Page 50 of Highlander’s Claim

Seoras was Aulay’s nephew, but without children of his own, this was as close as Aulay would get to having grandchildren.

“Sweetheart, are you sure you can’t push?” Jenny asked.

“Ahhhhh!” a terrible cry came from Mhairi. “Aaaaah!”

Bhatair marched to Aulay and stood by him, shaking his head. He whispered, “She wilna make it, laird. The bairn may already be dead. Prepare yer nephew.”

Jenny stood up and walked to Bhatair. She lowered her voice as she spoke to him. She had that look he knew, when she was all focused and efficient and helping people. “Okay,” she said. “I have an idea. It’s risky. But I think I can help. I can do a C-section. It’s extremely dangerous, and I’ve only done it twice, but I observed it many times done by gynecologists. It’s her and the baby’s only chance.”

“A C-section?” asked Bhatair.

“Cesarean section. Have you heard of it?”

His eyes widened. “I have heard it done when the bairn must live but the mother wilna. This will kill her.”

Shock washed through Aulay like cold poison straight into his blood. “Jenny, ye canna be serious…”

“I may be able to save her…I hope so!” Jenny said. “But, Bhatair, you must do everything I say. We need everything clean. Sterile. Lots of light, alcohol, and all instruments must be treated with alcohol beforehand. And quickly. I can’t promise you she’ll survive this. It will be extremely painful for her without anesthetic. But it’s her only chance. Can you help me? Can you follow my every instruction? For her and the baby’s sake?”

Bhatair shook his head. “’Tis madness.”

“Is that a no?” she asked. “Tell me now. We don’t have time.”

“Aye. I will help. But only if she and Seoras ken what it means.”

“Great. I will talk to them. Please bring all the uisge you can find and your surgical instruments. Aulay, clean the table and put it next to the window, and wipe it with uisge. Do you have any on you?”

Aulay nodded, struck dumb. Was she really about to cut into the woman to get the bairn and then expect Mhairi to live? Was he going to trust her enough to let her do that?

As Jenny walked to Seoras and Mhairi and started talking to them softly, Aulay moved to the table. He didn’t realize what he was doing, still shocked he would allow Jenny, whom he had suspected to be a charlatan only a few days ago, to do this.

He cleaned the table of things. His shoulder ached sharply as he pushed the table closer to the window where, thankfully, sunlight was still coming through. He then took his horn flask of uisge and a clean cloth that lay in Bhatair’s basket and generously poured uisge over the table, then wiped it with the cloth till it was dry. The room filled with the sharp scent of alcohol. Why he needed to do that, he didn’t know.

“I dinna give ye permission to kill my wife!” Seoras exclaimed.

“I’m just saying it’s a risk,” Jenny said. “But that’s why we’re doing it. If we don’t do anything, she’ll likely die, and so will your child. If you allow me to do the surgery, it’ll give her and the baby a chance to live.”

“I give ye my permission,” Mhairi said. “Do anything to save my bairn. Even if I have to die, do it.”

“No!” Seoras cried.

It was all like knives slashing against Aulay’s very soul. This conversation had never even been an option for Aulay.

“Aye,” said Mhairi as she squeezed Jenny’s hand. “Do it.”

Bhatair barged into the room with another basket.

Jenny nodded to him. “Please wipe all the instruments quickly with uisge and lay them here.” She pointed at another small table. “Aulay, please move this small table here.” She pointed next to the big table.

While he did as she asked, Jenny found a clean bed linen and put it on the large, clean table.

“And now, Seoras, please pick up Mhairi and lay her here.” While Seoras brought Mhairi onto the table, Jenny looked at Bhatair, who was wiping the knives with a cloth. “Bhatair, do you have opium, by any chance?”

“Never heard of it,” Bhatair said.

“That’s too bad,” Jenny mumbled as she scratched her head. “It’s the only anesthetic I can think of that wouldn’t harm the baby.”

“Anesthetic?” asked Bhatair.