Chapter 19

The front door opened to the quaint living room of the modern home. Ike stepped through the door wearing jeans and a white t-shirt with a red skull cap to cover his bad head. Behind him was a young dark haired woman with hazel eyes dressed in blue hospital scrubs. Ally Myers closed the door behind them and then wrapped her arms around Ike's shoulders and kissed him gently on the lips.

She then grinned, "I'll get changed and then we can head to Dave's party." She released him as he nodded in agreement. She quickly left the room to change out of her work clothes.

Ike wandered about the living area of the ranch style home. He came across a table with photos and looked upon the display. A framed picture caught his eye. He picked it up and spied Ally with Sam in the photo. They were smiling and both wore helmets and has some kind of rope. He stared for a few moments and soon Ally returned as she was in such a hurry she was still changing her clothing. She had put her shirt over her swimsuit when she spied Ike looking intensely at the photo. "Hey!" she smiled wondering what he was thinking.

He held up the picture and pointed to Sam.

"You know Sam?" she asked surprised.

He nodded hard.

"She works in the hospital." she told him. "She's one of your doctors." She came closer, "She's my friend. We used to go rock climbing together. Though, lately I haven't seen much of her. She's spending time with her cousin, Lou. I met her once." She added, "She lives right next to Dave." She grinned, "We can see her when we at the pool party. Dave always invites her. He's got this crush on her. But he's really not her type. Plus, he's divorced and has kids and bit older than she is. Sam is my age. She's the youngest doctor in the state." She laughed, "She hates is when I called her Doogie or Dr. Howser."

Ike looked baffled.

"The old t.v. show about the teenage doctor. Neil Patrick Harris stared in it." she explained.

He shrugged having no clue what show she was speaking of. He placed the photo down knowing Sam was not there but stuck in the past instead.

Ally wrapped her arms around him once more and indulged in another kiss. She pulled away slightly and suggested, "Why don't you just move in here with me? I have the room and that way you won't have to go to the halfway house. I hate the idea of you going there."

He blushed shaking his head.

She figured, "Oh, are we back on the no sex before marriage thing again?" She understood that Ike was old fashioned to her estimation. "Then let's get married." she suggested.

He motioned in American sign.

She responded, "So…then ask me. You already know the answer."

He replied in sign.

She rolled her eyes, "You don't have to buy me a ring and do the whole pop the question thing. I want to marry you. I love you. A guy like you is hard to find these days. I've dated a lot of guys including some doctors. Ike, you are not like most guys. You actually treat me like a lady and most men, don't how to do that. You work harder than anyone else at the hospital. You have already been accepted into nursing school. I'm not letting you go that easy. I know what I got."

He gave a quick reply in sign and then kissed her lips every so gently.

She rolled her eyes, "Alright…we can talk about it later." She released him, "Let's get going!"

Short Time Later

Ally drove her small black coup to the party. She spied Sam's car sitting in the driveway and pulled up next to the car figuring Sam would allow her to park in the drive as she had in the past. She mentioned, "Oh good! Sam's home. She will let us park here so we don't have to park on the shoulder of the road."

Ike shook his head.

"What?" she asked.

He signed.

"What do you mean she's not here?" she asked confused.

The front door swung open and Lou stepped out with the boys and Teaspoon in tow to see who had pulled into the driveway. They gave a collective welcoming grin as Ike emerged from the passenger's side. They assumed he had come to see them and maybe he had changed his mind.

Ally waved, "Hi Lou! Remember me? Ally from the hospital. Sam's friend!"

She did recall the meeting, "Nice to see you again." She then grinned at Ike, "You changed your mind?"

He shook his head and motioned towards Dave's house.

Ally stood a bit perplexed, "You know Lou, Ike?"

He nodded.

The boys soon surrounded Ike giving him a pat on the back, happy that he was alive and doing well.

She asked, "You know everyone?" she assumed he was alone and had no one.

He gave a nod.

"Where is Sam?" she asked Lou. "It's okay that I park here, right?"

"Sam is not here." she told her. "I'm here. She's visiting friends."

"She will be back by Monday." she stated concerned. "She's supposed to be at work on Monday."

"I really don't know." Lou confessed.

As the boys gave Ike room she got a good look at Jimmy and Billy. She cocked her head and stated, "Wow! You two guys look just like Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody. That's our little town's claim to fame." She couldn't help but grin, "You any relation to them?"

"Yup," Billy simply replied.

Jimmy was getting bothered by the whole notion. "It's James Butler Hickok. Jimmy of you like."

Ally asked astonished, "You mean you were named after him too? James Butler Hickok is your real name?"

"I was named after my mother's side." he replied annoyed.

"Wow!" she grinned. "Have you been to the museum?"

"Not yet." he confessed.

She insisted, "You got to go! You look so much like him. Maybe we can all go this weekend?" she looked to Ike.

Lou shook her head for she knew about the group photo and the history attached. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" she wondered for it sounded like fun to the nurse.

"Just isn't." she winced.

Jimmy stated, "I want to see it, Lou."

She sighed knowing it was a bad idea. "Fine."

Dave then called from his driveway, "Ally! Glad you made it. No Sam though! But her relatives are here. Come on over. Party is starting."

"Be right there," she hollered back. She looked to Kid, "You Sam's cousin too?"

"We're kin." he replied.

To Ally they were a strange group. "Well, let's get to Dave's party." she suggested.

Rock Creek - Past

It had been a long day for Sam as she did double duty of Marshal and town doctor. Buck and Noah did manage to keep the peace but not without some confrontations. Rachel had kept busy helping Sam check the local prostitutes for disease and other health issues.

Sam took a seat on the sofa in the station house and just laid down and rested her eyes. Rachel sat herself down into a large chair and she took a rest as Noah and Buck tended to the Marshal's office.

All that could be heard was the ticking of the clock. They simply sat in silence for the moment. The silence was suddenly broken by a loud horn.

Rachel jumped, "What in the world is that?"

"Sounds like a car alarm." she sprang up.

They ran to the front door and there sat two cars: Sam's red Subaru and the little black coup that Ally drove. The alarms were going off and it was making a hideous noise.

Rachel covered her ears, "What are those things and what is it doing?"

The back coup suddenly stopped making noise. Sam ran to her car to pull the fuse. She opened the door and behind the wheel sat Lou with Teaspoon in the passenger's seat and the boys in the back. They had no idea how to get the car to stop making the noise. She reached down and pulled the fuse, stopping the alarm. Sam asked, "What happened?"

"We ended up in your world." Lou told her. "We were going to the museum with your friend, Ally when the lightning and that wave hit us. Hit us right here in the car as we parked."

The door swung open on the black car and Ally emerged with Ike. She looked rather confused, "What just happened? Some kind of blast wave hit the car." She spied her friend, "Sam!"

"You got sucked up in this too, Al." she figured.

She came closer, "Sucked up in what?" She looked about, "How come the museum looks…different?" She stood rather perplexed as the museum didn't look much like a museum to her. It looked as if it was being lived in and the parking lot was nothing but dirt.

"You are in the past and this is an operating Pony Express station." she informed.

She laughed, "You are kidding. This is a joke, right?"

She shook her head and looked past Ike, "You were hit by the wave on your run?"

He nodded.

"Ended up in my world?" she figured.

He nodded again.

"What did you do?" she wondered.

He replied in American sign.

"You got a job working in the hospital, everyone is helpful and Dr. Carson is going to fix your voice." she gathered.

He signed again.

"Ally is your fiancée and you two are getting married." she puckered.

Jimmy, Kid and Billy had also existed the car and heard what Sam stated. They looked to Ike expecting for he didn't say anything about getting married before.

"Why didn't you tell us, Ike?" Billy wondered.

Ike signed.

They looked to Sam, "He says they just decided in the car on the way over here after the party." She asked, "What party?"

Lou sighed, "Dave's party. I think he likes me too."

She cocked her head, "Pool party?"

She nodded.

She miffed, "Figures." She took off the badge and handed it to Teaspoon. "I filled in for you, Marshal. It's all yours!"

He retrieved the badge, "You filled in as town Marshal? But you're a doctor."

She nodded, "You make that job looks so easy." She looked at Lou, "Who taught you to drive and when did you get your license? How long were you there?"

"License? I just watched you and did what you did. We were only there about two days. Ike was there a bit longer." she assured her. "We stayed at your house. Becky has our horses."

She pointed to her car and looked at Lou, "You have been driving my car for two days without a license?"

She glanced at the other riders and then asked Sam, "Well…Where would I find this here license?"

Ally figured, "You're not cousins."

She shook her head and judging by the modern clothing Lou wore she gathered Teaspoon must know. She stated, "Lou is my grandmother. I knew my family had a connection to the Pony Express but I had no idea my grandmother dressed up like a boy and snuck in."

Ally looked at Ike and asked, "Is this real?"

He nodded and signed to confirm.

"You met Sam here and you ride for the Pony Express." She looked to Teaspoon, "You are the town Marshal." She then looked at Jimmy and Billy. Her mouth dropped, "Oh' my fucking god!" she gasped as the truth hit her like a bolt of lightning.

Sam added, "They are the real deal."

"Holy shit!" she gasped in shock.

Sam warned, "Rachel doesn't like swearing so better watch that." She motioned, "That's Rachel Dunn. She tends the station and cooks for the boys. I don't know what is behind this time thing and I have no idea how or when we will get back." She looked to Rachel, "Ally is a nurse that I work with at the hospital. Can she stay with you?"

"Of course, long as there is no cursing." she stated firmly. She looked to Teaspoon and the boys, "Just what was the future like? Was it like what Lou said is was?"

They nodded in agreement.

Jimmy stated, "Apparently me and Billy are famous. We went to this place called Wal-mart. That was terrible. Had this thing called pizza…that wasn't bad. Went to a pool party at Dave's house. That was kind if un. Girls don't wear much there. We ate a sausage called a hot dog and this flat meatball on bread called a burger. Drank cold beer and they really do have ice that comes out of a door on this fancy ice box." He added, "Also watched some of that t.v. thing."

Amused Sam asked, "Did you find a show you like?"

He shook his head, "Nah, nothing all that entraining. Just saw Ike on the news and that's how we found him."

Ike motioned with his hands in American sign to Sam.

"Dr. Carson is going to operate on you." she replied. "He's a good doctor."

He made another sign.

"I need to get back too, Ike. I don't know how." she told him. "For now, all we can do is wait and see what happens."

Kid asked, "What about the horses?"

Teaspoon spoke, "I can have the express send some more horses for now. Not sure how we will get our horses back."

"Becky will take care of them." Sam assured. "We will straighten this all out…somehow."