Israel paused outside the door, unsure if he should enter. It was well past noon and his Ma was still in bed. He knew she had been worn out, but he was worried. He entered quietly. "Ma?" He asked. He came closer. She still lay in bed. She looked pale and her blue eyes sad and weary. She was awake, but she didn't say anything and she didn't look good. He turned and ran downstairs and almost ran straight into Cincinnatus who was just coming in the door with a bucket of water.
"Where you going?" Cincinnatus asked him.
"I was looking for you. Ma, doesn't look so good. She's still in bed." Israel said anxiously.
"I'm not surprised. You know she ran for over twenty miles to find your Pa. I doubt you could do that!" He turned and went upstairs to check. He came back down almost immediately.
"Israel, can you go fetch Mrs. Bradley? See if she'll come right away. Tell her your Ma needs her."
Israel nodded and watching Cincinnatus walk slowly back into the storeroom, he left, puzzling over Cincinnatus' request.
Cincinnatus was at the fire and pouring some water into a tea kettle when Israel returned with Mrs. Bradley.
"Go on outside and play, Israel." Cincinnatus said. Israel thought about arguing that he was nearly fourteen years old and didn't need to play, but something in the old man's eyes made him say nothing and quickly obey.
"What is it?" Grace Bradley asked.
"I'll take you upstairs. She asked for you. Said things haven't been right since late last night." He said and he led her to the door of Rebecca's room. "Go ahead on in." He said opening the door. "I'll have some tea ready, if anybody wants some later."
"Rebecca?" She said as she entered the room.
She was still in bed, curled in a tiny ball. Grace Bradley crossed over to where she lay and knelt down beside the bed. She studied her carefully, and then sat down beside her. Sighing,she reached out with a hand and brushed the hair out of Rebecca's blue eyes.
"Oh, Rebecca." She said softly. "I am so sorry. Did Dan know?"
***DB***
It was nearly dusk and Cincinnatus poured another cup of tea for Rebecca who sat in front of the fire, a blanket over her lap.
"Oh, no thank you, Cincinnatus." She said quietly.
"I wish I could think of something else to help you wait." Cincinnatus said and reaching out he squeezed her shoulder gently. "Maybe you should go lay down."
"Don't fret, Cincinnatus. I'm fine. It is too soon to think of them coming back, anyway." She said. "Maybe tomorrow . . ."
But even as she spoke the tavern door opened and she was almost knocked over by a small red-haired six year old.
"Mama!" Rose said. Rebecca pulled her into her arms, crying.
"Rose! Are you alright?" She asked kissing her. She looked up to see Katie Grace coming towards her and just beyond her Daniel and Mingo. They were followed by Tom Walker and a group of men from the settlement.
"Ma!" Katie said throwing her arms around Becky's neck.
"Easy, on your Ma, now." Cincinnatus said. "Be gentle with her."
Rebecca frowned, shaking her head at him, but Daniel heard it and his brow wrinkled anxiously.
"Are you alright Katie?" She asked her. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"
"No, but I burnt my hand. I burnt the ropes off just like Pa does." Rebecca stood slowly, carefully.
"Let me see. Does it hurt?" She asked.
"It did before. It isn't so bad now." Katie said.
"Cincinnatus, do you have any of that salve?" She began to cross the room.
"You stay put, Becky. I'll get it and some bandages for you." He left the room.
Daniel crossed over to her. He bent down and wrapped his arms around her, and leaning in kissed her.
"I brought your girls to you." He said with a grin. "You alright?"
"What about you fellas? Is a burnt wrist the worst of it?" She asked avoiding his question.
"I hate to disappoint you." Mingo said. "I know how you pride yourself on your doctor's skills, but we are uninjured." He sat down heavily in a nearby chair. "Although, I could sleep for a week."
"I can live with the disappointment." She accepted the small jar that Cincinnatus handed her. "Sit down, Katie. Let me see that wrist."
Cincinnatus pushed a chair over across from where Katie sat. "You sit down too, Rebecca." Turning to Daniel, he said, "Are you hungry?"
His eyes still on Rebecca, he said, "We are that! Where's Israel?"
"Oh, Elias, can you go fetch him?" Cincinnatus asked. "He's outside somewhere."
He returned almost immediately with Israel who ran to his sisters. Katie threw her arms around him saying, "Oh, I was so worried that they'd hurt you."
"Me?" He said. "I wasn't even home. Are you alright Katie?" She nodded and he turned and picked Rose up kissing her.
"Israel!" She said. "The Indians took us!"
"I know, Rose." He said smiling at her.
"Pa brought us home though." She kissed her brother and then climbed back onto her mother's lap. "I missed you, Mama." She rested her head against Rebecca's shoulder. Her mother smoothed her hair and kissed her forehead.
"Oh, I missed you too, Rose." She said crying. "But everything is fine now." Katie sat on the other side of Rebecca, resting her head on her Ma's shoulder. Daniel sighed thinking he'd never seen anything prettier than the three of them.
Cincinnatus brought them hot bowls of stew and they all settled in to eat. Katie told the story again of how she had helped Rose escape and of how she herself had gotten away from the Choctaw.
"How did you know to come find us, Pa?" Katie asked when she had finished her story.
"Your Ma came and got me." He said glancing at his wife who appeared to be lost in thought. He looked over and saw that Rose had fallen asleep at the table. "Looks like someone's tuckered out."
"I'll carry her upstairs, Pa." Israel said lifting her into his arms.
"C'mon, Katie," Her Pa said. "You look half asleep yourself." He held out his hand, and kissing her Ma, she grabbed hold of his hand and headed upstairs.
Israel laid his baby sister in bed and kissing her pulled the covers up under chin. "She's so big now - not a baby any more really." He said.
Katie crawled into bed next to her. "I know. She was really good and brave." Katie yawned. Daniel bent down and kissed her. "Good-night, Katie Grace." He said, but she was already asleep.
Daniel turned to Israel. "Did something happen with your Ma?" He asked.
"I don't know. She's really worn out. I'd be too if I ran twenty miles." He said.
"More like twenty-five, I guess that's why Cincinnatus has been fussing over her." His father sighed.
"Mrs. Bradley came and sat with her a bit."
"Oh." He said sighing.
"What is it, Pa?" Israel asked.
He put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Nothing to worry about."
"I'm gonna stay up here, Pa." Israel said. "Rose always wakes up at least once, and I don't want her to be afraid."
"Alright, son." He hugged Israel and left him sitting in a chair, reading a book and watching over his sisters.
He sat down next to Rebecca by the fire. "You've a fine group of children, Mrs. Boone." He said to her. "Israel's up there watching over the girls. You raised a nice young man."
"I think I had some help, Mr. Boone." She said with a grin.
"I'm going to bed." Mingo said standing and stretching. "Try not to run into any more trouble before dawn." He smiled and left them.
Daniel reached out and took his wife's hand. "You're dead tired. Let's go to bed." Holding on to her hand, he led her up to the room next door to where their children slept. He sank onto a chair and pulled his boots off while she got ready for bed.
"So you visited my father then." He said.
"He's impressive. I was terrified I'll confess it to you now. But he was really very sweet."
"Sweet? He wasn't ever sweet to me! He made me run the gauntlet, and tried to have me killed! He must have fallen under the spell of that Irish charm of yours." He smiled at her. "And good thing too, those Shawnee proved helpful. He sent braves to bring you home?"
"Yes, and you should see the beautiful bear skin he gave me to stay warm."
"A bear skin? Well, you are his daughter now then, Ogin." He winked at her.
"What does that mean? That's what he called me."
"Your Shawnee name, sweetheart. He named you."
"Ogin? It isn't very pretty."
"It means Wild Rose." He smiled at her. "It means he thinks you've got spirit in ya. I think it suits you."
She stood in the middle of the room in her nightgown starring ahead and saying nothing.
"Becky, are you alright?" He asked her concerned.
She turned suddenly and asked, "Who is Tall Willow?"
He paused. "You are changing the subject."
"Maybe, but who is she?" She asked again.
"One of the chief's daughters, I think." He said.
"Uh, huh?" She said one eyebrow raised at him.
"I met her awhile back." He said. "Becky, are you alright?" She said nothing but sat on the edge of the bed and began to take down her long red hair. She kept her head down, her face hidden from him. Watching her, he sighed and scooted his chair so he was directly in front of her. "Becca?" He said softly. "What happened?"
"I don't know what you mean." She said avoiding his eyes. Her hair fell over her shoulders and hid her face. She twisted her fingers together in her lap. He studied her thinking and, not for the first time, that she was quite possibly the most stubborn person he knew.
He reached out and lifted her chin so he could see her eyes, which were filled with tears. "Grace was here?" But it wasn't really a question. She nodded her head slowly without looking at his face.
"I just started running, and I didn't think. I had to find you. I kept thinking of the girls being carried off. I should never have been so careless. I'm sorry, Dan."
He reached out and took her hand. "Becky, you saved the girls - especially Katie. You know what would have happened to her once they reached the village. You were right to find me."
"You can forgive me?" It was just a whisper.
"Forgive ya for what?" He sat down beside her and put his arm around her. "This wasn't your fault. I bet Grace even told you that."
She finally looked up at him then. Her beautiful blue eyes shimmered with tears. "It was too soon to tell," She whispered. "But I think it might have been a boy."
He tried not to think of how many times they'd had this conversation. He knew how hurt she was; how sad. Nothing ever caused him greater pain than seeing her suffer. "I'm sorry." He said.
"I wish . . ." She whispered. "I'm sorry, I know it hurts you. That's why I didn't even want to tell you in the first place. I know I promised you after Rose that I wouldn't keep it a secret from you, but why should you suffer too? I hate that I'm a cause of pain for you." She sighed. "Tall Willow probably could've given you twelve sons."
"Rebecca!" He stood up his hands in fists. He was surprised by his own anger. "I do not ever want to hear ye say that again." He hardly ever slipped into the Quaker speech of his childhood, except when he was overcome with emotion. She was surprised at his fury.
"I'm sorry." She said. "It is just that sometimes, I think you'd have been better off . . ."
"I mean it, Becky." He said cutting her off and looking her square in the eye. "Don't say things like that. What kind of man do you think I am? You think children are the reason I married you? You think that's all you have to offer me? And what of you? Perhaps you'd do better by someone else - someone who stayed at home to watch over ya, someone who let you live near civilization where there was a real doctor around?"
"Dan . . . no. Stop it." She sobbed. He sat down in the chair in front of her horrified that he'd spoken so harshly. He was immediately overcome with guilt. He sat with his head in his hands hating that he'd lost his temper with her. He sighed, wishing that words were easier for him. He looked up at her. She sat crying softly. She seemed so small. He reached out and took her hands.
"'Becca, they are our babies, all of them. Yours and mine. The four that grew up and the four," he paused and corrected himself, "the five laid in the earth. You and me, together, we share the hurt. No one knows it, but you and me, just like no one knows our joy either." He held her face in his hands and she nodded. He kissed her and sitting beside her, he pulled her into his arms. She rested her head against his shoulder.
"You are alright, though?" He asked after a bit.
"I'm a little weak, is all. And I am worn out from running. Grace said I should be fine though." She turned and looked into his sad, green eyes. "Dan, I am sorry for what I said."
"Me too." He sighed. "It's hard to see you hurt, and it makes me angry that you blame yourself. You're the best person I know and you deserve happiness." He smiled at her.
"You deserve it too." She said looking up at him. Their eyes met and something in his look strengthened her.
"Good thing we have each other then." He said.
"Good thing." She agreed. He hugged her tightly to him.
"C'mon, love, you're plumb wore out." He pulled the covers back and wearily she got into bed.
He climbed in beside her and wrapped his long arms around her. "I love you, Rebecca." He whispered into her hair. "You're the only girl for me." He held her tightly as she wept.
