As the Sparks Fly Upward (34 page)

“I thought you were at the hospital,” Heather said coldly.

“No,” Twyla said. “I've finished my work with Dr. Teague.”

“Where is Lady Eden?”

“She's exhausted. I sent her to bed.”

Heather came over and glared at Twyla, saying, “You may as well go home.”

“I think I should stay here.”

“You don't think I'm capable of caring for my husband?” Heather's voice grew shrill. “It's time for you to go from this place. You take care of Dr. Teague and his patients. I'll take care of my husband.”

Twyla had no answer for that. She knew that Heather had no real love for Adam, but there was nothing she could do about that. She got up and left the room, and Heather glared after her.

Heather went over and looked at Adam. There was something inscrutable in her eyes. She stayed only for a short time, then ordered one of the servants to come and sit with her husband.

Twyla looked up and saw Colin. She thought of how she'd felt when he had kissed her before he left and wondered if he had
thought of her. He came to her with a smile and took her hands in his. “I'm so glad to see you, Twyla! I missed you more than I thought I could miss anyone!”

“Colin! When did you get here?”

“Just this morning. I've been with Walsingham.” He studied her face and said, “You look exhausted, Twyla. Are you not getting enough sleep?”

“I'm fine. How did your mission go?”

“Sit down and I'll tell you.” They sat down in the two chairs in her room, and she smiled as he explained how successful the mission had been.

“I'm so glad. And the queen will be most happy.”

“Yes, I suppose so. But I'm worried about Adam. He's no better?”

“I think he's worse.”

The two sat talking for a moment. Then he said, “Come with me. I need to see him.”

Twyla walked him down the hallway that led to the room where Adam was lying. Colin went to him at once and put his hand on Adam's wrist to feel his pulse, then leaned down and listened to his heart. “He looks bad. I can't understand why he's still not regained consciousness, nor can Dr. Teague, but I can see—”

Heather entered the room at that moment and said warmly, “Colin, I'm glad you're back.”

“Good to see you again, Heather, but Adam looks worse.”

“He
is
worse. It's frightening how he's going downhill.” She turned and said, “Twyla, I told you you can go to bed. I can take care of Adam.”

At once Colin said, “No, I want her to stay.” Heather gave a startled look at Colin, then shrugged, saying stiffly, “It's your house.” She cast a hard look at Twyla, then turned and left the room.

“She hates me,” Twyla said.

“Oh, surely not.”

“Yes, she does.”

He didn't argue, but said, “You must stay. I—I need you.”

Twyla dropped her head. “You'll never see me as anything but a servant.”

“That's not true! I never thought of you like that.”

“You're blind to what Heather is.”

Colin suddenly had difficulty answering. “She's not as bad as you think.”

“You're blind, Colin! I'm leaving!” She left the room, her eyes full of hot tears, and bit her lips to hold back the sobs.

Eden had arrived earlier and greeted Colin joyfully. Now she came in to find him slumped in a chair beside Adam's bed. She said at once, “You shouldn't have let Twyla go. We need her here.”

“Heather is upset with Twyla. I don't know why.”

“I could tell you, but you wouldn't listen.”

“Of course I'll listen! I've always listened to you.”

“That young woman is finer than you know. You've never appreciated her the way she deserves.”

“I have always admired her. Her work is—”

“I'm not talking about her
work
, Colin. I'm talking about Twyla as a woman.” She saw that Colin was confused. “I'm going to beg her to come back, Colin, but really you should do it.”

“You're right, Mother. I'll go myself.”

“Very good, but go now!”

Colin was shocked at his mother's insistence. “All right, but first let me tell you what I think about Adam.”

“He's worse. I can see that.”

“All the way back on the ship, even before that, I was praying for God to show us what is wrong with him. We simply don't know. He had wounds, but they seem to be healing.
Unless we find out what the problem is, we can't do anything for him. Will you pray with me, Mother, that God will give us the answer?”

“Of course I will!”

The two prayed. Colin's eyes clouded with concern as he left his mother watching over Adam.

“Twyla, I want you to come back. I need you desperately.”

Twyla had been surprised when Colin had come to her house. He had asked her right away to return, and there was such an insistence in him, something so profound in his request, that she couldn't find it in her heart to say no. “Heather won't like it,” she warned.

“Everyone else will. Mother and I have been praying that we will find a diagnosis. We have to find out what's wrong with Adam or he'll die.”

“I'll pray with you, Colin.”

“Good! God won't let us down.”

The room was dark when Colin awoke, and he realized that it was the middle of the night. He had been awakened as abruptly as if someone had shaken him. Now he sat bolt upright and swung his feet off the bed. The floor was freezing, but he paid no attention. He put on his heavy socks, dressed quickly, then went down the hallway to the room where Adam lay. Twyla was there, and she stood at once. “What are you doing up this time of night, Colin?”

There was a hint of wonder in Colin's voice, though his words sounded unsteady: “I—I think God has answered a prayer.”

“What prayer, Colin?”

“The prayer that we'd find out what's wrong with Adam.”

“You mean God spoke to you?”

“Not with a physical voice. I was half asleep, going over and
over again all of Adam's symptoms. We checked every one of them—except one.”

Twyla had excitement in her voice as she asked, “Which one was that?”

“I must look at the wound in his head.” Colin moved over to where Adam lay on the bed. He leaned over and parted Adam's thick hair, then exclaimed, “Here!” There was excitement in his voice. “Look at this, Twyla!” He waited until she leaned over, then said, “You see? There's an indentation in here. Very slight, but it's there. Here, feel it.”

Twyla reached out and ran her hand over Adam's skull. “It does sink in, doesn't it? What does that mean?”

“It means that it's something I should've thought of before. He had several severe wounds in his side and chest, and we were looking at them, making sure they didn't get infected. When Teague and I examined him, the other wounds were so severe, we missed it.”

“I still don't understand. What does it mean?”

“I think Adam's skull has been broken. If he has bone splinters penetrating the brain, those could be causing his coma. If we can get the splinters out, he could be as good as new.”

“Oh, Colin, that would be wonderful!” Twyla exclaimed. “When can you do it?”

“Right away. I'll send for Teague, and the two of us can operate immediately. Adam's failing fast, so it's a fight against time. I'll send for him at once!” He hesitated, then said, “I'll go tell Heather we're going to do surgery on Adam.”

He found Heather and said, “We've got to operate on Adam.” He explained why it was necessary, and she merely stared at him and said, “I don't think he'll live.”

“I'm praying he will.” He turned and left, not seeing the coldness of her face.

“This is a job for steadier hands than mine,” Teague said. “I've done this surgery twice, and both times the patient died.”

“This one won't,” Colin said at once. They were standing over the still form of Adam, and the morning sunlight was streaming in, offering plenty of illumination. Twyla was standing back, her eyes wide with wonder.

“His color is worse, and his breathing is shallower than it's ever been,” Teague said.

“It'll be better once we remove the pressure. Here, I have several plates.” He held up several shiny disks. Teague studied them and Colin said, “I had the blacksmith hammer out silver coins.”

“He did a good job of it.”

“What are they for?” Twyla asked.

Colin turned and said, “We have to cut into the skin to expose the skull, then remove the splinters. Afterward we have to protect the brain where the injury occurred, so we will put one of these over the skull and sew up the scalp over it. It'll be a weak spot. He mustn't ever take a blow there. But I'm confident it will work.”

Once more Colin and Teague went over their preparations for surgery. They had fastened Adam firmly to the table, especially his head.

“Why do you have to tie his head down like that?” Twyla asked.

“Because it'll be a very delicate surgery. He mustn't move at all. In a way he is fortunate that he's in a coma,” Teague said. “He won't feel anything.”

“Let's do it quickly,” Colin said. He moved to the head of the table. With a scalpel, he cut the scalp and laid it down flat. “Look, Teague, it's as we thought. See, the skull was shattered, and there are tiny pieces of it pressing into the brain. We have to get it all out.”

“You'd better hurry,” Teague said.

With tweezers Colin began pulling tiny fragments of bone out, dropping them onto the dish that Twyla had placed on the table. The tension in the room was almost physical as Colin worked as quickly and carefully as he could. Teague stood by to blot away the blood. Twyla watched silently. Finally she heard Colin say, “I think that's all of them. Do you see any more, Teague?”

“It looks clean.”

“I'll put in the plate. Then will you do the sutures?”

“No, you finish up, Colin. You're doing a wonderful job.”

Colin took a curved needle threaded with gut and began to sew the flap. He moved painstakingly, taking tiny stitches. When he tied the last knot he looked up. “There, it's done.” Twyla moved closer to where she could see his face, but she didn't say a word.

“That's the finest surgery I've ever seen!” Teague exclaimed. “Look, I think his color is better already.”

“We have to watch him closely,” Colin said, “but I think he'll be fine.”

“I'll stay,” Twyla said at once.

“All right, but I'll stay with you. We must keep on praying. Adam's life is in God's hands now.”

24

January 15, 1588

“O
h God—help my brother! Save him, O Lord, for there is no other help but you!”

Colin was standing over the still figure of Adam, his face twisted with agony. It had been three days since the surgery, and both he and Teague had expected their patient to regain consciousness quickly. He had not done so; in fact he showed no significant improvement. Colin feared the surgery had done nothing to stop Adam's imminent death.

Leaning over, Colin picked up Adam's hand, holding it in both of his. Anguish filled him, and he hadn't realized how much he loved his brother until this crisis had come. For three days he had fasted and prayed, but God had been silent. At times Colin felt that there was a brass cloud over him, and his prayers couldn't get through that barricade to touch God. Colin had never felt so frustrated or helpless. It was true enough that he'd struggled with diagnoses before, but these days of crisis had been a time of pain beyond anything he'd ever imagined. In addition to Adam's crisis, Colin's heart seemed to break as he remembered how Adara had died and he had been unable to do anything.

His body ached and his mouth was dry, so when he prayed
aloud, his voice was raspy and his words seemed to get caught in his throat. “I—I can't find the words, Lord! I don't know how to speak to you. I know you love my brother, and I know that you've promised to answer prayers, so I ask you, Lord, to heal him! Don't end his life!”