Chapter 143. The Calm Before the Storm
Friday night, by the time Nathan and Julia arrived at the hotel in Edmonton, Julia was quite sore. Perhaps it was the long horse ride the day before, or the long train ride today, but by the time they got there, her muscles were screaming.
Overall, it had been a nice train ride, despite the emotional goodbye this morning, with Daanis and Charlie. Neither Julia nor Nathan could predict when they'd be back in Airdrie again, so that made for a hard departure. And a surprisingly emotional one - Julia hadn't been prepared for all the emotions she would feel at leaving the ranch. Nathan either. Their time had been special, wonderful, and their hearts had been forever changed, and joined together, right there. Julia felt a special bond to the ranch now, because of all the wonderful things she'd discovered there, about her Nathan, and his family, and because of their adventures together. And Nathan's tie seemed to be rekindled, because of the things he had experienced there, with Julia.
So, the way home was cobbled with mixed emotions. On one hand, they missed everyone back home in Hope Valley, and were ready to start their "normal" life together. But on the other hand, this time of escape, of discovery, of melding together, was coming to an end. And neither wanted it to end. So, Nathan found himself a bit melancholy, and questioning. Was there a way to keep this season of coming together from ending? A way to keep the honeymoon going? A way to carry it all home with them?
These were the questions he'd asked himself, as they'd lounged all day in their sleeper car. And at lunch in the dining car, they'd even discussed how to keep the season of honeymoon going. And they were both equally determined.
And, as Nathan led her up the stairs to the same Room 12, Julia felt emotional all over again. Her mind couldn't help but make a comparison - they'd grown so much, as husband and wife, since they'd been here less than two weeks ago. And as she glanced up at him, her heart was filled with gratefulness, for such a man.
He must have been feeling the same, because he turned to her just before he opened the door. "Do you remember?" He asked her softly.
Julia smiled up at him. "How could I forget even one moment?"
He felt the same way. He leaned down and kissed her tenderly, that one long kiss that held so much emotion, and made his heart change rhythm.
Then he slowly turned, and opened the door. Much to Julia's delight, once again, that large bathtub was sitting in the middle of the room, full and steaming. She had hoped it would be there, just as it had been on their way to Airdrie. It was just what she needed to ease her sore muscles, and now, she also hoped to soak away her mixed emotions.
Just as soon as Nathan closed the door, a knock sounded. The bellmen delivered their luggage, set it up on the racks, opened and ready. Nathan thanked them with a generous tip, then closed the door again.
When he turned, Julia read a hint of shyness on his face. She walked to her suitcase, retrieved her robe, and went to the water closet. When she returned, wearing that robe, the belt very loosely tied, Nathan looked even more shy. He'd only managed to remove his jacket and tie, while she'd been gone.
Julia walked up and stood before him. She tilted her head and studied his face. "What's bothering you, Lawman? Your mind seems…busy?"
He looked down at her, let his eyes roam over her beautiful face. "I don't want you to think…that I just assumed…"
"You mean, the bath?" She asked curious.
"Yes, the bath. I ordered it for you, months ago. But, I honestly thought they would put a screen or you would have privacy, if you wanted it." She wasn't sure what he was getting at.
"But you are my husband, Nathan. You've seen…" She reminded him.
"Yes, that's true. But, that doesn't mean…" He closed his eyes for a moment, and tried to find a modest way to explain what he was trying to say. "I don't want you to think that I just assume, or that I expect…anything." She understood. He didn't want her to think he expected her to be intimate, because of the bathtub. "I would never want you to feel like you have to."
Julia loved that about him. He was real and honest, and met the sensitive subjects head-on. No, she had never felt pressured, nor thought he expected anything. She had always been a willing party, a more than willing party. Did he honestly have no idea how attractive he was, when he was real, like this? How his vulnerability and shyness, made him completely irresistible?
Julia stepped closer and brought her hands to his chest. She laid them right there, one on each side of his heart. Casually. She just wanted to touch him in some way. "Thank you for clarifying, Lawman." Why did her voice sound so playful and sultry? She tried to swallow that raw emotion down. It didn't work. "I've never felt any expectation from you, only love and tenderness." And as she said that last part, her hands made their way up his chest, and lopped one suspender off each shoulder. Then, her hands traveled on, to his second button. The top and first one were already open, probably when he'd removed his tie. So she proceeded to open the rest, one by one.
When she pulled his shirt open, she brought her eyes back up to meet his. They were dark and dilated now, and she could see the shyness was gone, had been replaced by desire. As she stepped forward to push the shirt back and off his shoulders, his mouth sought hers. And the kiss was fiery.
When he pulled back to catch his breath a second, she told him all raspy. "I'm not going in without you."
He laid his forehead against hers and nodded. She got that button on his trousers, and he did the rest. Then he picked her up in his arms, and carried her to the bath.
On Saturday morning, when Faith and Fiona returned to Hope Valley's infirmary, Bill had the curtain pulled completely open, and was sitting leisurely next to Jake. Both men held a mug of steaming coffee, and they were in a heated debate.
"There's no way the Boston Red Stockings are better than the Pittsburgh Pirates!" Bill told Jake.
"Bill, be reasonable. The Pirates haven't won a championship since 1909. Stop living in the past." Jake argued coolly. "It all comes down to the pitching, and they haven't had a decent pitcher in ten years!"
"Jake, pitching is only part of the game! The Red Stockings don't have a decent hitter." Bill shot back. "And, their short stop can't field the ball to save his life!"
"Bill, now you are just making things up. When's the last time you read the newspaper?" Jake asked, as he took a large drink of his coffee.
Bill lowered his coffee cup, swallowed as he shook his head. "I think that bonk on your head was harder than we thought." He pursed his lips. "Even St. Louis has better hitting than the Red Stockings."
"No way, Bill." Jake argued, but calmly, sure of himself. "St. Louis can't touch them either." Jake smiled confident. "The Red Stockings pitching is so tight, nobody can beat them. You'll see…they're gonna win it all this season."
Bill raised his eyebrows, liked the younger man's confidence, but didn't agree. "We'll see, Jacob. You care to put your money where your mouth is?"
Fiona broke in, then. "Okay, okay, fellas. Nobody needs to make a wager. It's just baseball." She teased them, with her hands out. The two men looked up, finally realized the women were even standing there.
Bill stood and excused himself. "Sorry, girls. Jake here's still suffering from confusion. He thinks the Red Stockings are a decent team."
Faith laughed out loud, Jake defended himself. "Bill here's still living in 1909, which was the last time the Pirates played a decent game."
Faith shook her head. "That's enough, fellas." She looked at Bill. "What did I tell you about keeping him calm?"
Jake chuckled low. "I'm calm as a cucumber, ladies. That's how it works when you support the right team."
Bill scoffed and shifted his weight. "We'll see, young man, we'll see." And he turned toward the ladies. "How was your night, girls?"
Faith grinned, she did look much better. "Very restful. Thank you, Bill."
Jake told them cutely. "You know, you can leave me here overnight. If there's a problem, I can always call you on the phone."
Faith chuckled. "Not yet, Constable." She raised a finger. "A few more nights under my roof, playing by my rules, and then I'll set you free."
Faith looked at Bill, and asked. "Other than the baseball argument, was he an agreeable patient?"
Bill grinned lopsided. "Yes. No issues to report, other than his bad taste in baseball."
"Hey! Isn't anyone going to ask me how my night was? I mean, I was the one left here to put up with Bill all night long." Jake told them both.
Faith shrugged, "You seem like you survived."
Fiona chuckled low. "And he made you coffee. Couldn't have been that bad."
Jake smiled at her and squinted his eyes. "Now, Sweets. You're not siding with Bill, are you?"
Fiona smiled back at him and teased. "Personally, I prefer the Brooklyn Grays. Though if San Francisco ever gets a team, I would be inclined to change my loyalties."
Jake threw his hands up in the air. "The Brooklyn Grays? Really?" He shook his head. "Fiona Miller, what am I gonna do with you?"
Fiona shrugged and told him simply. "I like their uniforms."
Jake repeated, in disbelief. "You like their uniforms?" He looked at Bill now, and chuckled under his breath. "She likes their uniforms."
Bill chuckled too. "Well, she's still got better taste in baseball than you."
Fiona interjected. "But, my Dad and brothers used to follow Boston," That brought a smile to Jake's face. She raised one eyebrow. "So, I could possibly be swayed."
Jake's gaze turned tender, he thought she looked quite beautiful today. "Well, just tell me how to sway you, Sweets. And I'll get to work tryin'."
Fiona smiled shy and told him. "How about you just work on getting well? Then we'll see about the rest."
Jake smiled even bigger. He loved her witty banter. "I can do that." He promised her.
"Bill, could I please talk to you outside?" Faith asked. She wanted to get a report from the night, so he could go home.
Bill looked at Fiona. "Maybe we should all confer?"
Fiona nodded. "We'll be right back, Jake." And the three went out to the front porch.
Faith looked at Bill. "All kidding aside, the night went well?"
Bill answered honestly. "It went just fine. He slept well, and so did I."
Faith nodded, "Glad to hear it. He seems to be doing better everyday."
Bill had something he wanted to discuss with them, also. "I didn't realize Jake hadn't informed his sister, or Nathan, about his injury."
Fiona looked at Faith. She'd felt uneasy about this, from the beginning. "He asked us not to bother her, or Nathan, on their honeymoon."
Bill looked from one to the other. "And you both agreed to this?"
Faith replied. "He's the patient, Bill. We were trying to respect his wishes. And since he was improving quickly enough..."
"You didn't want to worry them for nothing." Bill surmised.
Faith answered. "Exactly."
Even so, Bill didn't like it. "Well, they're coming home this evening, and I'm not sure they're going to be very happy about this."
Fiona had the same thought. "I didn't like the idea either, Bill. Julia would want to know her brother was injured."
Faith reminded them. "He made us promise, Bill."
"Are you ready for her reaction? I suspect she's going to be upset." Bill told them straight.
Fiona knew it was true. "I know she is."
The weight of it hit Faith hard. "What can we do to soften the blow, Bill?"
He knew one way. "Let me go pick them up." Bill paused and then explained. "Nathan and I have a sort of agreement. Goes way back. If one of us is ever out on an assignment, and something goes wrong in town, we pick the other up. So neither gets blindsided."
Fiona understood. "So he'll know something is up, the moment he sees you at the train station?"
Bill replied. "Exactly." He pursed his lips. "Hopefully, he can help soften it for Julia."
"Let's hope he gets it." Faith replied, hopeful.
Bill assured them. "Oh, he will." He paused. "He'll know right away."
"Okay." Fiona smiled shy. "Let's hope for the best."
Bill told them. "Yes, let's." He nodded. "But for the record, I don't agree with Jake's decision not to tell her, and I told him so."
Nathan knew as soon as he saw Bill. He stiffened up and that alarmed Julia. "What's wrong?" She asked, as they stepped off the train.
Julia followed Nathan's gaze to Bill, and saw it on his face. "Something's happened." Nathan told her.
"How do you know?" She wondered why she had even asked, because in some way, she could feel it, too.
"Bill's here. That means trouble." He offered only that flimsy explanation, but somehow, it made sense.
She felt her body tense up, a stance poised for the blow of bad news. "Please God, don't let it be Allie." She heard herself say.
Nathan glanced down and she was startled by the shadows in his eyes. He'd been here before.
Nathan kept her arm secure and slowly led her toward Bill. Why did it take so long to get there? She felt her heartbeat in her ears now.
Nathan noticed the way Bill's eyes kept flashing to Julia. The bad news wasn't for him. He looked down at his wife, and wished that whatever it was, he could shield her from it. What could he do to protect her?
When they stopped in front of him, Bill shifted his weight. That fatherly side of him came right to the surface. "Julia. Nathan." The way he said her name first gave it away. The bad news was for her, wasn't it?
Bill tried to smile, to soften the blow, but since he wasn't really sold on keeping it from her in the first place, it didn't come off quite right. Julia held tight to Nathan and squared her shoulders. "What is it, Bill? Please tell me it's not Jake." If it had been Allie, his eyes would be on Nathan right now. And she didn't think anyone would open her mail, so it couldn't be Elle.
He tilted his head and told her gently. "He was injured, Julia. In Brookfield."
"Injured? Injured how?" Her voice came out all funny and her heart pounded hard.
"There was a struggle, and he took a very strong blow to the head." Bill was taking too long getting it out.
"Just tell me he's alive, Bill. Please." Her knees felt weak so she held tighter to Nathan. He brought an arm firm around her waist, now.
"He's alive, Julia. And he's doing much better." Bill told her, and finally made that smile he'd been attempting, though it wasn't really convincing.
"Is he going to be okay?" She asked, finally letting go of the breath she'd been holding.
"Yes. Faith says he'll make a full recovery." At his words, Julia let out a long exhale. Bill thought she was taking it well, it was looking up.
She took a second deep breath and looked at him. "What kind of head injury?"
Bill answered with the facts. "He was hit with butt of a rifle."
"How bad is it?" She wanted to know.
Bill did his best to put her at ease. "He was out for a long time, was a nasty blow." He looked from Nathan back to Julia. "He's suffered confusion, nausea, dizziness, vertigo. But Faith says he's on the way up."
"This happened today?" It seemed strange that they already knew he was doing better.
Bill looked down at the ground and then back up at her. "It happened on Tuesday."
Today was Saturday. "Jake's been injured since Tuesday?"
Even Nathan was shocked. "Bill, seriously?"
Bill put out his hands. "Jake insisted we didn't contact you, he didn't want to worry you."
Julia changed stances, and it was noticeable. From bracing for the blow, to ready for battle. She didn't recognize her voice as it came out. "Bill. You can't be serious. You listened to a guy who has a head injury?" Bill looked at her but didn't say a word. "Take me to him. Where is he, you said Brookfield?"
"No, he was brought to Hope Valley yesterday." Bill told her.
"Then, please." Julia's eyes filled with tears as she looked up at Nathan, then back at Bill. "Take me to my brother, Bill."