The Wandering One

Chapter 13

By the end of the second day, the entire village of 35 people were sick. While Doc Martin tended to the ill in the afternoon, Terrin went to the edge of the boundary around the village. Adam rode over to meet her, keeping twenty feet between them.
"What do you need?" He asked worried, "Are you alright?"
Terrin nodded and wiped her brow. "I'm alright. We'll be needing more quinine to be ordered in. We'll be through Doc Martin's supply by tomorrow night."
"I'll send Joe into town right away. How many dead?"
"Five. We've still got a long way to go Adam. At least some of you should go back to the Ponderosa and make sure things are running smoothly there."
"Went and checked on things myself this morning. Our foreman has things well in hand. You focus on not getting sick."
Terrin nodded and gave Adam a tired smile before heading back to work. She had some graves to dig for the dead. By supper time the dead were all buried and she was back at the sides of the sick, coaxing them to drink and administering quinine. That night Terrin got a precious two hours of sleep at Doc Martin's insistence. When she woke, he napped for a few hours and Terrin performed checks on all the sick.
By the third day, quinine and some laudanum had arrived. Terrin brought it to Doc Martin and then began digging five graves. Her heart felt heavy as she dug the fifth, it was half the size of the others and yet was the hardest one to dig.
By day four, Terrin was out of encouraging smiles for Ben and the boys when she reported at the end of the day.  She had dug two more child-sized graves that afternoon and had accumulated no more than 10 hours of sleep since the epidemic had begun. She managed to choke down a bowl of broth and returned to caring for the sick people. That night Doc Martin let her sleep for four hours.
On day six, Doc Martin fell victim to Typhoid. Terrin placed him on his bedroll and gave him a dose of quinine. As he tossed and turned with fever, Terrin dug another shallow grave. That evening she updated Ben with a heavy heart, but a fierce gleam of determination shone in her eyes.
"Doc's taken ill. One more dead today, but I'm starting to see some improvements. We'll pull through this yet."
Ben nodded and then watched helplessly as the young woman walked back into the battlefield. Terrin continued working through the night and into the next day without more than a few five minute breaks. She was exhausted.
By day eight, five of the Paiutes were well on their way to recovery. Hope began to blossom in Terrin's heart.
Day ten came and two of the Paiute men were well enough to help Terrin.
She dug a grave for Pohama that evening.
Finally by day fourteen, all of the surviving Paiutes and Doctor Martin we're recovered. Terrin did her nightly check in with Ben that evening and grinned as he approached. It was an exhausted grin of victory.
"We can lift quarantine tomorrow morning barring any relapses. Everyone is doing much better."
Ben returned to his campsite that night and relayed the exciting news to his sons. Terrin heard their hoots of joy as she fed Doc his supper of broth. The two exchanged a smile.
"You should really get some rest Terrin." The doctor admonished, "you're wearing yourself out completely."
Terrin gave the kindhearted man a tired but determined smile. "I'll rest tomorrow, when I know everyone is truly better."
She then returned to the other huts, checking temperatures and checking for rashes or any other lingering symptoms. When dawn broke the next morning, Terrin announced to the village that the quarantine was lifted. They could properly deal with their dead and move locations. Doc was clear to return to his home and practice as well.
Terrin walked with Doc to where the Cartwright men were waiting. She saw the question on their faces and smiled, "Quarantine is lifted. It's over."
As soon as she finished, all four Cartwrights were off of there horses and hugging Terrin close. She chuckled as Joe remarked on her smell. She hadn't had time to bathe and the stench of death and sickness cling to her. She pulled out of the hug and whistled for Lash. When he came, she bridled him quickly and swing herself up onto his broad back. Then she started back towards home, surrounded by those who cared about her.
Not even halfway back to the house, Terrin began dozing off as she rode, jerking awake as she would start falling forward. Adam noticed this and rode next to her. He reached out and pulled her off of Lash and onto Sport, sitting her in front of him so she could lean against him and sleep. Hoss quickly grabbed Lash's reins and led him back to the house. When they arrived Lash actually stood still long enough for Hoss to unbridle him and accepted his offering of a bucket of oats, while Adam carried Terrin inside and up to the bathroom. Ben prepared a bath for Terrin while Joe went to get her nightgown from her room. Adam woke Terrin up and the three left the room so she could bathe.
Ten minutes later, Terrin emerged, her skin scrubbed until it was red, her eyes holding nothing but complete exhaustion. As Adam scooped her up into his arms, Joe asked, "How much sleep have you been getting?"
"About 3 hours a night." came her mumbled response. She was asleep by the time they reached her bedroom. Adam placed her on her bed and drew the covers over her. When he exited the room, he found Ben in the living room, all collapsed in the various chairs and couches available. Adam sat in the armchair next to Ben's.
"Pa," he began,"She's gotten awful thin, you think she's alright?"
Ben nodded. "If anyone could pull through this and be alright, it's Terrin."
"She really was an angel of mercy to those Paiutes," observed Hoss. The other three nodded in agreement, then they all ate lunch, and napped until supper.

When suppertime came that evening, Terrin was still fast asleep and Ben decided to let her sleep until she woke up on her own. So the four Cartwrights sat down to the meal Hop Sing had prepared and all said a prayer of thanks that they and Terrin were safe and had not come down with typhoid. Then the four men ate as if they hadn't tasted real food in a year and then returned to their beds. They were equal parts exhausted and relieved that the epidemic hadn't spread and that Terrin had emerged untouched by the illness.