tears she could no longer hold back.
"I didn't expect to be told that you didn't want to marry me, ever; that you no longer loved me."
"I didn't say that." He shouted it, and grabbed her in his arms. "Not love you! You're the only girl I'll ever love, but—Oh, my darling. Have a little pity, a little understanding. I've been so miserable; I feel so lost. The future seems like a dense, dark fog. I can't see my way through it. But it hasn't anything to do with my love for you."
For a moment, then, the little room was wrapped in silence while they clung to each other. Nora held him close to her heart, as a mother would hold a desperately hurt child. "I love you," she whispered. "Please forgive me if I said things to hurt you. It was because I was hurt, and so afraid of losing you."
At that point the silence was broken by wild, shouted words from Ben Sackett, who loomed enormous in the doorway. He was a man gone completely berserk, with a rusted, long-nosed pistol in his bony, dirty claws. The revolver was pointed straight at them.
"Killing helpless little children," bellowed the voice, loud enough to be heard on the far side of the Ozarks. "Now carrying on with your nurse-woman. I've caught you right dead in your tracks. Now I know for sure you're a sinner who ain't fit to live. A sinning woman like her ain't fit to live, neither. So I'm gonna put a bullet through the sinning flesh of both of you."
Nora said afterwards that she was sure she didn't have a chance as she felt the first bullet fan the air against her cheek. The second bullet caught Paul in his shoulder, not his heart. But it was a close thing.
At first, when she saw the blood, Nora was sure it was a fatal wound. When she found that it was not, she was able to breathe again.
Chapter 8
An hour later Nora sat on the cot in Margaret Thorpe's office, wondering if she was going to shake to pieces. Margaret had just given her an injection, a mild sedative to quiet her nerves. Now Margaret brought her a cup of strong, hot coffee, spoke into the phone when it rang, and turned back to say that was a call from Surgery. Paul's wound had been dressed and bandaged. He was doing fine.
"And I," said Nora, "am probably going to have hysterics." She gulped the burning hot coffee and said how ashamed she felt to be losing control of herself like this.
At first she had done beautifully, marveling at her own calm. She had been the poised, helpful nurse when the intern rushed in with a chair to wheel Paul over to Surgery. She had even tried to help the two orderlies get control of that fighting, howling maniac before they hustled him off to get him locked safely away until the police came. She was perfectly calm when the police officer came and took her statement as to what had occurred.
The young officer, with whom she had gone to school when they were teen-agers, had called her a "mighty brave little gal."
"That nut might have killed you."
He
was telling
her
.
The orderlies seemed to admire her self-possession, too. One of them said she "sure had guts."
"Gutsy me, Maggie! And look at me now!" After it was all over and quiet restored, she had gone to pieces.
"Reaction setting in," said Margaret calmly, and brought her more coffee. "As soon as you feel up to driving, go home. Stay home tomorrow. Rest. Put your troubles out of your mind. Nobody can live on her nerves forever, the way you've been doing."
"I'll be seeing the wild look in that creature's eyes as long as I live." Nora shuddered, and looked up as the door opened.
It was Paul. "Thank goodness you're all right," Nora exclaimed, coffee spilling as her shaky hand put down the paper cup. He looked a little shaky himself, and pale. But he was able to smile, and somehow he seemed more like himself than he had in a long time as he walked over to sit down beside Nora.
"Does it hurt much, Paul?" Curiously, she suddenly felt a burning stab in her own shoulder, as if she were taking his pain into herself.
"Nips a
"I didn't expect to be told that you didn't want to marry me, ever; that you no longer loved me."
"I didn't say that." He shouted it, and grabbed her in his arms. "Not love you! You're the only girl I'll ever love, but—Oh, my darling. Have a little pity, a little understanding. I've been so miserable; I feel so lost. The future seems like a dense, dark fog. I can't see my way through it. But it hasn't anything to do with my love for you."
For a moment, then, the little room was wrapped in silence while they clung to each other. Nora held him close to her heart, as a mother would hold a desperately hurt child. "I love you," she whispered. "Please forgive me if I said things to hurt you. It was because I was hurt, and so afraid of losing you."
At that point the silence was broken by wild, shouted words from Ben Sackett, who loomed enormous in the doorway. He was a man gone completely berserk, with a rusted, long-nosed pistol in his bony, dirty claws. The revolver was pointed straight at them.
"Killing helpless little children," bellowed the voice, loud enough to be heard on the far side of the Ozarks. "Now carrying on with your nurse-woman. I've caught you right dead in your tracks. Now I know for sure you're a sinner who ain't fit to live. A sinning woman like her ain't fit to live, neither. So I'm gonna put a bullet through the sinning flesh of both of you."
Nora said afterwards that she was sure she didn't have a chance as she felt the first bullet fan the air against her cheek. The second bullet caught Paul in his shoulder, not his heart. But it was a close thing.
At first, when she saw the blood, Nora was sure it was a fatal wound. When she found that it was not, she was able to breathe again.
Chapter 8
An hour later Nora sat on the cot in Margaret Thorpe's office, wondering if she was going to shake to pieces. Margaret had just given her an injection, a mild sedative to quiet her nerves. Now Margaret brought her a cup of strong, hot coffee, spoke into the phone when it rang, and turned back to say that was a call from Surgery. Paul's wound had been dressed and bandaged. He was doing fine.
"And I," said Nora, "am probably going to have hysterics." She gulped the burning hot coffee and said how ashamed she felt to be losing control of herself like this.
At first she had done beautifully, marveling at her own calm. She had been the poised, helpful nurse when the intern rushed in with a chair to wheel Paul over to Surgery. She had even tried to help the two orderlies get control of that fighting, howling maniac before they hustled him off to get him locked safely away until the police came. She was perfectly calm when the police officer came and took her statement as to what had occurred.
The young officer, with whom she had gone to school when they were teen-agers, had called her a "mighty brave little gal."
"That nut might have killed you."
He
was telling
her
.
The orderlies seemed to admire her self-possession, too. One of them said she "sure had guts."
"Gutsy me, Maggie! And look at me now!" After it was all over and quiet restored, she had gone to pieces.
"Reaction setting in," said Margaret calmly, and brought her more coffee. "As soon as you feel up to driving, go home. Stay home tomorrow. Rest. Put your troubles out of your mind. Nobody can live on her nerves forever, the way you've been doing."
"I'll be seeing the wild look in that creature's eyes as long as I live." Nora shuddered, and looked up as the door opened.
It was Paul. "Thank goodness you're all right," Nora exclaimed, coffee spilling as her shaky hand put down the paper cup. He looked a little shaky himself, and pale. But he was able to smile, and somehow he seemed more like himself than he had in a long time as he walked over to sit down beside Nora.
"Does it hurt much, Paul?" Curiously, she suddenly felt a burning stab in her own shoulder, as if she were taking his pain into herself.
"Nips a
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