Chapter 8
After breakfast Jim gathered the dishes, "Thank you for breakfast, I appreciate it. It's about time for Jason to be getting back, so I better have things cleaned up or he'll think I have been slacking off. I'll be in the barn so if you need anything just give a holler."
"Thank you Jim. You have been a huge help while Jason's been gone and I appreciate it. It's getting kind of difficult to do anything now that I'm so big. But I can still cook, so I'm going to bake a cake for Jason's return. What's your favorite?" Jenny asked the question before she thought and she immediately saw her mistake. "Oh Jim, I'm sorry, I spoke before thinking, please forgive me."
Jim smiled sadly, "It's all right Jen, I might as well get used to it. No doubt I'll be getting all sorts of questions I won't be able to answer. I'll get busy now."
"Wait Jim!" He turned back, "I want to tell you … the first time I saw you I thought how very much you look like my father and when you called me Jen just now it reminded me of him again. He always called me Jen. I loved him so and miss him every day."
"I'm honored, but also sorry that I remind you of something that makes you sad. What happened to him?"
"He died in the influenza epidemic ten years ago, he and my mother." In her sadness, Jenny didn't notice the flash of pain that crossed Jim's face. He had a fleeting memory, or what he thought might be a memory, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
"I'm sorry. I can only imagine how difficult that would be. I better get busy with that barn or the day will be over and I'll have gotten nothing done."
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Jim had been working in the barn, cleaning stalls and soaping tack all morning and was now standing at the corral staring out over the fields. As he stood there the dun colt came trotting up to him, putting his head over the fence he nuzzled Jim's chest looking for a treat. Again a memory of another horse flitted across his conscious mind then was gone as suddenly as it appeared.
"Hey there, you think I have something for you, do you?" Jim fed him a carrot he had snagged out of the winter garden and as he was chewing on the tasty morsel, Jim began talking to him.
"I feel as if I have known you, or a horse like you at one time. I'll miss you after I leave the ranch. I feel safe here and the thought of leaving and journeying into the unknown has me nervous. I have no idea who I am or where to begin my search to find the answers, I don't even know which direction to go when I leave." As he was stroking the dun's muzzle, he felt as lost as if he had been dropped in the middle of a foreign country.
Shaking his head, he gave the horse one final pat and turned back to his work. He had just picked up the pitchfork when he heard a blood curdling scream.
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Jason had a very successful trip to Fort Laramie, receiving top dollar and the promise of more business in the years to come. If he could purchase some more brood mares and another good stud he would be able to build up a nice business. It would be a lot more work though, more than one man could do alone. He began thinking about Jim, maybe he could talk him into staying. He had proven himself to be a good hand and he liked horses and Jason knew that Jenny would go for the idea as she had taken quite a liking to the man. He would talk it over with her, then try and convince Jim to stay.
Jim dropped the pitchfork and ran towards the house. "Sara!" A horrible memory was niggling at the back of his mind. Why was he so terrified?
He ran into the house as Jenny screamed once more … seeing her on the floor in a pool of water and blood another flash of memory struck him. "No! Please God, no!"
Jim grabbed towels and blankets and knelt by Jenny, who was crying out in pain and fright. Jim knew she was having the baby too early, this couldn't be happening, not again.
Jenny was having strong contractions but the baby wasn't coming. Jim talked to her quietly, trying to calm her fears, but he couldn't even calm his own. Why did the scene playing out before him look so familiar? He was living the nightmare again. Please let him do it right this time.
"Sara, take deep breaths, I have to try and reposition the baby, his head needs to come first. This will hurt but it has to be done. Hold on Sweetheart."
Jim worked and worked between contractions trying to get the baby turned around, all the time asking God to spare them. Finally the baby was headed in the right direction, "Push Sara, push!"
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Doctor Gregory had kept up a running dialogue informing Jess of the few inhabitants of the area, what they did for a living, how many in each residence and the names of all their children. Jess had to laugh, or else he would have cried at the one sided conversation.
Topping a rise the doctor pointed out the ranch house on the edge of a large meadow. "There's the J Bar J Ranch, we'll be there in another fifteen minutes." A rider appeared where the road left the trees, "That looks like Jason there, he made it home a little earlier than he thought. We'll just mosey along and let him and Jenny have a little time to say hello."
Jess was all for racing to get there, but he contained himself. In fact, he was wondering how he was going to act when he saw Mort. If indeed he couldn't remember anything, then what was Jess going to do? He couldn't force Mort to go back to Laramie … did he come all this way just to lose him again?
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With all of his daydreaming, Jason found that he was nearly home, in just another few minutes he would be back in the arms of his loving wife. Smiling to himself he thought of the present he had brought her and how her face would light up when she saw it.
But then hearing his wife scream turned his joy to fear … kicking his horse into a run his fear was turning to panic as he heard another scream. Pulling the horse to a stop, he jumped off and rushed into the house.
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Jenny screamed once again then gave a final push, delivering a baby boy into Jim's hands. He cleared the mouth, placing a crying, healthy baby boy into Jenny's arms at the same time Jason ran into the house. Seeing his wife on the floor his heart gave a lurch as he pushed Jim out of the way, but then he heard the baby cry and saw the look of love on Jenny's face and knew everything was all right.
Jim quietly left the couple to themselves and walked to the barn, tears in his eyes. The dun nickered at his friend and sensing a sadness, he went to him, putting his head on Jim's shoulder, letting his friend cry on his neck.
After his tears subsided Jim washed his hands then began unsaddling Jason's horse and as he pulled the saddle off he heard a dog yip. Placing the saddle on the rail he began to search the saddle bags where he found a black puppy who was shaking and scared. Jim smiled and carefully took the puppy into his arms, petting him as he softly talked to him, trying to calm his fears, as well as his own.
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Doctor Gregory and Jess had heard Jenny's last scream and were racing their horses into the yard as Jim was walking to the barn. The doctor immediately went into the house while Jess watched the man walk to the barn. As much as Jess wanted to go to him, he hesitated … what if he wasn't the Mort he knew, or he doesn't remember him, or worse yet he may never regain his memory. He wouldn't be the same man, even if he looked like his friend and mentor.
He stood there watching the man petting a dun horse that looked a lot like the one he had given him for Christmas last year. He started to slowly walk toward the barn.
"Jess!" The doctor called. "I need to talk to you. Jenny said that he called her Sara. Do you know who that is?"
Jess nodded his head sadly, "Yes. That was his wife's name. She and their daughter died about ten years ago. Why?"
"Well, if he's remembering things, we need to go slow. We don't want to overload him with memories and information as it may cause his brain to shut down again."
Jess looked at the doctor, confused, "Are you telling me not to go to him? After all this time of not knowing where he was, or even if he was dead or alive and now you don't want me talking to him! I would think that if he's startin' to remember then another familiar face would help. Let me talk to him."
Doctor Gregory saw the concern and yes, love on Jess' face. "All right Son. But please go slow and don't be surprised or hurt if he doesn't remember you right away. He hasn't been one to talk a lot since he's been here, so he may not be very forth coming to you, so don't rush him."
"Thanks Doc. I'll go slow I promise."
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Jason had carried Jenny and the baby into their bedroom, where they were both resting comfortably. He was so thankful that Jim had been here and knew what to do. According to the doctor Jenny probably wouldn't have survived the birth, nor would the baby have. They owed Jim more than they could ever repay.
As he was watching Jenny she opened her eyes, smiled and told him, "He looks like you, with the same eyes and chin." Then she sobered, "If it hadn't been for Jim I would have lost the baby. We owe him so much Jason, I don't want him to leave, what if he regains his memory and leaves us?" She began crying and all he could do was hold her, because he had no answers for her.