. . . and we can figure some of this out.” She closed her eyes and whispered, “Let’s just get home.”
Rose reached out to stroke her hair. When Wade looked back toward the window, Seamus was no longer visible. Wade was beginning to suspect that he found engaging in conversation among their group to be unpleasant—or maybe it was still too new for him.
But Eleisha was right. They were now inside a cabin, with their weapons, heading for Portland. At the moment, they should keep their focus on getting home to the church.
Although weakened, at least Rose was behaving more like her calm self again, though she looked less elegant wearing Wade’s jacket over her blood-crusted dress. He’d have to go through his suitcase and find something else for her to wear soon.
She looked around the clinical cabin. “This is so different from . . . You should have seen our cabin when we traveled here from the east.”
Eleisha opened her eyes again, seeming relieved at the change of topic. “What was it like?”
“I had a bed and a porcelain basin for water. Embroidered curtains on the window . . . a satin comforter. It was like a little hotel room. Robert, did you ever travel by train in those days?”
“No.”
“Times have changed,” Wade said, also glad to be speaking of more mundane things. “But at least between both cabins we have four bunks.”
He realized he was thirsty, probably feeling dehydration from losing so much blood, and he looked over at Philip. “Would you mind going to the food car and picking up a few bottles of water? And maybe Rose could use a cup of tea?”
“I don’t mind,” Philip answered.
“No,” Robert ordered. “She’s fine for now, and we should stay in these two cabins, keep together with our weapons. Wade, there’s a sink right there if you need water, and a porter will come by in a few hours to take food orders. You can get anything you want then.”
The cabin fell into a tense silence again. Philip pressed his lips together tightly, but he looked uncertain at the same time, as if unsure what he should do.
“Robert,” Wade finally said, and he could not keep the edge from his voice. “I agree we should be cautious, but you don’t make the decisions for any of us. Philip is going to walk out the door and go buy some bottled water and get Rose a cup of tea. He might even get me a ham sandwich. Do you understand?”
Robert’s face betrayed nothing. No hint of emotion crossed his eyes. Then he stepped backward into their second cabin and closed the inner door.
Wade sighed, thinking he might have handled that differently. Philip looked surprised. Eleisha and Rose both looked uncomfortable. But something had to be done.
“You still don’t mind going for the water and tea?” Wade asked Philip.
“No, I don’t mind. I’m bored in here, and this trip will take forever. What will we do when I get back?”
“I’ll think of something.”
The moment Philip slipped out, Eleisha turned toward Wade. “You’re starting to handle him pretty well.”
“I watch you do it enough,” he said.
“What’s wrong? You sent him off over more than just a bottle of water.”
“I think somebody needs to talk to Robert . . . before we get home,” he answered, “I don’t think he’ll listen to me, and Philip would just make things worse.”
Eleisha glanced away. “I know. I’ve been thinking the same thing. I’ll do it.”
Wade was almost embarrassed by the relief he felt. She’d already had a long night, but they had a long way to go, and something had to be done right now. She had a way of making people see reason. It was a gift she never quite recognized.
“Keep Philip out if you can,” she said, standing up.
Rose reached out to touch her arm. “Robert is just following his nature, Eleisha. Remember that.”
“I will, but if we’re all going to live together and look for others to bring in, he’s going to have to understand . . .” Eleisha trailed off. “I’ll go talk to him.”
She knocked softly on the connecting inner door, opened it, and slipped through.
Wade closed it securely behind her and looked around the small cabin that he and Rose now occupied alone. Then he went back to sit with her.
She seemed all right as long as they were locked away by themselves with the window covered. “You should get some rest,” she said.