Ben And Meg In The Wild West
by Jenny
* Chapter 15 *
It turned night before Ben had the courage to tell Meg the rest of the story.
Meg waited patiently while Ben lighted a fire in the fireplace. She welcomed the warmth and the soft light that cased shadows on the walls in his study.
Ben looked up from his place by the fire and studied her. It looked like she was far way in thoughts. He was worried. How would she take it? She had an opened mind but was it enough? He noticed that the fire burned without problem, so he returned to the sofa and sat down next to her…
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The morning train rolled into the almost empty Spring Field Station. A few passengers got of before the train made its way to the next county. Three of them watched the town with a critic eye. The only man in the company talked to a baggage boy about their bags before the man and the two women started to walk in the direction of the Deschanel resident….
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The light woke Meg up. Slowly she turned around in the bed. The morning sun was beaming into her bedroom and danced on her covers. It took a few seconds before she realized that she was in her own bed instead of Ben´s. Slowly yesterday came back. She had left after his confession, it had been too mutch to handle. She got out of bed and walked over to one of the Victorian windows. Suddenly her whole world started to spin. Meg had to grab the window board to steady her self. Her knees felt weak and the treated to give in. Carefully she made it over to the drawer and splashed cold water in her face, because it felt like it was on fire! She took a couple of deep breaths to suppress the sickness in her stomach. She wondered vaguely if that meat pie from yesterday hadn’t been fresh, and this was an affect from it? The breading did not help. She rushed through the room and grabbed the chamber pot from under the bed…
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Ben was standing by the window in his office with a coffee cup. It was raining. His mind was replaying the other night.
" Are you telling me that you and five others is steeling documents from General Custer?" Meg just stared at Ben. Hi nodded.
" These document contains plans and orders from the US government. Plans how to kill, starve and torture the Indians. We take the papers and read them only to return them. Just so we can warn them- before the attack!"
" How do you get your hands on them?" her voice was unsteady.
" A messenger by horse" he replied.
She got up and walked around a bit. He made no move to go to her. He understood that she needed time to let everything sink in.
" You have to have someone in Washington, don´t you? Someone to tell you when and where" she did not look at him.
" Yes, I know someone who has contacts inside" Ben looked at the floor. For some reason he was ashamed.
" This is treachery! It´s illegal…" Meg raised her voice.
" I know that, Meg! If there where another way I would use that" Ben looked at her. Pleading her to understand.
" You could go to prison, Ben. For life!" She was now crying.
He looked up at her and smiled sadly at her. He shook his head.
" No, they would not lock me in and throw away the key…I would be killed"
" And you think that to be killed is a better choice!!!" she screamed.
Meg looked at him for a long time before she suddenly turned for the door.
" Meg! Please!!" he grabbed her arm but a look from her made him lose his grip.
" I understand that you feel betrayed. A part of me wish right now that I never got involved, but I did!" Ben said.
" I don´t think betrayed is a strong enough word" she whispered. She continued.
" I’m going to go, Ben" She started to opened the door, when Ben stopped her and turned her around to face him. He took her face in his hands.
" Please tell me that you don´t hate me" he pleaded.
" I don´t hate you, Ben" she said and pulled her out of his grip and disappears down the hall…
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Meg got dressed and walked down to breakfast. She felt a bit better. Aunt Bette was the only one in the dining room when Meg entered. Bette looked up and smiled but froze.
" God havens child! You are as pale as snow! Are you all right?" Bette asked and made her way up to Meg to feel her forehead.
" Yes, Aunt Bette. I’m fine now. I think it could have been the food from yesterday"
" Oh Lord, shall I call opon Mary to have her fetch some soup?" Bette asked still feeling Meg´s forehead. Meg smiled.
" Will you do that?"
Bette kissed her cheek and disappeared in search of their housekeeper. Meg smiled and walked over to table to pour up a cup of tea….
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A knock on the door interrupted Ben´s thoughts by the window. Or to call it a knock would be an understatement! Someone wanted badly to come threw the door. Before Ben had a chance to open the door, A.J burst through the wooden door. Ben first instinct was to jump out the open window, but for some reason he looked more afraid them boiling mad.
" We have…missed…attack…tonight!!!" He was breathing hard and had trouble forming the words.
"Where?" Ben got terrified. How could they have missed a delivery?
" Not by Custer, Ben! The rebels in the Cheyenne camp!" A.J felt like his lungs where about to explode from his run. I’m getting too old for this! He thought.
" Why?" Ben was closing panic- and fast!
" Someone had poisoned the Indians water hole and you know how they blame for that!" A.J explained.
" Dancing Bear won’t let they attack Spring Field!" Ben said.
" He came to my house, they need help!" A.J answered.
" Why did he not come to me?"
" He was afraid to get too far into to town. He wants to talk with you"
Ben grabbed his jacket and followed A.J…
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Meg sat down by the table with the warm soup.
"Do you have room for a breakfast guest?" a voice interrupted her.
Supriced she looked up and met a par of blue eyes, almost like her own.
" Oh, my god! Brad…" she flew of her chair and into her brother’s arms.
" Meg, Meg, Meg" he chanted over and over again as he held his young sister close…
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