Daniel sighed. “That was a gift from Nancy’s parents. It was for our first baby.”
“Hope needs a place to ride more than Nancy needs that chest and chair,” Anna said.
Daniel felt sick to his stomach. How could he part with his late wife’s most precious possessions? Yet if he didn’t, Hope wouldn’t have a place to recuperate. He hoped she didn’t have cholera like Nancy did, but if she did, at least he could provide a comfortable place for her to die.
Daniel picked the lid of the chest up and checked to be sure there was nothing of great value in it, before he edged it through the rear opening. The rocking chair followed.
“Thank you, and God bless you, Daniel. If you can spread blankets and quilts or whatever you have to soften her ride, I’ll have Walter carry her over.”
Once Hope rested on the quilts Daniel had pulled from Nancy’s chest, Anna knelt near her. “If you bring me some water, I’ll ride with her and keep her cool,” she said.
Daniel grabbed a bucket from the side of the wagon and ran to the river. He came back and handed the water to Anna.
“Hope has some boiled water somewhere in here for drinking.”
Anna dipped a cloth into the bucket of water. “I’ll find it. You get the oxen ready. The bugle will sound any minute.”
At lunchtime, Anna gave Daniel some cheese and an apple. He stuffed them into his pocket and went in search of Shank. He found him eating beneath a large tree.
“Shank, is there anyone in the train with medical expertise?”
“For Mrs. Butler?”
“Yes. She’s still burning up with fever.”
Shank shrugged. “She doesn’t have symptoms of cholera, but she needs care.” Shank put the rest of his cold rabbit meat into his mouth. “I’ll let Rusty, one of my scouts, walk your oxen so you can nurse her. If she isn’t better tomorrow, I’ll try to find someone to help you. I’ll ask around, too. Maybe someone knows if there's a medical person down the line.”
There were over fifty wagons in the train but they broke off into several parts when they camped. Each group had its own trail boss, but Shank was the wagon master for all the wagons.
Daniel examined Hope’s eyes and put his hand on her forehead. She moaned, and Daniel saw white stripes on her tonsils. He knew she needed more help than he could provide, and that scared him. She looked so small and pale, and his heart went out to her.
He recalled when he'd had scarlet fever and how he'd felt weak and helpless. “Hope, what can I do for you?”
She had dark circles beneath her eyes and her cheeks were nearly scarlet. "Water," she moaned.
Anna pulled out a container and held it to her lips.
Daniel saw how it pained her to swallow.
“You go with Walter, Anna. Shank has Rusty leading my oxen. We have a tough water-crossing today and with Hope so sick, I feel relieved to have an expert leading the wagon while I nurse Hope.”
“All right,” Anna said, “I’ll come by later to see how she is.”
“Do you think its scarlet fever?” Daniel dared ask.
“I checked, and as yet she has no rash, so I pray not.”
The swaying wagon lulled Hope to sleep. When the wagon hit the occasional rut in the road, she awoke with a moan. Daniel used the river water to bathe her face and arms, and he helped her to drink the boiled water often.
When the train stopped, Daniel left Hope with Anna and went hunting. He shot a rabbit, skinned it, and made a soup. Walter came over while it brewed and threw in some canned carrots he had in his wagon. Soon, several neighbors stopped by, each of them bringing a small offering of food.
Alone with Hope after everyone had gone back to their own wagons, Daniel didn’t know where to sleep. It was a cool night, so he squeezed himself into the space beside her in the wagon and slept against her side in case she needed him. If Shank knew about this, he’d make sure they married at Fort Laramie, but maybe that would be a good thing… for Daniel, anyway.
In the morning, Daniel fixed himself some cheese and fruit and gave Hope some soup. Shank came by and yelled into the back of the wagon, “I have Ollie Swanson’s oldest son with me. He’ll lead your oxen today. We should reach Fort Laramie tomorrow. We aren’t too far behind schedule. When we reach Fort Laramie, we’ll rest for three days before heading over the mountains. It will give us time to make repairs, lighten our wagons, and prepare for the last but most difficult leg of our journey.” Shank started to turn away, but he stopped and said, “Oh, by the way: there’s a doctor and a minister at Fort Laramie.”
“Thank you,” Daniel murmured, deep in thought. There was no way Hope would marry him even if she were well. He’d stay with her until she was better and ride to Oregon on his own. He’d fill the saddlebags with food and perhaps he’d make it in time to see his father.
By suppertime, Hope was sitting up, supported by a huge pillow that Anna had brought over for her. Daniel spooned soup into her mouth as she was still too weak to lift the spoon.
“One more, Hope. Just one more spoonful, and I’ll reward you with a nice cup of tea.”
Hope smiled weakly and accepted the food. “Good soup,” she murmured hoarsely.
Daniel returned the smile. He stood, went back to the fire, poured her tea, brought it back into the wagon, and set it down beside her.
“It’s hot, so maybe we’ll just let it sit for a bit.” He looked around the wagon. “Is
