There was movement in the corridor with the sounds of shrieks and cries of a frightened wife who had latched onto one of the nurses who was trying to calm her down, "please can you help me, my husband is here somewhere and he is very sick." The nursing staff had seen it many times before and it was sad for them to see someone who now had her world turned upside down after being urgently contacted after a tragedy. The men back at the line camp had persevered desperately over and over again to try and get a message through to the head office where they could hurriedly contact Damon's wife with the terrible news. It had taken many attempts with the intermittent equipment on the telegraph system that was still not working properly. Frequent garbled and broken messages eventually confirmed the worst news possible and now Mrs Hendry was urgently conveyed by road nonstop to the hospital in Ringwood.

Her face fell as she entered the room to see her husband lying completely still, she was exhausted and frightened and her heavily pregnant condition didn't help but, for her, that was the least of her worries. This man lying there was her heart and soul and her life and she couldn't imagine the thought of him not being there for her as he had promised on their wedding day barely a year ago. The men usually went away for over a week and Damon wasn't due to return home for at least a couple of days, they were working towards a future for their new family and he was so excited at the news of a child coming into their lives. He was very handy and every free moment that he had was devoted to making something for the nursery and for the new baby.

She sat down next to him with her heart in her mouth and just watched him and then she turned to the nurse, her face pleading for some direction. "We just don't know yet Mrs Hendry, he had lost a lot of blood when he first got here but he is stable now and we just have to wait, his heart is fine and he is comfortable and while he sleeps, he doesn't appear to be in any pain." She gently touched his hand while he lay there unresponsive and she started to tell him how the baby kicked her again so aggressively so it has to be a little boy. She was too frightened to cry as she spoke softly to him, she felt the baby move again and it was a frightening thought that occurred to her that she might be having to raise her child on her own. A chill came over her and she suddenly felt so alone. She barely noticed Marjorie at Damon's side gently mopping his forehead and glancing a cursory look at all the bandages. Earlier in the day she had straightened his fingers and now she noticed that they were curled up, she said nothing.

Marjorie was not here to impose so she had asked for a hotel room, however, Doctor Carla would have none of it, "you are more than welcome to stay at my home in our guest room for as long as you need and that is the end of it, that is the least we can do after what you did for that young man. If not for you I might have had to look at that young lady wife of his and repeat what I had done once before, that is something that you never ever forget." For Marjorie, the long trip west was worth it just to meet this steadfast, lady doctor and it was no wonder that everyone did their level best while they were in her service. She reiterated that she didn't want to become a burden to her, "what if that sailor man of yours returns, wont he be expecting to have the guest room back again." Carla stared out into space, "he left all his gear for us to take care of while he had to travel to many places around the country, I don't expect that we will see him back here for many months if at all."

Before Carla left her home next morning she did her daily check of her diary and she tapped her pencil thoughtfully after taking particular notice of one of the entries, "Marjorie, I nearly overlooked something, our miracle man will be here for his fortnightly visit later today, I made a promise that I would look after this man after what he had been through over the last few years. Wait until you meet him, he is the nicest yet most unassuming and determined young man who you could ever hope to meet and he has survived the most horrendous ordeal to rejoin his family." Carla said how they go off to a little town called Overton to see him and then his father brings him to the clinic which was going to be later today. "He came thousands of miles with just the shirt on his back and just appeared off the stage limping badly. He was assisted home by our sailor man who had just happened to be there looking for one of my relations. He only comes for his check-up because Peter asked him to, he said that he would get word to me to see that it would happen so, here we are. We have a soft spot for our sailor man and Cassie was very upset for days when he finally had to leave. She said that he was her man even for just a short time and I could understand how she felt."

Carla's clinic and surgery was situated in an adjoining building to her home in the main street and that is where Cassie usually spent much of each morning helping out with most appointments that didn't need people having to attend a hospital visit. It was right here where a buggy pulled up out the front right on time as usual and the two men were surprised to see three ladies in uniform rather than two as today's welcoming committee. Carla greeted them warmly, "good morning Evan, I could always set my clock at the time you roll up." Mr Harris was never one to cause any inconvenience to this wonderful lady doctor whom they had placed their trust in, "as always Doctor Graham, we said eleven thirty and we will never be late to mess you around." Carla never knew what Evan Harris was like before his son returned right out of the blue and she had been surprised from the story that Peter had told her but she could completely understand.

"Hello George, how are you feeling today, come inside." Cassie assisted him even though she knew that he was totally capable of walking under his own steam, they noticed that his pronounced limp did not appear to be showing any improvement. Carla always remembered how Peter had told her how George had woken up in a hospital bed overseas and the doctor had worked for months to recover his leg for him as best as he could. Her worries for him lay elsewhere, the journey that he had undertaken to get himself home was nothing less than superhuman and it had taken its toll on his body. She had given him a complete examination at the first opportunity after speaking with Peter and she had been flabbergasted at his appalling condition.

His condition was diabolical yet he didn't show any concern for himself in the least, he was just so happy and contented to be home, however, it had upset him terribly to know that his mother was no longer with them. "Evan, have you made sure that he has taken all the medication that I have prescribed, it is very important for his health that he follow our directions." Doctor Carla didn't show her concern and she was quite laid back but she knew that they had to address the malnutrition that had affected his body, it was essential and she didn't want to have to give Peter any bad news next time she would see him. Each time she examined him she marvelled at how he must have been able to travel all those miles on his own with just the remains of his uniform. She had acted without delay after Peter's call as she could detect the concern in his voice and she had put a great deal of authority and standing in his words even though she hardly knew him.

George didn't seem to mind all the fuss that he was receiving from the doctor and the young nurse, "we do exactly what you tell us ma'am and we promised Captain Peter that we would listen to you and do what we were told." It was now that Marjorie pricked up her ears and started to wonder about the sailor's kit in the guest room and the occasional mention of a sailor from this town, she remained silent as Carla's work with George was still not finished, "George, you are looking a little better each time we see you but it is going to take a long time for you to fully recover your health. You must have gone through quite an ordeal to make it back home; I don't know how you possibly could have done it." Mr Harris was relieved to hear that news and he was well aware that they might not have been with the doctor if not for the persistence of Peter before he left with Emma and Danny.

He never failed to ask Carla at every visit, "Carla, have you got any good news for us about our illustrious wandering sea captain, whether he has had any good fortune on his journey, if ever a man deserves to have his wife with him, it is that man." Marjorie's face was turning white and she put her hand up to her mouth in astonishment, she looked at Carla in shock, surely this couldn't possibly be just a coincidence, Evan continued, "we owe that man a great deal, I'm sure that George wouldn't have considered letting a doctor look at him, he was just happy to be home. It was because Peter asked him in such a way that you just couldn't refuse him, and somehow, he knew better than any of us. My goodness, we only knew him for two days but we really want him to be alright."

Carla smiled at him, "Evan, I know just what you mean, I have to admit that I cast a longing look at the phone every now and then, hoping for news to say that he has found Christine wherever she may be." She noticed Marjorie appearing as if she had so much to say but didn't know where to begin and she was now looking for somewhere to lean against. She looked like she had seen a ghost, "Marjorie, whatever is the matter, Cassie, quickly find a chair for her and get a glass of water." She was close to tears and fumbling with her glass of water but the colour soon reappeared on her face along with the watery smile that everyone had become accustomed to over the last few days. There was an anxiety in her voice and a tear in her eye, "I'm so sorry if I caused a shock to everyone, Carla, can you tell me who Christine is please."

Carla could see that Marjorie was quite serious and she was asking this for a very good reason, in the short time that she had known her she had come to love this visitor and she and Cassie had welcomed her into their hearts. Carla offered her a response without any hesitation, "Christine is my niece and I haven't seen or heard from her in many years, Peter came here to see me in hope that I could point him in the right direction but I was so sorry when I couldn't help him. He had a list of people with the surname of Pennington and one of them was me. I was Carla Pennington before I was married. It was a shame how the years came and went and our family grew so far apart and now I don't know where any of them are." There was a sadness in Carla's face as she was truly despondent at not having been able to solve his situation. "I could see that he held grave misgivings that Christine might have moved on after four years but I told him in no uncertain manner that she would be waiting for him somewhere and it would be just a matter of time. He needed to keep his chin up and bring her back here to see us."

They all got over the shock of this subject being raised again and now Carla's curiosity was piqued now that Marjorie had asked about Christine. Before she could start to worry, Marjorie began to explain after she could stop crying, her incredible outlandish story to everyone, she could see that Cassie shared the same love for Peter that she did. "As you all know, I come from a big city thousands of miles away from here on the east coast called Masterton. It was only a chance meeting with my parents that caused me to help this man look for a lady called Sonya Radcliffe." Carla was astounded, "that's a name I haven't heard in many years, she was in Bakersfield last I heard and that was a long time ago." Marjorie's voice had now changed and she sounded like she was talking in her sleep, "he was Captain Peter Glover and, until I came along, he had tried in vain to locate her in Masterton and you could see how lost and despondent he was becoming, it was almost as if this was his last chance. I knew Sonya who is now Mrs Sonya French who lives and works in Blacktown which is about fifty miles away from Masterton."

"Carla, it was Susan, your other niece who sent him there as Sonya was a name that she had also remembered from Bakersfield. As it turned out, Christine had studied with her and is now a fully-fledged nurse and now, after an exhaustive search, I can tell you where she is living and, by now, Peter should finally be there with her." Marjorie was quite teary again by now and she hugged Cassie who was speechless, "Cassie, I was with him when he finally found out where she was and that she was desperately waiting for him, they already knew that he was looking for her because the local schoolteacher was the daughter of the owner of the shipping line and it was her who put two and two together. The police captain sent two of his Mounties all the way on his trail to find him. I will never forget as long as I live how he broke down on the floor with relief when he was told the news by a police inspector in Masterton. He was trying to stay positive for so long but I've never seen anyone so lonely. I am so thankful that we were there for him when he needed us. Sonya and I saw him off at the train station and I have barely slept or eaten since that day. Until I met him and saw what he went through, I could never imagine what true love must be like, he was going to search forever until he found her."

"Christine lives in a little town called Hope Valley and I was on my way there on the train until Damon got his injury, I won't be going anywhere until I know that Damon will be alright but I have to know and see for myself that Peter and Christine are going to be alright." Evan was relieved after listening to Marjorie, this lovely young woman, because he knew that Peter might have gone on for many long years without any scrap of information and that would have been heartbreaking and demoralising. Carla let out a huge sigh of relief after what had just been related so carefully to her and the others, "Marjorie, you have been able to bring my family back together and I am so grateful to you. What about Susan, where is she living." Marjorie was able to tell her that Susan is Mrs Madison, a farmer's wife who lives in Grampton, on the main rail line.

This was a lot for everyone to take in, Carla had to sit down in tears before she fell down in complete bewilderment, her thoughts were for her long lost family and for Peter but there was no time now to grasp it all as an orderly arrived in haste from the hospital to say that Mrs Hendry was going into labor and they should hurry. The appointment with George Harris was finalised and he had his medication to take with him, and then the three ladies, arm in arm drove in the car to the hospital. Carla hugged Marjorie as she sat in the car trying to regain her composure and take some deep breaths along the way. "I wish Les was here, I miss him right now." She thought about Susan and Christine, the two nieces who used to terrorise everyone, especially Judy as they could barely be told apart, now they were all grown up and she couldn't wait to see them. She tried to imagine where Hope Valley was and now all of their prayers had been answered, Peter Glover had found his wife.

Upon entering the hospital, they realised that they had other, more pressing things to now worry about at the moment, Baby or no baby, Mrs Hendry had no intention of leaving her husband's bedside no matter how persuasive and insistent the nurses had been. "If I leave him now I'll never see him again," she cried. She sat there next to him almost demanding and pleading with him to wake up but he lay there and remained unmoved. All the nurses felt helpless and were out of options as they couldn't possibly feel that they could remove her forcibly but, sooner or later in the day she was going to have her baby. "I don't even want my baby; I just want Damon to be here with me just like always." One of the nurses had taken notice when she was in pain and started monitoring when each new one came along and soon it was going to get critical, however, Mrs Hendry was not in the mood to be listening to reason.

That was the situation that Doctor Carla and her two nurses found themselves in when they arrived in the ward, there had not been any change in Damon's condition and it was more than disconcerting for Mrs Hendry to see her man lying motionless next to her and she couldn't do anything about it. She was still in control of her faculties but she was now becoming more upset by the minute and it could get even worse if there was any further attempt to coax her out of the room. She was letting nurses examine her condition but she let everyone know in no uncertain manner that she wasn't going anywhere. All she could think of over the last few months was the thought of this new baby and how proud Damon and her parents were going to be, now, this thought was nowhere to be seen.

Marjorie knelt down beside her and carefully took her hand in hers, "Hello Mrs Hendry, I'm Marjorie, a visitor here to Ringwood which is a very nice little town and everybody here has been very nice to me, I can't begin to imagine what you must be going through when this was supposed to be a happy time that you were both looking forward to." Mrs Hendry seemed to calm herself a little as she listened, without any reply, to Marjorie's voice. "You mightn't realise it right now but you are one of the lucky ones, you get to bring a new person into the world and maybe he or she might look just like dad or even you. It's going to happen whether you like it or not, you are going to be a mother to Damon's child and that's going to happen today." Marjorie was still holding her hand, "Mrs Hendry, what was it like, I mean, to fall in love with someone and know, without any doubt in your heart that you wanted to spend your life with him. Would you tell me please how you met this most handsome guy and fell in love."

Mrs Hendry remembered very clearly but her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain which forced her to try and catch her breath and now they were becoming more frequent, "a couple of years ago I wandered into my favourite little café in the early morning and I just wanted one of the little cupcakes that Mrs Woods had for sale, they were very popular and I had my heart set on one but, unusually that morning, there was only one left and this very handsome young man had seen it first. He could see immediately how disappointed I was and then he insisted that I have it. I said that he could have it and I stood my ground stubbornly even though he implored me to have it and it would be okay because he would come back again tomorrow. While we were having our agitated debate, an elderly lady came up and grabbed it and paid for it and then she was gone, she had the little cupcake and I'll never forget how mortified he was and the look on his face, but I had come across the man I was going to marry, I knew it right then and there."

Mrs Hendry smiled as she relived that morning and she still had Marjorie's hand in hers. "I envy you Mrs Hendry, you found true love and, even though your baby was imminent, you had no hesitation about coming here when you found out about his accident. A couple of weeks ago I was getting ready to settle into my nursing career when I picked up someone from a hotel where I lived because he was looking for someone and I knew where she was. This man had spent four years on sea duty and now he was looking for his wife. I could see the devotion and true love that this man had for his wife and this was something that I had never experienced, I have travelled right across the country because I want to make sure that he is alright, I have to see this for myself with my own eyes."

Another pain came along and it was quite a bit sooner than everyone thought, and time was now of the essence, "Mrs Hendry, you need to remember that this new little baby is one that belongs to both of you and I'm sure that Damon will be looking forward to having that as his first sight when he come around in a day or so. He would want you to be at your best for both, him and your baby, he is fighting for his life right at this moment and the best thing that you can do is to be there for him when he opens his eyes. I want to be there when he sees mother and baby smiling at him, Mrs Hendry, Allyson, he's going to need you and all the strength that you can bring for him." One more sharp pain convinced her that Marjorie was right and, after a squeeze of Damon's hand, she let the nurses transfer her to a wheelchair where they could take her to a delivery room to have her baby. The little tear that appeared in Damon's eye was not lost to Marjorie as she followed the wheelchair out of the room.

Captain Edwards was relieved to have Earl and Simon back at work and on the job and he summoned both of them into his office when a phone call from Hope Valley arrived. It was sensational news for them to hear of the arrival of Captain Glover but soon they found that it wasn't incident free and, in fact he had been shot, but thankfully, he will be alright. Simon felt the same as how Nathan had taken the news, this was Christine's husband and they had chased him across the country only to nearly lose him within sight of the water tower at Hope Valley. They waited for the details and they were glad when they were asked to help provide some of the investigation into what had happened.

Mountie Simon knew how thorough Captain Foster always was when his case demanded accurate reports which meant that nothing would ever be left to chance. The police station at Union City would be central as they had excellent telegraph facilities where they could seek information from afar as they knew that much of the storm damage had now been attended to and resources were coming back into service. The story that he had been given was sparse at best and more detailed written information would be forwarded by courier in due course. He felt that he had enough to make a start with some enquiries with the railway system. He knew that the captain wanted to find out who this man was and why he acted in such a manner that was going to cost him many years of his life. Mountie Simon was already developing his own mental picture of this scoundrel and it wasn't very complimentary, he had distaste for anyone who benefited at the expense of somebody else, apparently he picked on the wrong person this time and he would have a lifetime to reflect on his action.

So far there wasn't much to go on, his name or nickname might be Buster if what a couple of men had stated to Peter after losing their money at cards and there was a young man called Vance who probably worked in the same gang. It would be a start and there might have to be many enquiries before they would find out who this man was, Simon anticipated that this Buster character might not be on many people's good books if his propensity for relieving co-workers of their pay was well known. He pictured this man being big and strong and many others that he came into contact with would be frightened of his aggressive and overbearing nature and bad temper. His blood started to boil as he remembered Amy being at the mercy of two men of a similar nature and one of them had shot Earl Grey and had not given it a second thought. They went to prison not knowing that the shells in the guns were blanks.

Captain Foster had not wished to question the sea captain any further for the present so Simon had to proceed with what little they had. They didn't have a photograph yet so the description of this man was all they had. It wasn't long before Captain Edwards set the process in motion and requested every map from the districts where Peter had travelled from and where men from a line gang from the railways might have been working. They were one of the main communication hubs in their vast district and soon the telegraph operators began sending out messages on the lines to as many places as possible, these included police stations, railway offices and as many telegraph agents as could be arranged. They were mainly asking for contact persons and phone numbers as a starting point.

It was still hard to accept that once your message over the telegraph was sent, it would be received many miles away instantaneously and would be acted upon immediately if necessary. Recipients would not be prepared to ignore any request from a major police station so there were many acknowledgments from outlying places who indicated that they would investigate and respond. It wasn't long before Simon had a number of contacts of people in authority with phone numbers, the system was working well and Simon knew that he was going to be very busy for the foreseeable future. A railroad Superintendent found this to be quite a strange request given the lack of detail provided, however, once Simon explained the lack of cooperation from the man that they had in custody, the matter became a bit clearer. He was prepared to help as best as he could and conduct his own research with the multitude of line supervisors and he promised to get back as soon as possible.

Responses were coming in thick and fast, with many of them requesting more information which they simply didn't have but that didn't deter anyone. There would be a line supervisor somewhere who would report to head office if one of his men didn't return to work when required and without any notification. This couldn't be much more than preliminaries in the investigation as the only things they had were the names Buster and Vance and no photograph or detailed description was available so far, so Simon knew that he couldn't expect much for some time but maybe they might get lucky soon. It was treated as extremely serious as it was listed as an attempted murder and they needed a positive identification before they could present the case to a judge. It was time for Simon to start to pursue the contacts that he had via the phone; it would surely be in someone's interest to know why one of their workers would not be returning to the job.

Numerous attempts were made to contact the police station at Grampton both by phone and telegraph, however the reception was poor and it appeared that the storm damage was still a consideration. Simon had no intention of making yet another train trip so it was with great relief when he heard a voice on the other end at the town of Ringwood, "This is Constable Les Graham here at the Ringwood office, how can I be of service to you." Simon introduced himself from Union City and started to recount the story as best as he had got it from Captain Foster, "I'm sorry if some of this sounds a bit vague but we have a man in custody who we plan to charge with attempted murder but, at this stage we have no identification as he is totally uncooperative. We can't possibly place him before a judge if we don't have a name for him, all I can tell you is that he is probably someone from a railway line gang and he is known as Buster. The man who was shot described how this Buster character was on the train with others from his group. Apparently he tried to force a young man called Vance to play cards for money and when he refused our man stepped in for him and then Buster must have withdrawn in a huff only to become vengeful later."

"Simon, I'm sure that I can save you a lot of effort as I can see that Union City is a long distance from here, I know many of the line supervisors between here and Grampton so I will liaise with some of the regional officers and I am sure that I will have news for you very soon. I have only just returned home after a week in the other direction so I have to check into an accident which occurred out on the line and a young man is here badly wounded in hospital. Apparently there is the matter of a train speeding here when the rail line integratory was still in some doubt and these people who did this and took such a chance, they may need my support as their quick and apparently reckless actions may have saved the life of a young man after lying on the track somewhere. I will respond to you as soon as possible."

Captain Foster and Nathan could see that Peter was just about at the end of his tether after all the questions over the incident on the road so they had used the information that they had available to get Simon on the job. Peter and his wife Christine and his newfound little girl were now finally left alone in the Infirmary where Doctor Faith had insisted he remain overnight. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and let the next forty years roll by and take care of themselves. It was all a blur to him after having her on his mind every day through the storms and the gigantic waves rolling over the ship on the endless ocean for four long years and then there was the worry that he may never find her and she might have moved on with her life. All he could see was his newlywed wife standing forlornly at the end of the platform as his train pulled out from the station, he didn't know whether he would ever see her again and it was only now that he could try and grasp that it was really and truly over and she was here with him.

There were no words that either of them could find as they just sat there alone, clinging together with their little girl. She could have gone home with Rosemary and Emily but she didn't want to, she, like her parents would need some time to grasp the situation that she now had a daddy and here was a man who loved her so much. Christine had felt the ring on her finger every day and she had tried so hard to have faith but the days, weeks and years had gone by and she just had to make a life and raise her child as best as she could. She remembered vividly the time when Peter had slipped the ring on her finger at the wedding and then, in the blink of an eye, she was standing at the end of the platform waving goodbye as his train pulled out of the station and all of a sudden, she was on her own. She still couldn't believe that Peter was here with her as she hadn't known whether she would ever see him again and it was almost too painful to dream that he would ever return to her. She had wondered, after such a long time whether he might have lived elsewhere or even in another country and given up on their marriage, it was a momentary thought that she never really believed even for a moment.

They had not noticed that Faith had closed up the Infirmary and left them to it as she walked along the path towards the café. Her eyes were welling up as she strolled along, she noticed Jason checking the saddle of his horse and she rushed up and hugged him tightly much to his amazement. She sobbed in this young man's arms and he just stood there giving as much support as he could find, he waited for the emotion that Faith had stored up started to abate and then she spoke, "It was so wonderful, those two people have found each other after so long and now they are to be together again, there's nobody more in love than them and he has a daughter that he never knew." Faith could not stop the tears so they sat together on a bench, Christine was a good friend and colleague and her heart had been heavy for her over all this time and now she was so happy for her and Peter to be the family that they should be.

Jason had been concerned over Peter but Faith assured him that Peter's arm would be on the mend in no time, it was good to have Jason here to talk to as she had not known how the emotion of it all had got to her, he was only too pleased to be there for her, he remembered how he had broken down with relief when he found out from Simon that Nathan had been found after those six long weeks and that he would be returning home. He had suffered just as much as Fiona and Allie and he knew what family meant to him. "Faith, I could see how Christine looked at him, with so much love and I can also tell you that I can see how Mrs Thatcher looks at Captain Foster. It has to be the most wonderful thing on this earth and I can't imagine any woman ever looking like that at me."

Faith stared at him in disbelief, "Jason, my goodness, you are the type of man that every woman dreams of having, you are tall, dark and so unbelievably handsome and you wear that red uniform just as if you invented it. I am so lucky to be here in Hope Valley to have so many people who care about each other, I've seen how you go out of your way to help others especially Sandra who absolutely adores you. I was once so close to being engaged to be married but my fiancé chose his career instead of me so, apparently it wasn't meant to be but I got over it." Faith could now manage a smile, "you might not be ready for love just yet and you might not even know when it jumps out and hits you over the head but, if two people find each other then nothing can stand in its way." She took him by the arm, "would you come and keep me company at the café for a while, I just don't want to be alone at the moment and you might help me take some food back to the Infirmary for the new family, they must be starving by now but I suspect that they don't care."