Forever Angels

by Simmons, Trana Mae

  "No, Tess," Rain said in a strangled voice. He took a deep breath when Silver Eagle laid a hand on his shoulder. "Pa...Pa was getting some wood for the fire when I heard him yell. On the way home, he told me it must've been a rattler, 'cause the brush pile was beside some rocks where they like to lay. But it got away before he saw it, and he didn't hear it rattle."

  "That's an old wive's tale," Tess murmured distractedly as she pulled the syringe from her snakebite kit. "Rattlesnakes don't always rattle in warning, especially if the snake was half asleep and Stone startled it."

  After scanning the directions in the kit, Tess grabbed a styrofoam package from the kit and opened the lid to reveal a dozen glass vials, filled with a powdery substance.

  "You have brought this medicine with you?" Silver Eagle asked.

  "Yes," Tess said. "I took a class — got certified. I had to have a doctor write me a prescription so I could carry this with me when I went backpacking."

  She glanced worriedly at the Shaman. "I'm...I'm supposed to make sure he's not allergic to this first, because the antivenin could hurt him worse than the snakebite if he is. But it's been so long since he was bitten, I'm afraid to wait any longer."

  Silver Eagle looked at Rain, and Rain turned his gaze overhead. Michael nodded frantically at the boy and motioned as though plunging the needle into Stone. As soon as his grandson's eyes met Silver Eagle's again, the Shaman spoke to Tess.

  "He is not what you said — allergic. Give him the medicine."

  Tess hesitated another second, turning her face toward Silver Eagle, a plea in her eyes. "How can you be sure? I could kill him."

  "I will do it, if you don't. You brought the medicine here when he needed it. It wouldn't be so, if it were wrong."

  "But I'm not sure know how much to use," Tess said with a sob. "It's meant to be used immediately. After a person's been affected for a while, it takes a larger dose."

  Silver Eagle gave an exasperated sigh and reached for the vials. Almost as though something guided his hand, he picked several vials out of the styrofoam package and scooped them to one side. His hand hesitated a second, then he added two more vials, until eight of them lay loose on the bed.

  "These," he said, waving his hand over the vials.

  Something in the Shaman's voice and steady gaze gave Tess back her confidence. "Take his pants off."

  While Silver Eagle removed Stone's denims, Tess grabbed the bottle of sterile water and drew a syringe full to mix with the powdered antivenin, handing each vial to Rain and murmuring for him to shake it. She then drew the vials of mixture back into the syringe and pushed the plunger until a small stream of liquid spurted out, displacing the air in the needle.

  With a fairly steady hand, Tess inserted the needle into the muscle mass in Stone's upper thigh and slowly depressed the plunger. After the last drop disappeared into his body, she removed the needle and grabbed a cotton ball from her kit to press over the small drop of blood that welled up on his leg.

  She knew it was her imagination, but a deep sense that she had done the right thing immediately engulfed Tess. She replaced the still usable items into the medicine kit before she settled beside Stone on the bed and pulled the blankets up around his neck.

  "It'll be a while before we know if it works," she said, smoothing a stray curl from Stone's forehead. "I'll stay with him tonight."

  Rain and Flower hesitantly approached Tess, and she opened her arms to them. Gathering them close, she rocked them gently for a moment, making a wordless attempt at comfort.

  Her own terror and fear threatened to overwhelm her again, but she forced herself to think of the children. They had lost their parents within months of each other, and now the man their world centered around lay near death. Stone's words of a few days ago whispered in her mind. The children had lost so much already — she had to do everything in her power to bring Stone through this crisis.

  For the children's sake — and for her own. She loved Stone so terribly much.

  Flower pushed away first and laid a hand on Rain's shaking shoulder. "We should get our chores done, Rain," she said quietly. "Pa won't like it if he wakes up and finds out we haven't done them."

  Rain gave a sniff and one last hug to Tess's neck. He glanced at Silver Eagle after he stood, somewhat embarrassed at nearly breaking down in front of his grandfather. But the Shaman gave Rain a rare smile and nodded at his grandson.

  "It is good to show you care, Rain Shadow. But your sister is right, and the time will pass faster if we do the work that needs done. I'll help you both in a minute."

  Rain and Flower slowly walked out of the bedroom, pausing at the door to look back at Stone. The pain on their faces, mixed with their childish attempts at bravery, tore at Tess's heart. She forced a nod at them, hoping the gesture would ease just a little of their worry, although she was far from sure herself that Stone would live.

  So many things could still happen, Tess thought to herself as soon as the children disappeared and she turned back to Stone. Shock had weakened that wonderfully strong body. Infection could set in. He could still have convulsions....

  "We will need the plants for the fever and the swelling in his leg," Silver Eagle said. "Rain and I will gather them and prepare them. And we will do a ceremony to drive out the evil spirit left behind by the snake."

  "Please," Tess said softly. "Do everything you can. We can't let him die. The children need him so much."

  "He will fight," Silver Eagle said. "He has many good reasons to live — the children's love — and yours."

  "Yes," Tess agreed without reservation. "If love can pull him through, he'll make it."

  Long after midnight, Tess still sat in the rocking chair Rain had brought in from the back porch for her. Stone's breathing was deep and steady now, as though he slept a healing sleep, rather than lay in tortured unconsciousness. His thready pulse had evened out shortly after she gave him the injection, but he still hadn't opened his eyes.

  Rain slipped into the room, as quiet as a shadow.

  "You should be asleep, Rain," Tess murmured. "I promised I'd call you kids if your father got worse."

  "I can't sleep. Please, Tess. I want to stay, too."

  "O.K. Come here."

  Though he was a little large for her lap, Tess lifted the blanket she had tossed over herself when the evening cooled, and Rain sat down on her knees. She pulled him close and wrapped the blanket around them both, settling her chin on Rain's silky, black hair when he snuggled into her neck.

  "Tess?" Rain asked in a hesitant voice. "Is...is Pa gonna live?"

  "I'm pretty sure he's going to make it now, Rain," she murmured soothingly, stroking a tender hand down his small arm. "He's a lot better than he was when you got him back here."

  "Then why hasn't he woke up?"

  "He's resting now, getting his strength back and fighting the snake's poison."

  "Oh."

  Rain snuggled just a hair closer to Tess and stifled a yawn. She touched a toe to the floor and set the chair to rocking slightly. Long, quiet moments passed as Tess cuddled Rain close, breathing in the faint scent of little boy and enjoying the feel of him in her arms. Her eyes never left the bed, though, where Stone lay unmoving.

  "Tess?"

  Rain's voice was groggy, and Tess kept the chair rocking, hoping he would drop off into needed sleep.

  "What, Rain?" she whispered.

  "I was awfully scared. Men aren't supposed to be scared, though, are they?"

  "Rain, honey, I don't think men or women either one ever get over being scared at times. Especially when someone they love is in danger. But you should be very proud of yourself. You kept your head and got your pa back here, where we could help him. He might not have made it without you."

  "It seemed like it took us forever to get here."

  "I'm sure it did. It's funny, isn't it, how sometimes time flies by and you feel like you have to run to catch up to it. Other times, you almost want to push it to make it go faster."


  "Uh huh. Did it go fast or slow when you came here to us, Tess?"

  "To tell the truth, I don't know, Rain. But I guess it must have been pretty fast, since it was about the same time in the day that I fell when I woke up here."

  "You must have been pretty surprised, huh?" Rain said with a slight chuckle.

  "You better believe it," Tess admitted. "And I was pretty scared, too. I'm just glad I landed here with you and your family, instead of somewhere I might have been in real danger."

  "The spirits probably brought you," Rain said with another yawn, his drowsiness making him forget for a second that he wasn't supposed to discuss the figures that followed Tess around.

  "You mean, so I'd be here when your pa needed the snakebite medicine?" Tess slowly shook her head, Rain's hair stroking her cheek with the movement. "I'm not sure if I believe in your grandfather's Indian spirits, Rain, but a couple weeks ago I didn't believe a person could travel through time, either. So your grandfather's right about one thing — there are lots of wonders in the world we don't understand."

  "Ummmm." Rain's eyelash brushed Tess's neck and he relaxed in her hold. "But your spirits are white, Tess," he murmured just before he dropped into a deep sleep.

  Tess adjusted Rain to a more comfortable position in her arms and smiled down at him. That was a new idea — she had never read anywhere that any Indian religion believed in a division of spirits, white for white people and Indian for Indians.

  Sensing something different in the room, Tess glanced at the bed to see Stone's eyes open and centered on her. She gave a soft gasp of joy, and only the burden in her arms kept her from flinging herself onto the bed.

  "Stone, darling," she breathed. "Oh, God, we've been so frightened."

  "Is he too heavy for you to lift him over here beside me?" Stone asked softly. "I don't think I can help you."

  "Please don't even try. I think I can do it."

  Bracing her uninjured leg under her, Tess scooted to the edge of the rocking chair and managed to lay Rain on the bed without waking him. Stone stifled a groan and moved over on the bed a ways, drawing Rain with him and slipping an arm under Rain's head.

  "Now you," he said to Tess. "There's room, and you've probably been sitting there all night."

  Tess hesitated, eyeing the space on the bed longingly. It didn't beckon her for sleep, though, as much as the thought of being so close to Stone.

  "Do you want something to eat or drink?" she asked. "Flower left some soup on the stove."

  "I just want you beside me, Tess," he murmured. "Please."

  Tess slipped into the bed without further protest. She took Stone's hand when he held it out and laid her cheek against it. Their eyes met and clung, and she wrapped her fingers in Stone's, drawing his hand to her mouth to kiss it.

  Thumb gently stroking Tess's lip, Stone asked, "Is Flower all right?"

  "Uh huh. And Silver Eagle's here. He came while Flower and I were having a picnic at the lake."

  "Sorry I missed the picnic." Stone slipped his thumb between Tess's lips, and she gently nibbled at it. "Have you been eating right and drinking your milk?"

  "Um hum." Tess watched Stone's eyes darken with emotion when she flicked her tongue around the callused pad on this thumb.

  Stone pulled his hand free and buried it in her hair. "I need you to kiss me, Tess," he whispered. "If you don't kiss me within the next few seconds, I feel like I'll never get well."

  "We can't have that, can we?" Tess whispered in reply.

  Carefully she leaned across Rain and covered Stone's mouth with her own. Stone's lips parted in answer to hers and she closed her eyes, glorying in the softness of his mouth and the certainty that he was out of danger. When their lips parted for breath, they murmured each other's name in unison, then sought each other's mouth again.

  "Wanta go for a ride, Angie?" Michael asked. "Looks like things are fine here for a while."

  "Oh, that would be nice, Michael. Can you put the convertible top down? It's pretty under the stars."

  "Sure. Whatever you want."

  ***

  Chapter 19

  "Get your butt back in that chair, Stone!" Tess called through the kitchen window.

  Stone glanced at the door behind him, half-way expecting to see Tess standing outlined behind the screen. When he realized her voice had come through the window — she must be standing at the dry sink, where she couldn't possibly see him — he frowned at Lonesome.

  "I've heard that women have eyes in the back of their head, boy," he said in a low voice. "But I sure as heck never knew they could see through walls."

  Lonesome pricked his ears when Rain and Silver Eagle emerged from the barn, Rain on Smoky and the Shaman riding his pinto. After what Stone took as an apologetic look, the dog leaped to its feet and raced across the yard. Lonesome circled the horses and riders once, then loped ahead of them as Rain waved at Stone and kneed Smoky forward.

  Cursing the weakness that still lingered in his body, Stone sat back in the rocking chair. He should be the one riding out to check on the cattle and fences. As a matter of fact, there were a thousand and one other things he should be doing — not the least of which was getting back out there and making another try for some of those wild horses. Now he even owed Doc Calder for his visit out here yesterday to check on the snakebite.

  He glanced at the garden, where Flower moved up a row of pole beans as she picked them and dropped them into the peck basket on her arm. He still hadn't been over to the Widow Brown's, either, and Flower's dress hung several inches above her ankles. Grudgingly, he admitted that the denims Tess now wore every day — ignoring any look of censure Stone gave her — would probably be a lot more comfortable for Flower to work in.

  Tess placed her hands on Stone's shoulders, her thumbs massaging his tight muscles. "You're not used to sitting here and letting everyone else do the work, huh?" she asked.

  "I thought you could only see through walls," he said in a gruff voice. "I didn't know you could walk through them, too."

  "What's that mean?" Tess said with a laugh.

  "It means I didn't even hear you come out onto the porch," he told her as he leaned back into the kneading strokes. "Um, that feels good."

  "You're supposed to be resting, not sitting here all tensed up because you can't get out there and work yourself to a frazzle."

  "Yeah. Well, the work won't go away. It'll just pile up, and there'll be more of it to do when I'm able to get back to it."

  Tess dug her fingers deeper into his shoulders.

  "Ouch! That hurts," Stone grumbled.

  "Then for heaven's sake, relax," Tess told him. "Lean your head forward."

  Stone dropped his head onto his chest. After a second, he closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Magic. Tess had magic in her fingers — magic to soothe his tense muscles and magic that made him long for her beside him in his empty bed at night, so he could show show her some sorcery of his own.

  But sorcery had probably brought her to him — and could probably just as easily take her away. He hadn't even been able to finish more than half of that damned book she gave him. Every reference he read about the growing love between the man and woman in the story — and their fear of separation at any moment — had sent a stab of almost uncontrollable pain through his heart. Late last night, he had even started to get out of bed and take the darned thing in to toss it in the kitchen stove.

  Her fingers grew weary, and Tess adjusted her crutches under her arms and swung over to the other rocking chair. She sat down and reached over to lay a hand on Stone's arm.

  "The doctor said you could start walking around tomorrow, Stone. You have to let your body heal itself. If you do, by next week you'll be back to full strength."

  "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Stone grumbled. He laid his head against the back of the chair and loosened his grip on the arm to turn his hand over. Twining his fingers around Tess's, he held her palm against his.

  "And there will be another week's work pile
d up," he said with a sigh. "You and the kids can't do it all, not even with Silver Eagle's help."

  "You've got that right, Pa," Flower said as she set her basket on the porch and plopped down on one of the steps.

  Tess started to draw her hand away, but Stone tightened his grip.

  "You should have seen Grandfather yesterday," Flower continued, slipping a sly look at their intertwined hands. "I thought maybe there might be enough pretty days left to grow some more radishes and lettuce this summer. So I asked Grandfather if he would help me plow up a small corner of the garden again."

  Tess laughed gaily and Flower looked up at her. "Did you see what happened, Tess?"

  "Uh huh," Tess admitted. "I was watching on the porch. But for pity sakes, don't tell Silver Eagle. I got back inside before he saw me."

  "Well, what happened?" Stone asked.

  "The plow hit a rock, Pa," Flower said with a giggle. "The jerk scared the horse and Grandfather forgot to let loose of the plow when the horse took off. Plus...."

  Flower broke into laughter and couldn't speak. She looked up at Tess, her dancing eyes begging Tess to finish the story.

  "He...." Tess controlled herself with an effort. "He had the reins wrapped around his neck," she said with a snort of laughter. "He finally had to let go of the plow, because the reins were choking him. The...the horse had stopped by then, thank goodness, and...and Silver Eagle got up and...."

  Stone's laughter rumbled in his chest and his shoulders convulsed as the picture Silver Eagle must have made flashed in his mind. He dropped Tess's hand and clutched at his stomach while he waited for either Tess or Flower to continue.

  Flower found her breath first. "Grandfather got up and said that a man was meant to ride on a horse's back — not follow behind its ass," Flower said around her laughter. "And he stomped off and I had to finish the plowing myself."

  "Watch your language, Flower." Stone tried to make his voice stern, but failed.

  Flower tossed him a wide-eyed look from her twinkling brown eyes. "But Grandfather's the one who said that, Pa."