Past, Present, & Future

By: Lauren S.

“Dan, why are you stopping the wagon?,” Jo asked rather shyly. She had a feeling all morning that everyone was up to some unknown plan.

“Ummmm…well….we have a surprise for ya Mrs. Jo,” Dan blurted out quickly.

“In the cemetery?,” Jo asked skeptically.

“Well, yeah, you see, we had to show ya here, ….because it’s a surprise,” Nan said proudly with a smile.

Jo looked over at Nan, that skeptical look turning to annoyance.

“What are you guys up to?,” Jo asked in a rigid tone.

Dan continued the wagon to the spot where Laurie, Amy, and Meg were standing.

“Ma, please let us show ya. You will love it ma, trust me,” Rob said while taking his mother’s hand.

Dan stopped the wagon and helped Jo out. The children all jumped out of the back of the wagon quickly and took their places alongside Jo.

Laurie and her two sisters were standing beside a clump covered by a sheet. They looked at Jo with an expectant glare as she and the children approached the covered object.

“OK guys, what’s up? Why did you drag me out here to the cemetery? The children were not much help in giving me an explanation,” Jo said while looking straight at Laurie, Amy and Meg with an aggravated expression.

“Well, since Nick’s death you have cooped yourself up in that house and all of us thought that we should get you out in the world again,” Laurie said in an explaining tone.

“Well, that was thoughtful, but don’t you think that I should have made that decision myself,” Jo said in an angry tone.

“Ma, we got something for ya! Won’t ya even look at it?,” Rob said while tugging on Jo’s dress.

Jo looked at Rob, seeing that he really wanted her to enjoy this whole planned event. “Well, if this means that much to you guys, then go ahead,” Jo said reluctantly.

“Goodie!,” Rob said in a happy tone.

“We just know that you will love this Mrs. Jo,” Tommy said enthusiastically.

Amy pulled off the sheet to reveal a memorial gravestone.

It read as follows:

Jo’s eyes fell upon the stone, her eyes reading the words with an intense concentration. Tears began to well up in her eyes, showing her uneasiness to the moment.

“What’s wrong Jo? We thought you would love it,” Meg asked in a worried tone.

“I do, its just that this really means that Nick is gone. This stone represents the reality of his death, something I have been denying,” Jo said in a quiet whisper.

“That’s the reason we wanted to show ya this here memorial, Mrs. Jo,” Dan said informatively.

“Do ya like it ma?,” Rob asked with eager eyes.

“Yes I do my little one,” Jo said as she knelt down beside her son.

“Yeah!,” Rob yelled while wrapping his arms around his mother’s neck into a hug.

The sound of a man arousing from unconsciousness, represented by groans, signaled Tom to the awakening of Nick.

“Augh….AAH!!!!” Nick moaned through the pain.

“Nick, be still my friend. Don’t try to move. Ya have been seriously hurt by the explosion. Nick, ya have lost a lot of blood and there’s a piece of metal stuck in yer back,” Tom said while preventing Nick from turning over onto his back.

The pain overtook Nick and again, he fell into unconsciousness because it was the human body’s natural reaction to conserve itself.

“Well, he’s out again. It’s just how long this time?,” Tom said to the two other men.

“Well, night is about to fall upon us again. We might as well sleep and start bright and early in the morning looking for a rescue ship,” Tom said with some reservation because he did not want to sleep while Nick was in this horrid condition without medical intervention.

The three men drifted into a deep slumber and were awakened early the next morning by sounds of men yelling high above them. Tom opened his eyes slowly because the sunshine was intense this particular morning in which they were awakened by an unexpected arrival.

This unexpected arrival was a rescue ship that had seen the tiny lifeboat floating in the ocean.

“Ahoy there!,” yelled a man with a partial beard and coarse voice.

Tom and the other three men finally awoke from their partial sleep to see the welcomed sight.

“We have two badly injured men here. Do ya have any man on board with some medical knowledge?,” Tom asked with urgency.

“Yes mate, hold on there a min. Charlie?,” the man yelled loudly enough to be heard across the length of the ship.

“Yes sir?,” Charlie asked while running up to the side of the ship.

“We have two men here that needs yer expertise,” the man said.

“Sure thing Levi,” Charlie said with acceptance.

“Well, where’s the other man? We better get’em up here then,” Levi said in a quick tone.

Tom and the uninjured man quickly stood back to reveal Nick’s limp body. They picked it up from the tiny boat floor where a large bloodstain remained.

As soon as they had stepped back, Levi noticed the identity of the injured man.

“Oh my, Nicky!! Hurry, get’em up here NOW!!,” yelled Levi.

Tom glanced at Levi with a look of confusion. ‘Why does he sound like he knows Nick? I certainly do not know this man. I thought I knew everyone that Nick knew,’ Tom thought through these confusing ideas.

For the moment, Tom had to shrug away these thoughts in order to save his friend’s life.

Quickly, they laid Nick’s body on the floor of the ship above. The tiny lifeboat was secured to the main ship while Tom stood by Nick’s side.

“He will hav’ta be looked after first. His wounds are far worse, mortal I think,” Charlie said while ascertaining the medical situation.

“You think?,” Tom asked with a concerned tone.

“Well, Charlie ain’t a doctor, only person on board that has any kind of medical knowledge ya needed, so I would be happy that he is even here,” Levi interceded on behalf of Charlie’s skills.

“Sorry, did not mean to ridicule anyone, I am just worried about my friend,” Tom said in an apologetic voice.

“We’re both worried about him,” Levi agreed.

“How did he get this metal in his back?,” Charlie asked as he examined Nick’s wounds.

“From an explosion, I think. He was out there saving my life after the ship went down from the storm,” Tom answered.

“Well, he has lost a lot of blood and I don’t have complete experience with injuries like these. I will do the best I can, but he will have to do a lot of the work to survive,” Charlie said informatively.

“First thing is ta get this metal out of his back,” Charlie said with an uncertain tone.

“But how? Just pull it out?,” Tom and Levi said in unison.

Both men were now very worried about their friend.

“That’s all I can think of,” Charlie said.

“We need to move him someplace better to pull that metal out, don’t we?,” asked Tom.

“Yes, let’s move him below where there are less people and where I can concentrate better,” Charlie agreed.

The lighting below was poor, so they had to gather many candles and bring them into the room. The room also had a musty odor to it, as if the air had never left that room.

Nick laid on his stomach atop a table, his lacerated shirt torn off above his wound. He was prepared for the extraction of the metal from his back. He would not feel any pain because he was still unconscious, but a bottle of whiskey was handy just in case he arose from his sleep.

“Ok, I can see it sticking out, but I don’t know how deep it is. This will be a simple guess of just pulling it out right,” Charlie said while trying to let everyone know what he was about to do.

“Ok, here it does,” Charlie said in a quiet tone as if asking for an answer to a prayer.

“Good luck Nicky,” Levi said in a concerned tone.

Tom quickly looked at Levi, for a moment again wondering who this man is to Nick. Tom’s glance returned to the spot where the metal jutted out alone the midline of Nick’s back. Charlie took his hand and firmly grasped the metal. He attempted to pull it from its current resting place. At first the metal seemed to be firmly set in Nick’s back, but at the end of the pull it was released. The wound that remained was stable with no excessive bleeding.

“Got it,” Charlie said in a winning tone. Tom and Levi looked at each other with a happy countenance.

“No excessive bleeding so it looks like I did not hit any arteries or veins while pulling that out,” Charlie said after examining the wound that was now void of the metal. Charlie quickly sewed up the wound with precision.

“So, he will be Ok?,” Tom asked happily.

Levi also expressed enthusiasm over this great news about his friend.

“Well, I don’t want ta step all over the good news, but he has not woken up yet, so I don’t know what damage there is exactly. We just have ta wait now. Time will tell his fate,” Charlie announced in a timid tone to both men.

Both men looked at Nick, knowing that their friend had to survive.

“Nicky here, he is a survivor for as long as I’ve know him. He will pull through fine,” Levi said while thinking of the past.

“Exactly, Nick has been through many ordeals. He will get through this,” Tom agreed with Levi’s statement.

They picked up Nick’s limp body and placed him on a bunk. Nick’s wounds were thoroughly cleaned and medicated. Levi left and went above to attend to ship affairs while Tom remained beside his good friend, waiting for him to awake.

For a moment, Charlie remained with Tom in the small chamber.

“He just has to live. He saved my life, so his life has to mean something. Is there any hope?,” Tom asked in a sad tone.

“Yes there is hope, but the men I have seen with injuries like these had the proper doctor present and they never walked again. I am not saying that this will happen to him, just preparing for the worst is best,” Charlie stated the unwanted information.

“When will we find out?,” Tom asked.

“I’m afraid we won’t know until he awakens what the extent of his injuries are,” Charlie stated.

“The future always holds the truth of what is to come, wouldn’t ya agree?,” Levi said mysteriously from the doorway of the chamber.

After the gravestone dedication was completed, both wagons pulled away from the cemetery, the gravestone growing smaller every second. Jo looked back at the memorial, now trying to start off anew once she stepped through the front door of the Plumfield house. She wanted to make the trip back to Plumfield her last recollection of the past, but it was going to be a very difficult task to forget the loss of her beloved once again.

The wagon approached the Plumfield property with a quick advance. Jo wiped away the tears she had shed since the trip from the cemetery. The wagon came to a complete stop. Jo just stared at the ground listlessly.

“Are you Ok Mrs. Jo?,” Nan asked before jumping out of the wagon.

“Sure Nan. Just thinking how nice it is to be home,” Jo said quickly, as if hiding a secret.

Everyone waited at the porch while Dan helped Jo out of the wagon and led her to the group of onlookers. Asia walked outside, quickly followed by Charles to welcome the weary travelers.

Asia had been hard at work in the kitchen preparing the memorial feast that was to take place that evening.

Charles glanced over at Jo, knowing that this might be the moment to approach her. Her demeanor seemed to still exhibit a tragic loss, but now in acceptance of this truth. He walked up to her and silently proposed to be her escort into the house. For a moment, there was hesitation. Jo looked up at him, then slowly, put her hand in his arm and accepted his escort into the house. The children looked at each other, a little disappointed. They had always thought that they would see Nick having the first honor to escort Jo, but now they knew that was impossible.

“Ok everyone. Dinner is ready. Took me all day to prepare this dinner. I never thought I was going to finish,” Asia blurted out to everyone as she tried to herd everyone towards the house.

Amy and Meg remained behind the group as they spread through the house looking for the feast. They shuffled off to the parlor to avoid talking in front of Jo.

“Meg, do you think our plan is working?,” Amy asked as if without a clue to an answer.

“I think so. She actually acknowledged everyone and even became her angry self when she found out all of us plotted against her,” Meg answered.

“Well, I guess we will have to wait a bit before we know anything,” Amy replied.

“I agree Amy,” Meg said immediately.

“Meg, did you see how that Mr. Paddington was looking at Jo when we got here? I think he is up to no good,” Amy stated as if a detective.

“Yes I did, but I did not think anything of it,” Meg said simply.

“But what about the way he escorted her into the house? I find that inappropriate,” Amy said in a conniving tone.

“Why? I think he was just being polite and a gentleman and nothing more. Sometimes I don’t know where you get your crazy ideas Amy,” Meg said in opposition to her sister.

“We will have to see, but I have a bad feeling about him,” Amy replied to herself because Meg had quickly slipped into the feast unnoticed to anyone that she was absent. Amy quickly followed her sister, but she was going to keep a good eye on Charles Paddington for the rest of the day. She needed to find proof in order to prove to Meg that he was not the gentleman that she believes him to be.

The table was complete with a turkey in the middle and all the attendees of the feast sitting before the table. All children were present and no longer fidgeting. Meg noticed that Jo was the only quiet person in the room so, she stood up from her chair, holding a glass like she was about to do a toast. After Meg stood for a few seconds the room finally became silent from the constant conversation between children and adults.

There was a moment of silence as Meg glanced across the table at her listeners, but finally she began her speech.

“We gather again today at this table as one family, though we are not all related, each individual in this family are important. Today this family is reduced by one special member. He is not sitting at this table as he did once before, but he will remain in our hearts forever. Nick Riley was like a brother, father, close friend, and………and even a loved one to many of us. I know I will never forget how important or how much I cared about that man,” Meg said in a strong tone. After Meg was done speaking, she sat down in her chair. Meg looked across the table at Jo and noticed Jo looked at her with an appreciative nod.

Next, Amy got up from her chair but looked as though she was unsure of what to say. “Well, let’s see, I want to first admit that when I first met Nick I thought he was rough and definitely not a gentleman, but after I got to know him, I noticed how good he was to the children and to Jo. He was a light in everyone’s lives, but we must keep his light alive by not forgetting what he meant to us,” Amy spoke honestly as she quickly sat down to avoid more embarrassment.

Amy pulled her husband’s suit jacket to signal to him that it was his turn to speak. He got up from his chair with dignity and said, “I want to say that I thought that Nick was going to be trouble for Plumfield. I never trusted that he could be a good and honest man. I actually thought that he would have a gambling problem, but who was the one with that problem. Nick even helped me from getting myself into more trouble. I owe him a lot, I think a lot of us owe that man our life in some form or another. He saved my life from the gambling monster, just imagine if he has done similar things for you. He even risked his life last year during the blizzard to save Jo’s life and that is the literal meaning of saving one’s life,” Laurie said and then Amy had to again pull on his jacket sleeve to sit down. She knew he would drag this into a very long speech otherwise.

Asia stood, her hands firmly on the table as she spoke, “Everyone, Nick Riley was the most honest and caring man I ever met. Yes, he lacked the money and clothes of a gentleman, but isn't the true meaning of a gentleman by his actions. His actions more than certify him for that. I loved how he would come into my kitchen, take a piece of food and munch on it and then ask how I was, that was his way of checking up on me to make sure everything was ok. That man was great at knowing when something was bothering me and he would take the time to talk to me about my problem, and his advice was always simple and common sense. Of course, I will always love how he revered my tea and biscuits, no other man will quite measure up to him after that compliment,” Asia said about her close friend as though he were still here and could hear everything she could say.

Finally, all of the children stood up from their chairs and looked at each other to see who was going to speak first. Dan began, “We would all like to say what Nick meant to us, if that is ok with everyone?,” Dan asked while looking around the room for approval. Everyone in the room nodded their heads with acceptance, even Mrs. Jo.

“Ok, I would like to say that Nick was like the father that I never had and I want to grow up to be just like him. I am not at all ashamed to say this because Nick would have been the person I would have chosen to be my father,” Dan said with pride.

Dan looked over at Nan. “Nick was fun. He always took part in things with us and he always gave me the best worms for fishing so that I could beat Bess on Sundays after church. Now you know my secret Bess,” Nan said while looking at Bess to see what her reaction would be. At first, Bess glared at Nan, but then smiled. “Anyways, I want to say that was there when my father was not and that means a lot to me,” Nan said seriously.

Bess began to speak right after Nan, “When I first came to Plumfield to attend for school I had the very same feeling as my mother about Nick, but that view changed as I got to know him. I think if anything bad ever happened to me, that he would have protected me, really I think he would have protected all of Plumfield at one time if that was humanly possible for him to do.”

“Nick was an interesting fellow, his stories of the sea captivated my imagination. I loved to listen to his true stories of adventure and tragic loss. I am so sorry to lose a close friend and can’t believe that I will no longer hear the rest of the stories that he had to tell still,” Emil said while remembering all the stories that Nick had told to him.

Now, truly the best moment of the entire dinner tribute began, “Nick was my father for one year. I lost my real father, but Nick had just sort of taken that job in the last year that he was here. He was there after I got into my coma, and that was not all his fault, I chose to fight that boy. Nick was truly sorry and he stood by me and was present when I awoke from my coma. I will never forget him sitting there, he thought I did not notice the tears in his eyes, but I did and those tears meant the most to me than anything anyone ever said to me. I will miss my father but I will try to become the man that he wanted me to become,” Nat said in a muffled tone of sadness, but with honor in his voice.

“I wish Nick could have been my father too,” Rob said after Nat’s speech.

Jo looked at her son as she gently put her hands around his head and pulled him into a small hug. Jo softly said, “I wish he could have too.”

Jo stood up from her chair and smiled at everyone present at the table. “I want to thank all of you for the memorial and the dinner tonight. It was thoughtful and listening to what you had to say showed me that I am not the only one hurting. I have learned that we can hurt together and grow stronger together, and that I don’t have to go through this by myself. I love you all and will always love our dearly departed. That chair will remain empty, but my heart will not stay empty any longer,” Jo said, her voice growing strength as she spoke.

“Now, I think that he would want us to eat, don’t you think?,” Asia asked the entire group.

Tom lounged in a chair beside Nick’s bed. He had briefly fallen asleep, but now awoke from his stupor. He looked across the room at Nick’s body laying on the bed making sure that he was still alive. His conscience was relieved to still see Nick’s chest moving in and out, revealing that his friend was still fighting for the breath of life.

“Thank goodness. Yewwww. I thought I was going to lose ya through the night. I will not let ya die, ya have saved my life too many times. Remember when that fight started on board our ship two years ago, you came into it and helped me, I mean it was not fair anyways, three against one. But with ya on my side, my odds went up. You steered my life to stay on the sea instead of going back to the whiskey bottle and look at me now. It’s all a credit to you my friend, so this is why you can’t die,” Tom said as he had recollections of the past with Nick on the high seas.

Tom grew tired again and almost drifted into sleep, but was awakened by groans. He quickly opened his eyes to see that Nick was waking up.

“Charlie, he’s awake!!!,” Tom yelled up the hallway of the ship. Charlie came running into the room and up to Nick’s bed.

“Quickly, lets roll him over,” Charlie ordered.

“I need you to talk to him, ask him if he knows who you are. It will be better if you talk to him first, the familiar voice will better for him to hear at first after his ordeal,” Charlie prescribed.

“Nick, do ya know who I am??,” Tom asked in a clear tone.

“Uhhhhhh….Tom…wh….e…..re am I?,” Nick tried to mumble out, but was unable to make all his words clear.

“Shhhh, don’t try to talk Mr. Riley. You have serious injuries and I need to figure out how bad they are now that you are awake. I don’t need you to speak, just differentiate the pain by groans,” Charlie said in a precise tone.

Nick nodded his head with a lot of pain. Charlie first touched Nick’s chest, and he groaned with extreme pain.

Tom looked at Charlie with concern. Charlie whispered to him, “That’s a good sign to have pain, it the not having pain that I will be concerned with.”

Charlie then pinched Nick’s right leg. No groan or sound of any kind came from Nick’s mouth. Charlie and Tom looked at each other with worry. Charlie tried again on his left leg and still there was no response from Nick.

Charlie then pulled out a needle and poked Nick’s leg, but Nick did not pull away from the sharp point. Nick looked at Charlie with concern. “I ……..cannnnn’t feeeee….llll tha….,” Nick managed to get out.

“Can you feel your legs at all?,” Charlie asked.

Nick nodded his head right to left. Charlie knew that this might not be a good sign, but that it just might be temporary.

“Ok, don’t panic yet. It might just be a temporary paralysis, I have seen some men walk again. Nick you have to try very hard if you want to walk again, pick a goal and focus on that. Your sensation to your legs could come back anytime, I am just not certain when. I am not a doctor, so I cannot say. All I know is that we need to get you to a hospital as soon as possible so that a real doctor can examine your condition,” Charlie said while trying to relieve the panic in both men.

“How far are we from port? I don’t even know where we were picked up at,” Tom asked.

At that moment, Levi walked into the chamber. He overheard Tom’s question and answered, “We are about one day from port now.”

“Which port?,” Tom asked unknowingly.

“Savannah of course,” Levi said.

Levi no longer paid any attention to Tom and walked over to Nick’s side. “Well, my friend, you are finally awake. Glad ta see it. Now you will get better so that you can join your old friend here for a game of poker soon.”

Tom again received that odd feeling of wondering who this man was to Nick and it looked like Nick would not be able to explain this to him for a while. Tom was going to have to ask Levi himself.

Levi left the room and Tom followed him into the hallway.

“Levi, how ya and Nick know each other? And I would like ya to acknowledge my existence because he is my friend as well,” Tom finally replied the words that he wanted to say the first day he saw this man.

“Well, Nick and I go way back. I met him the first time he ever set foot on a ship,” Levi replied to Tom’s request.

“Well, that explains how ya know him, but why are you being so hostile with me?,” Tom asked in an angry tone.

Levi just turned around and walked out of the hallway and went above, leaving Tom alone. Tom followed him up to the deck, “LEVI, don’t ya walk away from me!!”

Levi turned around and suckered punched Tom in the stomach and said, “Don’t ya give me orders sonny!!”

Levi walked away without even explaining his reason for hostility towards Tom. Tom laid on the deck, but a man walked over and helped Tom back below deck.

“I don’t understand him. What’s wrong with him?” Tom asked in confusion.

Tom went back into Nick’s chamber, but Nick was now asleep.

“Are you ok?” Charlie asked Tom as he slowly walked into the chamber with pain.

“Yeahhhhh, just need to sit down and get some rest. Thanks for all yer help,” Tom said.

Finally, Tom drifted into sleep, though his mind still worried about the future of his friend and when the next encounter with Levi might occur.

Will Nick ever walk again??

Will Jo learn that her beloved is alive? Will Nick want to return to Plumfield?

There is still a lot to happen in the future, so stay tuned to see what places and events may occur!!!

Part 9 Coming Soon!!!!

Please email me at Minuet26@aol.com with your comments.