by catgirl63
Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program
"Big Valley" are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and
have been used without permission. No
copyright infringement is intended by the author. The ideas expressed in this story are copyrighted to the author.
Chapter 16
The gasps of horror, frantic
words fueled by pain stopped, the man under his hands went lax and John Thane
felt his heart drop to his feet at the sudden stillness, a chill swept up his
spine.
“Doc!” exclaimed the older
man, his green eyes wide with fear.
“He just passed out.”
informed the doctor quickly, catching himself staring at the confused green
eyes which closed in relieve and a deep sigh rocked the marshal.
“Jesus!” whispered Thane
rubbing his face with a hand which moved around to his neck. “I thought he’d died.”
Shaking his head, the
physician carefully studied the wrappings on the wounds and carefully wiped the
perspiration away. “No, between his
hyperventilating, his head injury and blood loss…well, he’s a mighty weak man
right now. Imagine how disoriented you’d
be if you woke up with severe pain in your eyes and you couldn’t see.”
Nodding as he looked down
at the injured man, John Thane clenched his jaw and swallowed the lump of fear
in his throat. Watching the man of
medicine, the marshal took a deep breathe and cleared his throat.
“Doc, for the protection
of Thomson, we need to move him today.”
“He can’t travel in this
condition.” blasted the other man, his expression one of outrage mixed with
disbelief.
“I got two men coming and
he’s in danger here.” explained Thane firmly, gesturing to the unconscious
man. “He wouldn’t even be in this
condition if it wasn’t for a slimy snake in this town.”
“Marshal, I wouldn’t
recommend it.” protested the healer.
“Can’t you protect him here?”
Looking around the tent,
Thane replied, “A canvas won’t stop a bullet, doctor. Hell, even if Thomson were in a office behind a locked door…I
wouldn’t know if he’d be safe. I can’t
take the chance.”
Several minutes of silence
passed between the two men, their eyes staring at the man whose safety and well
being they were both responsible for, his welfare their only concern at the
moment.
“Doc, you’re headed back
to Chesterville tonight, right?” inquired the marshal.
“Yes, Mr. Thomson was the
only seriously injured person. This
town was fortunate more weren’t hurt severely or more killed.” sighed the
physician.
“Well, we’re taking Heath
to the train station and getting him back to California. I’d appreciate if you’d accompany us back to
Chesterville.” explained the lawman, seeing the hesitation in the medicinal
scholar. “With you riding in the wagon,
you could keep an eye on him. If we
can’t protect him, doctor, you won’t have to worry about healing Heath. Cause he’ll be dead!”
“Alright, Marshal.” agreed
the doctor before adding angrily.
“Understand, I still think it’s a bad idea, however, I will do what I
can to help. I’d suggest when we get to
Chesterville, Mr. Thomson will need to regain some of his strength before he
leaves on a train.”
“Noted.” replied Thane with
a quick nod of his head. “My men should
be here in a few hours and then we’ll be leaving.”
“When Mr. Thomson wakes
next, I need to get a gauge of the extent his head injury before I can give him
anything for the pain in his eyes.” sighed the physician, sitting heavily in
the chair by the bed.
“Will he see again?”
“I don’t know,
Marshal. I didn’t see any glass
fragments in any part of his eyes other than the white parts. I’d say that’s a very good prognosis but I
wouldn’t want to build up his hopes.” admitted the physician dryly. “He needs to see a doctor who specializes in
eyes as soon as possible.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
offered John Thane, his mind already planning out the trip to Chesterville, the
arrival and the departure on the train.
Houston General would have a doctor of that type. His plans decided, the marshal knelt by the
bed and whispered in the nearest ear.
“Heath, Houston first then
you’re going home, son.”
Five days later, the night
was falling and Nate stood on the porch, his eyes full of concern as he watched
his blonde haired sister standing against the corral looking up at the
sky. Jumping off the porch, he walked
across the yard stopping by her side and wrapping an arm around her waist,
kissing her head.
“Hey Cassidy.” greeted
Nate softly.
Leaning into her brother’s
hold, Cassidy welcomed his strength and warmth, her body seeming to have lost
all ability to hold heat with each passing minute of wonder, each passing
minute of torture.
“Hi.” acknowledged the
blonde, her voice low and barely above a whisper.
“I’m worried about you,
Cass.” said Nate, turning her face to him, the entire family concerned by the
lack of luster in her eyes and in her soul.
“I’m sure, Heath knows it was all just a big misunderstanding. After that night, he probably realized it
and is kicking himself now, just like you are.”
“Then why hasn’t he come
back, sent a letter or wired?” rebuked Cassidy, her arms crossing across her
chest, fighting the tears which seemed to hovered on the surface like a dragonfly
hovers over water. “He hasn’t even come
back to tell you about the investigation.
No word at all!”
Nodding in agreement, Nate
led her to a bench under the large tree on the side of the house and took her
hands in his. “Sis, remember what I told
you about when Heath was a marshal?”
“What?” questioned
Cassidy. “You told me lots of things
about when he was a marshal. Which are
you talking about?”
“Yeah, guess I do like to
brag about him some.” smiled Nate with a wink, bringing a sad smile to his
sister’s face, his finger brushing her bangs away from her depressed eyes. “When he was a marshal, Heath never got
involved while he was working, not seriously at least. He’s focused when he wears the silver on his
chest. His job, his priority.”
“Yes, I remember.” sighed
Cassidy, tears spilling from her eyes.
“Nate, what if he never comes back?
What if I never get the chance to explain it? He thinks I’m some kind of trashy woman or something. He’s not coming back cause he can’t stand
the sight of me!”
“Stop it, Cassidy!”
scolded Nate firmly, pulling his sister into his arms. “Heath wouldn’t think such a thing about any
woman. He’s not that type of man. You gotta have faith, girl!”
“I just want to have a
chance to fix what happened.” sobbed Cassidy against her brother’s
shoulder. “Just a chance, is all.”
Patting her back like he
did when she were a mere toddler, Nate nodded and whispered, “I’m sure you’re
making a lot out of nothing, sis. I
promise you’ll get the chance. Even if
we have to show up on his door in California, just so you two can work it out!”
Chapter 17
He felt like he was still
caught in the cyclone winds of the twister, his body reeling, his mind trying
to come to grips with the past six days.
The first three days he’d only fleeting snatches of memories, mostly
they were disjointed seconds of time, not a sequence of events, bits and parts
only.
Bits and parts of the
first days, the only recognizable object was the darkness each time he woke and
the jolts of needle like jabs of pain in his eyes, the panic slowly lessened
with each longer span of awareness.
The physician, Dr.
Carrion, from Chesterville had been caring and consistent with his skills but
offered no firm answer to the question plaguing his thoughts, taking away his
dreams of her, replacing them with nightmares of seeing his face in the mirror
with two empty sockets where sapphire orbs were once housed. The nightmares were slowly sucking the life
out of his soul, the nightmares emphasizing the darkness he may always have to
reside in.
Unable to see, fighting
dizziness and sickness from the head injury, the helplessness rose from within
his very depths. A helplessness not
felt since he’d hung on the whipping post in Carterson, hands bound, gritting
his teeth with each snap of the whip, each flick cutting his skin.
Even while he’d been a
prisoner of war in one of the dankest, dirtiest, filthiest places representing
hell on this earth…he’d kept hope hidden inside him. Hope used to combat his feelings of helplessness, combat and keep
him going, keep him putting one foot in front of the other, keep him struggling
each day to face the morning, face the death and sickness surrounding him.
He was fighting to hold onto
hope, he was fighting to hold onto the thought of seeing the California sky,
the faces of his family, the red coat of his horse, the mansion he called
home. He focused on the job he’d been
asked to do. He focused by relaying to
Thane all he’d uncovered, his thoughts on the connection between the dead bank
manager, Morgan Yates and Mark Jackson.
He focused to fight.
He was fighting to keep
strong but he was losing. Little by
little it rose up higher. Little by
little it took hold, its grip tightening and becoming rock solid.
Despair was an evil
mistress. Despair was throwing a thick
blanket around his will, taking away his fight, stealing away his hope. Despair brought on by thoughts of uncertainty,
the unknown factor of his future, the unknown way to handle his condition.
Despair was rising and
choking him, helped on by the torturous nightmares, helped on by the reality of
all this trip to Texas cost him. The
trip to help a friend was beating him down.
Sitting up in the hospital
bed and trying to ignore the ever present headache from the pain in his eyes,
Heath squeezed his temples with a firm hand before laying his head down. All he ever seemed to do was sleep, the only
remedy for the pain he’d allow. No
morphine and no laudanum accepted.
He heard the voices
outside the hallway and sighed. He
didn’t want to have another doctor poking at him, he didn’t want to have
another nurse come in to help him with things once done without thought. Automatic motions had been taken for granted
and now, he was unable to perform even the simplest of them.
Pouring a glass of water
would leave him soaked from the spillage and yesterday in anger, the water
pitcher hit the wall, the glass exploding upon contact. The blonde’d apologized to the unknown person
who’d been sent in to clean up the mess and even to his ears, the words sounded
hollow, emotionless and insincere.
His apology brushed off by
the male voice who calmly stated, ‘Things happen, sir. Let me get you a new pitcher of water.’
Holding his index fingers
against his temples, his keen ears caught the sound of the door opening and he
sighed. Heavy footsteps made their way
across the room and the blonde pushed himself up feeling behind him and pushing
a pillow up to lean against the headboard.
“What?” asked Heath, his
voice dull and lifeless brought tears to the hazel eyes staring at him.
Nick quickly gathered
himself and shook his head at the sight of his brother, bandages over his eyes,
bruises faded and yellow dotted his body.
The doctors advised him of Heath’s condition but seeing it was worse
than he’d imagined. Stepping closer,
the rancher could feel the air of despair around the blonde making Nick feel as
if he were walking through a wall of the emotion as he neared the bed.
“I had to leave my spurs
at the front desk. The nurse said they
were too loud for a hospital.” stated Nick sitting on the bed and taking hold
of the nearest hand, squeezing it tightly in his own.
Tilting his head slightly,
Heath nodded and turned his face away, “Nick.”
“Heath.” stated Nick as
quietly as his name was spoken, the fire in his brother appeared to be replaced
with ice. Reaching over Nick grabbed
the back of his neck, the gesture causing a tremble to flow through Heath.
“Boy, what happened?”
questioned Nick, his voice soothing yet demanding, the tone stating he wouldn’t
let Heath put him off easily. “Com’n,
little brother. Talk to me.”
“It was a tornado. The bank fell on me and I got some stuff in
my eyes.” offered Heath with a sigh. “Thane
wire you?”
“Yeah, he did. One of his other marshals met the train and
brought me here. Said Thane was in
Austin.” answered Nick before asking, “Heath, why are they guarding your door?”
“They’re baby-sitting me
against a snake.” snarled Heath, adding bitterly. “Baby-sitting a blind man.”
Grabbing the two shoulders
before him, Nick’s voice rose in anger, “Knock it off! You don’t know that for sure! Neither do the doctors!”
“Sure, whatever you say,
Nick.” agreed the blonde, not buying what his older brother was selling,
preferring to let the darkness of his despair keep its hold on him.
“Heath, that’s not you
talking.” stated Nick tenderly, his hands loosening their firm grip on his
shoulders and he moved them to lay on the top of his brother’s shoulders,
another familiar gesture taking a stab at the darkness surrounding the blonde.
“I know you’re scared but
I’m here, Heath. Right here like your
shadow. Don’t let it take you
away. Let me be your eyes til yours are
healed. Trust me, Heath.”
The clenching of the jaw
in the bruised face, the shaking of the body under his hands gave Nick a hint
to the emotions lying just under the surface, waiting to be released.
“I just wanna go home.”
stammered Heath, tortured with the pain in his heart and his body, fighting to
keep rein on his bucking emotions.
“Please, Nick, back to California.
I never want to set foot in Texas again.”
Pulling his brother into
his arms, Nick held on tightly to the shaking man, his hands rubbing the broad
back and promised, “We’ll leave today, Heath.
We’ll get Charger and head home
today, I promise, little brother.”
Chapter 18
The morning was peeking
over the horizon shining on the steel snake winding its way towards the final
destination of Stockton, California.
Nick sat beside Heath whose head fallen sideways in his sleep, using his
brother’s strong shoulder as a pillow.
Smiling tenderly while he stared down at the blonde hair, the hazel eyes
slowly changed, questions flooded his mind again and his face became darkened
with a scowl.
The last three days, he’d
tried to pry information out of the blonde but Nick’s questions were met with
silence or an emotionless reply. The
tall man knew something else other than the tornado had caused Heath pain. Sure, he was in physical pain and
psychological pain from the lack of sight…but...there was something else
there. Something occurred which cut his
younger brother to the quick.
Nick felt sure it had to do
with the Jackson family, the only part of his trip, Heath wouldn’t offer any
thoughts about. It was as if to talk
about them was ripping his heart out.
Hazel eyes burned with a surge of anger and his hands clenched into
fists. His little brother had gone to
Texas to help Nate Jackson and the older man sensed something happened to wound
Heath in his soul.
Turning his head to look
out the window, Nick took several breaths to calm the rising anger and after he
calmed, reached down and cupped the head laying against his shoulder with his
right hand, when the sound of Heath’s breaths quickened. Nick knew the nightmare was coming again and
reached down to wake his little brother, to stop the torment before it restarted. Hands hardened from work, leathery and
tanned, were soft as a feather when it came to the man beside him.
“What?” mumbled Heath, his
words slurred from sleep as he pushed himself up.
“You were starting to
dream, Heath.” explained Nick quietly.
“Oh.” sighed Heath, glad
to have been awoken before the pictures came into his mind. Never sure if it would be the nightmare or a
dream about Cassidy, either way, the blonde didn’t want to keep reliving them,
he only wanted both out of his head.
Nick squeezed the forearm
laying on the seat and whispered, “Thought you’d like to know, we’re almost
home, Heath. Another hour.”
While the blonde was torn
between welcoming and dreading the return home, a group of men opened the gate
with the no trespassing sign attached, closing it behind them. The four cantered towards the buildings in
the distance, the sun rising in the east with a promise of a glorious day. Stopping at the main house, they dismounted
as one, two moving up the steps and two splitting to stop any flight from the
two doors on the home.
Hearing a knock on the
door, Nate opened it and was surprised to see his boss, John Thane and one of
his fellow marshals standing on the porch.
“Boss, come in.” welcomed
Nate stepping back to allow the men to enter.
“Nate, is your brother
Mark here?” asked Thane, tipping his hat to Naomi and Cassidy Jackson when they
appeared in the entry.
Shaking his head, Nate
frowned, “He didn’t come home last night.
I assumed he spent the night in town.
He was pretty upset, our father passed away yesterday. Why?”
“I’m sorry to hear that
Nate.” offered Thane quietly, directing his words to the older woman. “Your husband was a good man, Mrs.
Jackson. He’ll be missed in the
community.”
“Thank you, John.” sighed
Naomi, her eyes full of questions and her heart full of dread. “Why are you looking for Mark? What’s happened?”
Thane turned and spoke to
the man beside him, “Take one man and find him. Search Garwood and let me know.”
“Yes sir.” acknowledge the
marshal, leaving the house and the ranch with another marshal by his side.
Closing the door, Thane
moved the family into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. Pulling out a paper, he handed it to Nate,
his smile and eyes apologetic for the pain he was about to inflict.
“Nate, you’ve been cleared
of all charges.”
“WHAT?” exclaimed Nate in
disbelief, his eyes wide as he ran them over the paper, his hands trembling,
his words mumbled. “I can’t believe
it…why didn’t Heath…he hasn’t come back..I..how…”
“Thomson discovered the
bank manager of Eagle Lake lied under oath.
Jim Tower swore he was alone in the bank when the account was opened and
he pointed out your picture as the man who deposited the money. Thomson found out from the personnel
records, a clerk by the name of Ben Haley was working that day also. Tower gave Thomson the location of the
clerk. He was in Austin and I
questioned him there. Seems the
manager, James Tower and Morgan Yates, the land speculator were cousins. Yates was Mark’s cell mate in prison.”
Gasps were heard from the
two women, their hands held together, eyes red rimmed from crying for the death
yesterday, were wide with shock. Nate
shook his head and swallowed the lump in his throat.
“What’s Mark got to do
with this?” whispered Nate, fearful of the information he was about to receive
but needing to know the truth, not willing to let an injustice go without
punishment.
Glancing at Naomi, Thane
said quietly, “Before Mark went to prison for stealing that horse, he found oil
on your ranch. Mark wasn’t expecting to
go to jail, he thought your father was going to work something out with your
neighbor.”
“Dad would never do
that. Mark was so mad when he had to
spend the time in prison.” agreed Nate.
“But how did you find that out?
I never told you.”
“Mark talked a lot while
he was in prison, his mouth apparently never shut up. Also Morgan Yates spilled the beans after his arrest.” stated
Thane with a small shrug. “When Yates
was moved into his cell, that’s when the plan was formed. Get the bank to foreclose when your parents
defaulted on the mortgage, the three men, Tower, Yates and Mark would then
under the guise of selling the ranch become rich from the oil on it. When Mark was released, it was him and Yates
who rustled your cattle, who caused all the problems. The only obstacle in the way was you.”
Holding his head in his
hands, Nate groaned, “They set me up with an account knowing I’d lose my job as
a marshal. Without my job, I couldn’t
pay the mortgage and we didn’t have enough cattle to sell to raise the money cause
they rustled most of the herd. No
wonder we could never catch anyone.”
“I’m afraid so.” admitted
Thane. “Yates is in jail and Mark will
follow shortly. I’m terribly sorry,
Mrs. Jackson. There’s never a good time
to reveal things like these to a family.”
Wiping her tears, the
older woman smiled, “I understand, Marshal Thane. I’m afraid I don’t understand how one brother could do such a
thing to another.”
“I was so blind to
it. I should’ve seen it.” muttered the
brown haired man, his fist banging the table in anger at himself. “It was right in front of my face!”
“You were too close,
Jackson. You were in the middle of this
mess. When you stand in the middle, you
can’t always see what’s happening on the outside, on the fringes.” stated Thane standing and putting on his
hat. “I’ll let you know when we find
Mark.”
“Boss, where’s Heath? He left town and hasn’t been back at all.”
asked Nate, worry shining in his eyes.
“I owe him for his help and work.
Is he in Wharton?”
Hesitating for several
minutes, John Thane took a deep breath and shook his head, “No, he’s on his way
back to California.”
“WHAT?” shouted the family
in disbelief.
Cassidy’s eyes filled with
tears, “He didn’t even say goodbye!
Natty!”
“That’s not like Heath,
boss. He’d never leave without word,
without sending a wire, without coming by himself to let me know everything’s
fine.” protested Nate, stopping his words at the look in his superior’s eyes. “Something happen? Is he alright? Was he
hurt?”
Holding up his hand, Thane
rubbed his chin before sighing, “When Heath was in the bank with Tower, a
tornado struck Eagle Lake and destroyed several buildings.”
“Yeah, we heard about that
yesterday. It was the first time we’d
been in town for a week or more.” stated Nate.
“Was he hurt in the tornado?”
“Heath and Tower were in
the bank when it collapsed. Tower was
killed and Heath was dug out of the rubble.
He’s alive.” informed Thane, pausing at the sighs of relief and thank
goodness from the family before him.
“He received a head wound
and damage to his eyes. They don’t know
if he’ll see again.”
Within a twenty-four hour
period, the family lost one member, learned of the deceit and dishonorable
actions of another and learned the man who came to them as a teenager, the man
who came to help from his home, the man loved by them all…may have received
thanks for his actions, for his loyalty to friendship, in the form of blindness
and darkness.
Three pairs of eyes were
filled with tears and the Jackson family sat at the kitchen table, hands locked
together for strength, stunned and shocked to their very souls.
Cassidy raised her sienna
eyes and looked at her mother, her whisper coming out from trembling lips. “Mama?”
Nate watched his mother,
caress his sister’s cheek, her eyes filled with love and she looked over
towards him. “Today after we lay your
father to rest you take your sister to California.”
Chapter 19
The rumbling stopped, the swaying
of the cars ceasing and sounds of passengers standing, grabbing bags and
walking towards the door could be heard.
Swishing of cloth on cloth, coughing, mothers talking to their children,
the voices of excited children, their shoes and boots stepping onto the metal
platform reached his ears. Apprehension
filled the blonde and he pushed the lump in his throat down.
He was home in
California. His family was here, the
family who loved him, the family whose care was about to surround him and he
felt a sudden bout of nervousness. What
if he’d never be free of the darkness in his eyes? What if he’d always be mired in it? What kind of productive life could he lead on a ranch? What kind of life would he be able to lead
without his eyes?
The stifling thoughts as
he mentally prepared himself to leave the train were the same as they’d been
over the past week. He knew ironically,
he was blessed to have survived one of mother nature’s temper tantrums. He knew he should feel blessed, he knew he
should realize his life could have easily been taken as one would snap their
fingers. He knew it but the blonde
couldn’t feel blessed. He felt trapped,
he felt off balance, he felt worthless.
Nick waited til most of
the passengers left the train before he stood up and picked up the valise. Heath’d been quiet pretty much the whole
time since they’d left Texas, since they got Charger from the livery at the
marshals’ office in Houston and boarded the train. His silence was unnerving the larger man, his stomach twisting
and churning in fear for the man by his side.
He’d told his little
brother, he’d be his eyes til the sapphire orbs were healed. He hadn’t realized how difficult it was
going to be, how gut wrenching and demanding on his strength, how hard it was to
watch while Heath fumbled around in darkness.
He’d gladly give his brother one of his eyes to see with if he
could. He wanted nothing more than to
take away the fear and frustration oozing off the smaller man.
But he couldn’t and Nick
recognized all he could do was try to keep Heath from falling into a hole of
self-pity, of despair. He’d do anything
for the blonde, he’d go anywhere with him.
The brothers together had already been through one hellish journey after
Jarrod was kidnapped by the Ling tong.
Together they’d made it back, standing with each other, helping each
other. They could do it again.
Lifting Heath’s hand and
placing it on his shoulder, Nick smiled at the man slightly behind him. “Com’n, little brother.”
Heath mumbled, “Ready.”
Walking slowly, Nick kept
his naturally long gait to smaller steps, the hand of his brother was clenched
in his shirt, his steps awkward and hesitant as he followed behind to the end
of the car. Stopping when Nick
stopped, he felt a hand on his arm moving him forward.
“Here’s the rail, Heath.”
stated Nick moving and placing the large hand on the small rail. “There’s three steps and then a long one to
get on the ground.”
“Okay.” muttered Heath,
his left hand clenched onto the rail, his right on the wood of the car, his
foot feeling for the end of the first step.
Nick and Jarrod stood at
the bottom of the steps watching the progress of their injured member with
breaths held. Heath’s grip on the
railing was white knuckled as if he felt he were standing on the edge of a
great drop off.
“Jarrod?” asked Heath
tilting his head slightly, his bandaged eyes bringing tears to Victoria, Hiriam
and Audra who stood watching on the platform, their hands holding onto each
other.
“Right here, brother
Heath.” assured the attorney, grabbing onto his brother’s shoulders after he
successfully placed two feet onto the California soil, wrapping the blonde into
a hug and patting his back. “How’d you
know it was me?”
“Aftershave lotion.” admitted
Heath taking a shaky breath and smiling slightly. “Where’s the others?”
“Right here, sweetheart.”
stated Victoria walking over and placing a kiss on his cheek. Reaching up with his hand, the long fingers
touched the soft cheek of his mother and he bent to place a kiss where his
fingers lay.
“Mother, it’s nice to hear
your voice.” sighed the blonde, his quiet tone causing Victoria to hold his
fingers to her cheek. “Grandfather?”
Hiriam stepped forward and
Victoria moved to the side. The older
man receiving an extended hug from his only relative, the man who he’d found
after all those years. Brown eyes
filled with tears and sadness while he took the blonde’s face in his hands and
demanded.
“Aftershave, too?”
“No, peppermint and
tobacco.” stated Heath, his words bringing laughter to everyone at the red
blush on the older man’s face.
“Maybe that is my
aftershave, Heath.” teased Hiriam, causing a true smile to grace his grandson’s
face. “Could be a new kind just out on
the market.”
Heath nodded, “Perhaps
Grandfather but if it is a new kind, I wouldn’t buy stock in that company.”
Audra’s giggle and her
perfume reached his nose from the left of him.
Holding out a hand, his fingers enclosed on the petite digits, warm to
his touch. Moving, Audra kissed his
cheek and wrapped her arms around her older brother, whispering in his ear.
“I missed you too, sis.”
replied Heath. “Nick, did you get
Charger?”
Standing beside his little
brother, Nick clapped him on the back.
“Just waiting for you, boy. I’m
sure he’d prefer you over me anyway.”
Turning Heath with an arm
over his shoulders, the family barely heard the mumbled words of the blonde,
“He’d best get used to you instead of me.
You’re gonna be using him.”
Nick shook his head and
countered quickly, “I told you I already got a horse and I don’t need another.”
Sighing loudly, Heath bit
back the scathing reply rising up, the reply he knew was fueled by the darkness
and his inner demons. He had to make a
conscience effort to not snap at those around him. He had to control the anger he felt all the time inside of
him. Nick was nothing but supportive
and caring, he didn’t deserve any fury for his love.
Walking Heath up the
platform, Nick led him over to the stallion, the blonde reaching up and
stroking the velvet nose which pushed at his chest.
“Hey boy. How ya’ doing?” murmured Heath catching the
sounds of Nick saddling the powerful horse.
“Nick, I can’t ride him. We can
put the saddle in the boot of the surrey.”
“First, we’ll see Dr. Merar
and then we’ll ride home.” stated Nick calmly, tightening the girth of the
saddle, turning to see the blonde’s mouth in a hardened line and his jaw
muscles clenched.
“How the hell am I
supposed to ride? I can’t see where I’m
going.” snapped Heath, stepping away from Charger, his feet stumbling on a
loose board in the car, strong hands catching onto him before he fell. “I CAN’T EVEN WALK ACROSS A DAMN FLOOR!”
Nick saw the faces of the
family outside the car, their eyes wide with concern. Nick glared at Jarrod when he moved to enter the car, the eldest
son stopping and nodding at the warning look.
Lifting the man he held by the arms to his feet, Nick didn’t loosen his
hold, his voice low and firm.
“You will ride and you
will see again, little brother! This
injury is only giving you a well deserved vacation! That’s all!”
Snorting, Heath moved his
head upwards as if to look at the ceiling, his hands clenching into fists
beside his legs. Several minutes passed
and several shaky breaths heard before the blonde nodded and whispered. “Nick, I’m afraid.”
Moving his hand to the
back of Heath’s neck, Nick whispered, “I know you are, Heath. I wouldn’t let you ride if I didn’t think
you could do it. Trust me on this.”
“Alright, big brother, but
if I fall off and make a fool of myself, you’re gonna be in for it. Remember I can still kick your butt without
seeing, cause all’s I gotta do is get my hands on you.” warned Heath, his words
not taking away the fear inside him, the unknown stealing away at his
confidence, his assuredness.
“Smart ass.” smiled Nick
with a gentle shake of his hand. “I
think you had a worse concussion than the doctors diagnosed. You couldn’t beat me on my worst day!”
Heath felt the reins
placed in his right hand and Nick walked beside him, down the platform with a
guiding hand on his left arm. The well
trained horse following meekly behind, content in the ritual developed with his
master over the years, sensing a difference in the man he trusted but relying
on all their past experiences together, not letting the difference shake his
confidence in his master.
The family followed behind
as the brothers walked up the street towards the physician’s office, the looks
of pity missed by the blonde, the looks of questions. Heath couldn’t see the looks but he could sense the waves of
sympathy from the sides of the street.
He felt like a circus act on display and he again wondered what good
would he be on the ranch.
What kind of life would be
lead if the eyes couldn’t see?
Chapter 20
“How’s the pain in your
eyes, Heath?” queried Dr. Merar reading the notes Nick handed to him along with
a bottle of eye drops, his eyes skimming the information on the pages.
“Not as bad as it was when
it first happened. Now the pain and headaches
are tolerable.” sighed Heath, eyes bandaged, his ears picking up the rustling
of paper, the shifting of the physician in his wooden chair, the shifting of
spurred boots over to the right. “Nick,
will you excuse us for a minute?”
Surprised at the request,
Nick glanced over to the family physician, who nodded and smiled slightly,
before his rich deep voice spoke.
“Sure, I’ll be right outside.
Let me know when you’re done.”
Nodding, Heath waited for
the sound of the door closing before letting out a frustrated sigh. He could sense the scrutiny of the other man
in the room, the air was thick in the room with his apprehension and he knew he
needed answers to the questions his mind kept asking.
“Doc, are there jobs and
such for blind people?” asked the blonde quietly, his hands clenching the arms
of the chair he was sitting in, his head turned downward, body tense and rigid.
“Getting a little ahead of
yourself, aren’t you?” chided Howard calmly, placing the papers on his desk and
studying the man before him. “Why are
you asking?”
Heath cleared his throat
before replying, “I’m just getting prepared, in case, well…”
“In case you can’t see.”
inserted Howard firmly, sensing the fear and uneasiness in the strong man, the
fear of the unknown future in the man whose steely stare had the ability to
cause the strongest of men to shake in their boots.
“Yeah. Don’t you think it’d be best to be
prepared?” stated Heath his fingers finding the button on his cuff, playing
with it in his unconscious habit of nervousness. “I gotta make plans, doc.
If I can’t see, I’m not gonna spend the rest of my life having someone
take care of me. If that’s what’s gonna
happen, well, let’s just say it won’t happen.
NOT if I have any say in it.”
One part of the family
physician felt pride well up at the inner will of the man before him, the inner
will which was driving him to find a sense of self worth within the darkness he
was experiencing, the black void he may be sequestered to for the rest of his
life. The other part of the family
physician tightened up in apprehension.
Apprehension of the devastation to the man before him if his sight was
not restored. Born blind was different
than losing your sight as an adult.
The lack of sight was
perhaps the worst of the senses to lose, the most devastating to try to live
without. If you couldn’t talk or hear,
you could still see and could function in a world of hearing people, in a world
of voiced people. When one couldn’t
see, the loss of sight had the ability to change everything.
The loss of sight placed a
person in danger on a daily basis.
Walking across a room could leave one stumbling, falling and hitting
their head. Walking on a street with
all the noises drowning out your other heightened senses could be paralyzing. The loss of sight changed everything and
changed those around you.
Heath waited, shifting in
his chair while Howard remained silent.
The blonde knew the doctor hadn’t left the room, he could sense him
there and his ears hadn’t heard any sounds.
He wondered if perhaps he should have kept his questions to
himself. With that thought came the
realization action was better than waiting.
Action, moving, doing anything was better than the torturous thoughts
he’d been having on a daily basis.
“Doc?”
The blonde’s word brought
his mind back to where they sat and Howard smiled at him with reassurance
before rolling his eyes when he realized Heath couldn’t see his smile and the
man of medicine shook his head at himself.
“Heath, did you know there
are blind teachers?” questioned Howard suddenly.
“No, I didn’t.” admitted
Heath, frowning in thought, curiosity aroused.
“How do they read the books? How
do they see the students papers?”
“Ah, it’s called Braille.”
informed Howard, sitting forward in his chair.
“A man named Louis Braille invented a system using raised dots on paper
for letters, punctuation and symbols.
There are books printed using the Braille system and blind people can
even write a letter to a sighted person with a special instrument called a
Braille writer.”
“Braille?” repeated the
blonde, his mind working as he felt the physician unwrapping the bandage around
his head. “How does the blind person
see those raised dots? How do they read
them?”
“With their fingertips.”
answered Howard tipping the blonde’s head back with a chin under his
finger. “Keep your eyes closed and let
me do all the work.”
“Sure.” mumbled Heath,
finding his mind whirling around in a circle, thoughts charging around in his
head. He was so deep in concentration
he was surprised when Howard stated he was done putting in the eye drops and
Heath could leave after the bandaging was done.
“Hey, doc?”
“Hmmm.”
“So, a blind person uses
their fingertips to read Braille. Where
do they learn this?”
“A school for the blind.”
explained Howard, lowering Heath’s head after he was finished with the
wrapping. “They teach Braille and other
things. It’s like a regular school
except it’s only for the blind.”
Placing a hand on the
broad shoulder, Howard replied, “I
understand you need to feel useful and productive. You’re a man whose always taken care of yourself and I can
appreciate your desire to continue doing so.”
“It’s more than a desire.”
defended Heath with a shake of his head.
“It’s a need. It’s part of me,
always has been and always will be. I
can’t turn it off, not ever.”
“I know, son.” admitted
Howard softly, squeezing the shoulder under his hand. “You’re a good man and one I’m proud to know.”
Blushing slightly from the
unexpected praise, Heath shifted on the table, “Ah, thanks doc.”
Howard helped Heath to the
door, stopping just short of the wood plank.
“I understand you wanting to be prepared but don’t let your planning
turn into resignation. No one knows
what the future will bring, Heath. Just
know there are plenty of people who care for you and will help you if things
don’t turn out as we hope.”
Nodding, Heath smiled, “I
know, doc. Thanks for everything.”
“You’re welcome.” replied Howard
placing a hand on the strong back and directing him to the waiting area where
Nick jumped up out of the chair.
“Everything okay?” worried
Nick taking hold of Heath’s elbow.
“It’s fine, Nick.” assured
Heath, feeling better knowing if blindness was his future, there were ways to
handle it, some place to go to learn to function. A weight was lifted from his shoulders, his mind seeing clearly
for the first time since the trouble in Texas.
Howard flashed a smile of
reassurance to the concerned man and nodded before asking, “Heath, do you want me to go with you to San
Francisco for your appointment in two weeks?”
Shaking his head, Heath
sighed, “No, doc. I wouldn’t want to
take you away in case someone needs you here.
Thanks anyway.”
“Any time. Nick, I put the medicine in Heath’s
eyes. Just keep doing what you’ve been
doing. This bag has come more bandages
and the drops. I’ll come out to check
on you Saturday.” informed Howard placing the bag in the larger man’s hand,
holding the door and saying his good-byes to the brothers.
“Where’s everyone?”
questioned Heath as Nick lead him down the stairs of the porch.
“I sent them on home ahead
of us.” informed Nick leading the blonde over to Charger, placing one of his
hands on the leather saddle. “Ready?”
Turning his head towards
the deep voice, Heath asked, “Nick, did you know blind people can read books by
using their fingertips?”
“Yeah, I knew that.”
admitted Nick, surprised at the hand which grabbed his shirt and yanked him
forward.
“You knew!” snapped Heath
angrily. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Confused and shocked at
the sudden movement, Nick stammered, “Why would I tell you that? You’re not gonna be blind!”
“Oh, Nick. Nick. Nick.”
sighed Heath loudly, releasing his hold with an emphasized shake of his
head. “Nick, I don’t want to be blind
but it’s better to be prepared. Denial
of what may happen in two weeks will only make it worse if it does happen,
Nick. Do you see what I’m saying?”
Strong shoulders sagged and
Nick grumbled, “I don’t wanna think about what could happen. Cause it kills me to think you may not be
running the ranch with me and I don’t like that picture.”
Reaching up and feeling
for the strong face of his brother, Heath smiled slightly, “I know, Nick. It’s the same for me, too. I don’t want to think about it either but we
have to.”
Sighing loudly and
blinking back his tears, Nick took hold of the hand lying on his cheek and
squeezed it. “Not right now, okay? Tomorrow or the next day. I don’t want to think about it now.”
“Alright, big brother.”
agreed Heath, hearing the plea in his brother’s words, his heart full from the
emotions be could feel trembling his larger than life brother, the future
looking as dark for Nick as for himself.
As dark by the loss he’d feel and unfortunately, Heath realized, Nick
would not be the only other person affected, the whole family would experience
a sense of loss if his sight wasn’t restored.
It would affect all of them.
On the California soil
with the man who’d become as important to him as breathing, Heath resolved to
try to prepare those around him, prepare them for the unwanted change which
could be coming, prepare those he loved as well as he could. This was a job he didn’t need to be sighted
to accomplish, this was a job of the heart.
Taping the cheek he knew
was tanned and could feel was shadowed with whiskers, Heath threatened in a
teasing voice, “Now, twit brain, remember what will happen if I fall off.”
“Smart ass.” growled Nick,
wiping his eyes and waiting til Heath was mounted before putting the reins in
the waiting hands then climbing on Coco.
“We’ll take it slow and easy, okay?
The same pace you usually take when you head out for work in the
mornings, little brother.”
“Who’s the smart ass now?”
chuckled Heath with Nick’s laughter joining him. Nudging Charger and feeling Nick beside him as he regained his
center, Heath allowed his body to relax into the familiar movement of being in
a saddle.
Nick glanced over, keeping
close beside the rider on his right and again felt a rush of angry tears at the
realization of what the trouble in Texas could steal away from him and his
family.
Chapter 21
Nick smiled at the family
who stood watching from the porch as he rode into the yard by his brother’s
side, the blonde unaware of the teary looks he was receiving. Stopping Coco in front of the barn, Charger
seemed to sense his need to stop and halted beside the brown horse, standing by
his companion’s side, the scenario played out and familiar from their many days
together in the past three years.
Heath held onto the
saddlehorn and dismounted tentatively, shaking his head again at the automatic
motion he found doing with trepidation.
Smiling when his feet touched the ground, he ran his hands up the neck
to the back of the stallion’s ears, murmuring gently while enjoying the feel of
the coat on his friend.
Nick waved one of the
hands over, dismounting and tying Coco to the corral. Scotty ran over and his steps faltered at the sight of the bandages
on his blonde boss’ eyes, before happily exclaiming. “Welcome back, marshal boss.”
“Hi Scotty.” replied Heath
turning from Charger towards the voice.
“Hope Nick hasn’t been working ya’ too hard since I’ve been gone.”
Grinning at the rolling eyes
of the dark haired boss, Scotty smirked, “Nah, we’ve all pitched together to do
your and his work, boss.”
“What was that?” snarled
Nick, his eyes twinkling at the laughter coming from Heath. “Scotty, you be careful or I might think you
prefer my brother to me. That’ll earn
you some extra fence time.”
“I’ll take care of Charger
for you, boss.” stated Scotty,
whispering just for Heath’s ears as he took the reins from the strong
hands. “All I do is mend fences, how’s
that punishment?”
Chuckling, Heath shook his
head and smiled, “Don’t ask me. He’ll
probably have me mucking out stalls, Scotty.”
Snickering, Scotty patted
his boss on the shoulder before leading the stallion away. His smile fading from his face at the
concern in the hazel eyes catching his.
Ciego greeted the returning men and lead Coco away, glancing back as
Nick held onto Heath’s elbow and walked him to the mansion.
“Thanks, Nick.” sighed
Heath with a smile.
“For what?” puzzled Nick,
looking sideways at his younger brother.
“Step here.”
Feeling for the step,
Heath mounted the porch and turned to his right, “For staying by my side,
brother and making sure I don’t fall.”
Grabbing the back of the
blonde’s neck, Nick growled, “Damn boy, how many times I got to tell ya’ that’s
what I’m here for! You sure none of
your brains fell out when your head was cut open!”
Shrugging, Heath smirked,
“At least we know mine are in the right place.
I don’t sit on them all day long like someone else I know.”
Wrapping an arm across
Heath’s shoulders, Nick suggested, “I’ll just let Jarrod know where you think
his brains are, little brother. I can’t
wait to hear that conversation!”
“Twit brain.” growled
Heath before allowing Nick to lead him into the mansion where he was greeted by
his mother, grandfather and oldest brother.
“Boy howdy, I’d best clean
off this trail dust before dinner.” suggested Heath feeling the table and
putting his hat on it. “Nick, ya’ wanna
come with me or it might take me a few hours?”
Chuckling, Nick clapped
the blonde on the back, his laughter making the others faces fill up with
shock. “I wouldn’t want you to come
down wearing your longjohns to dinner.”
Feeling the tension in the
others, Heath smiled and shook his head, “Mother, I don’t suppose that’d be
acceptable dinner attire, would it?”
Seeing the wonderful smile
on his face, Victoria giggled and wrapped her returning son in another hug
before placing another kiss on his cheek, holding his hands in hers. “Are you sure you trust Nicholas to pick out
your outfit, Heath?”
“MOTHER!” exclaimed Nick
in a mock wounded voice.
Thinking on her question,
Heath nodded, “Yeah, I see what you mean, Mother. I’ve seen how he dresses.”
Hiriam and Jarrod exploded
into laughter, their faces lighting up in a mixture of relief and amusement.
“For pete’s sake!” grunted
Nick with a wink to the family. “Heath,
you only got blue shirts and tan pants!
An idiot could match those clothes.”
Tilting his head slightly,
Heath smiled and squeezed the tiny hands in his, “Sounds like the right job for
my big brother, Mother.”
Laughter followed the two
men who headed up the grand staircase, side by side, counting steps as they
rose higher. Reaching the top, Heath
made a mental note to himself of the steps and ran his hand along the wall til
he reached his room.
“Right one, Nick?”
“Yep.” agreed Nick,
shaking off the torment from watching the slow movements from his unsighted
brother. Heath opened the door and
entered the room with Nick following.
Moving to the dresser, Heath
opened the top drawer with Nick watching, ready to help however he could. Feeling in the drawer, Heath’s fingers
brushed across the rich mahogany box, the wood searing him and her face
assaulted his mind. Inhaling sharply,
Heath jumped back and Nick jumped forward.
“What’s the matter? Heath?” asked Nick, watching the man before
him turn pale before he shook his head.
Glancing in the drawer, Nick turned his eyes back after seeing only socks
and a wooden box.
“I, nothing Nick.”
whispered Heath with a slight shake of his head, trying to drive the remainder
of her face from his memory. “I’ll get
the clothes and then you can help me shave, okay?”
“Sure, Heath.” replied Nick watching Heath slowly shut his
top drawer and gather the rest of his clothes.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to get your longjohns?”
Chuckling, Heath sighed,
“Quite sure cause I don’t think even if they was blind Mother would allow
anyone to sit at her dinner table dressed like that.”
Laughing, Nick steered Heath
to the water closet, his voice dripping with persuasion, “It’d be funny to find
out though, don’t you think? Wanna try
it?”
“You crazy, Nick!” scolded
Heath stopping in the hallway. “Maybe I
should get Jarrod to help. You sound
like you really wanna get on Mother’s bad side today.”
“I’m just kidding.” said
Nick, following Heath into the water closet, moving his brother through the
room. “Sometimes she just pretends to
be shocked.”
“Hey, I’ve seen her mad as
a wet hornet.” gaped Heath with a shiver running up his spine. “NO THANKS!”
“Coward.” retorted Nick
playfully.
Heath turned the knobs on
the bathtub and smirked, “Smart is more
like it. Maybe you should pay
attention.”
Smacking the blonde
lightly on the back of his head, Nick joined in laughter with Heath, his eyes
filled with love, his mind wondering what was in the box which caused his
little brother to jump back as if he’d touched a rattlesnake.
Chapter 22
Leaving the blonde in the
bathtub after the shaving was done, Nick left the room after a growled command
from his little brother and headed downstairs.
The family was gathered in the parlor having before dinner cocktails and
quietly talking. Jarrod handed Nick a
scotch when he entered the room.
“Heath doesn’t seem to be
as off balance as he was earlier.” observed Jarrod with a relieved smile
reaching up and sparkling his light blue eyes.
“Heath told me he feels
better now that he has a plan.” informed Nick looking down into his glass of
amber liquor, recalling the revelations in the talk back to the ranch.
“What plan?” queried
Hiriam, brown eyes filled with curiosity, not sure why his stomach suddenly
lurched.
“It’s a plan he came up
with after he spoke with Dr. Merar, he feels like he has some options, in
case..” paused Nick, his eyes darkening with fear before they lowered to study
the designs in the Persian rug. “In
case, he won’t see again, in case he’s blind.”
Hiriam reached over and
grasped Victoria’s hand at her small gasp at her son’s statement, before
asking. “What kind of options, Nick?”
Raising his eyes, he took
a large sip of his scotch and choked out, his words trembling, his eyes wide
with anguish. “Dr. Merar told him about
how blind people can read by learning Braille and how they have schools for blind
people. Heath told me he felt better
knowing there was some place to go if his sight doesn’t return.”
“What!” exclaimed the
other three in the room, the reality of the blonde leaving hung thick in the
air, the thought hadn’t crossed any of their minds.
“I will not let Heath
leave.” stated Victoria firmly, her eyes blazing with love. “He belongs here with us. With his family.”
Studying his brother,
Jarrod was once again reminded of the depths to the other man. The depths of thinking, the depths of
caring, the depths of his loyalty for those around him. While some of the community only saw a
brash, cocky, arrogant rancher and son of Thomas Barkley….those who looked at
him with love saw so much more and were the recipient of the bottomless pool of
loving the large man was capable of.
Studying his younger
brother, Jarrod saw the little boy of years ago within the man, the boy afraid
for his best friend’s well being, the boy afraid of losing his best friend and
partner, the boy whose heart was breaking right before his very eyes.
Hazel eyes closed for a
brief moment before Nick put his unfinished drink on the table, sitting in
front of his mother and taking her hands in his. Hazel eyes were soft with concern and love as he gazed upon his
Mother before moving to take in Heath’s grandfather, a man who also became an
integral part of their family.
“Heath’s afraid of
becoming a burden. He didn’t say it in
words but I heard it when he talked about blind school teachers and how amazed
he was to learn of them. Heath’s the
type of man, the type of person who needs to be productive, to feel useful.”
explained Nick sadly.
Victoria felt tears spring
to her eyes and she whispered, “He seemed so upbeat when you came into the
house. Almost as if he were certain
he’d regain his sight.”
“Mother, remember this is
Heath we’re talking about.” reminded Nick softly. “What do you think he’s doing?”
Jarrod sighed and placed
his glass on the table beside Nick’s, his happiness at the familiar banter
between his younger brothers gone with the stark realization of the effort the
blonde was putting up, the show of nonchalance he was expressing to his
family.
Gray and brown eyes filled
with understanding and the two elders’ bodies seemed to droop from the weight
suddenly felt on their shoulders. The
man upstairs was so important to them, the thought he may not regain his sight
and leave, seemed to age them several years.
“He must be in so much
anguish.” whispered Hiriam. “Not
knowing if he’ll see again, planning and trying to keep up a strong front.”
“Oh, Nick.” sobbed
Victoria, her small body pulled into her strong son’s arms, finding it hard to
control the cries from leaving. “We
can’t lose him, Nick. He’s a part of
everything here, this house, this ranch.
I refuse to lose him.”
Waiting til his mother
brought herself under control, Nick placed a kiss on her forehead and stated
he’d be bringing Heath down shortly before leaving the parlor and slowly
climbing the grand staircase. Three
people sat in the well furnished room of the mansion, all the worldly
possessions were not a comfort to their hearts being shredded into pieces.
“Two weeks.” whispered
Jarrod angrily as he held onto the back of the chair, his legal skills no use in
this situation, he felt helpless. “Dear
god, we may only have two weeks. Two
more weeks and then what? I lose my
brother?”
Fighting the stream of
tears wanting to escape his wounded eyes, Jarrod excused himself and he escaped
to the study, the door slamming loudly behind him, causing Hiriam and Victoria
to jump from the ferocity of wood meeting wood.
“Victoria, what are we
going to do?” inquired Hiriam with a shake of his head. “I can understand my grandson’s feelings but
that doesn’t make it any easier.”
Smiling slightly, the
small hand reached over and held onto the wrinkled older hand, gray eyes sad
and misty. “No, it doesn’t Hiriam. Heath needs to know we’ll do whatever we can
to help him, even if that means hiring a teacher to come here to the ranch if
that’s necessary. In one way, I want
these next two weeks to be here tomorrow and in another, I hope it takes a
lifetime to pass.”
“Me too, Victoria.” said
Hiriam, patting the small hand on his, brown eyes filled with
understanding. “This is going to be the
longest two weeks of all our lives.”
Naomi Jackson stood on the
depot of the train station, her daughter held firmly in her arms for a minute
before moving her hands up to hold her beautiful face, her eyes filled with
tears. “If it’s meant to be, it’s worth
fighting for. Don’t leave California
until you’ve had a chance to speak with Heath, until you’ve had a chance to
work out this misunderstanding. Don’t
allow what might-have-beens steal your future from you.”
“Yes, mama.” acknowledged
Cassidy, hugging her mother another time before watching Nate kiss her
goodbye. Climbing onto the train steps,
brother and sister stood on the back of the last car, waving to their mother
until she was no longer in their sight.
Placing an arm around her
waist, Nate moved his sister into the passenger car and found them a seat. Looking out the window, the marshal felt
fear constrict his heart. Fear for his
friend, fear for the condition of his eyes and fear for his sister across from
him. Her sienna eyes were hopeful for
the first time in weeks and Nate wondered if the sapphire eyes of Heath would
glitter with happiness or repulsion when they looked upon his sister.
It was going to be a long
four days of travel til they reached their destination of Stockton, California.
Chapter 23
Waiting til the door
closed and he could no longer hear the jiggling of the roweled spurs, Heath lay
his head back against the porcelain tub, his hands trembling slightly as they
reached up to hold his face. Taking
several shaky breaths, he fought the image of the blonde haired sienna eyed
girl which wouldn’t leave his head.
The burning in his fingers when he touched the box rushed her face to
the forefront of his mind and again raked open the wound in his heart.
‘Stop it!’ snarled Heath
to himself, lowering his hands and slowly washing. ‘You got other things to worry about! Like how you’re gonna fill two weeks til your appointment.’
Forcing his mind to push
her enticing face and lips to the fringes, the blonde stopped bathing and shook
his head. What would he do for two
weeks? How would he occupy his time in
the darkness? Frowning, he felt for the
washcloth and swiped it across his body, unaware his bruises were almost faded,
unaware of the conversation happening downstairs. Only aware he had to do something, anything to keep the despair
from rising up again and swallowing him whole.
Anything to feel useful and less helpless, anything to keep the fear
inside him at bay and those around him from worrying.
Feeling around for the
towel, Heath climbed out of the bath and dried his body, looking down to see if
he’d gotten all the wetness dry and then smirked at his action. ‘Idiot’ mumbled the blonde finding his
clothes and slowly dressing, the simple action lately seemed to be taking an
eternity.
Long fingers started at
the collar and button each small round item until he felt no more. Finding the tails of his shirt, he smiled
when he felt the ends of the shirt and found them to be the same length before tucking
his shirt into his pants and buckling his belt. Carefully lowering himself to the floor, the blonde pulled on his
socks and then his boots.
Pushing himself up and
feeling his pantleg stuck in his boot top, he bent over and his head met with
pain. Striking the cabinet, sent a
bursting of stars before his eyes and he stumbled backwards, slipping on some
water and slamming onto the hard floor, his wrist striking the porcelain tub on
the way down from his frantic grab.
Nick heard the loud crash
and threw open the door, his eyes taking in the scene, his scream reaching the
ears downstairs, “HEATH!”
Rushing to the dazed man’s
side, Nick grabbed a towel and held it against the forehead which split open
and was oozing red. Jarrod appeared in
the doorway, breathing heavily from his wild dash to the second floor and
stared.
“I’ll send someone for the
doctor!” exclaimed the attorney running down the hallway and out of the
mansion, calling over to Duke who sent one of the hands to town.
“Heath, sweetheart.”
called Victoria kneeling on the floor beside her moaning son. “Nick, let’s get him to his room.”
Hiriam and Nick carefully
lifted Heath onto his feet, each placing an arm over their shoulders, holding
him by the waist and walked him to his room behind Victoria who rushed into the
bedroom and propped his pillows up against his headboard. Laying Heath on the pillows, Nick reapplied
the towel to the wound, glancing at Jarrod who appeared by his side, hazel eyes
wide with concern.
Victoria saw the bruised
wrist and gently touched it, the soft fingers causing Heath to gasp in pain,
the limb protesting the mother’s touch.
Pushing at the towel on his head with the other hand, Heath protested.
“Get it off my head.”
Grabbing his uninjured
hand, Victoria firmly held onto it and commanded, “Heath, stop moving. You opened your forehead and Nick’s trying
to stop the bleeding.”
Sagging further down into
the pillows, the blonde welcomed the pain he felt in his head and wrist, the
throbbing in tune taking his attention from her and he was glad for it. He didn’t want to talk and stubbornly
refused answering any questions as to what happened. He pulled his hand from his Mother’s hold and raised it to the
towel.
“I’ll hold it.” informed
Heath, placing his hand over the large one, snapping when the other limb wasn’t
removed. “NICK!”
“Alright, alright.” sighed
Nick moving his hand down but remained sitting on the bed, examining the left
hand. “I think you broke your wrist,
little brother.”
“Too bad it wasn’t my damn
fool neck.” muttered Heath bitterly, his words caused gasps from the others in
the room and he felt an immediate shame for the pain he caused. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
Reaching up and running her
fingers over his hair, Victoria sighed and assured her son lost in the
darkness, “It’s okay, sweetheart. We
know you’re upset.”
The patronizing tone, the
words were not the right ones and they set off an explosion in the man
surrounded twenty four hours by night, his anger boiling over, the fuse touched
off by a fire of fear. The fear took
shape in fury, the sudden fall in the bath room, his lack of knowing where he’d
been cause of the inability to see flung the words from his mouth, his body
trembling with the explosion he couldn’t contain.
“UPSET!” repeated Heath
loudly in disbelief. “Why would I be
upset? I can’t see a damn thing, can’t
bend over without injuring myself, can’t see to keep from falling! How could I possibly be upset? Then to top it off, I appear to have broke
my wrist! EVERYTHING’S GREAT! IT’S PERFECT, MOTHER! I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO BE UPSET!”
Gray eyes flashed with
anger and Victoria sprang up onto her small feet, motioning the others from the
room and closing the door behind them.
The flames in her eyes making the men move quicker to get out of the
line of fire.
“Heath Thomson! I will not tolerate this type of
behaviour! Yes, you cannot see but that
doesn’t give you free rein to be heartless to those around you! It doesn’t give you license to hurt those
who love you! It doesn’t mean you can’t
show us you’re afraid!” countered Victoria angrily. “I know a big strong man like yourself doesn’t like to be afraid
of darkness. Lord forbid you should be
weak enough to show you’re only human!”
Sitting on the bed and
taking hold of the uninjured limb, effortlessly moving the hand away from the
towel, she noted with relief the bleeding had stopped. Lowering the crimson stained cloth, she
cupped his cheek and shook her head for her angry response to his fear.
“It’s okay to be afraid,
Heath. You don’t have to be strong and
protect us. We love you and won’t give
up on you. Let us be strong for
you. Let us protect you as you are
always protecting us.” assured Victoria more calmly, her words sent his hand
fumbling for hers, his fingers taking a firm hold. “Please Heath, let us in.”
“Forgive me, Mother.”
whispered Heath, anguish thickening his words and causing a sob to come from
inside him. “I’m sorry. I’m so afraid of everything, afraid of not
seeing, afraid of moving around this house.
It’s not the same, everything’s different. My home feels so foreign and it shouldn’t! Everything’s wrong.”
Tears spilled out from her
gray eyes and Victoria held onto the shaking limb with both hands, his words
continuing, the pent up fears spilling out, the small leak in the dam now
widened to a crack, the torrent of pain like the untamed waters of a raging
river.
“I love you all but god
help me, I’m afraid of being alone again. Afraid of the loneliness.
Afraid you’ll all move on without me, forget about me. I know logically it wouldn’t happen but I
can’t stop from thinking those things.” admitted Heath, tears streaming down
his cheeks. “I’m so sorry,
Mother. I didn’t mean to raise my voice
to you. Please forgive me.”
Joining her son in his
torment, Victoria leaned forward and drew him up against her, placing a kiss on
his cheek before laying his head on her shoulder, his uninjured arm reaching
around her tiny body, holding on to her strength of iron. Both shaking with emotion, with fear.
“There’s nothing to
forgive, Heath. Nothing.” whispered
Victoria, rubbing circles on his back.
"I love you, we all love you.
Don’t shut us out, let us be here for you, every step of the way. Sighted or not, we won’t leave you alone,
ever!”
Several minutes passed
before the blonde regained control over his raging river of torment, he was
exhausted from the ride from town and the emotional upheaval. Straightening himself, he felt his mother
wiping his face and he reached for the silkiness of her face, his lips grazing
her cheek before he lay back against the pillows, rolling over when sickness
raised his stomach contents up and he expelled into the wastebasket she grabbed
when he suddenly turned a sickly green color.
Holding the metal container, Victoria rubbed his back til his body
stopped heaving and a large groan indicated he’d finished.
“You okay, sweetheart?”
asked Victoria, wetting the clean end of the towel in his basin and running it
across his face. “Heath?”
“Well, I guess maybe we
can add a concussion to everything else.” sighed Heath, simply allowing her
tender caring hands to work on his battered body, allowing her maternal touch
to help combat his fear. “I’m terribly
tired, Mother.”
“I know, honey.” whispered
Victoria running her fingers through his hair.
“Dr. Merar will be here soon and after that you can sleep.”
Nodding, Heath took hold
of her hand and held it to his face, “I want you to know the last three years have
been the best of my life. They’ve been
filled with so much love, so much happiness.
Even through the bad times, Mother.
I can’t imagine how I ever lived before we found each other, before we
became a family.”
Tears sprang to her eyes
again and she took a shaky breath, “We’re going to have a lot of years as a
family, Heath. Don’t let fear keep you
in the darkness alone. We’re here and
we’re not going anywhere.”
“I promise to try.” stated
Heath firmly. “I promise, Mother.”
Chapter 24
A knock on the door raised
Victoria from her place on the bed, moving and allowing the family physician
entry. Listening to Heath’s injuries
from Victoria and from Heath how it happened, Howard placed his bag on the
table next to the bed and nodded.
“Why don’t you wait
downstairs and send Nick in from the hallway, Victoria.” suggested Howard. “Nick can help splint up Heath’s wrist.”
“I’ll be right downstairs,
Heath.” whispered the Barkley matriarch, leaning down and placing a kiss on his
cheek.
“Thank you, Mother.”
acknowledged Heath quietly, wincing at the probing skillful fingers checking
his newest wound, the familiar melody of spurs reached him and he sighed,
“Sorry, Nick.”
Taking hold of the
blonde’s hand, Nick wrinkled his nose at the curdled smell in the room and
squeezed the younger man’s hand, “Don’t throw up on me and we’ll call it
square.”
Howard chuckled and opened
his bag, pouring a dose of laudanum into a small cup and placing it in Heath’s
hand. Motioning for Nick to pour a
glass of water, he instructed his patient to drink the pain medicine.
“Okay, doc.” acquiesced
Heath raising the container to his lips and downing the liquid. Nick held the glass of water to his
brother’s mouth offering a chaser to the medicine. Both men watched as the bitter tasting medicine stole the blonde
into sleep, a darkness of comfort as opposed to the frightening blackness
invading his current environment during the day.
Working
quickly, the gash was stitched and covered, the wrist straightened and splinted
with Nick’s help. Unwrapping Heath’s
eyes, Howard administered the next dose of medicine into the sapphire
orbs. His medical mind recognizing the
outer normal appearance of the light colored eyes were deceiving to the
internal damage which could be hidden within.
Nick
sat on the bed, his shoulders slumped while the physician put away his
instruments, hazel eyes studying the blonde’s head, watching his chest rise and
fall in a pattern of sleep. Howard checked
Heath’s pulse, thankful the injuries from the fall weren’t more severe.
“Nick,
Heath’s very lucky he wasn’t injured more.” stated Howard with a shake of his
head. “I know it doesn’t seem like it
now, however, this fall may be a blessing in disguise.”
“A
blessing?” How can this be considered a
blessing?” gruffed Nick, his own head splitting with a headache almost as if it
were sympathy pains for his wounded brother, his wounded partner.
Capturing
the hazel eyes with his, Howard replied, “This fall will make Heath realize the
importance of being more aware of his surroundings til he gets his sight
back. Today when he bent over, it was
an automatic reaction as if he were sighted.
If he’s more aware of his position around furniture in a room…he will be
able to prevent a repeat of this episode.”
Frowning,
Nick ran the trusted man’s words around in his head, nodding his understanding
before sighing loudly. “It’s not fair,
doc. Not at all! Heath’s been through so much in his life,
why does he have to suffer this way?”
Reaching
over and placing a strong hand on the rancher’s shoulder, Howard agreed. “I know, Nick, I know. He’s a special person to all of us. I agree its not fair but as they say…what
doesn’t kill a person makes them stronger.”
Running
a hand through his dark unruly hair, Nick hesitated before asking, “Do you
think in two weeks, we’ll have Heath back to his old self?”
“I
wish I could tell you yes, Nick. I pray
he’ll see again but I just don’t know.” apologized Howard sincerely and taking
a deep breath. “I wish I knew.”
Patting
the large man on the back, Howard took his bag and left the room, nodding to
Jarrod who was waiting outside the door, heading down stairs to report to Victoria and Hiriam.
Entering
the room, the eldest son stood beside the bed, his hands on Nick’s
shoulders. Reaching up, Nick squeezed
one of the supportive hands and shook his head.
“Pappy,
what are we gonna do about this boy?”
“Exactly
what we’re doing now, Nick.” assured Jarrod softly. “Hold him firmly in our hearts and keep him by our side.”
Squeezing
the strong shoulders one more time, Jarrod moved to the other side of the bed,
blue eyes running over Heath’s pale face relaxed in his medicinal sleep. His fingers ran down the bruised cheek and
he closed his eyes briefly.
“I
won’t allow us to lose him, Nick.” asserted Jarrod, conviction of the heart
steeling his words. “His soul is a part
of all of us.”
Frowning,
Nick glanced at the oldest son and spoke the thoughts bothering him since he’d brought
his little brother back from the Lone Star state.
“Jarrod, something happened in Texas.
I don’t know what but whenever I would mention Nate and the
investigation, Heath’d change the subject.
Something else is going on with Heath.
Something that’s really upset him.”
“Maybe he couldn’t speak about the investigation, Nick.” suggested
Jarrod, thought deepening the furrow in his forehead. “He is, was, an officer of the law doing a sworn duty.”
Shaking his head negatively, Nick scowled, “When we left Texas, he was
no longer a marshal and could have spoken about the investigation. I feel it in my gut, something happened out
there and it’s eating at him inside.
Heath’s eyes gave him away, Pappy.
They had such pain in them, almost like he feels he was betrayed. Nate Jackson hurt him in some way and may
God help Jackson if I ever see him again!”
Jarrod saw the anger in Nick’s eyes and turned his eyes back to the
blonde on the bed, wondering how much more pain did Heath have to suffer in his
life. Why did this man gentle as a lamb
inside have to bear such burdens? Why
did he have more than his share of hurt and turmoil?
Brushing his hand over the top of the blonde head, Jarrod nodded as he
looked into the hazel eyes, trusting the validity of Nick’s gut feelings, the
brothers had an uncanny sense when it came to each other, most times the gut
feelings proved to be true. His
thoughts sent red flags up in front of the lawyer and pushed his protective
instincts into mother hen overload.
“Whatever it was Nick, we’ll make sure he doesn’t have another chance
to cause OUR little brother any more harm.
If your gut instincts are right, you are not the only Barkley Nate
Jackson should be worried about if he ever steps foot in California again.”
Chapter 25
“Nick, stop staring at me!” protested Heath moving around the parlor,
the next room of the house he was conquering by memorizing the placement of
furniture, the steps from one end of the room to another, the placement of the
windows in the wall, the small alcove which looked over the corrals, hidden by
a thick drapery.
Rolling his eyes, Nick growled, “I wasn’t staring.”
Snorting, Heath moved from the alcove to the spot his brother’s voice
was coming from and Nick filled up with pride at the lack of faltering in his
step. The past four days, the two men
spent every moment of time together, every waking minute working on taking away
the foreign environment the home had become to the blonde. Jarrod helped at night when he returned home
from his Stockton office where he was preparing for an upcoming trial.
Stopping two feet from Nick, Heath shook his head and smirked, “Just
cause I can’t see you doesn’t mean I can’t feel those beady eyes on me!”
“BEADY EYES!” yelled Nick. “I
DON’T HAVE BEADY EYES!”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Heath tilted his head slightly,
“Really? If I recall correctly, I do
believe that’s what Josie said to me before the trip.”
Frowning at the phrase ‘the trip’ the blonde adopted to reference his
trip to Texas, Nick took a deep breath and stepped closer, his finger jabbing
into the broad chest under the blue chambray shirt. “And exactly what were you doing speaking with my girl?”
Shrugging, Heath grabbed the finger and teased, “Who said we was
talking?”
Moving past the dark haired man, Heath sensed the hands reaching for
him and evaded his older brother’s reach by stepping quickly to the side,
chuckling at the curse which rang out in the room.
“NICHOLAS!” admonished Victoria from the foyer where she stood with
Sister Margaret from the orphanage. “We
have a guest!”
Seeing the nun in her simple habit, Nick turned three shades of red,
his voice stammering with nervousness, “Ah hell, I mean, I’m terribly sorry for
my profanity Sister Margaret.”
Heath heard the voice of the head nun and clucked his tongue at Nick,
the blonde shaking his head in deep censure of his older brother’s words. “Nicholas Barkley, you should be ashamed of
yourself.”
Victoria’s eyes sparkled with amusement and her shoulders shook, her
hands flew to her mouth to keep the laughter from escaping. The change in her blonde son was
dramatically different from four days ago.
Working hard with his brothers, he’d managed to take away the fear of
moving about the mansion, his smiles now genuine, his laughter refilling the
large house. If one didn’t see the
bandages over his eyes, from the back a person would think he was sighted and
simply strolling the floorplan of the mansion.
“It’s all your fault, Heath!” blamed Nick firmly, sending his brother
a scathing glare. “You started it!”
Sister Margaret familiar with both men winked at Victoria and shook
her head, the two brothers acting more like little school age boys instead of
the grown men, the leaders in the community, the respected ranchers they were.
“Nick!” exclaimed Heath in horror.
“Now you gotta apologize for lying in front of Sister Margaret!”
“I’M NOT LYING!” shouted Nick, wincing at the look his mother gave at
his increased volume. “You’re the one
who said I had beady eyes. Mother, do
you think I have beady eyes?”
Heath snickered at the question and made his way to the foyer, honing
in on his Mother’s voice.
“Of course not dear.” responded Victoria, between gasps of
laughter. “No mother could ever think
that of their child.”
Sighing with exaggeration, Heath
said quietly, “Mother, I just don’t know what you’re going to do with
Nick. We can dress him up but til he
learns some manners, I wouldn’t take him anywhere.”
Blushing, Nick stepped up behind Heath, whispering in his ear, “Just you
wait til there’s no women around, little brother.”
“Play nice now, Nick.” teased Heath, flashing a lop-sided grin.
Sister Margaret hid her smile by lowering her head for a moment before
reaching out and taking hold of the blonde’s hand. “Heath, the children were asking about you and they made this
card for you.”
Turning his hand over, the nun placed a piece of wood in the tanned
hand.
“Boy howdy, Sister. It’s a
card made of wood!” stated Heath, surprise filling his voice.
“Feel it.” encouraged Sister Margaret, her smile wide as she guided
his fingers over the wooden object.
“Can you read it?”
“I can!” exclaimed Heath after several minutes of running his fingers
across the wood. “Thanks, Sister. Please tell the children I said thank you
also.”
“I will.” assured the nun softly.
Looking over Heath’s shoulder, Nick requested excitedly, “Read it to
me, Heath! Com’n!”
“Nick, stop bellowing in my ear!
Ya’ll bust my ear drum!” growled Heath moving his ear away from the
large rumble.
“Sorry.” said Nick placing a hand on the shoulder in front of him,
asking in a quiet voice. “What’s it
say?”
“It says. Mr. Heath, we miss
you and hope you feel better soon.” replied Heath happily, his smile wide and
he turned to grab Nick’s arm. “Com’n
Nick, lets hang this in my room before Jarrod gets here.”
“Alright!” agreed Nick.
“Thank you again, Sister Margaret.
Mother, Audra rode over to the Swensons and she’ll be back in time for
dinner.” stated Heath before pulling Nick towards the staircase.
“Boy, slow down!” protested Nick with a smile for the two ladies
watching one brother leading another.
Victoria watched her boys climb the staircase and turned to the woman
of the cloth. “Heath was so excited and
thrilled to be able to read the card himself, Sister Margaret. How did you do it?”
“Actually, it was the children’s idea Mrs. Barkley. When they learned Heath couldn’t see at the
moment because of his injured eyes, they put their heads together and came up
with the idea of using yarn to form block letters.” smiled Sister Margaret, her
eyes filling with pride. “All the
children adore your son and look up to him.
They truly miss him and are all praying for the return of his eyesight.”
Holding onto the sister’s hands, gray eyes filmed with moisture and
Victoria smiled, “Thank you very much for delivering the card yourself. Please let the children know we appreciate
their prayers for Heath and I will personally let you know the results when he
gets back from San Francisco next week.”
“That’s awfully kind of you, Mrs. Barkley. Thank you.” smiled Sister Margaret. “Now, I must be going back to the orphanage. Thank you for your time and say good bye to
your two little boys for me.”
Laughing happily and seeing the nun to the door, Victoria assured the
sister she would extend her good-byes.
Jarrod helped Sister Margaret into her surrey and was greeted with a
kiss on his cheek after he entered the mansion.
“Mother, where are my two wayward brothers?” asked Jarrod, blue eyes
sparkling with anticipation of the planned outing, the three men riding to
Harpers Lake for a relaxing afternoon of fishing and imbibing in cider.
“They are in Heath’s room, dear.
You’d best hurry, they’ve been chomping at the bit all morning.” winked
Victoria with a sly smile.
“They’re wound up, huh?” inquired Jarrod, groaning out loud at her
laughter and nod before his mother headed to the kitchen. Her good luck still ringing in his ears and
he smirked as he climbed the staircase, making his way to the room the two male
voices were coming from.
“Nick, it doesn’t look straight to me.” stated Heath standing against
the wall.
“What do you mean?” asked Nick, scowling as he stood back and stared
at the wooden card. “It’s perfectly
straight! See?”
Jarrod stood in the doorway and laughed out loud at the look on Nick’s
face when he realized what just happened.
The blonde found himself pushed up against the wall, Nick growling and
trying to sound angry with the giggling man whose legs suddenly seemed unable
to hold his weight from the laughter shaking him.
“Twit brain!”
“Smart ass!” shot back Nick, before shaking his head and cupping the
blonde’s neck, “One of these days, little brother.”
Chuckling, Heath held onto the muscular arm and squeezed before greeting
their older brother. “You ready,
Pappy? We’re ready!”
“Give me five minutes boys.” stated Jarrod, smiling widely at
Nick. “Why don’t you two get the
horses?”
“First you gotta see the card the kids at the orphanage made for me,
Jarrod.” said Heath effortlessly walking around the bed and moving to the
dresser, gesturing upwards. “I could
read it with my fingertips!”
Surprised, Jarrod glanced at Nick who nodded before he examined the
piece of wood on the wall. “Well, I’ll
be! What a great idea!”
“I thought so.” agreed Heath.
“It sure was awful nice of them.”
Squeezing Heath’s shoulder, Jarrod offered, “We all know how those
kids feel about you, brother Heath.
Now, you and Nick better get the horses if we want to get in some
quality time fishing.”
Nodding, Heath headed to the door, “Com’n twit brain!”
“Boy, just wait til I get you near the water.” threatened Nick with a
large smile as he followed the blonde down the hallway.
Jarrod shook his head at the fading conversation, his hands reaching
up to touch the wood and he closed his eyes, running his fingers over the card,
carefully reading it as Heath would have.
Sighing after he read the card with his fingers, Jarrod shook off the
thoughts of what the following week would bring and hurried to his room. Emerging five minutes later, he tied the
full saddlebags onto Jingo’s saddle and mounted effortlessly.
Victoria waved and watched from the oak door while the brothers left
the ranch yard, riding beside each other with the blonde safely sandwiched
between the two dark haired men.
Chapter 26
Heath felt the warmth of the early afternoon sun on his face, he felt
his brothers by his side, the touch of a breeze on his cheeks and he sighed
listening to Nick describe the ride to the lake. The distance not far from the mansion they called home but far
enough away to ensure privacy for their brotherly outing. Reaching the spot, Nick and Jarrod smiled at
each other as Heath dismounted and whispered his words to Charger. The massive horse responding in kind by
nudging his master, encouraging the man to continue on.
“I swear sometimes that horse is in love with you.” teased Nick,
earning a chuckle from Jarrod and a scowl from the blonde.
Reaching up and running his hands down the long face of the animal,
Heath mumbled, “Charger, don’t be listening to any jackasses. All they do is talk nonsense.”
Laughing, Nick clapped his little brother on the back and held onto
his elbow, guiding him to a spot under the tree nearest to the lake where Jarrod
placed the bulging saddlebags and two jugs of cider.
“Stay here, I’ll get the rod and tackle.” ordered Nick tousling the
freed blonde hair when Heath took off his hat.
“Dammit, Nick. You’re worse
than mother and Audra! Always touching
my hair.” snarled Heath, feeling another hand on his head, groaning, “Not you
too, Pappy!”
Light blue eyes lit up with amusement and happiness at the groaning of
the disgruntled blonde. Lowering
himself beside Heath, Jarrod placed a hand on the blonde’s shoulder, his deep
rich voice, soothing to his brother’s ears.
“Brother Heath, it’s Mother’s fault.
She always ran her fingers through our hair as children, even Nick’s
when she could get him to sit still long enough. Sick, healthy, injured…we could always feel her by the gentle
entwining of her tiny fingers in our locks.
It’s a learned Barkley trait, I’m guessing.”
“Besides, little brother, your hair is just so pretty. It begs to be touched.” teased Nick,
reaching over and pulling on the pony tail of light colored hair. “Jarrod, did you bring the scissors? Wait, I have my pocket knife. Lets see how it feels to be a barber for a
day!”
Slapping at the hand yanking on his extension, Heath growled, “Very
funny. You come near me with any
cutting instrument and you won’t like where it winds up.”
If anyone had been listening, they’d have been curious at the deep
voice of laughter, the chuckles of merriment and would have assumed the men had
consumed the alcohol rich cider on their ride.
Three boys, no cares in the world for the moment, no worries of chores,
responsibilities or life, spent the afternoon laughing, spinning tales and
fishing.
“Damn, Heath!” growled Nick in disgust when the blonde pulled his
seventh fish from the lake, his brothers rolling their eyes at the sight. “Are you sweet talking the fish like you do
Charger?”
Shrugging, Heath smiled and turned his head to his right where Nick
was seated and mumbling as he took the prize off the hook, his words slightly
slurred from the intoxicating effects of the cider. “Brother Nick, I thought the reason we brought you along today
was to be the fish wrangler. Isn’t that
right, Pappy?”
Jarrod looked past the blonde
to the dark headed man on the other side, the pleasure in the hazel eyes from
the simple act of being with the blonde, the teasing of the blonde left a
permanent smile on the tanned face all day.
He felt the same as Nick, it was almost as if the trouble in Texas
hadn’t happened, hadn’t sent their brother into a darkened world.
“Nick seems right happy with his new job, Heath.” assured Jarrod with
a laugh which turned to a groan when he lost the fish on the end of his
line. “Damn fish!”
“You know, Heath. If Jarrod
talked to the fish like he did a court room of people, I bet they’d jump right
out of this lake and into the basket willingly.” whispered Nick loudly for all
ears to hear.
Hiccupping suddenly, Heath shook his head and agreed, “No doubt about
it big brother. I’ve had the pleasure
of listening to the words of our elder as he does his song and dance in the
Lady of Justice’s court and let me tell you…..he almost put me to sleep.”
“HEY!” exclaimed Jarrod pulling the giggling blonde over to him with a
strong arm and running his hand over the light hair.
“NOT THE HAIR!” protested Heath between chuckles and hiccups, gasping
for air when he was released and laid back on the ground, his face pointed
upwards, his body shaking with laughter, his hiccupping continuing.
“Heath, if we bring you home drunk, Mother’ll have our heads on a
platter.” warned Nick leaning on his elbow and flicking the cheek of his
brother with a finger, smiling at the growl emanating from the blonde before
laying down beside him. Jarrod sighed
and lay down on the other side of his unseeing brother, looking up at the sky.
“The sky’s beautiful today, Heath.
There’s only a few clouds, the blue is clear and close to the color of
the ocean. Remember the ocean at the
mission? It’s the same color as
that. Crystallized blue, soft and
inviting, makes you want to get lost in its depth.” informed Jarrod, his
baritone pleasing to the other two sets of ears, his words emphasizing the
details, their closed eyes letting his words form a picture in their minds.
“What about the clouds?” whispered Heath, urging Jarrod to complete
the masterpiece forming in his mind, the only picture he could see at the
moment.
“Ahhh, the clouds.” purred Jarrod.
“The white is untouched like a new snow, they shine brilliantly against
the blue. They are high, tall clouds. Not the small thin, emancipated clouds.”
“Emancipated means thin or skinny, Nick.” whispered Heath.
“I know what it means!” snorted Nick.
“I went to school!”
“Poor teachers.” sighed Heath dramatically, chuckling at the curse he
received. “Are the clouds fluffy?”
“Extremely fluffy, my brother.
They look as fluffy as Silas’ mashed potatoes. Fluffy as a stack of goose feathers. I bet if a person laid on one of those clouds, his body would
sink into it, he would become surrounded by the softness.”
“Wow!” whispered Nick, entranced in the descriptions, the pictures in
his mind. “That’s a wonderful picture.”
“Sure is, Nick.” agreed Heath reaching over with his casted hand and
touching Jarrod with the fingers sticking out from the white. “Thanks, Pappy.”
“Anytime, brother Heath.
Anytime.” sighed Jarrod squeezing the fingers beneath the plastered
wrist. “Just keep thinking positively,
Heath. Positive thoughts.”
The reminder of the upcoming visit the following week left each
brother deep in thought, their future lay with one doctor appointment, one hour
in the company of a medicinal man, one hour would be all it took to tell the
family of the turn their future would take.
The thoughts weigh heavily on their minds, casting a pallor over the picture
of the sky in his mind and Heath suddenly asked, “Jarrod, are you sure the
clouds aren’t fluffy like Nick’s mind?”
“What the hell kind of question is that!” shouted Nick pushing himself
upwards and glaring down at the man beside him. Heath’s smile was crooked on his lips and his shoulders shook
with laughter. “Smart ass!”
The afternoon was gone and the sun falling behind them as the brothers
made their way back to the mansion, the time spent together, the talks, the
laughter, the remembrances, filling them all and making the ride faster.
Nick reached over when Heath swayed in the saddle, his center off from
the effects of the alcohol and the darkness he was in. His laughter at Nick’s grumbling about drunk
blind people filled the area around them.
Jarrod shook his head and smirked, Heath hadn’t had that much to drink
and felt sure, little brother was once again pulling the wool over big
brother. Reaching the ranch yard, Nick
yelled at Heath as he bounded down from Charger, his eyes wide when the blonde
effortlessly and safely hit the ground, steady on two feet.
“Boy!! You’d best start
running now!” warned Nick loudly, dismounting and handing the horses off to
Ciego. Jarrod grinned at the two men,
wrapping an arm over each of their shoulders as they walked to the house,
entering the foyer. Both older brothers
stopping at the sight of the two people with their mother.
Heath’s chuckles ceased at the voices, his ears picked up and his body
stiffened, his hand clenched into a fist.
Nate and Cassidy’s eyes filled with anguish at the wrappings around the
blonde’s head, neither of them missing the dark scowl on his face or the way
his body stiffened at the sounds of their voices.
“Heath..”
Nate’s words were cut off, his steps towards his friend stopped at the
cold voice ringing through the mansion.
“Get the hell outta here and take her with you!”