Forbidden love for a Barkley
Part Forty Seven:
"Ave Maria, pt. 1"
The three women from Nadine's vision turned out to be Daphne, Julissa, and Violet. As Violet looked around for Jarrod, Heath met & quickly got somewhat aqcuainted with Julissa and Daphne. When asked if she wanted to know how he got to Barkley Ranch & into the Barkley family, Daphne explained that Violet had already told her and by the looks of it, was very accepting while Julissa looked like she just might be smitten with the blonde Barkley son. Violet would voice that Jarrod meant a lot to her to which Heath echoed her sentiments only to hint that to some, meaning her, the eldest Barkley brother would mean more than to others only for the secretary to quickly clarify that Jarrod means a lot to her like how a boss does to an employee, albeit reluctantly. Upstairs, Nadine would have another vision that would depict a kidnapping. The victim in her vision would turn out to be Daphne's cousin Dieter. Alarmed, Eugene would race off to get to Dieter before the masked men would take him prisoner, Daphne accompanying him after pleading her case and reasoning to go. Ciego and Brahma would start to go into detail of how they got away from the masked men only to be captured again, but not before bumping into Jarrod. They would explain that they told Jarrod what all had happened and how Randolph Clearwater instructed them to go get help to which they were in the process of doing, but felt bad that they left the other prisoners behind. Jarrod told them not to feel guilty, because if they got help just in the right amount of time, the other hostages would be safe which led Brahma and Ciego to ask how could he be so sure and what was he going to do in the meantime to which the former said that he was following his gut instinct and he was going to use himself as bait. As of now, in a very dark place, people were busy working only to stop when two of the masked men came back and dropped a new prisoner off. The questions that remain are as follows: Who is this prisoner?, What happened to Dieter?, Where's Jarrod?, Will Nadine and Chiara have their babies?, Will Nadine's baby and Chiara's foal arrive happy and healthy?, Is this going to be Chiara's second breech?, Will the other prisoners be released safe and sound?, Who are the masked men?, What happened to Esther?, Will Eugene and Daphne arrive and save Dieter or is it too late?, Will there be sparks flying between Heath and Julissa?, and Is there more to Jarrod and Violet's relationship? 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, Dakota the Mourning Dove, the Python that is attacking Carl, Nadine Clearwater, the Clearwater family, Dieter Gubenheimer, 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] 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. Before I forget, as you can see, this is the first part of another multi-parter chapter saga & I modeled the title of this chapter after the song of the same name. The song belongs to its rightful owner. That being said and without further ado, happy reading! :D
Warning/Trigger Warning: There may be possible arson and more hints at extrasensory perception (ESP)/psychic visions & disappearance of two characters + possible murder of two more characters in this chapter. If any of it makes you uncomfortable or bothers you, please feel free to skip this chapter.
(Flashback to part 46)
"Is something wrong, ma'am?" Heath asked, clearly caught off guard.
"Nyet (No)." the woman quickly shook her head before quickly making her way to Violet and the other woman while trying to hide the fact that she was starting to blush a little.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Heath." Violet started walking around everywhere and looking.
"It's quite alright, Violet. However, if I may ask, what are you looking for? Did Jarrod borrow something?" Heath walked over to Violet only for the latter to move to another part of the main foyer really fast.
"Those other two ladies are Daphne Gubenheimer and Julissa Kurilenko." Violet answered Heath's previous question while frantically looking around.
"How do you do, Daphne. Eugene has talked a lot about you and I was hoping to meet you one day. Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Heath shook Daphne's hand.
"Likevise (Likewise), Heath. You're zhe (the) only Barkley I hadn't met before now." Daphne shook Heath's hand.
"I'm sure you'd like to know how I got here." Heath replied.
"I already know. Miz (Miss) Pascucci explained it and it's an honor to meet another Barkley, especially another big brother of Eugene's." Daphne smiled.
"You think so? You're not going to react with anger or judgment?" Heath asked.
"Of course not. Zhat (That) vould (would) be foolish and plus, I have endured judgment, bigotry, zhe (the) likes, so vhy (why) would I do it? It vouldn't (wouldn't) make any sense." Daphne told him, "Plus, like I said, it is an honor to finally meet you."
"Well, thank you. Thank you, ma'am." Heath smiled.
"No formalities, Heath. Just call me Daphne. Please." Daphne replied.
"Thank you, Daphne. Much obliged." Heath nodded to her before shaking Julissa's hand, "Nice to meet you, Julissa."
Julissa didn't say a word and smiled while continuing to blush as she shook Heath's hand.
"Ma'am, are you okay?" Heath got a look of concern on his face.
Julissa still didn't say a word and just kept smiling.
"Julissa?" Heath said.
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. It's...ummm...nice to meet you...too." Julissa snapped out of her thoughts and nodded before gently letting Heath's hand go.
"What brings you ladies here?" Heath asked.
"Where's Jarrod?" Violet kept frantically looking around.
"That's what I'd like to know. Brahma, Ciego, how come Jarrod didn't come back with you?" Heath turned to Ciego and Brahma.
"Well, you see-" Brahma was cut off.
"Is Jarrod alright? Please, I must know, mister." Violet walked over to Brahma and grabbed his sleeve.
"I was getting to that, young lady." Brahma politely told her.
"I'm sorry. It's just that...he means so much to me." Violet replied.
"He means a lot to all of us, Violet. Maybe to some of us more than others." Heath told her.
"More than others? Oh no. I mean he means a lot to me like how...like how...ummmm...like how a boss means a lot to their employee. Yeah...yeah, that's it." Violet clarified before sporting a sad look.
"I hear you, Violet. Anyways, Ciego, Brahma, you two were starting to tell about Jarrod." Heath turned to Ciego and Brahma.
"Oh yes. Well, you see, we had escaped those masked men and were on our way to get help since Randolph instructed us to do just that." Brahma started.
"The masked men eventually caught up to us, but before they did, we ran into Jarrod." Ciego added.
"Jarrod saw that we were in dire straits and asked what had happened. We told him everything and-" Brahma was cut off when Nadine could be heard yelling "No" from upstairs.
*Up in the guest room*
"No! No! No! No! No! No! No!" Nadine yelled as a vision was playing out.
"Nadine, what's the trouble? What is it?" Victoria asked.
"No! No, don't! Somebody...Somebody, please...please help him!" Nadine begged.
"Nadine, what do you see in your vision?" Audra was concerned.
"Somebody, help him! Please, help him!" Nadine begged, again.
"Nadine, help who? Who needs help?" Carl asked.
"A man who runs a bakery. The masked men...The masked men are there!" Nadine said.
"Oh no!" Andrea gasped.
Nadine rubbed the sides of her head in order to get a clearer vision of what was taking place.
*Inside Nadine's vision*
The masked men were inside a bakery, ransacking it. Knocking over shelves of little knick knacks, tossing the stools & chairs everywhere, and just showing absolute disrespect to this place.
"Come on out, owner!" shouted one masked man.
"Come on out! You can't hide!" shouted another.
"We'll find you! Come hell or high water!" yelled the third one.
"Even if we have to smoke you out of this place." said the fourth one.
The fifth masked man was seen holding a few pastries and rolls. He took a bite out of the pastry and made a "yummy" sound.
"Why must you always eat during our operations?!" the leader walked over to the fifth masked man, slapped the rolls and pastries out of the guy's hands, and stomped on them.
"Hey! Those were actually good!" the fifth one protested.
"Come on, owner! We're not getting any younger!" the third one kicked a few baskets.
A faint sneeze was heard from underneath the floor. The second masked man looked around and laughed when he discovered a handle on one of the floor panels.
"What are you laughing at?!" snapped the third one.
"I found a trap door thing. I bet the owner is hiding under it like a rat!" the second one guffawed.
"Well, why don't you go under there and check?!" the leader ordered.
The second masked man did just that and came back pulling a man by his arm very aggressively.
"Hey! Vhat (What) iz (is) zhe (the) meaning of zhis (this)?! I demand an explanation!" the man protested.
"Shut up!" the second man punched him in the mouth.
"Ouch! Ohhh, my shtore (store)! You can't do zhis (this)!" the man wiped blood away from his lip.
"Says who? Says you?!" the third man smirked.
"Zhis (This) iz (is) my shtore (store)! I vorked (worked) hard and put every last penny into zhis (this) shtore (store)! You have no right to do vhat (what) you are doing!" the man growled.
"What shall we do with him?!" the fourth one asked.
"Put a sack over his head and let's take him!" the leader instructed.
"You got it." the third one grabbed a sack and placed it over the man's head.
"Hey! Let me go! Let go! You can't do zhis (this)!" the man struggled.
*Outside of Nadine's vision*
"Somebody, please go save that poor man! He's being kidnapped as we talked! He's being taken against his will and his store is destroyed!" Nadine said.
"Who is the man, Nadine?" Carl asked.
"I do not know his name. All I know is that he has a very thick European accent." Nadine replied.
"That's Daphne's cousin Dieter!" Eugene gasped before running to the door.
"Where are you going?" Paulie asked.
"To go save Dieter before it is too late." Eugene said before leaving the room and running down the stairs.
*Downstairs*
Eugene came racing down the stairs and headed straight for the main foyer only to trip and fall down.
"Eugene, where's the fire?" Heath helped his baby brother up.
"I haven't time to explain, Heath. I need to get to Dieter!" Eugene ran over to the door.
"Eugene, vhat (what) has happened to Dieter?" Daphne walked over to him.
"Hello, Daphne. It's a long story, but he needs to be saved before it is too late." Eugene told her.
"Let me go vith (with) you, Eugene." Daphne told him.
"Daphne, it's too dangerous. I can't!" Eugene opened the front door.
"Eugene, he iz (is) my cousin. I'm going vith (with) you." Daphne grabbed his sleeve as tears started to pour down her face, indicating she was worried, "Please!"
"Alright, but do not do anything too dangerous, Daph." Eugene relented before leaving with Daphne.
Ciego did the sign of the cross and said a silent prayer.
"I hope they find him. I have a bad feeling that the masked men may have gotten to him." Brahma sighed.
"I hope the masked men are nowhere near him. Haven't those masked men done enough?" Heath shook his head before scratching the back of his head, "Speaking of which, you two bumped into Jarrod and what else happened?"
"We told Jarrod everything including how we felt bad for leaving everyone else behind and promising Randolph that we would go and get help. Jarrod told us not to feel guilty, because if we got help just in time, the hostages will be safe." Brahma started, again.
"We asked Jarrod how he could be so sure and what was he going to do." Ciego continued.
"He said that he was simply following his gut instinct, because it was usually right." Brahma added.
"Typical Jarrod. Only he would say something like that." Heath nodded.
"So, he followed his gut instinct as per usual. Okay, but the question that remains is regarding his whereabouts. Where is he as of now?" Violet folded her arms.
"We were getting to that. So, Jarrod told us that his gut instinct was always right and if we got a head start on going to get help, the hostages would be safe. I asked him what he was going to do in the meantime and he said he was going to use himself as bait." Ciego added.
*Meanwhile, someplace else*
People were working in a dark place when a door opened and footsteps were heard approaching. This got the people's attention almost immediately.
In came two masked men with a third man whose hands were tied behind his back and a brown sack covering his head.
"On my count..." the fifth masked man started.
The fourth one just tossed the man onto the ground.
(Now)
"Oomph!" the man grunted as he hit the hard floor.
The people crowded around the man in the shape of a circle and faint murmurs could be heard.
When the fifth masked man unmasked the new prisoner, the other prisoners gasped.
"Stand him up!" ordered the fourth masked man.
The fifth masked man did just that and untied the man's hands.
"Now, you're no different from these others. You're filth just like they are! Swine!" the fourth masked man growled.
"Get acquainted then get to work!" the fifth masked man ordered before leaving, the fourth masked man following him.
Once a door was heard shutting, the man turned around to face his fellow prisoners.
*Back at Barkley Ranch*
"He did what?" Heath raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, sir. He said he was going to use himself as bait for those masked men, so that way we could go get help." Brahma said.
"Before we could do that, the masked men caught up to us, re-captured us, and due to being mad as all hell for escaping, they were ready to execute us." Ciego continued.
"Execute? Did I hear that right?" Heath was horrified.
"You sure did, Heath. They were bound and determined to execute us for disobeying and checking out early. Since I am the older of the two, one of them put me on a horse, tied a noose to a tree branch, put it around my neck, and were ready to leave me hanging like an ornament on a Christmas tree when Jarrod came along." Brahma replied.
"Jarrod came along and told them to stop what they were doing. Surprisingly, they did and asked him why to which he told them that he would give himself in exchange for our lives." Ciego said.
"They didn't accept at first, but after Jarrod stripped off his shirt, hat, jacket, and gun belt, they changed their minds." Brahma shook his head, "God only knows what he is enduring right now."
Violet whimpered and put her hand over her mouth.
"I fear they may have that blonde girl's cousin, too." Ciego held his hat over his chest, again.
"It was a damn fool thing Jarrod did!" Brahma remarked.
"It may have been, but if it wasn't for him doing that, you would be swinging at the end of a rope right now, Brahma." Heath pointed out.
"That's right. You best be thankful that Jarrod risked his life for you." Violet added in a stern way.
"Oh, I am. I am, but-" Brahma was cut off.
"But what?" Violet asked.
"I'm worried about what they may do to the others and him. Lord only knows what all those masked men are capable of doing. We only saw some of it." Brahma sighed.
"Oh my God! We gotta do something!" Violet raced to the door, "We gotta...We gotta...We gotta get help!"
"That's just what we were about to do. Let's go! Come on, Brahma!" Ciego went to leave only to be stopped when a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Are you crazy, Ciego? You and Brahma stay here. I'll go with Violet." Heath told him.
"But Heath, you're injured! You won't get far." Brahma replied.
"I know I'm injured, but if you two were to encounter the masked men again, they won't spare you like they did when Jarrod offered himself and I won't let Violet go by her lonesome. You said so yourself, they're cruel to women. Someone has to go with her." Heath insisted before limping his way to the door.
"Let me go with." Julissa insisted.
"No, Julissa. It'd be best if you stay here." Heath told her.
"Why?" Julissa asked.
"Those masked men are said to be very dangerous and it's best that you stay back. I don't want any more of us putting ourselves in harm's way than some of us already have." Heath said.
"But..." Julissa said.
"But what?" Heath asked.
"What about Valery?" Julissa asked, eyes glazing over.
"Valery? Who's Valery?" Heath asked.
Julissa sat in a nearby chair and started crying her eyes out.
*Meanwhile, with Eugene and Daphne*
A good five minutes passed when Eugene and Daphne arrived in town and went straight to Dieter's bakery. Eugene got out of the buggy and ran right up to the door.
"Dieter! Dieter!" Eugene knocked on the door.
Daphne got out of the buggy, came over to the door, and said a few things in German.
"Dieter! Dieter, it is me. Eugene Barkley and your cousin Daphne. Dieter, are you alright?" Eugene called out.
"Dieter, bitte öffnen Sie. Bitte! (Dieter, please open up. Please!)" Daphne knocked on the window.
"Diet-" Eugene paused and started sniffing the air, "Daph, do you smell that?"
"Smell vhat?" Daphne asked.
"Burning. Somethi-Daph, the bakery's burning! Get some water while I go in and get Dieter!" Eugene instructed before kicking the door open and running inside.
*Inside Dieter's bakery*
Smoke was billowing out of the place, more flames were everywhere, and almost everything was nearly charred. Eugene was whisking the smoke away in order to try and find his way around the place.
"Dieter! Dieter!" Eugene called out before going into a coughing fit.
No answer except for roaring flames.
"Dieter! Dieter! Dieter Gubenheimer!" Eugene called out before grabbing a broom and starting to beat on part of the flames.
"Dieter! Dieter! Dieter, wo bist du? Dieter, antworte uns! (Dieter! Dieter! Dieter, where are you? Dieter, answer us!)" Daphne came in with a bucket of water and threw it on part of the flames, extinguishing that part.
"Dieter, knock or call out or something, so Daphne and I could find you." Eugene yelled out.
No answer.
"Dieter! Dieter! Dieter, bitte sag uns, wo du bist! (Dieter! Dieter! Dieter, please tell us where you are!)" Daphne called out.
*All the while, at the Mangano household*
"Nick, what was that you just said?" Carmine asked.
"Carmine, Stefania, I think Chiara might be having another breech." Nick still had a look of worry in his eyes.
Chiara whinnied and snorted.
"Oh no." Stefania sighed and shook her head.
"Our poor Chiara." Carmine petted Chiara's head.
"I know. I was hoping it wasn't going to be a breech, but luckily, I have the foal and am going to deliver it." Nick nodded.
Chiara whinnied, again.
"Easy, Chiara, easy. Easy, baby." Carmine continued to pet her head.
"It's okay, girl. Your foal will be here soon." Nick said to Chiara as he started the process of delivering.
Chiara snorted, pawed the ground with her hoof, and moved her head.
"It's okay, baby. It's okay. Relax." Stefania said to Chiara.
A howl was heard from nearby. This caused Chiara to go from somewhat calm to anxious and start bucking.
"Easy, Chiara, easy. Easy, girl." Nick told her.
"Chiara, take it easy. Take it easy or you'll slip your foal." Carmine kept petting her head and started to gently shush her.
The howl was heard, again and Chiara started moving around a little frantically.
"Chiara, Chiara, settle down. Settle it down, please." Nick said.
"Nick, do you have her foal?" Stefania asked.
"I do and I'm trying to deliver him or her, but Chiara's about to run with me in the middle of delivering." Nick replied.
While petting and trying to calm Chiara down, Carmine started to softly sing to her. This got Nick and Stefania's attention. Nick, clearly impressed by how beautiful the Mangano patriarch's voice was, smiled.
"Stefania, your father has a pretty voice." Nick whispered to her.
"I know. In fact, this takes me back to the days where he would sing to all of us in order to help us sleep. Especially, if any of us got scared." Stefania smiled as she fondly remembered those days.
"That reminds me of my father." Nick's smile grew brighter, "He did the same for us when he was home. Otherwise, mother would usually do it."
"Lovely memories." Stefania replied.
"They sure are, Stefania. They sure are lovely." Nick nodded.
After a few minutes, thanks to Carmine's singing, Chiara started to calm down, but this wouldn't last for long as the howl was heard, yet again which in turn caused Chiara to start bucking and whinny in a fearful way.
"Whoa, Chiara, whoa. Whoa." Nick said.
"Easy does it, Chiara. Easy, baby." Stefania said.
Chiara kept bucking and whinnying in a fearful way, even starting to kick her front legs.
"Chiara, take it easy, girl. Take 'er easy. It's okay. Your foal is almost here." Nick told her as he started pulling in a gentle way.
"It is?" Stefania looked at Nick.
"Yup. They are coming along with a lot of blood." Nick nodded as he continued pulling.
"Almost there, Chiara." Stefania whispered.
The howl was heard once more, this time closer. Chiara neighed and bucked more aggressively than before.
"Chiara, I know it's painful. We all know, but please, calm yourself. Please." Stefania petted her.
"She's not only in pain, Stefania. She's really scared. Whatever is out there howling is really scaring her. Poor thing's having a tough labor with a possible breech and something comes along to scare her. Like she doesn't have enough going on." Nick replied.
"I'll go check to see what it is." Stefania told him.
"No, no, I need someone to hold her tail and I don't want whatever is out there to get you, too." Nick shook his head.
*Back at Barkley Ranch*
"Julissa, who's Valery?" Heath gently asked.
"Valery was...was my brother." Julissa sniffed.
"I take it either you two are not on speaking terms and you feel bad or something to happened to him." Heath rubbed her shoulder.
"I'm afraid that...that...that something happened to him." Julissa replied, "He hasn't responded to my letters or anyting (anything)."
"Something as in?" Heath asked.
"Someting (Something) as in death. I'm afraid he is no longer wis (with) us." Julissa wiped some tears away.
"Now, what makes you think that?" Heath put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Well, he was the neighbor of somebody named Ballinger. He told me that this Ballinger person was very rude and bigoted. He was in a feud wis (with) that person when I suddenly stopped receiving letters from him." Julissa explained in between sobs, "Valery explained that he feared for his life, because Ballinger had a murderous look in his eyes and he saw how horribly that man treated his wife."
"I'm so sorry to hear that, Julissa. I hope that ain't the case for Hiram Ballinger and his bunch. They have a body count as it is." Heath shook his head.
"Did you say Ballinger?" Violet chimed in.
"Yes. Why?" Heath turned to Violet.
"My brother Nunzio was a servant of theirs. Like how Silas is to your family." Violet replied.
"Was?" Brahma asked.
"He was abruptly fired and like Valery, I haven't seen or heard from him since." Violet sighed, "I don't even know if he is still with us. I thought he may have gone back to New York to our aunt Fiona, but the place he was living at still had all of his belongings. I've been suspicious for sometime."
"I don't blame either of you. I would be, too. In fact, why don't we get a head start to go look for them while we search for Jarrod." Brahma suggested.
"No, Brahma. You and Ciego stay here. I'll go with Violet and Julissa." Heath told him.
"I tought (thought) you wanted me to stay here." Julissa was a bit thrown off.
"I did, but this is your brother we're talking about. Well, it's actually our brothers who's lives are at stake and it's best we go looking for them." Heath went out the front door, Julissa and Violet following.
*Out in the barn*
Heath started hitching Charger and Audra's horse to a buggy as Violet and Julissa watched. Julissa had a look of impression and a gleam in her eye. There was something about the blonde haired Barkley son that really seemed to catch her eye.
"Okay. All ready to go." Heath said before helping Julissa and Violet up into the buggy.
"Thank you, Heath." Violet said.
"Tank you (Thank you)." Julissa half smiled.
"You're welcome, ladies." Heath nodded before turning his attention to Charger and Audra's horse, "Giddyup, you two. Giddyup."
The horses did as they were told and off the trio went.
*A few minutes later*
As they were heading out, Heath stopped when noticed smoke up ahead. It started to bring back memories of the time he, Nick, and Jarrod transported nitroglycerin to that wildfire in order to create a firebreak after the trio encountered Bridget Wells, Michelle De Lacaise, and Gail Miller. Memories he and his family wanted to put in the past. As Heath continued to stare at the smoke and get flashbacks, Julissa tapped on his shoulder.
"Who? What?" Heath snapped out of his thoughts.
"What is wrong, Heath?" Julissa asked.
"There's smoke up ahead." Heath said, not taking his eyes off of the smoke.
"Let's go. Jarrod may be up there!" Violet told him.
"You're probably right." Heath said before tapping the horses with the reigns.
The horses got going and before anybody knew it, the trio arrived to Dieter's Bakery which was now almost entirely burned to ash. Heath and the two ladies got out of the carriage, grabbed buckets, got some water, and ran inside in order to extinguish the flames.
"Heath, Violet, Julissa, vhat (what) are you...what are you doing here?" Daphne bumped into the trio and coughed.
"We saw the smoke and had to come immediately." Heath threw a bucket of water on some of the flames.
"Who would do such a thing?" Violet said as she extinguished another part of the flames.
"Did either of you find Dieter?" Heath asked before going out to get some more water.
"No. Daph and I looked everywhere, but no sign of him. It's like he either disappeared or...well, you know." Eugene coughed.
"You don't zhink (think)-" Daphne was cut off.
"Let's not jump to conclusions, yet. First, let's get this fire out then search everywhere for him." Violet tried to keep everyone calm.
"What brought you three out here besides the smoke? I thought you three were staying back with mother, Nadine, Audra, and everyone else." Eugene coughed, again.
"We were, but Julissa's brother Valery has disappeared as has my brother Nunzio and we figured that while we search for Jarrod, we can search for them, too." Violet wiped sweat off of her forehead.
"No offense, but Violet, you really care about Jarrod, don't you?" Eugene asked.
"Yes, I do. Like how an employee-" Violet was cut off.
"Violet, you don't need to use a cover or hide anything. You can be honest." Eugene told her.
"I can be honest? What does that mean?" Violet asked, clearly uncomfortable.
"Violet, I can tell that Jarrod means more to you than just the whole boss and employee thing." Eugene pointed out.
"Eugene, I-" Violet was cut off, again.
"Eugene, let's ask question later, please." Daphne said, "First, let's put this fire out and find Dieter."
"You're right, Daph. However, Violet, please go into detail later on, if you feel like it." Eugene nodded.
"Yeah. Sure." Violet nodded back.
Daphne was about to say something only to be stopped when a burning beam fell onto her back, knocking her down and causing her to scream in pain.
"DAPHNE! DAPHNE!" Eugene ran over to her, pulled the beam off, and carried her outside.
Daphne said a few words in German as she cried out in pain while being carried outside.
*Outside*
Heath was just coming in with more water when Eugene came out carrying Daphne.
"Gene, what happened?" Heath was concerned.
"Daphne had a burning beam fall on her. I'm going to take her to Dr. Merar's just in case." Eugene said as he carried Daphne to the buggy, placed her in it, got in himself, and took off.
*Back at Barkley Ranch*
"Ohhhhh! My back!" Nadine hissed in pain.
"What is it, Nadine?" Allegra asked.
"My back! My back! My b-back...it burns! It burns!" Nadine cried out.
"Your back burns?" Victoria got a puzzled look on her face.
"Yeah. It burns as if...as if...as if a burning piece of wood dropped onto it." Nadine writhed around for a bit.
"A burning piece of wood?" Carl scratched the back of his head.
"Yes. A burning piece of wood from a building that was on fire. Somebody...Somebody was trying to put out the fire, but the beam dropped on their back." Nadine nodded.
"Nadine, how do you know all of this?" Audra grabbed a cloth and wiped sweat off of Nadine's forehead.
"I'm having a vision of what all just happened five minutes ago." Nadine said as the vision started playing out.
"What happened?" Paulie asked.
"There was a fire and five people tried their best to put it out. One of them was in the middle of doing just that when a burning beam fell on them." Nadine replied.
"Is that poor soul alright as of now?" Victoria asked.
"Mmmmhmmm. Another person is taking them to Dr. Merar which leaves three people to fight that fire." Nadine nodded.
"Three people are fighting that fire? Aren't there others around?" Carl was puzzled.
"No, not yet, but I'm sensing that others may rush to help the three." Nadine told him.
To Be Continued...
Happy belated St. Patrick's Day & belated first day of Spring, everybody! :D
Audra: I hope those three get help soon, because there's no telling with a fire and how out of control it can get.
Carl: Speaking of which, who are the three?
Daphne: Eugene, vhat (what) about Dieter?
Victoria: Where on Earth is Jarrod?
Nick: Relax, Chiara. Your foal is almost here. Take 'er easy now.
Carmine: What's that up in the sky?
Stefania: R&R, everybody. R&R.