Leave a Candle Burning (30 page)

Dannan went through the motions of routine. He left Corina with Iris, telling her he would be back to say goodbye, and then he took to the stairs, his mind still reeling with the events of the evening before. All of this, however, fell away the moment he saw Eli. His breathing was labored, and his eyes were closed as he lay back against the pillows. Finn had propped him up some, but he was not in his usual position.

“Mr. Peterson?” Dannan softly spoke his name. Eli answered but did not open his eyes.

“Hello, Dannan. I fear I’m getting ill.”

“I can see that,” Dannan acknowledged as he rummaged in his bag for his stethoscope and put the instrument against the older man’s chest. The sounds coming to Dannan’s ear were not encouraging.

He listened in silence for a few moments, glancing up when Scottie came to the door.

“Oh, Dannan, I didn’t realize you were here.”

“I just arrived,” the doctor answered without taking his concentration from Eli.

The door had been left open, and this time Scottie did not give them privacy. She stood in the doorway, out of the way but watching carefully. Her heart was not bolstered by Eli’s stillness or the severe look on Dannan’s face, but when her eyes met Finn’s, that man gave her a small smile.

It reminded Scottie to trust. Finn had watched Eli in this state dozens of times through the years. If he could muster a smile for her, she could keep trusting in her God.

Thirteen

“Go up,” Scottie commanded quietly to her cook. “I’ll stay with Corina.”

Iris hesitated, but Scottie could see how much she wanted to see Eli. The older woman was worried sick. Scottie wasn’t feeling at all good about Eli’s condition and didn’t want to leave his side, but she also wanted Iris to have some time upstairs. It was good to have Iris leave the kitchen without another word.

Corina was thankfully oblivious to their conversation and was quite content to move from her little table to the shelf in the buttery Iris had cleared for her and back again, talking to her doll the whole time. The little girl had been outside with Iris earlier, and Scottie knew from the droop of her small shoulders that getting her to sleep after dinner would not be an issue. Scottie thought about offering to read her a book but then realized that when Iris came down, it might delay her return to her husband’s room. Seeing how content Corina was at the moment, Scottie wasn’t willing to take the chance.

Dannan was not prepared for how swiftly Eli went downhill. He had made him as comfortable as he could manage with plans to check back at noon. In those short hours, Eli’s breathing worsened until it could be heard all over the room.

Scottie was very close, moving only when Dannan needed the position, and Finn was in his usual place. Dannan didn’t try to communicate with his patient, but he was not pleased.

“Is he coughing?” Dannan asked of Finn.

Finn gave a small shake of the head, and Dannan, aware of Scottie’s presence, didn’t comment or let his expression give him away. Eli was growing weaker by the hour, and Dannan seriously began to wonder if he might lose him.

“Mr. Peterson,” Dannan called, finally waking him. “Can you hear me?”

Eli stirred, his breathing raspy. His eyes opened slowly and spotted Finn.

“Dannan is here,” the caretaker told him.

“Dannan?” Eli rasped.

“Right here. Can you hear me?”

“Yes.”

“I need you to cough, Mr. Peterson. You’ve got to clear your lungs.”

The effort completely taxed Eli. He coughed weakly, and Dannan began to pray in earnest. This man was not going to make it if they couldn’t get him in a better position to cough.

“I want him to sit up more,” Dannan instructed Finn, and then to Scottie, “and bring a pot of strong tea with sugar, no milk.”

Delighted to have jobs, Scottie and Finn fell to their respective tasks. Moving in the gentle way that was second nature to him, Finn’s powerful arms lifted, shifted, and adjusted until Eli was sitting up higher. Feverish and miserable, Eli only laid his head back as soon as he was able.

He’d been settled in place for a few minutes when Scottie arrived with the tray. Finn coaxed some tea into Eli, and he made an effort to sit up and drink more.

“Scottie?” Eli whispered when he found air.

Scottie moved so she could see him and tried not to look as concerned as she felt.

“I’m here,” she said, picking up his hand.

Eli stared at her, wanting to say so many things, but his body wanted only to lie back and sleep.

“Cough if you can,” Dannan instructed, and Eli did his best. Indeed, Eli attempted everything Dannan told him to do, but he was weakening swiftly. Iris arrived with beef broth and more strong, sweet tea for him to drink, and when Dannan spotted his daughter in the hallway, he went out to her. Dannan picked her up and walked a few paces away from the door.

“Mr. Son sick,” the child said.

“Yes, he is. We can pray for him.”

“I pray,” Corina said.

“Yes, you do, and when we pray, we can trust God for Mr. Peterson.”

The sweet, trusting little face that looked up into his was too much for Dannan. He tucked Corina’s head under his chin and just held her close, hoping she would always be a child who loved to be cuddled.

“Do you want to bring her back?” Iris was suddenly there asking, obviously returning to the kitchen.

Dannan looked at the older woman and thought of Reese.

“I can take her to the big house if you’d like, Iris. Reese will welcome her.”

Iris gave a small shake of her head.

“I want her with me” was all Iris would say, taking Corina’s hand when Dannan put her down. Dannan sent her off with a wave and resumed his position in the sickroom. To his intense relief, Eli’s eyes were open, and he looked a bit more alert.

“How’s the breathing?” Dannan asked.

“Better,” Eli whispered. Dannan thought it might be somewhat improved but not enough to raise his hopes. He glanced at Finn and Scottie and saw that they both drooped in their chairs. Dannan decided to step in.

“Go and get something to eat, both of you,” he commanded. “Eli and I will talk about books.”

Scottie looked to her husband, who gave a weak nod, and Finn followed Scottie from the room.

“I meant it,” Eli got out, the moment the others were free of the door.

Dannan took a seat and looked at him sternly.

“You are very unwell,” he started, but Eli was not done.

“All the more reason,” he began and then panted.

Dannan was ready to argue with him but knew that would have been wrong. Eli was an older man in the faith, and on top of that, he was probably dying. Much as Dannan wanted to argue, he held his peace.

“Your hand,” Eli was running out of strength fast, but Dannan did as he was asked, putting his hand out so Eli could take hold of it. “I need to know you’ll try.”

“Try what?”

“To have a life…”

Dannan didn’t want to say it, but he could see that Eli was desperate to hear the words.

“With Scottie?” Dannan asked.

Even in the hand that held his, Dannan felt Eli relax. To be understood was all he needed. Dannan wanted to remind his patient that there were no guarantees Scottie would want anything to do with him, but something more pressing was on his mind.

“I want you to fight this,” Dannan instructed, his tone firm. “You’re talking like you’re already gone, and I won’t have it.”

Eli could not lift his head from the pillow, but he nodded, his eyes watching Dannan’s face. Dannan looked right back. He had not known this man long enough, and he didn’t want to lose him. He racked his brain to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, but pneumonia was tricky. Some had it for weeks, walking around coughing and feeling miserable. Others, especially those in a bedridden state, could die within days of the first sign. Dannan did not want Eli to be in the last group, but he was not sure any of them had a choice.

“How about some more tea?” Dannan offered.

Eli drank to please him, sensing in his heart that he was not going to recover from this. He did not want to break Scottie’s heart, but he couldn’t remember feeling this poorly before. His lungs had filled on other occasions but he hadn’t been feverish and achy. When Dannan ordered him to cough, it was almost more than he could bear, but he made the effort, never wanting the younger man to believe he’d given up.

When he couldn’t hold his eyes open any longer, he fell into a deep sleep. Dannan checked his lungs and pulse and then stepped out into the hallway. Scottie was just coming up the stairs.

“How is he?”

“Asleep.”

“But how is he, Dannan?” she repeated.

“Not good,” that man told her quietly and watched as her eyes filled. When she spoke, however, her voice was steady.

“Tell Finn I’ll be in my room. I want him to come for me the moment Eli wakes.”

Dannan nodded and watched her go along the landing and slip swiftly into the last door. Dannan stood there, not to listen but because he couldn’t move. The last person he wanted to see leave the earth right now was Eli Peterson.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be,” Dannan told Reese when the day began to end and he knew he would need to find a place for Corina for the night. “I planned to meet with Conner tonight, but that will have to wait.”

“How bad is he?” Reese asked.

“Bad. He’s so weak that I wonder if something hasn’t been brewing for a while now.”

“How is Scottie?”

Dannan only gave a small shake of his head; it was all he could manage. He knew it was not his place to say the things he’d overheard, but it went beyond that. Remembering how much she hurt right now was almost more than his heart could take.

“You’ve been warning me for years,”
Dannan had heard her say to Eli
. “But you were never supposed to get this sick.”

“My mother,”
Eli got out,
“said I never did as I was told.”

Scottie had tried to smile, but it was a very crooked one, and a tear slid down her cheek. Remembering it now made Dannan’s heart feel tight in his chest.

“The time doesn’t matter, Dannan,” Reese assured him. “We’ll keep her as long as you like. Do you know if Douglas has been given word?”