The Ghosts of Aquinnah by Julie Flanders Page A

wanted to say he had no doubt of that, but he didn’t trust his voice to speak. He cringed and let out a soft moan as Stella straightened his arm to run her cloth around his elbow.
    “ I’m sorry,” she said. “I know it hurts.”
    Within seconds, she finished and bent Christopher’s arm back into its set position. He clutched it to his chest as she used a towel to dry him off.
    Stella got up from the bed and pulled a clean shirt from the pile of clothes Mr. Mayhew had given her for Christopher. She held up the white wool shirt in front of her.
    “ This looks like it should fit you, don’t you think?”
    Christopher nodded.
    Stella returned to the bed and pulled the shirt over Christopher’s head. He braced himself for another shot of pain as Stella pulled his broken arm through the sleeve, and then quickly finished putting the shirt on himself, using his good hand to fasten the small row of buttons at the collar.
    “ I still need to clean that wound on your hand,” Stella said.
    She got up from the bed, took a fresh cloth from the dresser, and poured hot steaming water into a new bowl. Sitting down again, she took Christopher’s wrapped hand in her own and gently removed the bandage her husband had used to cover the wound.
    “ Do you remember how you got this wound?” she asked.
    “ I think it was from hanging on the rigging. I remember the cords cutting into my hand.”
    The gash was deep and oozing pus, and the skin around the wound was red and hot to the touch. Stella washed the wound and cleaned Christopher’s hand, then reached for a small bottle of iodine on the dresser.
    “ This will sting,” she said as she put the orange liquid on the gaping wound.
    “ I don’t mind,” Christopher said. “Compared to the arm, it’s nothing.”
    Stella smiled and placed the medicine bottle back on the table. “Let me bandage this up again now.”
    She expertly wrapped the clean bandages around the wound and patted Christopher’s hand when she had finished. She glanced back up at him and blushed again from the intensity of his stare.
    “ You’re staring at me, Mr. Casey,” she said.
    Now it was Christopher’s turn to blush. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m just grateful to you is all. For helping me.”
    She smiled again and got up from the bed. “Just one more thing to do.” She picked up the fresh sling and folded it into a triangle.
    “ We need to keep that arm tight to your chest.” She placed the sling around Christopher’s arm and tied it around his neck. “How’s that feel?”
    “ Much better,” Christopher said. “Thank you.”
    Stella glanced down at the tattered trousers Christopher still wore. “I can help you wash…”
    Christopher cleared his throat. “No, no, I can do it, thank you.” He raised his right arm. “I’ve still got one arm and hand to use.”
    Stella nodded and stood up from the bed. “I’ll give you your privacy then. Once you’re finished, you should try to get some more rest. Mrs. Mayhew or I will bring you your lunch later. And I’ll get to the mending too.”
    “ Thank you.”
    Christopher watched Stella leave the room and could feel his cheeks burning as he remembered her running the warm cloth over his chest. He couldn’t deny that he hoped Mrs. Mayhew would not be the one to bring him his lunch.
     
    ****
     
    “ The snow looks to be done now,” Mrs. Mayhew said as she set a plate of fish and a bowl of bread on the table. “Josiah should be able to get back up here soon I imagine.”
    “ I hope so,” Stella said, plastering a smile on her face that she hoped didn’t betray her real feelings. She was grateful for every hour that passed before her husband made his inevitable return.
    “ Where’s Mr. Mayhew today, ma’am?” Christopher asked as he took a slice of hot bread from the bowl. With Stella’s help, he’d managed to come to the kitchen for lunch. It was a thrill to finally be out of bed and moving again. And it was a relief to be