############################################## DISCLAIMER: Catharine Marshall's beautiful story of Christy is owned by the LeSourd Family. The writer is in no way seeking profit or credit for her story. The writer is continuing the story of Christy for amusement only. Any additions in story and character were invented by the writer. ############################################## Title: By the Firelight---For the Neil Lasses Author: Kelly O ############################################## This scene is also to take place in the "Judgment Day" episode. It begins just after Neil takes the anti-serum from Christy and starts up the stairs for Alice's room. ############################################## Neil climbed the stairs two at a time, and Dr. Ferrand followed right behind him. "The delirium started this afternoon," Ferrand said. The old man was out of breath by the time he had climbed the last step. Neil opened the door and found Alice twisting in her bed, suffering, as Ferrand had said, from delirium; she was completely incoherent. Ida stood to the left of the bed pressing a wet cloth to her head. After a quick examination, Neil determined that she did, indeed, have tetanus. He quickly administered the anti-serum by syringe and then sat back in a wooden, ladder-back chair to catch his breath. "The serum will take a while to work; we just have to wait and see." Neil said. Ferrand nodded his head in understanding. The thunder and lightning clapped together just outside the window, and Neil looked out at the raging storm. He suddenly thought of Christy riding through the storm alone all the way to his cabin. She had been soaked through, and possibly had been that way for hours. The storm had slowed even Charlie down, extending the length of his journey from Lyleton to Cutter Gap considerably. There was no telling how long it had taken Christy to make it to his cabin and back on that crippled mule. The thought enraged Neil; how could Ferrand be so stupid. And where was David Grantland in all this? "You go and change out of those wet clothes, Doctor." Ferrand said. "I have some extra things in my room that you can wear if need be, Ida and I can sit with Alice." Neil nodded abruptly and left the room. The door to Christy's room was open and the room was dark, so Neil passed it and ran down the stairs as quickly as he had ascended them earlier. "Christy," he said as he looked in the parlor and then in the kitchen, but the young schoolteacher was no where to be found. He went back up the stairs and knocked on her door, even though it was wide open. "Christy?" He said. There was no answer, so he walked into the room, but she was not there either. He walked back down the stairs and looked through the rooms again, this time walking all the way around the davenport in the event that she had fallen asleep there. He found her coat lying by the fireplace and picked it up, it was soaking wet and dripping. "Christy?" He called out again, feeling his heart pump a little faster. Still there was no answer. "Where could she be?" He said aloud to himself. Then he opened the front door to look out into the pouring rain. A strong strike of lightning lit the mission yard with blue. In that instant of light, he saw her running across the yard from the barn. Neil ran out to meet her. "What are you doing?" He said, yelling in order to be heard over the storm. "I had to put Theo up, I couldn't leave him out in the rain." She said--her breath was a quick puff of white. "Christy, it's freezing out here." Neil said and held his coat over her as they walked back and up the mission steps. Once inside, Christy shook her hands in an attempt to warm them. "Why couldn't Grantland put the mule up for the night?" Neil asked, becoming even more irritated at everyone's irresponsibility at the mission. "He and Jeb went to El Pano to finish with the phone lines. They're saying with Mrs. Tatum tonight." Neil ran his hand over his face to wipe the rainwater away. When he had cleared his eyes, he noticed that Christy was shivering. Her blue eyes looked exhausted and shaken, and the cold air had reddened her cheeks and nose. "Christy, you're soaked to the skin. It'll not due for you to stay in those wet clothes, look at you," he grasped her elbow in his hand. "You're shivering," he said. "Go upstairs and put on some dry clothes; then come back down and warm up by the fire." "But Miss Alice---" "There's nothing we can do for her now but wait. Dr. Ferrand and Ida are with her." "But, I---" Neil said nothing, but he looked at her with his best "do it or else" expression, which stopped her reply short. He watched with amusement as her eyes softened and she nodded agreement. Neil chuckled to himself as she walked up the stairs; then he turned to build a fire for her. There was no kindling in the box, and he shook his head. David had been too busy putting up telephone poles to keep the necessary chores up to date. Grantland was without a doubt a city boy, he mused with a smile. He took out his knife and shaved one of the logs, creating just enough kindling to start the fire. When he finally got the flames to catch the bigger log on fire, he hurried into the kitchen, rummaged for a pot, and set some water on to boil for tea. Christy came down the stairs. Her wet hair was combed, long and straight. She had changed into a dry blouse and skirt but was still shivering. "Come in here by the fire," he said. He placed his hand on her back lightly and led her to the fire. Before she sat down, he moved the davenport nearer to the fireplace. "You sit down, and I'll go finish making the tea." The fire crackled and snapped, and the whole room jittered with orange light and deep shadows. Before going to the kitchen, Neil took a quilt from the quilt stand, and draped it around Christy's shoulders. The water boiled on the stove, and Neil put three teabags into the teapot---he liked his tea extra strong. He poured the water into the teapot, and, after the tea had steeped, he poured two mugs and returned to the parlor. "Here now, drink this and you will feel better." Neil said with a smile. "Thank you, doctor," she said. Neil sat down on the floor, facing Christy with his back to the fireplace. He held his cup with both hands, letting the steam warm his face. He noticed that Christy had stopped shivering and her coloring had returned to normal, but she still looked sad. He watched her intently as she blew the steam off of the surface of her tea. "Are you warm enough, Miss Huddleston?" He asked. "Yes, thank you very much, doctor," she said. "Alice is going to be okay," he said with hope that his words would cheer her. "Thank God! I was so worried," she said and smiled up at him, but her eyes still looked desolate. He wished he had the courage to ask her why she looked so sorrowful. "That was a brave thing you did tonight." He said and then took a sip of his tea. "Oh, I don't know that I was all that brave," she said humbly, lowering her head and tucking her wet hair behind her ear. Neil grinned at her charm; there was much more to Christy Huddleston than a naïve girl from Asheville, he thought. She remained quiet and reflective, and Neil began to worry about her. "Forgive me if I am prying, Miss Huddleston, but are you all right?" "Oh, yes, I'm fine--" "MacNeill," Ferrand called down from the top of the stairs. Neil was not convinced by her meek reply, but he knew he needed to attend to Alice. "Excuse me, Miss Huddleston," he said with a courteous nod. "I'll go check on my patient now. You stay here and finish your tea." He squeezed her shoulder as he walked around the davenport and then disappeared up the stairs. Neil joined Ferrnad in Alice's room and found that her fever was down and that her breathing had steadied. But she was still not out of danger. They would have to continue with a series of antitoxin injections for the next few days. Neil took her pulse, listened to her heart and lungs and then looked up at the older gentleman. "It looks good, but we will still have to continue with the antitoxin." He said. "Why don't you two go get some rest, I can sit up with her," he said to Ida and Ferrand. "Nonsense!" Ferrand said. "I'll sit up with her, you just got in from Lyleton tonight. You go on and get some sleep, I'll wake you if I need you." Neil did not argue; he was exhausted and knew that he needed some sleep. He walked down stairs with heaviness. The fire blazed even brighter now, as it had taken full control of the logs. As he walked around the davenport, he found Christy asleep, cocooned in her quilt with her head resting on a tapestry pillow with blue tassels at the corners. He grinned. Spreading a quilt on the floor in front of the fireplace and wrapping another around himself, he nestled onto his pallet. He used his crumpled coat as a pillow and burrowed his cheek against it until he was comfortable. And in the warm firelight, Christy's pretty and peaceful face was the last thing he saw before dozing off to sleep. The End!