A/N: Apologies as always for the delay in updating this story. I do promise to try and post more regularly (although I am sure you have heard me say that before - I do mean it!). Thank you for your patience, and your continued interest in this story. Jillian
Julie opened the door to the Infirmary and waved to Faith, who was sitting behind the desk doing paperwork. Before she could call out a greeting, she heard laughter from behind the curtain enclosing the treatment bed. A happy, joyous woman's laugh blended with a deep, rich, baritone laugh. Julie smiled, glad to hear Colleen was feeling so well. She was pleased for her friend; of course, she was. Julie wanted nothing more than for her friend to get better, and Robert was the one person who had given them some hope.
'Stop it', Julie thought, ashamed of herself. How could she possibly be jealous that Colleen and Robert had grown close? How could she feel envious as she listened to their laughter? She was a horrible person and a horrible friend. If Robert made Colleen laugh after all she had been through, Julie should be happy for both of them. Her feelings were unimportant, and she vowed to forget her romantic ideas about Dr Robert Pearce, resolving to do all she could to ensure Colleen and Robert spent as much time together as possible. When Elizabeth came home, she would enlist her sister to help her bring them together.
"Good morning, Faith," Julie said brightly, hiding her hurt behind a bright smile. "How are you this morning?"
Faith smiled back at Julie and stood, walking over to her., "I'm fine. Where's Allie today?"
"Allie stayed at the Cafe," Julie explained, her smile genuine now. "Abigail asked Allie to help her prepare lunch for her mother, and she jumped at the chance." Julie chuckled, "The attraction of baking chocolate chip cookies as dessert outweighed collecting Colleen for lunch."
Julie looked over her shoulder, startled as the examination room curtain was pulled back. Julie kept her smile bright as her eyes swept over Robert and Colleen standing together. Colleen's eyes were bright, and her cheeks flushed with colour from her laughter. Robert was smiling too, his dark eyes alight with laughter. Julie's heart raced as she studied his handsome face, wide smile, and amazing dimples. She felt heat flood her face when Robert turned to look at her, his gaze intense.
"Julie, I thought I heard your voice," Robert commented, stepping toward her. "Is Allie with you?" he asked, looking around for the little girl.
"No, she is at the Cafe; I offered to come and escort Colleen back for lunch," Julie explained, her tone light despite his voice's effect on her. Julie smothered her disappointment; for a moment, her heart had soared when she had thought he had been eager to see her, but he was looking for Allie. "I believe there will be chocolate cookies for dessert, Colleen," Julie said warmly, her smile fixed firmly in place.
"That sounds wonderful," Colleen said, laughing. "Anything Abigail cooks will be wonderful, even with Allie's help."
The adults chuckled, remembering Allie's last attempt to help with the cooking. Robert and Faith had called into Colleen's for a house visit one morning and had been invited to join them for a late breakfast. Allie had accidentally added far too much salt to the pancake mix, and the whole batch had to be thrown away. When it was finally ready, breakfast was eaten much closer to lunchtime.
"Please join us," Colleen suggested, looking at Robert and Faith. "It would be my shout to thank you both for everything you have done for me."
"Colleen, that's not necessary," Robert protested. "Working with you, trying to find an alternative treatment, makes me feel like my medical degree is worthwhile."
"Didn't working in normal practice do that?" Julie queried. She couldn't imagine a doctor ever feeling less than worthwhile. They had the power to save lives; not everyone could say that.
Riley smiled at the beautiful woman standing before him. He was pleased Julie was curious about him and his life. He was fascinated by her to the point of distraction. Robert knew he spent far too much time thinking about the lovely redhead. Colleen had noticed his interest in her friend and teased him mercilessly about it. Luckily for him, Julie often had Allie with her, and he was able to hide his growing attraction by focusing his attention on the little girl.
"It did, Julie, but I always felt trapped by it too. Everyone was too scared to go against tradition or try something different. There were so many rules and restrictions. It was suffocating."
Riley saw understanding in Julie's eyes and knew she understood what it was like. Society in Hamilton had its own rules and restrictions for her too.
"Sometimes I forget what a rebel you are! I feel extremely optimistic about what you are doing for me," Colleen said with a smile. "I can't remember feeling so positive. Or hungry. Let's go."
Colleen looped her arm through Faith's, not allowing her to decline the lunch offer and leaving Julie to walk with Robert. Colleen and Faith had also discussed the attraction between their two friends and decided to do everything they could to throw them together. Julie had not said anything to her or Faith about Robert, but she didn't have to. When they were together, the connection between the two was obvious. Colleen wondered again why Julie hadn't said anything about the Doctor. Julie was usually an open book and spoke candidly about everything to do with her life.
Julie stepped out of the Infirmary beside Robert, very aware of his presence beside her. Walking near him, she tried not to think about how natural it felt, how instinctively they matched each other's stride, walking at the same pace. Julie folded her arms across her waist so she couldn't accidentally brush her hand against his, desperately trying to think of a way to start a conversation to break the silence.
"I thought you would be peppering me with questions about Colleen and her treatment," Robert said to Julie, his voice teasing.
"Oh, I want to, believe me," Julie replied, eyes twinkling, glad he had found a safe topic to discuss. "I am trying to resist the temptation and allow Colleen to tell me herself."
"Is she?" he asked curiously. "Sharing with you, I mean?" Robert asked, wondering how much of their conversations Colleen had shared. Colleen was open with him, sharing details about everything he asked her, including her disastrous marriage. After hearing her story, he felt very protective of Colleen and Allie and was more determined than ever to help her. He had an idea he wanted to try and had suggested it to Colleen; she had cringed but had been willing to do it. Robert decided that the first treatment would start at lunchtime.
"I think so, although I suspect she is holding things back sometimes, she keeps saying she doesn't want to get our hopes up. I wonder how much she will tell Nathan when he and Elizabeth return."
"Are they still returning tomorrow?" Robert asked. He had already admitted how keen he was to meet them both.
"Yes, tomorrow," Julie exclaimed, her smile growing even brighter. "I cannot believe how much I miss my sister and Nathan, of course." Laughing, she admitted, "but mostly Elizabeth, which is strange when she has only been gone a week, and there was a time I didn't see her for months."
Robert nodded in agreement, although he didn't comment. He couldn't imagine missing someone like that. He had no one to whom he felt such an attachment, not even his parents. He should be happy that his parents lived in a society where they had full, busy lives, and once he graduated as a doctor, he fulfilled their requirements to be considered a success, and they left him alone. An appropriate marriage would be icing on the cake for them, but they conceded, as a man, he had time before rushing into anything. His parents also chose to ignore his unconventional treatment ideas and strange opinions, and his absence at societal events helped them maintain this denial.
The four of them found a table in the Cafe, and Julie found herself sitting beside Robert facing her friends as they waited for Allie to 'serve' their lunch. Colleen had grinned when Allie came running out to greet her, wearing an Apron, so she didn't soil her dress while working with Abigail. Colleen's smile slipped when she overheard Robert talking to Abigail about her lunch.
"Do we need to start straight away?" Colleen asked, trying to keep her tone even while hiding her unhappiness.
"We have to start sometime; why not now?" Robert replied with a shrug. "There are cookies afterwards, remember," he coaxed.
Colleen sighed; he was treating her like she did Allie when she didn't want to do something that was good for her. "Fine," she said, rolling her eyes, earning a grin from everyone, especially Robert. Colleen liked the easy relationship she had fallen into with Robert. It reminded her of her relationship with her brother, although Nathan worried more about her, maybe because he could not help her. Nathan didn't understand that by bringing her and Allie to Coal Valley, he had given her the best help he could; he had given her and Allie love and support, which was everything.
"What treatment are you starting?" Julie asked Colleen, wondering what medical treatment could happen at the Cafe.
"Robert wants to change my diet. He wants me to eat more red meat, especially liver," Colleen said, her mouth curled in distaste.
Julie's eyes flicked to Robert's face; surely something so simple as eating liver couldn't be the cure for Colleen. What about actual treatments. 'Liver? Really" she questioned, frowning up at him.
"It's a theory, Julie. Something I want to try." Robert saw the disappointment on Julie's face and rushed on, "Sometimes we don't need fancy modern medicines, Julie. Sometimes we need to try something practical, to trust in something that has worked for years, for centuries." Robert looked into Julie's eyes and asked, "do you trust me?"
"Yes," Julie replied, staring back at him, her green eyes locked on his deep brown ones.
"Ahem," Colleen cleared her throat, catching their attention, "shouldn't it be me who has to trust, Robert?" she laughed.
"Of course, Colleen. I'm sorry," Julie said, blushing furiously. "Let me go and talk to Allie about your lunch, Colleen." Julie stood, hurrying toward the Kitchen, needing a moment to cool her heated cheeks.
Robert watched Julie rush into the Kitchen, concerned and confused by her hasty exit, missing the grin between Colleen and Faith.
Elizabeth sniffed as she sat beside Nathan on the seat of their Wagon. She cuddled up against his side and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Are you all right, Elizabeth?" Nathan asked gently, knowing she was feeling sad about leaving Brookfield. He felt it too. He would miss spending time with Gabriel; it had been fun to have company on rounds. He would miss the people of Brookfield, too; the Orphanage children had been delightful to be around and stopped him from missing Allie.
"I want to go home, I miss everyone in Coal Valley, but I am going to miss everyone here too," Elizabeth explained. "Does that make sense?"
"It makes perfect sense," Nathan said. "reaching over and resting his hand on her leg, just above her knee, "knowing this isn't our last trip away together and that we are planning another one the moment we get back is what keeps me going."
"And Gabriel promised he would visit, and wouldn't it be wonderful if Lillian, Grace and the children could come with him? We could find enough people to host them to make it happen." Elizabeth looked at him, "That will be the first thing I do when I get home; find places for them all to stay." Laughing, she said, "Surely we could find a chance for the two of them to talk if we got them away from Brookfield."
"You would hope so," he said, laughing with her. "I know Allie would love to have other children to play with. Gabe is like family to Colleen, Allie and me, so having him visit would be wonderful."
Nathan and Elizabeth grew quiet at the mention of Colleen; they had deliberately avoided speaking of her after talking to Maggie about Dr Pearce and his methods. They knew there was nothing they could do for her from Brookfield, and no amount of worrying would change the outcome. Elizabeth had checked for telegrams from Coal Valley daily, but nothing came. She had decided that no news was good news and to wait patiently until they got home. The waiting grew easier as the miles between them lessened.
Hoofbeats sounded behind them, and Elizabeth and Nathan both turned to see who was galloping toward them. Elizabeth glanced toward Cocoa, ensuring the approaching horse and rider didn't spook her. Spying the red serge, Nathan frowned and then slowed the Wagon. They had said goodbye to Gabe earlier that day, and there was no reason for him to be riding out to them; something was wrong.
"I'm glad I caught the two of you," Gabriel called as he slowed Apollo beside the Wagon. "There has been another theft and a sighting of the alleged criminal. They were seen running away from Town on this road," Gabriel explained quickly as he caught his breath.
"Is there any more information on their identity?" Nathan asked. Up until this point, no one had seen the thief or thieves. Male and female clothing had been stolen in the initial raid on homes, so it was assumed more than one criminal was hanging around Town.
"There's nothing more, Nathan. Mr Rannier's eyesight isn't the best, and all he could say was that they were small, wearing a long brown coat. The coat is likely stolen from Peter Langham; it was his son's." Gabriel filled them in on all he knew from Mr Rannier. Once again, the only thing taken during the theft was food. Gabriel had ridden after them as quickly as he could, wanting to warn them as well as he if there were any clues he could follow.
Nathan leapt down from the Wagon and quickly saddled Cocoa. If they did see anything on the way home, they needed to be able to move rapidly to chase them down. Nathan adjusted Cocoa's tackle so it suited him; Elizabeth could handle the Wagon while he rode.
Nathan urged the horse forward slowly, adjusting to her gait and allowing her to get comfortable with his weight as he rode beside Gabe and Apollo. Gabriel couldn't ride too far out of Town; he and Apollo weren't prepared for an extended ride. Nathan and Elizabeth agreed to keep their eyes open for anyone on their way home.
Gabriel turned Apollo, facing back to Brookfield, and said, "This is where I have to leave you; I'm going to ride back to Town along the tree line." Nodding at both of them and smiling, he said, "Travel safe, and we will see each other soon."
Elizabeth and Nathan said another farewell and proceeded slowly to Coal Valley.
"How likely are we to see someone?" Elizabeth asked, keeping her voice low.
They discussed the thefts and the chance of seeing anyone as they rode along, Cocoa happily trotting beside the Wagon. None of the thefts had occurred during the day if people were around, and most had occurred while people were sleeping. Whoever the thief was, this was the closest they had gotten to being caught.
Elizabeth shivered as she sat in the Wagon, driving the horses. It was as though she could feel someone watching her, watching them. Nathan had taken Cocoa and rode a little way ahead, ensuring the road was safe. She felt so exposed sitting on the seat, alone but for the horses. She willed Nathan to hurry back, her ears straining to hear Cocoa's hoofbeats returning to her from around the bend in the road.
She saw movement from the corner of her eye but resisted the urge to turn and look at what it was. It could have been an animal, but it wasn't just the movement that caught her attention; it was a flash of colour, a colour that wasn't part of the trees and shrubs. Leaning forward, she pretended to straighten something on the harness but used it as an excuse to tilt her head, getting a better look.
She had been right; there was someone there. She knew a weapon was beneath the seat, but even if she could get to it, she wouldn't know how to use it. Elizabeth inhaled sharply; she had said no when Nathan offered to show her how to shoot a gun because she didn't think she could use a weapon on another human being. Now, she wasn't so sure; she might be able to use a gun to protect or save someone she loved.
Today at least, she wouldn't have to find out; as she looked up, Nathan rode toward her, returning to her. Elizabeth had to hope the person she had seen, if it was the thief, was more interested in staying hidden than shooting at the two of them.
As Nathan drew alongside her and started to speak, Elizabeth shushed him, whispering urgently, telling him what she had seen. She was pleased Nathan didn't physically react to her news, didn't spin around, and look for what she had seen. She waited as he paused instead, asking her questions to ascertain where the person was. Elizabeth used her conversation with Nathan to turn and face the woods, allowing her eyes to roam over the trees carefully, answering his questions. Elizabeth wasn't sure if she was relieved when she saw the flash of colour again. She had hoped the person had fled, instead of hanging around.
"Let's get moving, Elizabeth; there is a place around the bend where you can park the Wagon. I will circle the ridge and double back. I know a place where I can sneak up unseen."
"Nathan!" Elizabeth implored, "Why can't we just return for Gabriel?"
"There's no time; the criminal won't be here when Gabe gets back. I have to stop them, Elizabeth." Nathan looked at his wife, he knew she was scared, but he also knew she was practical, and she knew he was right. "Move on, Elizabeth, normal speed, okay."
"I will when you promise me, you'll be careful," Elizabeth insisted.
"Always, I promise," Nathan assured her, smiling despite the seriousness of the situation.
Nathan urged Cocoa forward, clicking his tongue to get the other horses moving. He and Elizabeth rode along the road, rounding the bend and finding the spot Nathan mentioned Elizabeth should wait. Nathan left Elizabeth, convinced she would come to no harm where she was. The thief they were tracking had not been violent nor interacted with others, and Nathan didn't think they would start now. Besides, he hoped that in a short time, they wouldn't have to worry about the thief being on the loose anymore.
Nathan crouched over as he made his way to where Elizabeth had described seeing the fugitive. The leaves of the trees brushed against his face; one sharp twig scratching him and leaving a thin line of blood oozing across his cheek. He was glad to be travelling without his serge; there was no way the red would have blended in. He moved slowly, carefully, and soundlessly through the undergrowth, noting several areas that had been disturbed, knowing it was no animal that had made the tracks.
Nathan lay on his belly, peering over the fallen log he hid behind. He could see a figure moving slowly through the trees in the distance. He couldn't work out where they were going; there was no camp or other shelter he could see they were heading for. The slow pace of their walk convinced Nathan they had no idea he was so close. He decided he needed to be patient and let them get closer before giving away his presence.
Nathan lay still, watching as the slight figure in the brown coat stepped closer toward him. Up this close, he could see the figure was wearing a pair of loose-fitting, olive-green trousers, a calico-coloured shirt, leather boots and a wide-brimmed hat. The persons bent head and the hat's brim prevented Nathan from seeing anything about the person's facial features. He held his breath as the person got closer, skirting around the log he hid behind. Nathan waited until their back was to him before standing slowly and following them.
When he was close enough, Nathan stopped trying to hide his presence and ran toward them, calling out, "Stop! Now!" as he launched himself through the air, tackling the criminal to the ground.
Nathan's mind tried to understand what he saw and felt as he wrestled with the thief. Hair. Long Hair tangled across his face, and the grunt of pain he heard as they hit the ground was surprisingly high-pitched, almost feminine. When the thief cried out in pain as he grasped their wrists in his much larger ones, Nathan froze. Staring down he looked into a pair of terrified green eyes, and realised the thief he had just captured was a young girl.