by Jennae Vale
“There they are,” Edna said, pointing into the fire.
“What do ye want me to do?” Maggie asked.
“Stay right here with me. I may need some added energy to create the fog.”
“Donal, can ye hear me?” Edna asked.
“Aye. Where are ye?”
“Ye cannae see me, but in a moment or two, if all goes to plan, ye’ll be surrounded by a swirling fog. Dinnae panic. Can ye keep yer horse calm?”
“Aye. He’s as steady as they come,” he said.
“Good. Hold tight to each other and before ye ken it ye’ll be here. Stay right where ye are now.”
Edna closed her eyes, focusing on the fog and the bridge. She repeated an incantation over and over again until she heard Maggie’s voice.
“It’s working, Aunt.”
She opened her eyes just in time to see the swirling fog encircle them and then they were gone.
Donal’s arm tightened around Tina’s waist as the fog cleared and he saw that they were on a different bridge. The one he knew to be more than a day’s ride away. Everything seemed a bit different to his eyes and as he glanced around they came to rest on a man standing there. He seemed to be waiting for them.
“Are you here for us?” Tina asked.
“I be Teddy,” he said. “Follow me.”
Donal prodded his horse forward. It was fully dark now, but there were balls of light on posts above their heads as they rode, lighting their way. They followed Teddy as he led them to a road with unfamiliar buildings.
“The inn’s over there,” he said. “I’ll take yer horse when we get there.”
Donal’s body tensed as he glanced around at the strange buildings and other oddities.
“Don’t worry. I’m here with you. It’ll be alright,” Tina said.
“I’m nae worried,” he protested. He didn’t wish Tina to think him afraid of the things he was seeing.
They arrived at the inn and he dismounted before taking Elena from Tina’s arms. It seemed she didn’t need his help as she dismounted with ease. “We have horses on our ranch at home,” she explained.
Donal handed the reins to Teddy, who walked off down the street as Tina opened the door to the brightly lit inn.
“What candles are these?” he asked, examining a nearby lamp.
“Those aren’t candles,” Tina said. “They’re light bulbs.”
“Donal, Tina. Yer here,” An older woman with blue hair greeted them and he held Elena a bit tighter. He hadn’t known what to expect from a witch, but she had gotten them here and for that he was grateful. “Come in.”
“I’m Maggie.” A younger woman approached and held out her hand. She didn’t have blue hair so perhaps she was not another witch. He took her hand and shook it gently. “Dr. Ferguson will be here soon to see to little Elena.”
“I thought Dr. Ferguson was…”
“It’s his nephew. Long story, I’ll explain it later.”
“Come, sit in my office,” Edna said.
They passed through the doors and were greeted by a kilted man. “Donal McCabe. I be Angus Campbell.”
Donal took in the Highlander, there was something familiar about him. “Angus Campbell? Do I ken ye?”
“Ye may. I’m from yer time and I’ve been to Breaghacraig. Mayhap ye saw me there. I hope I can help make yer stay here a bit easier. If ye have any questions, I’m the one to ask.”
Donal kept his face neutral as he took in his surroundings. He was a Highlander after all. He would never allow anyone to see anything less than a strong, confident warrior. He suspected that Angus might be the only one who knew what he was truly feeling.
“I’ve got rooms set up for ye upstairs. Tina ye’ve been here before. Ye’ll have the same room. Donal will be right next door. We’ve put a crib in there but we can move it where ever ye like.”
“Thank you, Edna,” Tina said.
“So what did ye think of yer adventure?”
“It was amazing,” Tina replied, glancing at Donal.
“And now yer the one having an adventure,” Edna directed her comment to him.
“Aye. Is this where Hamish is?” He hadn’t thought he would ever see his friend again, but perhaps he could come meet Elena.
“He’s in California with my sister,” Tina answered.
“Where is that?”
“’Tis far from here, lad,” Angus said.
“Will I be able to see him before I return?”
“Nae, but ye can speak with him.”
How could he speak with him if he wasnae here? They made no sense. Perhaps it was more of the witch’s magic.
“Don’t worry about it right now. We’ll see to it.”
A bell rang, “That must be Dr. Ferguson. I’ll go see.”
Donal could hear voices coming from the entrance as Edna spoke with a man. Their voices got closer before they appeared. “Donal, this is Dr. Ferguson.”
“I’m pleased to meet ye, Donal,” the man said.
“Can ye help wee Elena?” Donal asked, all the anxiety he’d been feeling bubbling to the surface.
“I believe I can. Let me have a look at her.”
“Angus, why don’t we go wait in the dining room. Give the doctor more room. Do ye need more light?” Edna asked.
“No. This is fine.”
“I cleared my desk and put a blanket there to place her on.”
“Perfect.”
“We’ll be close by if ye need us.” She closed the door behind them so it was just the four of them in the room.
“Now, let’s see what we can do for the little one,” Dr. Ferguson said, taking Elena from Donal’s arms and laying her on the cleared desk. He placed a black bag next to her and removed some things Donal was unfamiliar with. Unwrapping the plaid, he put things in his ears and another thing on Elena’s chest.
“He’s listening to her heartbeat,” Tina explained. “And now he’s checking her ears.”
Donal was fascinated.
The doctor then looked inside her mouth. “It seems she has the measles, the Koplik’s spot confirms it,” Dr. Ferguson said. “It’s good that ye brought her back to this time. The treatment will require plenty of fluids, a fever reducer and time. She should rest as much as possible. We will need to watch for complications. It is rare, but if her fever runs verra high or she develops pneumonia she will need to be hospitalized. What about ye? Have ye both had the measles?”
“I’ve had the vaccine,” Tina said.
Dr. Ferguson looked at Donal, “And ye?”
“I cannae say. I dinnae remember ever having anything like this.”
“Don’t be surprised if ye get it then. It’s highly contagious, but if ye do get it, the same treatment applies.” Dr. Ferguson packed his bag and headed for the door. “If ye find she’s getting worse or if ye need anything else, I’m just down the road.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Tina said.
“Aye. Thank ye,” Donal added. It had only taken a few minutes, but Donal felt the weight of the world leave his shoulders.
Chapter 13
“I’m going to call my sister,” Tina said. “Let her know I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth. Do you want to talk to Hamish?”
“How can I do that if he’s nae here? Do ye have a magic globe like Lady Ashley?”
Tina’s eyebrows shot up at that, “No, it is not a magic globe it’s a phone. I will show you.”
They went up to their rooms and placed a sleeping Elena down for the night and turned off the light before retreating to Tina’s room right next door.
Tina found her phone right where she’d left it. “Oh, good! It’s charged.”
She could feel Donal standing close behind her. It wouldn’t be too hard to lean back into him. Maybe he’d wrap his arms around her, even kiss her neck. Her insides turned to jelly whenever he was near, but she’d pretty much told him to give up and so there was no way he’d make a move. He hadn’t touched her unless it was absolutely necessa
ry. And yet, she wanted that touch.
“Now what do we do?” his deep voice rumbled in her ear.
Had he read her thoughts? “I don’t know.”
“Ye said we could speak with Hamish through this thing.”
“Oh! Right, the phone.” He meant the phone. She had to talk to Elle. She’d know what to do. She dialed her sister’s number and before long Elle’s voice came through loud and clear.
“Tina! How’s your trip? Have you been having fun?” she asked. And then, “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, everything’s fine.” How was she going to tell her what happened. “Elle, I didn’t tell you before you left but Edna offered to send me back in time.”
“What? Are you kidding me? And you went?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“Not the part where Edna would send you back, but I can’t believe you’d willingly go.”
“I did.” She was proud of her decision. “I know it seems out of character for me, but I wanted to give it a try.”
“Why?”
“I’d like to ken the answer to that question as well,” Donal said, tipping his head as he looked at Tina.
“Who’s that?” Elle asked.
“Donal, he’s come back with me.” Tina said, making a face at him.
“Oh my gosh! You and Donal! Hamish!” she yelled. When she came back to the phone, Tina could hear the smile in her voice. “I can’t believe it. You went back to find a man.”
“Is that what ye did?” Donal asked, the hint of a chuckle in his voice.
“Yes. Edna told me she had someone all picked out for me.” Maybe this phone call wasn’t such a good idea after all. She gave Donal some side-eye sass.
“And ’twas me?” Donal asked, looking delighted at that news.
“Yes, it was you,” Tina begrudgingly admitted.
“What is it?” Hamish’s voice came through to them.
“Hamish! Is it really ye?” Donal’s excitement caught Tina off-guard, causing her to choke back a giggle.
“Donal!”
“Aye.”
“Where are ye?” Hamish asked.
“I’m here with Tina. We’re with the witch, Edna. Hamish, I have a daughter.” The pride in his voice touched Tina’s heart.
“A daughter? Yer a Da?” Hamish asked.
“I am. She’s nae well. We had to bring her here.” There was silence on the other end of the phone as Tina imagined both Elle and Hamish mulling over that announcement.
“What’s wrong with her?” Elle asked.
“Measles,” Tina said.
“Oh. Is she going to be alright?”
“Yes. Dr. Ferguson came to see her. She’s asleep right now.” She snuck a peek at Donal who had a look of wonder on his face.
“I can’t believe you planned on time traveling and you didn’t say anything to me about it,” Elle said.
“I didn’t want you to try to stop me,” Tina replied. “Don’t be mad.”
“I’m not. I just thought, you know, since you’re my sister that you’d share all your secrets with me.”
“And for the last few months we haven’t had a single secret between us. Not a one,” Tina replied. They laughed at that and Tina felt her body lean into the phone, as though she could get closer to them. She missed her sister, her family. She wanted to go home.
“So, you and Donal.” Her sister teased. “When are you coming home? Mom and Dad will be so happy that you found someone.”
“Well, it’s not quite that cut and dry,” Tina said.
“Donal, what did ye do?” Hamish shouted through the phone.
Tina had to laugh as Donal looked like he wanted to run.
“Donal!” Hamish yelled.
“Aye. I’m here. I may have told a lie.” He glanced at Tina and then down at his feet.
“You did tell a lie,” Tina reminded him.
“Tina stay as far away from him as ye can.”
“Hamish, to be fair I’m a Da now. I’m nae the man ye knew before ye left.”
“Tina, could ye do me a favor and cuff that idjit on the head to knock some sense into him?”
“Don’t worry Hamish, I’ve got this under control.”
“So, Donal isn’t coming home with you?” Elle asked. That was a very big question.
“Let’s not talk about that now. I was just calling to let you know I’m alright. I’ll be staying until Elena is well enough to go back home and then I’ll get on the first plane there.”
“I’m here if you need to talk,” Elle said.
“I know and I might take you up on that. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Can I talk to Donal for a sec, privately?”
“Sure.” Tina clicked off the speaker and handed the phone to Donal who looked unsure of what to do. “Hold it to your ear.”
“I’m here,” Donal said.
Tina wished she knew what was being said, but the one-sided conversation went on for a while. At some point, Hamish joined the conversation and before Donal handed the phone back to her, he said, “Hamish, I miss ye, my friend. Yer a lucky man.”
“Okay, I’ll be in touch,” Tina said hanging up the phone.
“’Tis a wonder!” Donal exclaimed. “Thank ye.”
“How was it to speak with your old friend?” Tina asked.
“I am grateful for the gift ye’ve given me.” He never thought he’d speak to Hamish again and though Hamish immediately took on his old role of captain with Donal, he didn’t mind it one bit. He’d missed his counsel these past months.
“I’m starving, let’s see if we can get some food,” Tina said.
They checked in on Elena and she was still sleeping peacefully. So they decided it would be fine to head downstairs to the dining room. They were met at the bottom of the stairs by Maggie.
“I was just coming up to see if ye needed anything,” she said.
“Food,” Tina said. “I haven’t really eaten much lately.”
“The food at Breaghacraig didnae suit ye,” Maggie observed.
“Not at all. Mary tried to feed me, but a girl can’t exist on bread and oats alone.”
“Head into the dining room. I’ll keep an eye on Elena for ye while ye eat.”
“She’s sleeping, hopefully she’ll be down for a while.”
“I’ll just hang out in the room so if she wakes up there’s someone there.” She headed up the stairs.
They picked the table by the fire to sit at. Dylan appeared from the kitchen.
“Hey, you’re back,” he said.
“Dylan, this is Donal. Dylan is Maggie’s husband.”
“I remember seeing ye at Breaghacraig. Ye were there when the witch was causing trouble for the MacKenzies.”
“So was Maggie,” Dylan said. “Although she was in disguise most of the time. I’m guessing you’re hungry.”
“Yes. We’ll take whatever you’ve got.”
Dylan went to the bar and got a bottle of wine and two glasses for them. “You can enjoy this while I get the food together for you.” He poured them each a glass and set the bottle on the table.
“Thanks,” Tina said.
“I’ll be right back.”
Donal stood, going to the window and staring out. “What was that?” he asked.
Tina joined him. “Oh, that’s a car.”
“There were no horses pulling it,” he noted. “There’s another.”
“You’ll see lots of those. It’s how people get around.”
He turned from the window, “I like my horse.” He was so focused on what was outside the window he hadn’t realized how close Tina was standing. She was even smiling at him. He could reach out and pull her closer, but he knew he shouldn’t.
“People still ride horses, but only for fun. Cars are much faster.”
He cocked an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes in disbelief.
“It’s true!” she said. “Come on let’s enjoy the wine.”
They sat back at the tabl
e, but Donal’s attention was diverted by everything that moved out on the sidewalk and in the street.
“This must be unbelievable to you. If Elena is doing better tomorrow we could try to sneak out for an hour. Maybe we can go for a walk and see some of the things you’re fascinated by.”
“You’d do that? I didnae think ye wished to be with me.”
“Donal, I’m trying to get over the lying. I know I’m being too hard on you. It’s just that I’ve been lied to so many times. Old habits die hard in my case.”
“Do ye believe I’m sorry?” His eyes pleaded with her for understanding. He didn’t know how many times or ways he’d have to apologize, but he’d keep doing it forever if necessary.
“I do. My fear comes from not knowing if you’ll do it again.”
She was being honest with him and she deserved an honest answer, but he felt it might be better to simply tell her what she needed to hear. “I won’t.”
“You will. We all do.” He couldn’t read her. She was looking at him with a certain sadness. He wanted nothing more than to be the man she wanted him to be.
“Even ye?”
“Yes, even me.”
“Tina, I want to be yer man. I want a life with ye. That is the truth of what is in me heart.” He was bearing his soul to her, but was unsure if he was making any progress.
He could see she wasn’t sure how to respond to him. She was afraid. Afraid to give him her heart. “Let’s get through dinner first. One step at a time.”
“Does it mean yer willing to give me another chance?”
“Dinner first,” she said.
Dylan brought them plates filled with foods she was familiar with. Chicken, potatoes, gravy and veggies. “Mmmm… You have no idea how good this looks to me.”
“The test is whether it tastes as good as it looks,” Dylan chuckled as he placed a basket of bread and rolls on the table. “Enjoy.”
She dove right into the food, not caring one bit that she was being rude. She glanced up a time or two to find Donal was enjoying the meal as much as she was. When they were done, she wiped her mouth with her napkin and released a satisfied sigh. “No disrespect to Mary, but I missed this so much.”
Dylan emerged from the kitchen with a tray of sweets and a coffee pot. He retrieved cups from the bar and poured them each a cup.
