When Calls the Heart: Jack and Elizabeth's Reunion

A New Beginning Part 2

"'Making house calls'?" Clara groaned in frustration. "What's the point of the infirmary if no one is there?" she asked out loud. With that, she walked back to Abigail's.

"Abigail?" Clara called.

Abigail came down the stairs putting on a new apron. "What is it, Clara?"

"Do you have any extra bandage wrap of any kind?"

Abigail gave a look of shock. "Why do you ask such a thing?"

"Oh, nothing to worry about. I just got scratched up at the sawmill, waiting for Jesse. A wire snapped and it hit my leg."

"Oh goodness, Clara. Are you alright? You could have been killed."

"I'm fine, Abigail. I tried going to the infirmary twice today and Doc Shepherd hasn't been in every time I go there. So, the bandage wraps?"

"I think I should have some in the cupboard over here." Abigail proceeded to the nearest cupboard and opened it. She immediately pulled some out that was sitting right in front, and gave the roll to Clara.

"Thank you," Clara said, and made her way upstairs. Once inside her closed room, she lifted her skirt and peeled away Lee's tie, which was covered in blood, to find that her leg had swollen around the area of the cut. Peeling away the tie stung, and she quickly wrapped the bandage around the cut, completely covering it, hoping that Carson would get back to the infirmary soon. She laid down on her bed and read a book until she didn't even realize she would soon fall asleep.

That night, Abigail was cleaning up the last bits of the table in the kitchen when the thought came to her that she hadn't seen Clara since after lunch. It was almost 9 pm, and there wasn't a sound coming from her room. She doused the lamp in the kitchen and went upstairs to investigate. She knocked on Clara's door, but there was no answer. Abigail slowly opened the door. "Clara?" She went into the bedroom to find Clara asleep on the bed, still fully dressed, but her skirt was ridden up still from her wrapped leg. She looked down at her leg and saw redness poking out from beneath the bandage. She immediately looked to Clara's face and saw that she was sweating. "Oh no. Clara? Clara, honey. Wake up. Clara. Come on, Clara. Wake up." Clara didn't wake. She just only fidgeted back and forth slightly. Abigail left Clara's room and went to Cody's. He was just blowing his lamp out when she opened the door.

"Mom? What is it?" Cody asked.

"Cody, there is no time to waste. Get your shoes on and run to the infirmary. Get Doctor Shepherd, and bring him here."

"Yes, ma'am." Within two minutes, Cody was out the door, running toward the infirmary.

"Hang on, Clara. The doctor's coming.... oh where is he?" Abigail held her hand and rubbed her arm in comfort. A few minutes later, Carson and Faith stepped into Clara's bedroom and immediately went to work.

Carson took her temperature, checked her heart rate, her pulse, and then finally went to her leg. After Faith handed him the scissors, he cut the bandage that was half soaked in sweat and the half, blood. "When did this happen?"

"To my knowledge, it was this afternoon when she was meeting Jesse for lunch. A wire snapped and cut her leg."

"And she didn't come and get this properly treated?" Carson asked.

"Apparently, you haven't been there when she tried. She said she went twice."

"Hmmm, we'll have to fix that." He turned to Faith. "Faith, can you hand me the iodine?" She did as he asked and he thanked her. "Linen cloth?" he asked as he held his hand out. Faith handed him a piece of linen and he proceeded to open the bottle and pour a little onto the cloth. After pressing it to her leg, Clara flinched a little. "First, we have to get this cleaned. Second, this cut as only gotten worse. We might have to cauterize it to kill off the bacteria that's causing the infection."