Evelyn and Annabell had been residents of Valentine for a little over a month now. She lived in constant alert, afraid of the law being around every corner. Glenn's family was large and wealthy, with more than enough money to send out their own bounty hunters and she cursed herself a fool for being so naive as to think they wouldn't have searched for her in Armadillo, which resulted in the death of her dearest friend Bethany. For now, she reassured herself that she was safer across the border, for surely no one would think she was in West Elizabeth. But, she'd been wrong before. For now, she served as the Doctor's assistant, handing out tonics and treatments for common illnesses and injuries, and setting appointments for more severe cases. With the little money she earned and had saved up from her husband's safe she was able to afford a room in the motel for her and Annabell, who sat clutching Evelyn's skirts.
She smiled fondly at the girl, running her fingers through the girl's wheat colored hair, so opposite of her own dark hair. Annabell had turned 5 a couple months ago, and she held tightly to the handmade doll Bethany had made her as a birthday gift.
"Anna, how are you feeling?" She asked her, knowing the girl had taken the sudden move and separation from "Gramma" hard.
"I'm okay mama." The girl responded, smiling up at Evelyn with a gapped smile. Smiling down at her Evelyn tucked her hair behind her ears, mentally noting to start braiding the hair before leaving the motel. The door opened, sending a soft jingle through the air as the entry bell rang.
"Welcome, how can I help you?" Evelyn greeted from behind the counter. Entering was a young woman, black hair tied into a messy bun and a shawl wrapped around her shoulders, trailed closely by a little boy around Annabell's age tugging on her skirts shyly. Evelyn hadn't seen her before, so she assumed the woman was just traveling through or had been temporarily staying in the livestock town.
"Hey there, I'm looking for the Doctor, if he's here? My boy, Jack, has been sick for weeks and can't shake it, I'm worried for him." The woman said hurriedly, anxiously stroking the boy's hair, who Evelyn had just noticed was pale and shivering. She frowned, coming over from behind the counter and pressing her hand gently to his forehead which was warm and clammy.
"Well, he definitely has a fever, but thankfully it seems to be a small one." She frowned and rose back to her full height. "But I'm afraid the doctor is out of town for a while on a house call." She said to which the woman's expression fell and her shoulders slumped.
"Oh... I see. Well, thank you-" She turned to leave,
"Wait. I shouldn't, but I have a little girl about the same age and I can't just let you leave," Evelyn interrupted, turning around and shuffling through the shelves making the glass jars clink together. She found what she was searching for, bagged it, and handed it to the woman. "Please, take this and give it to him once in the morning and once at night. He should be back to normal within the week. Just, don't say I gave it to you."
The woman accepted the bag, shocked. "I... Thank you. My name is Abigail. This is my son Jack." Abigail gestured to the boy who gave a little smile. Evelyn smiled warmly at him and gestured for her daughter to come over.
"A pleasure to meet you, my name is Evelyn, and this is my daughter, Annabell." Annabell smiled at the duo and waved, who waved back.
"It's nice to meet y'all. We should get back, thank you again, so much." Abigail said earnestly, and they took their leave. Evelyn smiled, happy to help but praying the little boy did indeed get better. She also prayed the doctor wouldn't find out she was giving away medicine.
Slowly but surely, Jack began to get better until nearly a week later he was back to his normal self, playing in the mud and making flower crowns and stick forts. Abigail couldn't explain how relieved she was, for a while there she truly feared that Jack wouldn't get better. Those weeks on the mountain were hard on everyone, but especially hard on Jack's little body and fragile immune system. Camp was bustling with energy, everyone was just happy to be away from the cold and away from the law, and Sadie was starting to come out of her shell, though she still cried herself to sleep when she thought no one was looking. MaryBeth and Karin giggled to each other while they scrubbed breakfasts' dishes together. Their topic of amusement being Sean, who had just been returned to the gang a few days prior.
Abigail spotted Arthur across camp who was tacking up his horse in preparation for departure. she called to him, pausing her laundry and walking over to him.
"Arthur! you wouldn't be headin' to town, would you?" She asked. Arthur tipped his hat in greeting and nodded.
"Pearson needs supplies and Dutch ran outta ink, reckon I'd make a run into town before goin' to meet John later." He said, shifting his weight to the side and raising an eyebrow at her. "Why?"
Abigail snorted at the mention of John, though with a hint of affection. "I was wonderin' if you could pay the doctors a visit. His assistant, Evelyn, I mean. She's the one who snuck me Jacks medicine." She teared up a bit, Abigail wasn't a sensitive person nor was she prone to crying, but the thought of a total stranger potentially saving her son just out of the kindness of their heart tugged at Abigail's heart.
"Just, tell her I said thank you, would ya? She really helped Jack." Abigail said, stepping away to go back to her laundry. Arthur tipped his hat at her.
"Sure thing, miss Roberts." He said, and mounted his horse, a reverse dapple thoroughbred that Hosea had gifted him. He reckoned a visit to the doctor wouldn't hurt; the camp was running low on bandages anyway.
Arthur entered the doctor's building, the bell above the door ringing his arrival. A woman stood at the counter; head bent over a book.
"Hello, what can I do for you?" She asked in a polite and pleasant voice.
Arthur cleared his throat, feeling a little out of his comfort zone.
"Howdy. You Evelyn?" He asked. In response the womans gaze hardened over and her posture became rigid and guarded. She stepped back, shielding something behind her with her hand subtly reaching for something on her hip.
"Who's asking?" She said in a stern tone, eyes trained on him. Arthur, taken aback at the reaction, raised his hands to show he was unarmed.
"A woman wanted me to give you a message, Abigail? She said she wanted to thank you, and that her son is back to good health. Sorry for scarin' ya." The woman sheepishly relaxed, stepping forward to her previous spot at the counter.
"Oh, my apologies. I'm so happy to hear that Jack is well. And yes, I am Evelyn." She introduced herself, slightly embarrassed at her overreaction. Arthur looked her over, knowing a woman with a dark secret when he sees one. Behind the woman was a little blonde girl playing with a doll.
"No, no need to apologize. I'm a scary lookin' feller I suppose." He joked lamely, to which the woman quirked an eyebrow with an amused smile. He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Are you alright? you seemed on edge earlier." He asked, partly in concern but mostly in curiosity, being nosey was one of his bad traits. The womans mood seemed to darken a little and she shook her head.
"Just wary of strangers, I suppose. I'm not from around here." She informed. Arthur looked closely at her and understood. A bit. She seemed to have an atmosphere about her, that he'd seen in the high society ladies of BlackWater.
"Yeah, me neither." He chuckled and tipped his hat at her. "Well, I best be goin', pleasure to meet you, miss?"
Evelyn nodded at him, "Kings. A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Arthur."
"Have a good day miss Kings." he bid, and left.
In the candlelit room Evelyn brushed Annabell's hair, weaving it into three parts and crossing the sections over to form a braid. The little girl hummed a tune, playing with the hem of her nightgown.
"Did you have a good day, Anna?" Evelyn asked, tying off her hair and patting her back to signal that she was done.
Annabell nodded, hopping off the bed to admire her reflection in the window. "Yes mama, I played with a pretty puppy with one of the other girls." She screwed her nose in thought. "But I can't remember her name. She's really nice, and she said I could play with her again tomorrow if her pa says she can." Evelyn smiled, happy to see the usually shy girl beginning to make friends. She worried about letting her off on her own to play, but Anna was pretty good about staying in sight of the window from where her mother worked.
"Well, I hope you learn her name tomorrow so you can come back and tell me all about her." Evelyn undressed from her day clothes and slipped on her own nightgown. Looking in the refection, she saw herself dawned in white with her long black hair slipped over her shoulder. The sight of her in white still unsettled her, and unwanted memories of her wedding flashed in her mind, reminding her of her own childhood ripped away from her too soon.
Evelyn couldn't help but to still resent her father. He sold his child into a miserable marriage to pay off his own debts, having gambled away all of his money and was on the brink of his church collapsing from under him if word got out. So, he begged his wealthy acquaintance, an owner of several large banks in America, Glenn Kings, to consider marrying his 14-year-old daughter. Though it was normal for women, girls, to be wed at such a young age, Evelyn was outraged to hear of the unwillingly arranged marriage between her and a 30-year-old stranger whom she'd only met at social church gatherings. Her mother had sobbed, disheartened at the only option to sell away her only daughter. Why such a wealthy older man had agreed to the marriage was a mystery, but she suspected her husband wanted more control, and with him being wed to her made him the inheritor of the church should her father pass away.
Shaking away the memory of Glenn, Evelyn pulled Annabell tightly to her and kissed her forehead. As long as her daughter was safe and healthy, she'd do it all over again. Annabell giggled and kissed her mother's cheek, petting her hair. Evelyn blew out the candle, and they quickly fell asleep.