𝔴𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔡 𝔰𝔲𝔫 ⟡ ʀɖʀ2

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 𝟷𝟷

About a month and a half had gone by and there wasn't much lead on the bank within Saint Denis. I wasn't sure if Dutch had sent anyone else to go stake it out besides us. Arthur had gotten some good money out of some riverboat poker game and that helped us out even more as well as finding some documents with a redskin from up north. Dutch obviously wasn't satisfied but it was a nice break for some of us who knew he'd want us to go for some leads such as the bank one. Nathan and I are returning from a brief ride together to clear our heads when Miss Grimshaw storms up to me outta nowhere.

"Mr. Sanders! Oh Mr. Sanders!"
"Yes, what's going on Miss Grimshaw?"
"That girl of yours, Selina, she hasn't been feelin' well the last couple mornings. Been vomiting up a storm, barely eating anything offered to her. Think she caught something?"

I hadn't heard anything about Selina being sick or anything of the sort.

"Is she sick right now?"
"No, by noon she's usually back to herself. Right now, she's off doin' some small game huntin' right outside of camp. I sure would check on her though. She... She just seems off nowadays."

I nod my head to her before I clear my throat. "Thank you, Miss Grimshaw. I'll check up on her."
Nate and I look at one another before I hitch my horse and walk on up the path to find Selina focused upon a small rabbit with a bow she was given recently. She had her ways with that thing and sure enough hit the target in one hit. I began to applaud as soon as she stood up which made her shake her head.
"Lover boy, nice to see you this afternoon."
"Suppose so, m'lady. Miss Grimshaw says you been sick for the last couple mornings?"
"Think it just might be something I ate, a small sickness. I don't know."
"She says you seem off too... Somethin' botherin' you?"
Her eyebrows narrow before she shakes her head slightly. "I'm fine. Like I said, something must not be agreeing with me. You know how Pearson's stew is."
"Yeah I do but the difference is, ain't no one else is gettin' sick like you."

She looks a bit irritated now, not liking me continuing to harass her over the ordeal.

"What are you getting at here, Mr. Sanders? You sayin' I got a plague, gonna end my life right here?"
"Why are you so upset? I'm sayin' maybe I should take you into Saint Denis to see a doctor."
"If it makes you feel better, then fine, we'll go see one."
"Thank you, get your game. Meet you back at camp."

I watched as she rolled her eyes before going to skin what she had killed, this was a different side of her I wasn't liking too much and I did figure not everyone was even close to perfect. It just bothered me a hell of a lot, as I'm turning to head back, I hear screaming coming from camp, sending me running up the path with Selina not far behind. It's Kieran and he's dead. Decapitation at its worst. I'm quick to run when we spot the O'Driscolls coming down the hill and I escort Sel within the plantation house while shooting at those sons of bitches. Saved Mrs. Adler too, but I had a bullet graze my nose and it's bleeding like hell. Thankfully, Abigail and Miss. Grimshaw are nice enough to help treat it for me. Sadie wouldn't stop thanking me for what I did. Guess I did owe that much to her anyhow. The boys begin to clean up the remaining bodies before I end up walking up to Selina.
"Ms. Hinton. Let's head into town. Get you to a doctor 'bout what's going on with you."
I offer to take her on my horse but she's quick to get hers.
"Just cause I may be sick doesn't make me no damsel in distress, Asher. Let's go."

We didn't talk the entire ride to Saint Denis. Just a bunch of her mumbling how she felt she didn't need to go and how I was probably wrong and overreacting because of Miss Grimshaw. I hated her like this, in fact, she was being nothing but a brat and I felt as though we were becoming no better than John and Abigail were together. I didn't want to think on that, it seemed like just a little too much if I was honest. But if something was truly wrong with her, I needed to know now so I didn't continue to invest myself so deeply within this relationship. It could be any disease. Tuberculosis was a big one nowadays but she was vomiting, not coughing like I've heard some folk out here. Cholera was another, something that I had heard of from New Austin but she hadn't been there in four or so years. Wouldn't make sense for it to hit her now. Guess I just worried for her.

Hitching the horses outside of the office, five dollars I spent for them to take a look over her and see what was going on. Some tests to be run and that was about ten dollars down the drain as well, all of this I was paying out of pocket just to make sure there was nothing wrong. Thankfully, tuberculosis was ruled out and so was cholera and any other one that was deadly or could make her sick.

"So, Ms. Hinton, clean bill of health for the most part. No sickness from food or anything of the sort... What we did find though was something you may not be ready to hear though. This may come to a shock to you and all. Being sick— Only in the morning... You said you had missed your monthly. All that." We both of course looked at one another in a confused manner at the terms used. I didn't know nothing 'bout anything with women so of course I was clueless as hell. Selina seemed to not know either. She may of had an idea. But I wasn't so sure either. Seems complicated.
"So— What's all that mean? If you'd enlighten me, please." She sort of demands.
"Well... Those are clear signs of something. If you've been sexually active as of recently and all— Perhaps you can think of it"

I wasn't following for the most part, though... Maybe Selina had an idea and the look on her face was indicating something.

"What's that mean?" I ask. Probably in a dumb way.
"Y'all really ain't following me?"

We both just looked at one another before shaking our heads in confusion once more.

"You're expecting a child, Ms. Hinton. Probably at least over a month or so. You and I'm assuming the man you brought with you today, you're gonna be parents."

Silence falls upon us. I was feeling a bit of lightheadedness and I was concerned for my own health at the moment.
"I'll give you two some privacy."
He stands and leaves and we're both still silent. Now, were really weren't no better than John and Abigail. Really not no better.