by Sarah Banks
She glanced back at Alex. He was rubbing her arm soothingly up and down, sending delicious shivers down her spine and making her eyelids heavy. She could so easily fall back asleep in his arms. Becca forced her eyes open.
“We probably should get up,” she said regretfully.
“Probably,” he replied, dropping a second kiss on her shoulder. Then he began to nuzzle her, his lips dragging across the sensitive skin of her neck. Her eyes slipped closed again and she moaned softly. She buried her fingers in his hair, drawing his lips to hers when suddenly she heard an unidentifiable noise. They quickly drew apart.
“What was that?” She asked, glancing toward the window. She looked back to see Alex was already on his feet, pulling on his pants. She quickly sat up.
“Alex? What was that?” She repeated worriedly, holding the blanket tightly against her chest.
“Billy,” he gritted.
Then she heard it again. Billy was yelling but Becca couldn’t make out the words. Suddenly the front door crashed against the house and she heard Billy’s boots on the stairs before he burst into their bedroom out of breath.
Alex already had on his pants, half-buttoned shirt and was pushing his feet into his boots. “What is it, what’s wrong?” He asked Billy, his voice dark and serious. Becca felt an even deeper flash of fear surge through her.
“It’s Casey. She fell from the loft and she’s hurt. She’s hurt real bad,” Billy explained hurriedly. “You need to come. Right now!”
Becca cried out. She hastily tried to untangle herself from the blankets and get to her feet. Alex reached out his arm to stop her and she suddenly realized why. She wasn’t wearing any clothes. She froze. Her eyes met his. She couldn’t keep the panic from her face.
“Get dressed and meet us out in the barn,” Alex ordered her calmly before he and Billy ran from the room. Their boots sounded like a cattle stampede on the stairs.
Becca whimpered and stumbled out of the blankets, the floor icy cold on her bare feet. She tried to dress as quickly as she could but her fingers were shaking too badly. Finally dressed, she tucked her bare feet into her boots and ran downstairs, out the open door and toward the barn as fast as she could, her unbound hair flying behind her. She stumbled to a stop just inside the barn, gasping for breath, a stitch in her side. She gripped the wide door leading into the shadowed interior of the barn, the rough wood biting into her palms as she tried to catch her breath, staring at the scene before her.
Alex was on his knees next to Casey who lay pale and motionless on the hard hay-strewn ground, several feet away from the ladder that led up to the hayloft. Billy was standing nearby, nearly as pale as Casey. His eyes darted worriedly to hers before going back to Casey’s still form. Alex called Casey’s name several times but she wasn’t responding.
“Is she dead?” Becca asked from the doorway, her throat so tight she could barely get the words out.
Alex looked up at her. “No,” he said firmly. “She’s not dead. But I can’t get her to wake up and her pulse is weak. “Billy! Hitch up the wagon as fast as you can and we’ll take her to Doc Hilliard’s.”
Billy ran to the back of the barn to hitch up the wagon.
Becca stumbled forward, dropping to her knees next to Casey. Tears fell from her cheeks onto Casey’s still form. She dragged her sleeve across her eyes. She hadn’t even known that she was crying.
She picked up Casey’s hand. It was cool and felt almost lifeless in her own. “Casey?” She whispered urgently.
Alex reached for Casey, to lift her into his arms, but Becca held out her hand to stop him.
“Wait, I’m not sure if we should move her. What if her neck is broken?”
Alex stared at her for a moment before craning his head. “Billy,” he called behind him. “Forget the wagon. Take Lightning instead. Ride to town as fast as you can and bring back Doc Hilliard.”
In mere seconds, Billy was racing out of the barn on Lightning’s back, heading toward town at a breakneck pace.
Becca stared after him and then turned to her husband, her eyes wide with worry, not only for Casey but Billy too. “Alex,” she pleaded.
“Don’t worry, Billy was practically born in the saddle. He’s the best rider in the country. I’ve never been able to beat him in a horserace and he’s never fallen off. He’ll be fine. He’ll be able to bring the doctor the fastest.”
Tears began filling her eyes again and Alex’s face began to blur in front of her.
“Hey, hey,” he whispered, pulling her into his embrace and pressing his lips against her hair. “It’s going to be okay, but you have to pull yourself together now honey. We have to be strong for Casey, okay?”
She nodded and straightened, brushing the fresh tears away. Alex was right. Tears wouldn’t accomplish anything.
“Alright. Now go get some blankets from the house so that we can keep her warm and as comfortable as possible until the doctor gets here.”
Becca raced back to the house pulling the blankets from Casey’s bed including the new blue and white quilt. She ran back to the barn and they covered Casey.
“Casey, please wake up. Please,” Becca begged, squeezing Casey’s hand tightly.
It was nearly an hour and a half before the doctor arrived. And in that ninety minutes Becca had second-guessed her decision to bring the doctor here over taking Casey to the doctor a thousand times. It had been the longest and most terrifying moments of her life sitting here helplessly waiting. She sobbed in relief when she heard horses galloping in the distance. She ran to the barn door. In seconds, Billy on Lightning came into view and a second man on horseback beside him, easily keeping pace.
Doc Hilliard was about her husband’s age. She wasn’t sure why she had been expecting someone older. He jumped from his horse before it fully came to a stop, bag in hand, rushing past Becca. He dropped to his knees next to Casey and began to calmly and methodically assess his newest patient. In a matter of moments it was determined Casey’s neck wasn’t broken and it would be safe to move her indoors. Alex lifted Casey easily into his arms, blankets and all, and quickly carried her to the house, laying her down on her new bed.
Becca watched from the doorway helplessly as Doc Hilliard continued his examination.
“She has quite a nasty bump on the back of her head. I’ll know more when she awakens. Unfortunately, she has broken her ankle, quite badly in fact. She must have caught the ladder on the way down and twisted it. I want to try to wake her but I think it’s best if I set the ankle first,” Doc Hilliard explained. The men exchanged a grave look, then Alex turned to her.
“Honey, why don’t you build up the fire? Perhaps start a pot of coffee and make a little something for Casey to eat when she wakes up.”
Becca slowly nodded and reluctantly went back into the main room. She knew why Alex was sending her away, so she wouldn’t see the doctor tending to Casey’s injured ankle. She hadn’t thought to inspect Casey for other possible injuries earlier, she had been so distracted by a head, neck or back injury that might occur in such a fall. But if Casey had caught her ankle when falling, it could be a gruesome injury indeed. She was mostly concerned if Casey would ever wake again. But what if she did, and she couldn’t walk?
Becca gripped the edge of the counter and forced herself to breathe. She was getting ahead of herself. She needed to let the doctor tend Casey, meanwhile Becca needed to keep herself busy.
She stoked the fire and started a pot of coffee. The house immediately started to warm up and she began to feel guilty for sleeping in late with Alex. Maybe if she had gotten up at her usual time Casey wouldn’t have been out in the barn with Billy. She wouldn’t have been in the hayloft and she wouldn’t have fallen.
She put together a quick pot of beef broth and mechanically made some biscuits. Her throat ached with unshed tears. When she finished, Alex still hadn’t come out of the room. Becca sat down at the table and buried her face in her hands and she prayed like she had never prayed before.
&
nbsp; “Please God,” she whispered. “Please.”
Becca didn’t know how long she sat at the table praying. She didn’t hear Alex approach and she jumped when his hand lightly rested on her shoulder. She looked up at him with a hopeful expression.
“Is she awake?” She asked, pushing back her chair.
He hesitated. “Only for the briefest of moments,” he answered, not elaborating any further. “But the doctor’s finished with her leg. And he has to leave. He left a woman in the beginnings of her first labor but only because the woman insisted. He has to get back now.”
“But what about Casey? What if she needs him?” Becca asked, panic creeping into her voice.
“Honey, Doc Hilliard has done all he can right now. Now it’s up to Casey and God. But Doc Hilliard promised to check on her when he can and we’re to send Billy to get him if her condition worsens. He gave me a list of things to watch for along with some medicine and instructions on how best to care for Casey.”
He looked away from her as Doc Hilliard entered the main room. “I’m going to walk him to his horse. You keep an eye on Casey.”
She nodded and immediately went to Casey’s bedroom. She was surprised to see Billy sitting on the edge of Casey’s bed, holding her hand.
“Casey, wake up, please wake up,” he whispered thickly. “I’m so sorry. Case?”
Becca squeezed his shoulder gently and when he looked up at her, she was startled to see his eyes wet with tears.
“It’s my fault,” he told her.
She shook her head. “No it’s not,” she said firmly. “It was an accident.”
“Yes, but she wouldn’t have been up there if it wasn’t for me. What if she doesn’t wake up? What if she dies?” He asked, his voice breaking. He swallowed. “Or if she does wake up but can never walk or run again?”
He was voicing the same worries that had been silently running through her own head over and over again.
“We can’t think about that now. We just have to hope and pray and deal with the situation at hand. Whatever might happen in the future, we’ll deal with that then. But right now we need to stay strong for Casey.”
Billy sniffed and finally nodded. His eyes went past Becca’s shoulder and she turned to see Alex enter the room with two chairs. Billy reluctantly let go of Casey’s hand and took one of the chairs while Becca moved to the bed. She picked up Casey’s hand, searching her face. Her lashes were still but at least she had more color than before. In the barn, she had looked pale and lifeless and Becca had never been more terrified in her life.
She turned to look at Alex as he took the chair next to Billy.
“You said she awoke earlier. How long was she conscious? Did she say anything? Becca asked.
Alex and Billy exchanged a glance. Alex cleared his throat before answering. “She woke only briefly, while we were setting her leg,” he said regretfully. He swallowed. “She was in a lot of pain. But she was only conscious for a few seconds before she passed out again.”
Becca bit her lip, looked at Casey again and tried not to cry. She looked back at Alex as he took her other hand and held it in his. She was so glad he was here. That she didn’t have to go through this alone. He had taken full control of the situation. He had remained calm and levelheaded, while also gentle and comforting, exactly what she needed.
He squeezed her hand a single time and she squeezed back. She wanted to tell him she loved him, right then and there. She should have told him earlier.
“What was she doing in the hayloft anyway Billy?” Alex asked in a low voice.
Billy hesitated.
“Were you arguing again because if you were, so help me God…” His voice tapered off. He rubbed his free hand down his face. “It needs to stop now, you two need to work out your differences.”
“We weren’t arguing,” Billy said defensively.
“Then what?”
“When you two didn’t get up, she helped me tend to the animals and then we started to talk. We didn’t fight at all. Well, maybe a little bit in the beginning,” he admitted. “But we ended up talking a long time about how we grew up. I told her all about Ma and Pa and our farm back in Ohio. Then she told me about her childhood, in the orphanage, and before that.”
Becca raised her eyebrows. She was surprised Casey had shared her past. Every single girl who entered the doors of the orphanage had a sad tale, but Casey’s had been especially heartbreaking. She rarely spoke of her life before the orphanage to anyone, even Becca.
“We knew you guys were still in bed but I convinced Casey to go inside and sneak us something to eat. She slipped going down the ladder.” Billy suddenly got up from his chair. “I need some air. Yell for me if she wakes up while I’m gone. I’ll be back soon,” he promised, with a final glance at Casey.
After Billy left, Casey stirred and whimpered but she still didn’t wake up.
Becca wiped away another stray tear. She could feel Alex’s eyes on her. “I’m sorry,” she told him. “I’m trying to stay strong. I’m trying not to cry. It’s just that I love Casey like my very own sister and what if she…” She left the words unspoken. She was afraid if she voiced her biggest fear aloud that it might come true.
“I understand,” he said softly. And she knew that he did, him more than anybody. She remembered a few weeks ago when he had told her of how his parents had passed suddenly almost two years ago now and how he thought he was going to lose Billy too.
“Alex, I need to tell you something. Two things really,” she amended.
He nodded and waited for her to speak.
“Well, the first, I know it might not exactly be the right time to say it but I don’t care, I need to anyway.” She looked down and fiddled with her skirt for a moment, before she took a deep breath and looked up at him. “I love you Alex.”
He drew in a quick breath. His expression softened.
“You don’t have to say it back or anything, I just realized it myself not long ago and I needed to tell you.” She glanced at Casey and then back at him. “It’s important to me that you know.”
He opened his mouth to reply but she stopped him, placing her fingers gently against his lips. “And there’s something else. I’ve been thinking a lot about it and I’ve decided that I can’t let Casey return east alone. I need to know that she will be safe and make it back to the orphanage so I’m going with her.” She dropped her hand, quickly continuing when she saw his expression. “I promise I’ll come right back, it’s just that I can’t in good conscience send her off by herself. I care about her too much and despite what she thinks, she’s far too young to be on her own.”
Alex looked at Casey and then back at Becca. He took a deep breath. “It might not be necessary,” he began.
Becca tilted her head in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. Maybe she doesn’t need to go back. In fact, I wrote a letter to the orphanage only two days ago to petition for guardianship of her until she turns eighteen. I wanted to surprise you.”
Becca quickly inhaled. She pulled her hand from his, covering her mouth. Her eyes filled with tears.
“I know how close you two are,” he continued gently. “I see the same relationship between you two that Billy and I share and I could never ask you to send her away. She’s family. So we’ll find a way she can stay.”
Becca shook her head, her eyes shining with tears. “Miss Templeton will never let us adopt her.”
Alex shrugged, undeterred. “If not, then we’ll go above her head. But we’ll find a way Becca. I promise you, that in the end it will all work out.”
Becca remembered saying those very same words to Casey months ago and now her husband was saying them to her. She believed them when she said them to Casey and she believed them when Alex said them to her. She nodded and began to cry and this time she didn’t try to stop the tears. They were a mixture of so many different emotions she had felt over the past few months: fear, sadness, unce
rtainty, relief, happiness, love. Even in this dark situation, Becca felt lighter than she had felt in months.
Alex pulled her onto his lap, holding her tightly as he pressed a kiss to her damp brow. She nestled against him, loving the feeling of security she felt in his arms.
“So I’m staying?” Casey croaked from the bed.
Becca whipped her head up, hitting Alex’s chin. They rubbed their injured spots simultaneously. “I’m sorry,” she said, touching his chin gently before quickly turning to look at Casey.
“Casey!” She cried out.
Casey tried to smile, shifting slightly. Her face turned into one of pain and tears instantly sprang to her eyes.
Becca lightly pressed against her shoulders. “Don’t move Casey. You’ve had a bad fall.”
Casey cried silently, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes and soaking into her pillow. “Everything hurts,” she cried softly.
“I know sweetheart, I’m so sorry,” Becca said, reaching for her hand and squeezing gently.
“The doctor gave me something for the pain Casey, I’ll go get it ready,” Alex said. “Hang in there, okay Case?”
When he turned to leave the room, Becca saw a mixture of moisture and relief in his eyes. She realized though he had put on a strong, brave front, he had been just as worried as she.
Becca recapped the morning’s events. Casey remembered being up in the loft with Billy, slipping and falling from the ladder but nothing after that, including the doctor setting her ankle thankfully.
Alex returned with a tall glass of water and her medicine and then went to find Billy. Becca helped Casey take the medicine and then gently laid her back against the pillow.
“Do you think he means it?” Casey asked sleepily, her eyes half-closed.
Becca tilted her head. “What?”
“Alex,” she clarified. “Do you really think he plans on letting me stay?”
“Yes I do,” Becca replied honestly.
