Chapter 45 - Elizabeth Stakes Her Claim

As soon as he heard the words 'I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life', Jed Curry sprinted away as fast as he could. He was already a lot faster from racing with Han, and he knew he needed to find their parents quickly.

To his relief, he saw his mother walking along the path close to the school. She was holding the baby and talking to Elizabeth.

"Ma!"

Maggie was startled and rushed over to him, clutching the baby tighter as she hurried.

Elizabeth reached him first. "Jed, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

"It's Han! Mr. Hall… he… he…" He tried to get his breath back. "I think he's gonna hurt Han!"

"What?" Maggie couldn't understand any of this, but Elizabeth started to run towards the school as soon as she'd heard the words 'hurt Han'.

Jed tried to explain to his mother as they raced forward. "Mr. Hall took the present I got him! Han took it back, but Mr. Hall found out and he was really mad! He said he was going to beat him…" The story came out in a fast stream and it was all she could do to understand him.

As they reached the schoolroom door, they heard the loud thwack of a cane. Elizabeth threw the door open and they ran inside.

As John Hall proceeded to strike the boy, all the frustrations and suppressed anger of the past few years seemed to run through him. He didn't even see the door fly open or hear the others run in.

Elizabeth felt something twist inside her as she rushed forward. Han lay across the desk, held in place by Mr. Hall's strong grip.

She made a sound in the back of her throat and grabbed the teacher's arm as he brought it down for another blow. Hall looked up in surprise and reason returned. He straightened up and loosed his hold on the boy.

Elizabeth smelled the stench of alcohol on his breath and fury welled up inside her. She struck the teacher hard across the face and he stumbled back in shock.

Elizabeth reached out for her boy, lifting him gently from his position over the desk. His face was white and he was shaking.

She pulled him close to her and turned on the teacher. "How dare you strike my boy! How DARE you! How dare you even touch a hair of his head!"

John Hall looked dazed as he saw the sharp marks on the boy's back. He realized he'd gone too far, much further than he had intended. He tried to defend himself. "He stole something from my desk!"

Elizabeth heard a sound from Jed, but paid no attention. "I don't care if he stole gold bullion from the First Bank of Topeka, you have no right to EVER put your hands on my son!"

She felt a jolt as she realized that she'd never before said the words 'my son' and meant Han, the way she meant it now. He was her child - her son - and he was hurt. She had never been so angry in her life.

She saw Han's shocked expression and she pulled him closer, unable to let him go now that she had finally claimed him as her own. "You can rest assured that I will do everything I can to make sure that you never teach again; and if I ever see you come near me or any member of my family, I swear to almighty God that you will regret it!"

And firmly holding her boy beside her, they marched out of the schoolroom.

Maggie watched, open-mouthed with shock, until she realized that she should help. "Jed, run back to town and get your father and David. Oh, and find Joe and Leah and tell them to wait, we'll be along in a little while. Hurry now."

Jed nodded and flew out the door. Maggie grabbed Han's jacket, still hanging over the back of his chair, and followed Elizabeth outside.

Outside the schoolhouse, Elizabeth stopped to examine Han. His breath was hitching as if he was trying not to cry.

Elizabeth pulled him to sit on the grass with her. She touched her hand to his face. "It's alright, my love, Mother's here now. Everything's going to be okay, but I need to see how badly he hurt you. Is that alright?"

He was shivering - partly from the shock of the beating, although mostly because memories of Valparaiso threatened to overwhelm him - but he nodded.

She leaned forward and kissed him gently. She saw the surprise on his face. "I'm so sorry, Han."

She was sorry; so very, very sorry for everything. She wished she could take time back and do it all differently. "Pa's on his way."

He wanted to say something, to tell her that it was okay and he was glad she was there, but he couldn't seem to find the words. Instead, he reached for her hand and she squeezed his trembling fingers.

"Alright, here we go." She pulled up his shirt and undershirt and inspected the sharp lines from the caning. They didn't look very bad; they were angry and red, but only two of them had broken the skin, and the cuts were barely visible. She bit her lip, considering. She knew he'd suffered far worse beatings in his short life, but she was worried about the violence of his reaction; he seemed to be in shock. He was shivering harder now and she quickly pulled his clothes back into place.

Maggie came forward helped him on with his jacket. His hands were shaking as he pulled it on.

Elizabeth stood up, holding out a hand to him. He pushed himself up from the grass and felt his head spin and his knees began to buckle.

Elizabeth caught him as he swayed and sank back down on the grass. "Han? Are you okay?"

Han nodded, but was horrified to feel tears starting to break through. Elizabeth reached forward and pulled him close to her as he cried.

They heard footsteps as the others ran to join them. She knew instinctively that Han would hate anyone to see him cry, so she motioned to Maggie to give them a few moments to themselves. Maggie understood. As David moved passed her to join his wife and child, she took Caleb's arm and they moved a little away.

"Han?" David's voice was desperate. "What happened?"

Elizabeth turned to her husband. "I think he's alright, it's just the shock of it all. We should get him to the doctor, though, just to be sure."

David knelt beside them. "How badly was he hurt?"

"Not very badly. It looks as though Mr. Hall hit him about half a dozen times but didn't really break the skin. But Han was shaking and as white as a sheet, and he hasn't said a word. When he stood up, I think he got a little dizzy and then..." she motioned to the boy quietly sobbing in her arms.

David put his arms around his family. "It's alright, son. You're safe now."

They sat like that for a little while until Han's sobs started to subside. At last, he pushed away from his mother and wiped his sleeve over his face.

Elizabeth gave him her handkerchief and he blew his nose. She ran a hand across his damp cheeks. "Better?"

He nodded.

David put a hand under his chin to look at him. "Sure?"

Han gave a weak smile. "Yes, Pa."

"Alright then. It's getting cold and you're already shivering. Let's get you to the doctor so he can check you over."

"I'm fine, Pa, really. Can't we just go home?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "I want the doctor to check you over first. And David is going to carry you, you're shaking like a leaf."

Han blushed, finally getting some color in his white face. "I can walk there!" He would be so embarrassed to be carried, although honestly, his legs felt like jelly.

David pulled him into his arms. He knew the boy would hate being carried, but could also see that Han looked very shaky. "Please, Han. Just let us look after you. I know you can walk there, but I'd rather hold onto you right now. You can understand that, can't you?"

Resigned, Han nodded. David leaned forward and lifted his boy as they moved quickly in the direction of the town, united in love and worry.

The Currys stood to one side and watched them, giving them their privacy but close enough to offer support where it was needed.

Jed put his hand out for his mother. "Ma… will Han be okay?" He sounded very young, and Maggie reached out her free hand and hugged him, not fighting her own need to hold her child. "I think he's going to be just grand, Jed."

Jed saw the Heyes family start to move away and ran to follow them.

Caleb threw a questioning look towards the schoolhouse. "The teacher?"

Maggie indicated with a tilt of her head. "In there. I think he's drunk." She couldn't help an evil smile. "Would you believe that Elizabeth hit him across the face and threatened him?"

Caleb's jaw dropped. "Elizabeth?"

Maggie nodded. "She was impressive. I'll never cross her, that's for sure!"

Caleb shook his head in disbelief. He'd never seen his sister-in-law angry before and didn't quite believe it. He started to move towards the schoolhouse, but Maggie held him back.

"Don't bother. We can get the sheriff to deal with him. Let's take care of our own." They all felt protective where Han was concerned and she worried about Caleb's temper. The last thing they needed right now was more trouble.

They walked down the road to the doctor's office and people turned curiously to look at the boy in David's arms.

Leah and Joseph had been waiting and they gasped as they saw the solemn procession. "Ma?"

"Not now, children. Here, take the baby and go and wait for us in the store. Buy yourselves a piece of candy so they won't mind you sitting there. We'll join you in a little while, but we need to check on Han right now."

Leah nodded and took the baby, as she and Joseph headed over to the Mercantile.

Even though Han felt ashamed to be carried like a baby, he found he didn't want to leave the security of his father's arms. He couldn't help but tighten his grip as the doctor reached for him.

"Han, it's alright," David unhooked the boy's hands from his neck, "I won't leave you, but the doctor's got to examine you and check you over. You gave us a scare back there and we want to be sure you're alright."

Han released his grip as David set him down on the examining table and sat close beside him, talking softly to him.

The doctor frowned as the boy recoiled from his touch. "Mrs. Heyes..."

"Elizabeth," she corrected.

"Elizabeth," he gave her a small smile of acknowledgement, "I need to see the damage, would you mind…"

He made a small gesture and she nodded. She started to gently remove Han's jacket and shirt.

Elizabeth's eyes filled with new tears as she looked again at her son's back. She moved to Han's other side and started to stroke his hair. Han's eyes closed at the contact and he leaned his head on her shoulder. How odd it was, she thought, that such cruelty could reveal such a depth of love in her. All that time she'd been trying to feel something that had been inside her all along. All those wasted months of awkwardness, just to discover how much she truly loved him. Her boy. Her son. Claimed at last.

Doctor Schriever finished his examination and looked over at Maggie. "Maggie, would you mind passing me that bottle, please?"

She nodded. She'd brought her children here often enough to know where everything was.

The doctor wiped the two small cuts clean and reached for some liniment. Elizabeth moved to help him. He shook his head. "No, this won't take long. Maggie can help if I need it."

Maggie didn't hear. She and Caleb were talking softly together. A few minutes later, Caleb left.

He returned with the sheriff. They were all familiar with Sheriff McCandless. Although it was a quiet town, there had been enough incidents with border raiders to ensure that they had all filed reports with him. It didn't make any difference - there was no likelihood that he could ever catch them or bring them to justice - but it made them feel that something was being done.

"Mr. and Mrs. Heyes, how d'you do? This your boy? He gonna be alright, doc?"

The doctor glanced away from his work for a moment. "I believe so. There's no real harm done. The injuries themselves aren't serious, but he's still underweight and in light of his recent … adventures," it seemed to be the best way to describe the boy's illness and subsequent stay at Valparaiso, "this seems to have shaken him up quite a bit. He's going to suffer a little discomfort for a few days. But I think he'll be fine."

Elizabeth fired up. "You think he'll be fine?! Look at him sheriff! Look at what that… that… animal did to my boy! What are you going to do about it?"

The rest of them stared in surprise at Elizabeth's vehemence and David saw Han look up in wonder. He winked at Han, and despite himself, Han smiled back. David had told him before about Elizabeth's temper, which he rarely saw but was impressive when it flared up.

The sheriff cleared his throat. "Well, I guess I could go to talk to Mr. Hall and see what he says about this."

"What he says!" Elizabeth rounded on the sheriff in fury. "What HE says! Look at my boy! What could he have possibly done to make THAT kind of brutality necessary!"

The sheriff took a few steps back. "Well now, ma'am, I didn't mean nothin'. But teachers can hit their students when they misbehave…"

Elizabeth advanced upon him, her fists clenched beside her. "Teachers do not have the right to beat their students bloody," - The others exchanged a glance at this exaggeration. Although the beating had been harsh, there were only two places where the skin had been broken by the cane and they were very small cuts - "whatever the provocation! You will find that man and you will arrest him for assault and anything else that you can think of, or I will write to the governor and make sure that he isn't the only one that will never work again!"

The sheriff looked at David for help, but David stayed silent. The only reason that he wasn't going after John Hall himself was because Han needed him to be there.

McCandless sighed, defeated. He could face down a gunman, but not an angry mother. "Yes, ma'am. Sorry ma'am, I didn't mean nothin'… I'll go and arrest him and we can jus' work the rest out later."

"Good!" Elizabeth turned to Jed, a strange glint in her eyes. "Jed, why don't you tell the sheriff what happened so that he has all the facts? I just need to step out for a moment."

She bent down and kissed Han's cold cheek. "I'll be back in a few moments, my darling. Your Pa will look after you until then, alright?"

Before she stepped outside, she looked back at Jed. "Oh, and Jed… take your time and make sure you tell the story properly. Take as much time as you need."

David stared at her curiously. He knew when she was - as his mother would have put it - 'up to something' - he just didn't know what it was. After being so vehement about getting Hall arrested, she now seemed to think there was no hurry.

He leaned forward and whispered in Han's ear, "I think your mother's plotting something!"