of dirt near the door and dashed to assist. Between the two of them, they wrestled McGovern to his back. Using the leftover linen that Kate had torn into strips for tourniquets, Marcus secured his boss's wrists to slats in the headboard, his ankles to the footboard.
"Snakes!" McGovern cried. "Jesus Christ Almighty…"
The horror in his voice was so real and he sounded so lucid that Kate cast a frantic glance around, almost expecting to see rattlers in the bedroom. McGovern strained against the bindings that held his arms. She knew that in his mind, he was back inside the well, surrounded by vipers. The terror she read in his glazed, hazel eyes tore at her. Until that instant, she hadn't truly realized what it had cost him to go into that well after her daughter.
He gave one last violent pull against the bindings, the veins in his neck and face bulging with the strain. A trickle of blood came from his nose, and when he finally threw back his head in defeat, Kate saw watery pinkness streaming from his eyes.
"Oh, dear God."
Marcus Stone made an inarticulate sound that bespoke the shock he felt.
"It's one of the symptoms," Kate hastened to assure him. "Doc warned me. The venom thins the blood." She scooted closer and used a strip of unused linen to wipe her patient's face. "Oh, Mr. McGovern. There are no snakes. Shhhh." Kate smoothed damp waves of dark hair from his brow. "It's all right. There are no snakes."
Still winded from the struggle, Marcus Stone stood by the bed. "It might help if you called him by his first name."
"Zachariah," she said softly. "It's all right. Truly it is. You're out of the well and safe now."
The soothing tone of her voice seemed to have the desired effect. The tension eased from McGovern's body, and after a moment, he closed his eyes. Kate pushed wearily to her feet.
Concerned, Marcus asked, "You okay? Looks like he thumped you a good one."
With a nod, Kate straightened her bodice and skirt. "It's him I'm worried about. He's burning up."
Marcus touched a hand to his boss's forehead. "Ain't he just. We gotta cool him down."
Stone had no sooner spoken than McGovern suddenly arched off the bed. His body began to jerk. For a moment, Kate just stood there, frozen and mindless. The clacking and grinding of McGovern's teeth finally jerked her back to her senses. "Oh, lands, he's being taken with fits."
Marcus raced from the room. Moments later, he returned with a galvanized basin from the kitchen, which he had filled with water. Tearing back the sheet, he began wringing a wet rag over his boss's body. Kate had a vague impression of long, muscular limbs spread-eagled on the bed, of a torso roped with muscle, and of—
She jerked her gaze from the dusky juncture of McGovern's thighs. A body was just
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