The sun seemed to rise very slowly the next morning, it was a crimson sunrise that painted everything it touched with a bloody tinge, the mountains seemed very black and foreboding against the sky, the breeze that curled in at Christy's window was humid and slightly acrid smelling.

Christy stirred in discomfort under the sheets, she had started to run a fever in the night, and it had gotten warmer, both factors combined to make her bed soaked with persperation and her hair plastered to her forehead. Christy felt more miserable than she had ever before felt in her life.

She looked toward the corner of the room expecting to see Alice there, but she was alone in her room,when she stirred the pain was excruciating, she could not wait for Miss Alice or Neil to come in her room.

"Miss Alice? Hello?!"

She heard steps coming to her door then Alice came in.

"Christy, Is thee alright?"

She walked over and felt Christy's forehead, making note of the fever. Christy looked up at Alice.

"Miss Alice, it hurts so much, can you give me anything for the pain?"

Alice reached out and brushed her hair from face,

"I can fix some more of the tea, but I don't have medicine, Neil went for some and should be back soon. I am sorry Christy, is thee in much pain?"

"It hurts to breathe." Christy responded.

"That would be your broken ribs, just try and be as still as you can till Neil gets back, I will fix you some of the tea, and bring it up to you, would you like some breakfast?

Christy shook her head, and then turned to stare out of the window.

There was a large bank of clouds that had formed and was swiftly moving towards them, it was almost dark again; the clouds had piled up thick and heavy obscuring the sun as it came over the mountains. The wind picked up with a shuddering moan, and then started to roar mournfully around the corners of the house.

Papers that were still on her desk, waiting to be graded rustled and fluttered as the wind caught them, then swirled onto the floor as a gust burst into the room. Alice came in the room with her tea, placed it on her bedside table, and then bent to pick up her papers that were scattered on the floor.

Alice went to the window and was pulling it shut, when she exclaimed,

"Why, what ever in the world!"

"What is it Miss Alice?" asked Christy.

"John Spencer is in the yard, I need to go down and let him in out of the wind, will thee be alright Christy?"

Christy nodded as Alice hurried out of the room and down the stairs. She wondered what would bring John out so early and in such weather. She tried sipping the tea, it was horribly bitter , she made a face and decided to forgo drinking the rest, the pain would be preferable, well, at least she would put off drinking it as long as she could.

Where was Neil? it was not fair of him to leave with out seeing they had the supplies that were needed, this was totally uncharacteristic of him, in fact she was sure this kind of thing had never happened before to any of his patients. It was probably the difference of a big city practice and a small back woods practice, in the city the physician would not know her and would not have had to leave because he was to repulsed to be near to her any longer, better yet, if she were in the city this would never have happened to her at all! She would not be here in pain, unable to get any relief from it, her mother and father would have secured the best there was, and she was sure that she would not be in any where near this level of discomfort.

Christy jumped as there was a loud bang outside that jolted her out of her thoughts; one of the shutters had blown loose and was slamming against the building. She heard Alice coming up the stairs again, the door creaked open.

"Christy is thee asleep?" Alice whispered softly.

"No, what did John need, is Jeb okay?"

"He is fine, here; I brought you some more pain medicine."

Christy accepted it gratefully washing it down with some of the herbal tea.

Alice left the room saying she would get John to refasten the shutter.

The tea left a very bitter after taste in her mouth, turning to look in vain for some water to wash the taste out with, Christy noticed that there was a letter on her table next to her tea cup, it was from her mother, Alice must have brought it up with the pills, she picked it up and tore the flap, grimacing, she hated how messy it looked but she did not have a letter opener near to her. Christy read the letter then tossed it aside bitterly, it was not long, just a note, saying that they had decided to go visit her aunt Rose for a couple of weeks. They would not be able to get the telegram, for days now; she did not know how to get in touch with them in Baltimore.

She knew it was silly , but it almost seemed as if they had abandoned her when she needed them the most, they wrote the letter days ago, before her attack, but she still felt even more abandoned and alone.

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, her throat had a lump in it, and she clenched her fists fighting back the tears.

There was a sharp crack of lightning outside, then the sound of raindrops on the tin roof , the sound filled her room , the rushing of the rain, the way it seemed to be whispering "Wait for me, Wait for me" as it fell on the roof. Drowsily she wondered what it was that the rain wanted her to wait for, then the narcotics in the pills took effect and she fell asleep.

Downstairs Alice looked out at the rain, she was worried where Neil was, he had sent John Spencer with the pain killers, but there was no indication of when he would be back, Alice was worried about the fever Christy was running, she was afraid she would develop an infection, it was a story that she had seen all too many times in the cove, the person survived a injury only to succumb to a secondary infection. Alice stopped for a moment, then her lips moving in prayer, then she sighed and went into the kitchen to help with breakfast.

It rained all of the rest of the day, making it damp and miserable for all at the mission, Miss Ida began to wonder it they would have and breakables left in the house by evening after Ruby Mae had broken two bowls, a pitcher and stuck her broom handle through the glass on the clock just before supper a very wet David got back from El Pano. His first question was how Christy was doing; Alice told him that she had refused lunch.

"What does Neil say?" he asked in concern.

"Neil has not been here since early yesterday morning." Alice stated.

"WHAT!" David exploded "Where did he go? What was more important to him than Christy? Why did he leave, what did he tell you? That is the coldest thing I have ever heard of!"

Alice was trying to calm David down, as Ruby Mae called that dinner was ready. David quieted his outburst but was still fuming inwardly at Neil leaving, as he went to dinner. He had always hated the way that Neil looked at Christy when she was not aware of it, and he had partially blamed him for Christy's refusal of his proposal, now she was hurt and helpless he just skipped out on her when she needed him the most, as low of an opinion as he had of Neil MacNeil David would never have thought him capable of this.

"…David." Alice prodded; causing his head to snap up and belatedly he realized that everyone was waiting for him to say grace. He mumbled a half apology about being tired, then said a perfunctory grace and started to eat.

Dinner was a silent, grim affair, even Ruby Mae did not seem to want to talk, a minor wonder.

After dinner was done Ida and Ruby Mae cleaned up and put away the leftovers. Alice took up a tray to Christy's room.

Christy was awake when she entered, she picked a little at the food not wanting to get a lecture from Miss Alice but soon the presence stopped and Christy pushed the tray away. Then Alice started to clean her wounds and put fresh bandages, there was a strange throbbing feeling around the wounds, it was a very deep painful throbbing, that Christy wished would go away.

She mentioned it to Miss Alice, who frowned and looked closer at the stab wounds, but said nothing.

Christy could not help but wonder where Neil was, it did not seem like him to stay away so long, but, it was probably that he was caught up at his cabin waiting for the storm to pass and was running late, but then she had gotten her painkillers this morning, maybe he had been in when she was asleep.

Or he was abandoning her like the rest of the world, that was really the only explanation that fit.

The rain stopped but the wind still whistled around the mission.

Alice stirred restlessly in her chair in Christy's room, she was so worried that Christy would not let her close anymore, she knew that she was in pain, that was the thing, she knew what Christy was going through, and could help her if only she would let Alice close enough.

David stared at the rough hewn rafters of his bunkhouse. He still could not believe what Alice had told him about what had happened to Christy. Once again he had to wonder what he was doing here, there was so much that needed to be done for the mountain people, but he had never been able to reach them. He had to wonder if it was any use in going on here. This was a huge sign that he had failed to reach the people here, it was disheartening, he had spent so much time preparing his sermons, trying to teach the inhabitants a better way of life, and this was all he got in return? This was hopeless.

Ruby Mae stirred under the covers; she was having trouble sleeping after all of the excitement of the past few days.

Ida room was dark and the sound of soft rhythmic breathing was the only thing to be heard.

Ruby Mae decided to creep down to the kitchen and get some gingerbread since she could not sleep; she tiptoed past Miss Christy's room and down the stairs into the kitchen, taking care to avoid the creaking boards and steps. As she stepped into the kitchen she stopped dead at the sight of a looming male figure in dark relief against the window, she turned and started to scream for help when a heavy hand clamped against her mouth.

"Don't be a fool, Ruby Mae!" a gruff voice snapped.

"Oh, Doctor Mac Neil, you scairet me so bad, I almost plumb flumped over!"

"What are you creeping down here at this time of night, for, Girl?" Neil demanded.

"I could not sleep so I thought I would... get a drink of water." she fibbed.

Then she stepped to the table fumbling for the matches, and struck a one to light the lamp. When it flared into brightness she noticed that Doc MacNeil looked terrible, his hair was tangled with dirt and sticks. His clothing was ripped and dirty and there were dark splotches on his face and arms, and exhaustion seemed to be etching new lines in his face.

He walked over to the water pail and started to wash up, rubbing his face and arms with soap, and combed his hair with his fingers. Then he picked up a rumpled plaid shirt from his saddle bag and buttoned it over the dirty shirt.

Then he turned to Ruby Mae,

" Not a word to anyone about this, hear?"

Ruby Mae nodded with a surprising amount of solemnity and understanding, her eyes dark and troubled.

Then he grabbed his bag and ran up the steps two at a time to Christy's room as Ruby Mae emptied out the water bucket, and helped herself to the gingerbread. Lots of it.

Neil slowly opened the door to Christy's room, Alice was with her as he expected, and he stepped over to the bed and stood looking at Christy. For a long time he just looked down at her,Then he tenetivly reached out to stroke her face, but pulled back abruptly as he heard Alice stirring in her chair.

He walked over close to her chair and called her name softly, she woke up instantly.

"Neil is that you? Where have you been?" her normally calm face was furrowed in puzzlement. "I was so worried about thee, then Christy started to get a fever and I was worried about infection, and I was not sure when you would be back, John Spencer said that you only stayed for an hour over there. Where did you go?" The normally calm woman seemed the slightest bit perturbed he thought .

Neil's face was impenetrable, enigmatic.

"I was delayed." was his brief and final answer.

Neil turned to Alice,

"I will be downstairs if you need me"

Then he went out of the room, Alice thought that she had never seen him so worn before.

When Christy woke up the next morning she had more energy, she was tired of being in bed and wanted to get up and out. But she knew she would not be allowed to for a while. She became aware of raised voices down stairs, it was David, and he was really tearing into someone. It was odd; she wondered what he was so angry about.

Shamelessly she tried to hear the voice that was responding, she recognized the Scottish burr to the voice, it was Neil, whatever could David be so angry at Neil for she wondered?

"…business, what I do!" Neil proclaimed, and then more garbled response from David,

"….just disappear on your own …irresponsible…

Then Alice came into her room with a tray, Christy asked what was going on but Alice just told her to focus on eating. Irritated Christy stiffened under the covers.

Then as Alice left the room other angry voices intruded in her mind, men, strange men, with voices that were harsh and loud. Christy shuddered and tried to block her ears, but inexorably her mind replayed the scene. She grabbed her quilt and pulled it up over her, curling up in a fetal position, not even feeling the pain in her chest. The dishes fell onto the floor shattering, but she did not even hear it.

The contentious sounds of angry voices stopped, and there was the sound of feet running up the stairs.

Neil followed by David ran into the room,

"Christy! What is wrong, are you okay?" David asked breathlessly. Then he noticed that she was buried under the covers.

Neil walked to the bed,

"Christy, lass? What is the matter, what happened?"

As he was trying to coax Christy out from under the covers Alice came in.

A muffled whimper came from Christy under the covers, Alice peeled the covers back and was comforting Christy.

Finally Christy was able to speak coherently,

"It was the fighting, I thought it was the men come back again, it sounded so frightening." She looked around and flushed at the sight of all of the people in her room.

Neil looked chagrined that his altercation had such an unintended consequence.

David still looked angry as he turned to Neil.

"If you had answered me like a man this would not have had to have happened!"

Neil's jaw clenched and his eyes started to throw sparks, but he just curtly indicated that David leave the room. David looked as if he would protest, but a look from Alice sent him on his way.