All the cool kids are doing it! I've added an ask page to my Tumblr account - partially to give the poor thing a use I imagine.
Truth or Dare
If you have a Tumblr account, you can ask any of my sims - past or present - a question over yonder. But if you DON'T have a tumbler account you can just ask it here and I'll copy it over as needed.
Questions and Answers already processed can be found here.
The questions should be addressed to a particular character and will be answered in character - hopefully with a picture just for fun. :)
Chapter 22: Change of Seasons
I felt old. Well older anyway. Of course we had four kids, two of them were fifteen so it was fair to say that I was older; older than I was when we'd arrived here and made this place our home. But still, I felt old.
The more I looked in the mirror, the more I convinced myself that I was looking older and older every day. I'd like to believe it was all in my head of course.
Wesley, the same age as I was, did not appear to be feeling the affects of aging though. In fact, I'm convinced he did not feel old like I did. He was almost childlike at times - which simply made me feel a tad older.
"Sweetheart! Watch this!" Wesley exclaimed as I emerged from the bedroom. He flipped a piece of fish into the air and I cringed as I watched it fly, absolutely certain it was going to land on the ground.
Of course he caught it perfectly and turned to give me a sparkling smile. "Good huh?" he said with a childish grin on his face.
I chuckled, I couldn't help it. His smile was completely infectious. "Yes darling, very good." I said giving him a peck on the cheek. "Smells wonderful." I added.
He wrapped his arm around my waist as I started to walk away to get some vegetables to go with his fish dinner. He spun me around to face him and claimed a much longer kiss than my simple peck. "I love you Lizzie." he whispered.
I could never get tired of hearing those simple words. I sighed happily in his arms. "I love you too Wesley."
In the months following the drought and the epidemic, I was afraid our little town would not recover. So many people had moved away and things had simply changed. But more recently we'd had many happy times thankfully. Although not many of those that left returned; many new families arrived and after awhile we started to feel like a town again. One other happy change was my dear sister, Catherine.
She brought my nieces and nephew over often and I was happy that my children had cousins they could play with. But more than that, she'd decided to stay in Sheardin after all. The weight she'd born following John's death had finally seemed to lift.
Allen started joining Wesley in the field when he came with his family and often he came alone just to help out. They had a small garden at their house that Catherine and the girls kept but it had no real place for Allen. With John's death, he'd lost another father and had latched onto Wesley. Wesley, for his part, was glad to have his help.
"Do you think it's wise Lizzie?" Catherine asked me one afternoon while we were watching the children play and then boys work.
"What?" I asked startled, looking around for the source of her question.
"Sarah is clearly attached to the lad..." she replied, looking across the yard to where Sarah and Rachel stood.
"Yes, well Luke a good lad." I replied. I turned toward her surprised. "You don't think it's inappropriate because he's..."
She cut me off before I could finish. "No of course not. It has nothing to do with that. I just know he's a bit....odd." she said softly.
"He can be, but he's very sweet to the girls, and very protective of them." I said.
"I'm just concerned is all, she's so very young. And well...look at her..." Catherine pointed her out for effect.
I smiled fondly. "I remember having that look as a girl." I said. "I remember YOU having that look as well I might add."
"Yes and see how that turned out." Catherine said with a touch of bitterness in her voice.
Sarah was looking across the field to watch Luke help Wesley harvest apples. Like Allen, Luke had lost his father and, though he never said it, seemed to enjoy being able to help around the farm. I watched Sarah for several moments, remembering my own girlhood - when I would seek Wesley out while he work just so that I might watch him.
I returned my attention to Catherine and slipped my arm in hers. "That man was a cad Catherine, you know that. It wasn't all your fault. But your life turned out fairly well I think."
"Well it wasn't all his fault either Lizzie you know. I could have said no - if I were smarter I would have." Catherine said sadly. "But then so many
things would not have happened."
"Come now, let's get some tea. Let Sarah have her young girl's crush - as far as I know Sierra and Luke may leave town soon." I said with a frown. "It will crush Sarah I'm afraid." I added as we walked inside the house.
Catherine's concerns about Luke's behavior were well founded, and proven that night at supper. Everyone had stayed for dinner and the table was quite crowded. Luke had eaten quickly and stood to make room for someone else. But instead of clearing his plate, he started to mutter incoherently and made sweeping hand motions as if speaking to someone.
Sarah was startled at first and backed away from him but mostly looked sad by the time he'd finished his small outburst. I cleared the rest of the plates away and watch them walk out onto the back porch together. As far as I know, Luke didn't say another word all night, he simply gazed across the yard silently while Sarah tried to come up with topics of conversation to engage him.
"Why is Luke like that Ma?" Sarah asked me later that evening, after everyone had gone home.
"Hmm?" I asked, looking up from my book to give her my attention. "Oh, I don't know dear." I said sadly. "He's a good lad though. I can tell he like this family very much."
Sarah pulled her legs up under her and sat thinking for several minutes. I thought we might be done so turned back to my book finally. "I like him Ma." she confessed.
I closed the book and placed it on the table. "I know." I said with a smile. But the smile faded as I took her hand in mind. "You should know that Ms. Sierra has talked about moving away from Sheardin."
"What?! No! They can't leave!" Sarah shouted. She certainly had a flair for the dramatics. "This is horrible! You must convince them to stay Ma!" and with that final pronouncement, she flew up the stairs and I imagine she flung herself on her bed, probably waking her sisters in the process.
------
Sarah and Rachel were passing the telegraph office on their way home one afternoon when Mr. Michel stepped out of the office. "Oh Ms Rachel! Ms Sarah!" he called to them.
They turned together and smiled at him. "Yes Mr. Michel?" Rachel said cheerfully.
"I have a telegraph here for your Ma, can you get it to her for me please?" he said, holding out a folded piece of paper.
"Of course." Rachel said taking the paper. "Good day!" they called to him as he departed.
"Who is it from?" Sarah asked, straining to see the paper in her sister's hand. Rachel laughed and held it out of sight for a moment. "Rachel!" she screeched with a giggle.
Rachel finally relented and looked at the paper. "It's from England!" she exclaimed.
Sarah looked over her shoulder to get a look at the telegraph. Confusion crossed both the girls' faces at the same time. "Who is Lord Umbridge?" Sarah asked.
End Chapter
Chapter 21: Making a Fresh Start
"Stacia has turning into quite a little lady hasn't she?" I said with a laugh. Stacia was playing with Hannah in the backyard while Tessa, Sierra and I had a cup of afternoon tea.
"Yes she has." Tessa said with a look of motherly affection. She finished her tea and sighed. "But I think it's time we head on home."
Tessa poked her head out the back door and called for the girls while Sierra and I chatted about Luke and Sarah. They were both fond of each other; or it was obvious that Sarah was fond of Luke anyway. I could only assume from what Sierra said that Luke was also fond of Sarah - the boy rarely showed any outward emotion.
"Lance was just the opposite" she had confided in me one evening while they'd stayed with us. "Very prone to outbursts.." I'd handed her a tissue as her eyes welled with tears.
"Ma!" Sarah ran inside excitedly; pulling me from my memory. "Oh my Ma! You won't hardly believe it!"
Rachel fell in behind her and I saw her roll her eyes. I gave her a quick look of reproach before turning my attention back to Sarah. "Well tell me dearest!" I said with an encouraging smile.
"Ms. Isabelle asked me to write the little play we'll do at the picnic!" Sarah was practically jumping around as she told me. "Me! Oh Ma I'm so very happy!"
"That's wonderful Sarah! What will the play be about?" I asked.
"Oh dear I don't know! Can we go to into town so I can go to the library?" Sarah was now bordering on fretting.
Luke strolled into the house then and stood beside his mother. "I suppose" I said thinking about making a trip in a few days.
"Oh wonderful!" she bounced toward Luke and grabbed his hand happily. "Will you come with us? I would so love for you to be in the play as well!"
Sierra looked troubled then. "Sarah, Luke doesn't go to the town school, I don't think..."
"Oh but it's not a school play - I mean it is...but it's for the town picnic! And you are part of our town." Sarah cut her off. Luke, for his part, said nothing. "Come on Rachel!" she grabbed Rachel's hand with her free hand and kept a firm grip on Luke's and pulled them out toward the barn.
"Wait!" I called realizing she meant to go now; but it was too late; they were across the yard and Luke was already hitching the horses to the wagon.
Wesley came in looking confused and look to me for explanation. "Apparently we're going into town. Would you like to come?"
"I'd rather not" he said with a grin, holding out his dirty shirt. In fact most of him was covered in dirt and grime as he'd just come in from the field.
I smiled and nodded. "Well Hannah is painting," Rachel had bought Hannah her own paint set after Hannah had just about destroyed hers. Then she'd spent hours helping Hannah.
"And Alexander there needs to get to bed, can you..."
Wesley cut me off with a nod. "I think I can handle it. You go on with the girls." he said.
We made it to town with enough time for the girls to have a quick look around the library before closing. Rachel wanted to go over to the store but Sarah kept a firm hold on both her and Luke - insisting that she would need them both.
"What's HE doin' here?" a teen boy said, disgusted. I looked over toward the source of the voice and recognized him as one of the Flynn boys but couldn't remember his name. I was both proud and anxious as I watched my daughters close in ranks behind Luke, the source of the young Flynn's disgust.
Luke, who was never prone to emotional outbursts, looked at the boy with an almost blank stare on his face. The only reason I knew he'd heard the boy was because he was looking right at him.
Young Flynn started hurling all manner of disgusting words at Luke to provoke him but Luke didn't so much as flinch. I waited with stilled breath to see what would happen next, prepare to step in if need arose. When Young Flynn stepped forward, Luke quickly stepped into his path, between him and the girls and my heart swelled.
"Oh so that's what it takes, are they your wh..." Young Flynn leered.
He didn't have a chance to say any other horrible things as Luke screamed and lunged for young Flynn.
The two boys started brawling and I quickly pulled the girls back and then looked toward Sierra feeling helpless. "Luke no!" Sarah screeched, pulling against me to try to get to him.
It wasn't long before the boys broke it up, Mr. Flynn showed up and scowled in Sierra's direction as he took his boy home. Young Flynn had some quickly forming bruises and a few cuts.
Luke's lip had already begun to swell where young Flynn had gotten a hit in. The blood was already starting to clot though and he seemed mostly unscathed. His former serenity had returned.
Back at the homestead, Sarah went into nursing mode; though he wasn't really in need of much tending.
Luke barely flinched as she tended to his wounds. She knelt beside him and he stared into her eyes, although no apparent emotion crossed his face, I wondered what he was thinking as he gazed at her.
Sierra, on the other hand, was showing much of her emotion as she slumped against the wall. She was so tired and weary. Ever since Lance had died, she'd been forced to come into town more often. This shouldn't have been a problem except half the townspeople eyed her with distrust while most of the other half whispered about her behind her back. The fact that she'd been living with - as none of them wanted to believe that they were really married - a white man fueled their fire.
I moved next to her and put my arm around her shoulder. "I think we ought to move on Elizabeth. This town...there's just too much history."
"Oh no, they'll come around!" I said with more conviction than I felt.
Sierra shook her head. "No, no I don't think they will. You and Ms. Tessa seem to be the only ones around here that don't recoil from us. Somewhere else...." she looked over at Sarah and Luke and sighed. "We could make a clean start. Where no one knew us...."
"Oh Sierra." I said hugging her. She'd never been much for personal touch but over the intervening months, I felt like we'd become closer. "I do wish you would stay....but I understand."
Sierra and Luke left not long after and I sent the children up to bed. Alex, for some reason I imagine had to do with the candy Wesley had given him, was up later than he ought to have been. Wesley yawned and stood to go to bed. "Oh no you don't!" I said grabbing his arm and pulling him back onto the couch with me. "This." I pointed to Alex who was playing with his bear, "is your doing and you will stay up with the boy until he's ready for bed."
Wesley groaned and muttered protests until I snuggled into his arm. I fell asleep laying on his chest but he must have stayed up with little Alex because the next morning he was in his crib and I was tucked warmly into our bed.
-----
Sarah spent as much time as she could working on her little play. It was only going to be about ten minutes long and was to include a song of some sort so it didn't take her long to finish the script. Sierra was still talking of leaving town but in the mean time, Sarah claimed Luke's free time. She absolutely insisted that Luke was necessary to the play and no one could argue with her.
The morning of the picnic, Sarah was in a near frenzy as she paced the green meadow. More and more people had arrived and were settling in for the picnic but Sierra and Luke had not arrived yet. "Where is he?!" she cried at Rachel. I saw Rachel roll her eyes again as she shrugged.
Sarah corralled her sisters, her cousins and even one of the younger Flynn children toward the small area they'd selected to perform. At the last minute, Luke showed up and slipped in between her and Rachel. For a fraction of a second, I thought I saw him smile at her before his normal passive gaze returned. The little Flynn eyed him nervously for most of the skit but it went off without further problems. Catherine's triplet girls had beautiful voices and lend them to Sarah's song, wowing the crowd with their skill at such a tender age. I smiled at Catherine and she smiled back - one of the first I'd seen from her since John's death. I was so glad she'd stayed in Sheardin so far.
As the little play ended and the children returned to their own families, the gathered crowd clapped and cheered. I saw Luke garner several looks, but I noticed many of them seemed more curious than hateful. I looked around for Sierra and saw her lingering on the far side of the meadow, clearly weary of the time she'd spent with the towns people. I tried to wave her over but she either didn't see me or ignored me. Luke nodded to Sarah and then toward our family gathering before he left to join his mother. They left the picnic without eating anything.
Sarah, despite her successful play, was glum as we ate our lunch.
End Chapter
Chapter 20: Sierra's Story
Wesley carried the woman carefully into the house and laid her on the the sofa. The boy followed silently behind us. He didn't say anything or show any emotion at all. After the woman was settled on the sofa, I turned to the boy. Sarah and Rachel were standing a bit behind him, watching him curiously. "Why don't you two take our guest upstairs while his mother rests." I said, making the assumption that the boy and mysterious woman were related. Sarah and Rachel each nodded and Rachel reach out for his hand. He allowed himself to be led up to their small room.
"Lizzie, one of us should ride into town and fetch the doc." Wesley said quietly while eying the unconscious woman warily.
"Then go on." I said. "We'll be fine here." I knew that Wesley had no desire to leave his family alone with these strangers; he didn't move from where he was standing. "Perhaps we can wait until morning then." I said. "She seems to be fine - just exhausted. Maybe hungry."
"That I am." A weak voice from the sofa replied. Wesley and I hurried to her side and helped her sit up a bit straighter. After a moment her face became frantic. "Luke? Luke!" she jumped to her feet and swayed. Had Wesley not stood with her, she would have fell to the floor. "LUKE!" she cried out, clearly panicked.
"Shhh..." I said putting a hand on her arm. "He's fine, he's upstairs with our girls." After a moment, the words sunk in and she calmed down somewhat. Her eyes were still a little wide and I was sure she was on the verge of panic. "Why don't you clean up a bit while I get you and Luke something to eat." I offered. I looked toward Wesley and nodded to the door, hoping he'd understand my meaning. He did but looked wary as he walked outside to go fetch some water. He returned with a bucket of water and I retrieved a couple of towels for her. I showed her to our room so she could clean up privately and pulled out a clean nightgown for her to wear.
I returned to the kitchen and found Wesley cutting up some fruit for them. I smiled at him and joined him at the counter, pulling out a bit of meat and bread to add to the plate. I warmed some water on the fire and made some tea as well. By the time she was cleaned up, we had called Luke down and he was quietly but quickly devouring his food as if he hadn't eaten in days. Wesley and I sat as well. "My name is Sierra, and this is Luke." she said as she sat down. She looked at the spread of food with wide eyes and I wondered when they'd last eaten.
"I'm Elizabeth, and this is my husband Wesley." I said. I wanted to ask her questions but she was so busy eating that I didn't think she'd be able to reply if I did so I held my tongue. Once Luke finished, Sierra shooed him upstairs with the girls. It was getting late and they ought to be going to bed soon enough.
"Thank you. For your kindness...it is..." Sierra paused a moment to think, "Unexpected." she said finally. "My boy and I will go on now that we had a bit of food."
"Oh no you won't" Wesley chimed in firmly. "You can stay here the night and rest up." he said leaving little room for her to argue. It was clear, even cleaned up, that she was exhausted and wouldn't make it far. A storm was brewing outside anyway and neither of us would want them to be out in that weather.
"Thank you." she said finally after considering what else to say. Although Sarah and Rachel offered to share a bed so Luke could have the extra, Sierra insisted on his sleeping near her - having him as far away as upstairs seem to terrify her so we didn't push, only found extra blankets for him to sleep on. Luke didn't seem to care. In fact, he hadn't shown any emotion all night.
I tucked my own children in after our guests were settled in and crawled under the warm covers with Wesley. He snuggled close to me and I felt such joy just having him there after all we had been through recently.
I woke up to the sound of the back door shutting. I peered through the curtains to see it was still full dark outside. I slipped quietly out from under Wesley's arm and lit a lamp and carried it to our bedroom door. Opening it a crack I peered into the main living area and saw Sierra still sleeping. On the floor was a bundle of blanket but no Luke. I glanced out the window and saw him standing on the back porch. I closed the doors silently behind me until I was just behind him. "Luke?" I whispered. He didn't respond. His eyes were open but they looked out on the back yard blankly. "Luke?" I said a little louder. "Come on, let us go back inside." he didn't respond. Without much warning he began to choke himself. I stared, wide eyed - trying to figure out what he was about and what I ought to do. "Luke!" I shouted hoping to get his attention.
I heard the door clunk behind me as I was about to try to pry his hands away from his neck. "No! Don't!" Sierra shouted. She put a hand on my shoulder to stop me from touching him. "Wait a moment."
Within a moment he stopped and the blank stare returned. I turned to her questioningly but she merely looked at her son sadly. She knelt beside him and was whispering softly to him. I couldn't hear her clearly but I think she was singing to him. Soon he smiled, the only smile I'd seen cross his face, and started swaying his arms. She stood and left him to his swaying as she turned to me but I could only watch him in wonder.
"He's...not well." Sierra said frowning. I could tell how much she was hurting and wanted to reach out for her and hug her but something about her demeanor suggested that such a move wouldn't be received with pleasure from her.
Eventually, Luke grew tired again and started to waver. Sierra caught him before he fell and took him back to his little pallet on the floor. They laid back down and were quickly asleep. I tried to return to sleep myself but had no luck. I got out of bed again before dawn and retrieved Sierra's dirty clothes. Before anyone else awoke, I'd washed them and hung them on the line along with some of our own. I laid out some of my own things for Sierra to wear and then wondered what to do about Luke's clothes. Finally I found some of Alan's old things, left behind from before she'd married John. I hoped they would fit him well enough that we could wash what he was wearing.
"Thank you." Sierra said as I placed the bundle of clothes on the chair. I'd thought she was still sleeping. "You are uncommonly kind."
"I hope not, I always thought the people around here were very kind." I said. On thinking about it though, I realized I barely knew this town anymore. Only a handful of our old friends had stayed through the drought and the epidemic and since the rains had some, new people had come into town - some to stay, some passing through.
"Perhaps, I've not been in to the town much at all." Sierra said absently stroking Luke's hair as he continued to sleep. "My husband's name is...was...Caulder." she said, a mix of sadness and fear filling her face.
Caulder...Caulder....as in Crazy Caulder? I tried to remember what I'd heard from Tessa and around town about him. All gossip really but he seemed mostly harmless, just a little off. "I think I met your husband once or twice." I said slowly recalling the man. "Did something happen?" I asked
She nodded. Although sad and anxious, the stroking of her son's hair seemed to calm her. "The sickness came to us. He was very ill. He passed three nights....maybe four...ago. Luke and I were trying to get to town but I couldn't remember the way and the storm...." she trailed off, shaking slightly as she recalled it. "We'd been out there since then, until we found you."
"Oh my." I said startled. They'd been wandering around for days in the rain. "When Wesley wakes, we can take you into town if you like."
"Thank you. I need to see the reverend, to..." she trailed off and choked as tears began to fall.
"Of course." I said simply. After the rest of the house woke up and were made ready, we all went in the wagon to go into town. We tried the church first but Reverend Williams was not there. Across the way, we saw half the town seemed to be gathering and looking riled. We made our way over and heard shouts about rustlers and thieves and the need for a sheriff and justice. The angry radiated through the crowd like a heat wave.
I heard frantic whispers before I saw their reaction; several of those assembled had turned their anger and suspicions on Sierra although I couldn't fathom why. Sierra, for her part, watch them coolly - with her own mistrust.
The crowd - now a mob in the making - was circling around us, trapping us and effectively pinning us against a tree. "Back off!" Wesley shouted and a few people backed away from us only to close in on Sierra cutting us off from her.
"What's this about? Leave her alone!" I shouted, trying to push my way back to her while clutching baby Alexander. Wesley had Hannah in his arms and was trying to pull the children out of the crowd just in case.
"That's her, I swear I saw a woman just like that the night my coop was broken into!" Virgil Flynn shouted although I clearly remember him having said he'd seen nothing that night.
I heard other muttered things but no one else said anything worth repeating. "You said yourself you saw nothing Mr. Flynn!" I replied finally getting through the thick of it so I was beside Sierra. He sputtered several moments but gave no retort. Nevertheless the crowd continued to glare at Sierra with distrust.
"I heard one of them was about cursin' the crops - maybe she caused the drought." someone said, spitting at the ground. I looked around for the source but realized I only recognized a handful of the crowd and most them were hanging back silent.
"This is Sierra Caulder, her husband died of the sickness like the rest of us. You leave her be!" I looked over toward Wesley to see that he had the girls and Luke out of harms' way. Luke had retained his blank expression throughout the scene.
"Don't mean she ain't done nothin' wrong!" someone shouted which was met with a round of murmured replied and many nods of agreement. "If she is a Caulder, bet she's crazy! I hear tell of them!" I wondered what this brewing mob would do if they decided Sierra had done something and was afraid for us all. I held Alexander closer, wishing I could give him to Wesley to protect with the others.
"Mrs. Caulder!" someone shouted. The crowd reluctantly made way for Reverend Williams. "Oh Mrs. Caulder - I just went by your place to check on y'all." he said taking her hands in his. "I'm so sorry." he said sadly, having seen Lance.
They shared a quiet moment in prayer I imagined and then Reverend Williams realized he was now surrounded by the crowd as well. "Off with you all. Now! You have families and homes to tend to I imagine." he said. Face to face with a man of God, the crowd lost its nerve and slowly dispersed. Sierra sought out Luke and the two of them walked with Reverend Williams to discuss arrangements I imagine. I hugged Wesley and held him tightly - just now realizing how afraid I'd been.
Wesley and I insisted on Sierra and Luke coming home with us for a few more days - at least until the service. Sierra and I were quickly becoming friends and I hoped that Luke would make friends with children his own age. Sierra tried to argue but she also looked terribly anxious about going home to a house without her husband so she was easily swayed.
It was twilight when we all got back to the homestead and I was able to bring in the laundry I'd hung that morning. "I want to thank you, again." Sierra said. "I feel like that's all I've done since I stumbled into your yard." she said with a weak laugh.
"You have nothing you need to thank us for Sierra. We're only happy we can help you in this time." I said tugging a shirt from the line.
"Few others would take in a complete stranger and her son - with no questions." Sierra argued, though she was smiling. Together we carried the laundry into the house and started folding it.
"Well we're happy to have you both. I'm only sorry you had to go through so much to get here." I said. A few days somehow turned into a few weeks. When Sierra and Wesley had returned to her homestead, they'd found a lot of damage from the storms and possibly a few bandits had been by.
In all the chaos, we had clean forgotten baby Alexander's birthday but it made no difference. Cake or not, the boy was growing up before our eyes. He taught himself to walk in order to follow Wesley around the house and soon every time I looked around, he was missing. After a few panicked occasions, I realized where to find him. With his daddy.
Completely barefoot, he would take the first chance he could to slip out the door and make his way into the field to find Wesley. Nothing could make Wesley stop working like little Alexander either. Those two were made for each other.
Wesley adored all his children of course but I think Alexander was a special favorite of his. When Alexander would finally find Wesley, he would lift his arms in the sky to be scooped up and Wesley would drop whatever he was doing and toss the little tyke into the air. Alexander would giggle and squirm and laugh while shouting for more.
Luke - though never passionate about anything - did seem to warm up to our family. Instead of simply sitting with the girls and watching them play, he started playing with them. He was soon as hooked on Sarah's story telling as the rest of us and she would spend hours telling him of Anabelle, a character she'd created, and the adventures she got into. They would run off together playing and not be seen until dinner time.
After more than a month, Wesley had finished the repairs on the Caulder homestead and secured it from bandits. He'd also taken the time to teach her how to shoot a gun, just in case. I prayed she'd never have to use it way out there. She was a long way from town and I was scared for her. But she'd become more confident in the intervening weeks and going home no longer seemed to scare her - even without her husband. Luke had also been growing into a fine young man. He was almost a teenager when we helped them return home and had taken Wesley's advice to be "man of the house" to heart. He seemed too young to me to be the man of the house but my mother's instinct would want them all to be babies forever. As such, I kissed him on the forehead and held him tightly that day. "You be good to your ma, you hear?" I said with a smile.
"Yes ma'am." he said. He was a boy of few words, but they were always the truth.
"You think they'll be okay?" I asked Wesley as we rode back home.
"I'm sure they will. That boy is a better shot than I am, and his ma isn't far behind." Wesley said putting a comforting hand on my shoulder and squeezing.
The house felt a little empty with our house guests gone even though we had an active little Alexander, a feisty Hannah who was almost ready to start school and two emotional almost teenagers of our own. In fact, I realized that Sarah and Rachel's birthdays were fast approaching and I promised I wouldn't forget another birthday for my children. I planned a large party at the Cafe with Tessa's help and invited just about everyone we knew and some we hadn't really gotten a chance to meet.
The girls were very excited about their parties and helped each other plan what they would wear. With the rains back, our crops began to thrive again. Wesley and I gave them each money to buy new dresses or material if they liked.
The evening of the party almost everything that could go wrong, did. But we took it all in stride and laughed it off. Needless to say, there was a lot of laughter that evening. Especially as Sarah blew out her candles and ended up blowing cake and icing all over her sister Hannah's face. Okay so Hannah didn't find that part so funny and ran inside the Cafe in tears to clean up before Rachel had blown out her candles.
Luke and Sierra came to the party as well and I saw that Luke had grown as well since they'd left us. He was quite a strapping young man. Although he still had a look in his eyes that disturbed me. I wondered if he still had the night time walks.
He watched Sarah intently though and I was amused to see her watching him. They were both still so young but I suspected there was a bit of a young crush there.
My girls had grown into beautiful young women - okay I hate to call them that. They are far too young and will always be my babies. But I can't deny how much they'd grown. Sarah was still an avid reader and story maker. Sarah always gave her first drafts to Rachel first (and then Luke). But eventually we all got to read her creations and would often spend the evening each reading a different story of hers.
As I looked at Rachel and Sarah, I thought back on my own early teenage life and wondered what theirs would hold for them. I'd known my one love all my life but that wasn't the case for them.
End Chapter
Chapter 19: Loss and Recovery
When I returned from the funeral, the first person I saw was my sweet Alexander. I rushed to his cradle and scooped him up. Breathing in his innocent baby scent, I cradled him snugly to my chest.
The house was silent, eerily so. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths as I laid Alexander back in his cradle. "I love you." I whispered to him. There was nothing wrong with him and yet I was afraid to let him out of my sight. My heart ached as I brushed my fingers against his baby soft skin.
Taking another moment to steady myself, I looked toward the stairs and blinked back a new wave of tears. From some where above I heard weak coughing. As I got to the bottom of the stairs I could hear Wesley humming a gentle lullaby. The coughing subsided and only the melody could be heard.
I put a foot on the first step and closed my eyes. I wanted to go up, I wanted to be with them but I was scared, terrified even. Still, I had to go up. With my eyes closed and my heart pounding, I climbed the stairs slowly. One of the steps creaked as I put my weight on it and the humming stopped. My eyes were still closed when I reached the top step and then I opened them and walked through the open door. I saw Wesley laying with Rachel, he was stroking her hair and her eyes opened when she heard me come in. She gave me a weak smile and then buried her head back into her daddy's shoulder.
One second, two ... maybe it was an eternity. It felt like and eternity as I turned my head to look at Sarah's bed. There wasn't a sound coming from that side of the room and I tried to prepare myself. She'd been so strong but I'd seen so many little caskets - too many - while at the cemetery that morning. I didn't realize I'd been holding my breath until I saw her pale, but serene face poking out from the covers of her bed.
She was quiet - sleeping more soundly than she had in days. But she was there. I stumbled back as I released the breath. I felt light headed as I stared at her. "Lizzie?" I heard Wesley's whisper. He sounded miles away from me even though it was just a few feet. I heard the springs of Rachel's bed creak and she let out a soft groan as he moved. "Lizzie?" he asked, now standing beside me. "She's fine Lizzie, she fell asleep after the doc came by. She's okay."
I looked at him and blinked away tears. "We almost lost her Wes. She was gone..." I said softly, burying my head against his shoulder to muffle my sobs. His arms wrapped around me immediately. "I know, I know..." he murmured.
I don't know how long I stayed there in his arms but from downstairs I heard Hannah fussing in her crib. Wesley pulled back. "I'll take care of her." he said kissing my forehead. I looked from Rachel to Sarah and dried my eyes. Between the sickness and John's funeral, I felt emotionally and physically exhausted. I sank onto the end of Sarah's bed and leaned back against the wall. Even though I felt like I'd shed every tear in my body, I found myself crying softly again as I watched Sarah's sleeping form.
"Why are you crying Mama?" Sarah asked opening her eyes slowly and kicking off the blankets.
I didn't say anything, merely took her into my arms and cradled her close to me. I kissed the top of her head several times and squeezed her tightly, reminding myself over and over again that she was real and alive.
The girls remained house bound for several days but they were recovering. Doctor Rheyer assured me that they had come through the worst of it and felt confident that as long as we were careful, the younger two should be fine as well. Unfortunately, most weren't so lucky. Many of the families who had stayed through the drought buried someone, many of them children. When the worst of it appeared to have passed, almost everyone was wearing black for someone and a dreadful sorrow fell over the town.
Catherine visited John's grave as often as she could. She still hadn't cried that I'd seen; I suspected she was trying to be brave. Alan helped with his sisters as much as he could. I saw her standing in the cemetery alone one Sunday morning and walked over to stand with her.
"Catherine." I said quietly, slipping my hand into hers.
She shook her head without looking at me. "I don't know what to do." she said quietly.
"I'm so sorry." I said squeezing her hand.
"Tell me what to do Lizzie." she said looking at me. A few lone tears made tracks down her face.
"I don't know what you should do sweetie." I said sadly.
"I can't stay here, I....I just can't. But I don't want to take the children from their family, you and the Garretts. I can't do that to them." she said looking back at John's stone. "What do I do?" she asked, now crying harder.
I had no answers for her, I had no words to comfort her. I pulled her into a hug and held her.
As we stood there I felt water droplets hit my face and head. I looked up and felt more water hitting my face. It was raining....
Catherine looked up as well and when a drop hit her on the nose we both smiled just a little bit. The rain started to fall harder and we hurried to the church where everyone else was gathering on the steps and small porch.
The rain continued to fall for days, the girls continued to improve and even though they had to read the same books over and over when they wanted to go outside and play in the rain, they didn't complain. Sarah started making up new ending to the stories to make Rachel laugh.
With the influx of rain and the girls' on the mend, Wesley went back to the fields. What small crop we'd had left before the sickness had wilted away for the most part but he was willing to start fresh as spring was on it's way.
A few of the people had left town started trickling back but most of them stayed gone. I was in town posting a letter to Wesley's father when I heard gossip about some of the outlying farms.
"The Porter's lost two cows to a rustler" a man said behind me. Later Doctor Rheyer confirmed what I'd heard.
"There've been several families losing livestock or having their food stores broke into lately." he said.
Virgil Flynn overheard our conversation and came over. "My hen house was busted open last night, there were feathers scattered from the door to the edge of the wood!" he said "A half dozen chickens missin'!" he added.
"Did you hear or see anything?" I asked concerned. He shook his head sadly and went on his way.
At the telegraph office I ran into Mr. Garrett and he'd heard everything I'd heard. "Any problems at the boarding house?" I asked. He had moved into the boarding house when he'd married Widow Culpepper.
"Not a single thang." he said. "How is Catherine doing?" he asked sadly. Catherine had stayed in town so far but didn't visit town often, she holed herself into the house for the most part.
"She's....I don't know. It's not good for her but she's stubborn." I said sadly. He nodded.
One night not long after the girls had recovered, lightening lit the sky though no rain was falling. The girls were outside playing, enjoying their new freedom, when I heard them both screaming. I dropped the dish I was washing (which shattered in the sink) and ran out to see what was going on. Wesley was late in the fields but heard the screaming as well and I could hear him running towards us.
Lightening had set the barn on fire and Sarah and Rachel were too close. I ran to them, despite the fire, and snatched them away. After assuring myself they were fine, I sent them inside. Wesley and I were battling the fire with water and blankets when I saw a dirty, disheveled woman stumbled out from the side. Beside her was a thin little boy.
"Help me..." she said holding her head. Her clothes were crusted with dirty. "Help me...." she said again and then she stumbled forward a few steps and fell to the ground in a heap beside her boy. The boy looked dispassionate, his eyes.
I ran over to them, Wesley still battling the fire. Out of the corner of his eye he saw me and hollered for me to stop. "Lizzie!" I ignored him and hurried to the woman.
End Chapter
Chapter 18: Dying Days
The girls slept restlessly, they both had high fevers and complained of feeling achy. Downstairs I could hear the baby crying so I tiptoed out the door.
"Mama..." called a weak voice.
I turned and walked back to Sarah's bedside. "What is it dearest?" I whispered, not wanting to wake up Rachel.
"I love you." Sarah whispered. I fought back the urge to cry right then and wrapped my arms around her. "I love you too." I whispered into her hair. Alexander's cries got stronger and I knew Wesley would be coming up to get me so I laid Sarah back down. "Sleep Sarah, your papa will be up soon to sit with you." I said kissing her head. The heat from her head felt searing on my lips.
I passed Wesley in the hall outside the room just as an eruption of coughs echoed out. I looked back and saw Rachel sitting up in bed. Downstairs I heard Alexander getting louder. Wesley nodded toward the stairs as he went in to sit with the girls.
With a lingering look into their room I went downstairs to tend to Alexander. Under advice from the doctor, I washed my hands and face before picking him up. He immediately calmed as I cradled him and fed him. Upstairs the coughing got louder as now both girls were awake and coughing. I focused on Alexander, reminding myself that I had to tend to all my babes.
It didn't take me long to settled Alexander and get him back to sleep. Once he was asleep, I checked on Hannah and then went upstairs. Wesley brushed my hand as he went downstairs and I tended to the girls. Their coughing had calmed for the moment so I helped them drink and tucked them back into bed. Sarah kicked off her blankets immediately. They drifted off into another fitful sleep and I sunk to the floor between the beds. Looking heavenward, I closed my eyes.
"Mama...what are you praying for?" Sarah's weak raspy voice asked.
"You should be sleeping." I whispered with a very faint smile.
"I'm not tired." she said while rubbing her eyes. She got out of bed and crawled into my lap and I hugged her close.
"Sing to me mama." she said looking into my eyes. "Please?"
"Hush now." I said holding her. I sang softly to her until long after her eyes had drifted closed. I heard Wesley's footsteps behind me and noted the grave look on his face. Carefully I stood and tucked Sarah back into bed before turning to him.
"Alan's here, it's John...." he said softly. I took a long breath and nodded. He sat in the chair and I went back downstairs.
"Oh Alan! What is it?" I asked walking to his side.
"It's Pa, Aunt Lizzie. He's getting worse!" Alan said through tears.
I held him close to me. "Will you come Aunt Lizzie, I think Ma needs you. She didn't ask but..." he trailed off.
I looked up toward the ceiling to the second story where my own sick family was fitfully sleeping then nodded to Alan. "Wait here." I said trudging upstairs. Wesley appeared distant and sad when I saw him. Both girls were sleeping quietly.
"Go" he said softly after I explained. "I'll stay with them, we'll be okay here." he added. I looked at the girls and had to will myself to leave. I had to believe they'd be okay but I was terrified to leave them, even for a moment. "Go." Wesley said again with a sad smile. I nodded again and left.
When Alan and I arrived at their house, Catherine was staring blankly at the bed where Doctor Rheyer was bent over John. The triplet girls all sat mutely at the small kitchen table. I moved to Catherine's side and put my arm around her. "How is he?" I asked quietly.
Catherine just shook her head and then burst into the tears. I cradled her head against my shoulder and looked toward the doctor. He didn't shake his head but he didn't seem overly hopeful. "He may yet recover." he said with little confidence, "But...." he trailed off looking again at his patients pale face. Catherine broke into a new round of sobs. "How are the girls?" he asked me.
"Their fevers continue and their coughs have gotten worse but their fighting." I said trying to feel confident.
"And the other babes, any symptoms?" he asked as he packed up his bag. I shook my head. "Mrs. Garrett" he said addressing Catherine. "I'm leaving some more medicine. Please try to give it to him, same dosage." he said placing a small bottle on the table. I sat with Catherine for some time before she drifted off to sleep. I laid her back on the chair and covered her up with a blanket. "Come tell me if anything changes Alan." I said to my nephew, giving him another hug.
When I got home, both my girls were resting; Rachel better than Sarah. I relieved Wesley and sat down.
"Mama...." Sarah said, sounding weaker once again.
My eyes popped open, I hadn't realized I'd dosed off. She was standing up, clutching her head. I jumped to my feet to help her sit back down.
"Mama...." she said again blinking several times.
"Sarah?" I asked stepping close to her. Then she fell, it seemed so sudden...and yet I remember every small moment of the fall. No matter how fast I moved, I couldn't get to her side before her weakened body slumped to the floor. Her eyes seemed to stare blankly above her. "Sarah!" I screamed dropping to her side.
I heard Wesley thundering up the stairs as I pulled her limp body into my lap and searched for breath. "Sarah baby! Sarah!" I said through aching sobs. I looked up as Wesley came to a halt in the door frame and looked at him panicked. A new round of sobs rocked me as I looked from him to Sarah.
I felt her tiny body shudder. She took several ragged breaths. She was fighting so hard. "Sarah! Sarah! Come on dearest!" I said clutching her tightly. I looked at Wesley fearfully as her small body got still once more. At that moment I heard more footsteps thundering up the stairs and saw Alan, out of breath and with tears streaming down his flushed red cheeks.
Everything seemed blurry and out of control then. Darkness crept up around me, making my breathing as ragged as my tiny daughter's.
The funeral was small, Wesley was at home with the children - ours and Catherine's. We couldn't risk exposing them or anyone else so in the end it was just Catherine, the Reverend and I. Catherine was numb, I could see it in her eyes. And yet she took my hand firmly as we watched the dirt cover the casket.
End Chapter
