The sky had slowly darkened as the afternoon wore on and the rumble of thunder interrupted conversations all around the picnic grounds. By three o’clock it seemed to reach a threshold that sent everyone scurrying to begin the trip back to their homes. Dinners were packed back into baskets, blankets were folded and buggies were readied for travel. Picnickers were coming out of every nook and knoll the public grounds offered. The people that had dispersed with the chance to socialize with their friends and neighbors were being pulled back toward their wagons and family. Victoria Barkley waited for her children at their family buggy. The gloom that hung overhead fell across her heart. She found three of her children making their way through the crowd. She climbed up in the buggy to be able to see over the heads of those departing. She could not find Heath, the forgotten child, the son she had come to love as her own. The son who was so lost this morning, was now gone.

“I can’t find Heath,” Victoria’s eyes reflected the despair and fear she had seen in Heath’s eyes as she tried to shake the hatred from his mind. “Have any of you seen him...”

“I spent most of the day with him Mother. We were at the stream talking with the Jenkin twins,” Nick blushed at his distraction, “and then all of a sudden he was gone. I thought he was just going to throw stones in the stream, or something like that. I didn’t think he was leaving. He didn’t say he was.” Nick’s worry and guilt were once again occupying his eyes. He looked at the ground and shook his head haltingly.

“Where is he?” Victoria thought, now giving in fully to the worries, which began the day. Nick told his mother not to worry, that he would drag Heath back no matter what he was up to, teasing her, trying to reassure her that Heath was not hurt, but rather probably really enjoying himself , off somewhere with a pretty girl.

Nick saw his Mother’s fear and mounted Coco . “You head on home, I’ll follow when I meet up with Heath. He’s probably up in the meadow.”

“No Nick, we’ll follow you. Coco won’t be much good if Heath has a gal with a picnic basket up there. OK Ladies your carriage awaits,” announced Jarrod.

The crowd was thinning quickly. The thunder rolled in on the wind like young drums marching into battle. The attack was forming in the clouds overhead that pushed themselves together into a darkening dense ceiling. Lights flickered in the ominous mass as energy and ire prepared to be unleashed. The promise of nature’s wrath gripped the heart of each Barkley as they began their search for Heath. They knew the power and mystery that a storm like this could bring.

Jarrod took the reins and let his mind go back to the storm they were all remembering so well right then. The aftermath of a storm that had almost stolen two lives, might now help them find one. It was last spring that an unexpected storm drove through the valley vowing, at last to deliver the rain needed to dot the plains with prairie grass and wildflowers. The storm waited in the sky saturating the land and let loose terrific lightning bolts that ripped through the clouds, and raced through the void trying to reach solid ground.

Jarrod, Nick and Heath had spent the day on round up. They were ahead of schedule and had ridden back to the ranch to avoid the rain, a luxury they did not often afford themselves. The men had returned to the bunkhouse ahead of the brothers to make sure they would be out of earshot should their bosses change their minds. The brothers were bedding down their horses when their mother and sister returned from the orphanage. Heath volunteered to take care of their horses while the others headed towards the shelter of their house. Heath was running his hands along the horse’s backs and down their legs to make sure they were not hiding an injury before settling them in the barn. The lightning closed in as it thundered and sparked the air. Heath spoke softly to the animals trying to get them into the barn before they spooked. He was having a hard time as the wind picked up the animals balked at his commands.

His family was on the porch. Heath was coaxing the horses into the barn when a clap of thunder, a bolt of lightning and a tremor shook the ground all at the same time.

Jarrod tried to grab his mother, sister and the pillar on the porch simultaneously, but could not do it. He felt his legs weaken and begin to shake, as he was pulled down to his knees. Victoria and Audra sank to the ground as if judgment day had arrived and God had lifted there souls. Everything was slow, deliberate and clear. The horses were screaming and Heath was writhing with them on the ground. Bullets exploded from his gun belt. Blue lightning danced around the wagon and along the horse’s harnesses. Heath was kicked aside as the horse’s legs thrashed in pain and fear unable to rise. The ground held them all fast in place.

Nick pulled on the invisible irons that seemed to hold them all in place, and stumbled toward Heath. He fell to the ground and crawled towards his new brother. Fighting against the power that wanted to hold him back from helping the brother he still outwardly shunned. Nick finally was able to throw his body forward, latching on to Heath’s arm. Nick rolled his body to escape the pull of the earth and bring them away from the terrible force that was torturing his brother. Nick moaned but still held on to Heath’s arm slowly pulling him farther from the wagon and flailing horses before collapsing.

Jarrod walked, as if through thick molasses, over to his brothers. His body was still numb and overcome by a tingling sensation. He slid to the ground between his brothers. Heath’s face was already ashen and his lips blue. His left thigh was swollen and bleeding. Nick looked as if he were sleeping, yet gripped Heath’s wrist with the strength summoned only by deep concentration. Victoria made her way to place a hand on Nick’s neck, it was more like a gentle slap, as if she were testing the heat of a kettle on a hot stove. Relieved she found the pulse she was looking for. She was visibly shaking when she put her hand to Heath’s neck. They were alive. Heath was trembling to the touch, and blood was seeping from his body pooling on the ground around him. A rider left the barn and headed toward town at full gallop.

“They’re not breathing!” were the first words that held any meaning to Jarrod. Henry stood over Heath’s body, put his arms under Heath’s back and rolled him over on his stomach and pressed the air out of his lungs. They saw the shredded gun belt and clothes that exposed the ruptured flesh on his back. Victoria took Audra aside and sent her to bring bandages. Henry rolled Heath back to his side and let the air draw back into his lungs. Henry pushed Heath back to his stomach and forced the air out again. “Jarrod! Help Nick.”

The two men worked trying to save the brothers lives, pushing and pulling their bodies to do what was needed to bring a little air to their lungs. Suddenly, in unison, they both gasped for air. No one moved for fear they would break the spell that seemed to have magically brought Nick and Heath back to life. Jarrod was afraid to touch his blond brother, afraid not to; Jarrod gently caressed his Heath’s cheek and felt that he was cold yet covered with sweat.

“Thank-you Henry, thank you for helping them, how did you know what to do?”

“I lost my baby brother when he drowned in the crick behind our house. The Doc showed us too late what we had to do. I couldn’t these two die like my brother did, in front of their mother and all. Least wise I had to try. I hope your mother can find some comfort in that.”

Jarrod put his hand on Henry’s shoulder. “We all find comfort in that. It wasn’t too late for my brothers. Thank you Henry. What was your brother’s name?”

“It was James.” Henry smiled at the memory of his playful little brother.

“Thank you James.” Jarrod closed his eyes and squeezed Henry’s shoulder to help bear the sorrow of the circumstances of the moment.

Audra returned with the bandages and gave some to Henry to apply pressure to the wounds on Heath’s body. Victoria Knelt beside Heath to determine the amount of damage. She was checking the bloody lump on his head when she realized his lips were once again blue. “HEATH! He’s not breathing again.

Jarrod slid next to Heath opposite Henry they and began to roll Heath between them. Victoria tried to keep Heath’s head and neck from being jolted, as Henry and Jarrod kept him alive. She could feel the softness of the lump beneath his sticky hair where she feared a horse had kicked him. Audra placed her arm under Nick’s head holding it in her lap, while she watched the others fight to save Heath.

After what seemed like hours on this night when time moved so slowly, Heath coughed and took a breath on his own. They were both breathing again and the rest of the family took a deep breath of their own, not quite sure what was going on, but terribly afraid for both men’s lives.

When Doctor Merar rode in Heath and Nick were still lying on the ground surrounded by the rest of the family, and several of the hands.

“What happened?” Doc Merar asked.

Victoria tried to put together what had happened. She knew Heath had been kicked by the horses and that they had all experienced some strange force that held in place and seemed to stop time.

“I think Heath was hit by lightning or somehow affected by it. We all were. He was knocked down near the horses, which were caught in the force as well. I think some of the bullets in his belt exploded. He was kicked away from the horses somehow, and Nick managed grab him by the arm and pull him farther away. He still hasn’t let go. When we were able to reach them, neither Heath nor Nick were breathing. Henry, thank God, Henry knew how to help them. Heath has stopped breathing a couple of times, but we have since been able to get him to start again. However, neither have regained consciousness yet.”

The doctor opened Heath’s shirt and saw one red streak running from his left ear, down his neck, across his left side. Another streak ran from somewhere above his hairline between his left eye and nose down his chest and across his stomach and around his left side to his back .“Victoria, I think you’re right, but I’ve never seen anything like this. I mean I’ve never had a patient who was struck by lightning. These streaks are the damnedest thing. It’s as if a little fire ran under his skin.” Howard noted that Heath also has a fair amount of swelling in his thigh. “ It looks like he took quite a blow to the leg”. “Help me turn him over.” The back was ugly, but as he mopped at the slowly oozing blood he saw that the belt had taken the brunt of the explosions. He packed and wrapped the wounds. He moved on to check Heath’s head and shook his own. “Last thing this boy needed was another kick in the head. The family wondered whether he meant the goose egg, or the bad luck that seemed to chase him from one ay to the next. He cleared his throat. “Aside from those streaks, the rest I think I can fix. He’ll need time to mend but he’s been off worse before. Those streaks don’t look like much. There just mighty curious.”

The doctor then turned his attention to Nick and removed his shirt. Nick had faint red lines, similar to Heath’s, around his right hand, arm and side. Other than the red lines, his breathing problems, and inability to awaken, the doctor thought Nick looked undamaged. “I don’t understand it. Nick, Nick wake up!” The doctor tapped his cheek and then shook his shoulders. NICK WAKE UP.” He checked Nick’s head in case he had missed something. “I don’t understand why he won’t wake up.” He looked and saw the worried expressions and tucked his curiosity away. “All right. Lets get everyone inside.”

The ranch hands who had kept watch over the family without intruding were now able to help their bosses. Audra tried to release Nick’s hand from Heath’s arm but he only gripped tighter at her attempts. “Mother I can’t get him to let go and I swear he’s fighting me on it.”

Victoria came between her sons and tried to loosen Nick’s grip. “Audra, he is fighting us on this,” her face relaxed a bit as her eyes found some hope knowing Nick was fighting back. He always did.

“We need to get them inside, Jarrod, separate them.” said Dr. Merar. As soon as Nick’s hand was forced to release Heath’s arm, they both began struggling for air. Heath was kept as still as possible as the hands carried him inside. The men hurried to get their bosses to their rooms as they gasped for air. “Bring them both in here. I don’t know what’s wrong.” The hands placed the brothers on the bed in Nick’s big room. The doctor had the patients quickly out of their clothes, and the red streaks stood out like angry whip lashes on their pale bodies. They ran the length of their bodies traveling down their legs.

“We’re losing them, Victoria. I’m sorry, they are not responding. Their pulse is so weak; they’re barely able to breathe. I just don’t understand it. Heath’s condition is bad. I knew we had that battle ahead of us there, but I don’t understand why we’re losing Nick too.”

Victoria’s heart was gripped with panic at the doctor’s words.

He looked at the rest of the family, “I’m so sorry.” The family stood unmoving unable to grasp the doctor’s message.

“No!” said Audra. “This all started when they were separated. If they can’t fight this alone, maybe they can fight it together., I think Nick needs to hold on to his little brother. Heath can’t do this alone and I think Nick will not make it if he can’t at least try to help him.”

At a loss to explain the condition of the brothers, Doctor Merar agreed. Nick’s bed was pushed against a far wall after two beds from the bunkhouse were brought in and placed side to side in the room and the brothers were gently placed on the beds. They lay as they had lain outside, side by side Nick’s right side next to Heath’s left. Victoria took Nick’s right hand, leaned over and kissed his eyes, and his forehead. “I want you to take care of himself now, and your little brother.” She placed his hand back on Heath’s arm. Slowly and gently the fingers wrapped themselves back around Heaths wrist.

The Doctor wasn’t pleased with the condition of his patients, but at least he did not think they were slipping away any longer. He set to work tending to the worst of the injuries. Jarrod brought warm water from the kitchen, while the doctor’s instruments were being sterilized.

The doctor was afraid to separate the brothers again. “All right Jarrod I think we have to try and roll Heath over a bit toward Nick. They rolled him over Nick’s arm and laid his head gently on Nick’s shoulder. Howard began to clean the nasty wounds on Heath’s lower back. He explored each one carefully to ensure no stray piece of lead remained in Heath’s body. The Doc did find one part of a bullet but mostly dirt and small stones, that were kicked up into the wounds by the exploding bullets. The piece of lead was not deep. The gun belt itself had simply fallen from Heath’s waist when he was lifted to be brought inside. Heath seemed to be responding to the added pain of the doctor’s explorations. His breathing became quick and shallow. He made small noises that barely escaped his lipped. Nicks body started to squirm and he seemed to have to try hard to get a breath of air.

“Stop, please, it hurts.” Nick moaned.

“What hurts you, sweetheart?” Victoria soothed into her son’s ear.

“Hurts, please make it stop.”

“All right honey, just tell me where it hurts, Nick, Nick, tell me where it hurts, sweetheart please tell me. Howard help him.”

“Back hurts, my back.”

“Mother I didn’t see any thing on him except those red streaks.” Jarrod told his mother.

“Oh dear, I hope they all aren’t this painful.”

Nick was squirming with more intent now and breathing heavily. His left hand came off the bed and landed on Heath’s back and brushed the Dr.’s away, before sliding back down to Nick’s side.

“Stop. Hurting me.”

Victoria stepped back from the beds and looked at her two sons fighting to live and then at Jarrod and Audra. They were staring back at her.

“Someone please calm Nick down or I will have to separate them again and I don’t really think that’s a good idea right now. He’s bouncing Heath around too much. This is difficult enough as it is just trying to clean these wounds,” Howard said without looking up from where he was working on Heath.

Jarrod pressed one hand against Nick’s shoulder and the other against his hip, while Audra tried to explain that the doctor was trying to help Heath and he needed to try and be still. As Nick stilled, Heath’s cries became louder and his muscles tensed and sweat began to form on his body.

“I don’t think he can take much more Howard.”

With that said, Heath stiffened and his eyes popped open. The pain in his back had brought him back to Carterson after being whipped mercilessly, for an unsuccessful escape attempt. It was a place that haunted him day and night but became real when his body was weak. In his mind Nick was there to help, and comfort him. “Nick, cut me down from here, I don’t want to die on this post.”

Nick was there. He saw the real horrors of the place when entered Heath’s fevered dream. Nick wrapped his arms around his brother’s shoulders and held him. “It’s okay now Heath, you ain’t gonna die at all. I got you in my arms, you’re not on the post anymore. I just gotta clean your back. It’s gonna hurt a bit Heath, but I gotta do it. Try to relax for me, okay?”

Heath tried to escape the pain but Nick held him and spoke softly in his ear reassuring him it was going to be over soon and needed to be done. The Doctor was able to finish, and bandage the wounds.

Dr. Merar tried to release Nick’s arms. He wanted to look at the leg wound next. Nick wouldn’t let go and continued to sooth his brother’s worries and pain. The Barkley’s and Doctor witnessed the bond the brothers shared and were mostly happy for it. It seemed to ease Heath’s suffering from memories of prison to have Nick there with him. How it could be was of little concern. Doctor Merar decided to look at the lump that was hidden under a mass of bloody hair. He cut the hair away to expose a cut in need of stitching. Heath’s head was cleaned, stitched and bandaged while still in Nick’s arms. Everyone waited and watched as Heath calmed and finally lay quiet.

Victoria helped Howard gently turn Heath onto his back. She placed Nick’s hand back on his brother’s wrist and watched the fingers wind their way around it. The thigh was cleaned thoroughly and bandaged as well. “We’ll need to pack this in ice to get the swelling down, before I can close it up.”

Both brothers were carefully washed and both beds changed.

“This night is long from over Victoria, and they’ve got lots of mending to do. I had to make sure there was nothing to cause an infection”.

“We know Howard, thank-you for helping Heath, I’m sorry. It’s just so hard to see him in so much pain. I was so scared”

Nick still had a hold of Heaths wrist. “What’s going on Nick, what’s going on?” She leaned over and kissed two warm faces. “Come back to me soon okay? Bring Heath out of that terrible place. We really miss you both.”

“Victoria, why don’t you and Audra rustle up something for us to eat and some broth for these boys. If you have a jar of molasses, bring that up too. Oh, and Victoria, if you could bring me a cup of coffee as soon as its made I’d appreciate that more than anything else in the world, other than those two boys waking up.”

Tears came to Victoria’s eyes. That was what she wished for most in the world right now as well.

The crisis seemed, at least momentarily, at bay, and everyone took advantage of the opportunity to get their panic under control and mentally and emotionally prepare themselves to be strong for the two men who now needed their strength so desperately. The first battle was a sneak attack and they had all suffered badly. Now they could prepare themselves, and that’s what Audra, Jarrod, Victoria and the good doctor did.

Audra was helping her Mother in the kitchen. Victoria tended to keep Audra busy and near at her side during emergencies. It was Victoria’s way of both protecting her daughter and preparing her for the role of wife and mother in a land that was still wild at times.

“Mother I’m so worried. I thought they were both going to die. I feel so helpless. Why won’t they wake up?” Audra found it difficult to busy herself while feeling very worried.

“I don’t know sweetie, but if lightning did run through their bodies, There might be something hurt or damaged that we can’t see.”

“You’re talking about those red lines aren’t you? Mother, are they going to be all right? I have been worried before, Nick has gotten banged up enough in his life already, and Heath, I really love him too. I know I tease Nick and Jarrod about Heath being my best brother, but he is. I’m not his baby sister; he always says I’m his younger sister. Oh, Mother, I always feel so much when he’s around. Every time I see him, I see him from the moment I met him at father’s grave. I remember how everything seemed to go wrong and right all at the same time. That’s how it is with him. It’s like everything I know about him and everything about the moment are all crammed tight together because I want so badly to have more memories of him. I what remember each and every one. I have missed so much of my brother’s life. He can’t leave me, us, the family now. I have so little of him and at the same time too much to ever consider losing. I love them both. I’m so scared Mother.”

Victory embraced her teary daughter. “We won’t lose them, Audra.”

Victoria loved her daughter unconditionally but marveled at her sensitivity and ability to love and care for others. Her older brothers knew that about her too and was part of the reason they protected her so. Heath was still getting to know his new family as much as they were getting to know him. The commitment to be a family had been accepted by all. Nick often did his best not to show it. Only time could deepen the feelings that were gradually being carved into their lives. Victoria mused, Audra was like sandstone and Nick granite. Heath would create his own way into their hearts.

“Why don’t you go back up there and tell those big brothers of yours how much you need them. I’ll set out some food at the table, and then be right up with some coffee.”

When Audra entered Nick’s room, she saw Jarrod and the doctor wiping sweat off her brothers’ bodies. Heath was on his stomach again using Nick’s arm as a pillow. The doctor thought Heath should not spend to long on his back in order to keep pressure off the wounds. Nick had become restless again. It was as if he were expending energy so that Heath could preserve his she thought. “Audra Mother will be up shortly with coffee.”