River Deep, Mountain High

Standard disclaimers apply to this piece of Christy fan fiction.

This story continues where the TV series left off.

Any similarities to other works of Christy fan fiction are purely coincidental and unintentional.

Chapter 29

Jeb Spencer met Christy at the El Pano train station to bring her back to the Mission after her visit to Asheville. Though she was grateful to Mr. Spencer, Christy felt her heart fall with disappointment that David or Neil had not come to retrieve her. Jeb informed her that David was stranded for a few days in Lufty Branch since the weather had been bad. While the precipitation had turned mostly from snow to rain, the saturated ground was far too muddy for the horses to travel safely over the rugged mountain terrain. The river was also high, making crossing treacherous. Confident in his wagon and his knowledge of alternate routes from El Pano which were less dangerous if more circuitous, Jeb Spencer successfully transported Christy and her bags to the Mission.

Christy quickly settled back into her room at the Mission, feeling very much at home. While she unpacked, a chatty Ruby Mae shared with her all the latest news and gossip that Christy missed while she was away in Asheville during the holidays. The biggest news told by the boisterous red-head was the discovery of who had shot Bird's-Eye Taylor nearly two months earlier.

As most people speculated, the two gunmen were moonshiners from across the state line in North Carolina with whom Bird's-Eye used to partner. He worked out a deal with the revenuers not to make or sell any more illegal whiskey in return for amnesty. At the same time, Bird's-Eye informed on the two men who had shot him, men with whom he had previously run illegal liquor. The sheriff, along with the revs, set up a trap – a sting operation – and the men were caught. In doing so, Bird's Eye was not directly linked to their apprehension and would be protected. The two were rotting in jail, and as Bird's-Eye told everyone the day of the working at Dan's cabin, they would not be troubling anyone at the Mission again.

While Ruby Mae went downstairs to start on supper, Christy continued to unpack. She soon found her mind and gaze wandering. Like a moth to a flame, the majestic Smokey Mountains drew her to them, and obeying their call, Christy wandered outside the Mission, neglecting to pick up her coat, to enjoy the crisp, clean mountain air. She inhaled the freshness, taking it deep into her lungs until she could feel it seep into her bones to penetrate her entire being. It was free of city pollutants and felt like the first true breath she had taken since she left Cutter Gap nearly four weeks ago. Taking in her surroundings, Christy ambled to the pond and stopped on the footbridge. It was glorious, she thought. Cutter Gap was truly a special place put on this Earth by the Good Lord Himself.

Lost in her thoughts, Christy did not hear the rider approaching until a familiar man's voice called out to her.

"Welcome back, Christy."

Startled, she turned around to face the doctor. She could see that his cheeks were flushed in the cold, and he looked quite handsome in his hat. "Oh, good afternoon, Neil," Christy responded after regaining her composure. It felt like ages since she had seen him, and she could feel her heart race with joy at this first sighting in a month. She drank in the sight of him.

He smiled at her, obviously happy to see that she had returned to the Cove. His forehead wrinkled slightly when he noticed that she was not wearing a coat. "I see you're out here without a coat. You needn't catch cold just so I might have cause to visit, Miss Huddleston," he admonished, wagging a doctorly finger at her, though his eyes and tone of voice clearly indicated he was teasing.

Christy could not help but chuckle at him. She loved when he gently ribbed her like that and called her Miss Huddleston. "You are so right, Doctor. I don't know what came over me," she played along in his little game. "I must have been carried away by the beauty of these mountains and lost any shred of good sense."

Though her tone teased, her reasoning was in fact true. Christy had indeed been swept up in the mountains. Now capped in white from the recent snowfall, they were as beautiful as they were in the autumn, when the trees covered the tall peaks in a crazy quilt of green, orange, amber, and deep crimson.

Neil instinctively took off his jacket and laid it across Christy's shoulders. His scent permeated the plush tan corduroy fabric and wool lining of the coat with that distinct, manly smell of tobacco, saddle soap, and horse. It pleasantly tickled her nose. She inhaled deeply his aroma along with that of the fresh mountain air. It smelled like home, Christy thought dreamily.

"I began to wonder if you were coming back at all," Neil said, all teasing gone from his voice and replaced by complete seriousness and honesty. He eyed her curiously for a moment, afraid he was revealing too much of his inner feelings.

Christy turned to face him, her blue eyes sweeping across the mountain backdrop to look into Neil's. "I told you I was only going back for a visit."

He tugged at the hairs that fall over the nape of his neck and looked away for the briefest instant. "I know you said you would be back after the New Year, but I still wondered if the attraction of the city and being home with your family would make you change your mind."

"This is my home, Neil," Christy told him plainly. "I realized that even more when I was in Asheville. There wasn't a day when I didn't wish I was in back Cutter Gap."

Neil's heart leapt inside his chest when she said those words. He had been so lonely over Christmas, so afraid that Christy had left and would never come back. He did not think he could bear it if she did not return. Neil felt extremely vulnerable having his happiness inextricably linked to the young schoolteacher. With mere words, Christy could make him soar with complete joy or crash into the depths of despair. Such lack of control over his emotions was a strange and uncomfortable feeling for Neil MacNeill, but he found there was little he could do to change it. His heart was held captive by Christy Huddleston – he was a prisoner of love – whether she knew it or not.

"Well, I trust you had a pleasant visit your parents?" Neil asked, changing the subject in an attempt to still his excitement.

"Yes, it was wonderful. Mother and Daddy give you their best, Neil," she told him. "Daddy is back to his old self again. The new doctor he has been seeing has him continuing the exercises and physical therapy you began last year to help keep his muscles strong. Daddy says he has more energy now that he had ten years ago!"

Neil was thrilled to hear about William Huddleston's tremendous progress after the stroke he'd suffered. It made him well up inside that Christy was so happy. "I am very glad to hear it, Christy."

"Daddy says he'll need all that energy to make it through these mountains," Christy remarked. "My parents promised to come visit me in Cutter Gap next time."

Neil was overjoyed that Christy was staying in Cutter Gap, presumably for a quite a long while, though he fought hard to keep the depth of his enthusiasm in check. He tried to shake the thoughts away and shivered visibly, though not due to the cold.

Seeing Neil start to shudder, Christy said, "Oh, Neil! You must be freezing. Why don't you come in for a hot cup of tea and warm yourself by the fire?"

"Thank you, Christy. But I've got an appointment with Dan Scott, and I must be going."

"Oh, well, perhaps another time." Disappointed, Christy pulled the coat off her shoulders and handed it back to Neil. "I'd like to discuss some more ideas I have for science lectures. I raided Daddy's library while I was in Asheville, and I'm eager to share my thoughts."

"Why don't you stop by Saturday afternoon and we can talk about it then," Neil suggested, smiling at her enthusiasm. It was indeed contagious, and he could not help but to be excited as well.

"Alright, I'll see you on Saturday." Christy nodded and then headed back to the warmth of the Mission house.

Neil slipped his arms into his coat and buttoned it to shield himself from the cold winter air. He breathed in deeply the faint scent of lavender and roses. He smiled to himself and began to hum a merry tune as he mounted Charlie and headed to Dan Scott's place.

***

Chapter 30

Neil MacNeill had been in a foul mood for the past two days. He'd been called away to Low Gap at the last minute to assist with a birthing. The woman was in her mid-twenties and on the verge of motherhood for the very first time after having failed to carry the last three pregnancies to full term.

Jessie O'Connor came from a family that lived in a remote and isolated part of the Cove, one that preferred to keep very much to itself. Although the pregnancy was considered high-risk after the previous miscarriages, the revered granny who assisted with the delivery strictly adhered to the old ways where men were unwelcome at the birth of child, even doctors. As a result, aged woman failed to send word for Doctor MacNeill until she saw there were serious complications, and by then it was too late.

The doctor hurried to Low Gap as quickly as he could, but Big Spoon Creek was still swollen from the recent heavy rains and the ground slick with soft mud. With the necessity of navigating the high waters and dangerous terrain carefully, the journey took longer than usual. Neil had to stop several times and lead Charlie through some of the more perilous areas of the mountain on foot for fear that, with his added weight, the horse would be swallowed up into the muck like quicksand. He could break a leg or worse.

By the time Neil appeared at the secluded cabin, the baby had been stillborn, the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck. To make matters worse, Jessie was hemorrhaging badly. She had already lost too much blood, and Neil was unable to do anything to prevent the inevitable. As he did with Margaret, Neil felt completely and utterly helpless. Not fifteen minutes after the doctor's arrival, young Jessie O'Connor breathed her last breath and died.

Robert O'Connor was beside himself with grief. Not only had he lost his first child who managed to survive into its ninth month, but his beloved wife had been taken away as well. The cruel injustice of it all was too much for him to handle. Like a brittle tree branch put under the slightest pressure, Robert O'Connor snapped. His sadness turned into pure anger, and that anger was targeted directly at Doctor MacNeill. He lashed out viciously at Neil, blaming him for the death of his baby boy and young wife. If the doctor had only arrived sooner, Robert rationalized to himself, he and his woman would be happy new parents to a healthy son.

Back at his cabin, Neil was deeply distraught. Visions from the terrible night in that small and distant cabin haunted and tortured him. The motionless baby wrapped in a soiled sheet next to the bed. The lifeblood draining out of poor Jessie O'Connor. The young mountain man weeping uncontrollably over his dead wife's body. Though he was a doctor and had seen more than his fair share of gore and death, Neil MacNeill found he could not make these awful sights vanish from his mind.

Along with the lingering mental pictures that flickered in his brain ceaselessly, Robert O'Connor's cruel and bitter words echoed in his ears over and over again, until he soon began to believe them. Perhaps he was to blame, Neil thought. He should have done more to get to his patient sooner, even at the risk of injuring his horse or himself.

Many hours later, Neil rose from his chair and went outside to the small cabinet on the front porch. He opened the doors and retrieved the ivory earthenware ewer that was concealed behind them. Disturbing the tight seal, he removed the cork with a slight pop and brought the jug to his lips. With hopes of quieting the voices in his head and stilling the flashing images in his brain, he tilted his head back and lifted the container higher to release the aromatic liquor. He stumbled back into the house, and soon Neil felt his insides burn like fire as the contents poured down his throat and into his belly. But it did nothing to dull the ache. Instead, his inner turmoil grew even more acute.

Familiar feelings of helplessness and self-doubt plagued Neil and refused to relinquish their crippling grasp on his senses while he stewed alone is his cabin and drank. His thoughts once again turned to Margaret. Neil had been unable to help her when she returned to Cutter Gap the second time and learned of her relapse with tuberculosis. When he finally did, it was past the time when he might change the course of the debilitating disease. Just like Jessie O'Connor, Neil had been too late, his medical knowledge rendered useless.

Unbidden, thoughts of Christy floated in Neil's spinning mind. He thought of how much he truly loved her, and then wondered how he would feel if he were to lose her the way Robert O'Connor had just lost the love of his life. Neil knew he would not be able to bear it if something happened to Christy and he was unable to help her. The mere speculation left Neil paralyzed with fear. Witnessing the severity of Robert' grief and remembering his own when he thought Margaret had drowned in the river made Neil MacNeill absolutely certain of one thing. He never wanted to feel that anguish and heartache ever again, not as long as he lived.

In a moment of perceived clarity, Neil determined it was better for him to squelch the feelings he harbored for Christy than to risk her being hurt because of his failings as a physician and human being.

Attempting to drown out his sorrow, pain, and feelings of self loathing, the doctor continued to drink heavily from the emergency jug of moonshine he kept on hand, depleting his reserves until he succumbed to the blissful numbness of the white lightning.

***

Chapter 31

It appeared to be a beautiful Saturday afternoon in mid-January when Christy knocked on the door of Doctor MacNeill's cabin. They had an appointment to discuss some of the new ideas Christy came up with for science topics during her visit to Asheville. She was eager to see Neil, not just to talk about school, but because she had missed him so much while she was away. She almost felt as if she needed to make up for lost time somehow.

When he did not answer, Christy knocked again, louder this time. Suddenly, the crashing sound furniture hitting the wooden floor and the unexpected sight of Neil MacNeill, disheveled and intoxicated, when he finally came to the front door turned Christy's world on its end in an unforgettable instant. Her face fell and her expression darkened when she saw Neil's bloodshot eyes and several days' worth of facial hair shadow his strong jaw line. Combined with the overpowering stench of moonshine, the image he presented made Christy nearly sick to her stomach.

"To what do I owe the honor of this visit, Miss Hudleston?" he asked bitterly, his voice dripping with sarcasm and contempt.

Stunned by the acrimony in his tone, Christy stood speechless. Through the open door, she glanced past the doctor and into the cabin where she could see furniture upended and an empty jug of moonshine lying on its side on the floor. Confirming immediately that Neil was inebriated, she eyed the doctor once more, looking him over carefully. Her blue orbs widened when she saw the deep gash on his forehead peeking out from beneath his tousled curls. Christy could tell from the dried, clotted blood that the wound was not quite fresh. It didn't just happen, but it had been left unattended and untreated for many hours.

Her original urge had been to simply leave and tell Neil that she would return at another time when he was in a better state. But seeing that he was hurt made Christy's heart soften. She wanted to help him.

"Neil? What's the matter? Has something happened?" she asked gently, her expression indicating concern.

Neil snorted with disdain and turned away from her. Walking back into his cabin, he stumbled in his alcoholic stupor over the empty container of corn liquor. Christy was immediately at his side to steady him, but when he regained solid footing, he angrily pulled his arm away from her.

"Let me help you, Neil," Christy pleaded.

His eyes, glazed over with the fog of intoxication, suddenly pierced into hers with the sharpness of a dagger. "I don't need your help," he spat angrily.

"I'm your friend, Neil," she said boldly, "and I thought you were mine. Why are you treating me like this?"

Neil began to lash out at Christy in full force. "A young woman and her child died needlessly two nights ago. And a man has just lost the woman he loved more than anything."

His head was only inches from hers, and for a moment, Christy could see the hurt buried beneath the rage flash and flicker as the internal battle raged on. But then, it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared when Neil went into another bitter tirade.

"You see, there are some things that even you cannot fix, Miss Huddleston. Or your God," he spewed derisively. Her name fell from his lips with scorn, shooting a cold shiver down Christy's spine.

She fought hard to reign in her emotions and keep in control. "Neil, you've been drinking, and you are saying a lot of things right now that I know you don't mean…"

Neil had been storming around the room in his half-drunkenness when he twisted back toward her and cut her off abruptly. His thick Scots accent seemed more pronounced in his furor. "You think you know everything, don't you? Well, you don't! I can assure you that I mean every word I say."

He paused at the horrified look in Christy's eyes, but it was too late to stop the words that had already formed on his tongue. "You should have married the Reverend Grantland when you had the chance." Instead of getting mixed up with a Godless, good-for-nothing, poor excuse for a man like me, he thought to himself.

No longer able to contain herself, Christy clenched her jaw tightly and blinked back the tears that threatened to spill at any moment. She quickly spun around on her heels to leave the cabin when, adding insult to injury, Neil uttered some final, hurtful words.

"I wish you had never come here to Cutter Gap!" He shouted. Hearing his own words reverberating in his ears somehow slapped Neil back into sobriety, and instantly, he regretted saying them.

Christy stopped in her tracks, her head dropping for a moment as a single tear escaped and began to fall down her cheeks, which were now flushed with color. Slowly, she turned around again to face Neil, who stood still as a statue with his last words hanging over them like a thick black cloud. She gazed back at him one final time, her sad eyes moist with tears and her face contorted in pain and confusion. Then she turned and sprinted out of Neil's cabin as fast as her feet would carry her.

Once his legs regained mobility, Neil ran out to the front porch and watched Christy ride away on Prince in a fury. Knowing he had hurt her beyond repair, he stammered back into his cabin and fell into a pitiful heap on the floor behind the closed door.

***

TO BE CONTINUED

Note: Thanks for holding out through these many chapters! There are many more to be developed, but I promise that the next one will be a real turning point in the story.