finally said, before he sagged back against the pillow and closed his eyes.
Carrie pulled the blanket up around his thin shoulders and gave him another gentle kiss, glad she didn’t have to explain why Aunt Abby was gone. She didn’t know how Robert would respond to Lincoln’s death. She had no intention of letting him hear anything that would upset him. All she cared about was him getting better so they could leave Richmond and return to Cromwell Plantation.
************
Rose was waiting out in the hallway for her. “He’s better this morning?”
“Yes. We actually had a short conversation. It wore him out, but it convinced me my husband is still in there.” Carrie looked back at the room. “I don’t care how long it takes — Robert is going to get well.”
Rose wrapped her arm around Carrie’s waist and squeezed tightly. “I believe that completely,” she assured her.
Just then a giggle sounded from the room two doors down.
Carrie smiled. “John is awake?”
Rose laughed. “That boy wakes up the minute his daddy opens his eyes. He not only looks exactly like his him, it’s as if there is a cord between the two of them. All John cares about is being with Moses. It’s like he doesn’t want to miss even one moment.”
“Can you blame him? They’ve been apart for most of his life. John only saw Moses when he could slip in from serving in the Union Army. Every time he’s seen him, he had to say goodbye again so quickly. He probably can’t really believe, or understand, that his daddy is home to stay.”
“You’re right,” Rose said quietly, tears of gladness pooling in her eyes. “Seeing the two of them together gives me so much joy I can hardly stand it sometimes.” A lone tear escaped and trickled down her cheek. “When I think about how close Moses came to dying…if you hadn’t saved him…”
“Well, I did!” Carrie said, determined to banish dark thoughts from the house. She decided to change the subject. “Do you know who is downstairs?”
Rose wiped away the tear and smiled. “I know what you’re doing, Carrie Borden, but I’m going to let you change the subject just because you did save my husband. I will forever be grateful,” she said softly. She cocked her head and listened closely. “I believe that is Dr. Wild’s voice I hear downstairs.”
Carrie also cocked her head, but her expression remained blank. “You can hear that? I can hear a murmur, but I can’t detect any voices.”
“Spend most of your life as a slave,” Rose said blandly, “and you’ll learn to listen harder. Always knowing what was going on was necessary to making it in the big house. You’s sure ‘nuff didn’t want to be caught by no surprise!” she said playfully, slipping into the slave lingo.
Carrie laughed merrily. “You never talked like that in your life,” she said. “You were reading before I was — probably speaking better English before I was too.”
“That’s true,” Rose agreed calmly, her eyes sparkling with fun. “But I did know how to fit in down in the quarters,” she said impishly. “Now, are you going to sit up here and jabber with me, or go down and find out what Dr. Wild wants? I’m quite sure he didn’t come down here to see anyone but you.”
Carrie laughed and turned to run down the stairs, but then spun back around to give Rose a resounding kiss on the cheek. “I do love you, you know! I’m so very glad to have you back in my life again.” For just a moment the loneliness of the four years they were separated pressed down on her, but she pushed it back. The war was over.
“And I love you ,” Rose replied, her eyes wet with emotion. “Now go!” she commanded.
Carrie was still smiling when she entered the parlor. Her smile disappeared when she saw Dr. Wild’s sober eyes. “What’s wrong?” she demanded, stiffening to prepare for whatever else was coming.
“We’re short of help,” Dr. Wild said. “So many of our boys were