Never Never by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

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    S arah was the first to see Gavin ride up with Declan’s limp body in his arms. The gossip had spread like a prairie fire up and down the little wagon train.
    Everyone knew Declan had gotten lost. The fact that they’d brought him back was not a consolation to Sarah. She assumed they’d find him.
    In what condition was the question.
    Fiona cantered to Sarah’s wagon and dismounted, tossing her reins to one of the women in the back.
    â€œWhat do you need, Fi?” Sarah called.
    â€œSome place to lay him,” Fi said as she ran to the back of the wagon and began helping the children out of it.
    Sarah wrapped the reins around the brake and jumped down from the seat. By the time she reached Fiona, Mike had arrived and was easing Declan out of Gavin’s arms and onto the ground.
    There was so much blood down the front of Declan it looked like his chest had exploded.
    No way , Sarah thought, as she watched Declan feebly try to sit up. No way he’ll survive this .
    Fiona was all business now. She climbed into the back of the wagon to lay out bedding. Several of the other people in the group had walked from the front of the line.
    â€œMove back. Give him room,” Mike said. He and Gavin slid a blanket under Declan and lifted him up between them and onto the wagon. Sarah saw that Mike’s shirt was nearly as bloody as Declan’s. She’d hear all about it later. The woods were full of murderers and cutthroats. The wonder wasn’t that one of their party was attacked but that it hadn’t happened sooner.
    Sarah climbed into the wagon with Fiona and pried the first aid kit out from behind the driver’s seat where she’d packed it. Siobhan watched the goings on from the comforting arms of one of the compound women. Sarah knelt next to Declan and squeezed his hand.
    â€œHey, Dec,” she said, forcing herself not to grimace at how white he looked. He squeezed her hand in return.
    â€œI got the bleeding stopped,” Fiona said breathlessly. “It’s why it took us so long.”
    Sarah peeled away the wadded up sweatshirt Fi had used for padding on Declan’s chest. The bleeding had definitely stopped, thank God. And the wound itself looked shallow enough.
    â€œHand me that bandage, will you?”
    So why does he look like he’s at death’s door?
    â€œIs this the only injury?” Sarah asked.
    Fiona looked at her, her eyes showing panic.
    â€œYou think there has to be another explanation for why he looks like this?” she asked.
    Sarah glanced up at Gavin where he sat on his horse. The patch across the front of his jeans where he’d held Declan was bright red.
    Shit .
    Sarah slid a hand between the blanket and Declan’s back. His eyes fluttered back into his head and he moaned.
    â€œHelp me move him to his side.”
    â€œIt’s his front where he’s hurt,” Fiona said but she pulled on Declan’s arm as Sarah shifted his hip toward her.
    He lay in a pool of gore.
    â€œOh, Sarah,” Fiona whispered. “Oh, please do something.”
    â€œOkay, calm down,” Sarah said, her mind racing. This was well beyond her experience level.
    He’d lost a lot of blood—was still losing a lot of blood—from the back wound. She reached for another wad of padding. It wasn’t clean but it would have to do. She had to stop the bleeding. She’d worry about infection later. She bound the padding to his back and tied it securely with a cloth belt. Declan had passed out which Sarah hoped wasn’t a bad sign. But it probably wasn’t good.
    â€œDid you talk to him?” Sarah asked.
    Fiona’s eyes brimmed with tears as she stared at Declan’s face in repose.
    â€œHe said two men stabbed him with his own knife.”
    â€œJust the once?”
    â€œI…he didn’t mention more than one time.”
    â€œOkay. I want to clean it and see how bad it is but I need to wash up