Forbidden love for a Barkley
Part Forty Five:
"One of the ? is Missing; Dakota"
Nick would be freed from the bear trap (thank goodness!) and the dark figure on the grounds of the Mangano household was revealed not only to be the mysterious Cherokee or Navajo girl who was chased along with Allegra, but to be a friend of the Barkley family. Her name is Nadine Clearwater. The revelation came after Nadine and Paulie engaged in a brief fight that ended with them coming out from behind a bush. Upon seeing each other, Nick and Nadine immediately recognized each other which nearly caused Stefania and Carmine to suspect the second Barkley son of infidelity only for it to be quickly cleared up with Nick voicing he would never cheat on Stefania and revealing that Nadine is of Navajo and Irish descent & that the Clearwater family and the Barkleys go back; her parents Claudine and Randolph worked for the Barkleys and the families became lifelong friends. Nadine would back Nick up before shushing everybody and asking them to keep their voices down which led Paulie to ask why to which she (Nadine) would say that the horrible masked men could be lurking about. Putting two and two together, Stefania would ask if she saw Allegra to which Nadine would say yes & ask if she was okay to which Nick revealed she was at Barkley Ranch and pretty soon, both Andrea and Nadine would be there as well since it is safer. Nadine would insist that she wanted to go with Nick, Stefania, and Carmine rather than hide, revealing that the masked men have her brother Brent & sisters Wren, Kai, and Cleo before grabbing at her stomach. Upon being asked what was wrong, Nadine would reveal that she is pregnant or in her words, carrying her baby to which Paulie got a horrified look on his face when he realized that he wrestled a pregnant woman. Stefania would also be horrified, Carmine would chide his brother before apologizing to Nadine for what he did, and Paulie would be on an apology tour like there was no tomorrow, stating that he never once attacked a pregnant woman nor would he ever do such a thing, but Nadine forgave him and told him that he didn't know she was pregnant & his actions were natural, because for all he knew, she could've been a prowler who was up to no good. Eventually, Paulie, Andrea, and Nadine would leave, but not before informing them that the family horse Chiara was on the verge of having her foal at any given moment. Then, as if on cue, Chiara could be heard whinnying and almost by instinct, Nick knew that she must be in the beginning stages of labor. Paulie and the women would head to Barkley Ranch while the trio of Stefania, Nick, and Carmine would head out to the stable to help Chiara, but only after the second Barkley son and the Mangano patriarch sterilized their hands with alcohol and put aprons on. Nick would discover another thing about Stefania; she has a beautiful singing voice that she never once told him about. When asked how he knew it was time and that Chiara was now in the beginning stages of labor, Nick explained that he had delivered fillies, cow calves, colts, and piglets after following his gut instinct which impressed Stefania and even Carmine. All the while at Barkley Ranch, Carl would finally be freed from the Python and Audra would finally tell Victoria of the masked men & horrors they put her through at the church after shooting Father Margolis & damaging the church before kidnapping Cara and Mariah Mangano. Victoria would get a determined look on her face before reassuring the guilt stricken Audra that none of it was her fault and that she couldn't stop it from happening no matter how hard she tried. Afterwards, Paulie, Andrea, and Nadine would arrive to Barkley Ranch which led to Eugene and Allegra informing Victoria that Nadine was very pregnant, but not in those exact words. Knowing that a baby may be arriving soon, Victoria decided that they must get the guest room ready for Nadine and pronto. As of now, Victoria, Allegra, and Eugene plus Audra and Heath, who were braving what they went through, were in the process of getting everything set up for Nadine while Nick was reaching inside Chiara in order to feel the foal and help her deliver it, Carmine and Stefania helping to keep her calm during the whole ordeal. The questions that remain are as follows: Where's Jarrod during all of this?, Where's Ciego, Brahma, Chet, and those other ranch hands?, Will Audra and Carl end up reuniting?, Who are the masked men?, Will Father Margolis make a full recovery like Victoria and Dr. Merar both said?, Will Barkley Ranch be a safe haven?, Will Cara, Mariah, & the Clearwater siblings be found safely and rescued?, Where are Claudine and Randolph Clearwater?, What happened to Esther?, and most importantly, will Chiara and Nadine's babies arrive happy and healthy? Stay tuned and find out!
Author's Note: I do NOT own The Big Valley or its characters. I ONLY own this fic and the characters of: Stefania Mangano, Carmine Mangano Sr, Carmine's friends, Paulie Mangano, Italia Mangano, Emilio Mangano, Serafina Mangano, Santo Mangano, Francesca Mangano, Cara & Mariah Mangano, Chet and the men Heath rounded up, Jess and Mavis Chaney, the Animal Team, Leonard Barkley, Seth & his gang, Violet Pascucci, Julissa Kurilenko, Daphne Gubenheimer, Simonetta Mangano, Father Margolis, Caleb (the little boy in the church), the Masked Men, the Mourning Dove, the Python that is attacking Carl, Nadine Clearwater, the Clearwater family, Chiara the Mangano family horse, and the Mangano family. As I stated in previous chapters, I'm modeling the relationship between Jarrod and Violet after the one of James Bond/007 and Miss Moneypenny & Marshal Matt Dillon and Kitty Russell which by the way, those characters, the James Bond franchise, and Gunsmoke rightfully belong to their owners. Ooh! One more thing, I'm modeling Nadine Clearwater after Lucy Lawless's character Xena in the show "Xena: Warrior Princess" and Sonny Landham's character Billy Sole in the film "Predator" (1987) [You will see why in another chapter or so from now] with her last name paying homage to the band Creedence Clearwater Revival a.k.a. CCR which happens to be one of my favorite bands. All of those (Xena, Billy Sole, "Xena: Warrior Princess", "Predator" (1987) and Creedence Clearwater Revival) belong to their rightful owners. That being said and without further ado, happy reading! :D
Warning: There may be hints of a breech birth, extrasensory perception (ESP)/psychic visions, & the disappearance of a major character in this chapter. If any of it makes you uncomfortable or bothers you, please feel free to skip this chapter.
Spoiler: Two more characters may return!
(Flashback to part 44)
"Huh? Who are-Nadine? Nadine Clearwater? Oh my word, what brings you here?" Nick gasped after looking up and recognizing the person.
"Nadine?!" Stefania immediately let go of Nick and folded her arms, "Who is she?!"
"Oh, you have a mistress now?!" Carmine went from loosening the bear trap to tightening it, "How dare you cheat on my daughter?!"
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Mistress? No way! She's...She's a...She's a family friend. We g-grew up together. Her parents used to help out around the ranch. Her father Randolph was of Navajo descent and her mother Claudine was of Irish ancestry. The Clearwaters are dear friends. Ouch!" Nick winced while quickly trying to explain, "Carmine, I would never cheat on your daughter!"
"Well?!" Carmine turned to Nadine.
"Mister, he speaks the truth." Nadine replied before shushing everyone and whispering, "Now, if you don't mind, could you keep your voices down?"
"Alright, but why?" Paulie whispered.
"Those horrible masked men could be lurking around anywhere." Nadine whispered.
"Wait a minute! Did you see my sister?" Stefania whispered her question.
"If she was a girl with dark hair like mine and wearing all black, then yes. Is she okay?" Nadine whispered.
"Yes. She's at Barkley Ranch where you and Andrea will be after I get this bear trap off." Nick whispered.
"No, no, I want to join you." Nadine shook her head.
"Nadine, it's not safe. Those masked men are very vicious. You don't-" Nick was cut off.
"Nick, they captured my brother Brent and sisters Wren, Cleo, and Kai! Who knows what they're all going through?! Who-Oww!" Nadine grabbed at her stomach.
"Did they stab or shoot you in the stomach?" Paulie asked.
"No, no. I'm...ooh! Ah! I'm...carrying...my baby." Nadine rubbed her belly.
Paulie's mouth went agape after his eyes got big.
"Zio Paulie, you...you-" Stefania stopped mid sentence due to realizing that her uncle had wrestled with and put his foot onto the chest of a woman who was expectant.
"Paulie, shame on you! You know better than to get rough with a woman who's expecting!" Carmine chided his brother before turning to Nadine, "I'm so sorry my brother did that."
"I'm sorry, Nadine. I...I...I..." Paulie was so remorseful that he couldn't find the right words.
"It's okay, Paulie, is it?" Nadine asked.
"Yes." Paulie nodded.
"It's okay, Paulie. You didn't know. You thought you saw a prowler and acted in a natural way." Nadine assured.
"I know, but I never attacked an expectant woman before nor would I ever." Paulie sighed.
"Paulie, it's fine. Really." Nadine put her hand on his shoulder.
"Well, let's get you and Andrea to Barkley Ranch then I'll join Carmine, Nick, and Stefania in the search for those masked cowards." Paulie helped Nadine into the house.
"Paulie, I suggest you stay with them." Carmine told him.
"Unh uh. I'm joining you guys and if I were you, Stefania, I'd stay with the women." Paulie called out.
"No, zio Paulie. I'm going and that's that." Stefania stood her ground.
"Okay, but so am I." Paulie insisted before taking Nadine inside.
"Phew! Finally!" Carmine managed to get the bear trap off of Nick's foot.
"Ohhhh, thank you, God!" Nick breathed a huge sigh of relief before turning to Carmine, "Thank you, Carmine."
"You're welcome. Now, let's go." Carmine stood up, helped Nick get to his feet, and headed into the house.
"When all of this is over, I'm gonna give you a nice foot massage." Stefania dusted Nick off.
"Say thanks." Nick smiled before going into the house, hand-in-hand with Stefania.
*Inside*
As Carmine, Nick, and Stefania entered, Paulie was helping Andrea and Nadine out the front door when the younger woman turned around to face the trio.
"What's wrong, Nadine?" Nick asked.
"Nothing, Nick. However, before you leave, I have something to say." Nadine rubbed her belly.
"What is it?" Nick asked.
"Vaya Con Dios (Go with God.)" Nadine held her hand up.
"Vaya Con Dios (Go with God.)" Nick held out three fingers and pointed them at Nadine, Andrea, and Paulie.
"Please, find Brent, Wren, Cleo, and Kai. Please." Nadine pleaded.
"We will, Nadine. We will and when we find them along with Cara and Mariah, we'll bring them straight to Barkley Ranch. We promise." Nick nodded.
"Speaking of which, you three better get there." Stefania said as she walked over to her mother and hugged her, "Non preoccuparti, mamma. Sarai al sicuro al Barkley Ranch. (Don't worry, mom. You'll be safe at Barkley Ranch.)"
Andrea nodded and gave her a kiss on the cheek before walking over to her husband and kissing him on the lips.
"Zio Paulie, dove sono Vincent e Simonetta? (Uncle Paulie, where are Vincent and Simonetta?)" Stefania looked around.
"Fuori prendendo il passeggino e il mio cavallo Ennio. (Outside getting the buggy and my horse Ennio.)" Paulie replied.
"Paulie, Chiara aveva già il puledro ? (Paulie, did Chiara have her foal yet?)" Carmine asked.
"No, non ancora. Tuttavia, in qualsiasi momento-(No, not yet. However, at any given moment-)" Paulie was cut off when the sound of whinnying could be heard.
"Paulie, get Andrea and Nadine to the ranch. Carmine, Stefania, get to Chiara. I'll be right there." Nick instructed.
Paulie nodded and left with Andrea and Nadine while Stefania headed straight out to Chiara.
"Nick, what's the-" Carmine was cut off.
"Carmine, do you have an apron and alcohol?" Nick looked around.
"Yes, I do." Carmine nodded.
"Good. Go get 'em, please." Nick said as he took his bandana, gloves, hat, and shirt off.
Carmine nodded and went off to get those very things.
*Meanwhile, back at Barkley Ranch; inside the barn*
"H-Help me!" Carl gasped as the python continued to tighten its hold on him.
"Carl, where are y-Hey, I found him!" Eugene looked around and knelt down beside Carl after spotting him.
"Eugene, the sn-snake! H-Help me!" Carl started to breathe heavily.
"Allegra, you grab the tail. I'll grab the head and together, we'll pry this guy off of Carl." Eugene grabbed a hold of the python's head then turned to Carl, "Carl, you just hang in there and we'll have you loose from this thing faster than the blink of an eye."
Allegra did just that and before anyone knew it, the duo managed to get Carl free from the Python.
"Whoa!" Carl exhaled and took a few heavy breaths in order to gather himself.
The Python hissed at the trio before slithering away.
As soon as Carl pulled himself together, Allegra and Eugene helped him to his feet and into the house.
*Inside*
"That was a close call." Eugene said.
"Close call? More like being nearly squeezed to death." Carl coughed.
Allegra muttered something, but it was too incoherent to understand.
"You alright, Allegra?" Eugene turned to Allegra.
"Huh? Oh, yes. Just totally fine. Cannot believe that I actually handled something I've been deathly afraid of, but I'm okay." Allegra nodded.
"You have a fear of snakes?" Eugene asked.
"Yes, but apparently, I must've just conquered it." Allegra shrugged.
"Thank goodness you did. Otherwise, I would probably be in the process of being eaten or digested by now." Carl lightly joked.
Allegra nodded then shuddered, clearly wanting to forget about the snake.
"I echo that shudder." Carl replied.
Faint crying could be heard coming from upstairs. This got the attention of Carl, Allegra, and Eugene.
*Upstairs*
Audra was crying into her mother's arms. Victoria still didn't know what all had happened other than what she heard, but after a long moment of total silence, the Barkley daughter finally broke down and collapsed into the arms of her mother. After a few minutes of shushing and trying to soothe her daughter, the Barkley matriarch decided it was time to get down to business and find out exactly what happened.
"Audra..." Victoria started.
"Hmmmm?" Audra said in between sobs and sniffs.
"Audra, I heard bits and pieces of what happened at the church and Carmine Mangano's granddaughters. From what I heard, it was quite harrowing, but I need to hear what happened from your perspective. I need to know." Victoria rubbed her daughter's back.
"Oh, mother! It's all my fault! It's all...my fault!" Audra sniffed.
"Honey, what's all your fault?" Victoria asked.
"All of it!" Audra held onto her mother.
"Audra, you're not making a bit of sense. Now, what's all your fault?" Victoria asked once again.
"Mother, you know how I teach Sunday school at the church." Audra started.
"Yes." Victoria said.
"Well, Mr. Mangano's granddaughters Cara and Mariah are among the students and today seemed to be going as any other Sunday would. I taught Bible verses, we held a prayer, just the usual routine." Audra added.
"Go on." Victoria replied.
"Father Margolis came and decided to stay around and watch. Then, there was...there was a knock and I went to see who was there only for Father Margolis to go instead. He didn't come back and didn't come back which started to worry me after awhile." Audra continued.
"I take it that you went to check to see what was happening, right?" Victoria asked.
"Well, I had planned to after I ended class in which I did. I ended class early, told the children to go out to the playground, and just as they were getting lined up, I heard a gunshot and that's when...that's when-" Audra trailed off by sobbing some more.
"That's when what?" Victoria had a concerned look on her face.
"That's when...I knew something was wrong and went to see what was wrong. That's when...I saw...Father Margolis laying on the floor...unconscious and...b-bloody. The church was partially ransacked and that's when I was confronted by...a masked man. However, there wasn't just one masked man. There were many as it turned out." Audra sniffed, "I don't know why they were there or who they were. All I know is that they were horrible men. The leader gave me quite the beating before he and the others..."
"Before he and the others did what? I see the bruises they inflicted upon you, but what else did they do and what do Carmine's granddaughters have to do with it?" Victoria asked before taking another look at Audra's wounds and cringing. It broke her heart and made her angry that somebody let alone a group of men would not only scare, but physically harm her little girl. She got a look of determination on her face, indicating that she wanted these masked cowards to pay and pay dearly.
"Before he and the others grabbed Cara and Mariah and took them to...heaven knows where!" Audra's sobbing started to get uncontrollable, "Just flat out kidnapped them and treated them like they were animals even telling them they would never see their family again! Why? Why take innocent children who didn't do anything to anybody? Why shoot a priest? Why destroy God's house? Just why?!"
"Who knows, Audra? Who knows why people do bad things? Then again, as your father and I have taught you and your brothers, besides the good ones, the world is also full of bad people unfortunately. The only one who knows why these things happen is God. God knows and sees all, even the stuff that we do not understand or accept." Victoria explained while fighting back tears of her own.
"Oh, mother! Mother, it should've been me! It shouldn't been me instead of Cara and Mariah!" Audra wept.
"Audra, don't say that. Don't...ever say that, honey." Victoria gently lifted Audra's head from her shoulder and cupped it in her hands before looking her eye-to-eye, "It shouldn't have been anybody. Neither you, Father Margolis, Cara & Marah, anybody."
"But mother, I feel so guilty! I mean, because of me, the church got destroyed, the baptismal father built was knocked over & probably destroyed by now, the cross you donated was hung upside down & probably damaged by now, Father Margolis was shot & is fighting for his life, and Cara & Mariah are in danger! It's all, because of me, mother! It's all my fault!" Audra had fresh tears stream down her face.
"Audra, it is not your fault. None of it." Victoria shook her head.
"But mother-" Audra was cut off.
"Audra, listen to me. You had no way of knowing that those masked cowards were going to invade the church, destroy it, shoot Father Margolis, kidnap Cara & Mariah, and beat you in the process. You had no idea that, that was going to happen nor could you prevent it. Some things are just beyond our control. They happen for reasons we do not understand or like, but nonetheless, they happen. That being said, the main thing is nobody was murdered. Granted, Father Margolis may be in the fight of his life, but I have a feeling that he'll be just fine. May have to recover for a good while, but he'll be alright. After all, he has God on his side, too." Victoria gently told her.
"Well, you are right in that aspect, because the main thing is that nobody was dead at the scene, but in regards to Father Margolis, how can you be so sure, mother?" Audra brushed a piece of her hair out of her face.
"Two things. One, it has been said that he has the heart of a Bull & a strong will to back that up and two, I just have that optimistic feeling. Am I scared? Oh, absolutely, but I also have that positive feeling that he'll recover just fine." Victoria explained.
Audra, knowing her mother was right and becoming somewhat reassured, half smiled and nodded in response.
"There's that pretty smile." Victoria said before gently patting Audra on the back, "Would you like for me to bring you some tea?"
"I would love some tea, mother." Audra nodded.
"You got it, sweetheart. Oh and before I forget, you do have a special visitor here, but I told said visitor that you may need some space and time." Victoria gently broke away from the hug and stood up.
"Who's here?" Audra asked.
"Carl Wheeler. He's also here to see Nick as well." Victoria said as she walked over to the door.
"Carl? I haven't heard from him in two months since I have been writing to him which has also been for two months. Is he alright?" Audra's eyes lit up at hearing Carl's name.
"Oh, he's fine and you know what? He said the same thing. He received no reply and-" Victoria was cut off.
"Mother, could you send him up here?" Audra asked.
"I could, but don't you think-" Victoria was cut off, again.
"Please." Audra said.
"Honey, under any other circumstances, I'd say yes, but since you went through a harrowing ordeal today, I think you need to rest and regroup before you have any visitors." Victoria sound firm.
"You're right, mother. It's probably just as well that I rest up and pull myself together. However, I just don't want to miss Carl." Audra conceded.
"You won't, honey. He'll be in Stockton for a while, so, you have time to pull yourself together and see him." Victoria replied before opening the door.
"Alright." Audra nodded.
"You just sit tight and I'll go get you that tea." Victoria started to leave the room only to bump into someone, "Oomph!"
"Hi, mother." Eugene smiled.
"Eugene, what have I told you about eavesdropping?" Victoria folded her arms and gave him the "mom" look.
"It's mean, but I wasn't eavesdropping." Eugene replied.
"Oh, no?" Victoria asked.
"No." Eugene shook his head before taking a deep breath, "Mother, you remember Nadine Clearwater?"
"Now, how can I forget a dear friend to our family? Of course, I do. Such a sweet young lady and her parents, Claudine and Randolph were such lovely people. What makes you bring her up?" Victoria smiled as she fondly remembered Nadine and her parents.
"Well, one of those masked men terrorized her along with Allegra and Mrs. Mangano, kidnapped her siblings Brent, Wren, Kai, & Cleo, and now, she's here along with Mrs. M. and Paulie and...and...she looks...she uh..." Eugene struggled to say the last part.
"Signora Barkley, Nadine is here along with my zio Paulie and mama & she looks very big. Especially, with her belly sticking out like it is." Allegra added.
"Oh my heavens. Looks like-" Victoria was cut off for the third time.
"Oh, don't say it, mother! I think I might faint or get sick if I hear that word!" Eugene cringed.
"Eugene, you, Silas, and Allegra get the first guest room ready for Nadine. Carl, Paulie, and I will get Nadine to the first guest room then get Andrea to the second one." Victoria instructed.
"Silas is putting zio Paulie's horse away and putting a new shoe on him & signor Carl, zio Paulie, and my mama are in the process of helping Nadine up the stairs, taking a few breaks here and there due to the pain she is in." Allegra told her.
"Alright, well in that case, Eugene, Allegra, help me get the guest room ready." Victoria said before starting to leave the room only to be stopped when a hand was placed on her shoulder.
"I'll help too, mother." Audra chimed in.
"Audra, you've been-" Victoria was cut off for the fourth time.
"I know I've been through something harrowing, but like you and father always taught us, we can't always think of ourselves and I want to be of some use." Audra insisted.
"Alright, if you're sure." Victoria replied.
"I'm positive." Audra nodded.
With that, Victoria and company left Audra's room and headed to the first guest room. Once inside, they immediately went to work in order to have it ready for Nadine.
It was while Audra, Allegra, and Victoria were getting the bed ready that Heath came limping into the room. This caught the Barkley matriarch's attention almost immediately.
"Heath, you're supposed to be resting." Victoria started to lead him out of the room.
"I know, mother, but I overheard everything in regards to Nadine being expectant and needing the guest room. I want to be of use as well." Heath told her.
"That makes two of you." Victoria looked at Audra then back at Heath with pride in her eyes, "Well, Heath, you can go get some towels and a bucket of water along with Eugene while Audra, Allegra, and I finish up here."
"On it. Come on, Gene." Heath nodded before leaving the room, Eugene gladly following.
*Out in the hallway*
"Heath, how do you know Nadine?" Eugene asked as he and Heath approached a cabinet.
"You weren't here for this, but after the iron box incident, Nick and I were on the mend. Mainly I was, because out of the two of us, I got the worst of it. Anyways, long story short, mother and Audra were helping her father Randolph who was on the mend after being shot. I guess Randolph didn't want his wife to see him wounded which is why he was here. Eventually, Nadine caught wind of it and stayed here after Randolph made her promise not to fink on him to her mother. Randolph was almost fully recovered when Nick and I came back home from that godforsaken prison. Upon seeing the shape we were in, even though she was ready to go on her way, Nadine changed her mind and decided to stay by until we were fully recovered. Randolph did as well. After we explained how I came here, Nadine and Randolph were not only understanding and accepting, but the three of us became fast friends and talked as if we were catching up on old times." Heath opened the cabinet and grabbed some towels.
"You and Nick had an iron box experience? What's that?" Eugene raised an eyebrow.
"We'll explain that later. It's a very long story." Heath handed him the towels and closed the cabinet, "As of now, you get those to mother, Allegra, and Audra while I go get the bucket of water."
"Righty-O." Eugene nodded before heading back to the guest room with the towels while Heath headed downstairs.
*Downstairs*
As he was on his way downstairs, Heath stopped in his tracks when he saw Nadine holding onto the stair rail and resting her head on it, Paulie, Andrea, and Carl by her side. By the looks of it, the young lady was clearly having a bad pain and waiting for it to pass.
"It's alright, young lady. Take some deep breaths now." Andrea said as she rubbed Nadine's shoulder.
Nadine cried out in pain and hissed, as she rubbed her belly bump.
"Pardon me." Heath said as he squeezed by Nadine and Carl.
"Oh. Hiya, Heath." Carl greeted.
"Howdy, Carl. Long time, no see. However, I hate to cut this short, but I need to get a bucket and some water." Heath told him.
"You-Hey, what happened to your head and your leg?" Carl's eyes got big when he saw Heath's head and leg bandaged up.
"I'll explain later. Right now, I need to get the bucket of water and just to let you know, the guest room will be ready for Nadine whenever the pain passes." Heath said before going off to get the bucket of water.
"Alrighty." Carl nodded.
Nadine started to get relaxed after a few minutes and began taking calmer breaths, indicating that the pain had eased up.
"You feel okay now, young lady?" Paulie asked.
"Y-Yes, mister." Nadine nodded before lifting her head from the stair rail, "Was that Heath I just heard?"
"Yes, ma'am. He's getting a bucket of water and said the guest room will be ready for you." Carl told her.
"And I didn't say hi to him? How rude of me!" Nadine started to feel bad.
"Don't worry. You have plenty of time to say hi to him once we get you up those stairs." Carl tried to reassure her.
"I suppose so." Nadine shrugged.
"Do you feel ready to keep going?" Andrea asked.
Nadine took a deep breath and nodded before continuing her way up the stairs, Paulie and company helping her.
*Back at the Mangano residence*
Carmine returned with two aprons and the alcohol. He handed one apron to Nick and put the other one on before opening the bottle of the alcohol.
"Nick, do you think-" Carmine was cut off.
"Being the son of a rancher and having delivered a few fillies and colts over the years plus cow calves and piglets & if my instincts are correct, I believe Chiara is going to have her foal and now." Nick nodded.
"I hope it is an easy birth for her and that this foal makes it." Carmine sighed as he poured the alcohol on Nick's hands before putting some on his own hands.
"I take it she's had a tough time before." Nick replied.
"Oh yes. Last year, she had a breech. Paulie, Santo, and I tried to save her and her baby. Baby finally came, but sadly, he had already passed on before he came into the world. Prior to that, we lost other horses and a donkey to difficult births. Too much stress on them. Poor things." Carmine put the cork back onto the bottle and placed it into his pocket before heading outside, Nick following.
*Outside in the stable*
Stefania was sitting with Chiara who was snorting and breathing heavily. She was doing everything she could to help keep the horse/mother-to-be calm, even softly singing to her. Just as Nick and Carmine came in, they stopped when they saw this and smiled, clearly showing how proud they were of and amazed by Stefania.
"I always knew she had a way with animals." Carmine whispered to Nick.
"She has a beautiful singing voice." Nick's smile grew brighter.
"Oh! Papa, Nick, I uh I didn't see or hear you come in." Stefania got startled when she saw Nick and her father.
"You never told me you could sing. You have a beautiful voice." Nick walked over to Stefania and Chiara.
"My papa told you I sing?! Oh, how embarrassing!" Stefania got a look of embarrassment on her face.
"Embarrassing? It's beautiful as is everything about you, Stefania." Nick replied.
"You really think so?" Stefania asked.
"Yes." Nick nodded before turning his attention to Chiara, "Hello, Chiara."
Chiara snorted and whinnied at Nick.
"Whoa, girl. Easy now. Easy. I'm your friend. I won't hurt you." Nick's voice took on a gentle tone as he petted Chiara.
"It's alright, Chiara. He's gonna help you." Carmine walked up to the horse.
Chiara rested her head on Carmine's chest.
"Good girl, Chiara. Good girl." Carmine petted her head.
"Alright, I'm going in now. Stefania, could you come over here and hold Chiara's tail?" Nick took a deep breath.
"Yes, Nick." Stefania came over to where Nick was standing, "Papa, can you handle her up there?"
"I already am. Are you two okay back there?" Carmine called out.
"We're good." Stefania held Chiara's tail.
"Okay, officially going in now." Nick started to reach into Chiara in order to feel the foal.
"Nick, how do you know Chiara is going to have her foal now?" Stefania asked.
"Well, being the son of a rancher and having delivered cow calves, fillies, piglets, and colts over the years plus just following my instincts, I figured that at any given moment she could go into the stages of labor. I believe my instincts are correct, because she is having the tell tale signs of labor pains and by judging Nadine's condition when she was here, the same could apply to her." Nick explained.
(Now)
Chiara neighed and moved her head up and down before briefly moving back and forth.
"Easy, Chiara, easy. Easy, honey." Carmine petted her head and gently shushed her.
Ignazio could be heard braying from a distance.
"Ignazio, mind your own business." Carmine called out before shaking his head and chuckling a little, "Silly mule that."
"That reminds me of Jarrod's horse Jingo. Every time the other horses or animals are getting some sort of attention, she whinnies or snorts as if to butt into the situation at hand. Then again, she takes after Jarrod, so go figure." Nick lightly chuckled as he continued reaching into Chiara.
Chiara snorted and moved her head, again.
"Oh! I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to hurt pinch you if I did. Honest." Nick said to Chiara, feeling bad that he may have pinched her by accident.
"Oh, you didn't hurt her, Nick. She tends to that whenever we brush her mane, put new shoes on her, wash her down, the likes. She was more squirrely when she was a little filly." Stefania told him.
"I guess old habits die hard, huh?" Nick smirked.
"They sure do. She's still squirrely now." Stefania nodded, "By any chance, do you have her foal, yet?"
"Not yet, but I know I'm getting close. Just a few more feet in." Nick kept on reaching inside Chiara.
"Nick, may I say something?" Carmine asked.
"Shoot." Nick said.
"I'm very impressed. You're braver than Santo or my sons. Santo was a good kid like I told your brother Jarrod, but right about now, he would've passed out. When Chiara had her breach last year, Santo fainted after awhile. I'm glad to see that besides Paulie and I, you can also handle foaling." Carmine told him as he sported a look of pride on his face.
"Well, when were boys, my father taught my brother Jarrod and me how to deliver calves, fillies, colts, and piglets. Jarrod was not too crazy about each experience. Come to think of it, neither was I during the first go round, but after awhile, I adjusted. Jarrod not so much. He was into books, poetry, all of that stuff. Me? I was more into ranch work and helping my father around as much as I could. God rest his soul. We were very close. Anyways, when my baby brother Eugene comes along, father has his mind set on training him like he did Jarrod and me. Once he reached the age Jarrod and I were, our horse Avery was going into labor and father decided that while I held her head like how you're holding Chiara's, he would teach Gene how to do what I'm doing. Understandably, Eugene was nervous, because it was his first go round. Father did his best to guide him through it, but after awhile, Eugene got more freaked out than before and was going & I quote: "Ick! Ick! Ick! And in that order!" and "I'm sorry, Avery. I don't mean to look at you down there. They made me do it." unquote. Then, after her colt was delivered, Eugene asked and I quote: "Permission to pass out?" unquote to which father, who had a cigar in his mouth the entire time, said: "Yes." and my baby brother did just that. Once he came to, he told mother how harrowing it was and she got on father's case like there was no tomorrow. It was pretty funny, because she started her lecture with her usual question which I quote: "Thomas Barkley, what has gotten into you?" unquote to which father would always say: "Why am I always Thomas Barkley when you're about to lecture me?"." Nick explained before starting to laugh.
"Oh my word! Your mama sounds just like my wife Andrea! Always starting the lecture with my full name and asking what was the matter with me before getting her point across!" Carmine laughed.
"I bet Eugene never forgave your papa for that, right?" Stefania chuckled.
"Not for two months. I mean once he came to and before mother lectured father, Eugene turned to father and said: "What did I ever do to you? If I did anything wrong, I'm sorry." to which father chuckled and said: "No, Eugene. I'm sorry I put you through that. You weren't ready like Jarrod and Nick were when they were your age. That's all." and I was like: "Who said I was ready that time?". It got into a back and forth between the three of us. It was funny looking back on it now. However, to this day, Eugene cannot handle births. He likes babies and congratulates anyone who's or any animal that's expectant, but the birthing part is what he cannot handle. He kinda forgets that, that comes with the package of babies. Me? I can handle it." Nick told her.
"Thank goodness, because when you insisted, I was a bit iffy about it at first." Carmine replied.
"Carmine, no offense, but you've been iffy about me this entire time we've known each other." Nick pointed out.
"None taken. That being said, it's only in a papa's nature to be iffy about those who his son or daughter meets outside the family." Carmine told him.
"And I respect that very much. I ju-" Nick stopped mid sentence and got a smile on his face.
"What is it?" Stefania asked.
"I think I got Chiara's foal. I...I think." Nick's smile suddenly changed to a quizzical look.
"What's wrong, Nick?" Carmine asked.
"I dunno. I know I got her foal, but..." Nick's quizzical look was now looking as if it was turning into one of worry.
"But what?" Stefania asked, concern in her voice.
"Oh...Oh no!" Nick's eyes got big.
"What? What? What? What? What? Oh no, what? I don't like the sound of that!" Carmine sounded as if he was about to get hysterical.
"I think...I think...I think it is another breech!" Nick was worried.
*Meanwhile, at Barkley Ranch*
With the help of Paulie and company, Nadine was finally at the top of the stairs and making her way to the guest room before suddenly stopping midway and placing her hand on the wall.
"Are you having another pain, miss?" Carl asked.
"No. I'm having a vision of sorts." Nadine shook her head before closing her eyes.
"A vision?" Carl raised an eyebrow.
"She might be hallucinating due to her pains." Paulie suggested.
"No, no, I really am having a vision. Two visions to be exact. Visions that tell what's going to happen before it happens and the ability to sense things like someone being in some kind of trouble, how they're feeling, the likes." Nadine rubbed the sides of her head.
Paulie and Carl exchanged glances and shrugged.
"Two men are going to come to Barkley Ranch two minutes from now." Nadine kept rubbing the sides of her head.
"Not the masked men! Please, not them!" Andrea pleaded.
"No, no. They're two men I have encountered in the past. Good men to be exact." Nadine told her.
"That's good. I was afraid that those horrible masked men were going to invade here." Andrea breathed a sigh of relief.
"No, those masked men are miles away by now. However, I'm sensing trouble." Nadine opened her eyes and looked at nothing particular.
"Trouble?" Paulie asked.
"What kind of trouble, ma'am?" Carl asked.
"Bad trouble. Ba-Ooh! Ohhhhh!" Nadine rubbed her belly and took some deep breaths.
"Take your time, ma'am. Take your time." Carl rubbed her shoulder.
Nadine took a few more deep breaths before gathering enough strength to continue her way to the guest room, Paulie, Carl, and Andrea assisting her.
"Pardon me." Heath made his way up the stairs and squeezed by them, carrying a bucket of water.
"Hi, Heath." Nadine greeted.
"Howdy, Nadine." Heath greeted back as he headed straight to the guest room.
*Inside the guest room*
Victoria, Audra, Allegra, and Eugene were finishing up preparing the room when Heath came in with the bucket of water.
"Where do you want the bucket of water, mother?" Heath asked.
"Over here where I am will be fine." Victoria told him.
"Knock, knock." a voice called out.
"Carl?" Audra looked up from what she was doing, instantly recognizing the voice.
"Hello, Audra." Carl started to smile only to get a look of horror when he saw her bruised up face.
"Hello, M-Mrs. Barkley." Nadine continued rubbing her belly.
"Hello, Nadine. I see we're having a little one. Well, you came just in time. Bed is ready." Victoria smiled before stepping aside.
"Thank you very much." Nadine, aided by Carl, Paulie, and Andrea, made her way to and got on the bed.
"There you go, young lady." Paulie said.
"Now, you just get comfortable, dear and one of us will go get Dr. M-" Victoria was cut off.
"I don't think Dr. Merar will make it in time." Nadine shook her head.
"How about your husband?" Heath asked.
Nadine shook her head, again.
"Oh, husbands are usually late for this kind of thing, especially if it is the first born. Tom was late when Jarrod was entering the world." Victoria patted her shoulder after tucking her in.
"So was Carmine when I was getting ready to have Carmine Jr and Vincent when his wife Simonetta was having our twin granddaughters Cara and Mariah. I thought it was just them being goofballs, but apparently, some guys are just that way." Andrea added.
"No, you don't under-" Nadine gasped and hissed in pain.
"Deep breaths, Nadine. Deep breaths." Victoria gently told her.
Nadine took some deep breaths as best as she could only to whimper and somewhat thrash around due to the pain.
"Nadine, thrashing won't help you or the baby. You need to remain composed and calm as hard as it is to do just that." Allegra chimed in.
Nadine groaned and grabbed the sheets very hard.
"Nadine, where are Mr. and Mrs. Clearwater? We know Brent, Wren, Kai, and Cleo were kidnapped, but what about your mother and father?" Audra asked.
"K-Kidnapped a-as w-well." Nadine managed to say.
"Oh my goodness." Victoria exchanged glances with everyone else before shaking her head.
"And...And...And...I'm sensing two things and seeing three visions." Nadine replied as the pains were seeming to dissipate after a few minutes.
"What kind of things and visions, Nadine?" Victoria asked.
"Two men are going to come here at any moment. They're men you're very familiar with, Mrs. Barkley." Nadine started.
"They are?" Victoria asked.
"Mother, I've been wondering something." Eugene chimed in.
"Yes?" Victoria said.
"You know how we have Chet and those other ranch hands? Well, where are Brahma and Ciego?" Eugene was curious.
"They were away. Brahma was quarantined somewhere due to a bad illness and Ciego was somewhere visiting family members." Victoria explained.
"Those two men from my first vision are here now and...and...and...now, in the second vision, I see that three women are following suit. They will be here soon." Nadine said.
Before anybody could say a thing, knocking could be heard from downstairs.
"I'll go get it." Heath said before going downstairs.
"Nadine, who are these men and women?" Victoria asked.
"You will find out soon enough, Mrs. Barkley. However, besides that, I'm sensing and having the third vision of someone being in trouble." Nadine replied.
"Who is it, Nadine?" Audra asked.
"Is it Nick?" Carl asked.
"No, it isn't Nick. It's...It's...I-Ouch!" Nadine yelped as she was hit with another pain.
*Downstairs*
Heath made his way down the stairs and to the front door. The minute he opened the door, there were two men standing there. Two men who looked very distressed about something. Well, one of them distressed and the other, a bit peeved.
"Ciego, Brahma, what's the matter? You two were supposed to be away." Heath sensed that something was a bit off.
"We...We were on our way back when it all...happened." Ciego took a few deep breaths.
"When what all happened? You were visiting family and Brahma here was quarantined somewhere due to being very sick." Heath was thrown off.
"Like Ciego said, we were on our way back. I have since recovered and he had a bit of a falling out with a relative, so we decided to return together when we were confronted by men." Brahma chimed in.
"Men? Brahma, you-" Heath was cut off.
"They were men wearing masks, Heath and mind you, they were vicious. Mean and vicious. Nothing like the usual troublemakers we get as ranch hands occasionally or prowlers we see at times. These guys were something else." Brahma added.
"I don't mean to sound rude, but couldn't you and Ciego-" Heath was cut off, again.
"Fight them off? Yes, if there were only two of them. There were four maybe five of them and they outnumbered us before knocking us out and capturing us." Brahma continued.
"You two were captured?" Heath's eyes got big for a moment.
"We sure were, Heath. We were captured and taken prisoner for a brief few minutes." Ciego nodded.
"By any chance, did either of you encounter other prisoners?" Heath asked.
"Oh, yes. Three adorable little girls named Mavis, Cara, and Mariah, two young ladies named Italia and Francesca, Claudine & Randolph Clearwater, the Clearwater siblings minus Nadine, a gypsy woman, a boy named Caleb, a men named Jess, Massimo, Vito, and Arturo, and more young children. Those are just ones we encountered. Lord only knows if there are more prisoners." Brahma replied.
"The Mangano granddaughters & daughters, the Chaneys, friends of the Manganos, and the Clearwaters among others!" Heath got a worried look on his face.
"Mangano? Chaney?" Ciego asked.
"Yeah. Stefania Mangano is Nick's girlfriend as of now and Cara, Mariah, Francesca, and Italia are her relatives. Massimo, Vito, and Arturo are friends to Stefania's family. Jess Chaney is a friend of ours and Mavis is his daughter." Heath explained before shaking his head, "Boy howdy, who would kidnap them and what for? Why did those masked guys kidnap you two?"
"Like those people, we were going to be put to hard labor." Ciego told him.
"Under the threat of being tortured and killed like others before us if any of us displeased the boss." Brahma added.
"Poor little children and women were getting the worst treatment." Ciego took his hat off and held it over his chest.
"What kind of treatment?" Heath asked.
"Just awful." Brahma shook his head.
"How did you guys manage to get away?" Heath raised an eyebrow.
"Randolph, Massimo, Francesca, and the gypsy woman stood guard while Brent worked on something that could pick locks very easily. As soon as he got through with it and gave it to me, I picked at the lock while Ciego and the others made like they were working while in actuality, they were covering for me. It fooled those masked heathens for a while. In fact, long enough for Ciego and I to make our escape and as instructed by Randolph, to get help immediately." Brahma told him.
"We felt and still feel bad for leaving everyone else behind, because well, you don't leave others behind. It isn't right, but when the opportunity presents itself, I guess you seize it." Ciego added.
"Which we did, but it didn't take long for those masked b*ards to discover that were missing and go out looking for us. Pardon the expression." Brahma sighed, "It didn't take long for them to find us either. However, before they found us, we bumped into Jarrod."
"You did? How come he didn't return with you two?" Heath asked.
*Back upstairs*
Nadine moved around and moaned as more pains were coming and going. Victoria and company were doing everything they could to keep her comfortable, but to no avail. When they would come, each pain got worse than the last.
After a few minutes, the pains started to dissipate and Nadine started to relax little by little. With the relaxing, came the third vision.
"I'm...I'm...I'm having the...the...third...vision where I see and sense that someone is in trouble." Nadine said.
"You said that, Nadine. Now, honey, who is it? Who do you sense is in trouble?" Victoria asked while running a wet cloth over Nadine's forehead.
"It's...It's...It's...It's-Ooh!" Nadine felt another pain and twitched.
"Nadine, who is it?" Audra asked.
"If it isn't Nick, then who?" Carl asked.
"One of the...One of the...One of the..." Nadine moaned.
"One of the what?" Eugene asked.
"One of the Barkleys is missing." Nadine started.
"Don't you mean two?" Victoria asked.
"No. Just one. Two Barkleys are not here. One is helping with something, but the other one is missing. Take a guess on those two." Nadine replied.
"Nick and..." Victoria started.
"Jarrod." Audra finished.
Nadine started to say something, but was cut off when the Mourning Dove came flying in and landed next to her right shoulder.
"The Mourning Dove. What's it-" Carl was cut off.
"Dakota! They didn't hurt you after all. Thank...God." Nadine took a few deep breaths and smiled when she saw the Mourning Dove.
"Dakota?" Victoria got a quizzical look on her face, "What happened to your Falcon uh...Ferdinand?"
"He was...shot by a hunter." Nadine hissed in pain.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, honey. Ferdinand was very loyal and one of the sweetest Falcons." Victoria rubbed her shoulder.
"He sure was and Dakota is just as sweet." Nadine gently petted Dakota, "I rescued Dakota from drowning and he's been one of my best friends ever since. When those masked men made their appearance, they scared our animals. Even...did away with some if you get my hint."
Victoria and company gasped before shaking their heads in disgust.
"I just hope that if Dakota is alive, he is too." Nadine sighed.
"Who's he?" Paulie asked.
To Be Continued...
Eugene: Who's he, Nadine?
Carl: Which Barkley is helping out and which Barkley is in trouble?
Heath: Brahma, Ciego, why isn't Jarrod with you?
Carmine: Nick, what's wrong? You didn't say what I think you did!
Nick: Wait until the next chapter.
Stefania: R&R, everybody. R&R.
March 11, 1895-Happy Heavenly Birthday, Shemp Howard!