Paint Me a Picture

Chapter Three

Audra was doing her best to keep busy with some embroidery while her mother talked with Nick and Heath in the study. "They don't know where he went!" Nick had bellowed after arrived home moments before. "A man just doesn't disappear off a moving train!" Where was her oldest brother? Where was "Pappy"? The young woman was brought out of her thoughts as her mother and brothers came out of the study, still talking.

"I didn't say not to tell Gene. I said to tell him to stay at school. He has finals coming up." Nick said as he stepped inside the parlor and picked his hat back up, where he'd tossed it in a fit of frustration onto the closest chair possible when he'd first arrived home. "Wherever Jarrod is, he wouldn't want baby brother to mess up his schoolin'! I know that much." He put his hat back on while Heath grabbed his. No one argued with his statement for they knew it was true.

"Bye, mother." Heath gave Victoria a quick peck on the forehead as did Nick. Soon both brothers were out of the room and out the front door.

Audra laid her embroidery down upon her lap as her mother sat down beside her. "Jarrod's got to be all right." She said, feeling; now she could voice her fear. She had stayed quiet during her brothers' discussion, knowing full well that Nick didn't need to be worried about her state of being as well. "He's just got to."

Victoria knew how Audra felt. The young woman had been so young when her father was murdered by the railroad, and Jarrod had stepped up to bat when it came to helping raise his two youngest siblings. In fact… that's one of the reasons her children had started calling Jarrod "Pappy" in the first place. "I'm sure he will be." Victoria smiled the best she could.

OOOO

Ester was standing at the foot of the bed where Jarrod had her back to the bed and was talking to the doctor. "How much longer will you wait? He's been unconscious for at least eight hours. Even if she wasn't a medical expert, and had no plans to be; she knew there was just cause for worry. Before the good doctor could answer, both he and Ester both jumped when they heard mumbling coming from the bed. Ester whirled around while Doctor Morris walked swiftly alongside the bed.

Jarrod, who had opened his eyes, was aware of a pounding headache, along with aches and pains in other places on his body.

Doctor Morris smiled at his patient and chuckled. "Well, well, I see our flying acrobat has woken up. You do realize moving trains are for riding on?" The good man meant it as a joke, only his joking mood vanished the moment Jarrod opened his mouth.

Jarrod tried to talk again, to answer the doctor, but was very much unsettled when all that would come out was the same garbled sounds he'd just made. What was wrong with him? What had happened? He didn't have to wonder long as the good doctor began talking with a very serious face.

"It looks like that concussion did some damage." Dr. Morris looked from Jarrod to Ester and then back to Jarrod. After a moment, the doctor retrieved a pen and paper from a nearby desk.

"What are you doing?" Ester asked. The moment Jarrod heard her voice he took his eyes off the doctor and looked at the woman standing by the bed. His eyes widened. He knew her from somewhere. Only question was….where from?

"Obviously, his speech has been affected by this incident." Dr. Morris turned around and walked back over to the bed. "Maybe he can tell us his name and where he's from this way," he suggested as he held up the paper and ink pen.

Jarrod frowned in confusion, as he'd finally placed the woman's voice and face. This young woman had helped him in Pinewood; he remembered her now. He would never forget her face. He had told her why the Basks had beaten him. Why wouldn't she know his name? Jarrod couldn't see how she wouldn't know his name…even if they hadn't formally introduced themselves. Everybody who lived in Pinewood knew who he was. Still, he didn't fight when the doctor and the young woman helped him sit up at an angle. Soon he had the paper and pencil in hand. However, he was horrified to find himself unable to hold onto the pencil well enough to write.

"Doctor?" Ester's concern for the stranger she'd helped once before grew. This was definitely not right.

The doctor took the paper and pencil back from one very upset patient. Due to the look of frustration upon Jarrod's face, Dr. Morris looked apologetically upon both is patient and his friend, "Coordination's been affected also, but let's not worry about that right now. You, sir, need more rest anyway. I'm just glad you woke up when you did. I'd have hated to have to put you on a train to the hospital in San Francisco." He straightened up Jarrod's blanket and then asked to talk to Ester outside.

"Sure." Ester followed the doctor out oblivious to the fact that the door was not quite shut, thus enabling Jarrod to hear the entire conversation the doctor was having with Miss Mandrel.

"We have to find a place for this man to rest and recover, and I don't just mean time to learn to talk and write again. If his coordination in his hands has been affected, there's a chance he'll need canes to walk as well, to steady himself if his walking has been affected as well." The good doctor paused and sighed. "It's not like we can send for his family. The problem is I can't keep him here for anymore than a couple of days, now since he's awake. It's not like I'm set up for that kind of thing." Dr. Morris was leaning against the wall looking troubled.

Ester put her hands on her hips and asked, "And this is a problem, why? Scott and I have more than enough room for him at our place until he recovers." Like Ester, her brother had a heart of gold. She was not worried about saying the stranger could stay at their place until he could either communicate through writing or had his speech back.

Dr. Morris stepped away from the wall and walked to his desk, and then turned around. He voiced his other concern. "What if he never recovers? What if your brother and that gal of his actually get serious? You can't take lone responsibility for him. An unmarried woman…" The doctor, paused, he didn't want Ester's reputation tarnished in any way, shape or form.

The fact that he cared so much meant a lot to her. Still, Ester stood her ground. "Don't worry about me, doc. I've lived here my whole life. With the exception of a few trips to visit relatives and one night in…" she stopped for a moment as she again thought on the stranger and the night he was whipped, and then finished, "Let's just say you have no need to worry. The man is good; I can tell. If there's a problem, Scott will deal with it." She chuckled as she said the last line. Her brother had never been one to mince words, and she couldn't see him doing it now.

In the ensuing silence, Dr. Morris thought about fighting the young woman he'd seen grow up, but then thought better of it. Her brother did have a way of dealing with things. Ester would be fine. "I'll talk to our friend once he's had a chance to rest up some more."

Jarrod listened until the good doctor quit talking and Miss Ester had left saying she would be back with her brother the next day. With the exception of one night... a small smile spread across Jarrod's face. At least now he had his answer to why she didn't know him. There's got to be a way for me to tell them who I am! Jarrod closed his eyes and thought on his family. Before long, and unwillingly, he slipped back into sleep.