Chapter 9
Spirit Guidance
The wide meadow was a calming place to be. The tall grass blowing gently in the wind gave him a sense of peace. He heard two people's laughter. A young woman and her daughter. Both were blurry faces, but both seemed to know him. Whispers of conversations, that he couldn't quite latch onto drifted just beyond his hearing. But, really, why would he try and find out what they were saying. It was very comfortable where he was, and he felt that moving would hurt him.
A loud whistle to a dog.
"Come here, boy!" was said in a man's voice.
It repeated several times.
But he hadn't ever had a dog. Horses, yes, but dogs were another unnecessary mouth to feed.
Several more distant whistling, along with the gentle touch of the mother from the meadow.
A dog sniffing and pushing up against him.
"Oh my lord, Daisy, Rip's found something," a man said from a long distance away.
Another woman took careful steps to where her husband was standing next to his hunting dog. She took in a gasp of horror.
The pull of the meadow was stronger. He didn't want to get up.
"What on earth?" the woman's voice carried over. Both started looking around.
The man poked the one on the ground. The man on the ground took in a shuddering, painful breath, but remained unconscious.
"Is he alive?" Daisy asked in shock.
"I think so, only just," the man replied as he bent nearer to the man on the ground.
"We need to get him to the hospital as soon as we can," Daisy said firmly.
"And how do you suggest we do that?" the man asked.
Daisy just glared at him.
"Alright, you're lucky I'm trained in this," the man grumbled at her and went about carefully getting the badly wounded man into the back of their wagon. He made sure to wrap their blankets around him, and stabilized his head so that the head wound wouldn't be rattling around so much.
They both looked down at the man's open body. Not a stitch of clothes were present.
"Should we try and find something? Maybe the thieves left something?" Daisy asked.
"We'll be pushing it trying to keep him alive in these conditions," her husband shook his head. Then he called for their dog,a black lab, who gently wrapped himself along the length of the man, and they slowly headed towards the nearest hospital.
There seemed to be more traffic in the meadow. More people passing through it.
"We found him like this…"
"How long…?"
A lot of shuffling and murmuring and then pain...excruciating pain.
"If he doesn't wake up soon…"
"But sir?"
"It's better!"
"Wake up. Wake up! Wake up!"
Why? Waking up will just be more painful? Staying right here in the meadow seems to be perfectly fine for me.
"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"
No. It's too hard. The meadow seemed to be filling up ever more quickly, but it was more heavily on one side. The side with the mother...and with the man who had called for his dog. Some other people he recognized from their stature. People who looked like the man with his hound dog.
He stood up in the middle of the meadow to get a better look. On one side, a lot of people all staring at him, noticing his presence. He looked to the other side. Blurry images of people and places, but they weren't looking directly at him.
"Stay over there!" the woman ordered.
Why?
"Because that's where you belong!" she said firmly.
"We don't want to see you for a good long while," the man with the hound dog said with a dimple smile.
He took two steps towards the ones looking at him, trying to get a better look.
"Don't you dare come any closer!"
He looked at them in confusion.
"Dear God, please make sure Dad is safe and returned to us safely," a girl's voice flitterd over the meadow behind him.
He turned back around to try and find the owner of the voice.
"Go find her," the others who had recognized him were all saying, whispering.
He looked at them in confusion.
"Go! Nate you need to wake up to find her," the woman said.
He slowly turned away, as he had the urge to protect this child.
"Good. I don't want to see you in this meadow for another 100 years," the woman lectured,
He stopped to look at her and argue.
"Not another 100 years," she said.
He sighed and shook his head, but turned to walk away from the ones who seemed to know him.
"Nate, wake up, NOW!" she said as she pushed him hard from behind. He tumbled over and landed on the ground.
Waking up in a gasping pain of breath, his first thoughts were that it was excruciating and he hoped it was worth it.
"He's awake! Doctor our John Doe is awake," someone at his bedside rushed out of the room.
"Hello, Sir. You've given us all quite the scare. Good to see you back. Now, you were brought in quite near death's door, and the people who brought you, didn't have the time to find identification. Can you tell us your name?" the doctor said kindly.
He was looking at everyone. He was in a hospital room, by himself, at the moment. But there were empty beds. His eyes widened to take everything in.
"Can you tell us your name?" the doctor repeated after he had taken in his location.
"No, I...I...I...don't know my name," he said roughly and with fear, because he didn't remember his name or how he had gotten to be in this place.
"What do you remember?" the doctor said calmly.
"Nothing, I remember nothing," he said as he sat back on his bed.
At first, the doctors and nurses were hopeful that with proper treatment of his head wound, and with his body not trying to stay alive, they had hoped that John Doe's memories would come back.
But as the days turned into weeks, his memories stayed gone...and no one had come looking for him. The town Mountie was away for the moment, and he hadn't even been able to question the Sergeant Jeb Winters and his wife Daisy.
Although both had left their contact information just in case.
The only thing that they were able to learn was that John Doe spoke two languages fluently. One was English, but the other they couldn't place. He would switch between the two of them and spoke each as if they were separately the only language he knew.
Eventually, the staff at the hospital couldn't justify keeping John in their facility. They had realized that no one was looking for him, at least there.
"We need to put you in a long term care facility, John," one of the nurses explained his transfer.
He looked frightened.
"They have more resources to be a better care facility for people with your needs," the nurse explained.
He didn't want to transfer, but he also understood that he was a liability at the moment.
So, John Doe was transferred to Fort Vermillion.
It was one week later when Gabe and Bill rode into the space where Nathan and the new kid had their argument. Newton recognized it and started moving anxiously.
"I think this is the spot," Bill said.
Gabe nodded. Both men dismounted and began looking around. Gabe took only five minutes to find where Nathan had hit his head. The blood stain was obvious, even if a bit faded. Bill was rummaging around the trees and bushes to the side of the path...and found all of Nathan's Mountie gear, including his bloodstained serge.
Both looked at them in shock and anger.
"If he doesn't have any of this with him…" Gabe trailed off.
Bill nodded.
They both looked around some more.
It wasn't a highly travelled path, and Nathan's head wound had been dragged a short distance then stopped in the middle of the path.
"Some kind souls must have found him alive and taken him somewhere," Bill said.
"Yeah, but which direction did they go?" Gabe asked.
North! was the loud message that imprinted on both of their minds.
"Alright, we're going north," Bill said aloud.
One week later, Gabe and Bill finally tracked Nathan to a hospital in Fort Vermillion. They had been asking people around the towns where Nathan had been last seen if a man that went by Nathan Grant had come through. They also mentioned his injury. It wasn't until they spoke with a nurse in High Level that they were pointed in the correct direction.
"No one by that name, but we transferred a man with the same type of injury to our long care facility in Fort Vermillion. He's a John Doe. Doesn't remember much and not a lick of identification on him. He's a sweetheart," the nurse gushed. "Very respectful, and gave the other guys with wandering eyes and hands the death glare when they were being disrespectful."
Bill and Gabe both looked at each other in happiness.
"You said a long term care facility in Fort Vermillion?" Bill asked to clarify.
"Yes, sir the only one there," the nurse said. Bill surprised her and Gabe by giving the nurse a giant hug in thanks.
The men then dashed out.
Which is how they found themselves standing in the large front reception of the long term care facility.
"This is where he ended up?" Gabe asked in surprise and a little disgust. It wasn't a good place for anyone with long term care needs.
"Well, we hope," Bill added.
"How can I help you gentlemen?" the nurse behind the station called them forward.
"We're looking for a missing person. His name is Nathan Grant. He has a head injury from a few weeks ago," Bill said.
"There's no Nathan Grant here," she said dismissively.
"What about anyone who is a John Doe with a head injury?" Bill asked.
"We have ten," the woman glared.
Bill and Gabe were both surprised at the amount.
"And no you may not go back and see each of them to see if they are your missing person," the woman answered their next question without being asked.
Gabe pushed his hand into the interior pocket of his jacket and pulled out Nathan's photo of him and Allie that had been on his desk.
"Do any of them look like him?" He asked softly.
The woman pulled it over to look. She was looking hard.
"I can't say for certain. The man that your picture reminds me of is more rough looking. His beard is long and full, and his hair is longer, too. But there's something about his eyes...they could be the same," the woman admitted as held the picture closer to look more closely to Nathan's picture.
"Can we see him, then, at the very least?" Gabe asked.
"Why is it so important?" the nurse asked.
"Because the young girl in the photo is his daughter, and I promised her I wouldn't return without news," Gabe said firmly.
The nurse looked sternly at both of them.
"He has good days and bad days, like most patients with memory loss. I hope this is a good day," she muttered before showing them to John Doe 7's therapy session with his doctor. Slouched over, and muttering in pain in his chair, both Gabe and Bill recognized Nathan immediately. His hair was longer and matted in the back. They could see the traces of his long beard.
"John, how are you doing today?" the doctor asked kindly.
Nathan spouted off something in Irish.
"Now, John, we've talked about speaking in tongues," the doctor reprimanded as he pulled out an electric rod.
"What are you doing?" Bill shouted in anger and shock.
Both men had stepped forward and had placed their bodies between Nathan and his doctor. Nathan didn't show any recognition to seeing either of them.
"This man has been speaking in demonic tongues on and off since before he got here. We're using new methods of treatment to cure him of this," the doctor said with a tone.
"He's not speaking a demonic tongue. It's just a language that you don't recognize, and given your obvious bias, I bet you don't know very many," Bill growled.
"This man is unbalanced, and we need to correct the imbalance for his mind to heal," the doctor said.
"And you think electric shock therapy will do that?" Gabe asked in rage after he had taken in Nathan's injuries. He had several rod prod marks on his exposed skin.
Both Bill and Gabe were desperately trying to figure out how to get Nathan out of there as soon as possible, with Nathan not recognizing them.
"Nathan, we need you to look at this picture," Gabe whispered and held up the picture. Nathan was obviously upset to see it, but couldn't place why. He was looking at both of them in fear.
"Who is this?" Gabe asked softly as he pointed to Allie.
Nathan didn't respond. He looked away.
"You should leave now," the nurse said firmly.
Nathan started tapping out something in morse code.
Both Gabe and Bill heard it.
A-L-L-I-E A-L-L-I-E A-L-L-I-E
"He does this when he's agitated. You need to leave," the nurse restated.
A-L-L-I-E L-O-V-E A-L-L-I-E A-L-L-I-E
Gabe and Bill both looked at Nathan.
"That's right. Her name is Allie," Gabe said his voice choked with emotion.
The nurse pushed both of them out the door.
They immediately booked a room at a new hotel with private phones.
"What's our move?" Gabe asked as he watched Bill pace up and down the floor.
"We need to get him out of there as soon as possible, and we can't wait for his memory to return," Bill stated.
"I agree," Gabe said.
"What are our options?" Bill asked, thinking out loud.
"Getting the family here," Gabe suggested.
"Takes too long, Nathan could die of his treatment before then," Bill said.
"What about getting a doctor here to transfer him out," Gabe suggested.
"That would take too much time to explain," Bill started. But then stopped mid sentence.
"What are you thinking?" Gabe asked with apprehension.
"We call Hope Valley and speak with our very distinguished doctor team and ask them to approve a transfer," Bill said.
Gabe just shook his head.
"Your reputation is well deserved, Inspector," Gabe said.
Bill just smiled.
"What do you mean he is being given electroshock therapy?!" were the two angry voices on the other side of their line.
"Who thinks that is a modern practice?"
"It's barbaric."
"It's inhumane."
"Who approved this treatment for someone with a head injury?"
Dr. Carter and Dr. Sheppard were talking over one another in their anger.
"People who thought no one would come and claim him," Gabe answered the last question.
Everyone fell silent.
"We absolutely will do whatever we need to do to get him home," Carson said firmly.
Gabe and Bill smiled in relief.
"Our temporary constable and our judge have made a positive identification for our missing constable, Constable Nathan Grant, we understand that his health is still precarious and he's still missing most of his memories, but I believe that being at home with his family and loved ones will help bring those memories back. I absolutely want to be the one in charge of Constable Grant's recovery," Carson Sheppard said firmly through the phones. "I've already sent a wire confirming my request."
The doctor had, in fact, received the wire to confirm the transfer of John Doe #7, a.k.a. Constable Nathan Grant, into the custody of Constable Gaberiel Kinslow and Judge Bill Avery to escort Nathan safely back to Hope Valley.
The doctors and nurses all just nodded and signed the appropriate lines approving the transfer.
When they escorted Bill and Gabe to Nathan's room he was sitting in at the window, singing. Bill looked absolutely shocked. Gabe was hesitant to bring their Nathan back, the man who hadn't picked up any instruments since he lost his sister.
The nurse knocked on the outside of Nathan's door to show that she was there.
"Hello! These two have confirmed that you have a home to go to. They're taking you with them," the nurse smiled.
"Home?" Nathan asked with a bit of wonder.
"Yes, your home is Hope Valley," Gabe said.
"But not yours?" Nathan asked back.
"Not for Kinslow here, but you and I both call Hope Valley home," Bill explained.
Nathan nodded once. The nurse helped him pack his meagre things. Both noticed that nothing of his uniform was with him. The nurse helped Nathan into a wheelchair and wheeled him outside. They each put an arm around him and helped him walk slowly to their hotel. While there was nothing wrong with his legs or feet, his head injury had a serious impact on his mobility.
Once they were inside, Nathan took a look around in curiosity, but also fear. He looked out each window before sitting in a chair and falling asleep.
Bill and Gabe both waited a little while to see if he would stay asleep before they called Hope Valley back.
"We have him, but we don't know the best way to travel. His head is bad," Bill whispered.
"Good. How much money do you have on you?" Dr. Sheppard asked.
"Not much. Why?" Bill whispered back.
"Because a First Class Compartment on the most direct route is what is most gentle for Nathan's injury," the doctor replied. But forgot that he was in fact in the middle of the mercantile and he hadn't had time to let the family know.
Gabe and Bill heard several gasps of shock and horror.
"Nathan, OUR Nathan? They found him?" Florence could be heard in the background.
Carson must have nodded because whomever was in the mercantile all burst into cheers. Carson tried muffling the sound but when Hope Valley parties they do so loudly.
"Where did they find him?"
"Is he okay?"
"Why did it take so long?"
"Has anyone gone to get the Grants?"
"Don't forget Elizabeth!"
There was a lot stomping and running feet in several directions. Finally, there were a series of anxious bangs and heavy panting.
"Dr. Sheppard?" Allie asked.
Carson looked at her and the people around.
"Gabe and Bill found Nathan yesterday. He was in a long term care facility in Fort Vermillion. At some point, he sustained a nasty head trauma and when he came around, he doesn't remember anything."
"Anything?" Allie asked with hurt.
"Well if those dumb doctors are to be believed," Bill whispered in interruption.
"What do you mean?" Allie asked loudly. Carson had her come closer to the phone.
"When we found him, he was having a bad day," Bill admitted. "But we showed him a picture of you."
"Did he recognize me?" Allie asked with hope.
"Not verbally."
Gabe started tapping what they had heard.
Allie was beaming.
"Tell Dad that I love him too," Allie said with relief as she ran into her grandpa's arms.
"So, what's next? What do we need to do?" Rosemary asked.
"We need to get him home with comfort," Carson said.
"Oh, you can ride the Pacific Northwest in style!" Rosemary said.
"That's what I suggested, but they don't have the money," Carson said.
"Money? Money? It's just the three of you," Rosemary protested.
"Just the 3 of us?!" Bill said with anger. "Your forgetting Newton and Apollo!"
"On a train for a week," Gabe added.
"Don't you worry. We will get the Canfields to start a collection. We will get you the money wired before the end of the day."
And with that Rosemary shooed everyone away from the phone.
"I will call you back with an update," Carson said as he spoke to Bill and Gabe.
The new church bell started ringing loudly.
Everyone was curious and packed into the tiny church.
"Hello, everyone and good morning," Joseph said. "I have called you all here because we've finally received word from Judge Avery and Constable Kinslow about our good brother Constable Nathan Grant."
The room went silent in anticipation.
"From my understanding, Nathan is alive but not so well. I will let our doctors explain more."
The pastor sat down. Faith and Carson stood up.
"Nathan sustained a head injury that is severe enough that he is suffering from memory loss," Faith started.
The townspeople all gasped in surprise. Elizabeth felt her heart breaking a little.
"Bill and Gabe have said that he hasn't remembered anything much except for being able to recognize Allie in a picture," Carson continued.
Everyone turned to smile warmly at her.
"With his head injury, we need to get Nathan home in the most comfortable method possible, which is first class train compartments for all three men and two horses. We're asking for enough money to get them all home," Carson finished.
"Is that going to be enough?" Cat asked.
"What about the medical bills here?" Robert Wolfe asked.
"We don't charge up front. You all know this," Faith said.
"Yes, but with his injury and memory loss, he must need help with that too."
"Yes, we anticipate that he will," Carson just confirmed.
Joseph Canfield stepped forward once again.
"While we pass around the collection plate and a few hats, I would like to lead everyone in a prayer for our constable."
Minnie stepped away and started passing around the normal tin. Hickam took his hat off and passed it around. Everyone was already putting whatever spare change they had on them into plates, including the children.
"Dear Lord, please see our dear brother Nathan Grant through the trials and tribulations that you have set before him. Let your generosity be our generosity. Let your kindness be our kindness, and may you lead him to a place of peace and comfort in this difficult time. Lord, we ask you to make the return journey for all three men who are coming back from such a trying journey, as easy and peaceful as possible. And we thank you for your guidance and mercy. Amen!" Joseph prayed.
"Amen!" the church all said.
The hats and plates were brimming as they were returned.
Elizabeth, Allie, Rosemary, and Carson were all counting money as the others left the church. Archie and Lee were writing down the totals on the chalkboard as they went.
"How much did we get?" Elizabeth asked once they were all done.
She and Allie turned around at the same time. Both did the math quickly in their heads.
"That's over $4,0000!" Allie said as she looked at the numbers.
"$4,353.07, to be exact," Archie said.
"Well, how do you want to go about this? This is definitely more than enough to get them all back in luxury," Carson said looking at Archie and Allie.
"Send whatever money they need with a little extra. Put the rest of it on his future bills," Archie replied.
Everyone nodded in agreement, and they walked to the bank to get a money order sent to Bill.