Hi again! Sorry for this chapter's short length, but the others will be longer. Anyways, read on and enjoy.

Lady Ravanna- Yeah, I nearly cried while writing it. One of the saddest moments of the show, imo =) Thanks for commenting!

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Eabha didn't notice the days passing, even when they added up to a month. She still did her sweeping for the hotel, but aside from that and having meals with Branna in the dining room, nothing else was really registering. It was as if the world around her was frozen in place, yet she was the one who was stuck. Everyone else was dismayed at what happened to Ruth, but for the most part, they were still getting on with things. Only Eabha couldn't do so. Her one true friend was dead, and she hadn't seen Cullen since the hanging.

Though she was just as determined to take care of her daughter as ever, the woman didn't see happiness in her destiny anymore. Ruth had given her a renewed sense of hope, and it was because of her that Eabha was able to feel joyful again. But now, she was gone. And to make matters even worse, her last days were filled with anguish and emptiness.

She didn't deserve what was given to her. And poor Ezra…

The girl's heart ached for the shy orphan. He'd gone through something too horrible to put into words, but God obviously didn't think it was quite enough pain for him. No…He had to make the child die such a torturous death. None of it made any sense at all. How could two utterly pure souls be snatched away so viciously? What kind of God would allow this?

With these losses weighing down on her, Eabha couldn't stop from thinking about her own tragedies all over again. This so-called merciful God led her into a cursed marriage that resulted in such chaos. She certainly hadn't told Thor to destroy that engine, kill Mrs. Bell, or murder the real Dutsons, to say nothing about her mother and father. But at the same time, part of her wondered if it could've been avoided. He'd asked her to go with him upon his return to Hell on Wheels, and she had refused.

Would he have still done those horrid things if I'd gone back to him? Maybe I could've stopped him…

As much as the poor woman didn't want to think of such things, she couldn't help it. Then again, was that God's will too? Did He take away all the good things in her life for the sole purpose of making her suffer? Had she done something awful enough to deserve it? Or did this God simply enjoy empowering the wicked and victimizing the good for His amusement? How so may people still had such faith in Him was beyond her. She was hesitant to not believe in a higher power, but it was almost soothing. The nonexistence of a God was surely better than the reality of a vengeful and ferocious deity.

Despite her all-consuming sorrow, Eabha took small comforts in watching Branna. The child still seemed happy enough, unlike the rest of the town. She'd even gathered enough strength to pull herself to her feet. This wasn't enough to break through the dark cloud of grief, but it pleased her young mother greatly. It probably wouldn't be long before she started walking all by herself.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. After making sure she was decent enough, the woman tentatively opened it, revealing an unfamiliar man.

"Miss Eabha Malloye?"

"Yes…"

"Telegram from Salt Lake City."

He handed her a folded piece of paper and departed. Eabha stood there in a confused state for a moment before stepping back and opening the parchment. She mentally kicked herself, remembering that she couldn't read. However, there was someone else who could.

"Charlotte?"

The older woman paused on the way to the kitchen.

"Eabha, good morning."

"Good morning. I don't mean to keep you from your work, but…" She fumbled with the telegram in her hands. "Could you tell me what this says?"

After taking the telegram and looking over it, Charlotte stepped to the side of the room with her companion and quietly read the words aloud.

"Go to Truckee CA. Stop. Joined CP. Stop. Will watch over you." The woman paused briefly, trying to find something else. "Oh, it says it's from C. Bohannon."

Eabha's heart started pounding at this. She'd gone so long without hearing anything from him, and out of the blue…

"Do you think you'll go?" asked Charlotte.

"Go where? I don't know what he's talking about."

"CA stands for California, so CP might be that other railroad company."

The girl took this in for a moment. There wasn't really anything left for her in Cheyenne, and she knew Cullen was a trustworthy fellow. Now that Ruth was gone, she didn't trust anyone else in the town. And part of her wondered if leaving this place would lift her spirits, along with that of her child.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "I think I will."

OOOOOOOOO

It didn't take very long to get her things together, since it all fit in her trunk with room to spare. The baby had matured considerably, so Eabha decided to leave the crib where it was. There would be other mothers in Cheyenne at some point that could use it. However, she made sure to retrieve her hidden money and tuck it away into one of the small pockets in her suitcase. The coach headed towards California charged a fairly decent fee, and Eahba had almost enough money saved up from sweeping. The leftovers from when Ruth took her to get new clothes wound up paying the difference. Miraculously, the Malloye savings remained untouched.

Mrs. Palmer was very understanding when the girl told her of her choice to leave. Eabha felt genuinely grateful for her hospitality, but not wanting to stir up any political conflicts within the railroad operation, she didn't mention exactly where she was going or what Mr. Bohannon had said in his message.

"It's just too much here," she told the older woman. "I feel like we need to get away from it."

"Well, I hope you and the baby can find a place to be happy."

"Thank you, ma'am. For everything."

Once she'd bid farewell to Charlotte, fastened her cape around her shoulders, and given her suitcase to the driver, Eabha scooped Branna into her arms and climbed into the coach with her knitting needles nestled beneath her legs. She stared outside as the horses started moving out of Cheyenne.

Goodbye, Ruth. And Ezra, Mama, Papa…I'll never forget you.

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Let me know what you think.