Chapter 36
The wheels of the train turned in the endless circles as the powerful engine swallowed the miles, the clouds of smoke puffing through the air and from time to time, a loud whistle from the locomotive could be heard. Flock of the birds flashed across the light blue sky, moving as one, like the dancers, following the rhythm of each other to the silent melody of their wings.
Atlantis stood in the hall in front of the compartment, leaning on her arms that rested on the opened window. She squeezed her eyes a bit at the rising sun and inhaled deeply the scent of the spring that danced through the air. The dawn was slowly clearing away and was fading into the brand new day and Atlantis turned on the right, her hair softly flying up as the warm breeze whispered around her long brown locks.
She woke up early and silently sneaked out from the compartment. Knowing that the sleep won't come to her again, she didn't want to wake up Matthew and Marshall Burch with tossing and turning around, so she slipped out from the compartment into the empty hall. She slowly opened the window and leaned her arms on it, gazing into the sky, waiting for the sun to wake up.
"Wouldn't waking up be easier with some coffee?", she heard Marshall Burch's voice and she glanced at him, smiling. He smiled as he gazed through the window "Good morning."
"Good morning, Marshall Burch. Did you sleep well?", she asked as they both watched the landscapes that skipped in front of their eyes like the pages of the most beautiful picture book.
"I did. Hope that you two could manage to get some sleep and that my snoring wasn't why you woke up so early", Marshall Burch squeezed his eyes a bit against the sun, right corner of his upper lip curling up in a smile.
Atlantis slightly laughed "No, of course not! I am used to get up early. Been doing that whole my life."
Marshall Burch glanced carefully at a young woman beside him, noticing a shadow of sadness flickering across her face. He knew that she must be thinking of her deceased Mum and he compassionately commented "It's hard to move on. Give yourself some time, child. And remember that you are not alone in this. You have somebody who will help you to heal", as Atlantis' eyes shone with tears, Marshall Burch softly finished his line "Matthew is a good man."
Atlantis nodded, quickly wiping one tear that escaped her eye and whispered "He is", taking a deep breath in, she looked up at older man and sadly smiled "Thank you, Marshall Burch."
Marshall Burch nodded and without a word, he took out a handkerchief and handed it to Atlantis. As she gratefully accepted it, he fatherly caressed her upper arm and asked "So, how about that coffee?"
Atlantis smiled a bit and as she nodded, Marshall Burch and she started to walk toward the wagon with restaurant. She wanted to give him a handkerchief back, but he shook his head and simply said "No, child, keep it."
"Thank you", whispered Atlantis.
The warmth and a scent of freshly brewed coffee and hot cocoa reached them as they swung the doors of the restaurant open. As they approached the bar, Marshall Burch asked her "Are you hungry?"
Atlantis shook her head "No. I will just take some coffee, thanks."
"Do you know what kind of coffee Matthew drinks? Perhaps you could bring him a cup while I sit down and have some breakfast", Marshall Burch nonchalantly said and he noticed how Atlantis' cheeks flushed up a bit, but she quickly covered it with answering "Yeah, he drinks black coffee, no milk, just a spoon of sugar."
Marshall Burch hid his smile and turned over to address the waiter who just approached them to order their coffees and his breakfast. As Atlantis took her paper cups and left the restaurant, Marshall Burch called over the waiter and said "Cancel the breakfast and pour me more coffee", he grinned to himself and sat comfortably in the chair.
Atlantis almost reached the doors of the compartment and glanced at two paper cups, sighing in frustration. How will she ever going to open the doors without spilling the coffee?!
"Great, just great, Atlantis", she grumbled at herself as she fussed around the handle on the doors, trying to open it with her elbow. Just in that moment, the train decided to turn sharp on the left and Atlantis swayed on her feet, gasping, her eyes never leaving two paper cups in her hands.
The doors opened quick as a lightening just in time as she started to fall down, yet not one drop of coffee was spilled. Matthew caught her in his arms and they both landed on the floor, laughing. Atlantis put up both her hands up in the air proudly and Matthew commented through chuckles "I can't believe it that you didn't spill that coffee!"
"Hey, juggling was the first thing I learned in the circus!", Atlantis replied, still laughing.
Also laughing, Matthew managed to push the doors closed with his foot, still holding Atlantis around her waist with his hands. As the doors clicked and the compartment was isolated of the noise from the bustling train, Matthew leaned in, Atlantis' back leaning against his chest and he deeply inhaled the scent of chamomile shampoo from her hair.
Atlantis closed her eyes, her laughter calming down and she nestled in Matthew's arms, enjoying the feeling of warmth and safety circling around her. She gently smiled as she pulled her knees closer to herself, showing no intention of getting up from the floor. This just felt too good. She put the cups down on the ground, but still held them with her fingers in case a train decided to take another sharp turn.
"Is that so?", Matthew silently asked, his warm breath tickling her sensitive skin on her neck.
"Never had anybody sweeping me off my feet in the process, though", she tried to joke, but her mind was already starting to get a bit cloudy from the sensations that woke up inside her from Matthew's touch.
His fingertips slowly and lazily caressed her arms up and down and she inhaled a shivering breath. In the next moment, she leaned her face between his neck and shoulder, her heart almost exploding with love as his lips gently and lovingly kissed her.
"Good morning, beautiful", Matthew whispered with a small smile as he pulled away few moments later and she curled up closer to him and whispered "Good morning", her smile mirrored the one that played on his lips and for a moment, she was lost in the bluest skies that hid in the depths of his eyes. As his hands protectively hugged her and he gently pulled her closer to him, he pointed with his index – finger at one paper cup and teased "Is that one for me?"
Atlantis smiled and nodded, handing him over the left cup "Black, with a spoon of sugar."
Matthew gently smiled as he accepted the cup and kissing her hair, he silently said "Thank you."
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Matthew smiled a bit as Atlantis lost her fight with sleep somewhere around six in the afternoon. She was fighting hard to stay awake and for the last 15 minutes or so, her head was lolling up and down against Matthew's shoulder. Both him and Marshall Burch started to talk more silently so they wouldn't disturb her and so eventually, she fell into a slumber. As her face gently touched Matthew's shoulder, he looked down at her and softly smiled. She was completely out.
"She woke up before me this morning. I think it was still dark when she got up", Marshall Burch said as he handed Matthew's coat to his young friend.
Carefully covering Atlantis with his coat, Matthew shook his head "She's been through a lot lately...", he slowly fixed the coat that slipped down from Atlantis' left shoulder and when it was done, he glanced back at his friend sitting across him.
"How did you two meet?", Marshall Burch silently asked.
Matthew took a deep breath in and slightly shook his head "We met when we were still practically kids... Teenagers actually. I was engaged back than, but my fiancée died from rabies", he swallowed hard at the thoughts of Ingrid.
"I am sorry, son", Marshall Burch silently said.
Matthew nodded "Thank you", he was silent for a while and stared through the window. After few moments of silence, he continued to speak "Atlantis just made me feel good, like I didn't have a care in the world, even back than. But, I was completely different back than, had all my life planned out...", Matthew shook his head "But, plans don't always work out. I didn't realize until the end that she felt something for me even back than...", his thumb gently caressed barely visible cut between Atlantis' thumb and index – finger and he silently said "Dr. Mike had done a surgery on her hands. Her fingers were webbed and for quite some time, her Ma didn't allow her to fix them or even to wear gloves, except when she was working. And I didn't even notice back than why did she comb her hair in a different way or why she suddenly showed up in a dress after wearing only trousers. And than, when she saw me with Ingrid... it was the last drop, I guess. She cut her fingers and fainted. I didn't even know what was going on until my sister Colleen ran up toward me, crying and just blurted out what happened and than she just silently added that Atlantis was in love with me. It wasn't a reason for her cutting her fingers, but it was definitely the last drop. She couldn't deal with her webbed fingers anymore. And I remember thinking back than...", Matthew glanced at his fiancée as she slowly moved closer to him, still in a deep slumber. He waited for a second or two to see will she wake up, but as Atlantis continued to sleep, he went on with talking "I remember scolding myself back than for not picking up the obvious signals she was sending to me. I remember how she encouraged Colleen to walk the high wire even though my sister was terrified of the heights, but both Atlantis and me tried to help Colleen to win over her fears."
"You were a great team even back than", Marshall Burch silently commented as he carefully listened to his young friend.
Matthew nodded "Yeah... we were. I told her that if I wasn't engaged that I would be truly honoured to have someone as special as she is to like me."
Marshall Burch raised his eyebrows and after a second or two, he said "That was really nice of you, son."
"I meant every word. I felt terrible for not picking up on the signals she was sending back than. It killed me to see her getting heartbroken. "
"You were still so young. But, when you realized that you unintentionally hurt her feelings you behave more mature than some grown up men would do in that kind of situation, son", Marshall Burch honestly said. For a moment, two friends were silent and than Matthew started to talk again "After she left Colorado, I didn't think that I will ever see her again...And so much happened during those years... I just wasn't the same."
"You grew up", Marshall Burch simply said and Matthew nodded a bit, contemplating the wise words that Marshall Burch told him. He definitely did got more serious and thought more with his head, became more responsible. Marshall Burch watched him as he grew silent and than asked "So, how did you meet again?"
"Atlantis was in the circus, travelling around the world her whole life. Few months ago, the circus came in Denver and I saw it in the newspapers and remembered her... I was curious to see is she still there, you know... And something just didn't let me to stay away. I was drawn to her from the moment I found out that she is in Denver. We talked and went for a dinner, than breakfast tomorrow morning and we saw each other every day. It felt like she never left, like she was always there, you know... By the time she had to go away, I didn't know what to do. I didn't want her to go, but I didn't had the right to ask her to stay. Back than, we were still just friends... However, we stayed in contact over letters, obviously both determined not to loose contact again and suddenly I got a telegram from her friend Christine from the circus that her Ma, Heart, is dying. I didn't even think about it, I knew that I had to... wanted to be there for her. So I packed my things, got on the first train to Boston and managed to come only few minutes after Heart passed away."
Marshall Burch glanced at the face of asleep young woman and shook his head, sadness flickering across his eyes "It's a terrible loss, but thank God she has you by her side", as Matthew glanced at Atlantis' face too, Marshall Burch said "She's a good person and loves you a lot. And you seem more relaxed around her than I've ever seen you."
Matthew nodded, taking in Marshall Burch's wise words "I am. I closed in during the years, you know. Lost too much and didn't dare to feel. I was scared of living... and Atlantis changed that."
Marshall Burch carefully watched his young friend's face and after few moments, he silently said "I can see that you're at peace. Happy. And I'm glad to see that."
"Thank you", Matthew said and looking up at his friend, he slightly shook his head and commented "I'm so glad we ran into you! I was wondering where were you, how are you, what are you doing?"
Marshall Burch slightly smiled and gazed through the window "Thanks to you, I was able to get back to my job. Caught lots of outlaws in last few years. Now, as the years caught me up, I am thinking of retiring and finding a place to settle down. It just seems that every time I start to work on that, somebody contacts me and say that they need my help. And adrenaline works up inside me and I just can't say no", as both him and Matthew smiled at that conclusion, Marshall Burch added "This case, though, is definitely something that I've been hearing about a lot and my instinct tells me that there is more to it than what I've been told."
Matthew creased his eyebrows "Do you have anybody to ask about more details?"
"No, not really... not that they know of it", Marshall Burch replied, and Matthew realized by the tone of his voice that his friend's plan was dangerous.
"Promise me that you'll let me know if you need my help. And be careful", Matthew seriously said and for a moment Marshall Burch just stared at him, and than nodded.
"I will. Thanks, Matthew."