Smoke quickly filled the room, seeping through the gaps in the logs. Flames crackled and crawled their way into the room. Shattering glass woke her as the smoke filled her lungs. She coughed and tried to focus but the smoke was too thick. She unwrapped herself from the covers and ran to the door. "PA! PA!" She screamed waiting for an answer. When the only sound she heard was the popping of the fire she ran back to her bed and reached for the small form that laid there. Pulling him up into the safety of her arms, a small moan escaped his lips. The dark smoke made it almost impossible to see. She looked back to the door and saw the flames licking at the bottom of the door. They were trapped. She backed against the wall and suddenly felt the cold window at her back. She turned the boys face away before pushing her elbow through the glass. The sound startled the boy; his tiny whimpers were lost in the night as she cleared the glass out of the window sill. The boy clung tightly to her neck as she tried to set him outside the window.
"Davey, let go, we gotta get outta here." She coughed and pleaded with the child.
She saw the tears flow down the boy's cheeks as she pried his little arms from around her neck. She watched as his little bottom crashed to the ground and heard his cries get louder.
"Run Davey!" She said as she pushed herself out the window. She saw the boy run into the darkness. She followed the sound of his cries and found him standing near the back yard swing. She picked him up into her arms and they watched with heavy hearts as the only home they had ever known burnt to the ground.
She saw a flickering light near the barn. Not wanting another fire to harm the animals; She ran toward the light when she heard the familiar voices. She stopped running and ducked behind a tree. She put a quieting hand over Davey's mouth to silence the crying child. To her disbelief she saw the one person she hadn't expected to see. "Augustus" she whispered as the watched the man and his friends laugh and point at the burning structure.
Her bottom lip quivered at the thought of her father being in the house. Hot tears burned her eyes as she realized her and the little boy in her arms were all alone now. She tried to control her emotions and push the hurt and the hate down to the bottom of her heart as she watched Augustus and his friends mount their horses and ride off through the smoke that floated toward them. She didn't want to believe that Augustus would do this. She had heard him and her father arguing earlier that evening but thought it was their usual argument.
She stood Davey on the ground and knelt down in front of him. He stuck his finger in his mouth and looked up at her with baby blue eyes. She pushed tiny brown curls off his forehead and smiled as little hiccups escaped his tiny lips. "We have to leave. Can you be a big boy, hold my hand and stay with me no matter what?" Brown curls bounced as he nodded his head. She looked in the direction Augustus had ridden off in. "Let's go." She said and reached for the tiny hand that belonged to the little cherub that trusted her to protect him.
1 year later
She had seen buildings that touched the sky, and had heard music that had bounced off of rooftops before filling her ears. But as she sat hidden in the trees and stared out across the sand, all she saw was endless desert and the only music she heard was the chirping tree frog that was near the pond at the base of the ridge behind her. She stared down at her little brother and the sweat on his forehead worried her. His blue eyes were floating in tears and he wasn't eating. She placed a calming hand on his forehead. "It's okay Davey." Her voice was shaky and full of fear. They had followed Augustus to several cities and had lost track of him about a month ago. Now Davey was sick and she had to help him. She swallowed hard and knew she had to get to people before he got worse. She dreaded leaving him. He was so small and she was scared she wouldn't make it back in time. She stood up and walked to the edge of the tree line. She heard rustling behind her and turned to see him trying to follow her. She laid him back down onto the cool ground shaded by trees. "Stay here. You don't have to follow me everywhere I go. I'm not gonna leave you." She smoothed his hair back as she heard the sound of horses coming. She put a finger over her lips to silence the boy and whispered "Stay!" The boy nodded his understanding. She took a deep breath and for her brother's sake she walked toward the sound of the horses.
The sun beamed down onto the desert as Buck tipped his hat back and wiped his arm across his forehead. He pulled his horse to a stop and smiled his crooked smile when Ike slowed beside him. Buck unscrewed the lid to his canteen and tipped it to his lips as he saw movement in the trees. Reaching for his gun he spoke quietly. "Ike I think we have company." Ike looked in the direction that Buck was looking and saw movement. He drew his gun and they both dismounted the horses. They had no mail as they were coming back from a drop. They didn't want to be snuck up on. Buck pointed farther down the tree line and Ike walked along the edge of the trees, before disappearing into them. Buck held his gun steady as he stepped deeper into the thick underbrush.
He saw Ike moving in slowly and stared in shock as Ike holstered his gun and raised his hands in front of him in a calming manner as he knelt down. Buck walked through the trees and saw the small boy that Ike knelt over. The boy looked frail. Buck could see the sweat glistening on the boys face.
"Get away from him."
The voice startled Buck and he turned with his gun drawn. He slowly lowered the gun when he saw the girl with a stick in her hand. Buck thought she looked about about fifteen, but her tangeled hair and dirt smudged face made her look older.
"I said get away from him" Her voice broke and Buck could see the fear in her eyes.
"We ride for the Pony Express. We aren't here to hurt anybody." Buck said calmly.
The girl looked around Buck at the man that still knelt by her brother. He was wiping the boy's forehead. She dropped the stick and ran around Buck to get to her brother.
Buck walked slowly to them not believing the two children were in the woods. He watched as the girl tried to get the boy to drink some water. She looked up at him with pleading eyes. Buck had to stay calm, "Let us help you. We can take you both to the doctor."
The girl shook her head and scooted closer to her brother. "No doctors" she pleaded. Doctors asked too many questions that she couldn't answer.
Buck knew the boy needed help. "We have a place for him to go." He sent her a small smile. She looked at the man that kneeled beside her brother then at the Indian that spoke to her. She knew Davey needed help. She nodded in agreement. Ike looked at Buck and only needed a quick nod to know what to do. He gently picked up the boy and carried him out of the woods. The girl walked along beside him, holding her brothers hand. When they got to their horses, the girl looked panicked and ready to run. Buck held the boy as Ike mounted his horse. Buck raised the boy to Ike who safely secured him in his arms.
Buck climbed onto his horse and extended his hand to the girl. He pulled her onto the back of his horse. "I'm Buck, that's Ike." He said calmly before nudging his horse into a gallop.
She was hesitant to give out to much information but they were helping them. "I'm Maggie and that is Davey. Is he gonna be alright?" She asked with tears in her eyes.
Buck could hear the sadness in her voice and answered. "We'll get him cooled off and taken care of."
The ride seemed to take forever, Ike could feel the boy's heat radiating off of him and that scared him. He remembered how he felt with his fever from when he was a boy. He remembered the worry in his ma's eyes and the relief that replaced the worry when he pulled through. Ike smiled as he saw the windmill come into view. He knew Emma would know what to do.
Jimmy sat on the porch of the bunkhouse getting ready for his run when he saw the riders in the distance. "Rider's comin'" he hollered. He noticed the rider's were Ike and Buck. But he also noticed that Ike was carrying someone. He stood up and opened the bunkhouse door. "Buck and Ike are back, and something's wrong." Kid, Teaspoon and Emma walked out of the bunkhouse just as Buck and Ike came to a stop in front of them.
Emma stepped off the porch and reached for the boy in Ike's arms "Oh my Heavens what happened Ike?"
Ike dismounted the horse as Maggie slid off of Buck's horse.
"We found them in the woods near the bluff." Buck said as they all walked up the steps into the bunkhouse.
Emma laid the boy on Buck's bunk and started taking his shirt off. "Jimmy get me some cool water."
Emma undressed the boy and asked Maggie "What happened?"
Maggie saw all the eyes in the room on her and it scared her. She had to help Davey. She took a deep breath and said. "He was fine yesterday but last night he started complaining his head hurt. This morning he was like this."
Emma soaked a rag in the water that Jimmy sat beside her and placed the cool rag on the boy's forehead. "What's his name, Hun?" She asked.
Maggie looked at the woman and saw an infinite amount of love in her eyes. "David. But we..I call him Davey." She sat down on the edge of the bed still holding his hand. "Is he gonna be alright."
Emma smiled at the girl. "Let's get his fever down and he should be just fine" She patted the girl on her hand.
A/N: I would like to thank Anita, Kristina and Jennifer. Thanks ladies.