I do NOT own The Big Valley, nor do I own any of the original Barkley characters. Thanks again to my Beta Reader, for all the time she spent helping me this story.

Against the Crooked Sky

Chapter Twenty-One

The breeze from the opened entry flap to the teepee felt good as Jarrod opened his eyes once more. This time he was able to stay awake for more than a couple of hours and actually had the strength to sit up, though for a moment things seemed to spin a bit; it was probably the affect of the infection that had set in for awhile; thank goodness, the infection had finally disappeared altogether. He put his right hand over his left arm for a moment; it was in a sling made out of buckskin. He was tired of lying down and slowly, very slowly, stood up only to find himself dropping to his knees.

Gentle Wind, who had just walked into the teepee, hurried over to his side. "You want up, fine. Need help. Sick too long. Legs weak. Lean on me." She helped him up and wrapped his good arm around her shoulders. She smiled at Jarrod as she did so. Her smile lit up her face; Jarrod couldn't help but smile back.

"Thank you." He wasn't going to argue with the help. Soon she had him outside and was helping him over to a nearby log. As the two walked, Jarrod saw more than one head turn; some were women working in the village, some were men who were returning from who knows where and some were the young children. He didn't care though; he was just happy to be out of bed. He would have gone stir crazy if he had to stay down one more day. Of course, the long talks and getting to know Gentle Wind had been a side benefit. Once he was sitting down, Gentle Wind walked over to where her aunt sat on the ground working on a rug. It didn't take long for Gentle Wind to get her own project going.

Spotted Fawn watched as her niece worked and hummed softly, glancing over towards where their guest sat entertaining a small child who had wandered over his way. For a man who obviously did not understand the Apache tongue, this Jarrod Barkley was doing an amazing job keeping the child's attention. In spite of the slight admiration she was shocked to find she had for the man, Spotted Fawn was more than concerned for her niece. She'd heard the young woman and the guest talking and laughing as he lay recovering his strength. While Spotted Fawn was not against a mixed relationship, not to the degree Running Wolf was, she still shared the fear he had, that her niece was setting herself up for heartache.

"You have had many chances to marry, little one," The woman called anyone younger than her 'little one'; it didn't matter their age, "Why cast your eyes upon him? He is almost well enough to travel. He will be gone soon. Do you wish to leave your people and live among the white man?" Her eyebrows rose slightly.

Gentle Wind stopped her humming and thought for a moment, and then answered, "Do not worry about it; he is my friend." She went back to humming and working. "They're called letters. There's twenty-six of them all together. When they' put together in different ways, they make up words." Jarrod had told her when she'd drawn a few markings she'd seen at the trading post and asked him about them. He'd taken the time and taught her their names and sounds, promising to teach her more if she wanted it. She had wanted it, and he'd taught her some more. They'd also talked about family, both of theirs, and shared a lot of laughs, but more than that? Again, Gentle Wind glanced over at Jarrod, who was once again by himself. Who knew; she didn't and she wasn't making any guesses. She worked until she noticed Jarrod wasn't looking so well; she excused herself and hurried to his side.

"Come. You rest. I get food. You eat." Gentle Wind held out her hand. Jarrod would have like to stay outside longer, but he admit he was feeling rather tired. Besides, he was a bit embarrassed to realize that, in his hurry to see something beside the inside of a teepee, he'd remained shirtless. It hadn't seemed to make a difference to any of the Apaches walking around in the village though. He took hold of her hand, stood up, leaned on her and walked back to the place he was temporally calling home.

Once he was lying back down, Gentle Wind went to cover him up only to find his hand upon her wrist. "No, please. Let me just lie here and leave that entry flap open. It feels nice to see outside." It did too; from where he lay, he could see straight through the opening.

Remembering her aunt's words, Gentle Wind sat back on top of her feet and said, "You well soon. You go back white world. Before you leave…teach me more letters, teach me read." She was fascinated by the letters he'd taught her and the stories he told. She wanted more of both. Besides, if he was teaching her, it would give them more time together. With that admission, the fact that it would give the two of them more time together, Gentle Wind finally admitted to herself she was falling in love with him.

Jarrod couldn't help but smile as he closed his eyes. He had never really thought of himself as a teacher, but she had picked up so quickly when he'd shown her the first fifteen letters, it would be his pleasure. Besides, he enjoyed her company. "Sure, first I need to sleep." He said nothing more as he did just that, drifted off to sleep that is.

While Gentle Wind knew she should go back to work, she couldn't get herself to move for a few minutes. She watched Jarrod breathing and remembered the stories he'd told her as she did so. They had been so fascinating. "Do you wish to leave your people and live among the white man?" Her aunt's question rang once more in her ears. What did she want? Up until she'd met Jarrod, Gentle Wind had been more than content in the only world she'd ever known. Now? She lightly touched Jarrod's still bandaged shoulder; reccuring infections had made it necessary to keep it covered. As she ran her fingers over the bandages, she found herself wondering if there was indeed a chance for them.