Chapter 2: Instincts

For the first time in a long time, Jill slept for a full night without any bad dreams. She woke up in the morning slightly disoriented until she remembered she was in Doctor Hardy's house. Judging by the amount of sunlight coming from the window, she decided it must have been somewhere around eight o'clock.

Her eyes were heavy with sleep, but she forced her mind awake. She glanced at the other bed in the room to find that Doctor Hardy was not there. In fact, he wasn't in the house at all. Jill was somewhat surprised that he had enough trust in her, a stranger and patient, to leave her alone without any supervision.

There was a problem, however. Jill had no idea how long it would be before Hardy came back, and until then she was stuck staring at the ceiling with nothing to do. She had already slept long enough, and she realized with slight concern that her rucksack was nowhere to be seen. Had Hardy stolen it?

It was at that moment that the door opened, and a blast of wind invaded the house. Hardy stepped through the door and hung his scarf on a hat rack, and then took off his winter boots. Jill found it slightly odd that he had decided to wear a scarf but no winter coat.

He suddenly noticed Jill was awake, and smiled at her. "Good morning, missy. How long have you been up?"

Jill found herself replying before thinking about it. "Um, maybe a minute. Not long at all."

Doctor Hardy chuckled a bit before saying, "Well, you certainly slept well, then, didn't you? I don't think you woke up once the entire night. You were snoring minutes after you finished dinner and then nothing woke you up after that. I even accidentally dropped some of my equipment on the floor and you still didn't wake up." He smiled again, and Jill found the corners of her mouth twitching a bit, as well. This Doctor really knows how to make you comfortable, Jill thought to herself. My wounds feel fine, too, so he must be good. What's he doing in a small place like this?

Before Jill could ask, Hardy continued, "I hope you don't mind, but I was doing some tidying up last night and I moved your rucksack to that hook on the door over there." He nodded his head at the door while saying this, and then went on, "Your wounds are looking pretty good, too. I put some local herbs from the area on the cuts that needed it. You didn't wake up for that, either. But anyway, you should be able to get moving tomorrow, which is a bit sooner than I expected. Until then, however, I'm worried you'll have to stay in this boring old house."

Jill shrugged, and replied, "It's fine. I'll just sleep or something."

Hardy nodded. "Are you hungry?"

"A bit, yeah."

"Do you like pancakes?"

Jill nodded, her mouth watering a bit at the thought of more delicious food.

"Okay, I'll make some for breakfast." Hardy walked over to the kitchen part of the house and pulled some ingredients from a cupboard. Jill's eyes flickered to the ceiling and back to Hardy again, trying to decide which would be less awkward to stare at while he was making her food.

"So, Pony...what's your family like?" He asked, trying to fill the awkward silence.

Jill swallowed a large lump in her throat. Gosh, she hated back-stories. Lies, lies, lies...she could tell the truth, of course, but it would still be a lie because they were all gone.

"Well..." Jill began, keeping her voice as steady as possible. "I have a mom. And a dad. And a younger brother. He's fifteen." Was fifteen, she thought. And so far, so good. This isn't anything the organization doesn't already know. Hell, if they didn't know, they wouldn't have freaking killed them in the first place.

"I have a younger brother, too," Hardy said. "I used to protect him so much. He's a lawyer in some big city. But I always preferred the country, so that's why I'm here. After all, this is a small town. Someonehas to take care of the people out here."

Jill nodded, satisfied with the reason for his location. He seemed honest, too, and that was good. But he could have also just been a master with disguises.

Hardy was halfway through making the pancakes when he asked another question. "What do your parents do for a living?"

The organization knew both of those facts, as well, so Jill knew she could tell something close to the truth. "Dad works as an engineer in the city, and mom is a vet." And I was a former employee of Hawk's sick organization for selfish reasons and kind of in order to help support our family. But you don't need to know that.

The Doctor hummed a bit as a reply, and then stayed quiet. Jill was grateful. After months of resisting the urge to speak openly to anyone, being social wasn't exactly her forte.

He eventually finished making the pancakes and served them to Jill, along with a fork and a glass of milk. Hardy cleared his throat, and then said, "If you'd excuse me, I need to run another short errand. Let's see...it's eight fifteen right now. I should be back sometime around nine."

"Okay," Jill replied quietly.

The Doctor nodded and then moved to the door and took his scarf off the hook on the wall. The same hook, Jill noted, that her rucksack was hanging on. She would retrieve that later. After a final glance at her, he left her alone in the small home once again.

• • •

Doctor Hardy was not convinced. He was not convinced at all by this Pony Ryder girl. There were too many bruises, too many scars that had been there for much longer than two days. Some of them were at least three years old. There was something other than a bear attack going on here, but he was almost scared to figure out what it was. Abuse? Maybe. But could it be something else? Something much, much worse? Hardy knew of worse things than abuse. And the scar on the girl's shoulder, which was the distinct mark of a bullet, told Hardy that Pony Ryder had probably been through these much worse things.

The walk to the Inn in Forget-Me-Not-Valley was a very short one. It was so short that, despite the cold weather, Hardy didn't even wear a coat. And he was a doctor. He should have been worried about catching a cold or something. But, at the moment, he was more concerned with the health of his newest patient than his own.

The Inn had the best telephone in the valley, and Hardy knew Ruby would let him use it for free. She was just that kind of person. When he entered the lobby, no one else was there, and he walked straight to the phone behind Ruby's desk. Hardy didn't particularly like phones; he preferred talking to people in person. The only reason he had one was so that the residents of the valley could call him for emergency house calls.

This, though not an emergency house call, was definitely an urgent call of sorts. Hardy quickly dialed the number that was engraved in his mind, and put the phone to his ear, listening as it rang, praying his comrade would pick up.

Finally, a feminine voice came through to the other line. "Hello and good morning. You've called Doctor Trent's office in Mineral Town. This is Ellie speaking."

"Ellie," Hardy grunted, "it's Hardy. I need to speak with Trent as soon as possible."

There was a pause on the other end. Hardy knew Ellie was trying to figure out why his voice was so husky and concerned. She eventually replied by saying, "Y-Yes, of course. Let me go get him for you."

There were only a few seconds of silence before Trent's voice came through on the other line. "Hello, Doctor Hardy."

"Come on now, Trent," Hardy said. "You aren't my student anymore, no need for formalities."

"Sorry, Michael," Trent chuckled. "Anyway, may I ask why you're calling so early in the morning?"

Hardy cleared his throat, and then said, "Listen...I got a new patient as of yesterday. She says her name is Pony Ryder, but...well, I think there's something really fishy going on here, let's just put it that way." He paused, and then continued in a hushed voice, "She came in unconscious and stayed that way for about five or six hours, so I had lots of time to check over her wounds. When she came to she explained she was in some sort of animal attack. But...well, there were scars all over her body that suggested she's seen animal attacks for the past three years. Heck, probably worse than that. And...what's more...I found a bullet scar on her shoulder." Hardy paused again, letting what he had said so far sink in. Then, he hastily continued, "I went through her rucksack late last night. She's carrying all sorts of stuff around with her. No ID, but...well, she's got a change of clothes, some bandages, a bit of cash, dry food, a journal, and a water bottle. She's on the run, Trent. She's not just hiking through the forest. She's running. Her shoes are worn out and her clothes are in awful condition. I'm surprised she hasn't gotten sick from exhaustion yet."

Trent didn't reply for a long time. In fact, he took so long that Hardy briefly wondered if their connection somehow got lost. That was when he finally heard Trent take a deep breath and ask, "Hardy...why are you telling me all of this?"

"Why do you think, Trent?" Hardy replied. "Come on, you're a smart kid. You should be, I taught you."

Trent laughed. It wasn't really a laugh, though; it was more of a bark. Two seconds later, his voice was down to a murmur again. "Do you mean to tell me that you think it's...her?"

Hardy took a deep breath, and eventually said, "Maybe. Don't get your hopes up. I didn't find the flash drive. And we can't go into this quickly, even if it is her. We need to figure out a way to get her to stay in Forget-Me-Not-Valley and win her trust. It will be slow, but we'll get her to crack eventually, I think. If it is her, of course."

"What about the journal?" Trent asked. "Did you read it?"

"I couldn't," Hardy replied. "It had a small lock on it and the key was no where to be found."

Trent sighed. He took another thirty seconds to reply. "Are you going to tell Griffin?"

"I was thinking about it," Hardy replied. "Though he hasn't been in the business as long as us."

"Maybe we should wait," Trent suggested, "until we know whether it's really her or not."

"That's what I was thinking," Hardy replied. Suddenly, he heard Ruby's doorknob rattle a bit. "Listen, Trent, I have to go. Right now. I promise I'll keep you updated, though. When spring comes you should really make a trip down here and I'll take you out to the bar for a drink. I'll talk to you later."

"Sure, Michael. Bye. Good luck, and everything."

Hardy hung up the phone just as Ruby opened the door and stepped into the lobby. Her hand flew to her chest, and her eyes widened. "Oh, Hardy! I didn't know you were here!"

"Oh, I apologize, Ruby," Hardy smiled sheepishly. "I just needed to use your phone to call a friend. It was some important business matters, but it turns out he's on vacation at the moment, so I wasn't able to reach him."

"That's unfortunate," Ruby frowned. "It is mighty cold out, though. Would you like something warm to drink before you head back home?"

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd be delighted by some coffee," the Doctor replied with a smile. Hardy liked Ruby. She was a bit...dull, sometimes, but when it came to cooking and hospitality she was easy to be around and talk to. He would be able to find some new recipe to discuss with her for a while. Plus, he had told Pony he'd be back at nine, and it was only eight thirty. He had time.

"Oh no, it's no trouble at all, Hardy," Ruby smiled. "Actually, I have a new recipe I've been dying to share with you. Please, join me in the kitchen."

"It's healthy, I hope?" Hardy asked as they walked to the other room.

"Oh, of course! There's only one stick of butter this time!"

Hardy laughed as he opened the door for the plump woman, and took a deep breath in through the nose. The discovery of Pony left a new hope in his heart, and life was beginning to look brighter. Now if only she could be the one they were actually looking for, maybe life could be perfect.

• • •

The day was fairly uneventful. When Hardy came back to his house only to find Pony sleeping, he decided to make some house calls even though it was cold and had started snowing outside again. This lasted until around three o'clock, by which time he had turned down four cups of coffee and two drinks from the Blue Bar, but had stayed to chat at every house.

Hardy was content in the valley. It was a nice place with nice people and, therefore, was a nice life. Much better compared to the life he lived before coming to the valley.

However, now that Pony Ryder had come to town, Hardy feared life was about to get a bit more...exciting. He wondered again whether or not he should just tell Griffin now instead of waiting. Griffin was the most sociable of the three who were involved. He would be able to warn the townspeople to start locking their doors at night without him sounding too insane.

It was about four o'clock by the time Hardy made it back to his house. He had stopped by the Harvest Goddess spring (which somehow never froze) to make a quick offering, and then started taking his time back to the house. The weather wasn't so bad, though maybe that was because he had gone numb to the cold a few hours ago. Maybe he should have brought his coat with him...

He opened the door to find Jill sitting up in bed, writing in the very journal he had been discussing with Trent that morning. She closed it slightly as soon as she caught sight of Hardy, but kept her finger in the page she had been recording information in. Hardy smiled a bit at her, and greeted, "Nice to see you sitting up. Sorry I'm back so late. I did some house calls, and assumed you would just sleep."

Jill nodded, and, without much thought, replied, "I spent most of the day sleeping, yes, and then I decided to write in my journal a bit."

Hardy nodded, and Jill watched him once again hang up his scarf on the doorknob. "You're lucky that didn't get soiled in the river," he commented, nodding at the journal.

"Yes, I suppose," she replied, not wanting to explain about her high-tech water-proof rucksack and the place that she got it from. That would be stupid.

Hardy pulled a chair up next to her, and Jill set the book back in her rucksack, which was sitting on the bed next to her. He scratched his head a bit, adjusted the collar on his shirt, and then said, "Well, there are some things we need to discuss, but I'd like to give you another check-up, first, if you don't mind."

Jill's heart stopped for a moment at the word "discuss," but she agreed to the check-up nonetheless. He brushed her hair aside and gently prodded her head wound. It was still tender, but Jill didn't flinch. Not expressing pain meant that Jill would be able to get out of here sooner. And the sooner she got out, the better off she and this whole valley would be.

Next, he checked some of the scrapes on her arms and legs, and then applied some ointment to a few that were still a bit red and swollen. It stung, but, again, she clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white and didn't say a word.

Once he was done, Hardy smiled a bit, closed the ointment tube, and said, "You're very tolerant of pain, Miss Pony."

Jill shrugged a little, and tried to come up with a reason. Most doctors just usually thought her wounds were healing quickly. So far, Hardy was proving to be much more intelligent than "most doctors." This fact made Jill rather uncomfortable, and she found herself wondering whether she was actually safe here or not. She was used to being the clever one, and she didn't want to be a step behind Hardy, or else she'd be dead in a heartbeat. Especially if he had any association with Hawk and the organization.

Before Jill could come up with a reply, however, Hardy said, "That's a very admirable skill. Anyway, I think you should stay in the valley for a week or two. I need to check on your wounds to make sure they've completely healed, and then you can go off on your hiking trip again. Unless you decide that you like it here." Hardy winked, which filled Jill with a pleasant warm feeling of safety she wasn't really familiar with, or at least hadn't felt in a long while. The actual message in his words, however, worried her. She couldn't stay here for a week. She couldn't stay here for another day. She opened her mouth to explain that the extra care wouldn't be necessary, but Hardy beat her to it yet again.

"Now, I don't mean to pry, but...how much money do you have with, you, Pony? Some of this ointment is very expensive, and you had many serious wounds. I can give you a small discount, but if I don't get something...well..." he trailed off, and Jill felt her stomach flip.

She didn't have much money at all. She had spent a large amount of it on her last doctor's trip. Jill, however, wasn't the type to steal or not return kindnesses. She had been in dark business for long enough, and she had promised herself that she would stay out of as much trouble as she could from here on out. But still, she couldn't afford to pay the bills, and she couldn't afford the time to stay here getting her wounds checked. Her brain dissected the choices: break a promise to herself and sacrifice her own morality, or stay here and possibly sacrifice her own life and the lives of those around her?

Eventually, she slowly replied, "I don't have much money at all, Hardy. I didn't really expect to get in a bear attack, as you can probably guess. But I don't think I can stay here that long, either. My parents were expecting me back home for a visit in a few days. I need to get traveling, and find a cheap way to get back home. Thank you for your, concern, though."

Hardy's gaze hardened a little, and he gave Jill a long look that made her feel a tad bit uncomfortable. Here was this seemingly nice man, suddenly giving her a single look that made her almost want to stay in the valley just to please him. Then, his eyes became sad, but Jill wasn't exactly sure why. Why would he be sad? Anger, frustration, disproval...any of those looks would have been understandable, but...sad?

"Now, Pony," he sighed, "I understand, but you've got to hear me out, missy. If your parents knew the condition your body is in, they wouldn't want you traveling. I don't want you traveling, either. You can certainly call them and tell them you won't be able to make it for this visit, but you'll be able to come as soon as possible. But if you leave now, well...I can't assure you that your body will be the same as it was before. I'm honestly surprised you survived that attack, Pony, and your body needs rest now more than ever."

This slowly started to make sense in Jill's brain. It had been months since she had escaped headquarters, and since then she hardly had any rest. She was constantly awake, not getting enough sleep, had some sort of wound, and most of all, she was always stressed. And that was just the physical piece.

Her thoughts were growing too noisy and her doubts too loud, and she didn't have the time to think properly anymore. It was as if she was becoming all instincts, a person just trying to survive, instead of a person trying to live. She had no relationships with anyone anymore, she hadn't had a proper, kind conversation with anyone in weeks. In fact, Jill couldn't even think of anyone she trusted at the moment. She was becoming too quick to analyze, too timid, and not...well, human.

It was all growing rather tiring, really, and she had noticed it before in corners of her mind. The state of her mental and emotional health was also dropping. But none of it had become crystal clear until now. She needed rest. She didn't want to become a robot or an animal or just a person. She needed to be, well, her. She needed a home, at least a temporary one.

Of course, Hardy probably hadn't noticed any of this, but it was all clear in Jill's mind now. Maybe she did need a break. Was Forget-Me-Not Valley the place to do it, though? Or was she making a terrible mistake?

Goddess, please give me a sign, she prayed, and then looked up at Hardy again.

"Of course, after you finish resting, you can start working off your pay by doing some tasks for me," Hardy said. "It will all work out, you'll see. But I really do think you should stay here a while. With all this wandering around you've been doing, wouldn't it be nice to have a home for a season or so?"

Home. The word seemed hollow and empty. She didn't have a home. Her home had burned to the ground in a raging fire, and she had only been allowed to get a glimpse of the ashes.

But Jill stayed silent, still mulling the idea over in her head. Hadn't she been longing for a home just yesterday? Didn't she think to herself how nice it would be to have somewhere to stay permanently? Could she really find that place here? Hardy seemed nice enough, and Marlin was okay. After all, if Marlin had recognized her or been suspicious at all, he would have gone through her rucksack and turned her in immediately, or just let her die, not bring her here. So Marlin, at least, was trustworthy. And Doctor Hardy seemed to be, too. Though he was very convincing and persuasive in a dangerous kind of way, he also just seemed like one of those kind old guys that liked younger people because they reminded him of his grandkids.

Jill thought over each word before she said it. "I left my things in Mineral Town, so I don't have any clothes or food. And I don't have any money, either, so I can't pay anyone back for the things they give me or buy anything new. All I have is in that rucksack, and most of it is soiled."

Hardy chuckled, and replied, "Pony, everyone is friendly and generous in Forget-Me-Not Valley, and no one really cares about money. You'll notice we're a quaint little town, and we love visitors. No one's lived a good day until they've done something for someone who can never repay them. That's pretty much our town motto."

Jill's heart skipped a beat. Her mother used to say that phrase to her all the time. Was that a sign from the Goddess? Maybe she could find a home here. Or, at least, a place to rest until the organization found her again. She could stay until her debt was paid and she was feeling a little more human and less like a stiff robot, and if the pigs found her she'd leave early. If that happened she wouldn't be betraying her sense of morals, because she was putting the town in danger, anyway. Really, by leaving if the Pigs found her, she'd be doing a huge favor for the people who lived in Forget-Me-Not Valley.

"Ohhhh-kaaaaay." The word sounded slurred, almost like she was drunk, and she said it very slowly in case she wanted to take it back.

Hardy smiled, and replied, "Great. How about I make us a nice meal as a little celebration? Oh, and I can try and organize things so that you get to know the townspeople a bit and have meals at different family's houses. You'll want to meet Ruby and her family for sure; they're the innkeepers, real great bunch. Oh, and Vesta, Marlin, and Celia. I've been taking care of Marlin and Celia since they were real little. They've been working for Vesta since they were in their teens, I think." He got up to walk to the kitchen counters, and continued, "Muffy and Griffin are real great, too. They run the bar, which is really not far from here at all. A two minute walk, if that."

Hardy continued to ramble on about various town citizens, and Jill felt her stomach do a little flop. She wanted rest and to get a few relationships, but not this fast. This felt like she was being thrown into a social tornado that she had no place being in. She cleared her throat a little bit, and Hardy paused. She took the opportunity to say, "Hardy...um...maybe we should take it a little slower than that. You know, now that I think about it, I'm really not feeling as great as I thought I was."

"Oh, of course," Hardy chuckled, and put some spices in a frying pan. "Don't you worry, you'll have plenty of time to rest before there are too many introductions. I reckon you'll be able to walk around properly tomorrow, but we'll see if you're feeling well enough to actually get out of the house. Plus, it's still a wee bit cold outside."

Jill nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed. This was a side of Hardy she hadn't seen yet. He certainly seemed concerned for her mental, emotional, and physical health. He wasn't just a doctor anymore, he was more of...a parent figure, or something. That was a strange thought for Jill that brought some uncomfortable memories with it. She closed her eyes, and leaned back against the bed, grateful that Hardy had stopped talking for the time being. Jill used to be a talker. In fact, she was the girl that really liked meeting up with friends and just talking over a drink of hot coco at the local ski lodge. But that had been a long, long time ago. Now Jill wasn't exactly sure what kind of person she was. It was what she imagined going to war would be like. You go feeling young, and come back feeling old. Everyone else's problems suddenly seem so insignificant in the big scheme of things. She wasn't sure if she would be able to revert to her old self. Would people actually like the new her? Because not even she liked the new her. She wanted the old one back.

Then again, it wouldn't matter, anyway. She would only be staying for a season, if that, and then she'd be off again. But maybe she could learn to try and enjoy herself until then.

A/N: And the plot thickens... :) Much love to readers, even more love to reviewers. Have a great day, or night, depending on what time zone you live in and various other things. Hope you enjoyed. :)