Winter's Refuge
Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Four
HEYES
We buried what was left of Joe on Trinity Rose's Hill. Martha and Joy, with some help from Vince, make a wooden cross and etched the epitaph "Joe. The best dog ever." onto the crossbar. We held a little ceremony. Nettie and Joy insisted that Not Joe and baby Joe attend.
I know they blame me. All of them blame me. I blame me. I should have hired someone to kill the wolf a month ago or go after him myself. I wish the Kid was here to talk to about the guilt, or Dr. Aiden. So that night when we retired to bed, I sat up leaning against the wooden headboard.
"Angie, I need help dealing with this guilt. Everyone blames me," I said softly.
Giving me a confused look, she asked, "Blames you for what?"
"Not hiring someone to kill that wolf earlier," I answered. "I'm sorry."
She pulled herself up to sit next to me, carefully positioning her leg on pillows. It was healing and she was getting around without a cane, but it ached at night. I had a salve from the doctor that I massaged into it before we slept and the pillows helped. She pulled me toward her and kissed me. "Nobody blames you, honey."
"But everyone's eyes were telling me I was guilty."
"No, everyone was looking to you to solve the problem of the wolf. And you're doing that with the men you hired. Have they found the wolf yet?" She moved closer and cuddled.
"No, they killed a cougar today. They'll go out again tomorrow. They found fresh tracks today just before dark. They will start there," I told her.
"Okay now forget that guilt and concentrate on kissing your wife."
JED 'KID' CURRY
After the board said they were recommendin' me and Chrissy as Stephanie and Steven's legal guardians, we should've been able to leave the next day. Well, that's what we thought. But anything dealin' with the government takes longer than it should. Two days later we were still waitin', but the influence of the ex-governor had managed to let Stephanie and Steven move in with him and his wife…and us. They continued to attend their same school even though they knew their time there was endin'.
Miss Tina doted on Ruth Ann and Chrissy. Each morning, they took the buggy and came back with lots of boxes. But Ruth Ann's favorite part was the Cheyenne Zoo. When she came home, she proudly howled like a wolf and signed 'big dog.' And asked Miss Tina to go back to the zoo the next day.
That was okay with me because there were so many people that had to approve of the guardianship and so much paperwork. I just tagged along with Colin and shook hands with the men.
There were two difficulties to overcome. The first was that me and Chrissy were both ex-convicts and Nebraska has a law that we could not become legal guardians to wards of the state. Colin and Charles worked their way around that one because they argued we both had pardons and amnesties. And then Charles figured out that the kids were wards of Wyoming not Nebraska, and Wyoming had no such law. And that was the other problem. We were takin' the kids to Nebraska. Charles and Colin had a closed-door meetin' with the governor of Nebraska…a long meetin'. When they finished, that last obstacle was cleared. And I just had to sign a copy of Hauser's latest Kid Curry novel and shake the Nebraska governor's hand. Finally, the papers were signed and we could leave the next day for Phoenix with Stephanie and Steven.
HEYES
Just after noon, the two drifters came back with the body of the gray wolf and I relaxed that our families were safer. They asked to stay another day to catch a cougar they had been tracking. I agreed and invited them to dinner.
After they went to the barn, I heard a scream from the newly fenced in backyard. We had only finished the last part of the fence this morning. Every adult within hearing range responded to that sound. Three-year-old Josiah Curry was sitting near the storage shed, holding his hand and crying. Michael and Martha had hammers and were trying to knock down the last part of the back fence.
"What happened?" Auntie said firmly, leaning over the boy. He stood and held out his hand to her. Standing next to her, I saw the scratches and a small bite on his hand. He held his hands out to her to be picked up.
"Uncle Heyes will pick you up, sweetie," Auntie said. "Bring him into the kitchen so I can clean him up." I know her knees don't let her pick up any of the kids but the babies.
I returned quickly. "What happened here?" I yelled at Martha and Michael. "What are you doing to our new fence?"
Diane Frances pointed to a small hole under the shed. "Look there. It bit Josiah."
"It's a den of baby foxes, Uncle Heyes," Martha explained. "There's another hole to your left." She swung her hammer and completed taking down a small portion of the fence. "Alright everyone, let's move to the back porch. We can watch from there."
"What are we waiting for?" I asked, to be met with a chorus of "Shhh."
And then a cautious head peeked through the gap in the fence. Seeing no one around, the mama fox crawled across the ground and disappeared into the hole.
"When you finished the fence, the mama fox couldn't get back to her babies. And the babies were scared when Josiah found the hole and reached in to pet it," Martha whispered.
"We need to leave the fence open for another week or two until the babies are ready to leave," Michael added.
"Heyes," Auntie called from the kitchen. "I think we need to take him to that new doctor in Three Birds. His hand is swelling. I cleaned it out and poured whiskey on it, but I'd feel better if the doctor looked at it."
I looked around. "Michael, find Vince and have him get the small wagon ready as soon as possible."
"Want mama," Josiah told me as I walked into the kitchen.
"You know she's in Denver with your pa and Ruth Ann. I'll take good care of you, alright?" I told the boy as I carried him to the wagon.
He nodded and buried his head in my shoulder to hide his tears…and fears.
"I'm coming with you," announced Auntie. "I'll drive, Heyes; you hold our sweet boy."
JED 'KID' CURRY
Before we left for home, me and Chrissy took the time to take Ruth Ann for the zoo one more time. She knew where she was goin' and led us straight to the gray wolf cages…and then she howled. One of the wolves picked up her howl. She smiled. We walked around and swung her between us, but when Chrissy signed, "Time to go," Ruth Ann signed back, "No."
Then she looked at us and smiled. "No, please, birds."
I looked at Chrissy and winked. Our daughter had learned 'no' and manners. "Yes, birds," I signed back.
Ruth Ann skipped in front of us. She stopped in front of one bird cage. I read the plaque in front. It was a white bellbird. But it was the next line that caught my attention. The white bellbird is the loudest bird in the Americas.
Ruth Ann stood still watchin' the two birds in the cage. This wasn't the tropical forest the sign said they lived in and I felt sorry for them livin' in a cage – a big cage, but still a cage. They weren't makin' any noise until one of the zoo's employees walked by and we were treated to their loud call. And we watched the smile on our daughter's face. She turned to us and put her hand behind her right ear tellin' us she heard somethin'. When one of the birds made noise again, I knelt on one knee next to her and joined her in puttin' my hand behind my ear. She smiled and hugged me. "Now go yes," she signed and took our hands.
Dr. Oliver and Nancy used their larger buggy to help transport the kids' goods to the train station. Yesterday we had two trunks and two large boxes shipped ahead of us. The goodbyes between the doctor and his wife and Stephanie and Steven at the station involved many hugs and promises of letters to be written and tears. I reminded myself that this was the kids' choice to not go with them. They wanted to be near Rocky, near family. Still, I could see it was bittersweet.
At Aiden's urgin', I had let the worries of the ranch and Three Birds fall away from me durin' this time away. On the train ride home, they all returned, smashin' into my thoughts with urgency. So, I couldn't sleep on the train. I watched out the window and tried to get my thoughts organized and contained. I had telegraphed Heyes to have someone drive the big wagon up to Bridgeport to meet us. I had taken our buggy, pulled by Summer's Gold, to Bridgeport thinkin' it was only me and my wife and daughter to ride home. Now we have Stephanie, Steven, and their things to transport to Phoenix.
Arrivin' in Bridgeport, I was surprised by the welcomin' party waitin' for us there.
HEYES
I don't know this new Dr. Elmer Crehan, but Aiden trusts him. All I know is he's young and this is his first job out of medical school. Auntie drove and Josiah clung to me tightly.
"Heyes, Dr. Crehan is a good doctor. He'll take good care of the boy," Auntie said, as she rubbed the short blonde curls in his head. "And Josiah, you'll be a brave boy, won't you?" she asked.
He raised his head and looked at me. "Brave like papa?" he asked me. He reminds me of Kid when he was… What's Josiah now? Two and a half, three?
"Yes, brave and strong like your papa," I answered him.
I was relieved when Miss Denise opened the door to the medical office. "Oh my, what's wrong?" she asked, leading us into an exam room.
"Fox bite," Auntie answered. "I tried to clean it out and poured alcohol on it, but it's swelling and we'd like the doctor to take a look at it."
"Ajay, go tell Dr. Crehan he has a patient in exam room one, please," Miss Denise called. "I'm going to get some hot water," she told us.
Josiah was holding the hand between his chest and mine protectively. I tried to sit him on the exam table, but he clung to me tightly.
"Well, who do we have here? I hear you were bit by a fox young man." Dr. Crehan had an easy smile and a confident manner. Washing his hands in the hot water, he had Miss Denise pour alcohol over them, then asked her to dump the water and bring in some more.
"This is Josiah," Auntie said. "Show him your hand, Josiah."
He shook his head and I felt the hand shaking as he held it tighter against me.
"Don't force him. He'll show it to me when he's ready," Dr Crehan told him and us. "I have some questions about the fox."
Josiah looked at the doctor. "Baby fox. Wanted to pet it."
"And it didn't want to be petted? It was probably scared of you, Josiah. You're a lot bigger than a baby fox," Dr. Crehan said with a smile. "How small was it?
Josiah took his hand away from my chest so he could use two hands to show the doctor how big the baby fox was.
"That looks like he was very young. He was looking for his mama. Did you know baby foxes are blind and deaf when they are born?" He had Josiah's interest and Josiah's hand in his. He just let it rest on his hand without pulling or looking like he was examining it.
"Ruth Ann deaf," Josiah said and signed, using both his hands. The doctor watched how he used his fingers.
"She is? Is she your sister?" the doctor said and signed back.
"Yes, she's a big girl and at deaf school, but she'll be home soon with pa and ma," Josiah said, now letting Dr. Crehan turn and twist his hand to get a better look at the bite and swelling.
"Mrs. Arden, would you put some ice on his brave boy's hand?" Then the doctor turned to us. "Did any of you see the fox?" he asked. I could tell by his tone this was important.
"No, but I saw the mother. We accidentally built a fence between her and the babies in her den under our shed," I told him. I wanted to give him as much information as I could.
"Was she foaming at the mouth or acting crazy," he asked.
"Crazy, no. Frantic to get to her babies, yes," I answered.
"Good, good. Please excuse me for a moment. I want to consult one of Dr. Arden's medical journals. I'll be right back. The ice should reduce the swelling."
Josiah let me put him on the exam table and didn't resist the ice wrapped around his palm. "You're being a very good boy," I told him. "Would you like to pick out a piece of candy at the mercantile when we're done here?"
He shook his head. "Want to go see mama."
"I know. Mama's can make any hurt feel better," I told him.
He thought for a moment. "Is Auntie your ma?"
I closed my eyes remembering the gentle touch of my own ma when I scraped my knee or got stung by a bee.
Before I could answer, Auntie did. "No child, I'm not his mother or your ma's or pa's, but I like to think that I do a good job mothering all of you."
He held up his arms to her for a hug. I tried to catch the ice before it fell on the floor but missed just as the doctor returned.
In the end, the doctor gave the boy some laudanum for pain. He slept while the doctor propped the wound carefully. Then he washed it out numerous times before using four neat stitches to close the bite. Then he bandaged it and told us we could take him home. Giving us a bottle of the medicine, he cautioned only to use it if ice didn't ease the pain.
While Josiah slept in my arms on the way home, I came up with a plan.
JED 'KID' CURRY
The Bridgeport train platform had welcomin' faces. Mike and Mikey Loveland were front and center. And I thought again that Mikey was tall for eight years old. Behind him were Heyes, Rocky, and Josiah.
The three Rocke siblings embraced each other, happy to be together.
"Josiah?" asked Chrissy, and I could tell from the tone in her voice she shared my fear that something was wrong at home.
He ran straight to her. "Mama, I was a brave boy so Uncle Heyes said I could come with him to see you," he said, holdin' up two hands to be picked up…one was bandaged.
I swept him up in my arms and held him close so he could hug his ma. In her condition, Aiden had warned her not to pick up any of the kids.
"Heyes?" she asked, lookin' over the boy's shoulder to look in my cousin's eyes.
"A baby fox bit me hard," Josiah told us. "And I was brave like pa."
I put him down next to Ruth Ann, who was waitin' to hug him, anxious to see one of her siblings. Josiah has learned sign language all of his life and he forgot about his hand as she told him about the zoo.
Mike Loveland reserved a table at a family diner and we all celebrated the addition of Stephanie and Steven to our family. Heyes quietly told me the sleepin' arrangements, until the new contractor he had hired could start workin' on the house next week. Stephanie was gonna stay with Auntie, which made her happy. When she visited, she spent a lot of time with the older lady, learnin' to sew and quilt and cook. This worked for Auntie, too, because she wanted someone in the house with her in case she fell at night.
Heyes moved Michael and Steven into the downstairs bedroom that Auntie had been usin'. Sam would be in there too when he came home from school.
"How old is Michael? Isn't he a little boy?" challenged Steven. I saw Heyes tense at the question. He thought he had judged the new roommates well.
Rocky answered his brother, "Michael's ten, almost eleven and a real smart kid. He wants to be a doctor, but he loves spending time with our horses. He has mostly sisters so you'll be kind of like a big brother."
Steven nodded and grinned. "Always wanted to be a big brother."
ASJ*ASJ
I had told the drifters they could stay for dinner but Auntie threw a fuss and made them sit at the outside table.
"Auntie, they remind me of me and the Kid when we was trying for amnesty. We took jobs like tracking nuisance animals," I told her.
"They're dirty and they may be dangerous. They look natural wearing their guns tied down. Did you ask where they're from? Where they're going?" she asked.
"Nope, don't want to know. But feeding them reminds me of all the good, charitable people who feed us without any questions," I answered. "Looks like they washed up before sitting down."
Auntie still didn't allow them at our dinner table but the outside table had an ample supply of food, including large pieces of her cherry and apple pies. Before they left the next morning to track the cougar, she sent Michael out with lunch for them to take along.. And when, after killing the cougar, they left the next afternoon, they each had a package of fried chicken, boiled eggs, biscuits and the last of the pies for their dinner.
"You gave them all the rest of the pies?" asked Joy.
"Yes, dear. You'll have cookies for dessert today," Auntie said as she winked at me. And I knew she now saw me and the Kid in the drifters.