Chapter Twelve
Previously: Nick kicked the dirt under his feet with the toe of his right boot as he put his hands on his hips. "I want to help you, we all do. But," He turned and, taking a deep breath, went ahead and said the one thing he knew would either get answers or make it so he had to start chasing the young woman before him. "None of us can do that unless you're totally honest with us…Anna Randall."
~oOo~
"My legal name is Ruth!" Ruth turned around and glared at Nick, barked even, as tears began running down her cheeks. "If you took the time to remember meeting me and, or my mother at that makeshift hospital, why not get all your facts straight!" She took a deep breath and continued talking. "Ruth is my middle name, not my first. My parents, for whatever reason, named my older sister Ruth Marie and then named me Anna Ruth. Why on earth give two of your children the same name, even if it's in a different spot, don't ask me." She then shrugged her shoulders and sighed as she turned away from Nick. "Reverend Richards," she said as she thought on the kindly preacher she and her mother had helped for a few months before her mother died, "he couldn't see the sense in it either and called me Anna."
"What's going on?" Nick asked again. "Why did you confirm you were your elder sister when Uncle Jim called you Ruth? Timothy calls you mama, but he isn't your son." Nick said as he did the math. "I mean, I remember you helping your mother in that makeshift hospital. I remember some of our talks. You would have only been ten or eleven at the time. And, the best I can figure, you would have only been eleven or twelve when he was born."
"I never confirmed or denied anything!" Ruth whirled back around and faced Nick, angrier than she'd been the first time. "When I got here, Uncle Jim never even gave me a chance to say anything. He opened the door and stared at me. The moment I asked if he was Uncle Jim, he was whispering Ruth and then yelling it. He hugged me and welcomed me into the house. He was talking right and left, all excited and everything. The fact that I have always look a good two or three years older than I am only served to strengthen his assumption." She sighed as she walked over to a medium sized boulder that sat near the bank of the creek and sat down, bending her head slightly and covering her face with her hands. "I didn't know he'd been given the wrong information when it came to which Ruth had survived the war." She sighed and lowered her hands, though her head remained bowed. "No, I didn't give birth to Timothy, but," she then raised her head, a look of absolute defiance in her eyes, and said, "but, as far as I'm concerned he is my son; well, he might as well be." She paused and then said, "I, along with the help of a good friend who was a few years older than me, fought to keep him alive after…" Ruth gulped and swallowed, "after my mother died giving birth to him." She took a deep breath, "I have raised him even if I was only twelve when he was born. I mean, even the short time we lived with the Lees it was me that took care of him! Mrs. Lee never lifted a finger to do a thing for him! Though, before you ask, he knows the truth. As he grew and asked questions, I gave him blunt, honest answers to any question he had. Maybe, at his age, I shouldn't have only I did." She then let out yet another sigh as her shoulders sagged a bit. "I didn't lie to Uncle Jim about the things Mr. Lee did. I just didn't mention the fact that Timothy was with me at the time, or the fact that it wasn't desperation for myself that I got married so young. I wanted a couple of things for Timothy, one thing being a good man for a father-which I thought my ex husband was." She took another deep breath and then asked quietly, "What are you going to do now?"
'I wanted a couple of things for Timothy' rang in Nick's ears. Just what was the second thing her marriage would have given Timothy? Somehow, Nick knew the second item was even bigger than wanting Timothy to have a good father. He laid his hand upon her shoulder and answered kindly, "That all depends on why you've remained silent on which Ruth you are and why you've kept silent when it came to this other information. I mean, no one's going to separate you and your brother. Like you just said, you've been raising him from day one. Be stupid to take him away from you now. What else did you want? Just what are you afraid of?"
For a split second Ruth thought of excusing herself, of grabbing Timothy and running again, only she couldn't. She'd have had to be flat out blind not to see the genuine concern in Nick Barkley's eyes, as well as profoundly deaf not to hear the same concern in his voice. And, even if she had been blind and deaf, she hadn't lost her ability to feel…and he might as well have his arm wrapped around her shoulders, for the feeling of comfort and safety she felt at that moment. "Jim Barkley can't be trusted, nor can anyone on that side of the family!" Her father's words rang in her ears. Only now, with Nick looking at her with genuine concern in his voice and the gentleness of his touch, Ruth found her heart racing as she once again remembered the lightning fast memory she'd had by the pond after asking if she'd ever find someone she knew she could absolutely trust…someone who could help her learn who to trust. Ruth began praying she wasn't being fooled as she had been with her ex husband. "If I tell you, are you going to repeat what I say?" She asked, keeping her eyes on Nick.
If he, Heath and Jim were to help Ruth and Timothy, Nick didn't see how he would be able to justify keeping quiet. He began wishing he'd never sent the telegraph. "How can any of us help you if we don't at least tell Heath and Uncle Jim? And you do need help. You started carrying this responsibility far too young." Nick answered, knowing the chances weren't very high of not telling his half brother and uncle anything.
Ruth stood up and walked a few feet away from Nick. She remembered how tired she'd been of playing the game, still was. "At least keep what I say between the family here?" she asked, her eyes pleading for him to agree to the request.
"No one in Abbottsville will be told." Nick assured her before restating the fact that he he, Jim and Heath only wanted to help.
Ruth let out a long drawn out sigh, turned around and began talking.