by Holly Blake
“I guess we did.”
“I wish Mummy could have come with us, she would have liked travelling and seeing so many things.” Patrick’s little face faltered and Darby felt another jab of regret.
“She would have loved to see all the things you’ve seen. You should tell her tonight in your prayers.”
“I will!” Patrick brightened and went back to playing with the cat. “Come on Phileas Fogg, catch the string!” He laughed at the kitten as he pulled the string up in the air so the cat had to jump up to reach it.
Chapter Four
It had been a busy day at the clinic. Charles and Grace Noble had been in several times over the last few days. After her recent ordeal, it was decided that she should be taken to an asylum in Chicago where she would receive the help she really needed. The poor woman had such severe dementia that she didn’t know anyone anymore, not even her own husband. She was proving to be quite a handful and Mr. Noble took to bringing her to the clinic to be watched while he made arrangements at the bank for his replacement.
A young man named Robert Tate was expected to arrive any day but Charles had announced that he could not wait any longer for the young man. Grace had become so difficult to deal with that he made arrangements for them to leave first thing tomorrow. Hope was somewhat relieved. Grace was a lovely lady but she often had turns where she would get very aggressive and throw all manner of things at anyone who tried to stop her from leaving the clinic, and usually that meant Hope.
Mr. Noble had just picked Grace up and they were heading to the Inn to say goodbye to Esther and James Halverson. Dr. Sullivan had already headed to his home so that he could get ready for a meeting at his new club tonight so Hope was alone cleaning up and getting things ready for the next day when Darby came in.
As soon as Hope saw him her stomach began to flutter and her breath caught just like it always did every time she saw him. She wished it would stop but at the same time she didn’t want Darby to stay away either. She liked him, a lot. He would come to see Dr. Sullivan and talk to Hope every time. Their conversations were frivolous really but it didn’t matter what they said to each other, just that they were together.
Hope decided that she was being silly. She shouldn’t have feelings for another man when she had a fiancé at home. She would only be here for another couple of months and then she would go home and get married to Jonathan. On the other hand, she had not heard from Jonathan for weeks and she was beginning to wonder if he really still cared for her. He had only sent her one letter the whole time she was away. The letter didn’t say much either, just a few words about his work at the post office.
She had asked him to come and visit her but he wrote back that he couldn’t get away. In her last letter to him she mentioned that she had met a lot of eligible bachelors in Wyldewood all needing wives and she joked that maybe she should stay and marry one of them. That was three weeks ago and no letter from Jonathan had come since. She wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t like her joke or if it was because he just didn’t care about her anymore.
Since they’d become engaged Jonathan’s interest seemed to fall away. She noticed him looking at other women and he stopped taking her out as often. The last month before she left for Wyldewood they had only seen each other once, and that was the day she told him of her travel plans. He hadn’t even seen her off at the train station.
“Miss. Reynolds, how are you this fine evening?” Darby asked. He seemed a bit nervous to Hope, but then he always seemed to be a bit on edge.
“I am quite fine Mr. Darby, but I’m afraid you’ve already missed Dr. Sullivan. He left a little while ago to get ready for the club tonight.”
“Thank you, but that’s not why I’m here.” Darby blushed and bowed his head before looking into Hope’s eyes with a determined look. “Miss Reynolds, I hope I am not being too forward, but I would like to get to know you better and in so doing I would be honored if you would have dinner with me tonight?” He looked like he was holding his breath and Hope couldn’t help but laugh. He was a tall, strong and successful man and yet he looked like a lost little boy in that moment.
“Mr. Darby, I would be quite honored to have dinner with you this evening.” She smiled.
“I have a few things to attend to then I shall call for you at the Inn. Thank you so much for agreeing.”
“I look forward to it,” Hope said warmly. But I have a few things to finish up here as well. I will remain here at the clinic until you return.”
“Very well,” Darby agreed, a wide grin spreading across his face. “I shall return as soon as I can.” And with that he swept out of the door with the grace of a dancer. Hope felt bad for not telling him about her fiancé, but she wasn’t sure if she still had one. Besides, what could one dinner with a nice and respectable man hurt? She would tell him tonight about Jonathan and her mixed feelings on the subject. She would also write to Jonathan tonight and ask him what his intentions were considering their engagement. Did he want out of it now? If so, she would set him free and continue on in Wyldewood. She did like it here after all.
Lost in her thoughts Hope didn’t notice the two men that entered the clinic. Finally the one cleared his throat and Hope jumped.
“I’m sorry may I help you?” She blushed.
“We were wondering if Nurse Anna was in today.”
“She won’t be returning to work for a couple of weeks I’m afraid, may I help you.”
“Why not?”
“She just had a baby. Are you sure I can’t help you?” Hope had a knot in her stomach. The man who was talking made her feel very uncomfortable. The other man looked pale and thin but was very good looking. He sat on a chair in the front office, smiling weakly at her. “Is your friend alright?” Hope asked.
“I’m fine Ma’am.” The good looking man answered from his seat. He began to cough and held his sides as he did.
“He’s not alright. Maybe you could have a look at him Dr. Ivy.”
“I’m not Dr. Ivy; she too just had a set of twins. My name is Nurse Reynolds. Dr. Sullivan will be in tomorrow morning but I can have a look at your friend and see if there is something I can do to help him.”
“Please do.” The greasy looking man said and shaking his head he muttered, “Seems there’s an epidemic of babies around here. Go let the nurse look at you Beau. I’ve listened to you whining too long already.”
“I’m fine Lamont. I don’t need any fussing.”
“Pretty boy, this is a mighty pretty lady willing to look at your ugly mug. Maybe she can stop you gasping every time you cough, maybe she can’t, but at least you’ll feel the touch of a fine lady.” Lamont turned his head toward Hope and smiled a mirthless smile. “Maybe I should have you look at me too.” His eyes were cold and threatening. Beau stood up and put his hand on Lamont’s shoulder.
“I think you have other things to do than bother this lovely lady.”
“I guess I do. Besides there’s always the saloon with women a little less refined and a lot more willing to please a man.” He kept glaring at Hope as he spoke. She shuddered and that seemed to please him. “Stay here and let her look at those ribs. I’ll meet you at the saloon in an hour or so.” Lamont said as he slithered through the door. Hope was filled with relief as the door closed.
“Come with me and I’ll have a look at you.” Hope said waving Beau to follow her. “What’s your name?” she asked, trying to dispel the uncomfortable atmosphere that his friend had created.
“My name’s Beau Brady. I was Anna Duncan’s fiancé but I guess she’s moved on. Can’t say I blame her. Everyone around here thinks I’m dead.” He said this in a matter of fact tone but there was sadness in his voice.
“What happened?” Hope tried to sound lighthearted but she was deeply curious.
“Well, it’s a long story.” Beau laughed and began to cough again. Hope swept to his side and held him upright while ushering him to one of the examination rooms. Dr. Sullivan had taught her enough that sh
e could diagnose many ailments. She was pretty sure that Beau had broken ribs and possibly pneumonia. She got Beau up on the examination table with some effort on both their parts and had him remove his shirt. She saw angry bruises over his entire torso and a number of old scars on his back. He turned his head and looked at her blanched face. “Most of these happened a long time ago Miss. My father wasn’t a very nice man. The bruises are part of the story you were asking about.” He smiled and Hope felt some relief. She felt this man was harmless, but her heart ached over what must have happened to him. She noticed a scar on his chest, just below his left collarbone. She pointed to it.
“What happened there?”
“That is the beginning of the story.” He grinned and winked. “I was shot some months back. Well I guess it’s nearly a year ago now. That was the beginning of the story of my death. I guess the kid I was with thought I was dead, but I was just passed out from the pain. I woke up with a bandage on my chest in a cold dark room. From there I was beaten up and asked a lot of questions about things I didn’t know anything about. I guess a lot of it had to do with my father and the stuff Lamont was doing. That’s the guy who just left.”
As Beau told his story Hope determined that he did have three broken ribs. She was in the process of wrapping him when an explosion at the front of the clinic rocked the whole room. She and Beau ran to the front of the clinic, but it was engulfed in flames. They looked at each other just as another explosion rocked the back of the clinic.
Chapter Five
The entire town of Wyldewood shook with the explosions that seemed to break out all over town. When the first explosion happened, the men at the Black Hills Club looked at one another mystified by what was happening. By the second explosion they began to wander outside to have a look. And on the third explosion they could see the fires begin to rise above the buildings. The men started running for their homes and businesses to make sure their families and assets where safe. Darby and Dr. Sullivan ran toward the clinic.
Darby knew that Eliza would give her life for Patrick’s safety and he wasn’t worried about his office. What chilled him to the bone was that he had just finally asked Hope Reynolds to dinner and now, just a couple of hours later the town looked like fire and brimstone had been unleashed against it. He had been so happy when Hope agreed to dine with him and now he prayed that his invitation had not cost the girl her life. She had told him that in light of his invitation, she would remain at the clinic until it was time to meet him for dinner. His head filled with panic as he ran, outpacing Dr. Sullivan with ease, his long legs taking strides twice that of a normal man. His heart drummed in his chest, not from strain but from fear and guilt.
As he approached the clinic he saw the flames encircling it. Men had already begun a bucket brigade, but as more and more buildings caught fire, the brigade lost members as they ran to help put out the flames on other buildings. Darby circled the clinic building looking for Hope. Judging by the size of the fire, he wondered if she would have had a chance to escape at all.
The entire clinic was covered in flames and the front of the building was already collapsing. There was no way into the building to check for people regardless of what he might want to do. The back of the building, although not collapsing yet was close to it and the door was engulfed in flames. Dr. Sullivan came along side Darby, puffing for air after his manic run to town.
“I should have waited for Hope to finish her work. I shouldn’t have left her there alone.” He coughed and grasping his knees he tried to catch his breath. “I have to go and check on Matilda. Maybe Hope made it home before all this started.”
“I’ll come with you Dr. Sullivan,” Darby insisted. “Your home is close to my own and I can check on my family as well.” The two men set off, Darby trying to match his steps with Dr. Sullivan’s. The older man was much slower than Darby but the pace was giving Darby time to think of what to do next. The elder man’s pace quickened as they neared his house.
“Oh Dr. Sullivan, I’m so glad to see your face. I was so afraid something might have happened to your good self.” Matilda was in the street with a group of other families trying to piece together what was happening. Dr. Sullivan went to Matilda and threw his arms around her.
“I’m so glad you’re alright Matilda!” He took Matilda’s hands in his own and kissed them. Matilda giggled like a school girl and the old man blushed.
“I’m sorry to interrupt Mrs. O’Connor, but is Hope here?” Darby asked holding his breath.
“No, she never came home,” she said, and her confusion was quickly replaced by a look of terror. “Oh no, that poor girl!” Matilda started crossing herself repeatedly and walking in nervous circles.
“I’ll head back to the clinic, maybe she got out before the explosions. You go and see about your family,” Dr. Sullivan said to Darby as he started back to the clinic, Matilda close on his heels.
Darby thought about running back to the clinic as well but decided that he should check on his family and make sure all was well. This side of town didn’t look like there were any fires, but then neither had the main street just two hours ago.
As Darby approached his house he saw Eliza and Patrick on the street with a crowd of others, just like Matilda had been at Dr. Sullivan’s house. It seemed that families were huddled together in groups trading stories and rumors about what had happened all over town.
“Are you alright?” Darby asked as he approached Eliza. He placed his hand on Patrick’s head and tousled his son’s blonde hair.
“It’s all very exciting, Daddy! There were big kabooms and then the whole house shook. Eliza made me come outside, but I wouldn’t leave without Phileas Fogg.” Patrick lifted the toweled bundle and revealed the kittens head. “He is being very brave and very good.”
Eliza shook her head. “We’re fine. I wasn’t sure what was going on. I thought for a moment that the whole house would come down around us. Someone said that the businesses on the main street are all burning down. Does that include the clinic?”
“It’s not every business, but yes, the clinic is burning.” Darby’s head shot back toward the clinic and he began to fidget uncomfortably. “There are several shops and the feed and seed are all in flames.”
“What about Miss Hope? Is she ok?”
“I don’t know. She hadn’t come home yet, but when I left the clinic she was just finishing up. I don’t know if she got out.”
“Well what are you doing standing here? Go and help. Patrick and I are fine, don’t worry I’ll keep him safe. Go!”
With that Darby ran down the street to the sound of Patrick yelling. “Go Daddy! Help all the people! Eliza, Phileas and I are safe now!”
Darby couldn’t help but smile at his son’s words. His son believed in him, no matter how Darby felt about himself. He felt a new strength course through his body as he ran. A new sense of power, the faith of his son was enough to make him feel invincible.
By the time he got back to the clinic, it was a smoldering pile of ash. The fire was out and the bucket brigade was working on the Barnaby’s mercantile store next to it. The family lived in an adjacent house which was also on fire. Darby joined the brigade running buckets of water to the house. On one of his trips he spotted a sight that made his heart sing with joy. Hope was tending to some people with minor cuts and burns on the front porch of the Barber shop across the street from the Saloon. Darby gave the bucket to another man and ran over to where Hope was.
“You’re alright!” he breathed, relief filling him.
“I’m fine thanks to Mr. Brady.” She said and nodded in the direction of a man with a bandaged chest who was helping to bandage a young boy whose arm had a long gash.
Darby approached the man ready to offer his thanks for saving Hope. “How did you do it?” he asked.
“I helped build the clinic so I knew that there was a weak spot in a side wall.” Beau Brady told Darby. “We used a chair and broke through. Barnaby was going to install a side door
directly into the mercantile, but decided against it at the last minute so we just boarded it up. It was easy enough to break through.” He smiled a bright warm smile.
“He’s my hero.” Hope said smiling warmly at Beau. Darby felt a rush of jealousy run through him.
“Thank you sir,” Darby said offering his hand. He couldn’t help but like this man despite the fact that Hope seemed to like him a lot more than he wanted her to. He quickly chastised himself for his jealousy. “Hope, can I speak with you a moment.” He realized his familiarity immediately and looked at Beau. The man didn’t seem to notice. Hope blushed and stepped toward Darby.
“I have to tend to the wounded but I can give you a minute, over there.”
They went to the side of the barber shop where it was quiet.
“I am so very grateful that you are alright and I hope you will forgive me for being so forward.”
Hope smiled up at the tall man who was looking as awkward as he had when he asked her for dinner. She didn’t care that he had used her first name as if they were more intimate than they actually were. All she cared about was making this poor fellow feel better. “It’s fine Darby. We are friends, I think; we don’t need to be so formal with each other.”
“I’m so glad you feel that way. I have to confess that I have had very strong feelings when it comes to yourself since I saw you getting off the train. I don’t mean to be so blunt but I thought I might have lost my chance when I thought you hadn’t made it out of the clinic. I don’t mean to leave things unsaid in the future. I can’t catch my breath when I am near you and I feel most uncomfortable in your presence. If I was a romantic man I would say that I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes upon you. I needed to tell you this now and let you know that I am not without complications. I have lost nearly everyone I have ever loved and I thought I had lost you tonight as well. I do fear I’m rambling and I don’t wish to overwhelm you, but I needed to let you know that I am in love with you Hope Reynolds.” He dropped his eyes to the ground and rubbed his hands together as if to steady himself.
