“You wouldn’t have been born at all if not for the miracle of this device.” Zach answered, staring at the snakehead still in his hand. “I couldn’t stay in that strange and foreign place any longer. I took hold of Marie, and with you in my arms, while no one was looking, I touched the snake’s left eye, and it brought us back home, just like the old man said. He was dead in the cabin when I returned with you. The blizzard was over the next morning. We were gone no longer than a day. You were cryin’ your bloody head off, and I knew I’d lose you, too, if I didn’t find a wet nurse for you. I took you to the closest Tukudeka clan I could find. Gentle Sun had recently given birth to Elk Runner. She was more than happy to take you. I left you with her to tend to my grief. You know the rest of the story. You got to grow up amongst the Indians and with me. I tried my best to do right by you.”
The two of them sat in silence after that, each lost in their own thoughts.
Finally, Daniel spoke. “You traveled to the future again. Why?”
“I didn’t for many years. I buried the snake. You were about seven years old when I got to realizing that my heart was giving me some trouble. It was another year later before I finally decided to get help. I had the snakehead. I could go to the future and they could help me. I was thinking of you, Daniel. I didn’t want to die and leave you. I know you had your Indian family and you were happy, but I wasn’t ready to go under yet.”
“Why did you keep this from me?” he asked solemnly.
“I never found the right time to tell you. I’m sorry, son. I know I should have told you. As time went by, I figured you were happy with your life the way it is, and why burden you with it. I kept the snake for selfish reasons for myself. I don’t think it’s right to be meddling with things like living in different times. I’ve decided to destroy the snake. No more time travel. It just ain’t natural.”
Daniel quickly looked up at him. “What about Aimee? Does she have the ability to travel in time?”
“No. Aimee is a nurse at the last hospital I visited three months ago.” Zach told him of how he had met her and ended up sending her to this time.
“People in the future know nothing about time travel, either. She didn’t believe me, so I’m sure it must have been quite a shock to her when she actually ended up here. I told her to find you. She knows these mountains from her time. She comes here on what she calls backpacking trips. It’s hard to explain, but the lives of people in the future are vastly different from what we know, and they have countless inventions that make life easy for them. To escape their normal lives, people in the future go on trips they call vacations. Aimee enjoys going out into the wilderness, what’s left of it in her time, to live a little as we do in this time. I thought to give her the opportunity to experience what it’s truly like. ”
“She knew about me?” Daniel asked.
His father nodded. “I told her your story, and to find you. I knew you’d keep her safe while she was here.”
Daniel had a sinking feeling in his gut. He had always known that Aimee kept things from him. He kept telling himself if he loved her enough, she wouldn’t lie to him anymore. She had become the woman of his heart, and he had been sure she loved him, too.
Her words of love, and the way she gave herself to him, made love to him, had been very convincing. Could it have all been a lie? Had she just considered him part of her wilderness experience? He had opened his heart, even told her he had been deceived by a lying white woman once before. And all along, she had known she would be going back to her time. She didn’t even have the courage to face him in the end and bid him farewell. How did he let this happen? How could he have allowed himself to be used and deceived by a white woman a second time?
He stood abruptly and kicked dirt onto the fire. There was still daylight left.
“Let’s go, father. I wish to return to the cabin. We have a lot of winter preparations left to make.” He picked up his Bighorn bow and rifle, and headed out into the forest, not waiting to see if Zach followed.
The older man stared after him. Once again, Zach thought with a twinge of guilt, he had left out some important bits of information. This was for the best, he convinced himself. If he told Daniel that Aimee had begged him not to send her back to her time, what would Daniel have done? Insist on bringing her back? No, it was best this way. Miss Donovan was safely back in her time, and Daniel would forget about her soon enough.
Chapter 22
California, present day
For all outward appearances, Aimee seemed to have resigned herself to her former life. She went to work each day, performed her duties without flaw, and even went out socially with her co-workers as before. Jana knew better, however. Aimee was no longer the fun-loving socialite she had been. She went out, but she was always far away, never quite part of the conversations around her. She would often hear Aimee cry out for Daniel in her sleep, and knew that Aimee cried a lot when she thought she was alone. She never brought it up, and hoped that time would heal her wounds. Brad had been polite and unusually friendly, calling and stopping by the condo often. He asked Aimee out on dates almost weekly, but she turned him down each time.
One evening, eight weeks after Aimee returned from her “trip”, Jana’s desk phone rang. She was sitting at the nurse’s station in the surgical recovery unit, charting some long overdue patient information.
“Hey, Jana,” Aimee’s voice sounded tired. “I’m heading home now, just wanted to let you know.”
“Ok,” she said. “My shift doesn’t end for a couple more hours. Do you want to rent a movie and order some Chinese for when I get home?” she asked hopefully.
“Sure,” Aimee responded halfheartedly.
“What’s wrong?” Jana didn’t like the sad tone in Aimee’s voice. Things had been much better lately, or so she thought.
“I’m just tired,” Aimee sighed. “Long shift, and Ashwell was in rare form today . . . It’ll be two months today,” she added in a solemn whisper.
Jana took a deep breath. “Well, go home and get some rest. I’ll pick up dinner and a movie. You don’t have to.”
She stared at her phone for a moment after they’d said their goodbyes. How much longer was Aimee going to grieve? She had even thought about talking her into getting a prescription for anti-depressants, but thought better of it. If things didn’t change soon, she would reconsider.
Her focus returned to her charts. A half hour later, a couple of nurses walked through the recovery area towards the surgical rooms.
“Hey, Jana,” one of them greeted.
“I thought all the surgeries were done for the day,” Jana called out.
“Yeah, well, ER is sending someone up. I think it’s a stabbing victim.”
“What surgeon is on call?”
“Dr. Brigsby’s been paged.”
“Well, hope it doesn’t take too long,” Jana turned her attention back to her charts. Moments later, her phone rang.
“Recovery,” Jana answered.
“Mary in ER,” the voice on the other line said. “You’re Aimee Donovan’s roommate, right?”
”Yeah,” Jana answered.
“Do you know if she left for the day, or is she still in the building?
She’s probably soaking in the shower right now.
“She’s not here anymore. You guys short-staffed?”
“As always, but that’s beside the point. There’s a man here insisting he needs to talk to Aimee, and wants me to tell him where she lives.”
“What man?” Jana frowned.
“His name is Zach Osborne.”
Jana’s heart leapt into her throat.
“I’ll be right down,” she said and hung up the phone. “I gotta go, Linda,” she yelled at her astonished co-worker. She ran down the hall and frantically pushed the down button on the elevator. “Come on, come on,” she said between gritted teeth. Her body shook violently from the adrenaline rush of having heard that familiar name. The elevator door opened and she sprang in,
pushing the button to the first floor.
Jana was usually a lot more reserved. Bold and assertive was definitely not her forte. However, anger welled up inside her thinking about everything her best friend had endured in recent months.
With a vengeance, she strode into the ER and made her way to the nurse’s station, taking little note of the chaos around her. Her sole focus rested on the man standing there talking animatedly with the nurse at the desk. She had no doubt who he was. The fringed leather pants gave him away.
“How dare you!” she practically shouted at him, her voice cracking nervously, as she stopped in front of Zach Osborne. He turned to her in surprise. Mary at the desk stared wide-eyed from Jana to the man.
“I beg your pardon?” he asked, a haggard, tired look on his face.
“How dare you come here again and want to speak to Aimee?” Jana shouted. “Haven’t you messed up her life enough?” She inhaled, her heart pounded fiercely, her face hot with anger.
“I never meant to hurt her,” Zach said in a quiet voice. “Please, if you know where she is, I need to talk to her. My boy . . .” his voice cracked. Jana stared.
He pointed to where all the commotion was coming from. She looked to see nurses and Dr. Ashwell working over a patient. Blood was everywhere.
“I thought if he sees her, he’ll fight,” Zach said.
She looked from the chaos to the older man, seeing for the first time the worn look of worry and anguish on his face.
“That’s the stabbing victim we’re sending up to surgery,” Mary chimed in helpfully.
“That’s Daniel? . . . Aimee’s Daniel?” Jana asked in disbelief. At that moment, the team working on him wheeled the bed out of the cubicle and towards the elevators.
“They’re headed to the OR,” Jana said. “What happened? Aimee told me all about her trip,” Jana added in a hushed tone when she saw him hesitate. She motioned for Zach to follow her to a quiet corner.
“He’s been looking for Aimee for days,” Zach began. “I went after him, and finally talked him into calling off the search. On our way back to our cabin, we were surprised by a party of Blackfoot.” The older man wiped a hand over his face.
“Days?” Jana shook her head, trying to understand. “Aimee’s been back here for two months.”
“Less than a week has passed in our time,” Zach said, his voice raspy. “I never meant for any of this to happen.”
“Okay. Let me call Aimee,” she said. “One of the best surgeons here is working on your son. If anyone can save him, it’ll be Dr. Bigsby.” She pulled her phone from her back pocket, and pressed the speed dial to Aimee’s cell phone.
“Come on, answer,” she said impatiently. When the voicemail picked up, Jana hung up and dialed again. This time, someone picked up.
“Get down here now,” she barked before Aimee even had the chance to say hello.
“What? I just got out of the shower,” Aimee protested.
“You need to get down here now,” she said again. “I’m standing right next to Zach Osborne.”
Silence on the other end, then she heard a loud clanking noise. The phone must have fallen to the ground.
“Aimee? . . . .Aimee!” Jana yelled.
“I’m . . . here,” Aimee had picked up the phone. “Daniel?”
Jana took a deep breath. “You need to get down here. He’s alive, but it’s bad.” The call disconnected.
“She’s on her way,” Jana said.
Zach looked around. “Where did they take my boy?” he asked.
“They took him to surgery. They are no doubt operating on him as we speak,” Jana said. She walked back over to Mary at the nurse’s station, who gave her a questioning look.
“When Aimee Donovan shows up, tell her to meet us in ICU,” Jana said. “Come with me, Mr. Osborne,” she said to Zach. They went to the elevator. “You can stay in the waiting area in the ICU. They’ll get you when he’s out of surgery.”
Zach nodded wordlessly.
Jana hurried to the operating suites, grabbed a facial mask, and went in.
“How bad?” she asked the room
“Someone butchered this guy,” one of the nurses said.
“Dr. Bigsby?” Jana formally addressed Brad, who was focused on tying off a bleeder. Without looking up, Brad said, “He might make it. What’s up, Jana?”
“Nothing, I just wondered about the patient.”
“We’ll be a while,” Brad said. “Scrub in if you want to help.”
“I think I’ll pass on this one,” Jana said. She left the OR. Anxiously, she waited for Aimee. She didn’t need to wait long. The elevator at the end of the hall dinged, and Aimee flew out the doors. Jana headed her off before she could barge through to the operating rooms.
“Hang on, you can’t just charge in,” she said.
“How is he?” Aimee’s work scrub top soaked up the water from her dripping wet hair.
“Do you want to see Zach?” Jana asked. “He’s in the waiting room.”
“How’s Daniel? Who’s operating on him?”
“Brad.”
“Oh my God!” Aimee’s eyes widened, and her hand flew to her mouth.
“That’s what I thought, too. But he’s in the best hands. As long as you don’t barge in there and Brad figures out the man whose life he’s saving is his biggest competition for you.” Jana said meaningfully. “His scalpel might slip with that knowledge.”
“I see your point,” Aimee said. “How long have they been in surgery?”
“Since I called you. Hey, why don’t you go sit with Mr. Osborne. He’s in the waiting room,” she suggested. When Aimee looked as though she was about to object, Jana said, “I’ll go with you. At least you can get the scoop on what happened.”
*****
They walked down the hall together. Aimee entered into the room ahead of Jana. Zach sat on a couch, his elbows resting on his knees, his head bent low. The muffled sounds of gunfire and screeching tires from a nearby television set hung on a corner wall, creating the only sound in the room. Zach looked up, and scrambled to his feet.
“Aimee, I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done,” Zach began. His face looked haggard, his eyes bloodshot. She stared at him. His appearance was different from the man she’d first met five months ago, and from their last meeting when he sent her home.
“Spare me,” Aimee’s voice was ice cold as she stared at him. “You forced me to come back here when I begged you to let me stay. I love Daniel, and he loves me, and I told you that, but you wouldn’t listen. So why did you come back here? I thought you had destroyed the device by now.”
“I’ve brought Daniel back to save his life. He would have died. It’s all my fault, too. I don’t want to lose my son because of my stupidity, the way I lost his mother. That’s why I came back.”
She kept staring, unflinching. “What happened after I left?” she asked coldly.
“Daniel searched for you when we met up in the woods two days after I sent you home. I offered to help him with the search.” Zach paused, absorbing the sharp looks she shot at him. Clearing his throat, he continued, “on the fourth day, I couldn’t keep up the pretense anymore. I told him everything – about you, and about him.”
Aimee tried to picture that conversation. What must have gone through Daniel’s mind at finally hearing the circumstances about his birth? How did he take the news about her? An icy sensation flowed through her. She’d never been honest with him. Now he knew the truth. Did it matter? Did he still care about her?
“How did he react to what you told him?” she asked almost fearfully.
“He didn’t take it none too well. He really didn’t say much after I finished. He broke camp and headed home.”
Aimee drew in a sharp breath. Daniel had to forgive her. She had to make him see that she’d had no choice in disappearing from his life, that she never wanted to hurt him.
“How did he get injured?” Her words were barely a whisper, her heart pounding in her ears.
“We set up a new camp after dark. Daniel wasn’t much in the mood for more talk, and I thought it’d be best if I left him alone with his thoughts. The next morning, he was already gone when I woke. He musta been elsewhere with his mind, otherwise he’da never let himself fall into an ambush. A party of five Blackfoot surprised him. By the time I caught up with him, he had killed three, but they already got him good. I shot one before he could finished Daniel off, and the last one hightailed it into the woods.”
Aimee’s hand covered her mouth, her eyes stinging with tears at Zach’s tale.
“I’ve become too damned dependent on that snake. I knew if I didn’t bring him here, he’d be a goner. I couldn’t watch my son die.” Zach ran a weary hand over his face.
Aimee didn’t want to feel sorry for him.
“So, this all just happened? In 1810, I’ve only been gone five days?” She shook her head, trying to comprehend the timeline.
“The device doesn’t send someone forward in time exactly 200 years. Going back, it’s no more than a day or two difference, but going forward ain’t always exact. Sometimes weeks or months more, but never less. I think it’s so there can never be a repeat of something that’s already happened to the person doing the time traveling.”
Aimee closed her eyes, and inhaled long and slow. “When Daniel gets out of surgery, he’s going to be completely disoriented,” she finally said. “He’s the only one who doesn’t know what’s happening. I need to be there when he wakes up.” She looked at Jana meaningfully. “I hope he forgives me for all the lies I’ve told him.”
She sighed. “But right now we also have another problem. The police are going to want to question you and Daniel at some point about the stabbing. Jana, can you coach Mr. Osborne here with a plausible story?”
“And that would be?” Jana asked, taken off guard.
“I don’t know. Think of some gang related thing,” Aimee threw her hands in the air.
*****
It was another hour before Brad strode into the waiting room. Jana had gone to finish her shift, and Aimee stayed with Zach. Neither one of them had spoken, each being absorbed in their own thoughts.
Yellowstone Heart Song Page 23
