Winter's Refuge
Chapter Seventy-One
LOM
I was so wrong. Heyes didn't violate his parole. When the Kid and Heyes left the room, the governor smiled and told us that he had decided to end Heyes' parole and sign the amnesty papers effective now. He didn't explain any further, just to tell us that Mr. Curry and his assistant, Colin Apperson, were aware of his decision, and no one else. Not even Heyes.
"But Governor, there was a reason you extended his parole…" Warden Reginald Mays objected.
"Mays, it is my decision to make, and I have made it."
"But why?"
"I do not need to explain myself to you or anyone, Mays; it is my decision to make," the governor said firmly, his irritation apparent in his voice.
I understood the sadness in the warm greeting Heyes had given me now. He had made the same assumption I had, that he had done something to end his parole and send him back to prison. I was amazed at the improvement in the man. He was not a hundred per cent, but he had greatly improved. Even facing prison again didn't force him to retreat into himself.
When they came back into the room, I read the emotion on Heyes' face and knew the Kid had told him. When he was called to stand before the table, I used my cane and stood proudly next to him.
I saw the plans to go to Devil's Hole and I wished I could go with them. They need me to go with them. But my damn injury keeps me from going. But that doesn't mean I can't help them plan this expedition, for success and their safety. After seeing the list of people to arrest, I know I can still be a vital part of this plan. Excusing myself from the meeting, I was glad Dr. Arden had told me to take the buggy and leave wherever I was tired. He'd find another ride into the city. I headed toward Cheyenne to send some telegrams to old friends, old friends I hoped could reach Preacher.
JED 'KID' CURRY
The guards are movin' too slow. I need to get to Chrissy. But I realize I can't tell where her screams are comin' from. No one talks in this dark depressin' buildin' and the sound echoes off the walls. The guards look as disoriented as I feel.
"Dr. Arden's office. Lead me to Dr. Arden's office," I said to the two guards in front of me.
They turned around quickly, ready with a remark to put down the ex-convict, but I saw their expressions change when they saw Charles hurryin' down the corridor in back of Heyes.
After a quick glance at him, they changed direction. "Yes, sir, Governor."
I'm sure those last words were meant for me and Heyes to understand that they were followin' the governor's orders, not my request. I didn't care. Chrissy screamed again, longer and in agony. What had happened? Had a prisoner become violent seein' a woman? In prison, you learn to control your needs for a woman, or figure out a way to satisfy it. I had thought he'd be safe with Aiden.
As we came around a corner that I recognized as leadin' to Aiden's office, the scream came again louder and longer. I couldn't wait. I ran ahead and threw myself against his door. I know he keeps it locked and I hadn't cared. I need to get to my wife. The door broke and opened under my weight.
I heard Charles' voice order, "Let him go."
I went through the office and opened the back door into the private hallway. I'd been here before and knew which door was Aiden's. But I didn't have to guess. He was in the hall orderin' two men where to put a gurney.
Chrissy screamed again from his interior office.
"Jed, Jed, she's alright. The baby's coming." Aiden put two hands on my chest to stop me. "She's in active labor. I'm taking her to the isolation ward to deliver.
He removed his hands, and I entered the room where Chrissy was layin' on the couch.
"Jed, no want have our baby in prison. Take me home," she implored me. "Not in prison." Then another contraction hit, and she screamed again. I took the towel off her forehead and dipped it in the bowl of water and wiped the sweat off her brow. Her green mountain eyes caught mine as she pleaded again, "No have another baby born
prison," she cried.
"Jed." Aiden touched me gently on the shoulder. Heyes and Charles had caught up with me and were watchin'. "Jed, would you lift her onto the gurney? The isolation ward is the best place for her now."
I waited until she stopped moanin' after the latest contraction and picked her up and laid her gently on the gurney. Heyes slipped her pillow under her head. Charles caught the blanket that had been coverin' her as it fell to the floor. I put it over her.
"Gentlemen, wait here," Aiden instructed. "It shouldn't be long now."
And she was gone. Helplessly, I looked at Heyes and Charles.
"Had three sons and each time this waiting was the hardest part of it all." The governor went through and opened the door to the main hall, talkin' to the guard stationed there. Then he came back to Aiden's private office and sat behind his desk. I went to sit on the couch that Chrissy had vacated but Heyes stopped me.
"Wet."
So, we waited. Charles pulled a book from Aiden's bookcase and started readin' but I paced. The prison seemed even quieter than normal. Heyes was sittin' in a chair, hands in his lap staring at a picture in the bookcase. And I thought about Aiden who had lost his wife, the woman in the picture, to an epidemic. And Mike Loveland who had lost his wife and daughter in childbirth. And I felt lost.
"Heyes, you know how to pray anymore?"
He shook his head, but Charles stopped readin'.
"Just talk to God, show him your heart. No need for a formal prayer. But remember he doesn't make deals, as I always told my sons."
I walked to the front office where Aiden sees his patients and stared out the window I had looked out so often, always up never down. Cold weather had settled in. I shivered. Whether it was the bleakness of this place or the cold weather that came through the walls, I didn't care.
I felt more than saw Heyes standin' near me, and I turned around to face the one man I felt safe confidin' in.
"Heyes, it's too early. What if I lose Chrissy? I can't lose her. I can't live without her." I let the tears I was controllin' fall.
"You ain't gonna lose her, not after all you've been through. And she's got the best doctor in the whole world with her."
"I want to help her, but I can't." I know my voice sounded like a lament. But I was with Heyes. I was safe.
"I know. I know." Heyes pulled me over to sit in the chairs we had sat in so many times when he was still a prisoner.
"And she's right. Don't want another child born in prison." I lowered my head and tried to do what Charles had said. Just open my heart.
"Martha and Michael turned out to be two pretty good kids no matter where they were born."
The twins' smilin' faces came into my head. "Hope they are okay. I think we're goin' to be longer than we planned."
"The governor said he had a telegram sent to his wife letting her know what was happening," Heyes told me. He had his hand on my knee as he had done when I was an upset kid growin' up. "We can't do anything but wait. Same thing men have been doing forever."
I nodded and closed my eyes as another scream bounced through the prison.
LOM
A buggy doesn't travel as fast as a horse, but I made my way to Cheyenne as fast as I could. I understood the urgency of finding Preacher and getting him out of Devil's Hole. I went over the contacts I knew near the Hole, including a couple that Heyes had paid to deliver any of his incoming telegrams. I hoped at least one of them was still there…and willing to deliver my message.
I stopped the buggy in front of the telegraph office near the capitol building and hobbled up the large step to the wooden sidewalk. I hate this cane. Dr. Arden gave me some exercises last night that I can do to strengthen my leg. Something he read recently in one of his medical journals. They are in stacks all over his kitchen.
I sent five telegrams in all, each with the same message, "Preacher Urgent STOP Meet me in Porterville STOP Need you now STOP Wait if you arrive first." All were signed simply Lom.
Limping out of the telegraph office, I had my head down and knocked into a woman with her back to me.
"Sorry, ma'am."
The lady turned around suddenly. "Well, Lom Trevors, fancy meeting you here!"
"Mrs. Clark," I said as my two favorite twins raced toward me followed by a lady, her hat askew, trying to keep up with them. Two armed men followed close behind her. Bodyguards, I realized. This lady was important.
"Michael, Martha, walk. Where are your manners?"
I laughed and held my good arm out for the twins. But they stood back, staring at my cane.
I leaned it against the building. "Don't be afraid, little ones. Hurt my leg and that helps me walk.
They looked at each other in the same kind of silent communication that Heyes and the Kid have. Then Martha went over and got my cane while Michael hugged my leg.
"Mrs. Clark, what are you doing in Cheyenne?" I asked. I knew Chrissy was with the Kid and Heyes in the prison to see her brother.
"We came with Jedediah and Hannibal and are staying with this lovely lady. Lom, this is the governor's wife, Mrs. Christina Sanderson."
I grabbed my hat off of my head quickly. "Ma'am."
"Ma'am." I heard a voice behind me calling. It was the telegraph operator that had just sent my message.
"Yes." The governor's wife stepped forward and her bodyguards did, too.
"This came for you from the governor."
One of the bodyguards tipped the man as she read the telegram. "Oh my," she said, handing it to Mrs. Clark.
"Oh no, it's too early." She saw my confused expression. "Chrissy's having the baby."
"Come, children, let's go back home," the governor's wife gathered the children close to her.
"To the castle?" Pa's not there. Who's gonna protect us from the monsters that eat children?" Martha looked like she was about to cry.
"I'll be glad to do that," I said, making sure to hide my smile..
One of the bodyguards went into the telegraph office and came out quickly. "Any further telegrams will be delivered to you immediately," he said.
Mrs. Clark took my arm. "Lom, no use you staying in a hotel. Miss Tina said you're welcome to stay with us."
"Didn't stay in one last night. Stayed at Dr. Arden's house."
"Well, it sounds like he's going to be busy for a while so you're staying with us."
"May I offer someone a ride?" I pointed to my buggy. It was a two-seater with velvet fringe on the top. Arden used it to go back and forth to the prison, but he also kept his horse there. This morning he said to go home when I was tired, and he would ride home as he had work to do.
"Me!" announced Michael, jumping up and down.
"Me!" demanded Martha, jumping just as high as her brother.
With a wink to Mrs. Clark, I answered, "Room for both of you."
"What do you say?" Mrs. Clark reminded them.
"Thank you, Uncle Lom," two voices said together.
"Uncle Lom, Papa growled at the monsters in the castle. Will you do that, too?" Martha asked, concerned.
"Sit down, please. No growling. I have my cane, remember? It's magic. I'll wave it at the building and all the monsters will be gone."
HEYES
Me and the Kid are back in Dr. Arden's private office with the governor. I'm antsy around him, even though he just gave me the most prized gift of my life, amnesty. I've never worked so hard for anything. We can hear Chrissy's screams clearly as the prison medical ward is just down the hall and the isolation ward is a curtained off section of that. I spent a lot of time there. So much happened today, I'm trying to process it while the Kid paces and looks toward the end of the hall with every scream.
I came here this morning certain I was going back to prison. That I had violated my parole. Some of that terror is still with me. This building presses down on me until it's hard to breathe. I want to run, but I can't. There are guards I recognize outside the door. They brought me to this room in shackles before. And I can't run away in my mind either. It doesn't work for more than a minute anymore. There's no place in my mind I can find.
The Kid is pacing, and I can't calm him. I understand. I've started to pace, too. Every time Chrissy makes a noise, we both turn and look towards the wards.
The last time, the Kid walked to the door and opened it. But he was stopped right there by a guard.
"That's my wife in there. She's having a baby."
"You Jed Curry?"
"Yes."
"Sorry, sir, you aren't allowed in here. But I understand. My wife screamed like that for eight hours before she had our eldest son. Try to stay calm and let things work themselves out." And he closed the door in the Kid's face.
"Jed," the governor called. "Since we are here for who knows how long, can I review your plan for rescuing the captives in Devil's Hole?"
JED 'KID' CURRY
"Sir, I think the less you know the better. We are goin' into an outlaw's hideout. Our methods will depend on what we find there or who's in charge now," I told him.
We were quiet for a moment.
A scream broke our silence, followed almost immediately by another. And then there was complete silence. I panicked. What if something went wrong? Chrissy has been goin' through a lot for a few hours now. What if…?
And then a high-pitched baby's cry echoed through the prison and a shout of "Hooray!" followed from all corners of the prison.
"You're a Pa, Kid!' Heyes patted me on the back.
"And I will make sure that no one in this prison is punished for that joyous yell," Charles said with a smile on his face.
In a few minutes, the door at the end of the hall opened.
Dr. Arden smiled. "Jed, you have a small but healthy daughter."
My heart jumped with joy. I didn't know I could hold this much happiness, but I needed to ask one question. "Chrissy?"
"Exhausted but well. Would you like to see your wife and meet your daughter?"
"Yes, yes!" I followed him quickly.
At the door, the guard smiled at me. "Congratulations." Then he put a hand up and stopped Heyes following me. "Sorry, sir, you can't come in here."
Heyes immediately stopped and looked down, submissive. And anger interrupted my happiness. "Heyes…"
Aiden came back. "Guard, let them both in. I will be responsible for them."
"And I will guarantee they stay in line." The governor trailed us into the room.
"Yes, sir." The guard held the door for all of us.
Behind the curtain, Chrissy was on a bed, propped up on pillows holdin' our daughter. For a moment, I felt cheated that I had missed this moment with Martha and Michael. And sad that I had not been there for Chrissy.
"Darlin', you okay?"
The smile on her face told me what I had hoped. She was fine. But then she started cryin'. "Baby born in prison," she managed to get through her tears.
I knew I couldn't let her know that I felt the same way. "This is the place the best doctor in the world works."
She stopped cryin'. She froze and stared at the curtain, but it passed quickly.
"Good." Lookin' at me, she asked almost shyly, "I name baby?"
"Seems like you did all the hard work gettin' her into the world, so what name do you have in mind?" I knew her family went for biblical names. Her parents were Lazarus and Martha, her brothers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Robert Bellarmine after some saint that was a favorite of her pa. And she was named Christina, after the Christ child she had told me once. So, I expected something like that.
"Joy," she said, as if asking my approval.
I smiled; it was a good name for this child. "Joy Christina." I added a middle name.
"Good. You hold Joy Christina?"
Aiden took our daughter from Chrissy and pulled the blanket back so her face could be seen. As Aiden put her in my arms, I was in love.
Heyes looked at the baby. "She's beautiful but her head is pointed." He kissed her gently on her forehead.
I looked at Aiden in alarm.
"She'll be fine and her head will be round again in a few days."
I took a deep breath, and she moved in my arms. Suddenly I was afraid I would hurt her, drop her, or squeeze her too tight. I think Aiden saw my fear as he laughed lightly.
"Relax, Jed, you won't hurt her."
I sat on the bed next to Chrissy. "She's beautiful, just beautiful, darlin'."
Chrissy smiled but her eyes were closin'.
"That's enough for now, Jed. They both need their rest." I gently handed Joy to my wife.
HEYES
The Kid's not leaving. He wants to stay in the prison overnight near Chrissy. She's staying behind the curtain in the isolation medical ward. Dr. Arden is with her and a guard sits just outside the barrier protecting her.
I can't stay here though. This place is crushing me. My fears are returning. There is no light in here, only silent darkness, mind sucking darkness. It replaces everything with fear and pain. But I can't tell this to the Kid. He's worried about Chrissy, as he should be.
The governor is returning home. I don't want him to leave. He is our protector here. Funny how the man, who delayed giving us amnesty for years, is now the one I look to for protection. Not sure I trust him but I'm thankful to him.
The guards brought food to the doctor's public office and, as we were eating, the Kid asked, "Heyes, why don't you go back to the city with the governor."
I looked at him sharply. He knew what I had been thinking. Of course, he did. We know each other well.
"But you might need someone to play blackjack with in the middle of the night if you can't sleep."
"I'll manage. And I would feel better if you were there with the twins. They need family around in their monster castle."
I nodded. He had given me a reason to leave. "Governor?" I asked.
"I'd enjoy the company. And as soon as she can travel, Chrissy and the baby are coming to stay with us."
"That's too generous," the Kid started to say.
"Nonsense! Tina is the happiest she's been in years. Didn't realize she needed family around her. Going to invite our boys and their families to visit more often."
Family is important.
LOM
The twins are gone! Mrs. Clark had laid them down for their afternoon nap and when she went to wake them up, they were gone! Their beds were not slept in.
"Oh dear, their window's open now. I'm sure I closed it," worried Miss Tina. She called to the bodyguards outside the mansion, "The little ones are gone. Search everywhere!"
The Kid had told me about when they climbed out of their bedroom window to watch a colt being born. I went to the window. It was a slight drop, but then they could walk across the roof. It was hard with my cane, but I did the same thing. I walked from one side to the other and I saw the trellis. It was really nothing more than a ladder covered with vines. I could see where some of the foliage had been crushed or pushed aside.
I saw a guard walk by on the ground. "Hello there. They climbed down here."
He waved back up at me.
By the time I got down there, the ladies were already outside helping the guards search, but I had an idea; I hoped it wasn't right. I limped as fast as I could to the stables. And Arden's buggy was gone.
"Over here," I called. As Mrs. Clark approached, I asked, "Do they know enough to hook a horse to a buggy?"
She only thought about it for a second. "Those two together could figure it out. Oh my!"
"Do you have a horse I can borrow?" I asked.
"Sir, we will continue the search on horseback," a guard told me, looking at my cane.
"I'm coming with you," I said firmly, looking at the governor's wife.
"Sheriff Trevors, of course you will join the search." She turned to the stable boy. "Saddle Stardrop for him and get whatever else he might need."
"Yes, ma'am." He obliged but did not look happy.
The guards that were searching left before Stardrop was ready for me. That suited me just fine. I know these two and I know where they're trying to head – the Wyoming Territorial Prison to see their parents. The guards are searching Cheyenne, starting at the governor's mansion and fanning out. I followed my buggy tracks. They had left through the back pasture. The buggy tracks were clear until they reached a road. By luck, they had found one of the roads to the prison.
I urged Stardrop faster. It was late afternoon. I needed to reach them before dark. Stardrop gave a smooth ride, but still her motion caused shooting pains. I ignored them and pushed her on.
Half an hour further I could see the horse and buggy stopped by the side of the road. But even at a distance I could see it was overturned and empty, the horse standing patiently nearby. He hadn't been properly secured and the first good pull, they separated.
When I pulled up next to the buggy, I stopped and looked around. With more new pains, I dismounted. I found little footsteps heading into the trees and followed them.
"Martha! Michael!" I walked further. "Martha! Michael!" I called, again.
"Uncle Lom!" Two little voices came from…somewhere.
"Where are you?"
"Up here," Martha giggled.
"Uncle Heyes taught us to climb trees and we were scared."
"A little red monster ran across the road and scared the horse. Then flew away. We tipped over. So, we're hiding up here."
I got them down from the tree and was relieved they were unharmed. As we stood looking at the buggy, we heard another approaching from the prison.
The twins raced into the trees, but it was not needed.
"Lom, what are you doing here?" Heyes asked, as the fancy four seat buggy stopped next to us.
"Heyes! Governor!"
"Uncle Heyes!" Two small whirlwinds raced out of the trees and tried to climb into his buggy.
"What are you two doing here?" Heyes voice had turned concerned.
"That's a story for later. Can you help me right this buggy and turn it around.