A Bridge Through Time: Book 1 of The Thistle & Hive Series (27 page)

“Poor lass.” Angus said worriedly. Dinnae you worry, lad. We’ll have her better in no time.”

Cailin gently removed Ashley’s boots and then covered her with the strange bed coverings. They weren’t furs, and seemed more like the plaids he and the clan wore, but the material was thicker. Cailin kept one hand always in contact with Ashley, afraid that if he let go, he might suddenly find himself returned to the other side of the bridge without her. He sat beside her on the bed and took a good look around for the first time. The Campbell’s must be wealthy folk indeed, to have such fine furnishings in their wee castle. There were no candles to be seen in the chamber and yet it was brightly lit from outside. The windows held big panes of glass and were covered with fine curtains.

The door was opened and Edna came bustling into the room. She immediately went to Ashley’s side.

“Ashley, dear, can you hear me?” she asked worriedly. “Ashley?”

“She has drifted in and out since she fell from my horse during the battle.”

“Ashley? It’s me - Edna. I’m so sorry. I was selfish when I set you up to cross the bridge. I wanted you to find Arlena so badly. I honestly didn’t know you might be harmed.” Edna gripped Ashley’s fingers in her own. “You must believe me. If I had known, I would never have thought about sending you.” Tears coursed down Edna’s cheeks and Angus pulled her into his embrace.

“Edna, I don’t blame you,” Ashley croaked weakly as she opened her eyes. “Without you, I wouldn’t have met Cailin.”

“She needs some water,” Cailin said.

Angus poured a glass of water from the pitcher by the bed, handing it to Cailin.

Cailin lifted Ashley’s head and tipped the glass to her lips. “Here, love, drink a little.” Ashley managed a couple of sips, and moaned softly as he laid her head back against the pillow.

“The doctor’s on his way, he should be here any minute.” Edna wrung her hands together nervously. Angus handed her a wet cloth, which she used to wipe the dirt gently away from Ashley’s face.

There was another knock at the door and Angus opened it to reveal yet another strange man. Cailin tensed, reaching for his sword and prepared to protect Ashley if need be.

To his relief, Edna was relaxed as she greeted the stranger. “Come in, doctor. Thank you for coming so quickly.”

Dr. Donaldson glanced down at Ashley, and frowned when he saw the bruising and swelling around her face and neck. “Tell me what’s happened.”

Edna nodded to Cailin. “It’s alright, Cailin. You can tell him everything, Dr. Donaldson knows about the bridge and the fog which leads to your time,” Edna assured him.

Cailin told Dr. Donaldson about Ashley’s kidnapping, the rescue from Sir Richard’s encampment, the final battle and Ashley’s fall from Cadeyrn after she’d been hit by the sword.

Edna gasped, covering her face with her hands as she listened in horror to Cailin’s story.

“Edna, I’ll need some help here. Angus you can leave for now,” Dr. Donaldson announced brusquely. He turned to Cailin and studied him for a moment. “Young man, you should get yourself cleaned up. A hot shower will do you a world of good. Edna, I’ll need some warm water, towels and if you could find a clean nightgown for the lass, we can dress her in it when I’ve checked her injuries. I’ll also need some scissors to cut the remains of this dress off so we don’t injure her any further.”

Edna nodded and walked over to Cailin, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Yes, Dr. Donaldson. Cailin, I promise you, Ashley is in good hands with Dr. Donaldson. Come. Let me show you how things work in the bathroom.”

Cailin let go of Ashley reluctantly and followed Edna through a small door on the other side of Ashley’s chamber. He watched Edna touch a thin box on the wall and to his amazement, the room lit up brighter than he could have imagined was possible. Edna caught him staring at the box in amazement.

“This is a light switch. It turns the lights on and off,” she explained, showing him how it worked. “Don’t touch it when your hands are wet, you’ll get a nasty shock.” She must have realized he had no idea what she was speaking of, because she smiled and explained further. “If you touch the switch when your hands are wet, you’ll be hit with electricity and it would be very painful.”

Her motherly concern touched him, even though he’d never heard of this ‘electricity’. Edna pointed out the other fixtures in the room and explained what they were used for, much to his amazement. “And this is the shower. These knobs turn the water on and off and adjust the temperature.” She demonstrated for him as he examined everything silently. “Here is some soap to wash yourself with, and shampoo and conditioner.”

Cailin frowned, studying the bottles she pointed out. He had nae idea what she was talking of. “Shampoo?”

“Yes, it’s for washing your hair.” Edna explained the process and he nodded his understanding, marveling at the inventions of this century.

Edna produced a pile of fluffy white towels. “To dry with,” she announced, “when you’re finished. Take your time. Cleanliness is very important, when you’re with people who are sick or have been injured. It reduces the risk of infection.”

“Thank ye, Edna,” Cailin said politely.

“I’ll find you a clean plaid as well.” With that, Edna left him alone in the strange chamber, where he continued examining everything - turning the lights off and on, the water off and on, and flushing the toilet repeatedly. He watched as the water swirled down through the strange item and thought what a wondrous thing it would be, to have this at Breaghacraig.

He turned the shower on once more and the hot water began to fill the room with steam. He dropped his shirt and plaid onto the floor, opened the glass door, and cautiously stepped inside.

He thought he had died and gone to heaven. The hot water felt amazing on his body, so wonderful that he merely stood and let it flow over him for quite a while. The soap was different from what he was used to and it had an unusual, but most pleasant scent.

Next, he tried the shampoo, squeezing some onto the palm of his hand, as Edna had explained. He rubbed it through his long hair, discovering he liked it. Much easier than the soap, which he usually used to clean his hair. It smelled flowery, but he couldnae recognize the scent. It certainly made a generous amount of suds. He rinsed his hair and then turned off the water, regretful of leaving this magical chamber, but eager to get back to Ashley. He discovered the towels were thick and soft and he wrapped one around his waist before peeking into Ashley’s chamber. Dr. Donaldson was packing items into a satchel of some description and talking to Edna, who glanced up and noticed Cailin’s appearance.

“I hope you won’t mind wearing a Campbell plaid, Cailin, it’s all I have. I’ll get yours cleaned and back to you as soon as possible.” Cailin was embarrassed when Edna gave him an appreciative once over, before handing him the folded plaid. “I’m not sure if the shirt will fit you, I think it’s going to be a bit small. Try this t-shirt instead.”

Cailin took the clothing and thanked her.

“We’re going to take Ashley to the emergency room at the hospital a few towns over so they can set her arm.” Dr. Donaldson explained. “An ambulance will arrive shortly, so you’d best get dressed quickly if you want to go with her.”

“Aye. Will Ashley be alright, then?” he asked worriedly, glancing at her still form.

“She’ll be fine. I stitched up the sword wound in her arm. Fortunately, it didn’t do any major damage. She has a wee bit of a concussion, from a blow to her head. The cuts and bruising will disappear in a week or so and the only other real issue is the broken bone in her arm. We’ll have that x-rayed at the hospital and put it into a cast, and she’ll be back to normal in no time,” Dr. Donaldson said.

Cailin breathed a sigh of relief and moved to stand beside Ashley, who had her eyes closed and seemed unaware of his presence.

“She’s asleep, lad. She’s been through a great deal and she’s mentally and physically exhausted. I’ve given her some medication for the pain, so she’ll sleep for a while. Now, go and get dressed so you can travel with her to the E.R.”

Cailin did as he was told, but he had no idea what an E.R. was or how they were going to travel there. Would they travel on horseback? Or was he expected to get into one of those horrifying boxes on wheels, which he’d seen travelling at such speed on the hard path outside? He was about to ask Dr. Donaldson, when he heard a horrifying sound which grew louder by the second. He searched frantically for the source as the noise got closer and thankfully, it suddenly stopped.

“What was that?” Cailin asked.

“Don’t worry yourself, lad. It’s just the ambulance come to get Ashley,” Edna explained.

Cailin watched Edna open the chamber door to two men who entered wearing strange, matching clothing. They talked with the doctor for a few minutes and then brought a strange, narrow bed on wheels into the room. They carefully placed Ashley on this narrow bed and covered her with another of the thick plaids. Cailin hovered close by, prepared to pummel anyone who might hurt Ashley. The men pushed Ashley carefully through the chamber door and Edna pulled Cailin aside before he could follow.

“Cailin, you can ride with me, if you’d like,” she suggested.

“Can I nae go with Ashley?” he demanded.

“Yes, of course, but if anyone asks you any questions, you can’t tell them what really happened,” Edna warned. “The bridge and the fog are a secret to most people. Only a few of us know about it.”

“What should I say?” Cailin asked, worried about what would happen if he made a mistake.

“Be vague,” Edna suggested. Cailin stared at her in puzzlement and she continued with a sigh. “If anybody asks what happened, tell them she was attacked by a stranger while you were on a camping trip. You saved her, but the culprit got away.” Edna patted his arm reassuringly. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right behind you in my car. I’ll get to you as quickly as I can, so I can deal with any questions.”

Edna led Cailin down the stairs and outside to the ambulance. The two men had just finished loading Ashley into the back. Cailin tried his best not to look terrified at travelling in this strange rolling beast.

Edna gave him a shove. “Get in with her, Cailin,” Edna ordered. “I’ll be right behind you.”

THIRTY-FIVE

Cailin got situated by Ashley’s side, and placed his hand on her leg, which seemed the only part of her body not attached to some strange items he’d never seen before. Some had numbers written upon them, which changed constantly before his eyes, and strange small flashing balls of red and green light, similar to the amazing candle which lit Edna’s bathing chamber, but tiny and round. Others beeped continuously, creating an unholy din that hurt his ears.

The doors to the ambulance were slammed shut and the ambulance jerked forward, startling Cailin. He wished Ashley were awake to explain it all to him. The man who had remained with them when the doors were shut gave him a curious look and Cailin did his best to act as if he rode in the back of these strange moving wagons all the time. He had the uneasy sensation that they were covering the ground at a verra fast speed. After a few minutes, Cailin’s initial apprehension died down, and as he relaxed he began to enjoy the speed at which they were travelling. He peered through the panes of glass and saw Edna travelling behind them in a much smaller wagon. She was clutching some kind of wheel in her hands. Cailin guessed that the wheel Edna held somehow steered the wagon she travelled in. He wanted to examine it more closely and hoped Edna would allow him to do so when Ashley was well.

They came to a stop and the doors were pulled open. Cailin watched in amazement as the two men pulled Ashley from the horseless wagon. He saw the strange metal legs unfold from beneath the bed, the wheels allowing the men to push the narrow bed along again. Cailin was piling up questions he’d have to ask Ashley when she awoke, about the strange world he found himself in.

They went inside a very large building with large panes of glass, which magically slid open as they approached. Cailin tried to see who had opened them, but there was no one near them. A number of women stopped what they were doing to stare appreciatively at Cailin, who nodded in their direction, but remained focused on Ashley.

“This must be Ashley Moore.” A woman approached holding a board in her hand and wearing odd clothing and a strange item around her neck.

“Aye, ‘tis Ashley,” Cailin answered.

“Dr. Donaldson phoned ahead with the details. We’re going to take her straight to x-ray.” The woman motioned to the two men pushing Ashley’s narrow wheeled bed and they started down a long hallway.

“Can I nae go with her?” Cailin asked, apprehensive at the number of strange and frightening things that surrounded him in this large chamber. He didnae understand any of it and marveled at how well Ashley had adapted to Breaghacraig and his time. He wasn’t sure he could do the same thing here in her world.

“I’m afraid not.” The woman pointed towards a row of chairs, filled with a variety of people in strange clothing. “You can wait over there. We’ll call you when she’s done.”

He didn’t feel like sitting down, so he leaned against the wall and waited impatiently for Edna to arrive.

“Cailin,” Edna called when she came through the sliding panes of glass. “There you are, dear.”

“The lady told me to wait here.”

“Did they take Ashley to x-ray?”

“Aye,” Cailin nodded, but he was confused. “What is x-ray, Edna?”

“It’s a way for the doctor to see the bones in Ashley’s arm.”

Cailin was horrified. “How do they do it?”

“Well, I’m not sure of the particulars, but there’s a machine, it takes a picture of her arm and then the doctor can see what’s going on beneath the skin.” Edna glanced at him and offered him a reassuring smile. “This isn’t making any sense, is it?”

Cailin brushed his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Nay, Edna. I’m verra worried for Ashley. I want to be with her, so she willnae be afraid.”

“Don’t worry, dear.” She put her hand on his arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “They’ll take good care of Ashley and you’ll see her very soon.”