Winter's Refuge
Chapter One Hundred Fifty
HEYES
Insisting on pushing the Kid in the rolling chair myself, I almost dumped him on the floor of the Birde house when I ran a wheel over one of Junior's toys. But he moved his weight the other way and steadied it.
Most of the people had gone on ahead to Glen's funeral service but Miss Beverly, looking like she had run a mile, stopped us. She walked up to the Kid and kissed him on the cheek. Then her face got serious, and I could tell from her voice that she was the daughter of an outlaw leader. "Jedediah Curry, if you ever try anything like that again, you'll have me to answer to. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
The Kid's eyes grew big. "Yes, ma'am."
"And another thing, you are never, NEVER, to call me ma'am or Mrs. Birde again."
"Yes, er, Miss Beverly," the Kid answered.
And just like that she was the sweet lady I knew. She gave the Kid another kiss on the cheek and stood on her toes to give me one, too. "Go. You're late. I'm watching the boys and Emery Walsh today." As she finished, we heard a crash and a cry from the other room. "Oh my, what have they gotten into now."
ASJ*****ASJ
I'm out of shape. I can feel cramps in my wrist and arms pushing the Kid's rolling chair and we aren't halfway there.
"Heyes, let me try it by myself for a while. See if I can do it," the Kid said. Did he know I was getting tired?
Walking next to his chair, I asked, "You want to talk about anything?"
He was rolling the chair with his arms faster than I could have pushed him. "No but stay near. Want to stay near Aiden, too, if he can."
"Okay, partner."
Glen's service was almost over when we got there. The Kid stopped his chair behind all the mourners where we could still hear Father Patrick. He said a lot of nice things about Glen. Many of the hostages were there - Pappy, Miss Denise, Hauser Sletten, Tim Walsh without Emery, and, of course, Arnie. Glen had followed Arnie to Phoenix. There were a lot of other people there. Most of them I knew. I kept glancing at the Kid out of the corner of my eyes. This has to be hard on him. I heard him say he blamed himself for Glen's death. The doctor and Sheriff Birde are watching him too. But I know him better than anyone but then I didn't see that he was depressed. Father Patrick talked about how the death of Glen, especially so young, was a loss for the whole town. And then he invited anyone who wanted to place a flower on his grave. The Kid looked away as the people started to leave. Some were headed to us to wish the Kid well and thank me for saving Three Birds. But my eyes were only searching for one set of hazel eyes. Glancing at the Kid, I could tell he was looking for Chrissy and his kids.
And then I saw Angie hurrying toward me. Her smile made me smile and find her quickly. Taking her in my arms, I kissed her deeply. "I was so worried about you," she said, between more kisses. "And now hear that you're a hero."
JED 'KID' CURRY
The sadness of the service got to me. And I don't see Chrissy. It was my fault that Glen was killed. No, that's not right. Thinkin' like that will allow the grief-fueled guilt to come back. When the service was over people, some I know, some I don't come over to talk to me. But I didn't want to see them. "Heyes?" I called, but then I saw him kissin' Angie. And that helped me push some of the depression down.
And then I saw my oldest kids racin' toward me, arms open, yellin', "Papa! Papa!" All I want to do is hold them in my arms. Martha jumped into my open arms and into my chair. "Papa, I missed you so very much!" she said, arms tightly around my neck.
Michael was right behind her and hugged me from the side. "Papa, we love you. We missed you. Are you alright?" he asked, looking at the chair and my bandages.
Holdin' my two precious kids in my arms, I pulled them both in close. "You can't imagine how much I love you two," I said. And then I embarrassed myself and started cryin' into Martha's hair.
Michael pulled away and stepped back. "Pa, you're crying."
I couldn't stop the tears as I answered, "Love you so much. Missed you."
Martha, still huggin' my neck tightly, said, "Pa's allowed to cry. He missed us and he's hurt. Probably in pain, too," she said logically. To me, she said, "Go ahead and cry, Papa. We love you, too."
The chair wobbled when Michael tried to climb into my lap, too. I felt strong hands steady us from the back. And Frank said, "I got your back, Jed."
Martha climbed down. "Hi, Uncle Frank. I'm going to miss Glen. Are you?"
I was gonna say somethin' to her about bein' rude, but Frank smiled. "Yes, Martha, I am."
"Michael, where's your ma? I thought she was comin'?" I asked.
"Ma's here," he answered.
Martha added, "Ma's sick or something. She's doing that staring into nothing again and has been staying in your room with the babies all the time. She keeps reading them Black Beauty. I know you can help her. You can fix anything."
Lookin' at Frank, I carefully I answered, "I'll try," instead of denyin' that I can fix anything like I was gonna say.
"Ma's in the church praying," Michael told me. "Can I push your rolling chair in there, Pa?"
"I'll do it, son," Frank answered firmly, just as Martha yelled, "Uncle Heyes!" and ran to him. Michael followed.
"Let's get you to the church," Frank said.
"Do you have a bandana?" I asked, knowin' there were still tears on my cheeks.
"Right here. Our young ones can do that to us, can't they? Let me know when you're ready." He turned me away from the people and waited for me to finish.
He left me at the back of the church. It was empty except for Chrissy sittin' about halfway to the altar. I turned the wheels of my chair slowly, so I had control and stopped next to her. She had that look that she wasn't really seein' what was in front of her. As Heyes calls it, she's inside her mind. "Chrissy, what are you doin' in here?" I asked softly, puttin' my hand on her back.
She didn't move, kept starin' forward.
"Chrissy, it's Jed," I told her. I stood from the chair, leanin' heavily on the armrests. I gave myself some time to regain my balance then took two steps and sat down next to hrt in the pew.
I put my hand on her knee, and we sat in silence.
Finally, she asked, "Jed hurt bad?"
"I'll be fine," I reassured her. "Gonna stay with Aiden while I heal."
She lifted my hand from her knee and rubbed it on her cheek. "Jed will be mad at Chrissy darling."
"Chrissy, when we got married, I promised never to get mad with you. Remember?"
Holdin' tightly to my hand, she stared at the altar again for long minutes. Worry I couldn't control filled my belly and mixed with the sadness I'd hidden there. What if I can't help her?
"Jed have right to be mad this time," Chrissy said, without movin' but I saw a tear run down her cheek. "Chrissy darling bad."
"Chrissy, I..."
"Chrissy darling," she corrected me. I took that as a good sign.
"My Chrissy darlin, whatever it is. I won't be mad."
She turned her tear-filled mountain green eyes on me. "Chrissy darling with child. Jed order no more babies."
This time I put my finger under her chin and turned her face to me. I kissed her lips gently before I said, "I said that because I wanted you to heal, not because I don't want another kid. I worry about you, your health. You are my love, my world."
She stared at me, but she was seein' me now, seekin' confirmation of my words in my eyes.
"Chrissy darlin', it takes both of us to make a baby and I don't remember either of us tryin' to stop it. This child, and any others we have, will be welcomed with love into our family." I said what was in my heart and hoped it was the right thing.
"Dr. Arden says I'm healthy," she answered, and my heart leaped with joy that she didn't use her name. She was comin' back to me. "Jed healthy?"
"With Aiden and Heyes' help, I'm workin' on it."
"I'll help, too."
I kissed her and said quietly, "Help me by takin' good care of yourself until I can come home."
We sat silently side by side holdin' each other until Martha came lookin' for us. She had obviously been playin' with her friends after the service. I knew that Heyes and Angie and others would be lookin' out for my kids. That was a good feelin'.
Martha's hair was a mess, and her dress was torn at the bottom. "Young lady, where are your shoes and socks?" asked Chrissy in that strong mother's voice I was used to.
"Ma!" Martha exclaimed before addin', "We were playing hide and go seek and I didn't want to get my new shoes Uncle Ken made for me special scuffed up so I took them off."
"Go get them on BEFORE you say your goodbyes," Chrissy ordered. And I nodded at Martha so she knew I backed her ma.
HEYES
Me and Aiden found the Kid and Chrissy in the church with a barefoot Martha, who ran past me quickly. Aiden had told me that I could stay at their house with the Kid for a few days. I was going to insist on that but this way I didn't have to ask. When our families went back to Phoenix, it was hard to watch them go, but I know the Kid's not ready to return to his life. I keep seeing him pull the trigger of that gun over and over in my mind. Would have sworn he would never have done that. Now I found out he'd thought about it before.
We let most of the people leave before Aiden started pushing the Kid's rolling chair toward his home.
Sheriff Birde joined us "On the way to the doc's house, I want you to see what you started in Three Birds. Heyes, you need to see this, too. Palmer wasn't wrong; you two saved this town."
The schoolhouse was missing a wall and the roof had caved in, but there were kids and adults moving all the debris outside and sorting it into piles. I guess it was easier to push the rollin' hair down the center of the street than on the uneven boards of the sidewalk so that's what Aiden did. The glass was missing from most of the storefronts, but people were sweeping it up and pulling out the jagged pieces that were left. They waved and said, "Hello" as we went by. Aiden rolled the Kid up onto the sidewalk and into the old saloon. I knew the bar had been pulled out and moved to the new saloon by Shaw's men. You could see the very clean area of the floor that it had stood upon. The blackboard now stood there. Miss Duhamel and Mr. Kolmand were working side by side on their knees scrubbing the rest of the floor. Sam and some other bigger students and parents were movin' pieces of burnt wood out of the building and stacking it in the street. When the Kid had suggested moving classes here, I thought he was crazy, school in a saloon? But now I can see he had a good idea.
"Mr. Curry, so glad to see you out and about," Miss Duhamel greeted him warmly. "Heyes, Doctor," she added with a nod to us.
"You're doin' a good job here," the Kid said, his eyes were pure blue again and he was smiling.
"It's a work in progress, thanks to you. Will you be well enough to teach the kids to build their own desks?" she asked.
Looking down, the Kid answered, "Yes, I will. I promise I will." I could hear tears threatening in his voice.
"They will be so happy to learn from you. Mr. Heyes, will you also be teaching them to make desks?" Miss Duhamel asked. I was glad that she was looking at me and not the Kid. He wouldn't want anyone to see his tears.
I smiled at her. "Hammer and nails are not my specialty. Perhaps Phoenix can donate some paint and I can help with that."
JED 'KID' CURRY
I think only Heyes knew I was cryin'. I can't help it. When I suggested the students learn to build their own desks, I wanted to teach them. But then I knew, or thought I knew, that I would be either dead or in prison. Tears come easy right now. I need to work on stoppin' that. But I'm happy to be alive. Happy to be free. Happy to have friends and family that care enough for me to help me, even when I don't know I need it. And I did need it. And I need it now.
Aiden looked at Sheriff Birde, I mean Frank, and said, "That's enough for today. But know that Robinson took your suggestions about the bank to heart and has started implementing them."
After we left the old saloon, I looked down to the end of the street, I could see the new saloon. There were men from the town goin' in and I could see men workin' on the sidewalk in front of it.
"Would like to make one more stop, if I could?" I asked. I fought the feelin' of bein' a prisoner; it has stayed with me all afternoon.
Frank stopped pushin' and Aiden said firmly, "Jed, you've had an eventful day. You need to rest. What is it you want to do that can't wait until tomorrow?"
"Check on Winter's Glory."
ASJ*****ASJ
After visitin' with my horse and givin' him a carrot that Heyes pulled out of his pocket from somewhere, I started worryin' about how I was gonna get up the stairs at the doctor's house. I don't want to impose, but I think I'm goin' to need his help for a while. That's somethin' I'll only admit to him and Heyes.
When we got there, Mike and Mikey Loveland were sittin' at Miss Denise's kitchen table eatin'. The office and house was full of the smells of food. Mike smiled at me. "Soon as the townspeople found out you were staying here to heal, they started sending over food. Look at it all. I invited myself to sample some of each dish," Mike said with a laugh. His son has the same appetite as Mike…and looks more like his cousins, my kids, every time I see him. Have to ask Mike if anyone commented on it.
Frank left my chair in the middle of the office waitin' room and left. Heyes headed to check out the food. And I found for the first time in days I was hungry. When I started to roll myself towards the kitchen table, Aiden rushed over. "Jed, let me take you into an exam room."
When Heyes started to follow, he added, "Just going to take off the bandages and clean out the wounds. Might leave them unbandaged for a few hours. You're welcome to join us…"
"No, Dr. Arden," Heyes answered. "Think I'll check out the food and get a sandwich or something for the Kid."
"Heyes?"
"Yes, Doctor."
"Don't you think it's time you started to call me Aiden, like Jed? Or aren't we friends?"
The question surprised me…and touched me that Aiden would think of it.
Heyes smiled a dimpled grin and held his hand out to him. "Be honored to call you Aiden…and I think we've been friends for quite a long time now."
When Aiden unrolled the bandages from my left ankle, he did it slowly and deliberately. But as soon as my ankle was free, it started to ache and hurt. I realized havin' it bandaged was better than not. And when he unbandaged the right one, I saw that it had been bleedin' worse than the other one. Aiden started using somethin' to get the bandage to let go of my skin. It stung and I could see the doctor was frustrated. "Think this will hurt you less," he told me. Before I could ask what he meant, he jerked the remainin' bandage off. And the pain hit me hard. It was so sudden I didn't have time to prepare for it and I yelled, "OW!" loudly and the tears returned to my eyes.
Heyes was at the door in an instant, followed by Mikey. The boy's eyes were big lookin' at my ankle as his pa came and picked him up. "Uncle Jed big owie."
"Try standing up," Aiden ordered.
"Do I have to?" I asked.
"Hurts that bad? Sorry I jerked that last one off. Seemed better than all the slow pain I was causing." I could tell he was sorry.
In response, I leaned on the armrests of my rollin' chair and stood up. And nearly fell right back down. I would have if he hadn't balanced me and helped me sit back down.
"I'll help him…er...Aiden. Just tell me what to do so I don't hurt him," Heyes said.
"Just sit here with him. I have something I must do," Aiden said. "And Jed, don't try to stand up again until I come back." And he hurried out calling for his wife.
"How you doing, Kid?" my partner asked.
"Hard to explain. Feel like a little kid learnin' how to deal with a world that is overwhelmin' me. Don't know why I keep cryin' but don't know how to stop."
"Aiden said it's good for you to feel your emotions. I been thinking about something. You up to hearing a Hannibal Heyes plan?" he asked with a wide smile.
"Ain't got nothin' else to do but sit here. What are you plannin'?" I asked him.
"Well, Juan is the foreman of the Phoenix Ranch, right?"
"Heyes, you know that he is."
"Then, that's the job he needs to do. He needs to hire at least two ranch hands."
I thought about that. "Ken helps him, and Arnie and me and you, but not Rocky. Unless he's shoein' them or cleanin' their hooves, Rocky is scared of horses."
Heyes gave me that smile again. "Ken is just about full-time making them shoes and boots of his. He's ready to open that shop across from your blacksmith shop. And me and you got other things to do. That leaves Juan and Arnie to do everything…and I think Arnie is thinkin' about the telegraph operator job that Glen held."
"True. What are these other things me and you are doin'?" I asked the questions I knew he wanted me to ask.
"Well, you are going to first concentrate on recovering. Then you need to get back to teaching Rocky the blacksmith trade. He's learning fast, isn't he?" Heyes asked.
"Yes, but it takes time to be a good blacksmith."
"Well, while you train him to do that, let's build a second forge and expand the shop. One of them littler ones you told me about to make parts for locks and belt buckles and safe shields easier. You like that better than the other work, don't you?" Heyes asked.
"You know that I do, Heyes."
"And you're very good at it. And that will give you time to help the town council…not lead it, not even be officially on it, if you don't want to, but they need your help. Three Birds needs you." Heyes was pacin' in front of me, but his plan scares me.
"Heyes, I can't. I let them down. I'm not the one they need. They need you."
"Kid, look at what we saw today. Your ideas got the town out there working together. Thanks to you, the kids will finish the school year…and learn some woodworking skills and the bank will be fortified. You started that."
"I …" I started but my partner interrupted me.
"Kid, you better be going to say something positive." Heyes used that tone that means don't argue with him.
So, I didn't say anything at first. Wanted to deny everythin' he said about me, but he won't let me. So, I changed the subject. "And Heyes, just what are you gonna do, besides the accountin'?"
And that dimpled smile reappeared as he sat down. "Well, I was thinking I'd be the Operation Manager of Phoenix Incorporated."
That got a smile out of me. He sounded like Hannibal Heyes, the genius planner of train and bank robberies. And that gave me an idea. "Maybe it's the Operations Manager of the best horse breedin' ranch in Nebraska that should be sittin' on the Three Birds Town Council."
"You always did make my plans better, Kid. I think the town council would benefit with both of us as members," he said. And I wondered if that was what he was leadin' to all the time.
As Aiden and Mike came into the exam room, the doctor said, "Okay, Jed, I realized there is no way to get you upstairs unless Mike carried you, if he even could. And once you were there, you couldn't get down without help. My purpose here is not to confine you again so my wife and I, with Mike's help, have emptied the small bedroom downstairs here that we were using as a storeroom. This makes the lower level of the house and office accessible in your rollin' chair and it has a low window that will allow you to sit in your chair and see the street. Heyes, we've moved a second bed in there for you. Would you like to see it?"
"Yes, sir," I answered before I thought about it.
"Kid!" said Heyes.
"Jed," warned Aiden. "Think before you speak."
"Sorry, Aiden. Can't do anything right," I answered, and that simple thing started the depression to sweep across my mind, I looked down and tears dropped from my eyes.
But this time Heyes was with me, and he caught my eyes and shook his head. "Kid, saying things like that hurt you and I don't like it when anyone hurts my little cousin."
Wipin' my eyes with my sleeve, I said, "I'd very much like to see the room, Aiden. Thank you, and Miss Denise, for allowin' me to stay with you for a while."
"You're welcome," Aiden said. Heyes started to push me to the repurposed storeroom where I could heal.