Chapter Twenty-Six

Hoss rode hard to the Flying W, and then to the mine, but Micah wasn't at either place. Now, he barely got Chubb stopped before he dismounted, dropped the reins and ran up the steps to the front door of Adam's house.

"Adam! Shiloh!" he yelled as he burst through the front door.

Adam stood up from the table at the first yell.

Shiloh was a bit slower to rise, but she did.

Now, Hoss was at the opposite end of the breakfast table. "Do you know where Micah is?"

Wiping his mouth, Adam stepped away from the table. "He's not at the mine?"

Hoss shook his head.

"Or the ranch?" Adam asked himself. "I saw him this morning. He was…having a hard time. He must've gone for a ride."

"Adam, I got to know where. Etta's waking up. He needs to be there," said Hoss.

Moving around Shiloh, Adam quickly walked to the entry table bracing his chest with an arm across it. He put his gun belt on, pulled his coat off the hook where it hung and carefully swung it around him, and once his arms were in the sleeves, he took his hat and moved it to his head. "I have an idea where he might have gone. I'll bring him to Pa's."

"Hoss, Rachel's at school," said Shiloh as she watched Adam rush out the door.

"I'll go get 'er," said Hoss. "After I get you over to the house. I'll be bringing Dr. Martin back with me."

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Adam allowed Sport to pick his way around the boulders on the shore of the lake. The snow drifts were as high as six feet in some places, but there was a trail underneath the trees that was only two to three feet deep in snow. Once Adam got close the lake, following Micah had been easy.

He and Micah had come to this spot when they were young…to swim in the heat of a summer day. Adam laughed to himself. The temperature hadn't really been hot, but it seemed hot after a hard day of work. They often fished off the boulders further into the water. They talked about their favorite girls in Virginia City. They even occasionally got permission from their fathers to camp on the shore here after a round up and the work was done.

Tying his horse to a tree, Adam carefully followed the footsteps in the snow to a group of boulders at the edge of the water. When he found Micah, he said nothing for a time, but rather sat quietly next to him.

"You might think waiting for Etta to wake up is the hardest part of all this," said Adam after a few minutes of looking out at the lake. "It's not. It's putting it all back together after she wakes up."

"And what if she doesn't, Adam? What if she leaves me? I never thought I would be so…mentally bound to anyone. I wasn't this close to Dad. I was probably closer to Shiloh because she needed that after Mother died, but I never shared things with her like I shared with Etta." He snorted. "Even more with Etta than you."

Adam slightly lifted his chin and raised his brows. "I certainly hope so."

Micah looked out over the lake and whispered. "I don't know how to take care of a little girl, and I certainly can't replace her mother."

"Maybe you won't have to," said Adam. "It's time to come home and take care of them both. Etta's waking up."

Micah's head jerked toward Adam. He didn't say a word, but rather jumped to his feet, almost tumbling off the boulder, and slipped and slid over to his horse, leaving Adam sitting on the boulder right where he was.

Adam just watched and smiled…and hoped…that the waiting was really close to being over, and that Etta would be all right when she was fully awake. But something nagged at him. Something told him Etta's recovery wasn't going to be easy. Whatever the feeling was, he wasn't looking forward to going over to the main house.

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Micah slowed down when Beau stumbled. This was the second time the horse had slipped. He wasn't going to do anyone any good if he ended up breaking his neck falling off his horse. Still he could feel his heart thump hard in his chest.

When he arrived at the Ponderosa house, he quickly tied Beau to the hitching rail and walked as briskly as he could to the front door. He stopped. He had to slow his heart and catch his breath before he entered. His hand went to the door latch, and began to squeeze, but he stopped again. Rachel. Rachel was still at school. But maybe it was better she wasn't here, at least until he knew if Etta was…Etta.

He pushed the door open. "Anyone home?"

Ben had been sitting at his desk, trying to stay busy. "In here, Micah."

When Micah rounded the corner and stood in front of Ben's desk, he asked, "Etta?"

Smiling, Ben said, "Let's go upstairs." As they walked, Ben said, "Annie's been with her all morning. She said her eyelids fluttered and she moaned. I don't know anything else. I've tried to stay out while Annie checked her reflexes. Oh, and Hoss went to get Rachel from school."

"I don't want her here until I've had a chance to talk…to…Etta…or Annie." Micah stopped. "Sorry. I don't know what to expect."

Moving his hand to Micah's shoulder, Ben stopped for a moment. "I don't think any of us do. When Adam first came to after he was out so long, the first thing we heard was…sort of a low chuckle. It was another day before he really opened his eyes, and a few more before he spoke a word. Don't expect her to be…Etta…right off." Ben walked a few more steps then stopped and moved a finger to his lips. "Annie says it's different for everyone, so her awakening may not be like that at all."

Micah was no longer looking at him. Rather, he wasn't looking at anything. He just looked very…troubled.

"Micah?" Ben's hand went to his shoulder again and gently squeezed. "Micah, shall we?" said Ben, motioning down the hall with his other hand.

"Huh. Oh, yeah," said Micah quietly.

Ben hung back and motioned Micah toward the door.

Slowly turning the knob, Micah pushed the door open and found Annie sitting next to the bed holding Etta's hand. He stepped in and quietly closed the door behind him.

Annie finished what she was doing, then motioned Micah over. "Micah. She's awake."

He looked over at his wife whose eyes were open, but staring at the ceiling. "Etta?" When Etta didn't move, Micah's brows furrowed in concern…or was it all-out fear? His mouth became dry, and his nostrils flared from the effort to fight the stinging he felt in his eyes.

Annie gently laid Etta's hand on the bed, then stood and moved her arm around Micah's waist. "It doesn't seem as if she's responded yet, but her pulse quickened when you called her name. She heard you."

Micah slowly went to the side of the bed, sat down and lifted Etta's hand into his own. "Etta, it's Micah." Without looking away from his wife, he asked, "Annie…what now?"

"I don't know, Micah. I think it's different for everyone who has a head injury. You need to pay attention, though, because what she does could be slight…a slight squeeze of your hand, a slight move of her eyes. She is awake. We just have to be patient."

"What do I tell Rachel?"

"You tell her what you know, Micah. That's all you can do." When Micah turned his attention back to Etta, Annie left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She found Shiloh downstairs, pacing the floor. "Where's Hoss?" she asked as she stepped off the last riser.

"He went to get Rachel out of school." Walking up close to Annie, Shiloh looked into her eyes. "She's awake? How is she?"

Annie slightly snorted. "I wish I could answer that. Her eyes are open, but they haven't moved. Her heart beat faster, though, when she heard Micah's voice."

"That's all?"

"Shiloh, you of all people know how this goes."

"You told me Adam might not make it back after he woke up," said Shiloh without moving her eyes from Annie's.

Annie's eyes frowned and teared up. "I just don't know." She reached for Shiloh who stepped into Annie's side, and the two women stood there in each other's arms trying to hold back their tears.

Ben walked up behind them and moved his arms around them both. "You both know you can't be doing this when Rachel walks through the door."

Suddenly, the door opened. Both women looked up, wide-eyed. When they saw it wasn't Rachel, both released the breath they had sucked in.

"Uh, did I miss something?" asked Adam as he slowly closed the door behind him without looking. He couldn't take his eyes off of Shiloh. "What's happened?"

Shiloh and Annie separated. "Nothing…at least, nothing new," said Annie quietly. "It's just very familiar. And Etta is…our sister."

Adam's eyes frowned. It's not that he didn't know this would be how both of them felt. Etta had become family even before she married Micah. But nothing had changed, and Etta was still in dangerous territory. And Shiloh…Shiloh was closer to Etta than any of them except Rachel and Micah. He held Shiloh in his arms for what seemed like a long while before the door slowly opened again.

All eyes were on Rachel as she timidly stepped through the door. Rachel was a child who regularly barreled into a room, but by the look on her face, they all knew she was expecting the worst.

Adam pulled Hoss aside. "What did you tell her?

"Well, Adam, there's not that much to tell," replied Hoss quietly. "I just told her that Annie said there was a change, and that I left as soon as she said it to go pick her up. I didn't wanna tell her anything to get her hopes up in case it changed again before we got here."

Adam pressed his lips together and nodded. As he watched Shiloh and Annie take Rachel with them to the settee, he whispered, "Probably a good idea."

"Has it?"

Adam looked back at Hoss and shook his head. "Micah's up with her now. Annie said Etta's pulse quickened when Micah said her name, so she's sure Etta heard him."

Over at the settee, Rachel asked, "Is Mommy all right?"

Annie smiled. "She was when I saw her last. Your father is up with her now."

"But what's diff'rnt?"

Taking a deep breath, Shiloh pulled Rachel next to her and moved her arm around the little girl. "Rachel, a little while ago, your mother opened her eyes." Shiloh waited to see Rachel's reaction, but the child remained subdued, so continued. "When your father went up to see her, he called her name, and Annie felt your mother's heart beat faster, which means your mother heard your father. But that's all there was. She didn't move."

"Oh," Rachel whispered quietly.

"This is good news, Rachel," said Annie. "She is awake. But it will take time for her to be able to do things like move her eyes, or her hand, or even speak. She's still healing, but she's healed enough to know what's going on around her." Moving her finger under Rachel's chin, Annie lifted her face, looked her in the eyes and added, "She'll be able to hear you read. We'll know she's better again if she moves her eyes toward you or if you feel her hand move, so now, when you read to her, I want you to hold her hand."

"Can I see Mommy?" asked Rachel.

"We'll wait for your daddy to come down, and then he can take you up to see her," said Shiloh.

They didn't wait long before they heard Micah's footsteps near the top of the stairs. It was another minute before they saw Micah.

Micah had had a good cry on the other side of the door when he left Etta. He'd thought he had his emotions in check, but stopped to dry his tears before he joined the rest of the family downstairs. He hesitated, too, because he knew Rachel was probably home by now, and he wasn't sure he was ready to face her…to try to explain what had changed.

Rachel watched him come down the stairs. She knew he had been crying. She had never seen him cry, but she knew what his eyes looked like when he had. She rose from the settee and stood in front of him, just looking up into his face for a moment. Then she took his hand in hers. "Daddy, would you take me upstairs, so I can read to Mommy and help her wake up?"

Micah looked down at her, and his tears flowed.

Rachel crooked her finger, bidding him to bend to her level, and when he did, she whispered in his ear, "Mommy will wake up. We have to believe that."

Squatting down in front of her, Micah smiled through his tears and nodded his head before he pulled her into her arms. "We do, Rachie. Thank you for not letting me forget that." He stood with her still in his arms. "Shall we?" When she nodded, he turned and climbed the stairs.

Shiloh stood in front of Adam, his hands on her shoulders gently squeezing, having felt her sobs as they watched Rachel and Micah. "I've never seen him like this," she said quietly. "He was so strong when Momma got sick. He was alone when Dad died."

Adam stepped into her back, wrapped his arms around her, and spoke into her ear. "This is the woman he loves, Sweetheart. It's different."

Annie was no better than Shiloh, and Hoss was holding her as well. "Please, Hoss," she whispered into his ear. "Promise me, you'll always come back to me in one piece."

"Annie, that's a hard promise to make."

Looking into his eyes, she searched his.

"Sweetheart, remember what happened in Philadelphia? It wadn't our doin'. And it followed us back here and almost got Adam killed." Moving his hands gently up and down her arms, Hoss added, "We have to take the hand that's dealt us and do the best we can with it…just like Micah and Etta." He kissed her temple, then brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.

Ben watched as both of his sons dealt with…what might have happened…how things had turned out. When both men looked up at the top of the stairs as they consoled their wives, he knew they knew any one of them could be in Micah's position.

"Why don't you and Annie see if Hop Sing needs any help with dinner?" said Adam as he moved a wisp of Shiloh's hair out of her face.

"Would you send someone for Lo?" she asked.

He nodded and watched her walk over to Annie and Hoss, coaxing Annie away. He and Hoss watched them both walk hand and hand to the kitchen. When Ben joined them, Adam said, "I didn't understand until now why Shiloh suddenly became so adamant about permanently moving to San Francisco." He glanced up to the top of the stairs, his mouth turned in a deep frown. "This is what she went through when I was the one lying in bed for so long."

Ben flashed a nervous smile. "Adam, you're not considering it are you?"

"Well, I wasn't," replied Adam.

"Son, if you do consider it, don't let what's happened to Etta cause you to decide something neither one of you really want. This was an accident. It could have been any one of us. You in the mine. Me in the barn. Shiloh in your house."

"I know, Pa. It's just this is so…familiar to her. She's more than worried. She's frightened."

"Time, Son. We all just need time," said Ben.

Adam nodded. "I'll…" He pointed to the door. "Just…go…uh…get Lo." Slowly walking to the door, Adam pulled his coat on, then his hat, and then his gloves before he left. He met Paul Martin just pulling into the yard. "Go on in. Pa will fill you in. Annie's in the kitchen," he said rather absently. He tipped his hat and continued on. He had to think about what he was going to do if Shiloh couldn't handle this."