I do not own Little House on the Prairie or any of the original characters. As I have no Beta Reader for this story, all mistakes are definitely my own. Charles memory comes from the episode "Harvest of Friends"…as I'm sure you'll recognize.

Stranger To Himself

Chapter Two

Scene Three

Hyrum sat at the table while Maria cooked; she and Thomas had helped him out of the bed and into the kitchen. After all, three days in bed was enough to drive anyone up a wall. "Here," She put an empty bowl on the table and a pot of beans she'd gathered out of the garden that set in the back yard, "You can snap the beans." She did not believe in allowing a man, any man, to sit idle if there was something they could do.

Hyrum moved his hands up and onto the table and, within seconds he was doing as she asked. "How long have you and your brother lived here?" he asked figuring he might as well get to know the people who had been kind enough to come to his aid and take him in.

"Five years," Maria answered and sighed, "We lived in New York until Papa decided to move out to California, but he and mama both fell ill with Typhoid and died shortly before Thomas and I found this place."

"Neither of you are married then." Hyrum hoped he was not out of line in asking.

Maria did not answer at first then sighed, "Thomas is married, but" she shook her head, "his wife took their two children and went back to New York. I keep telling him to go after her and make things right before he winds up regretting it. As far as I go," she just chuckled, "I'm too stubborn and opinionated for men I guess. I don't hesitate to tell them what I think and where to take a bad attitude."

She was shocked to hear the guest agree, "No reason not to speak up if you feel like it."

"Hayden, you have got to be the first. I've never had a man agree with me on that one. They seem to think when you're younger than they are you should just keep silent." People in general who gave her that attitude always wound up with an earful.

Hyrum hesitated as he knew it was impolite to inquire about one's age. Finally, he took a chance and asked slowly, "Just how old are you, may I ask?" he turned his head in the direction her voice was coming from.

Maria only chuckled, "Young enough not to complain and old enough to keep my mouth shut?"

That got him to laughing, but then he grew serious, "May I ask you describe the house we're in. It would be nice to have a picture in my head."

Maria felt horrible. She'd never stopped to consider how he must be feeling. She stopped what she was doing and sat down at the table. "When we brought you in we were immediately in the front room. It has a couch and bookshelf on the north wall, along with the door that leads to the bedroom you are staying in, a chair and the opening to this kitchen on the south side, a piano and fireplace on the east side and couple of chairs on the west wall. There is an entrance way next to the stove that leads to the other bedrooms my brother and I use, along with a washroom. I have no idea who built the place or why it was abandoned. My brother was able to go to the courthouse and buy it. I'm afraid there's not much for decorations. A few pictures set on the hearth and I keep fresh flowers on the piano, but we have very little in the way of material wealth. However, we are more than happy to share what we have with you, Hayden."

Before he could say anything, Thomas walked in the door. He merely looked at their guest and headed for the washroom. "You'll excuse my brother," Maria sighed, "He has not been himself since Anna took the children and left. I best get back to cooking supper." She put the bowls back in front of him, making sure he knew she'd switched the order they'd been in before she went back to her work.

Hyrum said nothing as he started snapping beans again, his mind once more on who he might be and where he might be from.

Scene Four

The wind was blowing gently through the air and birds sang one song after another. It was as if they were trying to give some sort of reassurance to the two men traveling down the dusty road and ease their troubled minds. "This isn't looking good, Charles," Jonathon stopped his horse and took a drink of water from his canteen, "We've been looking for days, so has Nels, Lars, and a number of other men. We're going to have to send a wire to Waynoka and see if the law up there can start searching."

Charles didn't like that. True, they were almost fifteen miles from Walnut Grove, but he hated giving up. Hyrum was like family, even if Harriet Olsen was acting like a child. "For heaven's sake," Harriet had stood on the porch whining worse than any four year old child ever thought of doing, "Dr. Baker's a grown man with too soft of a heart! I bet ya he's just found someone who needs help, but doesn't have the money to pay for it. I bet ya he's helping them in exchange for chickens or something! Why do you have to go looking for him right now? Wait another week! We have Dr. Thompson for another three if we really need a doctor! I need you here. This is the busiest time of the year!"

Charles and Jonathon were both appalled at Harriet's cold heartedness and lack of concern. They might have said something only Nels beat them to it. "Harriet! I'm ashamed of you! Dr. Baker may just be in real trouble and you're more concerned about how much money we might, or might not make?" Nels had practically ripped the cooking apron off he'd been using and threw it down. "I'm going to look with the rest of the men!"

In his mind, Charles could see Nels, Lars, Hyrum and a number of other men all walking towards where he lay, along with Mary and Laura. One by one those men had stacked the grain he could not, the grain his young girls had struggled so hard with. "We have to keep looking," Charles turned his horse onto a road that looked more like a path; he knew it eventually led to Waynoka, "At least, for a few more hours."

Jonathon might have argued only he knew how Charles felt. Hyrum had come to the aid of so many people that the folks in Walnut Grove were always saying that out of everyone in town 'that man has the largest family out of all of us.' "Okay, but," Jonathon looked at Charles, "if we don't find him we turn back and send a telegram." Charles said nothing as he continued the search.

OOOOO

Laura stood next to the cloths line helping her mother hang the clothes her mother had just finished washing. "Laura!" Caroline did not yell; however, she did raise her voice just enough to catch her daughter's attention. The girl was staring off into space.

"Sorry, ma," Laura handed her one of her pa's shirts, "I'm just worried about Dr. Baker. Do you think they'll find him?"

Caroline was more worried that she was going to admit. The children did not need to feel her fear. No one did. They needed hope more than anything. "Good Lord be willing'," Caroline smiled, "I'm sure they will. We just have to keep him in our prayers and believe."

"Yes ma." Laura said nothing more as they finished hanging the clothes.