Chapter II: Long forgotten scenes
"Half awake and half in dreams
Seeing long forgotten scenes
So the present runs into the past
Now and then become entwined, playing games within my mind
Like the embers as they die
Love was one prolonged goodbye
And it all comes back to me tonight
In the gloom
Like an angel passing through my room"
It was morning and Mariana didn't felt like getting up. The sickness she thought would fall her down had tightened its grip but still Mariana had to get up. Slowly she dressed and get down to have breakfast. All Cartwright's were already there.
"Good morning Mariana, slept well?" Ben was the first to say morning to her.
"Oh, good morning Mariana," that was Hoss.
"Morning," Adam and Little Joe said too.
"Good morning all, yes I slept well, thank you," Mariana said but she lied because she didn't slept well at all.
"Are you sure you slept well because you look awful," Ben said curiously. Boys who were concentrated to discussing with each other looked at Mariana.
"Pa's right, you do look little tired," Little Joe mentioned.
"Oh, I'm fine," Mariana said with determined voice. And to prove that she ate little more than usually. The four men believed her.
After they'd drank their coffee, they all went to their business. Mariana were alone again. She sat down and continued the book she'd started. She felt little cold shivers and she fetched her scarf. Right that time came Hop Sing to clean table and he saw Mariana sitting in chair scarf around her.
"Is missy feeling cold? Hop Sing can ask ranch hand to light the fire to fireplace," cook took care of.
"Thank you but no thank you. I'm fine like this," Mariana said. The cough that she had held back came out. "Great, now I've got some nasty cold," she thought. Cold shivers grew worse and she was coughing badly and she almost couldn't breath. She tried to get up to go to her room but she couldn't because of coughing.
Right then Candy came in and immediately saw what was going on.
"I better help you to bed," he said and went to help Mariana and carried her to bed. Then Candy ran down to Hop Sing. " Has Mr. Cartwright already left?" he asked.
"Yes, he's already left".
"OK, if he needs me, say that I went to town to fetch doctor. Miss Ringwood isn't feeling very well," Candy said and rode away. But Hop Sing didn't had to transmit the message because he and doctor had already came back when Cartwright's came to lunch. They were all coming from door when doctor came down.
"What's happened, why are you here doctor?" Ben was first who opened his mouth.
"It seems like Miss Ringwood has got very bad cold," doctor said.
"Is she alright?" Hoss asked, scared.
"Yes, she is now Hoss. You can go up if you like. I gave her some medicine to help her with the cough she's got," doctor told them. Hoss didn't hear him because he was upstairs in a flash.
"Are ya alright Mariana?" Hoss asked worried. Mariana was still feeling little weak after coughing much.
" Aw, Hoss you are so sweet but I'm OK now," she said between coughs. She tried to get up but her knees were weak and she almost fell down to floor. Luckily, Hoss were fast and caught her.
"Now, you shouldn't do that when you are sick," he blamed the girl and helped Mariana back to bed.
" But I want to come to eat with you. Please, pretty please," Mariana tried and succeeded because Hoss were, not that he'd admit it, sweet on her.
"Ok, but I carry you," big man insisted.
Everyone in downstairs looked worried when Hoss carried his precious cargo down. They ate supper discussing what they'd have to do tomorrow and after that Adam took his guitar again and they all gathered to listen. This time Mariana didn't fall asleep.
"Ok, maybe we should get to bed. It's early morning again tomorrow," Ben finally said.
"Oh, if it's Ok I'd want to stay here for awhile," Mariana asked from all.
"You really should go sleep too but you decide it yourself," Ben said. Mariana still stayed when all went to sleep. She sat down. Again, she started to cry because she missed her mother and she was worried of her father. Every little memory that she remembered where she was still happy and with her mother, came back to her. She was only half-awake and this time she didn't heard anyone coming but Hoss found her crying desperately.
"But Mariana, what is it? Ya ain't yourself now," Hoss whispered to the crying girl.
Mariana sniffled,"Oh Hoss, I don't know what to do. My dad is getting married with woman who's after his money. I can't stand it," she said between hiccups. Hoss looked the delicate girl and came closer. Then he touched Mariana and asked gently.
" Can I help you to your room?". Mariana nodded and Hoss carried the girl to her room. Right after putting her to her bed and covering her, Hoss noticed that she slept already. He stayed in her room to watch when she slept and suddenly he felt like he had to touch her face but he didn't because he was afraid that it might woke her up. Instead, he too went to sleep.
Next morning Hoss was last of the men to get down. There was only Ben anymore because Adam and Little Joe had urgent things to take care in town.
"Morning Hoss," Ben said. Hoss yawned.
"Morning Pa, has Mariana eaten already?" Hoss asked after good mornings.
"No she hasn't," Ben said.
" Dadburnit, what is with her? I found her crying here after we went to bed. Pa, I'm very worried about her. "
His father could see that he really was worried. Then they heard someone coming from upstairs and looked at stairs. Mariana came down.
" Good morning Ben, Hoss," Mariana said cheerful and gave meaningful glance to Hoss.
" Are you alright?" Ben asked. Mariana nodded. " You look better," Ben said.
" I feel better," Mariana replied to him.
"Good, now, Adam and Little Joe will be gone until supper and me, Hoss and Candy are checking heard in south pasture. You should rest today". Mariana nodded and told that it was just the thing she's going to do. Then Ben and Hoss ate their breakfast and left.
It was almost eleven when ranch hand brought mail to Ponderosa. Mariana who was just sitting in one chair took it and searched if there was something for her. And there was. Letter was from her father and he was asking Mariana to come to San Francisco to be in his weddings. Mariana who had still hoped her father to become his senses became very shocked. She had her lunch in quietness because nobody came to lunch. Ben, Hoss and Candy should've come but they didn't had time.
" I'm going to go to sleep Hop Sing, if someone asks," she said to cook who nodded and said.
" That's only good for missy. Hop Sing asks Mr. Hoss to wake missy up when it's suppertime?"
" That would be nice," and so Mariana went to sleep. She admitted that she needed it and slept like a log until suppertime when Hoss woke her up.
"Are you feeling well?" asked Adam when she came down.
" Actually not so well but I'm sure it'll go away when I've slept a good night".
Then there was again cheerful supper but Mariana just listened when the men talked.
"We should really send someone to repair that fence tomorrow before taking herd there," Adam was telling to Ben when Mariana stood up.
" May I excuse? " she asked and Ben nodded to her. They all followed her with their eyes when she went to sleep.
" You know Pa, I think we should arrange something to her near future to cheer her up," Adam said to Ben before they also went to sleep. Ben agreed.
Mariana woke up next morning when house was quiet. Mail had already been brought to the table and she again searched what was there. She found again letter that was addressed to her. It was a letter from her aunt's doctor. After reading the first line, Mariana sat down the floor and couldn't do anything else but cry. Her aunt had died two days ago. Mariana felt like her whole world had ended and from that floor, Little Joe found her.
"Mariana, Mariana, what is it? What's the matter?" Joe asked and her voice was panicked. Mariana just sat there, not saying anything.
"Oh my god, Adam, ride back to town and bring doc Martin. I don't care if you have to wake him just bring him here. There's something very wrong with Mariana," Little Joe yelled to Adam who just came in. Immediately Adam ran back out and rode to town as fast as he could. Just as fast he found doc Martin and they rode back to Ponderosa. They were there before Ben, Hoss and Candy came. Little Joe had carried Mariana to her bed. At the same time when doctor was examining Mariana, Ben, Hoss and Candy rode to yard. They recognized the horse of the doctor.
" What's doc doing here in this hour," Candy wondered but Hoss knew immediately what was going on. He jumped down from his horse and ran in. Adam sat by the edge of fireplace and Little Joe was standing near stairs leaning his leg on the edge of stairs. Hoss looked to Adam and then to Little Joe.
"It's Mariana. We found her from the floor and she was only crying, doc Martin is up now," Adam told to Hoss. Hoss was going to rush up but Little Joe prevented him. Then the doctor came down.
"What's with her?" Hoss asked.
"Miss Ringwood has severe nervous breakdown and she's suffering also pneumonia so she really needs rest," doctor said.
"Well, what could have caused this?" that was Ben.
"I found two letters addressed to her. In other, her father asked her to come to his weddings and in the other; someone announced that her aunt had died. It doesn't take more than that," said doctor.
"I know that she hates her coming mother-in-law and loves her aunt," Adam told to them.
"Is she going to be better soon?" Hoss asked.
"Hopefully. However, I would suggest that you sent her to one sanatorium at east coast. I could write to the leader of that sanatorium. She would recover better there".
"Of course we do anything to get her better," Ben said and all his boys nodded, including Hoss.