Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed novel Chapter 877

Her question sounded a bit blunt, but it was a fair point. Carlson Smith scratched his head awkwardly. "I... I don't have your numbers memorized, so..."

"Then what about Arkle? His phone couldn't have broken too, right?"

At the mention of Arkle, the light in Carlson Smith's eyes dimmed. "He's in the hospital. He's in a coma, so he can't use his phone..."

"A coma?!" The three of them exclaimed in unison. Roseanne asked, "What happened to him?"

"It's a long story, and it involves both our families. It's..." Suddenly, a coughing fit erupted from one of the bedrooms. Carlson Smith seemed to remember something and immediately turned toward the kitchen. As he walked, he called back to them, "Sorry, make yourselves comfortable for a minute. Gail, get our guests some water."

Gail dutifully fetched three rustic-looking bowls and poured hot water into them from a thermos. Mamie quickly waved her hands. "Oh, no, you don't have to! I'm not thirsty!"

Gail didn't listen and poured a bowl for each of them anyway. "Thank you," Roseanne said.

"You're welcome. You're my brother's friends." She pointed to a sofa in the corner. "Please, sit. I'm going to go check..." With that, she headed for the kitchen.

Roseanne had smelled a strong medicinal scent the moment she walked in. Sure enough, a clay pot was sizzling on the stove. Carlson Smith wrapped a cloth around it, lifted it with both hands, and carefully poured the scalding herbal brew into three separate bowls.

This was Ms. Smith's medicine for the entire day. He brewed it all at once to save firewood, and would just reheat the other two doses later.

Next, Carlson Smith emptied the dregs and cleaned the pot. Finally, he picked up one of the bowls of medicine, crossed the living area, and entered one of the bedrooms.

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