Peter was so thankful that this other officer had been there to save the day. He knew he wasn't going to get very far with the young officer and his patience and his confidence was starting to wear thin from the lack of progress after his long journey. He was grateful that he was able to cut some corners off his lengthy story and eventually he arrived at how Susan had suggested a head nurse here in Masterton who knew Christine years ago. The officer had no hesitation with his authority in offering every option available and he even assisted with phone numbers, "We have our major hospitals to do first but we also have millions of clinics and surgeries in our city so this lady may not be so easy to find." A very grateful Peter made a start with a phone call to Masterton General. He was undeterred as each call was going to be one step closer to finding his wife after all this time. "Good morning, Masterton General, how may I help you?" Peter introduced himself and asked straightaway whether a Sonya Radcliffe worked there. He was directed to another location and he soon ran into some bureaucratic type hurdles. An assistant administrator informed him that they refrained from giving out names of staff in their employ for security reasons. "Are you a relative sir," Peter rolled his eyes thinking that he was going to have to relive his hour long story to each and every person on the other end of the line. This was going to be a lot more difficult than he had considered.
Earl could hear the sound of a car approaching in the distance, a strange and unusual sound to the locals as this little village was well off the main track. Janie had seen the tell-tale plumes of smoke in the distance and she gritted her teeth in anticipation of what was awaiting them. Her professionalism had been a real help and strength to her father over the years and they were a highly thought of and respected team in Union City. Janie could see the relieved look on Earl's face as the car stopped some distance away. An orderly from the hospital had driven the car for them and Earl made sure that he was the first person that they saw as they arrived. He was worried for Janie as this place, this morning was no place for the fainthearted so he tried his best to prepare her and her doctor father for what was to come. He got straight to it, "Doctor Parker, there has been a house fire here this morning and sadly, one person has perished after saving the life of the little girl," He pointed to where the house used to be and then the little girl who was still coughing and in some distress. Janie immediately grabbed her bag and went over to the ladies with the youngster.
To sit on the phone hour after hour with very little response or cooperation was frustrating and Peter was finding out very quickly how administration and bureaucracy could throw up so many unnecessary obstacles. Surely they all would accept and understand that his heartfelt enquiry was a noble one and that nobody would be harmed in any way. Most places, at the very least offered to do their own enquiry and if any information turned up, they would get back to him on the number at his hotel. They were all very sympathetic and hoped that this lady could be found but that was all they could do. The police officer even intervened but he was stopped dead in his tracks as well for the same reasons. He generally received the same reply as what Peter had been getting, "We have our rules sir, and they are to be adhered to just like yours." The officer invited Peter back the next day and they would start on some of the smaller places. Someone, somewhere had to know this woman.
Earl guided Doctor Parker over to where the man was still sitting with the deceased. He introduced himself and asked if the man would let him examine the body. The man carefully released the body and still sat there staring into space, "I got him into this ungodly mess and now I caused him to lose his life." He just sat there wallowing in the hot midday sun ignoring Earl and the doctor. Earl wanted to ask the man who he was and the relationship that he might have had with the deceased but he didn't think that he would get very far. Doctor Parker had seen things like this before with his work but nothing ever got any easier for him or Janie. He put his reassuring hand on the shoulder of the unresponsive man and then he and Earl went over to the ladies who were anxiously waiting for Janie's verdict on the little girl. "Was your little girl coughing before the fire?" asked Janie to the mother. She had found out that the mother's name was Rita and she was very worried about the state of her little girl. She cried when she said how her husband is away for a few days helping his father with fencing. "We nearly lost Millie while he's away," she cried as she broke down in tears. "It was that young man who saved her and we don't even know who he was."
One of the other ladies pointed to the two horses, "They were just getting ready to leave when the fire broke out." She spoke like in total disbelief that it had happened right before their eyes. "We didn't even know who he was but he saved little Millie's life." Janie got her dad to look at the distressed little girl but she was certain that she was going to be alright. "She's a lucky little girl and she miraculously doesn't look as if she has any burns or scrapes on her from the ordeal, I think that she will be okay. If that cough persists then you will need to contact us at Union City." instructed Janie. She hurried off to go and see Mrs Wallace and see if she could throw any more details on what had happened this morning.
"Mrs Wallace, I'm Janie Parker and the doctor is my father. Those ladies said that the man who died was someone they didn't know." They sat together in the shade of a tree and Mrs Wallace held tightly onto Janie's hand as she tried to come to grips with what had happened, "Those two young men came here yesterday in the afternoon looking very tired and hungry. They were perfect gentlemen and wanted to pay me for some food and drink but I was so pleased to help them without worrying about any payment." She was fighting back the tears again, "Janie, the younger man who is lying out there in the street asked me if it would be alright if he could go and sit in the church for a while." She burst into tears and put her head on Janie's shoulder, "He looked to have the troubles of the world on his shoulders and I couldn't do anything to help him. They camped out in the street last night and just when they were going to leave he saw the smoke and heard the scream from Rita. He raced into that burning house without a care for his own safety and he brought that little girl out. We don't even know who he was." Janie had thoughts for the unfortunate young man but she also had thoughts for the family and loved ones who were going to have to be found and informed. She had done this many times in the past but it never got any easier.
As far as Peter was concerned yesterday was a day to forget. The simple task of asking someone if a certain person worked there or whether they knew her was apparently not so simple and he didn't understand. He looked in the mirror and decided that he didn't look like an axe murderer or a pirate on the high seas. "I just want to find my wife, could that be too much to ask." He wasn't looking forward to returning to the scene of the crime now that it was tomorrow but he had no choice at the moment. He had no other alternative to go to, so he took a deep breath and set out from the hotel on his ten minute walk. It was a cloudy morning and a cool breeze and all the people and the multitude of cars were back there again. He didn't see this or any other big city as a place to set up house and home so the quicker the job could be done the better it would be. How different was Ashford and Grampton compared to a forbidding place like this. The police station was just as busy again but this time the officer was expecting him. He knew Peter's anxiety so they got straight to it. He had about thirty phone numbers for Peter to try. The results from yesterday didn't help to provide him with any confidence.
There were many questions and answers needed and the occasional comment that had been made under duress only served to confuse things. Janie told Earl and her father how these men were apparently not part of the community here and they had only arrived here yesterday afternoon. They were satisfied that the little girl was not in any danger so they turned their attention to the man and the deceased still in the street. Janie was expecting something awful but she gasped when she saw what was left of the young man as he lay there. She felt lightheaded but she tried hard to remain poised and professional but she knew that this sight was going to remain with her for a long time, "I miss Simon." she thought to herself as she remembered how he had described Sarah lying in his arms in the street.
"Can I ask who you two men are?" asked a gentle Doctor Parker as he knelt down beside them. "Apparently you are not from here and were just passing through." The man was dazed and had only one thought, "It was my idea to come here, it is all my fault. I was going to make it right for him and all I did was get him killed." At least this man was talking by now which had to be a positive sign for him, "He never did anything wrong in his whole life and he didn't deserve to have this happen to him." Earl's lips began to quiver as he was now starting to put two and two together and believe that these were the two men who were former Mounties from Cape Fullarton. After listening to this man talk, he believed exactly what Virgil had told him about how they were really good men who had been badly dealt with. He was trying to hold it together and remain calm as he asked the man, "Where were you headed?" This was getting worse by the minute as Earl reckoned that he already knew the answer to his question. The man didn't even look up, "I was going to make it right for him and get him reinstated, he did nothing wrong, he just followed my lead and he paid for it." He grabbed for the dead man's hand, "I could have made him understand that Adrian was only a small part and that it was me who had to answer for everything. We were going to see Judge Avery at Hope Valley."
Phone call after phone call revealed the same answer but at least the people this time were a little more cooperative and agreeable than the ones he had to deal with yesterday. They were all extremely sympathetic with his plight but they still knew nothing of a nurse called Sonya. Peter exclaimed, "This would drive me mad if I had to do this for a living. The rolling sea and the driving rain was a far more inviting prospect than this." He kept on wondering whether it was the place he was in that was causing him to be so depressed or was it more the lack of success that he was having. Either way, nothing was going quick enough for him. The officer helping him, by the end of the day could see the desolate helpless mood in Peter that was beginning to take over. There seemed to be nothing left for Peter but now to sit at the hotel staring at the phone hoping that it would ring with good news.
It was dark by the time he left the police station and, as he slowly walked along the footpath, he thought that he had never felt loneliness like how he was feeling now. The weather didn't help his disposition very much as it was a cool blustery unforgiving wind and everybody by this time was oblivious of anyone else and just trying to make their way home to be in the warm with their own families. Any of the outside cafes that had tables and chairs set up for patrons were closed and completely deserted. It seemed like to him that the thought of finding his Christine was further away than ever. He knew that he had some other Pennington's on his list so he wasn't going to wait here in this depressing place much longer. The sad thought that entered his mind from time to time was that he would finally find her in years to come when he would be reliant on a walking stick to get around.
It was a bumpy road in parts for a cart to travel out to the Turner's farm and Christine had learned the hard way that you would do well to take any amount of cushions and blankets with you to ease the burden of the journey. Jesse was only too pleased to accompany her and Amy was along for the ride to keep her company and to see Robbie and the babies again. This was also going to be a refreshing change from the day after day endless waiting around and looking out for the stage to hopefully see Peter miraculously step out to greet her. "Do you think that we are going to be able to tell those babies apart, we couldn't last time we were here," laughed Amy. "I think that they are going to give Andrew, their daddy, the run-around and keep him on the go for many years to come."
It was a good quality coach with four seats and the better suspension made the trip on the bumpy dirt track more bearable than it used to be. Christine was a person normally with a bubbly personality but that had been subdued for the last few weeks. Amy knew how difficult it was and how there was nothing that anybody could do except be with her and support her wherever they could. "I've been wondering how Nathan and Simon are faring so far away," wondered Amy. "I'm sure that something will turn up soon and your husband will be here in no time at all." said an optimistic Amy. "I really don't know what is worse," commented a forlorn Christine, "Peter was always there somewhere in my mind but somehow he was always a distant memory. Now I find out that he is safe after such a dangerous life out at sea and now he is out there somewhere in the wilderness looking for me. The wait now is unbearable and as each day goes by I get more and more despondent."
Sally and Andrew were very appreciative of Faith being able to send Christine out to their farm because the two new little ones were really too young to have to travel the long journey into town at this stage. They were disappointed for Christine when they heard and how they could tell by her disposition that she hadn't heard any news yet about Peter. "Right now, I'm more interested in those little twin baby girls and how they are travelling so far." Christine was able to find a grin as she saw the tired and drawn look on Andrew's face. She thought that Sally looked remarkably well in spite of having a twenty four hour a day job seeing to her babies. Amy was pleased that they still found the time to read with Robbie who was now just about at school age and more than ready for it. She was proud of how she had been able to inspire him to read as much as he could and how much he enjoyed it.
Christine and Amy were laughing together on the way back, Sally with her exasperated look had said, "Mary has the green dummy and Dorothy has the red one. Andrew says, right, and then he asks me fifteen times a day who has what and I have to tell him again, how hard can this be, even Robbie knows." Amy had said that she would never be able to tell which one was which. "It's easy," Sally had said, "They've got their own mannerisms already and I will always know my little babies. Andrew writes it down and then forgets where he put it. Those girls are barely a month old and they have got their father bamboozled already, how's he going to be when they are teenagers." Christine asked Amy about her visit with the Campton's and Mrs Tierney, "You made quite an impression on them Amy, and now sometime down the track you will have a chance to pursue something that you want to do with your life. They have seen to that and I believe that they have made a promise to you that they are going to keep." Amy was sitting silently for a while and then she turned to Christine, "I can't help but notice how everyone looks towards Mrs Thornton as more than just the town schoolteacher and the way that they see Nathan as a man of authority but I also see how we all look at you and Faith and how we depend on you for everything. I want to be and do something extra special just like what you do and be needed as part of the community. Tell me about how you got to be a nurse Christine."
There was still plenty of time to go before they would get back home so Nurse Christine was unhurried as she tried to provide an answer for Amy. She had noticed many times how Amy seemed to take an interest in everything and everyone so she wasn't surprised when she received an enquiry like this, "I was so lost after Peter was ordered back to sea duty so quickly and I spent some time feeling sorry for myself until I looked in the mirror one day and decided that this was unacceptable. I thought that if Peter walked back into the room and saw me he would say that this is not the girl that I married. I knew that it must have been important for him to be taken away so quickly so I figured that I had to get on with life and do something worthwhile."
"I sought out a good friend, Sonya Radcliffe, who had been the district nurse in Bakersfield for a while. When I was young I used to go to the surgery and she would teach me some things like how to put bandages on in different places. I learned how to take a pulse and understand about high and low temperature." I could see how she was making a difference and people depended on her when they were sick or when they got injured. She lost a patient at one time and she was sad but she said how we still had to do our best for next time." Amy had taken hold of Christine's hand long ago. "I was so sad when she transferred to a big city but I was happy for her as it was a big promotion and she became in charge of an entire section. Sometime after Peter left I made a momentous decision and travelled about a thousand miles and showed up at the hospital where she worked. She was so pleased to see me again and she remembered how enthusiastic I was so she put me in her school and I trained and studied relentlessly until I got my qualifications. I never heard from Peter in all this time so you can imagine the shock when I found out that he was somewhere in the country looking for me. I still don't think that I'm over it." She said with tears in her eyes. They only just beat the approaching darkness as they arrived back into Hope Valley. They thanked Jesse for taking them and Amy took the horse to the stable. Christine went inside the Infirmary and greeted Faith who pointed to the desk where there was a letter sitting there for her that Robert had brought in earlier.
Earl was absolutely seething inside and he was having difficulty hiding his rage from the others. Janie or her father knew nothing of the circumstances which brought the two men here and now wasn't the time to divulge who they were. He looked down and saw the broken shattered man just sitting there trying to care for his poor dead friend and he looked lost and like he wasn't even trying to understand it all. These were two lives destroyed by a mistake and oversight that was made unintentionally and not deliberate in any way. Earl had listened over the phone to Virgil's passionate plea desperately hoping that his two friends were going to be okay and now this has happened. Virgil had been right about them being good men and now he saw them right in front of himself like this. Janie could see the anguish in Earl's face and she wondered that the sight before him had been too much for him to handle. She decided to talk to him later.
Even though it was the last thing that everybody wanted, the doctor took the initiative, as he had done so many times before and asked his orderly to find a couple of shovels. He knew to have them well out of sight until Doctor Parker had explained what had to be done next, "Young man," he said with his usual caring tone, "we are going to have to bury your friend as soon as possible and give him the funeral that he deserves. You can help if you want to but we'll understand if don't wish to." It was heartbreaking for everyone to have to see the shattered man having to relinquish his friend to the inevitable but they saw Janie put her arms around him for the support that he was going to need. Mrs Wallace spoke up under some duress, "I think that I speak for everyone here, if we could, we don't want him buried in our cemetery, he should be buried right here in a special place where he won't ever be forgotten and we can look after him forever for what he did for our little town." Earl and the young orderly picked up Adrian and took him over to a spot in the shade and then the shovels appeared. The man without saying a word slowly took one of the shovels and made a start on the final part of the tragedy that didn't have to happen.
Other than make reference back to his list or maybe making the decision to return back to Grampton or Ashford, Peter didn't really know what to do next. Masterton had been many miles in the other direction and hopes had been high but now it seemed that this initially promising lead was not going to produce anything. Now he was walking back to the hotel completely bereft of a plan and starting to feel that the world was against him. In order to move forward you have to have a plausible plan and right now he didn't have one. "What am I going to do now when I get back to the hotel, just sit and stare at the phone hoping for a miracle?" He walked along the footpath looking very much like he didn't have a home or anyone to go to.
"Hello young man," smiled a lady as they both stopped and waited to safely cross the road, "I've just had a wonderful afternoon babysitting my grandson, he's nearly three and quite a handful." Peter was mildly surprised because that didn't seem to explain why she was walking home alone and in the dark. "I can't believe that your family lets you go home on your own and after the sun goes down, now that it is so cold, have you got very far to go?" She told Peter that her house wasn't too far away, just down the road and a little way after going round the corner. "Would you allow me to walk you home ma'am?" She took his arm and agreed only on the condition that he come inside and have a cup of tea and biscuits with her. This was a wonderful invitation as he wasn't looking forward to returning to an empty dreary hotel room and sit there trying to ponder over what he would do next.
She introduced herself as Mrs Iris Priest and she sat Peter down at the table while she made tea and a snack. She had noticed the sadness in the eyes of this man in uniform right from the beginning back in the street and she wanted to know why he had the look of being so down and out. He had cheered up as they got talking on the way home but she was not fooled by any means. She was quite convinced that he was not a local even though it was a big city and people came and went on their daily duties each and every day. "Thank you Peter for caring enough to walk me home in the dark. This is a nice city but there are many who wouldn't give the time of day to a stranger so meeting you was a very nice change for me." She was very interested in Peter and he was not in any hurry to go so he didn't mind embarking on his complete story and how he finished up here in Masterton.
"I will hunt for Christine forever if I have to but it is frustrating right now as I seem to have come to a dead end. She was sympathetic but she was a realist and Peter could see that she was not unaccustomed to having to deal with her own problems as they had arisen over the many years of her life. "Peter, you have to remember that you are not the only one who is looking for her as a family member, from what you have described, your parents and Susan are probably canvassing the entire country already and, after the storm damage, Christine will surface out of nowhere for you." Peter took a great liking for this lady who showed a wonderful level of positivity and wisdom which was now starting to rub off on him. "Mrs Priest, how come you had to walk home on your own at this late hour, couldn't your son have taken you?" She had a sad sort of a smile, "my son would recognise your uniform in a flash, he is out, off the coast as a sailor on a brand new ship conducting trials before it goes into service, its name is 'The city of Hamilton'. Peter nearly fell off the chair in amazement, "That is the ship that I was offered command but I declined so that I could try and find Christine, it certainly is a small world isn't it Mrs Priest." She gave him a warm hug as he bid his goodnight, "Goodnight Captain Glover, it has been an honour for me to meet you and share an hour or so with you. I hope to meet you and your wife again someday, I promise you, she is out there waiting for you.
Nobody spoke a word as the final resting place for Adrian began to materialize in the shade area of the tree. Earl remembered the time many years ago when his grandmother's time arrived and how he was too young to understand what was happening. He wondered about the people who dug the graves for a living and whether it mattered to them who they might be for. Adrian had loving parents and he was only just embarking on his life and now it had been taken from him. Earl vowed that this man was going to be remembered always and he was going to be revered as he deserved. Adrian was lowered with respect and dignity and Earl found it almost an impossible task to start filling in the gravesite, "His parents haven't even had the chance to say goodbye!" he thought to himself. "What about brothers and sisters, this has happened and they don't even know." He looked around and saw Rita holding her little girl who had thankfully stopped coughing at last. He wondered if Rita knew how the fire had started or what might have caused it and wasn't saying anything, anyhow, it didn't seem to matter now.
"This is not very good but it will do for the moment until I can make a proper one for the young man." A very sad and overcome Mr Wallace had put together a hastily constructed cross for the grave but he said how a far more suitable one would be arranged but unfortunately we don't have a name for him. Doctor Parker had spoken at many a funeral over the years and he decided that a few words would be necessary for this occasion. "Ladies and gentlemen, this has been a sad day for all of us as a young life has been taken from us in tragic circumstances, he has given his life so that another can live. Not everyone can say that their life made a difference but this young man will go to heaven and he will be remembered eternally. God bless you young man." Some of the ladies had found flowers, "we are going to look after this young boy, that is a promise." Earl wiped away his tears and thanked Mr and Mrs Wallace and went to the tearful mother clutching her little girl, "That man saved my little girl," she cried. He then went to the man still standing and staring at the grave where his friend lay. When he was out of earshot of the others he spoke softly to him, "You're Gene Tully aren't you, I was asked by Virgil McCain to keep a lookout for you and Adrian as he told me that you were good men and had been unfairly treated." Gene still stared at the grave, "Well, it doesn't really matter anymore does it." Earl took his arm and replied forcefully, "If you still want to see Judge Avery at Hope Valley, I will take you there, you will have my help to clear and restore Adrian's name, you have my word."
Janet Glover's words from her recent letter were fresh in Christine's mind so when she turned the envelope over after reading her name on the front, she knew straightaway that it was from her cousin Susan. Faith had left her on her own with some privacy and solitude so that she could find the courage to deal with whatever the letter might tell her. Her heart started to pump as she tried to open it carefully so that she wouldn't rip it because she wanted the return address intact. She had not seen or heard of her cousin in many years and she now had a chance to make up for it. She was indeed going to have a family and she would never be on her own ever again. This was a whole new concept in her life after not having anyone to write to and tell them how she was coping without her husband. She recognised the handwriting immediately and years of childhood and teenage memories came flooding back to her. She couldn't believe how they had gone their separate ways and lost touch with each other for so long. Susan was now a married lady and now she wanted so badly to meet her husband and she also remembered how they had sat together and vowed and declared to each other that for them, true love was just that, it was going to last forever.
She almost couldn't focus because of the excitement that she hadn't been able to feel for such a long time but a few deep breaths helped her relax. "My dear cousin, it has been far too long for us to be apart and now I've only just found out where you are after I got a letter from Peter's mother in Ashford. I haven't been so excited or yet so sad like this for a long time. I have so much to tell you but mainly at this stage you need to know that your husband Peter came here to Grampton and found me, hoping that I knew where you were. He had a terrible shock when he thought that I was you but David and I helped him recover and we helped him with more names on his list. He is a wonderful man; Christine and he is aching with all the time that it is taking to find you. He returned here as I instructed him to do after he found Carla and Emma and also, David and Judy. He has had an interesting few weeks and he is reuniting our family for us. I'm sad because we were so close when I got the letter from Peter's mother just minutes after I had seen him off on the train. I could have told him right then and there where you are and I was devastated. I was accosted by two most handsome Mounties I have to say who were here hunting for him as well. I finally remembered Sonya Radcliffe, a nurse that you spent some time with and I knew that she was in Masterton somewhere which is so many miles away from here so I have sent him there. I can understand how you must be feeling but you have to stay positive for us and know that it won't be long now until he knows where you are. I looked on the map and found where Hope Valley is and you have to tell me how you got to be there. I loved those two Mounties and I have threatened them that I am coming to their weddings. We have so much to tell each other and all this will be over and done with before you know it. God bless you Christine, my most wonderful cousin who I can't wait to see. You have another note in the envelope to read, yours forever, Susan."
A curious Christine fossicked around in the envelope and another note fell out and she picked it up off the floor. She was still trying to digest what Susan had mentioned in her wonderful letter when she suddenly went white and felt her heart pumping heavily. She had unfolded the note and recognised writing that she hadn't seen for such a long time, she was overcome and breathless and her eyes were glued to the paper, "My dearest Christine, if you are reading this then it means that Susan has found out at long last where you are. I have missed you so much after being made to return to sea duty and I have yearned so much for the day when we would be together again. I'm hoping that you still remember me and still want me after all this time, Susan scoffed at me when I thought otherwise and she told me that you would still be somewhere waiting for me. I dream that, as each day goes by, I will be one step closer to finding you. She has sent me on the train to Masterton in the hope of finding a nurse that you once knew who might know where you are. I love you dearly and I have not gone a day without remembering when we first met at the dance and how beautiful you were. You are in my heart every waking moment and I will not rest until we are together again. Bert's dying wish was for the two of us. I love you forever Christine, yours always, Peter."
She sat still, feeling like the world had stopped, she had tears and she was trying to find a smile to go with it as she tried to grasp what had just happened. Her husband had spoken to her in a letter. Her head was spinning around with the rollercoaster ride that she had been on ever since he had been forced to leave her so long ago. This was the first time in four long years that she had got news from him that he was alright. This was all so hard to grasp but after a while she realised that the most important thing was that he only had to revisit Susan or his mother and they would tell him where she was. This was good and exciting news after all this time but it was such a shock that she hadn't been expecting. She went looking for Faith and got her to read the letter from Susan while she sat there with her. "Christine, I am so happy for you, this is really good news and now it is only a matter of time until he walks through the door. Who is this Sonya Radcliffe?" Christine, still in shock, handed her the note from Peter and wiped away the tears from her eyes. "Sonya was in charge at the place in Masterton where I did all my studies." Faith looked at her and was suddenly taken aback and was hesitant as she started with the other note. She sat quietly reading the letter and when she was finished she could only stare at her friend in amazement, "I can't seem to find the words for you." She cried and hugged Christine as she hung onto the two letters before giving them back. "Christine, I am reading something in this letter to you, he remembers the girl from four years ago, but not who you are now. I think that he is very worried that you might have moved on from him after these four years."
(I have edited/replaced chapter 1 for your interest.)