Chapter 28 – Consequences

Lee runs up to Patrick and kneels down beside him, reaching for his face, asking, "Patrick, are you hurt?"

Patrick responds, "I'm okay, Papa." Lee opens his arms wide, and Patrick gladly climbs into his lap, sobbing. Lee squeezes him tight, and Patrick winces.

"I'm sorry, buddy. What hurts?"

"My left arm and my side."

Lee reaches for Patrick's arm to see if it is broken. Lee questions, "Can you move your arm? Can you bend it?"

"A little. It hurts really bad, Papa," with tears falling down his face.

"Where does it hurt on your side?" Patrick points to his left side around his hip. "Is that where you hit the tree?"

Patrick sniffles, answering, "Yes, sir."

"I've got you now, Patrick. I'll check with Otto to see if there is someone who can check out your arm and side."

Patrick looks up at Lee, mentioning, "Your eye is black, Papa."

Lee touches his eye and feels it swelling up, saying, "I must have hit it on something. Do you remember when Mama had the bump on her head from falling down the stairs?" Patrick nods his head. "She had it for a few days, and then it went away. This will be the same, so you don't have to worry about me." Lee sees a couple of scrapes on Patrick's face. He digs his handkerchief out of his pocket and wets it with snow, wiping the blood, slush, and tears from his sad face.

By this time, Otto had finally looked behind him and realized Patrick and Lee were no longer there. He frantically finds a place to turn the dogs around and starts looking for them. Otto finally sees Lee holding Patrick out of the corner of his eye, and he guides the dogs over to them. He jumps out and runs towards Lee and Patrick, inquiring, "Are you two, okay? What happened?"

"We are okay right now. I think Patrick broke his arm and bruised his side pretty badly when he hit the tree," answers Lee.

Otto responds, "I am extremely sorry. In all the years I have led these tours, I have never seen anything like this before. I've seen my share of freak accidents growing up around dog sled teams, but the dogs we raise are usually on their best behavior. Here, I'll make you a sling, Patrick." Otto finds some material he can use to immobilize Patrick's arm, and he ties the sling around his neck. "Did either of you hit your head?" Lee and Patrick both shake their heads no. "You both seem coherent, so I don't think you have a concussion. Are you hurt anywhere else?" Lee feels around his body and realizes his hands were battered and bruised from holding the handlebar tight, as well as the hit he took when he tumbled from the sled, but he is alright.

"Do you hurt anywhere else, Patrick," questions Lee.

"No, sir."

Otto mentions, "I am going to get the sled ready to go, so we can get you to the doctor. Are you going to be okay on your own for a little bit?"

"Of course," replies Lee.

Lee looks down at Patrick, who is continuing to cry from the pain. He offers, "You're going to be fine. I'll make sure you are safe." Patrick sniffles and lays his head on Lee's chest. Lee wipes some tears from Patrick's face and kisses him on his forehead before reassuring Patrick, "Otto will be back soon, and we can go see a doctor. Can you hang on?"

Patrick nods his head up and down, whispering, "I want Mama."

"I know you do. I want Mama here for you too," remarks Lee.

Patrick lifts his head, questioning, "Is my face still bleeding, Papa?"

"No, buddy. You just have a couple of scratches, and they aren't bleeding any more." Patrick lays his head back down, wiping his face on Lee's jacket.

Otto makes sure the dogs are all good and untangles them. He finds the sled, which luckily is not damaged, and hooks the dogs back up to the sled and the gangline. Otto lines them up behind his sled and walks back over to Lee and Patrick. He suggests, "Everything is ready to go. I think we should head back down and get you to the doctor."

"Where is the closest doctor?" inquires Lee.

Otto replies, "About an hour away from here, in a little town called Hinton. You probably drove through there on your way here. I'll have my son take you."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I'm sure we can get there on our own if you point us in the right direction."

"You can't miss the infirmary. It is towards the end of their main street, on the right. There is a big sign with Doc Mattie Mitchell on the front of a two-story red brick building."

"It's a two-story building at the end of the main street, on the right, with a big sign. I think we can manage." Lee repeats with a chuckle. "We are ready. Please lead the way."

Otto helps Patrick and Lee get up when Lee grimaces in pain. "What's wrong, Papa? What's wrong?" asks a worried Patrick.

"I must have twisted my ankle and didn't even feel it because of the adrenaline."

"What's adren…aline?"

Lee replies, "Oh, it allows you to do things you might not be able to do otherwise when you are scared or hurt. You might not even notice you are in pain until after the fact."

Otto helps Lee slowly limp over to his sled, with Patrick following close behind. As they are walking, Otto inquires, "Why don't you tell me what exactly happened?"

"Well, the two dogs towards the back start snipping at each other. I think their lines got tangled up with each other, and then the two back dogs caught up to them and got tangled as well. I lost control of the sled, and we veered off to where eventually the sled separated from the dogs, and we both tumbled off. I tried to hold onto Patrick, but I couldn't, and he ended up hitting the tree," explains Lee.

"I am glad you two are okay, and everyone is in one piece," remarks Otto. He helps Patrick and Lee get on their sled and then runs up to get on his, yelling, "Hike." The dogs obey, and they are on their way at a much slower pace.

Patrick looks up at Lee, revealing, "I'm scared, Papa. What if the dogs fight again?" Lee tries to console his son while holding tight to the handlebar and being somewhat nervous himself.

"Everything will be fine, Patrick. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

Patrick chokes up, "But you let go of me today, and I hit a tree."

Lee's stomach drops. He feels so bad for not being able to hold onto his son during a scary situation. He clears his throat, apologizing, "I am sorry, buddy. I tried really hard to hold onto you, but I couldn't. But you know what?"

Patrick asks, "What?"

"God was there protecting you. He slowed you down, so you didn't hit the tree too hard. Remember, God, is always watching over you, Patrick. You know that, right?"

"Yes, sir. I know. You, Mama, and God are always there for me, but God is even there when you can't be." Lee smiles and kisses his son's head. After about forty-five minutes, they slow down as the sled barn finally comes into view in the distance. Patrick speaks, "Thanks for bringing me here, even though I got hurt. I still had a lot of fun."

"You're welcome. I love spending this time with you, Patrick. Hopefully, next time we do something like this, neither of us will get hurt." Lee pulls in behind Otto, and they get off their sled, giving the dogs one last pet.

"I feel bad about what the dogs did to you two. That is not like them at all. If you ever want to come back, please let me know, and we can take you out for free," Otto offers.

Lee responds, "I really appreciate the offer. I'm not sure my wife will be too happy with me bringing our son again, though."

"Please give your wife my apologies."

"Will do. We better get on the road. Patrick needs to be checked out by the doctor, and we need to get back to Hope Valley at a decent time."

"Safe travels. And get your ankle checked out. You need to make sure it's not more than a sprain," remarks Otto. Lee and Patrick wave as Patrick helps Lee hobble to their car. Lee and Patrick get in and remove some of their layers. Lee rewraps the sling, and they begin their trek to the doctor.

Rosemary and Elizabeth look up when they hear laughter coming from outside. Curious about what is going on, they go out front and find Allie, Jack, and Nathan playing tag. Jack is trying to tag Nathan and Allie but can't quite catch either of them. Jack had just given up when he sees his mother. He runs into Elizabeth's arms, saying, "Hi, Mama. I couldn't get Awee or Natan."

Elizabeth kisses him on the cheek, inquiring, "I'm sorry. Did you have a fun day with Allie and Nathan, my sweet boy?" Jack nods his head up and down.

Allie comes to sit next to Elizabeth, mentioning, "We had so much fun today. We rode horses and fished and went on rounds. What did you do, Missus Thornton?"

"Not much."

Rosemary chimes in, "That's my fault, I'm afraid. She helped me with some dresses and kept me company while Lee and Patrick are away."

"We are having a game night tonight. Would you like to join us, Rosemary?"

"Thanks, Nathan. I appreciate the invite, but I don't want to interrupt family game night." Rosemary looks to Elizabeth for help because she knows Nathan will probably insist.

Elizabeth takes the hint, suggesting, "Didn't you tell me you needed to work on your surprise for Patrick and Lee?"

"Oh, yes. I do." She clears her throat. "Thanks, Nathan. I appreciate the kind offer more than you know," responds Rosemary.

"Well, Allie, Jack, and I are going to our house to get ready. You can come when you are ready, Elizabeth." Nathan kisses her, and they head back to Nathan's house.

Rosemary smiles, "You can go, Elizabeth. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" questions Elizabeth.

Rosemary nods yes and pushes Elizabeth to follow Nathan. Rosemary suggests, "You know you want to join them. I'll bring over your stuff tomorrow. Go have fun." Elizabeth hugs Rosemary and follows her fiancé, son, and future daughter.

About an hour later, Lee sees the building Otto told him about. He parks in front, and he and Patrick hobble in the door. They are surprised to see a petite older woman with streaks of gray in her auburn hair greeting them with a smile on her face.

Lee inquires, "Are you Doctor Mattie Mitchell?"

"At your service. What seems to be the problem?"

"My son and I went dog sledding and got into a little accident. He hit a tree and hurt his arm and side."

"What about you? I saw you hobbling in here."

"It's no big deal. I just twisted my ankle."

"Well, I'll be the judge of that." She looks over at Patrick, questioning, "What is your name, young man? You can call me Doc Mattie. Come over here and sit down, so I can get a good look at you."

Patrick looks at Lee and then does what he is told. He grimaces as he climbs onto the table. Patrick states, "My name is Patrick Coulter. This is my Papa, Lee Coulter."

Mattie smiles and then talks to Patrick, explaining as she goes, "I am going to slide this sling off and check out this here arm of yours. I've never met an arm that didn't like me, so I would like to keep that reputation in tack. What do you say?" Patrick giggles. She notices the bruising and then tries to move his shoulder, upper arm, and when she gets to the lower arm, Patrick cries out in pain. Lee rushes to Patrick's side, wanting to hold and comfort him. Instead, Lee offers his hand for Patrick to grip when it hurts. The doctor continues with checking his wrist and then each finger. Mattie puts her hand up to her ear, questioning, "Pardon, what did you say? The ulna is broken. You say it needs to be fixed?"

Patrick wipes his tears, asking, "Who are you talking to? What is the ulna? Do you know how to fix my arm?"

Mattie laughs, "Who was I talking to? Why, your arm, of course? Who else would I be talking to?" Lee and Patrick both laugh this time. She picks up Patrick's arm and explains, "You have two bones in your lower arm here. The radius is the top, thicker bone, and the ulna is the lower, smaller bone." She leads his fingers over the break, and he can feel the two pieces.

"How do you fix my arm? It hurts a lot." inquires Patrick.

"It's easy as pie, my dear boy. I am going to put you in a splint for now. You have a doctor in…where did you say you are from?"

"Yes, we do. We are from Hope Valley. May I ask? Why aren't you putting a cast on his arm?"

"His arm is pretty swollen and bruised, so I think it is best to wait a couple of days for the swelling and soreness to go down before we put a more permanent cast on him. Your clinic is capable of building a cast, right?"

Lee answers, "Yes, of course."

Mattie explains, "Great. I will write up my findings to give to your doctor."

"Thank you," responds Lee.

"Now, I need to look at your side, Patrick." Mattie hands him a gown and tells him to change. Lee helps him, and Patrick climbs back onto the table. She examines his back, sides, and front for any internal bleeding. Mattie sees the bruise forming on his side, where Patrick most likely hit the tree. She feels around, and it seems to just be bruised. Lastly, Mattie makes sure he does not have a concussion. She asks Patrick some questions, checks his pupils and vision, and has him stand up and balance on one leg. Patrick has no issues with anything the doctor asks of him. Mattie smiles and whispers to Patrick, "Do you think your Papa will let me examine him?"

Patrick giggles, responding, "I am not sure. Let me try." He jumps off the table, mentioning, "It's your turn, Papa. Your ankle wants to talk to her."

Lee chuckles, inquiring, "So, Patrick is all good?" as he helps Patrick change back into his clothes.

"Patrick will be fine. There is no sign of a concussion. He is a little battered and bruised but is good otherwise and will have a story to tell his friends. Won't you, Patrick?"

Patrick agrees, "Yes, ma'am." He drags Lee to the table, instructing him to get up and let the doctor look at him. Lee tries to hide his smile from Patrick as he pretends to hesitantly sit down and take off his boot. Mattie feels around his ankle and has him bend it up and down. Lee grunts as he does each.

"You are right. It is just a sprain. If you ice it a few times a day, it should heal in no time. I have a walking stick if you need one." She walks over to the corner, grabs a long stick from many others, and hands it to Patrick. Mattie continues to examine Lee, questioning, "Are you able to see clearly out of your eye?"

Lee feels his swollen eye, mentioning, "My vision is normal. No issues."

"Good. Is there anything else I need to be aware of? Did you hit anything when you fell out of the sled?"

"My hands are pretty sore and bruised from trying to hold on to the sled and Patrick, but I was able to grab the snow and slow myself down." To be thorough, Mattie goes ahead and checks for a concussion and feels for bumps or contusions on his head. When she doesn't find anything, Lee reminds her, "I told you I was fine. Thank you for examining us. We need to head home before my wife starts to worry. What do you say, Patrick?"

"Thank you, Doc Mattie," remarks Patrick.

As Lee gets up, Mattie pokes at his side, and he yells out, "Ow…ow…ow. Why did you poke me?"

"You've been sitting and standing so stiffly. I thought you might have a broken rib. I also suspect you might not tell me if you are in pain, so I thought I would prod you a little. Besides, I thought it would be funny if I was right, and you are a bit of a baby when it comes to pain." Mattie winks, letting Lee know this was all in fun to cheer Patrick up. Patrick and Mattie giggle.

Lee winks back and chuckles along with them. He pretends to roll his eyes before asking, "Broken rib? How is that possible? Shouldn't I have been feeling it this whole time?"

"You probably are only feeling it now because you know Patrick is safe and okay," responds Mattie.

"What do I do for a broken rib?" questions Lee.

"Here, take off your shirt, so I can see how badly you are hurt." Lee takes off his sweater, plaid flannel shirt, as well as his undershirt. Mattie checks his torso, looking for bruising, and there's a pretty significant one over his right side. She presses down on a couple ribs, and Lee only grunts on one. "Good news, Lee. It looks like you only broke one rib." Mattie wraps a cloth bandage around his broken rib and tells him, "You can put your shirt back on. Unfortunately, all you can do for broken ribs is to rest and ice a few times a day."

"Thank you for being so thorough and making sure we are both okay. I really appreciate you explaining everything to my son. He loves learning new things, and I think it helped make this whole ordeal easier on him."

"I've treated lots of young children in my years as a doctor, and things always go better when you talk to them and explain things as you go. You have a good boy there, Mister Coulter."

"I do," responds Lee. They take the paperwork on Patrick's arm and say their goodbyes. Patrick helps Lee hobble out the door with the walking stick, and they get in their car.

Rosemary keeps herself busy throughout the day. After Elizabeth leaves, she makes a trip to the dress shop for more buttons. Luckily there are enough in stock for her to buy what she needs for her dress. Rosemary hurries back home and gets to work. Before she knows it, it is starting to get dark outside. Rosemary turns on some lights and finishes sewing the last two buttons. She thinks to herself, "I hope I can finish before Lee and Patrick get home. They will probably be exhausted and whiny, and I won't be able to get anything done." She chuckles and gets back to work. Rosemary sews the button loops on each side of the dress and fastens them to the tightest row of buttons. She goes upstairs and slips on the dress in front of her mirror. Rosemary turns side to side, backward and forward, trying to see it from all angles. She grins, knowing the dress is precisely her size, for now at least. Rosemary takes the dress off, puts it in her closet, and goes back downstairs to work on the green dress. Nathan startles Rosemary when he knocks on her door around 8:00 pm. Rosemary lets him in and can see the concern on his face. She hesitantly asks, "Is everything okay, Nathan?"

"Is Lee back yet?"

"No, why?"

"Oh, there are reports of an avalanche in the mountains. Do you know where they went?"

Rosemary's face falls, quietly answering, "No, he never tells me where they go on their father/son outings. What did the report say?"

"The road west of here is blocked off by an avalanche. They are unsure if anyone was caught in the snow because no one knows precisely when it occurred. What time were they supposed to get back?

"He told me they would be back after dark, so I have no idea," remarks Rosemary.

"I am sure he is fine. He's probably nowhere near there. I am sorry to have bothered you." Rosemary just stands there with the same look she had when Patrick went missing months before. "Are you okay, Rosemary? I didn't mean to make you worried."

Rosemary raises her voice in a slightly higher octave, "You didn't mean to get me worried? You just told me my husband and son could have been swept away by an avalanche. How else should I react? How would you feel if I told you Allie, Jack, or Elizabeth might be missing and/or dead?"

Nathan feels the guilt come over him. He sadly mentions, "I can see how my words would worry you. That was not my intent. I figured you would know where they were."

Rosemary steps up to Nathan, putting her hand on this arm, stating, "I'm sorry, Nathan. I apologize for snapping at you. My emotions have been all over the place lately. Please forgive me."

"I can go get Elizabeth for you."

"No, it's okay. I'll be fine. I am sure Lee and Patrick will be home any minute. I don't think they would have gone to the mountains without telling anyone."

"Are you sure?" questions Nathan. Rosemary nods, and Nathan reluctantly leaves. She shuts the door, and the tears immediately start to fall. At this point, Rosemary is not the least bit surprised at the tears that form whether she is happy, sad, or worried. Rosemary is well aware she can no longer control her emotions no matter how hard she tries.

Rosemary says a quick prayer, "Lord, please keep Lee and Patrick safe and bring them home to us." She places her hand on her belly, continuing, "We need them to come home happy and healthy. Amen." Rosemary wipes her tears and walks back to the sewing machine. She knows to keep herself busy with something, or she'll make herself sick with worry. Rosemary pins the sleeves to the bodice, making sure to not sew them on backward again. She starts to sew but can't concentrate because she constantly switches between the sewing machine and the clock every couple of minutes. When Rosemary finally finishes, she tries the dress on again, and the sleeves compliment the rest of the dress perfectly. Rosemary puts the dress away and looks at the time. It is already 9:30 pm, and Lee and Patrick are still not home. Rosemary won't be sleeping until they get home, so she decides to go downstairs and clean. Rosemary puts on her apron and scrubs the kitchen until it shines and then starts dusting the downstairs, anything to stop thinking about where Lee and Patrick are. Rosemary just places the pictures back on the top of the piano when she hears a car rumble in the front of her house and shuts off. She offers a quick prayer to above, "Thank you, Lord." Rosemary runs to the door, throws it open, and drops to her knees in disbelief. She blinks repeatably as her vision becomes blurry and tunnel-like, and the sounds around her become muffled and faraway. Rosemary barely hears when someone calls her name, and she faints dead away.