held on to her hand and led the way out of the alley, crossed another street, and retraced their steps toward the orphanage. As the building came into sight, he paused. Someone crouched on the porch next to the kitchen. “Wait here,” Jake whispered.
Two boys stood there, looking like they’d rolled in a coal bin. Jake didn’t know which one was Luke. A bundle lay on the porch between them.
“Somebody’s hurt, Miss Livy.” One boy’s gaze darted to Jake, but he stood his ground.
He must be Luke. Both boys wore worn-out coats that were too small for them. Their faces, what little he could see beneath the coal dust, looked thin and haggard.
Livy dropped to her knees beside the child, wrapped in a stained and tattered blanket. “Bad?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Luke’s voice trembled.
“What happened?” Jake asked.
“Not now, Jake. Please.” Livy looked up, her eyes pleading with him to be patient. “Help me get him inside.”
She was right. There would be time enough for questions later. Jake lifted the unconscious boy into his arms and followed Livy. She lit some lanterns and led the way to Mrs. Brooks’s bedroom. Luke and the other boy followed.
“What’s his name?” Livy asked
“I don’t know,” Luke responded.
Jake gently placed the boy on the bed and took stock of the situation. Filthy rags wrapped his left hand. Jake could only imagine what his body looked like beneath the torn clothes, black soot, and filth that covered him from head to toe.
He looked around. Luke stood inside the bedroom, his eyes glued to the youngster on the bed. The other boy had disappeared. “Do you know what happened?”
“No. We went to the mines tonight to get some coal, and—” his gaze dropped to the floor—“found him in a mine shaft.”
He wasn’t telling the whole truth, but Jake let it slide. For now. He unwrapped the boy’s hand, growing more concerned by the minute. With the mangled fingers fully exposed, he drew in a sharp breath. They needed Doc Valentine if they were going to save this child’s hand, maybe even his life. He stood. “I’ll go for the doctor.”
Livy reached out, her gaze imploring. “We can’t pay him.” She bit her lip and looked at the boy on the bed. Tears shone in her eyes. “I’ll wake Mrs. Brooks. She’ll know what to do.”
“He needs a doctor.” Jake took her by the shoulders. “That injury is several days old, and it’s starting to fester. Mrs. Brooks can’t fix this one.”
She sniffed and nodded, and he pulled her to him, kissing her on the forehead.
“I’ll be back soon.” He glanced at Luke. He wanted to talk to him, but right now he needed to get help for the child at death’s door. Obviously Luke cared enough about the younger boy to bring him to the orphanage, and he hadn’t taken off when he’d seen Jake. “Luke, will you stay here with Miss Livy until I get back?”
The boy swallowed. “Yes . . . yes, sir.”
“Good. I’m glad I can count on you.”
* * *
True to his promise, Luke stayed by Livy’s side until Jake returned with the doctor. Now, he looked ready to bolt. Jake stoked the fire in the kitchen and made coffee while Doc Valentine, Livy, and Mrs. Brooks tended the injured boy.
He eyed Luke, trying to gauge his age. Maybe ten or twelve, but it was hard to tell. His small stature gave one impression, but his face spoke of something entirely different. He was whipcord thin and probably just as tough. The kid would have to be to live on the streets and take care of himself and, from what Livy said, a bunch of other youngsters too.
A month ago, Jake would have collared him and hauled him off to jail, but after seeing the way he’d risked his safety for the hurt boy, he hesitated. Could he have been so wrong? For now Jake would give him the benefit of the doubt.
“How about a cup of coffee to warm you up?”
Luke didn’t respond, his gaze locked on the bedroom door across the hall where they could hear Doc Valentine and Mrs. Brooks speaking in low tones.
Jake poured a cup, unsure if the boy would drink it, but he figured it didn’t matter. He needed something to warm him up. He added milk and sugar and found some corn bread and butter in the pantry and brought that to the table as well. “Here. You hungry?”