It had indeed been a long drawn out train journey and it still wasn't over by any means, Marjorie thought that everyone should undertake such a long sojourn even just once in their lifetime just to gain some understanding of the vastness of the country and what so many had done over many years to make the land what it is today. She almost didn't want to leave Grampton as Susan had made her feel so welcome and like family and she knew that she was going to miss Mrs Renshaw so terribly. If she could have found one, then all her magazines would have gone in the bin for all the good that they were doing. She thought what a privilege it had been for her to meet Susan and her family, if Christine looked like her then she must be a knockout and no wonder Peter couldn't wait to be with her again. She wondered whether he was there yet or, if not, he surely couldn't be far away, she nearly cried thinking about them and the heartache that they had endured waiting for each other and now the waiting would nearly be over.

She had stood at the end of the carriage and waved to them until she was out of sight just like Peter had done at Masterton and she felt like a vastly different person than the one who had picked Peter up at the hotel. Her carefree life was over and now she was on a quest to find herself and make herself really understand why she would cross the entire country from one side to the other maybe for just a pipedream. Despite Mrs Reynolds' flippancy, there was a lady who completely understood true love and how it lasted her through thick and thin. She lost her husband to a dreadful illness and yet, she said they were some of the most wonderful years of her life not to be traded for anything. She had a smile to herself though, and if David had been there, she might have asked him about his mother's lasso and whether she could borrow it. She had told Mrs Renshaw that it was a bit extreme and she would only use it as a last resort.

The train had made good time after its departure from Grampton but now it had slowed markedly and now Marjorie could tell why, Peter had described the massive storm that had come through when he had sat with Danny that night and now she could see some of the aftermath and how some of the places were in ruin. Much of the infrastructure had been destroyed for many miles around and restoration would take many weeks with a great deal of workers on the job around the clock. Roads and railway track were going to be under constant inspection until bosses would be satisfied that it was all up to scratch and safe for service. There was no station platform in sight but the train had stopped for a while out in the middle of nowhere and it seemed strange to everyone. They looked out the window but there didn't seem to be anything untoward but soon the conductor came rushing along the aisle from the other carriage, "Is there a doctor aboard, we have a man hurt out there."

The conductor disappeared in a fluster into the next carriage before Marjorie could react, it looked like he hadn't had any luck seeking out medical help so far and it sounded like there was an emergency to contend with. She left her seat and tried to follow him into the next carriage and she could see that he was really flustered, he was about to leave the train and return to the incident when he heard the yell from behind him. "Excuse me sir, I'm a nurse but I haven't got any medical equipment with me but I'm prepared to help if I can." She quickly saw the relief on the face of the conductor as he had not had luck so far, "thank you miss, please come with me, it doesn't look like there is a doctor anywhere so it is just going to be us." They hurried along the railway track and soon Marjorie saw the dire scene, which was confronting them, a tree had fallen across the track and one of the thick branches had fallen on one of the workers who was unconscious and obviously badly injured.

The men of the gang had been working out here all day in the thick vegetation on busily restoring telegraph poles and wires and the tree had uprooted and fallen silently and caught them all unawares. It was fortunate that there weren't more people injured as some had been in close proximity and they were only struck by thin branches and leaves. They had frantically got to work immediately trying desperately to get the broken branch off the man lying pinned on the ground. He wasn't moving at all and Marjorie could see that it didn't look good. The smoke and steam from the engine made it look as if it was impatiently waiting to get moving again but there was no going anywhere for quite some time. They were starting to have some luck getting the branch off the injured man but the larger one across the track was another issue. There was a strong chance that the railway track could be damaged and ripped apart if they attempted to drag it but there may not be any other alternative.

It wasn't Marjorie's problem to remove the tree from the track but she had asked the men to be very careful when getting the smaller bough off the man lying there, her work would commence when he would be free. She could already see numerous injuries through the branch. She dearly wished that Sonya was here as she would know what to do. She had, at least been able to ask the conductor for the first aid kit. Much of the bough had been carefully cut away as requested and now Marjorie could try for a closer look. She could strain herself and reach in and feel for a pulse on his wrist and thankfully there was one as he was unconscious and bleeding badly in many places from cuts and scrapes with broken branches. Four burly men with grim looks on their faces worked together as one to lift the heavy branch and with blood curling, backbreaking yells they managed to place it down next to the man and now it was finally out of the way.

Now, all sets of eyes turned to Marjorie and she felt very insecure, "thank you miss, can you help him, he's a good friend of ours." There were many other men busily tackling the big branch over the track and they were sawing and chopping franticly. Without anyone saying anything, Marjorie could see that she was now in charge, "I'm not a doctor but I will do my best," she had to get her head into gear and fast for the sake of the man lying there. They all looked ruefully to her for direction. They were all feeling guilty as this should never have happened but it was too late to worry about that now. There would have to be work done before she could make any assessment, her voice was gentle and calm but authoritative, "I want every blanket and sheet and towels that you can find, pillows as well, we will need plenty of clean rags for dressing wounds so every shirt and trousers will be needed." She asked for three or four men to help lift him carefully and get him onto the train and somewhere would have to be made suitable for him to lay down. She had started applying crude bandages already, "I want plenty of hot water ongoing to clean and bathe wounds as soon as we can.

She hadn't even realised it but she had taken charge of her situation and every man had hastily followed her instructions to the letter. She had no doctor or senior nurse to rely on, she was one her own and now she had a man's life on her shoulders to deal with. Some of the man's wounds were severe with constant bleeding and he may have concussion or even worse. It would take a doctor to be able to evaluate his situation but, without one, she could only do what she knew. It wasn't long before the carriage looked like a second hand shop and one seat had been dismantled or virtually destroyed to make a bed of some sorts. The conductor started supplying warm water and Marjorie started to get to work. She had commandeered two passengers who were more than willing to help so they had the job of ripping some sheets so that they could be used to help restrict the bleeding if possible. There was only one pair of scissors available to them so they had to make do.

She knew that it was imperative to get this man to a hospital without delay and under the direct care of a doctor, it seemed that they were a long way from anywhere and she had her job cut out for to try and stem the bleeding. One of the workers appeared at the door, "Excuse me miss, we have nearly been able to cut the tree in half and then the train may be able to push it out of the way, is there anything else that we can do for you." Marjorie explained to him how she was from a city about two thousand miles away and how she knew nothing about where she was now, "Please, this man has to be in a hospital without delay, there is only so much that I can do and I don't even know who this young man is."

The conductor had overheard this plea for help while he was delivering more hot water, "Miss, under normal conditions we would be about half an hour from the hospital in the next city, I'm sure that the train drivers would be able to help once we explain the dire situation to them." The conductor looked pleadingly to Marjorie, "I really don't know what we would have done here without you ma'am." He hurried of to the front of the train and soon, after uncoupling and releasing the back carriage, they made ready to depart once they had final word about the tree. The urgency was now magnified intensely for Marjorie as one of the workers had said that the young man's name was Damon Hendry and his wife was expecting their first child in a few weeks.

The line supervisor explained some further details to Marjorie, "Our man is trying to send our message in both directions on the telegraph and we hope that someone receives it, this is unusual procedure but there is a man's life to consider and separating the train is justified and we will make sure that it is not dangerous." He put a tender hand on Damon's cheek, "God speed my friend." Very soon the engine's whistle sounded and workers got out of the way and they all removed their hats in respect for their friend. Their hearts were in their mouths and they prayed silently until the train had cleared the affected area and then they were finally on their way. They were supposed to proceed through this district carefully, however, because it was daylight with clear vision, the drivers started to push the train along with the whistle sounding regularly to signal an emergency.

Marjorie kept on checking for a pulse as there wasn't much movement except for shallow breathing, he had lost a lot of blood already and his face was white and she was very worried for him. She had a couple of helpers who assisted in changing bandages regularly and it appeared like they were having some slight success in slowing the bleeding, at the very least, his wounds would be a lot cleaner by the time he would enter the hospital. She looked at this young man and she thought how he had all of his life ahead of him and a new baby to look forward to as well. She mopped his forehead with a cool cloth and started again to closely inspect every wound, she had no idea whether he had internal injuries and he was still not moving.

The train was thundering along with the whistle sounding about every twenty seconds to sound alarm and the conductor had to hang on as he carefully walked along the aisle, "we wouldn't be able to proceed at this pace normally but there are very few trains operating along this line at the present so we should be quite safe." She had barely had a chance to look out of the window. It was a bumpy journey and Marjorie and her helpers had to see that Damon didn't fall from his makeshift bed and open his carefully bandaged wounds. The conductor tried to keep Marjorie informed, "Miss, I anticipate that we should be near Ringwood in about ten minutes, we have made very good time." There was still shallow breathing but now Damon seemed to be coming around and he tried to move a little. She hoped that the pain of his injuries would not be too intense for him as she needed him to remain still, he opened his eyes and he had no idea where he was and he began to panic and now it was going to be a difficult task to settle him back down.

He tried to move and even sit up but he winced in terrible pain, "Damon, you need to lie back and be still for us, you had an accident and we are getting you to hospital." Marjorie was in his face about two inches away and she wanted her face to be the only thing that he could see until he settled back even if he was in pain. He was a big strong young man and if they weren't careful, he could undo all the good work that had been done over the last hour. He tried to grab her by the arm, "where am I?" he looked around and shouted out for Allyson but everything hurt, he heard the train whistle sounding loudly and then he slumped back and then he lay there in an unconscious state and Marjorie still had no answers for him and she was still very worried. She held his hand and sat there with him as there was little else that she could do other than wait for the train to find its way into Ringwood. Bandages were saturated but they would have to do.

The telegraphers had been successful in getting a rough garbled message through and, even though it was partly meaningless, authorities could grasp that something had happened and medical teams were going to be needed very soon, an ambulance and stretchers were waiting at the station and soon they could hear the train approaching the station with the loud whistle sounding continuously, leaving no doubt that there was an emergency on their doorstep. The engine had slowed as it made its way through the town but the whistle remained constant and people had come out into the street upon hearing the unusual noise which was designed to get the attention of the authorities. The engine drivers could see the medical team on the platform ready for action so they pulled the train to a stop right next to the ambulance.

The medical team had anticipated, from the message received from along the line, that someone must in desperate need of their help and they had waited on the platform for some time knowing that the train was coming. The hospital had received a phone call from the telegraph office and the information wasn't totally clear but they knew from it that a bad injury had been sustained and it was an emergency. Doctors at the hospital had a multitude of priority cases that they couldn't leave at the present, so one of the nurses phoned Doctor Carla Graham who offered her services without delay, "Cassie, we have an emergency to attend to, you know what we need so let's not delay, they are sending the ambulance for us in about five minutes. The orderlies will fill us in when they get here and along the way."

The train came to a screeching stop with the brakes applied and the first ones inside were Doctor Carla and Cassie wondering what they expected to see. They had attended bad accidents of all kinds around the district and many times they had turned tears of fright into relief from scared families after Carla reassured them that everything was going to be alright. They were no strangers to emergency situations. The first thing that they saw when they entered through the door was a young lady with clothes covered in blood and she was sitting and holding the hand of young man lying on a makeshift bed and not moving. Her jaw dropped as she saw the man's torn clothes where numerous crude, improvised bandages and torniquets from clothes and sheets were wrapped around what were probably bad cuts and gashes. It all looked ghastly and she couldn't imagine what must have happened.

"Excuse me miss, I'm Doctor Graham and this is Cassie," she immediately felt for a pulse. Cassie looked anxious at Carla, "he's alive Doctor and we must get him to hospital soon so that we can go to work if we're going to have any chance for him to survive." Carla's stethoscope revealed a weak heartbeat as she surveyed Damon's appearance and condition, "there is a great deal of trauma happening here in this man's body, we must hurry." She saw the pile of used bandages on the floor so she could see that someone knew to change them and clean the wounds again and again. She saw how the chairs of the carriage had been hurriedly dismantled to provide the bed for him. As the orderlies carried him out on a stretcher, she marvelled in admiration how someone had been able to make do with what was available to them in an emergency.

Marjorie was in a daze, she knew that her job was done and now the doctor was going to take over, she had released Damon's hand once the orderlies had him under control, she looked at his young face which was motionless and unresponsive and now it was the doctor's task to find out why. Carla's face looked tense as she took Cassie aside and whispered, "Whoever did all this has possibly saved this boy's life." She was trying to make a quick assessment of all the various coloured bandages, there must have been excessive bleeding and there was no alternative but to use what was available at the time, someone had been very resourceful in the face of a dire situation. The risk of infection would have been taken into account but that would have to be dealt with at the hospital. Marjorie stood up to follow as the orderlies got him carefully into the ambulance and safely secured. Cassie motioned her aside and put her arm around her and introduced herself again, "there won't be any room in the ambulance for you but, would you like to come in the car with us, we are going to do our best for your friend."

Before Marjorie could climb into the car, the conductor rushed to her and hugged her as he sobbed, "Thank you miss for doing the best you could for that young man, if I ever have an accident like that, I hope that you are there for me." She was in a daze and the only thing that she could see was that young man's face and knowing that he would be a father in a few weeks, "thank you sir, I only wish that we could have done more for him." Cassie was totally bewildered at what she was hearing, she hurriedly got Marjorie into the car and informed the driver to take her straight to the hospital and make sure that she was well looked after and please come back and get her, now, Cassie made a beeline for the conductor for some answers to what had happened and who this young lady might be.

She could see that the conductor was under a great deal of stress so she sat him down and gave him a drink of water that she had retrieved from the car. "We were travelling carefully over the track where we knew that maintenance had been done and we were flagged down by track workers anxiously waving red flags, we could see where a tree had fallen across the track but there was a smaller branch that had fallen on one of the men and it didn't look good." The conductor had to stop and regain his composure while Cassie had her arm around him, "Nobody knew what to do and I quickly scanned the train for a doctor but there wasn't one to be found, that young lady said that she was a nurse and would we let her help."

He started to sob in Cassie's arms, "my goodness, if it wasn't for her we wouldn't be here now, she calmy gave out instructions and we all fell into place, even the line gang foreman, all we had was the train's first aid kit so she wanted every blanket, sheet and clothing that we could find. "She was the angel in distress that we may not have had. As soon as we had him in the train, the drivers carefully pushed what was left of the tree out of the way after they had uncoupled the last carriage and they made haste to get here in time, I shudder to think what might have happened if she wasn't there for us, she knew exactly what to do right from the start and we just had to make do with what we had. I hope that boy is going to be alright."

It was Cassie's turn to be in shock as it was becoming quite clear now that this unassuming young slip of a young girl was responsible for all of this. They wandered to the front of the train where the two drivers were sitting quietly on the ground, the conductor introduced Cassie and she could see the emotion on the faces of these two men, "we really took a chance and it could have all come unstuck, but we saw that young girl and what she was doing for that young man and we just had to do our bit, we don't care if we get in trouble with the rail people, we just hope that the boy survives. Cassie sat with them on the grubby platform, "he is in very good hands now, Doctor Graham is the best there is and you can take my word for it."

Soon Damon was lying in a hospital bed and Doctor Carla was calmly issuing out instructions to all the nurses about the replacement of bandage and the cleaning of the wounds, many of which were really nasty, "whoever did all this has done over half our work for us and they knew what they were doing." The pulse was stronger and breathing seemed a little easier, so she was reasonably hopeful now that the bleeding had stopped . It was going to be round the clock care and they would just have to make him comfortable, monitor his condition and wait and see. He was a young man who looked to be in good health so that would be in his favour.

Cassie soon returned and searched the wards and rooms for Marjorie and she found her slumped in a chair in the corridor after nodding off after being completely worn out. A cup of tea which had gone cold by now and a biscuit were sitting on a little table next to her untouched. Cassie stared at her asleep in the chair and her attention was only disturbed as Carla hurried down the corridor. Cassie pulled her aside gently and pointed to Marjorie, "this young lady is the person who did all that good work on the train." She told Carla all the information that she had been given by the conductor and how Marjorie was a nurse from somewhere. Cassie was close to tears as Carla told her, "What a remarkable young lady, she has probably saved the life of this young man and she doesn't even know who he is, what a stroke of good fortune that she was there for them all when she was needed."

They sat down next to her and waited for a while until she stirred a little and she wondered where she was when she got around to opening her eyes. Carla smiled at her, "You've had quite a day young lady, before you ask, we have Damon in bed and we have changed all his dressings and he is lying quietly. Now, we just have to wait and see and cross our fingers, we are taking good care of him so now it's your turn to relax." Marjorie liked this lady who reminded her of Sonya. Carla was very curious, "You just happened to be on that train when someone like you was needed, we are going out of our minds wondering who you are and where you have come from."

"My name is Marjorie and I live and work as a nurse in Masterton in the East of the country." Cassie was gobsmacked, "I've seen on a map where Masterton is, there is no other place more east than this, my goodness, you are thousands of miles away from home and you are on your own, my parents would never let me do that." Carla knew that Marjorie had no place to stay so she insisted that she come home with her for the evening as she imagined that she was not planning to be going anywhere until she knew that Damon was going to be alright, no matter how long it was going to take. She needed to get her out of those blood soaked clothes and find her something else to wear. She thought to herself, "what in heaven's name could have enticed her thousands of miles across the country and where was she possibly heading to."

Carla had shown her guest room to Marjorie and she soon returned with towels and extra blankets, she had hoped to be able to talk with her but Marjorie had fallen asleep after barely being able to make it to the bed. Carla saw this girl in a new light, she had started replacing bandages for Damon back at the hospital and she choked up thinking how that was what Marjorie had been confronted with initially back on the train. She looked so young and couldn't be much out of her training to become a fully-fledged nurse, it was most probable that Marjorie was going to get a well earned sleep all through the night and well into the morning hopefully. She thought, after the day's horrific events, that Marjorie deserved it. She would arrange for Cassie to come and keep her company in the morning while she could quickly get to the hospital and get a report on Damon's condition.

Carla was up very soon after daybreak and, as she was preparing for work, she was tip-toing around to avoid waking her guest, but that proved to be quite unnecessary as Marjorie was up and ready to go. She had awoken in a strange place at around first light with a night dress that wasn't hers, and it didn't take long before she realised that the events of yesterday were not a dream at all. She was sitting at the side of the bed with a pensive look out into space just as Carla peered into the room. Before she could say good morning Marjorie made a request, "Dr Graham, if you can find me a uniform at the hospital, I would like you to put me to work so that I can help monitor that young man. I can't possibly go anywhere until I know that he will be alright, his wife must be going out of her mind by now."

There was no mistaking this girl's determination and resolve and she was employing the same initiative that was obviously prominent yesterday and, most probably, the same resolve that has caused her to travel thousands of miles in some cause that nobody knew about yet. Carla had no intention of arguing and her watery smile showed the sympathy that she had for Marjorie, "I'm sure that we can find something for you to do but, my dear, you are not going anywhere without some sort of breakfast, I know that you are just as anxious as I am to find out about Damon." Marjorie followed her obediently but not until she noticed the strange looking oversized bag sitting in the corner, "that's part of a sailor's kit isn't it," she asked, "I've seen sailors with them back in Masterton but I can't imagine any sailors being around here so far away." Carla said how he was a good friend of her family and he will be back eventually to get it.

She thought that Marjorie reminded her of how she was years ago when she was ploughing through her studies to eventually become a doctor. She remembered a slight hiccup which had thrown her off the track for a while but her determination to succeed was always there, but that was another story left in the past she thought. They quickly made something that they could take with them to avoid delay and Carla was surprised when Marjorie offered to drive the car to help out. She thought again that this young lady was most capable and resourceful and that she wouldn't even bother checking out her credentials, she felt confident about putting her to work as requested and that she would fit in just fine. They were quiet on the journey to the hospital as they both knew that internal injuries could not be ruled out so far but they hoped and prayed that the bleeding had been stopped completely. Carla was relieved that she had not had to be contacted during the night so she held out hope that Damon's condition might be stable or even on the improve.

The nurses soon saw the new nurse on their ward and they all made her very welcome, Cassie and Carla were the only ones who knew the circumstances of why Marjorie was there. A few eyebrows went up as Marjorie had virtually just appeared out of nowhere and she had not been assigned to anyone, however, strange things had happened before, she seemed to adapt to the ward as if she had been there forever. She tried to take every opportunity to go and check on Damon to see if there was any change in his condition, even if there was no improvement, she was thankful that it was not worse. She would watch him for a while and he looked so peaceful as if he was just sleeping, she would be in at every possible chance to check on him.

It had been a huge morning, what with, becoming reacquainted with his wife after four years and now, the wonderful shock of finding out that he had a daughter who resembled her mother, it was a great deal to absorb. None of this mattered to Emily who felt that she now had someone else who would play with her and read to her. Peter had met all these new people and given a report to Nathan and Captain Foster as best as he could and now, he would gladly place himself in Christine's and Faith's hands for the foreseeable future. He knew that it was going to take weeks for him to adjust to not having to be anxious about finding his wife and where she was and his arm was in the best of care and each day coming would be better and better. He imagined that he would be released into his wife's hands and be allowed to leave and spend the evening with at home relaxing with his family, how he had yearned for just this but, however, little Emily had other ideas. She was used to coming and going between one house and another whether Rosemary had given permission or not, she took little notice when her mind was made up and usually the other children would just follow along.

Peter was quite lightheaded as his operation on his arm was only the day before and recovery would take a lot longer but that was more than what Emily was prepared to accept. As tired and spent as Peter was, he couldn't help but smile at these little children who had taken him in and now he was an uncle who would gladly tell them stories and read books to them. He had his own stories to tell and he couldn't wait for Susan to find out about his family here and also, the two wonderful ladies from Masterton who were there to guide him through some of his toughest and testing moments. There was going to be weeks of reflection for him but what could be better for him than having Emily, Little Jack and his little girl Marie around to keep him company.

Mother was at her wits' ends with her daughter who knew how push all the buttons and never take no for an answer, but now it was time to step in, "Emily, it's time to say bye, bye to Captain Peter and let him rest for the afternoon with his family, can't you see how he can hardly stand up, we have to let him get better." The bottom lip told it all and she had learned how to stamp her feet when the occasion needed it. Peter loved this feisty little girl already, "Don't worry sausage, I'll see you later on and, if you're good, I might read you a story at bed time if your mother lets me." She relented and then smiled at him but a puzzled look came on her face, she'd heard something familiar and she couldn't remember what it was.

Rosemary and Elizabeth had not missed that little comment and their alarmed little glance at each other was unmistakeable. It was the last thing that they wanted to hear and they would have to wonder what lay in the memory of that little girl who had made a new home in Hope Valley with the Coulters. The change in Emily's face was only momentary but that was enough to frighten Rosemary and make her think of a day that may be a long way down the track where they would have to tell their daughter of her past. Peter couldn't help but notice how Elizabeth needed to comfort her best friend who was clearly distressed. Emily waved goodbye to him as they started to go home and a confused sea captain took Elizabeth's arm and looked at her for some answers.

"Mrs Thornton, I can't thank you and Mrs Coulter enough for what you did for me, I doubt whether I would have made it here without your help, Christine is most fortunate to have such good friends and I can see why she made a life here in Hope Valley with her little girl." His eyes were slowly welling up, "Mrs Thornton, I have clearly said something that has upset Mrs Coulter and I feel dreadful, I can't imagine what it was but I could see the distress in her eyes for something that I was responsible for." Elizabeth could see that Peter Glover was not one who would shrink from accountability and his honour would rank alongside that of Captain Foster, she saw the same sincerity in his eyes that reminded her of Jack and even her father, "Peter, there is no possible way that you could have foreseen this situation and it is just an unfortunate moment that hopefully, may yet turn out to be nothing at all."

His light-headedness wasn't going to get any better as he listened to Elizabeth lay out the circumstances of how Emily came to be in Hope Valley. He was horrified to hear of her mother losing her life in the street at Fort Clay and how her father was the other Mountie who had accompanied Nathan on their search for him. "Simon had a scare on one of his missions and it prompted him to arrange for Rosemary and I to find a good home for Emily here in Hope Valley, just as we were trying to figure out how we were going to achieve this, Emily had latched on to Rosemary who fell in love with her straightaway. The first thing she said to her new mother was that her daddy said that she was a sausage." Peter put his head in his hands at the thought of his harmless little comment and what it might have caused. "Peter, Simon is one of the most honourable men that we have ever met and he had no hesitation in making arrangements for adoption proceedings without delay as soon as the family was settled and he said that no matter what, Emily would always be her daughter forever. He is remarrying again but he has stipulated that this won't make any difference to Emily's situation. Rosemary is still worried about this though, despite Simon's assurance."