Hardscrabble Pt. 02

They let visitations resume on day five, and the first of the morning were Harold and Tillie, who got very emotional hugs from Lilly. They revisited the ball, clarified the events after the gunmen took him and Lilly by the arms, and told him that every newspaper in Texas had published front page articles about his heroism in saving the Governor from assassins, and in killing the two gunmen while badly injured. He had become such a celebrity that updates were provided when he awoke, and now there was speculation about his upcoming release, after cheating death yet again.

He didn't understand that part, but had decided to ignore it all anyway. He had only done what needed doing; nothing more, nothing less; as his parents had taught him to do.

Gwen and Lonnie visited next, then his parents and siblings, which included Samuel, his best friend and future brother in law. Everyone was thrilled about his progress, and there were several allusions to his having recovered 'against all odds, given the terrible infection'. He shrugged it all off: apparently, it wasn't his turn to die.

On the sixth day after he awoke, the tenth day since he was brought in for surgery, the nuns had him sit up and placed several pillows behind his back. There was some residual pain, but not that much. The doctor came by a few minutes later, while Lilly was getting food for him from a nearby restaurant.

The doctor examined him, then perched on the bed beside him. "Silas, there are things I need to tell you before we release you. First, that you were alive when they got you here is nothing short of a miracle. Whoever bound your bandages so tightly saved you from bleeding out from the chest wound.

Secondly, the bullet that should have killed you somehow deflected off the rib it hit. I've treated many gunshots, and I've never seen that before; it should have gone straight through and destroyed your lung."

Silas reached inside his gown, rubbed the Celtic cross he always wore because Lilly had given it to him for protection. Perhaps the cross...

"Thirdly," the doctor continued, "your life belongs to that remarkable young woman who refuses to leave your side except to clean up, change clothes, and get your food. Why do I say that? Because we gave you up for dead! The infection in the chest wound and the wound above your hip was killing you rapidly, and modern medicine had no answer.

"Lilly disappeared for several hours that evening, returning after ten pm with an old woman. She locked your door and wouldn't let anyone in for hours, but the nuns could smell some kind of smoke or incense, and hear chanting. They were not pleased.

"When she did allow the nurses in, the old woman left, but not before giving Lilly a bottle of some foul-smelling poultice that she was to apply to the infected wounds every few hours. The nurses and I tried to convince her it was hopeless, but she told us that since we had given up, we had nothing more to say about her efforts to save you.

"We later learned that the old woman is a curandera; a healer who the poor people say has saved many with her lost arts and medicines. The scientist in me scoffed, but within eighteen hours the infection had improved and the wounds looked better, so I stifled my doubts and allowed her access to you the next night. Lilly applied the poultice to your wounds meticulously, and the old lady came each night to burn incense, or whatever it was, and chant over you. Each day you improved, and the worst of the deadly infection was gone by the time you awoke.

"Truthfully, that your wounds have healed so well that you are able to go home so soon is another miracle!

"Or maybe not: I'm meeting with the curandera tomorrow to learn more about the incense and poultice. Perhaps we can help others with incurable infections using her lost arts.

"So, my blessed young man, we all assume God has work for you to do, because it appeared he was calling you home, and then you were healed!

"As to Lilly, she is young, but I've never met a more mature, tenacious, and intelligent woman. You should consider her the greatest of your manifold blessings, because she loves you and is devoted to you."

He laid his hand on Silas' uninjured shoulder, smiled, and said, "Frankly, I'm envious of you. You are twenty-two years old, well-educated with a bountiful future, and you are famous in the circles that matter due to your heroic actions. More than any other factor, though, is that you have stolen the affection of this inestimably remarkable and stunningly beautiful young woman.

"Silas, if you learn nothing more from your dalliance with death, learn that life is precious but unpredictable, and promised to no man. Your Lilly has confided that you are reluctant to move your relationship forward at this time because you have everything planned out. Has not this taught you that even the best plans are subject to the whims of chance?

"Imagine the next five years alone, while she goes away to university and you establish yourself in your profession. Now, imagine those same five years with her by your side.

"Austin will soon have a coeducational university of the first rank, or so the articles say, and she does indeed deserve that kind of education. But can she not be enrolled as Mrs. Lilly Carr?

"Think about your options, young man. You have the world on a string, and yet you almost died. Life is tenuous, and you are a greater fool than any of the thousands I've known if you don't choose to spend every moment possible with the one who gave your life back, and wishes only to spend her life at your side!"

***

Lilly returned to an upbeat and smiling Silas, who looked at her in a speculative way she had never before seen. He motioned her to the bedside, bade her lean over, and kissed her so lovingly and so soundly she was in a daze when he finally stopped. He held her arm so that she continued leaning over him, and he began speaking quietly.

"So I was right when I awoke after four days; you really are my Angel! The doctor told me everything, and now I know that I owe you my life. That is only fitting, because you already have my heart."

He looked into her eyes with unabashed love and continued. "My precious Lilly, whom God brought into my life, and to whom I owe my life, I offer my life. I am presently unable to knell in the traditional manner, but... Lillian Alexandra, will you marry me?"

Her response was unexpected; she fainted and toppled on him!

That hurt, but he caught and held her against him until she regained her faculties. When she stirred, she apologized for hurting him and fussed over him for a moment. "Well?", he asked.

She clasped her hands to her chest, looked into his eyes, and asked, "Did you really propose to me? I thought it was just another of my silly dreams!"

"Let's try it again. Lillian Alexandra, will you be my wife? Will you be with me through..."

Her scream of delight and her answer echoed through the building, bringing a storm of delighted nuns and Samuel and Kathleen hurrying into the room. The need to notify their family and friends was rendered moot; Samuel and Kathleen did that for them, as soon as they returned to the hotel where their families, plus Tillie, and Harold, were awaiting Silas' release. They had taken turns visiting, and several times had commandeered Lilly to make her clean up, change her clothing, eat properly, and, even to go shopping for appropriate clothes since she had brought little along when they left for the rally and ball.

***

Though they were both exhausted by the mass of visitors the next day, Lilly brought the curandera to meet Silas that night, before he was to be released.

She was small and withered, but her eyes shone with a curious strength and brightness. Though Silas and Lilly were proficient in Spanish, she spoke to them in a curious mix of English and Spanish, and she used words they had never before heard when describing the ingredients in her 'medicines'. When asked about the names, she explained that "the ancient ones" had passed these down from times before white men came to this country. It is, she said, her sacred duty to use them for good, and to pass her knowledge on to anyone she recognized as a 'healer'. Therefore, she was teaching Doctor Sanchez, as well as a young man and a girl with special powers that had been given to them.

She told Silas that she recognized the essential goodness in Lilly when she came seeking help, so she came with her. He was very near death when she first saw him on the bed, but when she laid hands on him and called out on his behalf, she received an unusually strong response from those she petitioned. She claimed there were spirits from another world that had saved him from the bullet, through the powers of the Celtic cross he wore.

Those spirits were incapable of saving him from the infection, as that required the physical application of the herbal medicines of the curanderismo. The spirits of her people intervened and guided her efforts to save his life.

She believed the protection he had received from his own spiritual ancestors and hers meant he had been chosen to do good works in the world; to help those less fortunate, to protect the weak, to hear the words of the ancient ones, and to open his eyes and the eyes of others to the mysteries and the answers around them.

Her words calmed his body but stimulated his mind, and, with Lilly, they talked deep into the night.

The tiny curandera spoke of a great culture destroyed by the blood-thirsty people white men incorrectly call Aztecs; of gleaming cities with great pyramids, of scientific outposts where the heavens were studied, and of monuments erected to guide "the visitors" who taught her ancestors to be thinkers, scientists, and astronomers.

She also spoke of the powers of observation and communication that had been lost over the ages, accelerated by the erection of dwellings that shielded the people from the influences of nature that are all around them. She urged him to go to one of the sacred sites of her people, to open his body and his mind, to seek rather than disregard the influencers, and to "hear" their messages with all his senses.

She had done what she could for him, but the influencers would continue to look over and guide him, if he would heed. She encouraged him to take time each day to clear his mind and open his senses, to reach out for guidance, to feel at one with the spirits of living and natural things, and to use his other gifts as well as his mind.

There were others who needed her help in the new day, but before she left, she taught them a chant that would help them see beyond the obvious, and then blessed them both. She smiled and promised that she would be at their wedding, but warned that they might not see her. Then she seemingly disappeared.

Suddenly exhausted by the overwhelming experience they had undergone, Silas scooched over to the edge of the bed, and invited his love to lie beside him and rest. Tomorrow he would be released, and they would need their strength.

She fit as if designed to lie in his arms, and, although sexual feelings stirred their loins, sleep enveloped them quickly.

Fortunately, a knowing nurse found and woke them before others arrived, avoiding the scandal that would have been raised had the reporters arriving early to interview him before his release found them lying in bed together.

***

Silas was deemed fit for travel back to Carr Settlement, but was repeatedly cautioned to take it easy and build up his strength before fully resuming his active life. There were three reporters there to interview him and his doctor about his heroic injuries and recovery, and to interview Lilly yet again about her own heroism.

The doctor dismissed the reporters after an hour, saying his patient needed to be transported home so he could rest.

Silas and Lilly rode in the second seat of the carriage, which was driven by his father; Lonnie also rode up front, and both were well armed.

"Silas, you will be pleased to learn that Ben says Mannen Clement is now in McCullough County out in the western hill country raising cattle -- or maybe rustling cattle. The Frontier Brigade assigned to that area is keeping an eye on him, and on those who ride in to see him and then leave as if on a mission. Now that they know Mannie is bearing a grudge toward you, they will be more astute in intercepting and interrogating them.

"Billy Clement is in California, as he promised. Still, we, the Rangers, and the new Atascosa county sheriff will need to remain vigilant since there are more Clement kin and friends around."

With Silas propped up on pillows and being steadied by the ever-vigilant Lilly, and with a few stops to stretch and resettle his achy body, they made it to Carr Settlement. The residents of the enclave were there to meet him, but instead of stopping in front, his father drove the carriage around the side to the back, where the guest cabin he and Lonnie built was located.

Silas looked confused, but his father explained, "Your fiancée believes that you will heal faster if you are in the cabin, where you won't be bothered by all the comings and goings within the house." His father's expression was serious, but his eyes kept crinkling around the edges as if there were humor to his explanation.

His confused gaze shifted to Uncle Lonnie, who was grinning like a possum. He looked at Lilly, whose face and neck were covered by a blush, and offered, "Let me help you down, Silas. Lilly has convinced us this is the best place for you while you are still weak and healing."

The crowd had followed them around back, and his friends and family were surrounding the wagon. Lilly stepped out, assisted by Samuel, and she waited to assist Silas. When Silas had properly positioned himself, however, it was Samuel who helped him down. Lilly frowned, but quickly took his arm and tried to steer him to the cabin.

"Just a moment, Sweetheart; I want to say hello to everyone and hug my mother and sisters."

Lilly hovered close by, permitting the hugs and handshakes only after a warning that he was still badly injured and they needed to be gentle with him! Silas was confused by her adamant insistence; they had actually hugged many times, much more avidly than his mother and friends were likely to do.

He had been given a dose of salicylic acid to help with the pain he would encounter on the journey, and additional doses were provided to help him through the next few weeks, but, despite Lilly's adamant warning, he was feeling little pain. When he looked at his little spitfire, however, he understood; she was still aggressively protecting him.

Gwen gave everyone else their chance, and then hugged him herself, quite firmly, with her enlarging stomach pressed against him. She backed away, looked him over, frowned, and sweetly exclaimed, "Why Lilly -- it appears that Silas has quite sufficiently recovered to allow him to stay in his room in the house! The cabin is so far for him to walk for meals, and what if he needs assistance while you are away? Perhaps Lonnie and I should stay here; Silas can stay in his room, and you can stay with Kathleen. The two of you can help each other plan the weddings."

Lilly appeared aghast; she trained an icy glare on her mother, and in an angry voice retorted, "Mother, he needs to be out in the cabin where I can care for him properly, and..."

Lonnie and his brother were the first to guffaw, but they were immediately joined by Silas' mother and sisters, Samuel, and then several of the other adults. Gwen stepped over and embraced her daughter, and said, "I'm sorry! You are just so possessive I had to do it!"

Lilly took a deep breath, and then smiled. "Perhaps I am, Mother. Protecting him has been my job for over two weeks, and I've been charged with ensuring he heals!"

"You won't ever want to stop, Darling. We understand, but you are such an easy target when you are so single minded. You should expect more teasing, from all of us."

***

Perhaps it was the clean air, or the additional exercise from walking to and from the house, or perhaps Lilly's continued assistance with bathing and toweling off, or perhaps taking time each day to sit outside and commune with the world around him; but, whatever the cause, Silas improved rapidly. Being with people, having visitors, and engaging in stimulating conversations seemed to boost his stamina, as well as his still-recovering intellect.

When Lilly began to dry him off after his bath on the third night, he took her in his arms, kissed her, and whispered, "It is time I repay you for the many pleasures you've given me while I heal."

He turned her and unbuttoned the numerous buttons down the back of her dress. He slipped it off her shoulders and laid it neatly over a chair, then knelt and removed her shoes. He then turned and refilled the bathtub with clean water. While it was filling, he unbuttoned and removed her knickers, laying them with the dress.

He had never before seen her nude; in fact, he had never seen any part of her she did not present to the public. He held his eyes away from her naked figure until the chores were done, and then turned to face her.

Lilly was quite proud of her figure, and she had certainly feasted her eyes on Silas' nude body over the past weeks, but she found she was embarrassed now that she was as nude as her fiancé. She fought the urge to hid her private parts as he devoured her body with appreciative eyes, and stood there letting him take her in. She hoped he would be pleased, but perhaps she was a bit skinny for his tastes, or not properly proportioned...

"I never dreamed I would see a body as divine as yours, My Love," he said with awe.

She blushed all over, and her insides liquefied; she wanted nothing more than to throw him on the bed and FINALLY know him carnally! Instead, he guided her to the bath, helped her in, and washed her as thoroughly as she had washed him.

She could readily see his reaction to her meticulous care, but only her hard, throbbing nipples obviously signaled her desire. He paid particular attention to her breasts, to her round buttocks and the crease between, and to her legs. She was almost overcome when he set the washcloth on the tub and began to clean her vagina with his fingers.

She had touched herself 'down there' before, but his fingers were so very different from her own, as was her reaction. He coaxed her legs apart, spread her nether lips, and touched them in a way that caused them to swell. The fingers of his hands were touching, rubbing, stroking, even lightly pinching her pudenda, and her vagina responded by flooding her insides in preparation for male penetration. He inserted a finger inside her tight tunnel, and found the intact hymen of a virgin.

He saw her flush at his insertion, and he moved a finger to the tiny pink pearl at the top of her opening. He tapped it gently, rubbed it lightly, and then circled it, touching it almost incidentally. Lilly's breath caught in her throat, and then a delicious warmth flooded her body, causing her insides to quiver in delight! He head lolled, and then Silas told her it was time to get out and dry off.

He was so thorough in his drying that she feared he would cause her to weaken and collapse, but his ministrations kept her tingling without overwhelming her. Once dry, he urged her to the bed. She lie upon it, and saw him looking down upon her with love and lust; she spread her legs and extended her arms to him.

To her surprise and disappointment, he instead placed his head between her legs and began kissing her sensitive thighs. It felt good, but she wanted him inside her, and she begged him to stop teasing! He paused, only inches away from her prize. The feminine ideal of that time was to present a hairless vagina, but Lilly's had a scattering of reddish hair that did nothing to hide her opening, but which matched the hair on her head perfectly.