Arms reached out for her and she ducked and dodged, but they were fast and strong. She heard the sound of the auctioneer, and the crowd. "Sold!" He yelled and she was dragged by more strangers. She struggled, twisting, desperate to get free. Suddenly she sat up and opening her eyes, she saw she was laying in her own bed. She could see that sunlight was pouring in through the window, and that it was very late in the day.
"Bad dream?" He asked. He had been sitting at a chair by the side of the bed watching over her as she had slept.
She nodded silently and laying back down she rolled over onto her side to look at him. She drew in a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart. She brushed tears out of her eyes.
He sat down on the bed beside her, his hand resting on her side. "How's your head?" He asked as he kissed her.
"Better, I think." She said softly. He studied her face and rubbed her back gently.
"It was just a dream, 'Becca. You are home now. Everything is alright." He said.
"I am home, but it wasn't a dream." She said looking at him, and he kissed her again.
She had been having the nightmares ever since her memory had returned to her. She would wake up disoriented and panicky. At first it was several times a night, but had slowed down to once a night. She was hoping that soon it would disappear altogether. It made her feel silly and childlike to awaken crying from a bad dream; well, not a bad dream, but a very vivid bad memory.
"Are you hungry?" He asked. "I cooked."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "You did?"
"Well, 'Mima and Katie supervised." He admitted.
"I certainly hope so." She teased him. She threw back the covers and rose slowly looking around the room for her robe, but remembering it was long gone, she reached instead for her dress.
"There's no need for all that. After you eat, you should rest. Those headaches still worry me." He wrapped her green shawl around her shoulders.
"The doctor said they might last for awhile. Stop fretting over me. I'm fine." She smiled at him. "I'm getting a little weary of being babied. You still look, exhausted. When can I start taking care of you again?"
"Oh, I am fine. Don't start fretting over me. You are back with me, nothing could be wrong now."
"You are too skinny. People will think I am a bad cook." She said patting his stomach.
"No one would ever think that. You'll fatten me back up."
Suddenly, she remembered something. "Dan, what did you say to me?"
"What?" He asked.
"When I climbed out into the snow that night, you said something but I couldn't hear you. What did you say?"
He put his hands on her shoulders and considered thoughtfully, "I said, 'Be careful please and if I don't see you at the fort, I'll know you've run off.' I was trying to make a joke because I was so frightened for you. But then you disappeared and there was just that little piece of your robe."
She smiled up at him. "You were just teasing, Dan. Besides, I didn't even hear it." She could see he was troubled. He hung his head without speaking.
"Dan?" She said very softly.
"It's foolish I know." He said very softly. "but I thought I made it happen, because of what I said. I never should've sent you, Becky. You are so strong and steady in a fight, I forget you are a . . ."
"A woman?" She asked laughing.
"A grandmother." He grinned at her. "I never forget you are a woman." He raised an eyebrow at her. "You aren't a trained soldier, sweetheart. And I should never have sent you out like that. I am so sorry."
She reached out and pulled him towards her. "Dan! I would've made a run for it, even if you told me not to, and you know it. I'd like to see a trained soldier who has faced as many Indians as me! I am trained! You trained me! It was just bad timing, and bad luck. And we are together now. Everything is alright. Darling, I am fine. I am home."
"I'll never put you in harms way again. I've been selfish. Living the life I wanted and never considering things from your point of view. I'll move anywhere you want, sweet heart. I only want you safe and happy, and at my side until I breathe my last. Even then, I'll just be waiting for you on the other side."
"Hmm. . ." She said thoughtfully, looking up into his green eyes. "I guess now is my chance to get whatever I want, isn't it?" He nodded seriously. She smiled at him and squeezing him tightly she said, "But I have everything I want already. I've got you." Smiling, he kissed her deciding that dinner could wait.
***DB***
When they had finally returned to the Fort, she had been surprised to find everyone's joy at her return. Close friends cried and hugged her, but even people that she thought barely knew her, threw their arms around her, embracing her like a long-lost relative. She found it overwhelming.
Her memory had mostly returned to her, but she found some parts were still fuzzy. She had to be told by Dan several people's names and how she knew them. It worried her that some parts of her life might be forever lost to her.
The faces of her children, had not fallen into that dark hole of forgetfulness and weeping she had held them all tightly to her. She had spent hours cuddling her grandchildren close, amazed at how much they had grown.
And always, no matter what she was doing, she felt Daniel's eyes on her. She would even wake in the night, and find him sitting up watching her sleep. It was beginning to make her a little nervous and at last she had said to him, "I'm not going to disappear! Stop staring at me, please. You'll burn a hole right through me."
"I'm sorry." He had said quickly and looked so remorseful that she nearly laughed.
"Dan, I'm sorry. Don't feel badly about it. It just takes some getting used to. You never used to spend so much time looking at me." She squeezed his arm.
"I should have." He said sighing. "I could've done a sight better by you. I aim to improve."
"You've done just fine by me." She said laughing.
"Nope. You deserve better." He pulled her into his arms and holding her tightly to him he continued. "Rebecca, you are everything, you know that? Without you I couldn't even . . ."
She'd blushed embarrassed, but he said things like that now. It took some adjusting.
She had once, early on in their first days of marriage, wondered what it would be like to be married to someone who was quick with declarations of love. She had mourned her fate that she had married a man whose idea of romance was a brand new rifle for her birthday or freshly killed deer. Over time, she had learned to know him better and come to understand that in his own way, he was nearly always declaring his love to her - in all the things he did, even if he never said them.
And now, he was saying them all the time too. The constant barrage of compliments made her uncomfortable, and strangely shy.
***DB***
"How are you holding up?" Mingo asked her. They sat along the river. She held Chandrika and Mingo's newest child, a girl they had named Mali. All the children and grandchildren fished and played. It wasn't quite warm enough yet for swimming but Nathan and Mingo's sons waded at the edge of the river.
"Me? Oh, I am fine. Nothing really happened to me. I didn't know who I was, so I didn't know I was missing." She smiled at him. "This little one is beautiful Mingo; a daughter at last." She kissed Mali's soft head.
"We named her for you. Chandrika wanted to pick a name that would make us think of you. Mali means strong and beautiful." He smiled at her and she blushed embarrassed by the complement. "I saw Melinda Elsipf hugging you the other day. I had no idea you were such great friends."
She laughed. "Neither did I! It seems like I had more friends than I knew, and all of them are very happy to see me."
"It must be strange. Everyone here, worried over you, mourned you and lost you. Now that you are back it must be overwhelming." He smiled at her.
"It would be difficult to complain with everyone saying how much they loved and missed me. It is odd. It's like I was asleep for a month, and when I woke up, everyone around me had changed." She sighed.
She had been surprised when she had first seen Mingo and Chandrika, he had lifted her off the ground in a huge embrace and kissed her cheek. Setting her down, she had been shocked to see tears in his eyes.
"You are my own dear, sister, Rebecca. I am so glad you are returned to us." He had said to her.
"I imagine things will settle back to normal in time." She said hopefully.
"I don't know, Rebecca. Most folks will probably settle back to normal, but I think Daniel might be permanently changed. He did not take it well. He stopped eating and sleeping. Katie-Grace kept Rose and Nathan. You might have to get used to him staying home."
"I noticed that. He told me how you went out looking for me with him. Thank you for that. He can always count on you when trouble comes. It comforts me to think that if anything did happen to me, he'd have you and Chandrika to look out for him. I know the children would try and take care of him, but he is more likely to listen to you. You are his brother after all." She smiled at him.
"I wasn't much help, I'm afraid. He's as stubborn as you, Rebecca. I told Israel to keep a close watch over you. We know now, he wouldn't last too long without you."
"Oh, that's ridiculous! I've read the book about him. Nothing can stop Daniel Boone!" She laughed.
"I heard my name. You two look guilty. What has she been saying Mingo? Its all lies!" He sat down beside her and lifted Mali out of her arms.
"I'll take her secrets to the grave!" Mingo said winking at him.
"Well, what do you think about having a daughter, Mingo?" Daniel asked him. "She's a pretty thing. 'Course having a pretty daughter brings you unending worry!"
"I was thinking the other day about this little girl I used to chase around when I was a boy, trying to steal a kiss from her, and suddenly I realized that the very same thing will probably happen to this little one, and I was ridiculously angry. I think we should have stuck with sons." Mingo laughed.
"Ah, well, nothing comforts your heart like a daughter, though. And all my girls are just as sweet and beautiful as their Ma. Besides, you got nothing to worry about with Mali, Nathan already decided he's going to marry her, just as soon as she's old enough." He grinned at Mingo.
"I'm not sure I approve of his family." Mingo said.
Mali began to cry then, hungry, but they all laughed and Daniel said, "See, she doesn't like you speaking so of her beau!" Chandrika came over then and took her from Daniel's arms. He reached for Rebecca's hand and the four of them sat in the shade of a tree watching the children play.
"Look around you, Daniel," Rebecca said to him. "What more could I possibly want?"