Title: The Face in the Shadows 
Author: Bethany

Disclaimer:  The story of Christy is owned the
Marshall-LeSourd Family.  I am in no way seeking profit
or credit for her story. This fiction is written for our
own amusement only. This story uses themes from the book,
CBS series, and the PAX movies.

Summary: This story begins where the CBS series left off.

========== Chapter 1 ==========

David loved her.  He wanted her to be his wife.  She had
dreamed about this moment her whole life.  From the time
she was little and used to run around the house with a
pillowcase draped over her head, she had dreamed of being
a bride.  She had rehearsed this moment, what she would
say, how she would look, where she would be, thousands
of times!  But now that she was living the moment, she
was at a loss for words. Never would she have guessed that
she would be torn between two men in her life.

She looked down at the ring and then up at David.  The love
and desire in his eyes was obvious.  Then she looked over
at Neil, sitting breathlessly atop Charlie.  Christy saw
something in his eyes, too.  But before she could put her
finger on what, he looked away.

How she loved these two men!  They had become her
protectors, her confidants, her friends.  Now she was being
asked to choose between them.  Her heart was breaking as
she looked back and forth between them again.  How could
she hurt one of them?  They both meant the world to her!

Christy closed her eyes momentarily and tried to clear the
clutter from her mind.  David deserved an answer, one way
or the other.

As much as it pained her, she knew what she had to do.
She loved Neil.  Even though he could never be hers, she
was his.

Christy quietly closed the ring box.  "I'm sorry David,
but I can't marry you.  I"

Her words caught in her throat as a tear trickled down
her cheek.  She hastily brushed it away, unaware she had
even been crying.

"I do love you David.  Please know that.  But I have too
much I want to do before I become someone's wife.  I want
to teach here, I want to touch more lives, I want to make
a difference in these children's lives!"

"And you don't feel you can do that while being my wife?"
David spat back angrily.  He couldn't believe the woman
he loved was rejecting him once again.  And for what??

"No David, it's not that.  But right now the role I want
is teacher, friend, mentor.  I'm just not ready to add
'wife' to that list.  Please understand.'  She touched
his arm lightly.

"Oh, I understand"  David said as he harshly shook off
her hand.  "I understand that you'd jump at the chance
of adding 'wife' to the list of your responsibilities
if MacNeill was asking!"  With that, he stomped away
towards the schoolhouse.  The children scrambled into
their seats in the hopes Teacher wouldn't realize they
had been listening.

Christy remained frozen in her spot.  Taking a deep
breath, she started back towards the school when she
remembered Neil.  She turned to face him and thought
she saw the hint of a smile on his face.  But as quickly
as it appeared, it was gone again.  He nodded briefly to
Christy, a gesture that seemed odd and out of place to her.
He turned Charlie around and galloped away leaving Christy
staring after him before she could give it another thought.

Gathering up her courage, she headed back to the
schoolhouse.  Proposal or no, she had a spelling test
to give.

The Face in the Shadows - Chapter 2

Summary: Christy has rejected David's proposal yet again
only to have him storm off in anger.  Neil seems quietly
pleased...

============ Chapter 2 ============

The rest of the day passed in a blur for Christy.
David had agreed to teach a Bible lesson that day, so
unfortunately, they were stuck together for the remainder
of the day.  Christy sat at her desk diligently grading
papers, trying her best to avoid David's occasional
stares.  After his lesson, David loudly stomped out of
the schoolhouse before Christy could dismiss the children.
Even though Christy knew he was trying to prove how angry
he was, she thought it was rude to do it in such a way.

When the school day was over, instead of their usual
excited scurrying to get out of school, the children
seemed to linger in the schoolyard.  Many whispered
quietly to each other as they poked around in the dirt
with their toes.  It wasn't until Little Burl approached
her that she realized how many students were watching her.

With his little grubby hands, he pushed over a chair and
sat down next to Christy's desk.

"Teacher?" he began.  "We's all been wonderin if'n you's
alright."  His big blue eyes peered into her soul.

She couldn't help but smile, and leaned over to give him
a hug.  "Yes, Little Burl, I will be alright.  It was just
a big day, is all!"

"We saw the Preacher yellin outside, Teacher.  We's be
sorry.  We didn't mean ta look on at ya, but we'uns
couldn't help ourselves."

Christy stood up and patted the little boy on the head.
"Well, you know it's not nice to spy, but I guess what
was happening in the schoolyard was more exciting than
the words I told you to study for the spelling test.
Don't worry, Little Burl.  I'm right as rain" she said
more happily than she felt.  "Now go on, go tell everyone
else so they can get home.  And tell them thank you for
worrying about me."

Little Burl lit up and scampered out of the schoolhouse.
Everyone turned to him as he descended the stairs.
Whatever he told them apparently satisfied them, and with
a final look at Christy, the students began to leave one
by one.  She was grateful for the time alone.  Her mind
was reeling with the events of the day.  As she tidied up
the papers on her desk, her mind couldn't help but wander
back through the days events.  So much had happened in
the span of a few hours, and she still had so much to
sort out.  David, she knew, would need a few days to cool
off before he would talk to her, but maybe she could talk
to Neil first.

Neil!

Her heart leapt at the thought of him, and she felt her
stomach flutter.  "Get ahold of yourself" she said aloud.
"You're acting like you're 16 again!"   She couldn't
help but smile to herself as she thought of Neil, sitting
there on his horse.  But she wondered what he had returned
home to

-------------

After having made a few house calls, Neil knew going
home was his only option.  Sighing, Neil stomped up his
front steps, and readied himself for an angry and bitter
Margaret.  After all, he had not chosen the best moment to
go after Christy.  Margaret had been pouring her heart out
to him, and he just up and left her.  He rebuked himself
slightly for being so heartless, but caught himself.
He owed her nothing. She had left him when they were first
married, and in an even more heartless way.

Granted, two wrongs don't make a right, he thought, but
he still told himself that she was no longer his wife.
He loved Christy, and he wasn't willing to risk losing her
because he was afraid of hurting the woman he once called
his wife.

Neil opened the door and stepped inside.  Out of the corner
of his eye, he saw Margaret moving around in the kitchen.
She had three pots on the stove, and the oven was on.

"What on earth are you doing, woman?"

Margaret spun around, momentarily stunned.  But she
quickly recovered and plastered a smile on her face.
She had worked too hard all day to ruin it now.  She knew
Neil had gone after Christy, but she also knew Neil was
still a married man.  And as long as she was around,
Christy couldn't be.  So, Margaret decided to convince
Neil to let her come back.  She had slaved over the stove
all day, and even cleaned up the kitchen area a little.
But she knew it would be worth it.

"I made you dinner!  I figured you'd be hungry since you
left without lunch, so I thought I would have a nice hot
supper waiting for you when you got back."

She scooped some potatoes out of one pot and onto a plate,
then proceeded to fill the rest of the plate with chicken,
beans, and a piece of bread.

While he hated to admit it, everything did look and smell
wonderful.  He hesitatingly set his saddle bags down and
stepped towards the table.

"What are you waiting for?  It's going to get cold if you
just stand there!"  She held out the plate for him.

It had been a long time since had had a good home-cooked
meal.  The last time he had a meal like this was when
Christy tried to cook for him.

Christy!

A smile momentarily crossed his face as he thought of her.
She's no cook, he recalled, as he replayed the lunch he
had shared with the teacher.  Burnt chicken wasn't his
favorite, but he wouldn't have traded a minute of it.
He wasn't sure what she felt for him, but at least he
knew she wouldn't soon be David's wife.  He loved her,
and couldn't bear the thought of her marrying another man.
At least for now he didn't have to.

Margaret noticed the smile on his face and instantly
smiled back, thinking the smile was for her.  "Here Neil,
come on."  She led him to the table, and even pulled out
his chair for him.  He simply stood there gaping at her.
"I won't bite...promise."  She set the plate in front of
him and set to fix herself a plate.

Neil shook the thoughts of Christy from his mind and sat
down, but still couldn't bring himself to accept all this.
Margaret wasn't his wife, she had no place in his life
anymore.

"No Margaret."  He pushed the plate of food away and
stood up.  "You can't come in here and act like you're
Mrs. Perfect Wife.  This" he gestured towards the plate,
"This can't make up for what you did to me.  And to be
perfectly honest, I don't even want you to try to atone
for anything.  We're not married in my eyes."

"But we are still legally married, darling" Margaret said,
her words sickeningly sweet.

"I don't love you anymore!  Maybe I never did, I don't
know.  I thought I knew what love was.  But now..."  His
voice trailed off as he remembered who he was talking to.
Margaret didn't need the details of his love for Christy.
That would have been cruel.

"It doesn't matter if you love her, you know.  She's going
to marry the Preacher.  She told me so."

Neil chuckled.  "That's where you're wrong Margaret,
dear.  He asked her today to marry him and she said no."
He smiled again, and started to walk away then paused and
turned back.  The smile was gone from his face and she
noticed the deep circles under his eyes.  "You can sleep
on the couch.  I would never turn you away.  I'll take
care of you as best I can, but only until we can find
something more permanent for you."

With that, he turned and strode upstairs.


The Face in the Shadows - Chapter 3

Summary: Christy turned David down when he proposed.
Neil returns home to find Margaret trying to be the
picture of domesticity, but it has no effect on him.
He tells her she can stay with him until they find her
somewhere else to live.

============ Chapter 3 ============

When Neil awoke the next morning, he remembered what had
transpired the previous night.  Grudgingly, he made his
way downstairs only to find his couch empty.

His eyes searched the room and came to rest on a piece of
paper resting on the kitchen table.

Neil

It's clear you don't want me here, so I'm not going
to overstay my welcome.

I'll be fine, don't worry about me.  I got my girls
from the teahouse.

I'm heading to Atlanta, and don't bother trying to
find me.

And I'm still your wife.  Lucky for me, I know you
won' forget that.

-Margaret-

Neil crumpled up the letter and threw it against the wall.
Even when she wasn't anywhere near him she could still
manage to ruin his life.  She knew he would never act on
his feelings for Christy as long as he was married, if
only legally.

"Blast it!"  He yelled at the crumpled ball he had
just thrown.  He walked over and stomped on it, just
for good measure.  Satisfied that he had taken enough
aggression out on the inanimate piece of paper, he went
upstairs to get dressed.  He had slept later than he had
planned, and had to get a jump start on his house calls.
Zady had strep throat that needed checking up on, and
Toot McHone had a rash that Neil wanted to make sure was
under control.

After a hurried breakfast, he slipped some supplies into
his saddlebags and headed out.  All he could do now was
put Margaret out of his mind.  She could only ruin his
life as much as he let her.

Well, he thought, no.  She can actually ruin it a lot more.
She's keeping me from the woman I really love.

As he rode to the Spencer's cabin, he pondered whether or
not he should stop and see Christy today.  She might need
a day to sort things out.  Then again, maybe she needed
someone to talk to.  He decided he would pay her a visit
after he finished his calls.  Nodding at his decision,
Neil continued on his way whistling.

------------

The previous night for Christy had gone more smoothly than
she anticipated.  After a quiet supper with Miss Alice
and Ruby Mae, she retired to her room, saying she had to
grade papers.  She was thankful David had chosen to bring
his dinner to his bunkhouse, and even more thankful that
Ruby Mae could sense that tonight was not the night to
talk up a storm.

As she had gotten back to her room, Christy welcomed
the silence.  She walked to her window and looked out at
the moon.  That same moon that had led her to Neil that
night at the river watched over him now.  She smiled
as she thought of Neil.  He could never be hers, but at
least she had finally answered the questions in her heart.
And the Bible told her that God never closed a door without
opening a window.  "I just better not spend too long
looking at that closed door, or I'm going to miss my open
window!" she said into the night.  As if in response, the
stars seemed to twinkle a little.  Christy blinked hard.
I must be tired, she had thought to herself.  The papers
can wait til tomorrow.

With that, Christy had decided to turn in early in the
hopes of getting a fresh and early start tomorrow.

She awoke with a sinking feeling in her stomach.  The full
realization that Neil might really never be hers hadn't
hit her last night.  But now, the thought saddened her.
It wasn't enough that she had figured out who was in
her heart if she couldn't have him!

She got up and dressed in her favorite blue and
white-checkered dress and piled her hair on top of
her head.  There was nothing that perked her up more
than looking her best.  If she couldn't be happy on
the inside, she could at least look happy on the outside.
She smiled at herself in the mirror as she fixed the last
strand into place.

I can do this, she thought.  One day at a time.

She descended the stairs to find Miss Alice sipping coffee
and staring out the window.  She walked to her and placed
a hand on her shoulder.

"What is it Miss Alice?  You seem upset."

The older woman smiled at Christy and patted her hand.
"It's nothing really.  I just have a feeling Margaret
may have left for good this time."

Christy had told her the night before about her
daughter's return.

"You don't know that Miss Alice."

"No child, I felt it last time.  I knew when she
was leaving me.  I feel that way now.  Thee can't
explain it to someone, and I probably sound foolish
even trying!"  She smiled to herself almost as an
afterthought.  "But thee had better to get to class!
Those youngins won't wait!"

After grabbing a piece of bread and a chunk of cheese,
Christy thanked her and slipped out the door.  The sun was
beaming down on her, and lifted her spirits instantly.
All thought of Margaret left her mind as she tilted her
face up to the warmth that poured down from the heavens.

Cheerily, she continued the rest of the way to the
schoolhouse.  Thankfully, David wasn't due to teach
a Bible class until next week, so she did not have to
worry about that interruption thankfully.  She set about
grading the papers she had put off the previous night as
the students slowly began to trickle in.

At 8:00, she stood up and took roll.  As expected, Zady
was absent along with Zach Holt.  She knew Zady had been
sick the previous day, so the fact that she wasn't
there didn't surprise her.  Zach must have come down
with something.

She glanced at the back of the room.  Still no Lundy or
Smith O'Teale.  They had been absent for over 2 weeks
now, but every day she held out the hope that they would
return to school.  She hoped they were staying out of
trouble, but knew that wasn't likely.  Sighing, she
closed the book and began her lessons.

Unlike the previous day, today flew by.  Before she knew
it, it was time to let the students go and they had only
finished 4 of the 7 continents!  The rest would have to
wait until tomorrow she decided.

"Alright children, time to go!"  They scrambled out of
the school as fast as they could leaving Christy chuckling
to herself.  She knew they loved school, but she also
knew they loved getting out in the afternoon even better.
As Christy walked around the room collecting the few
geography books they had, she heard heavy footsteps enter
the school.

The Face in the Shadows - Chapter 4

Summary: Christy turned David down when he proposed.
Neil returns home to find Margaret trying to be the
picture of domesticity, but it has no effect on him.
He tells her she can stay with him until they find her
somewhere else to live.  The next day, Margaret leaves
a note telling Neil she's left, and not to follow her.
Christy notices Lundy and Smith are still absent.

============ Chapter 4 ============

Christy whirled around at the sound of the approaching
feet.  "Oh Neil, hello!  I didn't expect to see you
today, not after..."  Her words trailed off.  Don't
bring up yesterday, she reminded herself, that's probably
a touchy subject.  I mean" 

Neil couldn't help but smile at her.  The sight of her
made him deliriously happy.  On the way over, even the
mere thought of her had brought a smile to his face.

"It's just that..." she began again.

Neil held up his hand to stop her.  "You don't need to
dance around the issue with me, Miss Huddleston.  And while
I don't need all the details of what happened yesterday,
I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you if you
wanted to talk."

Christy smiled at him appreciatively.  How well he knew
her!  "I do want to talk, but I'm sure you have many
better things to do than to listen to my ramblings."

"Would I have offered if I didn't want to hear
them?"  He took a few steps towards her until he was
within arms length.

"Well, thank you Neil.  But right now, I'm fine.
How is Zady though?  Is she getting any better?"

Neil noticed the subject change, but let it drop.
"She's doing better.  She should be able to come back
to school on Monday."

"Oh, that's good.  And Zach?  He was out today, is
he alright?"

"Yes, he's fine too.  I saw Ozias this morning and
he said that Zach had a fall last night and cut his foot.
It's fine, it stopped bleeding on his own, but Zach just
didn't feel like making the trek all the way to school
with a bum foot."

"That's understandable."  Christy walked over to her
desk and began to absently trace her finger along the edge.

"What's wrong?"

"Hmm?"  Christy's thoughts snapped back to
the conversation.  "Sorry," she said sheepishly.
"I was just thinking about Lundy.  He hasn't been
in school for almost 2 weeks now.  I know that's not
unusual, but he was doing so well, I thought we were
finally making progress after he came back the last time.
When he left two weeks ago, he said something that at
the time I hadn't found unusual.  I don't remember it
exactly."  She scratched her head.  "It was something
like 'Nothing you've done can't be undone' or
something, I'm not sure.  I thought he was referring
to the math test I had just given back to him with a C+
on it.  I thought maybe he meant he was going to work
harder or something.  Now I just don't know.

"I'm sure it didn't mean anything.  You're probably
just reading into it because he hasn't come back.
If he had, you wouldn't have given the comment another
thought."

"I'm sure you're right."

"Christy...Margaret left this morning.  She left a note
saying she was headed to Atlanta and that I shouldn't
bothering trying to find her, or something to that
effect."  He paused as he shrugged his shoulders sadly.
"Every time she leaves manages to remind me that
we're tied together."  More like my hands are tied
behind by back, he said sadly under his breath  "It's
just that with her out there somewhere, I can't...I
can't...have the life I wanted.  And I can't tell
you..." He couldn't bring himself to say that he
loved her.  But he did, so much.

Christy closed the rest of the gap between them.  She
reached up and put a hand on his chest.  "You don't
have to say anything Neil.  But answer me something.
Why did you come after me?"

"Because you came to tell me something important.
I know you well enough by now to read you, and I could see
that you had something you desperately wanted to get off
your chest.  And you left without saying a word!  I've
never known you to leave without saying something."
He jokingly elbowed her, then said seriously,  "I
figured whatever you had to say you couldn't say in
front of Margaret.  That was enough of a reason for me to
follow you."

She blushed.  He was right, as always.  "I had just
been talking to Fairlight, and she made me realize that
I..."  She paused.  He had just finished telling her
he was still married, and here she was about to tell him
how deeply she cared for him.  She chided herself on her
inappropriateness.  "...she made me realize who mattered
in my life" she finished instead.

Neil shook his head in agreement.  "Fairlight's got
that annoying way of making you see what's right in
front of your face, doesn't she?"

Christy laughed.  "That she does.  And she has to do
it in such a way that in the end, you can't believe you
didn't see it yourself!  Like one time, she and I were
..."  

Christy's sentence was caught short as a rock came
crashing through the window.

The Face in the Shadows - Chapter 5

Summary: Christy turned David down again. Neil returns home
to find Margaret there. He tells her she can stay with him
until they find her somewhere else to live, but she's gone
by the next day. Lundy and Smith are still absent. Neil
visits her at the school, but they're interrupted when
someone throws a rock through the window.

============ Chapter 5 ============ 

Neil and Christy stared
stunned at each other for a moment before springing into
action. Neil ran out of the school and around the side
to where the rock had been thrown from. Christy preceded
to walk to the corner of the room to grab the broom
leaning against the wall. She bent down to carefully
pick up the big pieces with her hands, and then swept
the remainder into the dustpan and dumped it into the
trash.  Neil came back into the school panting and out
of breath. 

"I chased whoever it was, but he got away
too fast. I saw brown pants. That's all. But he was
pretty quick whoever he was. Or he was far away and
just has a really good arm." Neil plopped down in
the nearest desk. "Whew! Well, that's my exercise
for the week." 

Christy crossed to him and put a hand
on his rapidly rising and falling shoulder. "Do you
think it could have been Lundy or Smith?" she asked in
a timid voice.  The same thoughts had been running through
Neil's mind, but he didn't want to worry her. 

"I'm
sure it was an accident. Probably someone playing, and then
they got afraid and ran away when they saw they broke the
window. You know how kids are." Christy started out the
broken window. Neil followed her gaze to the broken window
and knew that the incident would weigh heavily on her mind.


"Don't worry, Christy, really. We'll get the glass
patched up, and then we'll put this whole thing behind
us. I'm sure it was nothing. You'll see." Christy
nodded but something tugged at the back of her mind. She
sent a little silent prayer up that she was mistaken
and that it was just an accident.  

"Come on, you look
shaken. Gather your things, and I'll walk you back to
the Mission." Christy started to say something, but
Neil help up his hand.  "I won't hear any objections
now. As your doctor, I'm ordering you to go get some
fresh air. Let's go." He helped her put her things in
her schoolbag and together they headed out. Christy glanced
back at the window one last time before Neil gently took
her hand and led her down the steps.  

"I'm a big girl,
Neil, I don't need you to hold my hand." 

"Who said
I was doing it for you?" Neil said over his shoulder as
he winked at her. "You don't think I was frightened by
the rock? Maybe I need comforting!!" 

Christy laughed out
loud. "Neil MacNeill!" She let go of his hand in mock
disgust. He never failed to brighten her day, and today was
no exception.  She continued to laugh as the walked down to
the Mission. When they entered, they found David sitting at
the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and his sermon. He
looked up as they entered.  The smile fell from her face as
she saw him. Christy thought she hear him mutter something
like "why am I not surprised," but she couldn't
quite be sure."

 "David, someone threw a rock through the
window of the school. I'm hoping it was an accident. Neil
chased whoever it was, but they got away. I'm hoping it
wasn't Lundy because if it was, he won't stop there,
you know what kind of child he is." Christy felt herself
rambling and stopped herself. David had yet to say a word,
and just continued to look at her.  

Finally, sighing, he
pushed himself up from the table. "I guess I'd better
go look at the window since I'll be the one who has to
fix it, won't I? That's all I'm good for around here
it seems: handiwork and fixing things. I should just have
that branded into my forehead maybe, then there won't
be any confusion!"  

"David, I didn't ask you to fix
the window. Neil, or even I could" but before she
could finish her sentence David had huffed and walked
out the door.  "What bit him this afternoon?" Neil
asked as he walked over and looked at David's sermon.


"Neil, you shouldn't be reading that. That's
David's."

 "He won't know, and besides, he's
just going to read it out loud to everyone anyway on
Sunday."

 "Yes, that's true, but I just don't feel
right. Please don't read it?" She gently pulled Neil
away.  

"So, now you're the one leading me? Haha."


"Would you maybe like to stay for dinner? Since we'll
probably be eating in a few hours anyway, you're more
than welcome to stay." But as soon as the words were out
of her mouth, Christy regretted them. How would David and
Neil manage to eat a civil dinner together? She secretly
hoped that he would say no.  

"I'd love to. I'm done
my rounds for today, and I nice home cooked meal sounds
good. I haven't had one in a while." He recalled the
nice dinner Margaret had made him the night before that
he had left uneaten.  

"Oh, good. I'll just make some
extra tonight. I'm sure Miss Alice and Ruby Mae won't
mind." 

"And what about David, you failed to mention
him." 

"Oh well" Christy stuttered. She turned
her back to him and began fiddling with the pots and
pans. "I'm sure David's going to be in a bad mood
no matter who's here." The excuse sounded lame even to
her.

  "I won't if you don't want me to stay Christy,
really." 

"Don't be silly. I want you here." She
turned to face him. "That's all that should matter I
guess. You helped me today you help all of us all the
time. And I want you to eat supper with us. It's the
least I can do to thank you for calming me down after the
incident today. And for chasing after whoever did it! So,
we're agreed? You'll stay for dinner." 

"I guess
you've twisted my arm and leave me no choice" He
smiled. "Although maybe you should let someone else
do the cooking. We don't want to go hungry!" Christy
laughed and threw a wooden spoon at him that had been
resting on the counter. He swatted it away with his hand.


"Oh, my hand, oh oh!" he cried jokingly. "It's
broken! Oh, the pain, the agony!" Christy walked over
to him and put her hands on her hips.  "You're worse
than my students, Dr. MacNeill! What am I ever going to
do with you? Come here, let me see." He held out his
hand and pouted his bottom lip. Then he sniffed, just
for good measure.  "You're right, it looks like this
is going to have to come off!" Christy said with mock
seriousness, but she couldn't keep up the charade any
longer and burst out laughing. Neil soon, too, was laughing
loudly. David was on his way back the Mission when he heard
their laughter echoing from the kitchen. Anger bubbled up
inside him. He composed himself as best as he could and
walked inside.


The Face in the Shadows - Chapter 6

Summary: Christy turned David down again. Neil returns 
home to find Margaret there. He tells her she can stay 
with him until they find her somewhere else to live, 
but she's gone by the next day. Lundy and Smith are 
still absent. Neil visits her at the school, but they're 
interrupted when someone throws a rock through the 
window. They clean it up, and Christy invites Neil to 
dinner as a thank you.


============
Chapter 6
============
Dinner that night was awkwardly quiet. But Christy 
was thankful for Ruby Mae’s constant chatter; at least
there was some noise at the table. Finally, after what 
seemed like eternity, everyone was finished their meal, 
and she stood up to help clear the table. Miss Alice 
stood up as well, but Christy quickly grabbed her plate away. 
“No Miss Alice, I’ll clean up tonight. I know you’ve had your 
hands full lately with the Mission in Big Lick Gap, and this 
is the least I can do.”
“But Christy, thee cooked tonight as well. Thee shouldn’t 
have to clean up as well.”
“It’s my pleasure, really.”
Neil stood up. “Then, I can at least help too then” he 
said, and lifted his plate off the table. Christy snatched
 it away from him as well. 
“Oh no you don’t! I told you today this was a thanks for 
helping me with the rock situation, and I meant it.”
As Christy cleared off the plates, Miss Alice turned her 
attention to Neil. “Rock situation?”
Neil sat down in his chair. “Someone threw a rock through 
the school window. We don’t’ know who it was, and they ran
away before we could find out. But I’m sure it was an accident. 
Christy, on the other hand, isn’t so sure.” Then more quietly he added, 
“I think she believes it’s Lundy Taylor. But I know she’s 
holding out hope it’s not. Let’s hope this was an isolated incident.”
David, who had remained silent for most of the meal, stood up
and excused himself, saying he had to go finish something in 
his bunkhouse.
“Well, have a goodnight then David. Is thee sure thee 
doesn’t want to stay around for a while?”
“No, I have some things to do. But thanks. Goodnight.”
With that, he hurriedly left. When Christy came back, she 
noticed David’s absence and gestured to David’s seat. “Where 
did he go?”
“He be sayin he had things ta do. But he left so fast, you’d 
be thinkin his pants was a flamin!”
“Now Ruby Mae, it’s not nice to talk about someone who’s 
not present.” Christy chided the redhead. 
“Sorry Miz Christy.”
Christy finished clearing the table as Miss Alice, Ruby Mae, 
and Neil chatted. As expected, Ruby Mae did most of the chatting.
 I caught Neil’s eyes secretly asking me to rescue him as I made 
my trips back and forth, and had to laugh. He wasn’t as used 
to the redhead as we were, even though he had known her her whole life. 
When she was finally finished, she joined the trio at the table.
 As they caught up on each other’s days, Christy found herself 
growing tired. She wasn’t sure why, she had slept fine the night before. 
It could be the rock thing, she thought to herself, but that 
really wasn’t that scary that I would be exhausted from it. 
Christy came back to the conversation as Neil stood to leave. 
“I’d best be gettin back before it gets too dark. Charlie 
already doesn’t like the narrow paths, and hates them even 
more at night. Thank you for a wonderful dinner ladies, and
 for wonderful company.”
They all wished him a safe trip. But as Neil reached for 
the door handle, it swung open, nearly knocking him over. It was a frantic David.
“Christy…the school! Someone’s completely destroyed the place.”
In the blink of an eye, the five were out the door and running 
for the schoolhouse. From the outside, everything seemed normal. 
But as they neared the front, Christy saw the door banging 
back and forth in the wind. Her heart dropped into her stomach 
at the thought of what she might find inside.
As they approached, Neil held his arm across Christy and 
motioned for Miss Alice and Ruby Mae to stop as well. 
“You three stay here. I don’t know who, or what, could be 
in there, and I want you safe.” He directed his comment to 
all of them, but looked at Christy as he said it.
Together, he and David walked up to the school. As they did, 
Christy noticed a whole in David’s shirt near the elbow. An 
entire piece was missing! She hoped he hadn’t hurt himself, 
and made a mental note to ask him about it later.
Alice, Christy, and Ruby Mae stood in the yard looking at the
 figures disappearing in the twilight. 
“This is my school” she whispered. “I deserve to see what’s 
happened.” And with that, she started after Neil and David.
“Miz Christy, come back!” But it was no use, Christy had made
 up her mind. Alice and Ruby Mae then followed in suit. 
As Christy reached the open doors, she let out a shriek. Her 
school! Her beautiful school!
Tables were overturned, some with the legs broken off. The 
books lay tattered on the floor. Christy’s mind flashed back 
to the horrible incident with Lundy and Birds-Eye in the 
first weeks she taught her. And this situation was too similar. 
She felt sick to her stomach and grabbed onto the door frame 
for support. Neil was instantly by her side.
“Lass, I told you to stay back.”
“I had to see this, Neil, you know that.” She regained her 
composure and slowly pushed past him. David lit the fire, 
and it cast eerie shadows that danced over the walls.
The room was a disaster. She walked over to her desk and bent
down to pick up a drawing Mountie had given her the previous
 day that now lay torn and trampled.
As Christy surveyed what remained of her beloved school, 
something caught her eye. There, stuck under one of the 
overturned desks, was a ripped off piece of white cloth. 

=======================

============ Chapter 7 ============ 

Summary: Christy turned David down again and Neil returns
home to find Margaret there. He tells her she can stay 
with him until they find her somewhere else to live, but 
she's gone by the next day. Lundy and Smith are still 
absent. Neil visits her at the school, but they're 
interrupted when someone throws a rock through the window. 
They clean it up, and Christy invites Neil to dinner as a 
thank you. Dinner is tense and David leaves hurriedly only
to come report the school has been vandalized. Then Christy
finds a piece of David's shirt under one of the desks...

Horrified, Christy bent over and picked up the piece of
fabric and studied it. It looked like the same material
torn from David's shirt. She didn't know what to
say. It didn't make sense, why would a piece of David's
shirt be in here?  

She stood up and brushed dirt off the
hem of her skirt. "David." He turned to face her as
she gingerly stepped over piles of books and made her ways
towards him. She held up the piece of fabric. "What's
this? And why was it under one of the desks?" Her glare
was accusing.  

Silence. Every eye in the room was now
on David.  "I was coming back from the bunkhouse when I
saw the door open, so I went to close it. But I saw one
of the outline of an overturned desk. So, I came in and
looked around. I bent down to turn a desk back over, and
on the way up, I ripped a whole in my shirt. That's
all." 

Christy narrowed her eyes at David. His excuse
seemed plausible, and she couldn't possibly believe David
would do something this mean.  She banished the thought
from her head and smiled. "I'm sorry David. I think
my nerves have gotten the best of me. I didn't mean to
accuse you." 

He shrugged in response. "It's fine."
He turned his back to her and went back to turning the
desks right side up.  Christy immediately felt bad for
accusing him so harshly. Of course he didn't do it. She
reproached herself for her tone.  "David,really. I'm
sorry. My nerves got the best of me." 

"I said it was
fine." Christy decided to let the matter drop and started
to gather the now shredded books. Tears came to her eyes
as she thought of the children. Twice now, they had had
to endure the loss of their prized possessions. They had
always been careful with the pages, making sure not to
turn them too quickly for fear of ripping them. Now their
efforts were for nothing.  A tiny sob escaped her chest
and Christy covered her face with her free hand. How would
she explain this to the children?  And who could have done
this? Her mind raced through possibilities, but seemed
to keep focusing on only one person: Lundy. As much as
she didn't want to admit that he could do something so
horrible, she knew in her heart that he was capable of
it, no matter how much progress he had made since coming
back to school.  

Little by little, the school started to
resemble a normal classroom. The books that were damaged
beyond use were set aside in a pile that they would use
at the Mission for kindling. She would hate to see her
precious books burn, but she knew they'd never be able
to use them again.  By the time they had to room ready
for school the next day, it was pitch black outside.

"Neil, it's much too late for thee to travel back to
thy cabin tonight. Stay here tonight, and thee can ride
back first thing in the morning. Thee can stay on the couch
if thee would like." 

Neil lifted his arms above his
head and stretched. "Sure, that sounds fine. I wasn't
much looking forward to heading back anyway. And this way,
you will have someone else to watch over the Mission. An
extra set of hands is always helpful in situations like
this." Wearily, the five trudged back to the Mission.

"Miz Christy, I's be scared. What if the people who
did that decide they'uns want ta come back agin?"

"Shh, it's alright Ruby Mae. I'm sure whoever did
this was just looking to scare us. They won't hurt
us, don't you worry. And besides, we have Reverend
Grantland and Dr. MacNeill who would protect us." 

"I
guess you's right." As they made their way back to
the Mission, exhaustion once again took over Christy. She
had forgotten her earlier weariness in the apprehension
of the schoolhouse. But now that that was mostly over,
the wave of tiredness once again threatened to knock her
over. Neil noticed her fatigue instantly.  "Christy, you
best get yourself ta bed. You've had a hard day, and
an even harder night. I want you washed up and in bed
in 15 minutes, you hear?" 

Christy tried to laugh, but
a yawn escaped instead. She smiled at him. "I guess I
can't argue with your orders." Ruby Mae and Alice
yawned then too. "Ya know what they say about yawns
bein catchin and all. I'm gonna turn in to. But I'm
gonna sleep with one eye open, jist ta be safe."

 "Ruby
Mae, thee can sleep in Miss Huddleston's room. There are
enough blankets, I'm sure we can make thee a comfortable
bed. Would thee feel safer there?" Ruby Mae nodded her
head enthusiastically. With that, they headed upstairs to
see what they could arrange.  

"I guess I'll head back
to my bunkhouse for the night. There's enough people
crammed into this house as it is." 

"David, why don't
you stay here? I'd hate to think of you in your bunkhouse
by yourself. I don't even like the idea of you walking
back to your bunkhouse now, let alone staying there."
She gestured towards the living room. "You could try to
sleep in that chair. It's not the most comfortable thing,
but it will suffice. Or if you want, you could just sleep
next to the fireplace. We could make you comfortable."

"Like you've ever cared about that." 

Christy was
stunned by his harsh words. "David, you know I care
about you and your well-being. I still consider you one
of my best friends." She stepped closer to him and
whispered to him. "I'm not ready to marry anyone
David, Neil included. I'm sorry you think I was trying
to spite you by saying no, but I wasn't. I'm just not
ready. Please, just stay here tonight. It'll make me
feel better." With a sigh David agreed. The three of
them set about arranging the living room for the added
guests. Christy placed one of the blankets on the couch
and then absently walked over to the window. Her eyes
were drawn to the direction of the school, even though
she couldn't make it out in the darkness. She didn't
hear Neil come up behind her.  

"Christy, can I talk to
you?" He glanced over his shoulder to see if David was
paying attention. Thankfully, he was too busy stoking the
fire to notice.  Christy nodded and Neil led her by the
elbow to the kitchen. He started to speak, but Christy put
a finger to her lips and motioned for Neil to come outside.
Once outside, Neil began.  "Christy, I know you think
Lundy did this. But I don't think he did." Christy
rubbed her hands up and down her arms to keep herself
warm. "Who..who do you think did it then? Smith?"
"No..I think it was David." 

============ Chapter 8 ============
Summary: Christy turned
David down again and Neil returns home to find Margaret
there. He tells her she can stay with him until they
find her somewhere else to live, but she's gone by the
next day. Lundy and Smith are still absent. Neil visits
her at the school, but they're interrupted when someone
throws a rock through the window. Dinner is tense that
night and David comes to report that the school has been
vandalized. Then Christy finds a piece of David's shirt
under one of the desks, but he presents a valid excuse
why it's there. Only Neil doesn't believe him...

 "What? Why? Why would
you think that?" 

"Well, first off, he doesn't have to
pass the school to come back to the Mission. So, how would
he notice that the doors were swinging open? Hmm? And
secondly, how would the piece of his shirt get under
the desk? If he had really caught it on the corner
like he said he did, it would have been on the top of
the desk, or on the floor, but it shouldn't be caught
under anything. For it to be under something means that
the desk had to be overturned after the piece was on the
floor." His jaw tensed and his voice rose a pitch as his
anger grew. He couldn't believe Grantland would stoop
so low as to destroy the schoolhouse to get back at her
for turning down his proposal. That's low, even for him.

"I don't think David could have done such a thing!"

"And why don't you? He had the time to. He got up from
dinner and left in quite a hurry, you didn't see him. And
besides that, I just don't trust him." 

Christy put her
hand on Neil's arm. "Neil, I know David isn't your
favorite person in the world, but I'm almost positive he
didn't do this. He doesn't have it in him. I believe
him. I'm sure there's a reason why he would be passing
the school, or how the cloth got caught the desk. He
wouldn't do this to me, I know he wouldn't..." Her
eyes began to fill with tears and she willed them away. She
didn't need to cry in front of Neil. And besides, she
had been crying enough in the past few days! Christy
step past him and stared into the night.  

"I'm sorry
Lass, I didn't mean to upset you. I probably let my
dislike for Grantland cloud my judgment. You're right,
he would never do this, especially not to you." He'd
be a fool to hurt you, Christy. No man who claims to
love you could ever do something to make you sad. He
should live for your smile.  Neil stepped up behind her
and put his hands on her shoulders, but she did not turn
around. "Christy, come on, it's cold out here, why
don't we go back inside. I'm sorry I said anything,
really. It was stupid of me." Christy nodded, and dropped
her head.  "Lass..." 

All of a sudden, Christy turned
and buried her head in Neil's chest. She didn't care
how inappropriate it was to embrace a married man in the
dark; she just needed to know someone cared about her.
Momentarily stunned, Neil quickly recovered and wrapped his
arms around her. She seemed so tiny, she seemed to just
fit right into the crook of his arms. They stayed there
for a long moment until Neil broke the silence, his words
thundering after the silence of the past minute.  "What
is this?" Neil gestured to his side.  "What?" Christy
looked where he was gesturing and found her fist tightly
wrapped around a now very wrinkled handful of his shirt.

"Oh," she blushed. "That's a comforting thing
I used to do all the time when I was little. Whenever I
was scared, or tired, or upset, I would take a handful of
something that meant a lot to me. More often than not, it
was my daddy's shirt. He used to pick me up to hug me
or to rock me to sleep, and I used to ˜gather' some
of his shirt and just hold onto it. That's what he used
to call it, ˜gathering." I don't even realize when
I do it anymore. But sometimes I find myself holding on
very tightly to something that I know would make me feel
better." She blushed again. "I can't remember the
last time I did that! Wow, I haven't even thought about
that in years." 

Neil smiled. "I guess I'm honored
then that you've chosen to well gather me." Christy
laughed. "Sorry about that." She tried in vain to
smooth out the wrinkles she had put in his shirt until
Neil took her hands to stop her.  "Leave them, I kind
of like the reminder." Christy blushed again. My, you
are blushing a lot tonight, Christy Huddleston! She felt
her face growing hot as she realized Neil still held her
hands. She brought her gaze up to meet his.  He gently
leaned over and kissed her forehead then nestled his head
against hers. "I love you, Christy Huddleston. You
know that, don't you?" he whispered in her ear.

She closed her eyes and smiled to herself, letting her
head rest against Neil's. Nothing else mattered at
that moment. How long she had wanted to hear those words,
even though she knew she shouldn't have been hearing them
now. She paused only a moment. "I know, Neil. And you
know I love you." They stood that way for what seemed
like a bittersweet eternity to Christy. Finally, she
looked up at him. "But there's something you might not
know. No matter what happens, you'll be tucked safely
away in my heart. And that is enough for me. Because real
loneliness is not being in love in vain, but not being
in love at all. I'm yours from this day on, Neil, come
what may." Now Neil's eyes glimmered with tears of
his own. How was he lucky enough to have such a remarkable
woman in his life? And how was it possible that she could
love him?  Neil looked down and realized that they were
still holding hands. He slowly raised one of her hands
and brought her palm to his lips. He kissed it tenderly
twice, then closed her hand again. His voice choked with
emotion, he said, "Save those for tonight, my love, so
I can almost kiss you goodnight." They smiled as they
looked into each other's eyes, completely oblivious to
David as he watched them through the window.

============ Chapter 9 ============ 

Summary: Christy turned David down again and Neil
returns home to find Margaret there. He tells her she
can stay with him until they find her somewhere else to
live, but she's gone by the next day. Lundy and Smith
are still absent. Neil visits her at the school, but
they're interrupted when someone throws a rock through
the window. Dinner is tense that night and David comes to
report that the school has been vandalized. Then Christy
finds a piece of David's shirt under one of the desks,
but he presents a valid excuse why it's there. Only Neil
doesn't believe him. Later that night, Neil professess
his love to Christy.

The next morning
Christy awoke with a smile on her face, recalling the
previous night. She sat up in bed and stretched as sunlight
poured through her window. It was sure to be a glorious
morning!  She hurriedly dressed and combed her hair, not
bothering to put it up. Flashing a smile in the mirror,
she tiptoed downstairs, unsure of who was awake yet. 

Miss Alice and Ruby Mae were seated at the table. Ruby Mae
started to say something, but Miss Alice but her hand
on the girl and gestured to the living room. There,
Neil was sleeping in the chair by the fireplace looking
rather uncomfortable.  He must have let David sleep on the
couch. That was thoughtful of him. However, she noticed
David was no longer there. All that remained on the couch
was the blanket they had given him the night before now
neatly folded.  

"Where did David go?" Christy whispered as she entered 
the kitchen.  

"He said he was heading to Lufty Branch to stop in on a 
few families." 

"But it's only Saturday. He's not needed there until 
tomorrow."

Miss Alice shrugged slightly. "Perhaps David needs to
answer the questions in his mind. Can I get thee coffee?"

Christy shook her head. "Do you think we should wake
him? I know I used to hate being the last one awake when I
was younger. I felt like everyone started their day without
me! On second thought, it's probably rare that he gets
any sleep, I should let him rest." 

With that, Christy set about making breakfast. Soon, a 
delicious smell was wafting through the house. As Christy 
was setting everything on the table, Neil stumbled 
sleepily into the kitchen.

"Smells wonderful, Miss Huddleston. Is that two meals
now in a row that have been edible??" 

Christy laughed and shook the pan at him. "You mock, 
Dr. MacNeill, but I dare say that you're just jealous 
of my cooking skills!" She raised her nose up in the air 
in an air of fake pretentiousness.  Neil laughed and sat 
down at the table next to Ruby Mae. "So, what delicacy 
have you cooked up for us this morning?" 

"Well..." Christy slid Neil's breakfast onto his plate. 
"Tada!" 

He looked at her and pointed to his plate. "What 
exactly is it?" 

"It's an egg in a nest! My father used to make
it for me all the time when I was a little girl. It's
just toast with a hole cut out and an egg in the middle,
but I used to love it. Makes "eggs and toast" a little
more fun, doesn't it?" She beamed.  

Neil's eyes twinkled and looked down at his plate; he 
loved how excited she got over little things. He cut 
himself a piece of his "egg in a nest" and put it in his 
mouth. It was an interesting way to make breakfast, he had 
to admit. 

After everyone had eaten, Ruby Mae offered to clear the
dishes. Christy and Miss Alice exchanged glances and then
hesitatingly handed over their plates. As she reached for
Neil's plate, the two in her hands wobbled furiously.

"Ruby Mae! Ruby Mae, Ruby Mae, here, let me help."
Christy reached for Neil's plate, but Neil snatched it
away before she could.  "I've got it Miss Huddleston"
and proceeded to follow Ruby Mae over to the washbasin.

Christy watched Neil's departing figure. Suddenly his
tender words from the night before came flooding back to
mind, and she found herself blushing.  "What was that
thought, Miss Huddleston? I saw a memory flash behind
your eyes." She looked at the young school teacher.
Flustered, Christy snapped back to the present. "It was
nothing, Miss Alice. Just remembering something someone
said to me once." She wasn't quite ready to tell her
about the developments with Neil. Although she trusted the
woman more than most people, she knew it could hurt her
to hear that her daughter's husband was in love with
someone else. Even though Alice had gotten fed up with
Margaret's antics and disowned her, deep down, Christy
knew she still held a place in her heart.  

Christy sat down at the table and chatted lightly with 
her mentor while Ruby Mae and Neil finished cleaning up 
the kitchen. Soon Neil walked into the room drying his 
hands on a dishtowel. "Well, I guess my work is done here. 
I want ta head over ta the Spencer's to check on Zady, so 
I best get a move on." 

"Ooh, Neil, could I go with you? I haven't seen Fairlight in 
what feels like forever!" 

"Of course, Miss Huddleston, it would be my pleasure."
Christy blushed as she hurried upstairs to gather her
things to put in her saddlebag.  Once outside, Neil and
Christy decided they would take separate horses. "I'll
ride to your cabin, then we'll ride to the Spencer's
together. That way, you won't have to double back to
come drop me off here, and I can just ride home from
your cabin." 

"Fine by me." Neil said as he hoisted
himself into his saddle. "Let's go boy." He gave
Charlie a gentle nudge to get him going. Christy followed
behind on Prince. She still wasn't comfortable with the
giant horse, but she wasn't willing to risk riding Theo
in the river again. One experience falling in was enough
for her.  They rode side by side in silence for much of
the journey. Neil reached over and held her hand as they
rode and they continued that way for a while. 

As Neil's cabin came into view and the path became 
narrower, Neil led Charlie to walk in front of Prince. 
"I'm just going to run into the cabin for a few things 
I'll need, and then we can be on our way. Do you want to
wait out here or come in with me?" 

"I'll come in. I'll stretch my legs before we head over to Fairlight's." 

"Stretch your legs? You've only been riding for 20 minutes!"
He laughed.  

"Fine, then maybe I won't come in with you!" Christy said in 
an indignant tone she didn't mean. Neil looked back over his 
shoulder and smiled at her. He loved her fire. No other woman had 
ever captivated him the way she did.  When they reached Neil's cabin, he
dismounted and then helped Christy down.  

As they headed up to Neil's porch, Christy suddenly felt Neil 
his arm out in front of her. She followed his gaze to see his front
door open. He put his finger to his lips to signal to her
that he wanted her to be quiet, then motioned for her to
stay where she was. She shook her head. There was no way
she could let Neil go in there by himself. She pulled
his head close to her ear so she could whisper directly
into his ear.  "I'll stay behind you, but there's
no way I'm letting you go in there alone." Knowing
this was no time to argue, he nodded. 

They made their way silently up his steps, holding their 
breath and freezing every time their footsteps made the tiniest
sound. When the only sound they could hear were their pounding
heartbeats, they continued. They finally made it to the
open door and peered in cautiously.  The room was a mess,
but there didn't seem to be anyone there. Neil stepped
into his cabin, making his way around the broken dishes
and torn medical books. The scene was very reminiscent
of the schoolhouse.  Christy again felt a wave of nausea
come over her as she surveyed the room. Who would want to
do this to them?  She tiptoed into the cabin behind Neil
and surveyed the damage. Her eyes came to rest on a knife
protruding from the wall that seemed to be holding a piece
of paper up. "Neil" she whispered, and gestured to
the knife. She slowly walked over to it. To her horror,
she saw the word "Teacher" was scrawled on the page with
the knife stabbed threateningly through it.

============ Chapter 10 ============ 

Summary: Since Neil was at the school late helping clean up
the mess, Christy offers to let him stay over. That night,
he confesses his love to her, but tells her he's content to
simply have her in his heart. Neither is aware that David
witnessed the whole thing. After a restlful night sleep,
Christy and Neil decide to head over to the Spencer's. On
the way, Neil stops to pick up some supplies...only to
find his cabin in shambles.

Later that day at
the Spencers' cabin, Christy and Fairlight sat on the
porch while Neil checked up on Zady. His examination was
taking longer than usual, but Christy knew he was probably
trying to giver her a little extra time with Fairlight. It
was so thoughtful of him.  

Fairlight looked over at
Christy who sat playing with her fingers. "Don't
be frettin so much Miz Christy." 

Christy was roused
from her thoughts. "What?" 

Fairlight smiled. "I
seen you thinkin about somethin. I seen that thought run
through yer mind. And besides, you's be playin with yer
hands. Only time I seen you wring yer hands like that is
when you's be nervous.  

Christy marveled at how well
her friend knew her. She hadn't even realized she was
fidgeting.  

Fairlight continued. "So who do you think
it could be?" 

"I can't really even say Fairlight. I
thought it might be Lundy or Smith. Neither has been in
school for several weeks, and they both have always had
a problem with us Mission folk. I don't know what I
have done as of late to upset them, but who knows. Neil,
however, thought it was David. I tried to convince him
that it couldn't be David, that David would never stoop
so low. I think Neil wants to believe me, but he still has
his doubts. I just don't want to think about David doing
such horrible things. My beautiful schoolhouse...which HE
helped build! I can't seem him doing something so mean
to me." 

"You did turn um down agin fer time number
2. That could be makin him prickly. I know it'd make me
pricklier than a wet hen! But I can't see David doin
somethin like that to ya neither. He ain't that kinda
guy. And he does think he's yer one and only. So I jest
can't see him doin somethin stupid enough ta vex ya."

"Then it has to be Lundy. It could be Smith, but he seems
to docile when Lundy isn't around. If Smith is involved,
I don't think it would be unless Lundy was with him. But
I just...I don't know. This is all so much to happen in
only a few days." Christy lowered her head and looked
at her hands. "It's just so hard Fairlight. I don't
want to have to always look over my shoulder or worry
about every little noise I hear. I..." Her words choked
in her throat and she looked away from Fairlight. "I
don't know what is wrong with me!" She brushed a tear
away from her face. But they started coming in a steady
stream and before she knew it, sobs were threatening to
overtake her.  Fairlight got up from her chair and went
over to place her arms around Christy. Christy threw her
arms around her friend as the sobs finally came out. 

After
a few minutes of steady crying, Christy finally caught
her breath, wiped her eyes, and sat up. Fairlight was
looking at her with concern.  "You're allowed ta be
upset, Miz Christy. It be a mean thing they done to ya. A
body ain't got no right bein so downright mean to another
human bein like that. And everything's just been building
up for ya. You've tried to be strong this whole time,
and sometimes ya just need to cry. It makes a body feel
better not to have so much all built up inside." 

Christy
nodded and sniffed a little. "I'm sorry Fairlight. I
didn't mean to come over here and lay all my problems
on you. I didn't plan this." 

"Miz Christy, no one
plans these things. Whens ya get sad, they have a way of
comin out whether we want them to or not. And ya know I'm
always here fer ya." 

"I know Fairlight, thank you."

Fairlight went and sat back down in her rocking chair. The
two sat silently staring into the beautiful afternoon. Neil
emerged some time later to give a progress report on Zady.

"Well, Fairlight, she's doing fine. She should be
all set to go to school on Monday, but if want ta keep
her out til Tuesday you could do that too, just ta give
her an extra day ta rest." 

"Knowin my Zady, there
ain't no keepin her a day longer than ya say. She'll
be the first one out on Monday, I betcha. Thank ya
Doc. We's be beholdin to ya." 

"I won't hear of
it Fairlight. Christy wanted ta come see you, so I said I
could check on Zady one last time. I could kill two birds
with one stone then." Fairlight smiled. 

Christy thanked
her and left to follow Neil to where Charlie was tied.
Once out of earshot, Neil spoke up. "You know it broke
my heart ta hear you crying back there. I can't be happy
if you're not." Christy half-heartedly smiled at him.
"Now come on now, let me see a real smile." 

Christy
couldn't muster much energy to appease him. "I'm
sorry Neil, my mind can't seem to get off of whoever
could have done these horrible things." Neil suddenly
brought Charlie to a halt and hopped off. He hastily
tied him to a tree and then motioned for Christy to come
down as well.  She dismounted and gazed questioningly at
him. "What's wrong?" 

Neil took her hand and led her
to a rock on the bank of the river. As they sat on and
looked at the stream, Neil picked up a handful of pebbles
by his feet and tossed them in, sending shimmering ripples
out in widening cascades.  They sat in silence for a few
moments with only the sound of the river between them.
"You're forgetting that I might be the target." Neil
began, as if he could read her thoughts. "Or the Mission
might be, or modernization. Anything. Don't be heapin the
blame all on yourself, telling yourself it's something
you did. It could be any one of a number of things. We
don't know anything for sure." 

"Something needs to
be done. I'm afraid what might happen next. First the
rock, then the school, then your cabin. I don't even
want to think what their next target might be. Heh, I say
"they" like I know who is doing this. But I don't
Neil. I don't know who's doing this. I really think
it's Smith and Lundy, but what if I'm wrong? Whoever is
doing these horrible things could be someone I would never
suspect." She shook her head slightly in frustration
and looked back out over the river.  After staring
out over the river for a few moments, she stood up
suddenly. "No. I'm not going to let this anger me or
make me suspicious of my friends. Whoever is doing that
wants me to doubt my friendships with the people in this
cove!" She was nearly shouting. "And if I go around
looking over my shoulder thinking everyone could be out to
get me than it will only drive me mad. And I refuse to let
it! This is as much my Cove as it is anyone else's! I'm
going to stay here and fight for everyone and everything
I love!" She threw her arms up in the air. "This is MY
COVE TOO!" Crows cawing and flying out of a nearby tree
told Christy perhaps she was being a little noisy. But she
didn't care. She would find whoever was doing this, no
matter what it took. But in the mean time, she was here
to stay.  

"My mother always said I had a commanding
voice," she said jovially, the previous sullen moments
seemingly washed from her spirit. "Come on Neil, I
should be getting home." 

Neil threw down the blades
of grass he had been playing with. A smile crept onto
his face as he followed Christy, who was nearly skipping
back to Charlie. I'll never understand women. One minute
they're crying, the next they're skipping. Good grief.

He and Christy made pleasant conversation as they rode
the rest of the way back to Neil's cabin. He could tell
her spirits were beginning to sag again as they neared
his ruined cabin, but she seemed to be forcing herself
to stay positive.  When they reached Prince, Neil helped
Christy down. She started to walk to her horse but stopped
after only a few steps. "You make my heart happy Neil"
she said, her back still towards him.  She mounted Prince
in one swift motion and nudged him over to where Neil
was. She impulsively leaned over and kissed the top of
Neil's head, and then galloped quickly away leaving
Neil to stare after her.  

As she rode away, she giggled
to herself. You're so strange Christy Huddleston! What
was that?? You kissed him on the top of his head? Who
does that??  

Behind her, Neil was just as confused. He
touched the top of his head with his hand as if to feel
where she had kissed him. She is a strange one! he thought
as he tied Charlie up. "Don't you think so boy? Have
you ever seen something like that?" Neil clomped up
his steps still trying to figure out what had been going
through Christy's mind. She had been up and down today,
that was for sure. But at least the day ended on a high
note. He got to see her smile as she rode off.  

As Neil
dropped his saddlebags by the front door, he surveyed the
mess once again. Whoever it was had sure done a number on
his cabin. He bent down to pick up some fragments of bowl
that lay near his table.  Suddenly he heard the door slam
shut, and whirled around at the sound. Out of the corner
of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a figure just before
his world went black.

==================== Chapter 11 ====================

Summary: After a restlful night sleep, Christy and Neil
decide to head over to the Spencer's. On the way, Neil
stops to pick up some supplies...only to find his cabin
in shambles. Later, at the Spencers', Fairlight comforts
Christy as she struggles with everything that has happened
recently. When they leave, Neil brings Christy to the
river where they have a heart-to-heart. She decides
not to let whoever it is run her life, that she belongs
there too! With a newfound happiness, she heads back to
the Mission...unaware the intruder has attacked Neil.


Christy rode back to the Mission happily, still smiling
over her foolish antics with Neil. Really now, the tope
of the head? You're not his grandmother! She laughed
a little, and then began to hum. It was a jolly tune she
had heard a few of the girls singing yesterday afternoon
on the playground. She wasn't sure of the name of it, or
the words, and whenever she came to a part she couldn't
remember, she simply stumbled through until she came to
the chorus again. But she was having a glorious time all
by herself, enjoying the song and the serenity around her.

All of a sudden she brought Prince to a halt. "Shoot"
she muttered to herself. "I bet I left my..." her
sentence trailed off as she reached over and searched
through her saddlebag. Sure enough, she was missing her
sketchbook. She had taken it out of her bag outside of
Neil's cabin, intending to show him the sketch of Look
Rock she had done the previous day. In the chaos of his
cabin, she must have absent-mindedly left it on the table.
She looked back over her shoulder as she considered her
options. Should she go back and get the book now? The
setting sun told her it would be dinnertime by the time
she made it home to the Mission as it was. Adding on
the time it would take to go back to Neil's, she would
surely miss dinner. Her mind made up, she gave Prince a
little kick to send him on his way again. I'll see Neil
soon enough. He's coming Monday for a science lesson
anyway. But wait, he might not know I left it there...
Hmmm...maybe I'll head back to his cabin with him Monday
after school. 

Satisfied with her plan, she picked up the
tune where she had left off, merrily humming along... As
she neared the cabin, she became aware of two figures near
the garden. Christy could distinguish the figure of Miss
Alice, bent low and pulling the weeds from between the
plants, but wasn't quite sure who the other was. She
slowed Prince to a quiet trot as she approached. All of
a sudden, she recognized the other figure. Lundy! He was
carrying what looked like a long plank over his shoulder
and was walking stealthily towards an unsuspecting
Alice. He raised the wood off his shoulder and was about
to hit her when Christy called out.  "No!! Miss Alice,
watch out!" Christy screamed out and charged towards
the pair. Startled, Miss Alice stood up quickly and Lundy
whirled around fast enough to drop the wood.  Christy
hurriedly dismounted Prince and went to stand by Miss
Alice's side. She wasn't a physical threat to Lundy,
and she knew that, but at least with her there, he would
think twice about hurting either of them.  She prepared
herself for a verbal tirade from Lundy. Instead, Miss
Alice was the one who spoke up. "Christy, what is
wrong with thee? What is thee shouting about?" 

"I
saw...I saw Lundy...and I thought that...and you didn't
know...and....what?" Why was she not surprised to see
Lundy there? And why did he not run away now that she had
exposed him?  

"Thee is not making any sense. What did
thee think was going to happen?" 

"I didn't know if
you knew Lundy was behind you..." 

"Of course I did
child, I was the one who told him to help me mend the
fence in the vegetable garden." Realization suddenly
dawned on her. Miss Alice hadn't been in any danger;
she had known Lundy was there the whole time. She had put
him to work! But why...?  "I don't understand. Why
is Lundy..." she turned to face the big, red-faced boy,
"why are you helping the Mission?" 

Lundy looked down
at his feet. "Well, gosh, I just felt kinda bad about
somethin, and I come and told Miss Alice about it. And
she told me to help out so that I didn't feel bad no
more." Still confused, Christy looked to Miss Alice for
an explanation. "Lundy was the one who broke the window
of your schoolhouse, Miss Huddleston. He felt badly about
it, even though it was an accident, so he came here to
offer his help. I think it was a very brave thing he did,
owning up to it like that." Christy looked in disbelief
at Lundy, who was kicking around dirt with the toe of
his shoe, and then looked questioning at Miss Alice.
"Lundy here offered to help me patch up the garden
fence. I could have done it I suppose, but it is nice
having an extra pair of hands around." She smiled
at Lundy.  

"Ya see, I was trying ta git me a squirrel
fer dinner and all, and I guess I jist don't know ma own
strength." He smiled feebly. "I'm awfully sorry Miz
Christy. I didn't mean ya no harm. Honest. Ya ain't
mad, is ya?" 

"No Lundy, I'm not mad. You did the
right thing telling us what you did. And you're sure
you aren't feeling badly about something else too?"

"No Miz Christy. It were just that." She nodded. So, if
Lundy isn't responsible for the schoolhouse and Neil's
cabin, who could it be? Her thoughts turned once again
to David and her heart sank. Lundy seemed sincere enough
that she believed he was the one who broke the window,
but that he didn't destroy the school and the cabin.

"Uh, Lundy, since thee has helped me more than enough to
make up for the window, won't thee join us for dinner?"

"Oh, no thank ya. My pa don't know I'm here, and I
best be gettin back before he be realizin I'm gone. He
ain't really too fond of the Mission. But..but it were
mighty nice of ya ta offer!" He grabbed his hat that had
been hanging on a nearby fence post and was gone before
Christy or Alice could say another word.  Christy watched
Lundy's awkward figure scramble through the trees, and
then looked back to Miss Alice. "It certainly has been
an odd day...!" Her voice grew serious. "Miss Alice,
someone completely ruined Neil's cabin. Things were
broken, everything was on the floor...it was a mess. I
thought whoever wrecked my schoolhouse might have wrecked
Neil's cabin... but I thought Lundy was responsible
for both. But now...I don't believe he did. So now I
don't know what to believe." 

"Does thee have any
idea who else it might be?" 

Even though her head screamed
David! at her, she silently shook her head no.

====================

==================== Chapter 12 ==================== 
Last
Chapter Synopsis: When Christy arrives back at the Mission,
she learns that Lundy was the one who threw the rock trough
the window of the schoolhouse accidentally. He felt guilty
for the incident, so he offered to help Miss Alice patch
the garden fence. But when Christy asks if he did anything
else, he vehemently says no. Christy disappointedly
realizes it must be David then...  
====================

That night at dinner, Christy did her best to hide her
suspicion of David. She had expected him to still be in
Lufty Branch, but there he was, sitting at the kitchen
table when she and Miss Alice had walked in. She knew
she shouldn't suspect him, but it just made sense. She
had turned him down when he proposed, again. That was
sure to make him made. Then, he had "gone back to his
bunkhouse" right when the school was being destroyed. To
top it off, he had gone to Lufty Branch a day early,
giving him easy access to Neil's cabin. Although Lundy
admitted to having thrown the rock, that didn't make her
doubt David any less. She could barely believe he could be
capable of doing such ghastly things. She didn't want to
believe it... 

As everyone began to finish dinner, Christy
noticed David began to fidget in his seat and seemed more
nervous than usual. After a few minutes, he stood up rather
quickly, almost knocking his chair over. "Christy, could
I talk to you for a minute? Outside?" "Of course
David." They headed outside and were greeted by the
spring air that had not quite warmed yet. Just like when
she had been talking to Neil, Christy ran her hands up
and down her arms to ward off the chill that threatened
to set in.  

"Christy," David started. He stepped
towards her and awkwardly took her hand. Her mind raced
as she thought of a way to pull away, but then thought
better of it. She let her hand rest in his knowing that
pulling away would only hurt him more.  "Christy, I
just wanted to apologize. I've been very rude to you
lately. I was so hurt that you rejected my proposal,
that I let my emotions get the best of me." He lowered
his head. "I'm sorry Christy, I never meant to hurt
you." 

Sympathy welled in her, and she smiled softly at
him. She reached up and lightly touched his face. All her
suspicions seemed ridiculous now. She knew he would never
hurt her. "David, I need to tell you something. I know it
was a stupid and mean thing to think, but I thought maybe
you were the one who destroyed the school. After finding
the piece of your shirt in there...and then you leaving
early for Lufty Branch...I just let my imagination run
away with me. I'm sorry." 

"I'm confused, how does
my leaving a day early for Lufty Branch make you think
I wrecked the school?" 

"No, not the school. Neil's
cabin was destroyed today, and I just didn't know why
you would be going to Lufty Branch a day early...so I
thought maybe you were responsible, and just used Lufty
Branch as an excuse." She could see the anger flaring in
his eyes as she spoke. "But when I thought about it,"
she added hastily, "I knew you would never hurt me like
that, you couldn't. I trust you, and I knew in my heart
you would never do something to hurtful." 

"That still
hurts me that you would even think I could be capable of
such horrible things." 

"But I knew in my heart you
couldn't be! You know me, my thoughts get the best of me
sometimes, and I think too much for my own good. I'm
sorry, David. It was a foolish thing to think. But
I just thought I should be honest with you." 

"I
guess I should thank you for that, as much as I didn't
want to hear what you said. I want you to know that you
can always come to me, always. No matter what happens
between us, we're friends first and foremost." Still
holding on to her hand, he pulled her slightly towards
him. Before she could react, he lowered his head to hers
and kissed her.  Fleetingly swept up in the moment, it
took Christy a second to break away. "David..." she
put her hand on his chest, as if the action would stop any
further attempts to kiss her.  

"I'm sorry Christy,
I just love you so much. I know you're the one I'm
supposed to be with, I can feel it in my heart. I know
you are confused by whatever it is you think you feel
for MacNeill, but that's not real. This is real." He
motioned back and forth between them. "This is solid
and reliable and true. Can't you feel that? Because
I can." He stepped toward her to kiss her again.

"David, no. Please. This is neither the time nor the
place for that. And please leave Neil out of this. It's
not fair to talk about someone who's not here to defend
themselves." 

"Fine. But know this. I love you Christy
Huddleston, I love you with all of my heart. We're meant
to be together, I know that, I can feel it. You don't
love MacNeill." He held up his hand as she started to
protest. "You don't. How could you? He's not good
for you Christy. But I am. And we're good for each
other. Just think about that. You don't have to say
anything. I just want you to think about that, about how
good we are for each other. How we make sense for each
other. All right? Just think about that." With that, he
gave her a quick kiss, and took off towards his bunkhouse.

Christy walked back into the Mission, closed the door
behind her, and then leaned against it. Thankfully, it
appeared that everyone was occupied with other things,
so no one was there to interrupt her as she headed up to
her room. Her mind was spinning! She didn't love David,
at least in that way...at least she didn't think. What
he said made so much sense! She thought she knew what
she felt for both men, but now David's words rung in
her head.  Perhaps she was mistaking her feelings for
Neil for love. David did seem like the wiser choice for a
husband, after all. And what if what she felt for Neil was
simply a girlish crush that would fade with time? Would he
really be able to provide a home for her, for their future
family? She wasn't so sure now. She thought she loved
him, but what if David was right. David was so steady and
sure, and he was older. He seemed completely certain that
they were meant to be together. Was he seeing something
Christy didn't? She didn't know anymore.  

She slowly
climbed the steps to her bedroom. Once there, she began
to methodically get ready for bed. She went through each
action perfectly without even realizing she was doing
them; her mind was too consumed with thoughts of David and
Neil spinning around and around.  After changing into her
nightgown, she began to take the pins out of her hair one
by one. Soon, her long hair was falling in waves down her
back. Usually she brushed her hair before she went to bed,
but she had too much on her mind tonight. She crawled under
the covers and turned off the lamp on her side table. As
she lay in bed, she closed her eyes and tried to quiet
the thoughts that threatened to spin right out of her
head. She had woken up that morning sure of her love for
Neil and excited about her future with him. Now nothing
was certain...

==================== Chapter 13 ====================
Last
Chapter Synopsis: David and Christy have a heart-to-heart
in which he explains how perfect they are for each
other. He tells her that what she feels for MacNeill
isn't real, but that what they share is. Later that
night, his words ring in her head, and she questions
what she feels for Neil. Perhaps it is just a crush...

==================== 

Christy's aching muscles the next
morning painfully reminded her she hadn't slept well
the night before. Sliding out from under the covers to sit
on the edge of the bed, Christy rubbed her sore shoulders
and neck. This should make sitting through service easier,
she moaned inwardly. She had tossed and turned all night,
something extremely rare for her, usually she fell right
asleep. Christy stood up and stretched, hoping to loosen
some of her tight muscles. 

After dressing in one of her
favorite Sunday dresses, she headed downstairs. Even though
she hadn't slept very much the night before, she still
somehow managed to get a late start. Quickly drinking
a glass of white, creamy milk, she headed out the door
to church.  

Most of the families were seated by the time
Christy walked in the Church doors. She quietly walked
over and seated herself next to Miss Alice who seemed
deep in thought. As David began the service, Christy's
mind, too, wandered miles away. The questions from the
previous night still hung in her mind, and the doubts that
David had mentioned still brought an uneasy ache to her
heart. Christy only came back to the present when she felt
her elbow tugged up by Miss Alice; everyone else had stood
and was beginning a hymn. Christy scrambled to her feet
and joined in, doing her best to avoid David's gaze.

As the service ended and the families filed outside,
David caught Christy's arm on her way out. "So what
did you think of my sermon today?" He winked at her, as
her cheeks grew hot.  "I...thought it was...well-put,"
she stammered out. She wasn't sure if he was teasing her
because there was something in the sermon he had written
for her, or because she hadn't been paying attention to
it. Either way, she decided to change the subject. "Do
you need anything at Neil's...er...Dr. MacNeill's? I
have to head over there because I forgot my sketchbook."

David's eyes momentarily clouded over, but then cleared
just as quickly. "No, I'm fine. Do you want me to
come with you though? I have nothing to do this afternoon,
and maybe on the way there we could stop for a picnic or
something. It might be a nice change for us. We haven't
really spent much time together recently." 

"That's
all right David, I'm just heading over there really
quickly. I know Dr. MacNeill had house calls to make
today anyway. I just want to grab my sketchbook and head
back so I can work on my lesson plans for the rest of the
week. I usually have them done a week ahead of time, but
I've just had a lot on my mind these past few days."
She smiled up at him. "But how about we have lunch
before I leave? I didn't eat breakfast before I came
over, and I am a little hungry." 

David's face lit
up at the suggestion.  "I would be honored to share a
meal with you." He held out his arm to her and she took
it willingly.  Christy was thankful that no one was left
in the churchyard because she didn't want any rumors
spreading. She had had her fill of them, especially after
the John Spencer incident. Not that there would probably
be any rumors with David...most people think we're going
to get married eventually anyway. She had to admit to
herself, though, that the person she didn't want rumors
spreading to was Neil.  

As they headed back to the Mission,
they chatted lightly about this subject and that. Christy
tried to steer away from Neil and keep the conversation
on a more upbeat note. She mentioned some of her plans
for the end of the school year and talked merrily about
possibly traveling to Ashville soon to visit her parents.

When they got back to the Mission, Christy started to
look around for something to make for lunch. David came
up behind her and gently captured her waist. "You let
me take care of that. If I can't take you out to a fine
meal in a fancy restaurant, the least I can do is cook
for you." 

"Alright David Grantland, let me see what
you have up your sleeves! I'll go in the living room,
and you come get me when lunch is ready. I won't peek,
promise." David shooed her into the living room and then
proceeded to make the best lunch he could. It had seemed
like a good idea at the time, to offer to make Christy
lunch, but in his haste to be romantic he had forgotten
that he really knew how to make very few things. As he
fumbled around the kitchen, Christy sat in the living
room wondering what she was in store for.  After a half
hour or so, David came to get her, sporting an embarrassed
grin. When they entered the kitchen, Christy saw David had
done little more than make sandwiches. He sheepishly looked
from the plate to Christy. "Guess I'm not the master
chef I thought I was..." 

Christy laughed and sat down at
the table. "This is perfect David, really. I need to be
getting to Neil's soon anyway so that I can get home at
a decent hour. I didn't sleep well at all last night, so
I'm hoping I can catch a few extra hours tonight." As
soon as she said it, she realized her mistake. She hoped
David wouldn't connect her lack of sleep to their talk
the previous night. Fortunately, he seemed not to notice.

The conversation flowed easily between them as they
finished up their sandwiches. Christy touched his arm
lightly. "You're right David, we hadn't really talked
in a while. This was really nice." 

"I'm glad you
enjoyed it. We'll have to do it again soon." 

"I'd
like that. But right now I should go get my sketchbook
back. Would you mind cleaning up for me? I know you
slaved over a hot stove to make this lunch, but I really
should get going." He jokingly swatted at her with his
hand. "You best get moving fast now, after that!"

Christy laughed. "Thanks David. Lunch was great. And the
company wasn't bad either." She bent over, gave him
a quick kiss on the cheek, and then headed out the door.
As she rode to Neil's, her mind kept circling around
the mess she found herself in with David and Neil. One
minute she would think one thing, and then the next she'd
change her mind. I guess it's good I'm going to see
Neil today. Maybe actually seeing him will tell me one
way or the other who I want to be with. There her train of
thought suddenly stopped. You can't be with Neil...you
seem to have forgotten that. That thought lay heavy in
Christy's mind. Here she had been thinking she had a
choice between two men. But in actuality, there was only
one man she could be with. Maybe it's for the best...
she thought. Maybe this is God's way of telling me that
David really is the one for me.  

Soon Neil's cabin came
into sight. As much as she wanted to stay and talk to him
about what had happened with David, she knew she should
get back to finish her lesson plans. Well, maybe I could
stay for a little while. It would really be nice to be
able to talk things over with him...because I just think
I'm too tangled up in this to make sense of anything by
myself right now.  She pulled Prince up to Neil's porch
and hopped off, then carefully tied him to one of the
posts. Her mind whirled as she thought up how she wanted
to broach the subject of David with him. It was an already
touchy subject, considering what had happened with the
schoolhouse and Neil's cabin, but Christy felt he had a
right to know.  She walked up the stairs to Neil's door
and knocked, but there was no answer. Waiting for a few
seconds, she knocked again, thinking maybe he was in his
laboratory. When there was still no answer, Christy weighed
her options; come back another day or go in and take the
book now. She decided to go in and grab the sketchbook off
the table, even though she felt rude going into Neil's
cabin without permission. She was there already, and surely
Neil wouldn't begrudge her wanting her sketchbook back.

Cautiously opening the door a crack, she called his name,
but was greeted only by silence. Stepping into his cabin,
she spied the sketchbook on the table. But before she
could make her way over to the table, something caught
her eye. There, lying in a crumpled heap on the floor,
was Neil's lifeless body.

==================== Chapter 14 ====================
Last Chapter Synopsis: Christy and David share a
fun lunch together and then she heads off to Neil's
to pick up her sketchbook and come back. On the way
there, she thinks over the love triangle she has found
herself in. When she gets to Neil's, she walks into his
cabin only to find him lying lifelessly on the floor...
==================== 

Christy rushed over to Neil's still
body. There was blood caked on the floor, and Neil's
unruly curls were now a sickening shade of red as they lay
matted to his head.  

"Neil!" 

No response. 

"Oh Neil,no..." 

Instinctively, she put her ear down beside by his
mouth. She sighed and sat back up; at least he was still
breathing.  Christy ran her hands over his body to see if
there were any other injuries besides the nasty gash on the
back of his head. She wasn't exactly sure what she was
looking for, or how to even look really, she had only seen
Neil do this same thing on a few patients. Thankfully, he
didn't appear to be hurt anywhere else, but what worried
Christy is that he lay motionless the entire time she
checked him over. He didn't make a sound or wince once.

She did her best to calm herself down. Everything fiber of
her being was telling her to panic, but she knew she would
be no good to him if she was a wreck. She spoke out loud
to herself hoping her voice would break the eerie silence
of the cabin. "Ok, Christy, think think. What would
Neil do?" 

She spotted a rag hanging over the edge of a
blue washbasin. She grabbed it so quickly that it wobbled
dangerously on its edge. As she stilled it with her hand,
she dipped the rag into the water sloshing around in it.
Holding her hand under the rag so she didn't drip all
over the floor, she rushed to Neil's side. As gently
as she could, she wiped some of the blood that had left
streaks on his face. "Neil, please be Ok. Please."
She had no idea how long he had been like this or what
had happened to him. Nothing seemed to be missing, so
she doubted it was a robbery. Did he trip? She looked
around for anything he might have fallen over, but found
nothing. His floor was cluttered with mess from the day
before, but it was nothing Neil wouldn't have seen
when walking. Unless... 

Christy sat back on her heels in
realization and fear. Whoever had ruined this cabin had
come back and had attacked Neil. Her eyes slowly scanned
the room, frighteningly conscious of every movement
or sound she heard. After scarcely breathing for what
seemed like forever, the only sound she heard was the
pounding of her own heart. Whoever it was must have left.

"Neil, please wake up" she whispered urgently to
him. "You need to wake up, we have to get out of here."
Neil still didn't stir. "Oh Neil..." Tears came to
her eyes as she looked down at the unmoving form next to
her. She gently picked his head up and rested it in her
lap, but was careful not to move him too much. Noticing
that the wet rag was now a sickening shade of red, she
tossed it aside in frustration.  As she tried to brush
the blood-matted curls out of Neil's eyes, her mind
raced. She already knew it wasn't Lundy or David,
so who else could do such a heinous thing? She doubted
anyone in the Cove hated Neil enough to do something like
this. It was horrible enough that they had destroyed his
cabin, but to come back and attack him? It didn't make
sense. And how did all this tie to the school? All she had
was questions, and no answers.  

-----------------------
Later that evening, Christy was standing by Neil's stove
cooking dinner. She had tried to clean up his cabin as best
she could. The less he had to deal with when he awoke the
better. If he wakes up, she reminded herself. She wasn't
a doctor. She had no way of knowing how massive the damage
was, or what could be done to help him pull through. All
she could do was wait. The thought was too sobering.

Christy absently stirred the beans she was cooking. She
couldn't leave Neil here by himself; so going for help
was out of the question. It could be days before someone
happened upon his cabin, and by then, it could be too late.
David! Suddenly Christy realized she had told David where
she was going. Perhaps he would get worried when she
didn't return as soon as promised and would come looking
for her. Or if he didn't come tonight, surely he would
come tomorrow when she didn't come to school. He would
get worried and come for her. He had to...he just had to.

She finished cooking dinner and sat down at the table to
eat. Every few minutes she kept glancing over her shoulder
at Neil to make sure he was all right. She knew he needed
to eat too, but she didn't know how to feed him in the
state he was in. After finishing supper, she rinsed and
dried the plate, and then put it back in his cabinet. Never
had she felt so alone or helpless in her life.  Sighing,
she pulled one of Neil's kitchen chairs over beside him
and laid it down on its side. She sat down with her back
against the legs and tried to make herself comfortable, to
no avail. Instead, she stood up and headed up to Neil's
bedroom. She grabbed a pillow off of Neil's bed and
was about to head back downstairs when she caught her
reflection in the mirror. Her hair was disheveled and there
was a ghastly streak of blood on her cheek. Dipping her
hand into the washbasin by Neil's bed, she did her best
to wash her face. When the blood didn't come off right
away, Christy began scrubbing her face fervently. Her whole
face soon became red with irritation, but the hideous mark
would not come off completely. Becoming increasingly upset,
she scrubbed her face raw trying to erase the reminder
of Neil's attack.  Soon tears were pouring down her
face and sat down brokenly on Neil's bed. This was all
too much for her to handle. She was just one person, how
could she deal with all this in the span of only a few
days? And how could she just sit by and let the man she
loved slip away from her? She covered her face with her
hands, but winced when she touched her cheek, which only
made her cry harder. She was helpless here and there was
nothing she could do about it. Sobs wracked her chest
and she threw herself down onto Neil's bed. She was
used to being someone who could handle anything. She was
a fighter and never let anything crush her spirit. But
whoever was doing this was winning. They were taking away
from her everything she cared about, everything she and
Neil cared about.  

Soon the sobs began to subside and she
sat up again. She wiped her face and eyes and struggled to
return her breathing to normal. Standing up again firmly,
she clutched the pillow to her chest and headed bravely
back downstairs. It was going to be a long night. She
wanted to stay up all night, to keep watch over Neil and
to make sure whoever it was didn't come back and do any
more damage. But knowing how little sleep she got the night
before, she knew it would be almost impossible for her to
stay awake.  Settling the pillow against the chair, she
again sat back against it. It wasn't the most comfortable
thing, even with the pillow, but it would do. She gently
lifted Neil's head and placed it in her lap, and lovingly
traced the outline of his face with her finger.  Wait...the
man I love? Her thoughts of previous moments came back to
her. She had said that, hadn't she? Her mother had always
said 'it's when you're thinking least that you think
the best', but she had never believed her.  Looking down
at him, she knew she had loved him all along. I guess
there's nothing to be confused about after all. I love
Neil. Her conversation with David last night had made her
question her feelings, it was true, but only because what
he had said made sense. Her heart hadn't led her astray,
her head had. I never thought I'd utter that phrase "my
mother was right." What is this world coming to?? She
smiled slightly to herself.  Taking a deep breath, she
readied herself for the long night ahead. Settling herself
further down into Neil's pillow, she caught a whiff of
tobacco and lye soap. She did love him, so much, and she
couldn't imagine her life without him.

==================== Chapter 15 ==================== 
Last
Chapter Synopsis: Christy realizes whoever ruined Neil's
cabin had come back to attack Neil.  Even though she knew
she and Neil had to get out of there, she couldn't go for
help because she couldn't leave him alone.  So she settled
down for the night with his head in her lap to make sure
they stayed safe.  As she sat there, she realized that
David's words rang true only because they made sense.
She could convince her head that she should be with him,
but she couldn't convince her heart.  Neil was her love.
====================

Christy opened her eyes the next morning and was seized by
a momentary panic.  Where was she?  She didn't recognize
anything…  And ow!  Something was digging into her back.
Looking behind her, she saw the overturned chair she
had used to sleep on the night before.  All of a sudden
everything came rushing back to her.  Neil was…and she had…



She looked down in her lap but was frightened to find
it empty.  Neil!   Her eyes frantically searched the room
for him.  She spotted him sitting at the table and breathed
an immense sigh of relief.



"Neil! Oh Neil…"



Startled by her voice, he started to quickly turn towards
her when he suddenly shut his eyes and put his head in
his hands.



"What's wrong, what's wrong?" she asked as she rushed to
his side.



One hand still on his head, he slowly turned to look at
her through half-closed eyes.  "Ow."



"Oh my poor Neil" she knelt beside him and gently touched
his arm.  "I'm sorry you're in so much pain, but I'm so
glad you're awake."  She smiled gently at him.  "Is there
anything I could do?  Could I get you something for
the pain?"



"No, I don't want to take anything yet, I want to give
the concussion a chance to wear off, so to speak, before
I take anything.  How long was I out?"



"I don't know, I came yesterday afternoon to find you
laying on the floor.  I was so scared that whoever did it
would come back and harm us again, but no one ever showed.
So, I stayed here last night to make sure you were safe.
I couldn't go for help because I was afraid to leave
you alone.  I…I didn't want whoever did it to come back."



"Oh yes, speaking of that, do you know who it was?  Did you
see anyone?"



"No, no one.  The cabin was empty when I got here.
But Neil…" She paused, wondering if she should share with
him what David had said.  Does it even matter now if you
tell him?  You're already sure where your heart lies.



He could read the worry in her face.  Forgetting his pain,
he swung his legs out from under the table to bring himself
face to face with her.  "What wrong Lass, tell me."



"Nothing is wrong now, I guess.  I just…  I mean, last
night…  Well David…" She fumbled over the words as she
tried to phrase her thoughts just right.



"What?  What happened?  Did David hurt you?  What did he
do to you?"



She looked up at his rugged face and saw concern and
anger flicker behind his eyes.  Even such a tiny gesture
showed her how much she loved him.  She smiled slightly
and continued.  "No no, David didn't hurt me.  That's the
thing.  We had a long conversation last night, I mean, two
nights ago, and I realized that he never would hurt me.
He wasn't the one who did all these things."   She took a
deep breath before going on.  "And he said a lot of things
that made me question my feelings for both of you.  He said
that he and I were good for each other, that we made sense
together.  And he's right, we do make sense together."



"Oh."



"But when I came here last night," she hastily continued,
"I realized that my feelings for him were just that,
logical.  I didn't care for him the way I care for you.
I couldn't see myself growing old with him or loving
him forever.  Not like I can with you."



Neil's heart leapt at her words.  A smile pricked the
corners of his mouth but then quickly faded.  "And you
know how I feel about you Christy.  I never knew I could
love someone the way I love you."



Christy cocked her head slightly in confusion.  "Then why
the serious face?"



"Because that's what brought us here in the first place.
That's why all this has happened."  Christy gave him a
puzzled look.  "Margaret did this."



Suddenly everything made sense.  The schoolhouse, Neil's
cabin, Neil…  the pieces finally fell into place.  How had
she not seen that before?   She had thought of David but
not Margaret?  She couldn't believe her stupidity.



"You know, you're right.  I don't know how I didn't think
of it before."



"I was thinking about it this morning when you were still
sleeping and for some reason I just knew it was her.
We were the only two targets.  The only things ruined
were things that meant a lot to us.  And I just knew in
the bottom of my soul that she was behind it."



"But what I don't understand is why.  What have we done
that was so bad that she would do this to us?"



"My guess is she figured out my feelings for you when I
chased you to the schoolhouse.  Margaret has always been
more astute than I've given her credit for…  Not that she'd
have to be very astute to figure that part out."  He cast
a half smile in her direction.  "She must hate you, hate
both of us, for ruining the life she now thinks she wants.
She abandoned this life years ago because she wanted to
live out an adventure.  When she realized that adventure
had left her cold, hungry, and alone, she wanted to come
back and act as if nothing had changed.  But it had.
You had come."



"And she thinks I stole her life?"



"Well, in a way you did.  You became like a daughter
to Alice, and the two of you formed the relationship
Margaret never had.  You also learned to love this Cove.
Margaret never learned how to do that.  But I guess what
angered her the most was that I had come to love you.
And I love you in a way that I had never loved her.
And she knew all this.  You were the person she had always
wanted to be but didn't have the strength to be.  When she
came back this last time hoping to pick up her life where
she left off, she saw that you had the life she wanted.
It wasn't your fault, of course.  Margaret was too spoiled
and too selfish to have ever lived that life, even if
she thought she wanted it.  She was mad at you because
you could be happy here when she couldn't.  You were able
to make a life here, and she wasn't.  And for that, she
hates you.  But you have to understand that the life she
thought she wanted wasn't the life she would have had.
She never would have been happy here because all she
thought about was herself."


"Oh Mac, you always did know how to flatter me…"

==================== Chapter 16 ==================== 
Last
Chapter Synopsis: Christy awakes to find Neil awake, but
in pain from the head injury.  She tells him about her
conversation with David the previous night, but that her
heart lies with him.  He tells her he's figured out who
has been doing everything.  As he's elaborating on his
theory of why Margaret is behind everything, she steps
through the front door...  ====================

"What, no rousing ‘welcome home' for me?  I'm insulted
Mac."



Neil and Christy could only stare at the figure in the
doorway.



"Oh, don't look so surprised.  I knew it was only a matter
of time before you figured it out.  Although to be honest,
I thought you would have figured it out way before this."
She shrugged.  "Oh well, doesn't make a difference to me.
I'm not on a certain schedule."



Margaret looked at Christy, still crouched down next to
Neil.  "What's the matter teacher?  Cat got your tongue?"



"No…I…I'm just surprised to see you here.  I thought you
were going to Atlanta."



"Well, I was, but things change.  I thought to myself,
‘what could be more fun than getting even with Mac and
the Teacher for ruining your life?'  And the answer was
nothing!"  She smiled so wickedly it made Christy cringe.
She looked back and forth between them as she continued.
"So, here I am.  I'm here to get back at you, at both of
you, for taking away from me what was mine.  It was MINE!"
Now she looked directly at Christy.  "You had no right to
just waltz in here and take everything from me.  This was
the life I was supposed to be living, not you!"



"I'm sorry Margaret.  I never meant to offend you or to
make you think I took your life.  I came here to teach,
to make a difference in children's lives, not to…"



"Oh spare me!" she spat out.  "I don't want to hear your
excuses!  You stole my husband, my mother!  You STOLE
them from me!"  Margaret's tone had reached a high pitched
scream now.  "YOU'RE the one who told me to come back and
fight for him!  YOU'RE the one who convinced me to stay!
And for WHAT?  So you could torture me?  So that I would
come back here and see YOU living the life I wanted?
Is that why you did it?"



Neil cast a questioning glance at Christy, but before
Christy could react, Margaret had crossed the room towards
her.  Using all of her force, Margaret slapped Christy so
hard across the face that it sent her sprawling backwards
onto the floor.



With lightening fast reflexes, Neil sprung up and grabbed
Margaret by the wrist.  He had never been angrier, never
had he had this much rage inside him.  Margaret saw hatred
and desperation in his eyes and momentarily lost her nerve.
However, she quickly regained her composure and pulled
her other hand out from behind her back.



Still sprawled on the floor, Christy heard the click of
the hammer before she saw anything.



"Let go of me now" Margaret demanded menacingly, pointing
the gun at Neil's chest.



Neil let go of Margaret's wrist, but didn't move.
He still stood protectively in front of Christy who
still sat bewildered on the floor.  "Margaret, please,
you don't want to do this.  This won't solve anything."
He tried to keep his voice calm but a tremor escaped.



A smiled curled onto Margaret's lips at the sound of his
fear.  She looked him straight in the eye.  "You should be
afraid Neil."  She tried to move past him to get a better
shot at Christy, but Neil decisively stepped in her path.



"No Margaret, I won't let you do it.  Christy and I
haven't done anything that you would need to hurt either
of us over."



Margaret's eyes flared, and Neil knew immediately it was
the wrong thing to say.  He wanted to get her off the
topic of his relationship with Christy, not onto it.



"You know Mac, I don't want to hurt you.  I didn't even
want to have to hurt her.  But you leave me no choice."



"No Margaret!"  Neil screamed and lunged at the gun, but
she was too fast for him.  Taking a step back, she aimed
at Neil and pulled the trigger.



Luckily, she had never fired a gun before and was
unprepared for the force that accompanied the shot.  She
was jerked backwards in response, making her lose her aim
on Neil's chest. The bullet hit Neil in the shoulder before
shattering his kitchen window on its exit.  He grasped his
bleeding arm as blood gushed out from between his fingers.



Christy screamed and covered her mouth with her hand.
She shut her eyes at the sight of Neil slinking slowly to
the floor in pain.



Recovering from the first shot, Margaret steadied herself
for her next shot and aimed the gun directly at Christy.



"Wait!  Margaret wait!  Listen!" came Christy's desperate
plea as she struggled to stand up.  "Please don't do this
here.  If you care for your husband at all, please don't do
this here, spare him the details.  I will come with you.
We can go away, leave this cabin.  That's what you want,
isn't it?  Me out of the way?  Here or there, I'm out of
your life, but at least don't do it in front of him, give
him that much.  Look, I'm offering myself to you without
a fight…provided you don't hurt him anymore."



"Aww, how touching.  The teacher is willing to sacrifice
herself to save her beloved Doctor."  She rolled her eyes.
"But you do make a point.  Neil's suffered enough…for
now at least.  I do have some humanity in me, you know."
Christy shook her head earnestly in agreement.  "All right,
let's go."



"No!  Margaret, Christy!  No!"  He grabbed Christy's hand
and pulled her down towards him.  He was growing paler and
weaker with each minute that passed, and she only hoped
when they had gone he would be able to tend to his wound.
He was in no condition to fight off Margaret anymore, and
she knew that.  She was their only hope.



Taking his face gently in her hands, she whispered softly
to him, "Everything happens for a reason Neil, you'll see.
And this isn't your fault.  Please don't feel guilty for
letting me go.  I made this choice on my own.  She will
probably kill me either way, but this way I knew at least
one of us would be OK.  So you hold on for me, Neil, all
right?  You hold on and you be strong even if I can't be."
Tears threatened to spill over her stoic face, but she
forced them back.  If she was asking him to be strong, she
had to be strong too.  Her eyes told him she yearned to
say more, but he knew what was in her heart.  She mouthed
the words "I love you" to him and stood up with her back
to him.



"Oh goody, you're done with your sentimental mush now?
How delightful."  She pointed the gun at Christy's rapidly
rising and falling chest.  "I'm sorry it had to happen
this way Mac, I really am."



Neil tried to stand up, but his energy was gone.
He stumbled and collapsed back on to the floor before
could get more than halfway up.  Seeing Neil's struggle
only seem to gratify Margaret and her eyes danced as she
smiled her wicked smile again.  She turned her attention
back to Christy.  "Ok, Teach, let's go."


Margaret directed her out the front door.  Casting one
last fleeting look at Neil, Christy stepped out onto the
porch as Margaret closed the door behind them.

==================== Chapter  17==================== 
Last Chapter Synopsis:  Margaret
reveals that her reason for coming back and doing what
she did was because Christy stole her life.  She claimed
she didn't want to have to hurt them, but that she was
left no choice.  When Neil doesn't move out of the way,
Margaret produces a gun and shoots Neil in the shoulder.
To stop her from hurting him anymore, Christy agrees to
go with Margaret, away from the cabin, to spare Neil the
images of her death.  ====================

Glancing at the sun high on the horizon, David's mind
wandered away from the Bible lesson he was teaching the
students.  Christy hadn't returned the previous night from
her trip to Doctor MacNeill's, and David was growing more
and more concerned.



"Rightly say Preacher, you's be starin at the sunball like
you done forgot you's supposed to be teachin us!  You be
thinkin bout Miz Christy?  We'uns shore hope she ain't
so vexed with us that it made her stay away from school."
Little Burl's statement brought David back to the present.



"You're right Burl, my mind had wandered.  And no, Miss
Huddleston isn't mad at you.  She just had a few things to
tend to today."  He smiled down at the chubby-faced boy in
front of him.  "But, since it's such a beautiful afternoon,
why don't I let you guys go home early?  Would you like
that?"  Heads nodded eagerly.  "But you do have homework!"
Smiles sagged and shoulders drooped at the announcement.
"Your homework is…" he paused and looked around the room
at the not-so-anxious faces, "TO HAVE FUN!"  The children
shouted at the news and rushed from the schoolhouse.



David's smile disappeared instantly as the last child
bounded down the steps.  He had tried to remain upbeat for
their sake, but inside, he was a nervous wreck.  He had no
idea what had happened to Christy, but he had a feeling
it wasn't good.  He still didn't trust the Doctor around
her, and the sooner she was home where he could see her
the better.



Picking up his hat from the hat rack on the wall
and placing it on his head, he set out for the barn.
He saddled Theo and hopped on so quickly that the old mule
balked slightly in protest. Ignoring the objection, David
sped away from the school.  Theo was not the animal to be
riding when you wanted to get somewhere in a hurry, but
Christy had taken Prince the night before, so David had
no choice but to take Theo or walk.  David urged the old
mule on as fast as he could, but to David it still seemed
like he was crawling along.



As he rode closer to the cabin, his mind played over the
possible reasons Christy had for not returning home last
night.  As much as David tried to convince himself Neil
could not be the reason Christy didn't return last night,
his thoughts kept coming back to that.  He inwardly seethed
when he thought about Christy with another man just hours
after he had professed his love to her the way he did.



Well, David, you didn't so much try to woo her as to
reason with her.  Way to go.  That's not at all romantic.
He inwardly kicked himself for his scientific and
practical appeal to her emotions.  Knowing the person
Christy was, she was not going to be swayed by a persuasive
argument.  I'll do better tonight, he thought to himself.
Once Christy is safe with me again, I'll show to her how
much she means to me.  Now if only MacNeill hasn't already
filled her head with unrealistic fantasies…



Theo's hooves beat into the soft ground beneath them making
a rhythmic beat that would have been soothing under other
circumstances.  Soon, Neil's cabin came into plain sight.
Tied up to his front post was Prince, who neighed slightly
at David's approach.  He patted the horse on the neck
and then tied Theo up beside him.  He looked around the
outside of the cabin.  Nothing seemed to be awry.



David took the steps three at a time.  He knocked on the
door, but heard no response.  He knocked again only to be
answered by the same deafening silence.  As he turned to
go, he thought he heard a slight shuffle inside.



"MacNeill? Christy?"



Only silence again.



Fearing Christy might be hurt, he shoved open the door so
quickly that it hit against Neil's wall with a loud thud.
A very bloody and beaten Neil was lying nearly unconscious
next to the door.



David bent down to him.  "Where is she Neil?  Where's
Christy?  Is she OK?"



"Your…your sympathy is…touching Grantland…"



David realized his inconsiderateness.  "I'm sorry.
Man…" he looked at the wound in Neil's shoulder.
"That looks like what happened to me.  You remember?
Oh…well, of course you do…  man…"  David had never been
good in crisis situations.  It always seemed he said the
wrong thing.  "Um…I…here…!!"  David began to take off
his vest to use as a compress, but in his haste his arm
got stuck.  Neil tried to laugh, but the searing pain in
his shoulder quickly banished any humor in the situation.



Finally freeing himself, David balled up the vest and
held it against Neil's shoulder.  As he did that, he
noticed the blood streaked down Neil's face as well.
"What happened to you?  Who did this?"



"Margaret…did this…" his breathing was labored.



Genuine concern for Neil registered in David's eyes and
then he asked "Where's Christy?"



Neil's whole face suddenly clouded over.  "Margaret took
her…I don't know where…"



David stood up, unsure of what to do next.  Should he go
after the woman that he loved or should he help Neil while
he was here now?  His mind raced.



Neil saw the confusion flashing through David's mind.
"Get me that brown…bottle second from the right…and that
clear one…next to it on…the right and that…small kit
right there." he ordered.  David complied.  "And get me
that rag."  Neil motioned to the bloody rag Christy had
used the night before David stooped down to retrieve the
rag and then handed it to him.  "Now go."



David stayed rooted to his spot unsure if leaving Neil in
this condition was the right thing to do.



"Really, David…go find her.  This is…all I need…really.
I have…something for…the pain…and something to…close the
wound."  He shifted his weight slightly and he cringed
in pain.  David was still simply staring at him.



"This is…the woman of…our dreams…  You have to…find
her…  Go."



David made a move towards the door.  "You're sure?"



"Yes.  Now go."



Once outside, David raced to Theo and then stopped.
Since Margaret didn't have a horse, it was probably
smartest to go after them on foot.



After pausing a moment to search for footprints, he set
out heading away from Neil's cabin.  He weaved his way
the thick woods, doing his best to follow the tracks.
Fortunately it had drizzled that morning and the ground
was still moist, ripe for footprints.



Although he lost the trail in a few places in the dense
underbrush, he was almost positive he was going in the
right direction as he headed towards Look Rock.  He was
rewarded when he heard Margaret's voice drift through
the foliage.



Suddenly realizing it was best to stay hidden, David shrank
back behind a large rhododendron bush, but it was too late.



"David, come here" Margaret's voice called.  David stepped
out from the shadows to find Margaret pointing a gun at a
frightened Christy.  Margaret had her hand over Christy's
mouth, but Christy's eyes registered the surprise and
relief at seeing David there.



"Jeez David, I've been waiting for you.  It's about time
you showed up."


==================== Chapter 18==================== 
Last Chapter Synopsis: David, worried
about Christy, rides over to Neil's in search of her.
He finds a bloody and nearly unconscious Neil who tells him
what Margaret did.  Neil convinces David to go find Christy
and bring her home.  David follows their trail to Look
Rock where he finds Margaret pointing a gun at Christy.
====================

David blinked in confusion.  " Waiting for me?  How could
you have been waiting for me? "



Margaret shrugged.  "I figured you 'd come looking for
her sooner or later.  You're not as dumb as you look."



David looked offended.  He started to protest, but decided
that this wasn't the time to argue.  Not when Margaret
was standing so dangerously close to the edge of Look Rock
pointing a gun at the woman he loved.  "Margaret..."
he started, as he took a step towards them, "please,
let's think this through.  Don't do anything rash
that you'll regret later."  He stayed focused on
Margaret's face, fearing he'd crumble if he saw the
pain in Christy's eyes.



Margaret shrugged.  "My life is full of regrets.
At least this one will be satisfying."  She smirked.



David inconspicuously inched towards them.  If he could
just get the gun out of Margaret's hands, Christy would
have a chance to get free.  Carefully, he moved up another
few inches.



Margaret swung the gun out and pointed it at David.
"Don't think I don't see what you're doing.
Stop right there, Preacher.  I mean it."  She pressed
the gun harder into the frightened woman's chest.



"Ok, ok Margaret"  he said, taking a step backwards.



"I know you want to be the hero here, and try to rescue
your damsel in distress, but it's not going to work.
I've waited too long for my chance to get back at her."
She nodded her head in Christy's direction.



Keep her talking.  The longer she talks, the more time
you have to come up with a plan.  "Get back at her for
what, Margaret?"



Margaret's eyes danced at the question as if she had
been waiting to reveal all of Christy's misdeeds.
"You want to know what was so bad?  She stole my life
away, that's what she did!  She stole my husband away!
I bet you didn't know that about your precious Christy,
did you?  That she was in love with another man?  A married
man?"  When David didn't respond, she plunged ahead.
"And did you know that she spent the night in his cabin
last night?  That's right, she spent the night with him!
Bet she's not so holy in your eyes, huh?"  Margaret
was getting worked up now.



She began to say more, but all of a sudden she started
to cough.  Quietly at first, her coughs were soon coming
at in loud whoops.  When they were over, Margaret took
a inhaled deeply, trying to catch her breath again.
A trickle of blood had formed at the corner of her mouth,
and she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.  David was
looking at her incredulously.  "What, you forgot I was
dying?" she snapped at him.



"I thought that was done.  I mean...I thought you had
gone for treatment.  It caught me off guard is all."



"Yeah, caught me off guard when the coughs came back too.
Whenever I get excited the coughs kick in.  Right before
every show I'd have a fit, it was like clockwork.
I guess it's the adrenaline, I don't know."



He nodded and glanced at Christy, who had remained silent
this whole time.  She looked pleadingly at him, but there
was nothing he could do.  Margaret still had her hand
clamped firmly across Christy's mouth, and the gun
pointed menacingly at her chest.  He couldn't try to
grab the gun for fear it would go off.



His mind raced with ways to save Christy, but kept coming
up blank.  No one else knew where they were, no one would
come find them.  And even if they did, Margaret had the
upper hand here.  Their lives all rested in her hands.
All he could do was keep her talking.



"What are you going to do with her?"



"I'm not sure yet how I want to do it.  There's a
lot of ways, and I haven't really settled on one yet.
They all seem to drab.  I want her to go out with a
BANG!"  She laughed sickeningly at her own joke.



David darted a glance in Christy's direction.  With every
minute that passed, Christy seemed to become smaller and
smaller.  All he could think about was holding her in his
arms again, protecting her, letting her know nothing would
ever hurt her again.  He felt tears prick the corners of
his eyes.  He did love her, she had to know how much by
now.  Yet, time and again MacNeill had gotten in the way...



Suddenly, David's demeanor changed.  He seemed to stand
taller, his frame stretching at least an inch.  His face no
longer held the helpless look it had in previous minutes.



He looked Margaret squarely in the eyes.  "I want
to help."



His comment startled her, but she quickly regained her
composure.  "Oh right, like I'm going to believe
that all of a sudden you want to help me kill the woman
you love.  I'm not as dumb as I look either."



"I mean it.  I was standing here, thinking about a way
to rescue her, when all of a sudden, I realized I didn't
want to.  I didn't want to save her.  You know why?
What will she do if I save her, huh?  She'll run right
to MacNeill.  He'll be the one to comfort her; he'll be
the one who gets to hold her.  So why would I want that?"



Christy's eyes went wide with betrayal and confusion
at David's words.  He longed to tell her it would be
OK, that he would save her, but he kept his gaze leveled
at Margaret.  She had to believe he would hurt Christy.



Margaret wasn't convinced and narrowed her eyes
suspiciously at him.  "What makes you think I'm going
to buy this?  I know that as soon as you get a chance to,
you're going to save her.  Then you'll be the hero
and she'll forget about Neil."



"But I can't take that chance.  Sure, she might do
what's smart and decide to be with me, but she might not.
And to be honest, I don't want to see them together.
She's supposed to be with me, I know it.  I can feel it
in my heart.  So which one would hurt more, living without
her completely, or living knowing she chose MacNeill over
me?  And you know the answer.  You shot Neil.  You wanted
to keep him away from Christy more than you wanted to be
with him yourself.  So why can't you believe I'd feel
the same way?"



"Well, I..."  She stopped, unsure of what to say next.
He seemed genuine, but she still wasn't sure he was.
"Prove it."



David seemed taken aback.  "Prove it?  How?"



Margaret thought for a minute.  "You know, I'm
really not sure.  Besides pulling the trigger yourself,
I don't really know anything you could do..." She
paused disappointedly.  "Damn."



David's eyes lit up.  "How about if I cut her hair
off?"



"Cut off her hair?  What good will that do?  That won't
hurt her."



"That's true, but it's just more humiliation.
You know Christy, she takes great pride in her hair and
cutting it off would be a huge insult to her.  So, how
about if I do that?  Would that prove to you enough that
I'm on your side?"  He could see tears forming in
the corner of Christy's eyes, but he ignored them.
To emphasize his point, he pulled out his pocketknife.



"I guess that would be enough.  And to be honest, I
can't think of anything else anyway.  I guess I used up
all of my creative juices planning this whole escapade, you
know?"  She smiled at David.  "Although wait a minute.
How are you going to help anyway?  Even if you prove
to me that you want to, what is there for you to do?
I'm perfectly capable of pulling the trigger myself."



"Well, you said you wanted to add a little more flair to
her death.  Maybe now with another set of hands you could
do something even more imaginative.  Hmm?  What do you
say?"  He daringly took a step towards them and unfolded
the blade part of his Swiss army knife.  "You can even
keep the gun trained on her the entire time I'm cutting
her hair off.  That way, you'll still have the upper
hand."  He took another step towards them, closing the
gap to mere feet.



Margaret studied David for a few seconds.  Seemingly
convinced by his words, she reached up and undid
Christy's hair.  Curls came cascading down wildly.
Margaret grabbed as much of Christy's hair in her hand
as she could and thrust her fist out towards David, jerking
Christy's head along with it.  "Go ahead" she said.



David took a deep breath and stepped towards Christy.
Tears were running in steady streams down Christy's face,
but he refused to see them.  He kept his eyes focused on
the fistful of hair Margaret was holding out towards him.



Margaret loosened her grip slightly on Christy as David
stepped up next to them.  "Here goes nothing," he said.



Looking down again, he took a small handful of Christy's
hair in his hand.  The smell of rosewater hit his nose as
it had in the first few days he had known her.  The memory
threatened to crumple his faA§ade, and it took every ounce
of willpower he had to appear unaffected.  Telling himself
she would forgive him, he began to run the blade across
the hair he held.  One by one, the curls fell to her feet.
He was doing his best to take his time and to cut as little
as possible, but with Margaret watching so closely, he
had to make it appear legitimate.



"Look at you go, Preacher man!  I didn't think you
had it in you!"



David smiled at her.  "I'm capable of a lot more than
you know."



"Ooh, this is working out so much better than I had
hoped for!"  She sounded almost gleeful.  "Just a
few more curls, and you can stop.  Then the fun part!
Figuring out how to do her in!"



"Want to see?"  David took a few steps back and
motioned for Margaret to come see his handiwork.



Margaret started to step behind Christy to see how much
hair was gone when she suddenly began to cough again.
Much harder than the first time, Margaret bent over
slightly as the coughs wracked her body.



Seeing her chance to escape, Christy started to wriggle
out of Margaret's grip.  However, she hadn't gone more
than a few inches before Margaret grabbed her hair and
yanked her backwards.  The movement was so forceful that it
caused Margaret to lose her footing on the uneven gravel.
She wobbled dangerously and her foot slipped off the edge
of the cliff.  Throwing her arms wildly into the air, she
began to tilt backwards.



In what seemed like slow motion, Margaret reached
for Christy for balance, and managed to grab onto arm.
Shock registered in Christy's eyes as she felt herself
being dragged downwards.



David reached for Christy's other hand, but even though
he was only a few inches away, he was too slow.  In horror,
he watched as Margaret and Christy disappeared over the
edge of the cliff and plummeted into the valley below.

==================== Chapter 19 ==================== 
Last
Chapter Synopsis: David tries to distract Margaret by
pretending to be on her side.  He offered to cut Christy's
hair off as proof of their new alliance.  As Margaret
begins to step around David to check out his handiwork,
her TB flares up again, and she loses her footing on the
loose gravel.  Grabbing onto Christy for balance, both
women go flying over the cliff edge.  ====================

Back at the cabin, Neil passed in and out of consciousness
even as he fought to stay awake.  When the spells finally
seemed to pass, he set out to take care of the wound in
his shoulder.  Thankfully it was a clean shot, and Margaret
missed all of the vital arteries.  It didn't make the
wound any less painful, but at least he was still alive.



Using his good arm, Neil uncorked the brown bottle and
poured some amber liquid onto the bloody rag David had
given him.  Bracing himself for the pain, Neil lifted the
rag and placed it on his injured shoulder.  The instant it
touched his wound, fire coursed down his arm.  He gritted
his teeth and tried to focus on something other than
the pain.



After a few minutes, Neil removed the rag and looked
at his shoulder.  He had stopped bleeding, so that was
good, but he still had a huge risk of infection.  Damn, I
forgot to tell Grantland to get me the gauze.  He looked
over to his medicine cabinet, judging the distance.
Hoping he could make it there without passing out from
the lack of blood to his head, Neil gingerly stood up.
The room swayed and threatened to tip him over, but he
stood fast.  When the room stopped spinning, Neil made
his way carefully to his cabinet to retrieve the gauze.
He was glad he didn't need stitches, it would only slow
him down.  And he had to go find Christy.



After bandaging his wound as best he could, Neil made
himself a quick something to eat.  His stomach was
gnarling, and he would be no good to Christy if he was
too weak to protect her.  He paused as the thought rang
in his head.  What is he was already too late?  There was
no way for him to know how long he had been unconscious
on the floor, and for all he knew, Margaret could have
killed her by now.  No, no!  I can't think like that.
I can't.  Christy is still alive...she has to be.



Neil ate quickly and then set about filling his medical bag
with additional supplies.  He had no idea what Margaret
had done with Christy, so he couldn't even begin to
think what else he might need.  After shoving numerous
bottles into his bag, he turned to leave.  Again the room
spun, and he had to brace himself on his fireplace mantel
for balance.  He didn't know if it was from the head
injury or from the blood loss, but he knew that he would
have to take things slowly if he was going to be any help
to Christy.



Once outside, he noticed the horses still tied up.
Obviously Margaret had taken Christy somewhere nearby.
Looking around for footprints, he saw the imprints of
David's heavy-soled boots disappearing into the woods.
Hoping David had headed in the right direction, he set off.



He looked down occasionally to make sure he was on track,
but every time he looked down, he got dizzy and had to stop
a rest a moment.  And although he had only left his cabin a
few minutes ago, his pace was excruciatingly slow to him.
The woman he loved was out there, and she might need him!
Every time he lowered his head, his vision became so
blurred he had to stop.  He cursed out loud and waited
for the spell to pass as he felt the seconds tick by.



As he neared a clearing in the middle of the woods,
the footprints tapered off.  His eyes searched in every
direction for possible signs of Christy, but it was no
use, he couldn't see anything.  He only hoped David had
had better luck.



He stood pondering his options for a few seconds before
heading off towards a dense area where he knew a few caves
to be located.  If Margaret was going to kill Christy she
might want to do it someplace where no one would find her.
He set off in the direction of the caverns, away from
Look Rock.  He picked his way along the brush becoming more
and more discouraged as the footprints didn't appear.
Surely they would have left some sort of track if they
had come this way.



His heart fell into his stomach as he realized he was going
the wrong way as tears pricked the corners of his eyes.
Damn it man, this is no time to get emotional.  Pull
yourself together, for Christy's sake!  He balled his
hand into a fist and slammed it into a tree.  A throbbing
ache quickly spread through his hand, but he didn't care.
He cursed his luck for choosing the wrong direction as he
turned around and began walking in the direction he came.



Suddenly, a piercing scream sounded through the air.
Neil snapped his head towards the sound only to have
his world spin out of control as he sank to his knees.
Don't let me pass out, dear God, don't let me pass out.
He shakily got to his feet even as he his head still spun.
If he could just get to Christy...



He ran as fast as he could towards the sound of the scream.
He didn't cared about the waves of dizziness that washed
over him or about the branches that tore at his face and
arms as he ran.  All that mattered was Christy.



He became so intent on pushing his way through the
brush that he didn't even hear the footsteps rapidly
approaching until it was too late.  Before he could
react, David had plowed into him, knocking them both
to the ground.  An out-of-breath Preacher stared at
Neil bewilderedly, his eyes red and puffy.  Neil knew
immediately something was terribly wrong.



"Grantland, what it is?"



David shook his head slightly, as if the words were
too horrifying to say out loud.  He stood up and
brushed himself off, still silently shaking his head.
"It's...it's...I was coming to get you.  I needed
help, for her, but I don't think...I couldn't...And
she thinks that I..."  his voice broke.



He motioned for Neil to follow him and set out at a fast
pace, his long legs carrying him so quickly Neil had to
hurry nearly jog to keep up.  Both men walked silently
for a few minutes.  Neil's heart was pounding, but he
was afraid to ask David what had happened.  He didn't
want to hear the answer.



They made their way to the clearing at Look Rock.  David
stopped before he got to the edge and turned to face Neil.
Neil looked around for a body, or worse, for two bodies,
but saw nothing, not even blood.  He started towards the
cliff ledge when David stopped him.



"Margaret was crazy, Neil, she was going to kill
her, and...and I tried to stop her, or distract her,
or something.  I tried!  I was so close.  This close!"
He held up his fingers.  "I should have grabbed her, I
should have grabbed her, I should have.  I could have moved
faster or something.  But I didn't, I couldn't."  He
was babbling now, his words tumbling out over his tongue
before he could stop them.



"Let me see her."  Neil's face held a mixture of fear
and frustration.  Enough of David's incessant talking!
If Christy was in trouble, he needed to help her.



David motioned in the direction of the cliff.


Neil stepped cautiously towards the edge.  He steeled his
nerves as he thought about what he might find, but nothing
in all his years as a doctor could have prepared him for
what he found as he peered over the edge.  He squinted his
eyes against the setting sun as he searched the valley
below until he saw her.  Lying 40 feet down on a jagged
rock jutting out of the cliff wall was Christy.

Back at the cabin, Neil passed in and out of consciousness
even as he fought to stay awake.  When the spells finally
seemed to pass, he set out to take care of the wound in
his shoulder.  Thankfully it was a clean shot, and Margaret
missed all of the vital arteries.  It didn't make the
wound any less painful, but at least he was still alive.



Using his good arm, Neil uncorked the brown bottle and
poured some amber liquid onto the bloody rag David had
given him.  Bracing himself for the pain, Neil lifted the
rag and placed it on his injured shoulder.  The instant it
touched his wound, fire coursed down his arm.  He gritted
his teeth and tried to focus on something other than
the pain.



After a few minutes, Neil removed the rag and looked
at his shoulder.  He had stopped bleeding, so that was
good, but he still had a huge risk of infection.  Damn, I
forgot to tell Grantland to get me the gauze.  He looked
over to his medicine cabinet, judging the distance.
Hoping he could make it there without passing out from
the lack of blood to his head, Neil gingerly stood up.
The room swayed and threatened to tip him over, but he
stood fast.  When the room stopped spinning, Neil made
his way carefully to his cabinet to retrieve the gauze.
He was glad he didn't need stitches, it would only slow
him down.  And he had to go find Christy.



After bandaging his wound as best he could, Neil made
himself a quick something to eat.  His stomach was
gnarling, and he would be no good to Christy if he was
too weak to protect her.  He paused as the thought rang
in his head.  What is he was already too late?  There was
no way for him to know how long he had been unconscious
on the floor, and for all he knew, Margaret could have
killed her by now.  No, no!  I can't think like that.
I can't.  Christy is still alive...she has to be.



Neil ate quickly and then set about filling his medical bag
with additional supplies.  He had no idea what Margaret
had done with Christy, so he couldn't even begin to
think what else he might need.  After shoving numerous
bottles into his bag, he turned to leave.  Again the room
spun, and he had to brace himself on his fireplace mantel
for balance.  He didn't know if it was from the head
injury or from the blood loss, but he knew that he would
have to take things slowly if he was going to be any help
to Christy.



Once outside, he noticed the horses still tied up.
Obviously Margaret had taken Christy somewhere nearby.
Looking around for footprints, he saw the imprints of
David's heavy-soled boots disappearing into the woods.
Hoping David had headed in the right direction, he set off.



He looked down occasionally to make sure he was on track,
but every time he looked down, he got dizzy and had to stop
a rest a moment.  And although he had only left his cabin a
few minutes ago, his pace was excruciatingly slow to him.
The woman he loved was out there, and she might need him!
Every time he lowered his head, his vision became so
blurred he had to stop.  He cursed out loud and waited
for the spell to pass as he felt the seconds tick by.



As he neared a clearing in the middle of the woods,
the footprints tapered off.  His eyes searched in every
direction for possible signs of Christy, but it was no
use, he couldn't see anything.  He only hoped David had
had better luck.



He stood pondering his options for a few seconds before
heading off towards a dense area where he knew a few caves
to be located.  If Margaret was going to kill Christy she
might want to do it someplace where no one would find her.
He set off in the direction of the caverns, away from
Look Rock.  He picked his way along the brush becoming more
and more discouraged as the footprints didn't appear.
Surely they would have left some sort of track if they
had come this way.



His heart fell into his stomach as he realized he was going
the wrong way as tears pricked the corners of his eyes.
Damn it man, this is no time to get emotional.  Pull
yourself together, for Christy's sake!  He balled his
hand into a fist and slammed it into a tree.  A throbbing
ache quickly spread through his hand, but he didn't care.
He cursed his luck for choosing the wrong direction as he
turned around and began walking in the direction he came.



Suddenly, a piercing scream sounded through the air.
Neil snapped his head towards the sound only to have
his world spin out of control as he sank to his knees.
Don't let me pass out, dear God, don't let me pass out.
He shakily got to his feet even as he his head still spun.
If he could just get to Christy...



He ran as fast as he could towards the sound of the scream.
He didn't cared about the waves of dizziness that washed
over him or about the branches that tore at his face and
arms as he ran.  All that mattered was Christy.



He became so intent on pushing his way through the
brush that he didn't even hear the footsteps rapidly
approaching until it was too late.  Before he could
react, David had plowed into him, knocking them both
to the ground.  An out-of-breath Preacher stared at
Neil bewilderedly, his eyes red and puffy.  Neil knew
immediately something was terribly wrong.



"Grantland, what it is?"



David shook his head slightly, as if the words were
too horrifying to say out loud.  He stood up and
brushed himself off, still silently shaking his head.
"It's...it's...I was coming to get you.  I needed
help, for her, but I don't think...I couldn't...And
she thinks that I..."  his voice broke.



He motioned for Neil to follow him and set out at a fast
pace, his long legs carrying him so quickly Neil had to
hurry nearly jog to keep up.  Both men walked silently
for a few minutes.  Neil's heart was pounding, but he
was afraid to ask David what had happened.  He didn't
want to hear the answer.



They made their way to the clearing at Look Rock.  David
stopped before he got to the edge and turned to face Neil.
Neil looked around for a body, or worse, for two bodies,
but saw nothing, not even blood.  He started towards the
cliff ledge when David stopped him.



"Margaret was crazy, Neil, she was going to kill
her, and ...and I tried to stop her, or distract her,
or something.  I tried!  I was so close.  This close!"
He held up his fingers.  "I should have grabbed her, I
should have grabbed her, I should have.  I could have moved
faster or something.  But I didn't, I couldn't."  He
was babbling now, his words tumbling out over his tongue
before he could stop them.



"Let me see her."  Neil's face held a mixture of fear
and frustration.  Enough of David's incessant talking!
If Christy was in trouble, he needed to help her.



David motioned in the direction of the cliff.


Neil stepped cautiously towards the edge.  He steeled his
nerves as he thought about what he might find, but nothing
in all his years as a doctor could have prepared him for
what he found as he peered over the edge.  He squinted his
eyes against the setting sun as he searched the valley
below until he saw her.  Lying 40 feet down on a jagged
rock jutting out of the cliff wall was Christy.

====================

==================== Chapter 20 ====================
Last Chapter Synopsis: Neil tended to his wound as best
he could, and fought against dizzy spells as he made his
way to try to help Christy.  David runs smack into him
as he headed back to get supplies.  Together they go to
the cliff where Neil sees Christy lying on a jagged rock
jutting out from the cliff.  ====================

Neil didn't hear David step up behind him until he put
his hand on his shoulder.  At the touch, Neil jumped and
nearly lost his balance himself.



"Christ Grantland, why don't ya just shove me over
the edge?"



"Watch your language.  We're both upset here.
But being mad at each other won't bring her back."



Neil nodded and looked back over the edge.  Christy's
body looked so tiny lying there, he wanted to close his
eyes to erase it from his mind.  He wanted to reach down
and brush the hair from her face, to cradle her to him,
but she seemed so far away.  His heart ached as he took
in every inch of her beautiful face.  Even now, streaked
with blood and dirt, she looked angelic.  Speaking of
angelic...  his eyes searched the valley for Margaret.
He didn't know why only Christy was lying on the rock
and Margaret was nowhere to be found.  Then he saw her.
She was lying far down at the bottom of the cliff.
Neil thanked God that Christy hadn't fallen as far, but
still, he shut his eyes.



"We have to get her.  Now..."



"I know, that's why I was coming back to get you, or
to get supplies, something.  I just didn't know how I
was going to get her."



"I don't know what I have at my cabin, but looking
there is better than standing here."



David nodded and both men set off silently towards
the cabin.  Neil's head spun, but he willed himself
to stay upright.  He had to get back to the cabin, find
something to save her.



"You said ˜the woman of our dreams'."  David
continued to look straight ahead of him.



Neil looked at him with a puzzled look.  "What are you
talking about man?"



"Back at the cabin.  When you told me to go find Christy.
I hate you for loving her."



The comment hung thickly in the air.  When Neil didn't
respond David went on.  "I know she and I are perfect
for each other, and I told you that day we were fishing to
let her go.  But you just couldn't could you?  And look
where she ended up.  Thrown from a cliff all because you
couldn't leave her alone!  She's only 20 years old!
She's too young to be able to separate real feelings from
some fleeting emotional mumbo-jumbo you throw at her."



"I think you're underestimating her Grantland."



"Am I?  So, then you didn't profess your undying love
for her on the porch of the Mission."



"I don't think that's any of your business."
Neil stopped in his tracks.  "This is not what we need
right now.  We're upset, fine.  But we need to focus
on getting Christy.  We can argue about all these petty
matters later.  Agreed?"  He stuck out his hand in an
awkward truce and David grudgingly shook it.  "Fine, then
this matter goes no further for now."



The two men walked in an uncomfortable silence the rest
of the way back to the cabin.  Once there, they rummaged
around his chaotic cabin in search of something, anything,
that could lift Christy off the rock face.



"Grantland, go grab the long rope from my barn, and
I'll look around here.  Grab anything else from there
you think might help while you're out there."



David nodded and bounded down the steps.  Neil searched
his cabin but came up empty handed.  He couldn't find
anything they could use.  David returned from the barn
carrying two ropes and a pick.



"What's the pick for?"



"I figured if one of us has to climb down the cliff,
this could maybe help us get back up."



"That's actually not a bad idea.  But nothing that
could help us get her up?"



David shook his head.  "But I remember back in Boston
we had to make a splint out of twigs for Boy Scouts.
Couldn't we do something like that?  Tie to branches
together or something?"



"That'll have to do.  Let's go."



Once outside, they scouted around for branches thick
enough to support Christy to no avail.  Neil cried out
in frustration.  "This is ridiculous!  I should be there
with her, not searching for sticks!"



"Well, unless you have a better idea, that's the best
we can do.  Or maybe we could just carry her up?"



"I...I don't think we'll want to."



"What aren't you telling me?"  David's voice
quivered slightly.



"Nothing, come on, we have to find branches strong enough
to support her."  He deliberately turned his back to
David so he wouldn't see the tears forming in his eyes.



When they finally found two big enough, they set off back
towards the cliff.  Neil's dizzy spells were becoming
much less frequent now.  Maybe it was because he had been
up and on his feet for a while.  Maybe it was because the
blood he lost was replenishing itself.  Or maybe he just
had too much else on his mind to think about himself.



As they neared the cliff's edge, both men seemed to
hang back slightly, as if too afraid to face that horrible
sight again.



"So who goes down?"



Neil thought for a minute.  "You have ta."  He motioned
to his shoulder.  "We'll tie the rope around that tree,
and then loop it around my waist.  That way, I can lower
you with my good arm.  But that's about all I think I
could do."



"That's fine, I'll go."  He swallowed hard.
He proceeded to tie the rope around the tree, securing it
with a knot he knew would hold his weight.  "Here."  He
handed the rope to Neil who proceeded to loop it around his
waist a few times.  As he did that, David set about tying
the other rope around the two sticks, making a make-shift
stretcher.  He kept his mind on building it solidly instead
of who he would have to put on it in a few minutes.



When he finished, he stood off and brushed the dirt off
his knees.  "Ready?"



Neil nodded.



David tied the rope around his own waist, and then grabbed
the pick in one hand and began to back towards the edge
of the cliff.  "Here goes nothing," he said as he
took a step backwards off the cliff.  The rope became so
instantly taught that it squeezed the air out of Neil.
"Whooo, whoa.  Ok, I'm good.  Go ahead."



David began to descend slowly down the cliff awkwardly
carrying the stretcher in one hand and the pick in the
other.



"Grantland, wait."  Neil shouted.



David stopped a few feet down the edge, his head just
sticking far enough over the edge to see a concerned Neil
staring at him.



"There's something you need to know."  He blinked
back tears.  "There's little chance she's survived.
And even if she does..." he coughed to cover up a knot
that threatened to choke him, "even if she does...she
probably will never wake up again."





==================== Chapter 21 ====================
Last Chapter Synopsis: Neil and David set about to make a
stretcher to lift Christy from the cliff ledge.  As David
begins to lower himself over the edge, Neil tells him that
there's little chance Christy has survived.  And even
if she has, there's little chance she'll ever wake up.
====================


"No.  Not my Christy.  She's not dead.  She's not.
She's always been a fighter, and I refuse to believe
that the one time in her life that her life actually
depended on it that she wasn't!  No!"  David shook
his head vehemently.



Neil grabbed David's shoulder with his good hand.
"Look, that kind of thinking isn't going to help us
here.  You need to be prepared for the worst.  Yes, we both
don't want to believe it, but the horrible fact is that
we're going to have to.  She fell too far.  Almost as
far as..."  he thought for a minute.  "It's like
she fell off the roof of the Mission onto solid rock.
And if you go down there and you're expecting her to
be alive, you're going to be useless to her and me.
You have to face the grim reality.  At least that way, if
it's true, we've readied ourselves, and if it's not,
then all the better."



David shook his head again.  "No amount of telling myself
she could be dead is going to ready me for the fact that
she might actually be."



"You don't think I realize that?  And don't you think
I'm hurting too?  But we have to keep our heads focused
on what we have to do.  If we let ourselves get too swept
away by emotions than she's as good as dead."  His
voice became softer and he blinked back tears.  "That is,
if she isn't already."



The two men stared at each other momentarily, both lost in
their own memories of the woman lying 40 feet below them.



Neil exaggeratedly cleared his throat.  "Ok, get going.
We don't have any time to lose."



"Right."



David started to lower himself again, step by step, inch
by inch.  The two sticks under his arm banged against the
cliff face from time to time, threatening to send him
into a tailspin.  He dug the pick into the rocks as he
went, sending sprays of gravel tumbling down the face of
the cliff.  He hoped none was hitting his beloved, but he
dared not look down to see.  He wasn't afraid of heights,
per say, but he had never been very fond of them.



As he gradually made his way down, he tried to keep his
mind on other things.  He thought of his sister in CA,
and how she was doing.  He thought of the repairs he had
to do at the schoolhouse.  The window still needed to be
fixed, but he couldn't do that until the glass came in
from El Pano.



Suddenly his foot his solid rock.  Dread swept over him
like a huge black wave that threatened to knock him over.
He wanted to climb back up, to get away, but he knew there
was nothing he could do but to see if she was still alive.



Carefully, he turned around towards Christy.  He looked
down at her broken and bloody form lying at his feet
and slowly knelt down next to her.  She looked like a
porcelain doll that someone had carelessly tossed aside.
With trembling fingers, he leaned over and took her wrist
in his hand.  When he didn't feel a pulse his heart
threatened to jump out of his chest.  Fumblingly, he
felt for her pulse on her neck, trying not to move her
head as he did so.  He felt a weak one and breathed an
immense sigh.  He didn't remember the last time he been
relieved about anything.



"Neil!"  he called up.  "She's alive.  She has a
pulse and she's alive!!"



Neil snapped his eyes shut as he heard David's voice boom
up the cliff.  She's alive, thank you God, she's alive.
Thank you, thank you.  He almost dared not ask.  "Are
you sure David?  You have to be sure.  Feel her chest.
Is she breathing?"



"Yes!"  came David's resounding response.  "But it
seems like just barely.  We need to get her up there.
You have to make sure she's ok.  You have to help her!"
His voice sounded desperate, he could hear the fear in
it. For the first time, Neil began to see that perhaps
David really did love her.



Banishing the thought from his mind, he yelled down, "You
have to get her up here as fast as you can.  Don't hurt
her, and don't move her neck more than you have to, but
get her up here!"  He couldn't see David, only the rope
pulled taught as it dropped over the edge into oblivion.



A sharp stinging in his hands caught his attention.
He looked down and was startled to see his hands stained
a bright red.  He had been so caught up in worrying about
Christy that he hadn't realized how tightly he was
gripping the rope until it began to bite into his skin.
He loosened his grip slightly and replanted his feet in
the loose gravel.



"How's it coming down there Grantland?  Is there
anything I can do?  Tell me when you need me to pull her
up."  Then a thought came to him.  "Grantland, if
you can, try to tie the rope around the stretcher and
her so that I can pull her up.  If you try to bring her
up, there's a risk she might bump into the side of the
cliff and sustain more injuries than she already has.
I'll throw the rope back over when I untie her."



"Good call.  I'll tug the rope when she's ready."



Neil stood rooted to his spot, awaiting that first tug.
Every muscle in him was tense.  Because of where he was
standing, he couldn't see over the cliff ledge.  It was
a horrible feeling.  His imagination was running wild with
horrible thoughts of her lifeless body carelessly strewn on
the rocks below.  He knew he was envisioning things worse
than they were, but he couldn't help it..  All he could
see was the rope occasionally tremble as David shifted
it, but nothing more.  Every movement of the rope, every
sliver of sound, every rock crumbling made his heart stop.



After what seemed like a lifetime and a half, he felt a
tug on the rope.  He nearly lost his grip on it he was
so startled.  Collecting himself, he began to pull with
all his might.  Thankfully, his hands were still bleeding
and sore, so he focused on them instead of what might be
on the other end of the rope.



As the top of the make shift stretcher came into view,
Neil's stomach lodged in his throat.  Raising the rope
in his hands almost above his head, he pulled a few more
inches to him.  He didn't want the stretcher to thump
onto the ground as it cleared the cliff, so keeping the
rope higher up seemed to be his only option.  It would have
been easier, and safer for Christy, if David had been able
to come up the cliff with her, but at least she was up.



With a final pull, Christy's stretcher swung free of
the cliff, dangling diagonally in the air attached to the
rope in Neil's hands.  He set her down as gently as he
could and then rushed to untie himself from the rope.
He shouted down to David.  "Grantland, wait a few
minutes while I examine her and then I'll haul you up.
Unless you want to make a go of it with the other end of
the rope around the tree trunk."



"I want to be up there with her, so I'll take
my chances.  It's a tree, I'm sure it can support
my weight.  And I have the pick, so I can use that to
help me up too.  You go help her.  I'll call you if I
need you."



With the confirmation, Neil bent over Christy and began
examining her.  She had a large ghastly cut on the side
of her head that was still bleeding.  Her cheek was
cut and bruised, and it appeared that her left wrist was
broken too.  And those were only the injuries he could see.
He feared that the damage done to her internal organs was
much more severe.



He began pressing in rhythmically along certain spots
of her body.  The left side of her stomach felt more
rigid than it should.  Panic rose in him immediately..
If she had internal injuries, it would only be a matter of
hours before she was dead.  Although Christy was clinging
to life as it was, and Neil realized they might not even
have that long.



He became aware of Grantland's form as he clamored up
and over the edge.  His pants were dusty and torn, and his
hands too were bleeding.  But just like Neil, he seemed
not to notice.  He came over and crouched down on the
opposite side of Christy.  "Is she going to make it?"



Neil continued to examine Christy, doing his best to avoid
David's eyes.  "It doesn't look good.  She's lost
so much blood, and I fear she's punctured her kidney.
I'll have to operate soon if I'm to stop the internal
bleeding ..." his voice faltered.



David reached over and put his hand on Neil's arm.
The odd gesture caught both men off guard but somehow gave
them their second wind, letting them know they weren't
alone in this fight.  Without a word, together they picked
up Christy's stretcher and started the long walk back
to Neil's cabin.



====================

==================== Chapter 22 ==================== 
Last Chapter Synopsis: Neil and David pull Christy from the
cliff ledge, but she is still unconscious. Neil doubts she
will ever wake up. Sadly, the men begin the journey back to
Neil's cabin.  
==================== 

Neil sat back tiredly
in his chair as he wiped the water off his hands with a
rag. The surgery to repair Christy's kidney had taken a
few hours, but he had finished without complications. As he
tossed the rag aside, he noticed David asleep in Neil's
other chair propped up against the wall. Wearily, he stood
up.  

"Grantland" he said, as he tapped David in the
shoulder. David barely acknowledged the disturbance. "Why
don't you go sleep upstairs in my bed? There's no use
in both of us staying up all night." David started to
argue but thought better. He was barely awake enough to
stand up, let alone keep watch over Christy. He trudged
his way up the steps and fell asleep as soon as his head
his Neil's pillow.  

Neil didn't know how he was awake
himself. After the blood he had lost that afternoon,
he should have been asleep hours again. Yet he wasn't
tired. All he could think about doing was sitting next to
Christy, watching over her, keeping her safe.  He and David
had pulled out the spare bed from his lab to use after the
operation was over. He wouldn't move her tonight, but as
soon as he felt her stitches could withstand the movement,
he would shift her from the table to the bed so she could
be more comfortable. Not that she would even know, Neil
thought ruefully to himself. He had done everything he
could do for her now. All that was left to do was wait.

He sat down on the edge of the bed they had placed beside
the table. He bent down to untie his boots as pain seared
through his shoulder. All day he had focused on Christy and
ignored his own injury. Now it was payback time. His whole
arm throbbed and ached, even when he simply sat still.

Easing himself gently onto the bed, his mind began to
play over the day's events. It seemed forever ago that
Margaret had shown up at his doorstep. Had it really only
been that morning? He glanced up at Christy over the edge
of the table. She looked so serene lying there that he let
himself believe for a minute that she was only sleeping,
that she would awake in the morning. His mind still
couldn't wrap around the fact that she probably would
never wake up again. She was breathing on her own, which
was a good sign, but there were no other indications that
she would be coming back to them ever again.  

He reached
his good hand up to feel along the tabletop until he found
Christy's. His thumb ran absently over her fingers
as he closed his eyes. Images began flashing behind
his eyelids. Margaret...the gun...Christy...David...that
scream... The memories played over and over in his mind. He
couldn't believe Margaret had caused all this. All
this. He knew she was spoiled and self-centered, but to
maliciously hurt people like that...he didn't think
she had it in her.  He opened his eyes suddenly. Margaret
was dead. He had known that, but he hadn't really been
consciously aware of it. She was dead, lying at the bottom
of the cliff.. What a horrible way to die, he mused as a
momentary flicker of flashed across his mind. He would have
to find a way to tell Alice somehow. She would be crushed
enough to hear of her daughter's death, but to have it
coupled with Christy's almost-certain death might be
more than she could handle.  

The comfortable pillow and
the soothing sounds of crickets outside began to lull
Neil to sleep. He tried to force his eyes open, but it
was no use. He fell asleep with his hand still gently atop
Christy's.  He awoke the next morning with a start. Once
again ignoring his protesting shoulder, he jumped up and
began to examine Christy for any changes. There were none.

"She hasn't woken up, I've been watching her."

Neil turned to face David, who sat with his legs propped
up against Neil's stool.  "How long was I asleep?"

David glanced out the window. "I'd say it's
about noon now. I don't know when you went to bed,
though. But I've been up for a few hours myself. Just
couldn't sleep anymore. Too anxious. So, I came down
here and made myself a little something to eat, I hope
you don't mind." Neil shook his head. "Well anyway,
she hasn't moved all morning." Neil looked down at
his sleeping princess. He carefully checked the wounds for
infection and made sure the stitches were holding properly.

"You know MacNeill, I thought you were just blowing smoke
yesterday. You know, I though you were telling me she might
never wake up just to prepare me for what I found when I
got down there. I honestly thought she might be awake this
morning." 

"I don't joke about things like that"
came Neil's solemn response.  

"No no, I don't mean
you were joking, at all. I just mean that I thought you
were only saying that as a precaution, or as a worst-case
scenario." He became silent for a moment. "But you
weren't, were you?" Neil didn't say a word, but
continued to stare at Christy. He felt he had failed her
somehow. How could he have let this happen? He lovingly
stroked her cheek, carefully avoiding the deep purple gash
that marred her beautiful face.  

"This isn't your
fault you know." Neil looked up, surprised not only
at David's boldness, but at the fact that he had read
his mind.  

"Yes it is. This is my fault. If I hadn't
told Christy I loved her, she might not have becoming
tangled up in this." Neil thought he saw David wince at
the mention of his love for Christy, but he chose to ignore
it. "I just don't understand how Margaret could have
been so cruel." 

"Well, ˜Hell has no fury like a woman
scorned'." 

"She wasn't scorned man! She left me
thinking she was dead, only ta return and leave again. So,
what, I'm just supposed ta wait around hoping she'll
return again?" He shook his head in anger. "When
Christy first came, I still thought Margaret was dead. She
wasn't my wife anymore. And Christy...she was..." 

"I
don't need Miss Huddleston's virtues extolled for my
behalf, thank you Doctor." 

Neil shot an accusing look at
David. "I didn't know I was supposed to censor what I
said around you, my apologies, Grantland." He drew out
the word ˜apologies' to make sure David recognized the
sarcasm in his voice.  

David got to his feet. "Listen
Doctor," David said with the same sarcasm dripping from
his tongue, "you had no right to tell Christy you loved
her. Missing or not, you are a married man! You can't
just go around professing your love to..." Neil held
up his hand. "You know what? Fighting with each other
isn't going to accomplish anything. Have we both done
things we shouldn't have? Yes, probably. But Christy is
depending on us right now, and if we waste time arguing
with each other, than we're less than useless to her."

"Fine" came David's grudging response. "How's she
doing today by the way?" he asked, awkwardly changing the
subject 

"Well, her wounds haven't become infected, so
that's a good sign. But there's no other indication
that she'll ever wake up from this coma. It was just
such a far fall. And we should probably move her onto
the bed now. She should be as comfortable as possible."
Gingerly, both men picked up Christy's delicate frame,
carefully avoiding her injuries. 

When she was tucked
into bed finally, Neil went into his laboratory and
took a quilt out of the chest. It had belonged to his
grandmother.. He never used it, for fear it would get
dirty, but it seemed fitting that he should use this to
cover her. It was one of the most important things he
owned, and she was one of the most important things in
his life.  He cleared his throat gruffly as tears began to
form in his eyes. "Say, Grantland, would you mind going
out and chopping some wood for the fire. With my arm the
way it is, I'll be no good. And I want to make sure she
stays warm through the night." David glanced between
Neil and Christy, as if he didn't want to leave them
alone together. Deciding a few minutes would be fine, he
trudged outside.  

After a few minutes, he heard David's
rhythmic chopping outside. Knowing he had precious little
time alone with her, he knelt down beside Christy. "I
know you can't hear me Christy, but you have to come
back to us. You don't know how much I need you in my
life. How much everyone needs you. Please, come back to
us. Please bring her back to us." A single tear slid down
his cheek and fell onto Christy's face as he leaned over
and kissed her forehead.

=================== Chapter 23 ====================
Last Chapter Synopsis: Neil performs surgery to repair
Christy's kidney, and sets her wrist. As both men sit back,
weary from exhaustion, they begin to pick a fight with
each other, both angry at the other's feelings for her.
==================== 

As the days dragged on, Neil began to
lose hope that he would ever see her beautiful blue eyes
again. Christy's side had healed from her surgery, and
her wrist was soon out of the cast, but she remained in
a coma. He, Alice, and David had decided that she should
remain in his cabin so that he could keep a better eye on
her, so they moved her bed over into a corner of Neil's
cabin so that she would be out of the way.  David hated
leaving the woman he loved alone with him, even if she was
unconscious. What if she woke up? Did he really want him
being the first person she saw when she woke up? No. He
wanted to be the one she opened her eyes to. So he used
every excuse to stop by the cabin. Bringing flowers from
her school children, offering to watch her while Neil
went on his rounds, bringing over some of Ida's soup
and spoon-feeding Christy as he propped her head up with
his hand. Anything he could do to be near her, he did.

Neil watched all of this with a quiet amusement. He found
it entertaining how far David was going to make sure he
had the upper hand. He was always there. Neil wondered how
David was getting anything done with the amount of time
he was spending at his cabin. But he was grateful for the
help, as self-interested as it was. He worried less about
leaving Christy as long as David was there with her. but
every once in a while, that nagging thought came back to
him. Maybe David really did love Christy as much as he
thought he did. The thought tugged at Neil's heart as
he went about his daily routine.  

One night, after David
had left, Neil sat down by Christy's side and took her
hand. "Christy" he whispered to her as he looked down
at her tiny hand in his. "this really isn't fair
you know. You blow into my life like a whirlwind and
make me fall in love with you. You hear that you crazy
girl? I'm head over heels in love with you." Then the
joking tone left his voice. "So you have to come back
to us Christy. I know that you were put on this Earth for
a reason, and you're not done doing what you have to
do. You've touched so many lives, I refuse to believe
that that's the only reason you came to this Earth."
He studied her face, looking for any movement, but there
was none. Silently, he stood up and left her side. He
put the dishes next to the washbasin, and then turned
off the lights downstairs. He sent one last glance at
Christy as he headed upstairs for the night..  

The next
morning, Neil clomped down the stairs in his usual loud
manner. "Morning lass," he called to Christy over his
shoulder. "Looks like it's going to be a pretty nice
day outside. Hopefully I won't get caught in the rain
like I did yesterday. That wasn't fun! Charlie didn't
like it either, let me tell you. Whinnied the whole way
back to the cabin." Neil talked over his shoulder as he
set about making himself breakfast. He had started talking
to Christy every morning. He told himself that she could
hear him, even if she couldn't respond. So every morning,
he would talk about the weather, the patients he saw
the day before, and just anything that came to his mind.

As he was packing his saddle bag a little later, he heard
a knock on the door. He opened it to see a Little Burl
standing there, a bouquet of flowers in his little grubby
fingers.  "I brung these fer Teacher" he said simply.

"I'm sure she'll love them. Why don't you go put
them next to her bed?" 

Little Burl eagerly waddled over
and placed the flowers by the foot of Christy's bed.
"Can she hear me, Doc?" 

"Yes, Little Burl, she
can. But Miss Christy is in such a deep sleep that
she can't wake up right now." 

"But it's ok if
I talk to her?" 

"Of course. Here you go." He
picked up the chubby boy and plopped him on a chair
next to Christy's bed. "Go ahead." 

"Teacher?"
When Christy didn't respond, Little Burl looked
questioningly at Neil and motioned for him to bend down
to him. "You sure she can hear me Doc? She ain't
movin and talkin back." 

"I'm sure Little Burl."

Assured at the Doctor's words, Little Burl turned back
towards his Teacher. "Teacher, I done brought you some
flowers. I's got them all by myself. Really!" He smiled
triumphantly. "I's be thinkin that they'll cheer you
up somethin fine. You'll sure have a prettified room when
you wake up!" With that, he hopped off the Doctor's
lap. "I's gotta be goin home now Doc. You tell Miz
Christy I came and seen her iffin she wakes up?" 

"I
will, Burl. You have my word." 

"Thanks Doc, see ya
later!" The youngster bounded out the front door, his
cowlick trailing after him.  

Neil looked at the pile of
flowers that were building around Christy's bed. He had
all but run out of cups and mugs to put them in. Pretty
soon she would have the whole mountain at her bedside! He
smiled sadly at the thought that she couldn't even see
these tokens of love her students brought for her. He
set about examining her for that morning, and then set
about finishing packing his saddlebags.  "Be good now,
don't trash the place while I'm gone!" he called
over his shoulder as he shut the door behind him. David
wasn't visiting today, so Christy was on her own for a
while. The first few times he had left her by herself, he
had barely kept his mind on his patients he was so wracked
with nerves. But gradually he began to accept the fact
that she was going to be fine while he was gone because
she wasn't going anywhere. She probably never would
again... he mounted Charlie and headed off for the Holt
residence. He only need to visit them and the Goode's
that day, a welcomed short day. Yesterday he had to visit
6 families! He had left early in the morning, and got back
well after dark. He still wouldn't have a free afternoon,
however. Today was Margaret's funeral. Some of the men
had helped lift her out of the valley, or at least, what
was left of her, and today they were laying her to rest.

Alice had been beside herself for the past few days. She
hadn't made peace with her daughter, and the last words
between them were in anger. Although she was almost glad
that Margaret wouldn't have to suffer anymore, she was
grief-stricken over the fact that she would never get to
say she was sorry to her daughter, never get to take back
the hurtful words she had said... 

As Neil finished his
rounds that day, he made his way to the hill where they
were to bury Margaret that day. There was a pathetically
small gathering there, Neil thought mostly because this was
the woman responsible for causing so much pain in the lives
of everyone in the Cove. The sermon was short, and only
Alice seemed visibly distraught. Neil felt guilty for not
caring more, but he couldn't bring himself to muster more
sympathy. After all, she had nearly killed Christy. Why
should he be more upset? As David finished the eulogy,
Neil put his arm around his former mother-in-law. Alice
knew the details of her daughters death, but he thought
that only made her more upset. She knew her daughter
was responsible for ruining more than just her own life.

"Alice, do you want to come visit Christy with me? It
might do you good to see her today. She's still with
us, you know. She may pull through yet, you can't give
up hope." 

Alice's red-rimmed eyes looked at Neil. They
had lost the sparkle and quiet grace they usually held. In
their place were sadness and utter grief. "I can't
Neil, not today. Seeing Christy lying there won't help
me, I don't know I could handle it." 

"Alright Alice,
alright. How about tomorrow then? You can come and sit with
her and pray with her, and just let her know you're still
there for her. She'd like that. Hmm?" 

Alice shook her
head in agreement as she pulled away from Neil. "I'll
come tomorrow, Neil, if I'm able." Neil's heart went
out to the woman as her figured disappeared over the crest
of the hill. He couldn't imagine the torture of losing
a daughter in such a horrible way.  

As he approached his
cabin, the brilliant orange and purple in the sky painted
a magnificent scene before him. He almost felt as if
the sun's rays were soaking into his face as he rode.
He pulled up to his cabin, hopped off Charlie, and led
him to the barn. He stomped up the steps, banging the mud
from his boots as he walked. When he got in, he set about
emptying the bottles into his laboratory, and sterilizing
the syringes he had used. His stomach growled in protest,
but he ignored it. He always got his instruments ready
as soon as he could, in case he was called away on an
emergency.  

As he emerged from the laboratory, he heard a
small sound. He stopped in his tracks, unsure of what he
was hearing. There is was again....he listened.. It was a
gasping sound. He whipped his head in the direction of the
sound. Christy was awake! He rushed to her side, nearly
tripping over his own feet to get there.  "Christy,
Christy my love! Oh, my love." He kissed her hands, her
forehead, her cheeks, as tears streamed down his own. She
was awake. "How long have you been awake? How are you?"

"I..." came her voice, barely above a whisper. Her
hand went to her throat. Neil understood and ran to get
her a glass of water. He tilted her head and she thirstily
drank in the cool liquid. "Neil, oh Neil..." she began
again. She smiled at him, overjoyed to see his face, but
it was a strained smile. There was sadness tugging at the
corners of her mouth.  

"What is it my love? Where does
it hurt?" Christy took his hand in hers and squeezed
her eyes shut. 

"Neil...I can't...I can't feel my
legs." Neil's face sank as the realization dawned on
him. Christy was paralyzed.

==================== Chapter 24 ==================== 
Last
Chapter Synopsis: Neil begins to lose hope Christy will
ever wake up, but does notice David's devoted attention
to her. One day, after Margaret's funeral, Neil comes
back to his cabin to discover Christy awake. But his
joy is shattered when he realizes she's paralyzed.
==================== 

Neil squeezed Christy's hand
reassuringly, trying his best not to betray the fear
that bubbled up in his throat. "I'm sure it's
only temporary, Lass. Sometimes these things only seem
permanent. There could be pressure on your spinal chord
from your fall right now. That would prevent you from
feeling your legs. But as soon as that swelling goes
down, you could be up and walking around like nothing ever
happened." He tried to put a soft lilt in his voices to
put her at ease, but he could see the worry still etched
in her face.  She bit her lower lip the way she always
did when she was thinking deeply about something. She
looked up at him, her big blue eyes delving deep into
his. "But there's a greater chance that I won't,
isn't there?" 

He held her gaze. He could see flicks
of fear swimming behind the tears that threatened to
well up. "There's a chance, yes. But Christy, there
was a greater chance that you would never wake up, and
look, here you are talking to me. And you know you've
never been one to keep within expectations." He smiled
at her.  She shook her head slightly, absorbing the
news. There was a chance she may never walk again, may
never go for one of her wonderful hikes with Fairlight
again... Neil changed the subject. "Besides your legs,
how are you feeling? Does anything else hurt?" His eyes
roamed over her, visually making sure she was alright.

"I feel like someone tied me to the back of their horse
and dragged me for a few miles." 

"That good, huh?"
She didn't answer, but instead ran her hand absently
over her shortened hair. Finally she asked, "Can you
tell me what happened?" Neil pulled up a chair beside
her bed and sat down. Taking her hand in his, he took a
deep breath and began. "Well, I only know what happened
by what David told me, so pieces are missing. He told
me that Margaret started to cough and grabbed you by the
arm." 

"That part I remember. But how did I survive? Did
Margaret? Oh, and I guess more importantly, how long have
I been unconscious?" 

"First things first. You were
in a coma for about 6 days. That's not long, granted,
but because of the circumstances of your fall, I thought
for sure we had lost you. And each day that passed took
with it a little of my hope. And you survived because of
Margaret, kind of." She looked at him questioningly
as he continued. "You see, when she grabbed your
arm, she swung you over the cliff. You didn't fall
head first over like she did and you were sent flying
almost in a spiral. By some miracle, she pulled you over
with enough force to spin you over to a rock ledge. You
know that ledge that juts out about 40-50 feet down from
Look Rock?" She nodded. "That one. Well, you landed
there because of the way she pulled you. She wasn't so
lucky though...she fell all the way to the bottom. Her
funeral was yesterday." 

Christy absorbed that piece of
information silently. Dead. Margaret was dead. Even though
she was the reason she was lying here in this bed, she
couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. She hadn't
lived the best life, and even that was cut short.  "I'm
sorry Neil. Are you ok?" 

"Yes, I'm alright. Maybe
it's better this way. Margaret only had a few months
to live, at most. She never told me that, but I know the
illness well enough to recognize it's final stages. She
would have suffered terribly had she lived with the
disease til the end. She died on impact so she didn't
suffer. Maybe it's better that way. She was no longer
my wife anyway." Christy uncomfortably glanced down at
her hands. 

Neil quickly continued, "And as for the rest
of your injuries, I thought your wrist was broken, but it
turned out just to be a bad sprain. I took the splint off
your wrist because you were in a coma, and it wasn't
necessary, but I should put it back on now." He got up
and began putting together a brace for her wrist. "And
you punctured your kidney in the fall too and I had to
operate. So your side is going to be quite sore for a few
days. I can give you something for the pain if you'd
like.  

Christy shifted in her bed, wishing she could get
up and see her mountains. Neil followed her gaze out the
window.  His face was suddenly cheery. "Enough of this
morbidity. We should be celebrating! You're awake! Do you
want to sit up?" She shook her head slightly. He took
her hands and eased her slowly into a sitting position,
supporting her back gently. She wobbled slightly as she
sat up straight. Neil sat next to her, bracing her with
his shoulder. "Is that OK?" 

"I..." she closed
her eyes and waited for the dizziness to pass. "Yes,
I'm alright. I just wish I could go outside. I know
the mountains would lift make me feel better." 

Neil
set about splinting her wrist. "I don't know you're
strong enough to go outside, Christy." But seeing the
captivated look on her face as she looked at the window,
his resolve crumbled. "Alright, we can go out. But you
are to do exactly as I say, you hear me?" She nodded
slightly, but said nothing.  He finished with her wrist,
and then set about gathering blankets. It wasn't that
cold out, but her system had already had such a shock,
he was taking every precaution. He bundled her up and
draped an extra blanket over her legs. Bending down,
he scooped her off of the bed and into his arms in one
smooth motion.  She was impressed by his strength, but she
dared not say it, although she guessed her reddening face
might be giving her away. If it was, Neil was pretending
not to notice, for which she was grateful.  Neil carried
Christy outside and felt her inhale deeply as they walked
outside, as if she were drinking in the strength and
peace of the mountains. He had never known anyone to
revel in the mountains the way she did. She really was
home here. He set her down on one of the rocking chairs
on his porch. "You good?" 

"Better, considering."
she said, her face pointing towards the towering peeks on
the horizon.  They sat in silence for a few minutes, each
lost in their own happiness. Christy had her mountains,
and he had her. He stole glances at her as she sat there,
her face rosy in the waning sunlight. His heart brimmed
with love for her, but he kept his feelings to himself
for the time being.  Her face wore a pained _expression on
her face and her eyes took on a far away look. He knew she
was wrestling with everything that had happened. He wanted
to comfort her, to take her in his arms, but he knew she
needed to sort things for herself.  

After a while, she
looked at him. The resolve of previous minutes had washed
from her, and in its place was weariness and defeat. He
had never seen a look from her before, and it scared him.
"Neil, I want to go home." 

==================== Chapter 25 ==================== 

Last Chapter Synopsis: Neil
tries to reassure Christy that her paralysis may only be
temporary. She doesn't quite believe him, and asks to go
outside. There, she tries to remain positive and drink in
the strength of the mountains. But her spirits deflate and
she tells Neil she wants to go home.  
====================

"Home?" He tried to quell the fear that began to creep up
his throat at the thought of her leaving.

"I'm sure you want me out of your cabin. You've had to take
care of me this whole week, much to your inconvenience, I'm
sure."  

"No Christy, you could never be an inconvenience to
me, you know that. And besides, I don't know if the train
ride would be the best thing for you right now. You just
woke up. I need to monitor you carefully for the next few
days to make sure there's no infection, or to make sure
your wrist heals properly. I don't think you should leave."

"You're right. I honestly don't know why I
said that. Momentary lapse I guess." She smiled
half-heartedly. "I don't even really want to go home...not
really. It's just that instinct, I guess, to go home
whenever you're hurt or can't handle something. You
know? Because there my parents could take care of me, and I
wouldn't have to face what has happened to me." She paused
and looked back out at the mountains. "It was a silly
thought really. Nevermind. This is my home now anyway."

"You know I'll take care of you Christy. I may not be
able to make you forget what has happened to you, but
I promise you that I will be with you every step of the
way. Anything you need...anything."  She nodded and they
lapsed into silence again.

As the sun set further behind the mountains, Neil saw
Christy shiver. Even under all the blankets and in the
warm evening air, her body still wasn't able to handle
the slight breeze.

"Come on, let's get you inside." He stood up and walked
over to her.

Christy began to protest but then thought better of it. She
slid her arms around his neck. He carried her into the
house and placed her down on her bed once again.

"Are you tired?"

She shrugged slightly as he sat down on the edge of her
bed. "I don't really feel tired, but I'm sure as soon as
my head hits that pillow I'll be out like a light."

Neil nodded. "You've been through quite a lot and
you need all the rest you can get. I'll leave you to
sleep then." He stood up and started to walk away when
she called him back.  

Christy held back the tears that
threatened to pour out. "Neil? Could you stay with
me...? Just for a little while." Her voice sounded so
small and childlike. "I'm trying to be strong, really I
am. I just...." She bit her quivering lip. "I just do
this by myself." She was wrong to ask him to do such a
thing, she knew it, but she just needed to be in his arms,
she needed him to hold her and protect her, comfort her.

Neil obligingly came and sat down next to her. "Shh
Christy, shhh... Everything will be alright, you'll
see." He stroked her hair softly. "Come here." 

She
shifted slightly and laid her head in the crook of his
arm as he brought his knee up protectively around her. He
continued to stroke her hair and whisper comforting words
in her ear. "You're one of the strongest people
I know. And not being able to do everything yourself
doesn't make you any weaker. I know you can do this. And
I'll be beside you every step of the way." 

Christy
snuggled herself into his arm, her face resting between
his arm and his chest. Absently, she ran the back of
her thumbnail back and forth across her bottom lip. The
other hand had gathered part of Neil's shirt into a
wrinkled ball at his side. She curled herself into Neil
and lay there, trying not to let her mind wander too far.

After a while, Neil felt her relax and heard her breathing
become slower and more rhythmic. She was asleep. He knew
he should be getting to sleep himself, but the sight of
her lying there in his arms made it nearly impossible for
him to move. He could have stared at her all night. But
weariness threatened to overtake him, so he grudgingly
decided to go to bed. He loosened the still-tight hold
she still had on his shirt and eased her onto the pillow.
Standing up silently, he tucked the covers in around her
and bent down next to her ear. "I love you Christy, with
all my heart. I love you, I love you. I'd do anything,
move heaven and earth, to make you happy." With that,
he bent down to kiss her on the forehead. At the brush
of his lips on her forehead, she stirred slightly, but
didn't awaken.  

He made his way silently up the stairs,
avoiding the noisy spots that made the steps creak in
protest. As he made it into his room, he paused and
stared at himself in the mirror. The past few days had
taken a toll on him. Dark circles hung heavily under his
eyes. His hair was unkempt and his clothes were disheveled.
Carefully he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled one side down
over his shoulder to check out his wound. It seemed to
be healing fairly well with no sign of infection, but it
had taken on a nasty purplish color that Neil was all too
familiar with. Pouring some iodine onto a rag, he wiped his
shoulder quickly before undressing and getting in to bed.

He lay awake staring at the ceiling for a while, picturing
every details of Christy's beautiful face. He had reveled
in the feeling of her in his arms, even if his conscience
did kick him once in a while. He wasn't doing anything
wrong, but he knew that if the Cove found out, they'd be
scandalized. It was enough they had met up late one night
at the river. If they had known Neil held her while she
fell asleep... he didn't even want to think about it.
He rolled over onto his side as thought of her kept
flashing through his mind. He shut his eyes and tried
to slow his breathing, hoping to lull himself to sleep.

Sometime during the night, he was awakened by a scream,
Christy's scream. Terror coursed through him as he
fumbled furiously for the lantern. He groped blindly for
a few seconds but found nothing. He thought for sure he
had brought it up with him, but perhaps he had left it
downstairs. Banging his fist on the wall in frustration,
he began to make his way down the stairs as quickly as
he could, trying not to fall in the pitch blackness.

"Christy, are you alright?" he called out, his voice
sounding far away.  

"No, please, no. Please don't hurt me! Nooo!"

==================== Chapter 26 ====================
Last Chapter Synopsis: Christy struggles to deal with the
memories of the past few days, and asks Neil to stay with
her for a while.  He sits by her side and comforts her as
best he can while she falls asleep in his arms.  Later that
night, after Neil has fallen asleep, he hears her petrified
screams coming from downstairs...  ====================

Christy 's fear-stricken cries continued to fill his ears
as he tried to make his way to her.



" Please help me!  No!"  came Christy's voice to
his right.



He recklessly raced towards her not even caring about the
furniture he overturned or the bruises his shins were sure
to have in the morning.  If he could only get to her ...



Neil's shin finally collided with the edge of Christy's
bed frame.  Letting out a slightly grunt of pain, he
reached down to ease himself onto the bed, only to be
grabbed by a frantic Christy.



"Please, save me.  Oh please, no!"  Her eyes were wide
in an unseeing terror.



"Christy, Christy!"  He called her name, but
she continued to flail her arms about frantically.
"Christy!"  He grabbed her arms and pulled her to him,
hoping to calm her down.  The motion must have woken her up
because she suddenly stopped struggling and pushed herself
out of his arms.  She blinked a few times as if trying to
make sense of what was happening.



Tears began to fall down her cheeks, and before she
could really understand why, she was sobbing.  True,
gut-wrenching sobs.  She gasped for breath as he pulled
her back into his arms.  "You were having a bad dream.
Everything's all right now, I have you.  Shhh, my
love, shhh.  No one will hurt you, I promise you."



She had never cried so hard in her entire life and she
wasn't even sure why, really.  Her dream had just seemed
so real...  She felt David cutting her hair off, hearing
every sheer of the knife.  She heard Margaret's wracking
cough from behind her, felt her hand wrap around her arm,
felt herself being pulled down, down, down.  Her mind was
spinning as the scene replayed and replayed in her mind
and the sobs kept coming.



Neil kept his arms firmly wrapped around Christy as
she cried.  From time to time, he gently kissed the top
of her head.  Tears were streaming down his own face as
her listened to the agony in her cries.  "It's alright
my love.  You're here with me, no one can hurt you now.
You hear me?  I'll protect you ta the end of my days,"
he murmured methodically into ear.  "I love you Christy,
I love you."  He began to gently rock her back and forth,
cradling her tiny frame in her arms.



As the minutes ticked by, Christy's sobs began to taper
off.  It wasn't that she was no longer afraid, it was
that she had no more tears left.  All the fear and sadness
of previous minutes had given way to utter exhaustion.
When she finally sat up, Neil could see her whole body
sagged.



"Neil..." she wearily looked at him and then back down
to the bedspread.



"You don't have ta say anything Christy.  I can't
even begin to understand everything you've been through.
We've had a lot happen to us in the past few days,
you more so than anyone.  And you don't owe me an
explanation, OK?"



She nodded her head slightly and laid back down on her
pillow, her eyes still puffy from crying.   Slowly, Christy
reached for Neil's hands and laced her fingers into his.
"Thank you Neil."



"Shhh, none of that now.  You just save your strength."



She nodded again and closed her eyes, her hand still
entwined with his.  "I was at the cliff again,"
she began.



"Christy, you don't have to.  Why don't you get
some sleep and we can talk about it when your more rested,
hmm?"



She opened her eyes and pulled his hand closer to him.
"Please, I want to do it now."



Neil inched closer to her on the bed.  "Then I'll
listen."



A faltering look fleetingly crossed her face and then
cleared as quickly as it had come.  Taking a deep
breath, she began again.  "I was on the cliff Neil.
Everything seemed in slow motion, every minute seemed like
an eternity.  And then I thought David was on her side.
I knew in my head he couldn't be, just like in my head I
knew he couldn't be the one who had done everything to
us before.  But there he was, cutting my hair.  It was
horrible Neil.  I mean, not because it was my hair,
which was horrible too..."  she ran her hand over her
shorn hair again, as if to feel if it were really gone.
"But what hurt me more than anything was the fact that
I thought David was on his side."



She rushed on, as if afraid any pause might make her forget
some detail.  "I didn't know that he was trying to
save me by doing all that.  I didn't know until yesterday,
when you told me, that he wasn't really on her side.
But he wasn't here, he hadn't come to see me, so
I assumed..."



Neil chuckled slightly, and Christy looked at him
questioningly.  "I'm sorry Lass, it's just that
David tended to you so carefully when you were unconscious.
Anything and everything he could do ta be near you he took.
And now, when you finally wake up, he's in Lufty Branch.
He didn't to go, mind you, but he had promised months
ago ta make any extra trip this month so that he could
bless their newly arrived pulpit."  Still seeing her
questioning look, he replied, "Well, I was just marveling
over the precision of his timing, is all."



Christy smiled weakly.  "He'll be mad when he finds
out though, I bet.  He'll think you planned the whole
thing."  Her smiled widened at the thought.



"I love to see you smile, Christy.  How I've missed
that smile...



With her free hand, Christy reached up to touch his face.
He had scruff around his chin, his whiskers course
and prickly.  He reached up to cup her hand in his.
"I love you, Christy"



"I love you too Neil, more than you could ever know."
Her eyelids drooped slightly even as she fought to keep
them open.



"Go ta sleep my love."



With her eyes still closed, she said,  "I want to stay
awake Neil.  On that cliff I was so afraid that I would
never see you again."  She yawned and then covered her
mouth embarrassedly, smiling sheepishly.  "Maybe I
am tired, but that doesn't matter.  I need to know
you're with me...that you're right here with me."
Her voice began to fade from weariness.  She clutched
his hand to her chest and nestled her face against it.
"I was...so afraid.  I just...love you so much."  Then
she was silent, and Neil knew she was asleep.



He stood up slightly and tried to detangle his hand from
hers, but he couldn't.  Every time he tried to pull his
hand out from between hers, she stirred slightly and only
gripped it tighter.  He was afraid to wake her up for fear
her horrible memories of the past few days would flood her
mind again.   But she had him trapped there!  He tried once
more to free himself, to no avail.  Sighing, he sat down on
the floor next to her bed, his arm twisted at an awkward
angle.  Glancing one more time at his sleeping beauty, he
shifted slightly to make himself more comfortable.  Then he
rested his head on his free arm and closed his eyes.
He drifted to sleep to the rhythmic sound of Christy's
breathing, his hand still clutched in hers.

==================== Chapter 27 ==================== 
Last
Chapter Synopsis: Neil is awakened by Christy's terrified
screams in the night.  He races downstairs and tries to
comfort her in the aftermath of her frightening nightmare.
She ends up falling asleep clutching his hand, and he
doesn't have the heart to wake her to take it back...
====================



Neil awoke the next morning with the worst stiff neck and
shoulder he had ever felt.  He painfully lifted his head
only to find Christy still sleeping.  And somehow, she
had managed to keep a hold on his hand the whole night.
He tried once again to free himself, but she still had
quite a grip on him.



"Christy, wake up" he said gently as he positioned
himself next to her on the bed.  "Wake up sleepy head."
Slowly, her big blue eyes opened.  "Good morning love.
I trust you slept well."



"Yes...I guess after I..."  she looked down at Neil's
hand in hers in confusion.  "You mean...?"  her cheeks
turned beet red as she realized she had tied him to her
bedside all night.  She guiltily dropped his hand.



Neil chuckled slightly as he stretched his sore arm.
"Don't worry Christy.....ahhhh..."  He rolled his
shoulder in circles trying to loosen it.  "You know I
would do it for you again in a heartbeat.  A sore shoulder
is a very small price to pay to make you happy."



She smiled and stretched her own arms out luxuriously.
"Mmm....  Good morning!!  It's a glorious morning,
isn't it?"



"Why...sure...I mean"  he faltered with words, then
smiled at her.  "Words always fail me when I'm around
you, you know that love?  So what puts you in such a
good mood?"



"Well, I'm alive, at the very least.  And the sun is
shining, the birds are singing...!!"  She sat up in her
bed and looked out at Neil's tiny window.  She threw the
covers off and started to stand up before she remembered
that she couldn't.  Her face fell slightly momentarily,
but then regained its beautiful smile.  "Well, I guess
that wouldn't be the smartest thing to do, now would it!
We'll just put these back on..."  she said jovially
as she resmoothed the blankets over her legs.



For the first time since she woke up, she heard Neil's
resounding laughter echo through the cabin.



For some reason, even though the comment wasn't
intended to be funny, Christy soon joined in, their
laughter bouncing around the cabin in delicious music.
But their happiness was cut short.



David knocked on Neil's cabin but was greeted with
laughter from inside.  Wondering what was going on, he
stepped in without waiting for someone to answer the door.



The most joyous sight greeted his eyes, Christy, alive
and awake, sitting up...and laughing!  Never before had
he heard such a glorious sound.  He rushed over to her
side, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste.
"Christy, Christy!"  He scooped Christy up into
his arms suddenly and spun her around in his delight.
"Oh how I've missed you!!"  Suddenly, he leaned in
and kissed her, not caring that Neil was still in the room.



Flustered, Christy pulled away, color creeping steadily
into her face.  "David, please.  I'm glad to see
you too, but this isn't the place for that. David,
please...put me down, you're embarrassing me."  Color
continued to flood Christy's beautiful face.



"Confound it, Grantland, have you no common sense?
The woman just awoke from a coma and you're swingin her
around the room?  Have you gone mad man?"



Resentment flared behind David's eyes but quickly subsided.
He shrugged slightly and began to lower Christy to the
floor, but she continued to cling to his neck.



"What's wrong, Christy?  Can't seem to get enough of
me, huh?"  He smugly grinned.



"No David, it's not that at all.  I mean...I didn't mean
for it to come out like that.  What I mean is that..." she
cast a pleading look in Neil's direction, "I can't walk
David" she said quietly.  "I'm paralyzed."



David's face registered complete shock and disbelief,
and he said nothing for quite a few moments.  When he
finally spoke again, his words came out haltingly.
"You...can't walk...for how long?  Doc?  How long will
she be like this?"



Neil ran his fingers unthinkingly through the back of
his hair, through the curls at the nape of his neck.
"It's hard to say, really.  Could be hours, could be days,
could be years.  I don't know how severe the damage was
to her spinal chord."



David lightly placed Christy down on the bed, as if
afraid he would break her even more.  Then he awkwardly
backed a step or two away from her, unsure of what to do
or say next.  "Guess that whole spinning you around thing
wasn't the smartest idea, huh?"  He directed the question
at his shoes, refusing to make eye contact with either
Christy or Neil.



Christy reached out for his hand, taking his large one
in hers.  "It's OK David, really.  It's not like you
dropped me or anything."  She smiled, hoping to ease
his mind, but he continued to stare sullenly at the floor.
"I'm sure I'm fine."  Sympathy for him welled in her.



Neil noticed the change in Christy's demeanor.  Clearing
his throat exaggeratedly, he walked over to Christy's bed.
"I should probably examine you before we get started today.
It's always best to examine patients in the morning,
because their bodies are the freshest, and it's the best
indication of how well the body is healing."  Neil glanced
at David as if to signal him to leave, but David either
ignored him or didn't understand him.



"Anything I can do to help?"



Neil shot him a frustrated glance.  "No, there's nothing
you can do.  But if you don't mind me asking, why are
you here?"



"I'm here to see Christy, of course.  Why else would I
come?" he shot back.



"It's just that, it's Monday, and I assumed the children
would have school and that you would be there teaching
them."



"Actually, Alice and I decided to close school for this
week.  We were running out of material by the middle of
last week anyway, so we wanted a week to regroup ourselves,
and come up with a game plan."



"I'm sorry for being such an inconvenience David, I know
you already have so much you have to do, and now I'm just
adding to it."



"I don't want to hear that from you.  I'm fine, OK?
Stop worrying."



Christy didn't look convinced, but decided to let it go.
Besides, Neil was still standing by her bedside looking
impatient.  Suddenly Christy was aware she was in the
same room with two men wearing much less than she normally
would.  She had only a nightgown on, and no stockings or
socks whatsoever.  She quickly grabbed her blanket off
the bed and threw it over her bare legs, trying to hide
her embarrassment.  She was also keenly aware that Neil
would be examining intimate parts of her, her side, her
back... parts that no man had ever seen before.  There was
no hiding her blush now, her cheeks burned crimson.



Neil sensed Christy's uneasiness.  "Grantland, I think it
would be best if you stepped outside for now.  Christy's
having a hard enough time imagining me examining her,
let's not add a second pair of eyes to the mix."



But David remained rooted in his spot.  "I don't think it's
proper for you to examine her alone, Doctor.  You're a
single man now, and she a single woman, it wouldn't
be proper."



"For God's sake, Grantland, I'm a doctor.  I've certainly
seen more "improper" things than this.  What do you take
me for?"  He scoffed in disgust.



"Well, I still think I should be in the room."



"This is my cabin, and I say you wait outside!"



"It's your will against mine, MacNeill.  And I don't see
either of us giving in any time soon."  They stared at
each other, neither giving an inch.



"How about Miss Alice?"  Christy's voice chimed in.
Both men snapped their heads in her direction as if they
had forgotten she was in the room.



"What about Miss Alice?" she repeated.  "Miss Alice could
be present, alleviating both of your concerns."



"That's fine by me, but there's no way of getting her here
any time soon."



David sighed suddenly, as if he had a great weight on his
shoulders.  Finally he said, "Christy, I have something to
tell you.  Even if we asked her to, Alice wouldn't come."
A stunned Christy looked up at David in confusion.
"She said she's too hurt over Margaret's death, and
I think she blames you for it...for your involvement
with Neil while he was still married to her daughter.
She said she doesn't want to see you."

==================== Chapter 28 ==================== 
Last
Chapter Synopsis: Christy's good mood is suddenly trampled
by David's arrival.  An argument between Neil and David
about whether or not he should be alone in the room when
he exams Christy forces out an ugly secret.  David thinks
Miss Alice blames Christy for her involvement with Neil
while he was still married, and he tells Christy that
Alice doesn't want to talk to her.  ====================

Christy was silent throughout the whole examination, save
for occasional "yes's" or "no's" to Neil's
questions.  Her mind was spinning with the news David had
just given her.  Miss Alice?  Not want to speak to her?
The Alice she knew wouldn't do that.  Then again, Christy
herself had never lost a daughter, so she couldn't even
begin to understand the pain the woman was going through.



Neil was concerned about Christy's silence.  He knew
she was taking David's news seriously, but it was not
like her to keep her thoughts to herself.  He finished
the exam and helped her sit up against the headboard.



"Well?"  She looked at him with such hopeful eyes, he
was afraid to disappoint her.



He took her hands.  "Christy, I'm going to be honest
with her."  Her face fell at his words, but she kept her
gaze leveled at him.  "There has been significant damage
to your spinal column.  In most cases, it probably would
have led to permanent paralysis.  But I think in your
case you got lucky.  While you were in the coma, your
body had a better chance to heal itself.  Sleep is the
best way for the body to regenerate itself, and you had
a few solid days of nothing but that sleep, so to speak."



"So you're saying there's hope?"



"I'm saying you have a better chance than someone
else who was conscious in the few days after their injury.
But I'm not promising anything Lass.  Please know that.
I don't want you getting your hopes up."



"I won't Neil.  But I need you to do something for
me."



"Anything.  What is it?"



"Well, first, could you get David from outside?
Since we're done the exam, he might as well come back
inside.  We don't want to make him any more mad than
I know he already is for being forced out there in the
first place."



"And the second thing?"



"Get David first, and then I can tell both of you.
Two birds, one stone."



Pushing himself off his knees, Neil stood up.  "Fine
fine.  Although for all I care, he can stay out there."



"Neil, you know that isn't very nice.  And I thought
you and David were getting along better now?"



Neil shrugged slightly.  "I just don't like sharing
you."  He smiled down at her.  "But fine, I'll
go get him for you."  He dragged out the "you" in
mock sarcasm.



Christy chuckled and tossed her pillow at him, which
he caught it nimbly.  "Aww, thank you.  Is this for
me?"  He laid his head on the pillow and stroked it
lovingly. "  Christy laughed out loud.  "Neil MacNeill,
you're crazy!!  Now go, go get David."



When Neil and David were both seated in chairs next
to Christy's bed, she took a deep breath and began.
"I have something I need to tell both of you."  David
and Neil shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, but did
not look at each other.  "I want to go see Miss Alice."



David started to protest but Christy held up her hand.
"I know David, she said she doesn't want to see me.
But the Miss Alice I know wouldn't shut me out of her
life like that.  She might be mad, and I can understand
that.  But I need her, and I know part of her needs
me to."



Neil cleared his throat.  "Christy, I don't think
that's such a good idea.  In your condition, traveling
anywhere, even somewhere close, probably isn't smart."



"I don't know, MacNeill.  I mean, it's probably
better if Christy is back with us.  You know.  There's
more people to tend to her, and she will have her own room
and her own clothes...all her own things.  And then you
won't have to worry when you go out on house calls."



"Really Grantland, it's not a problem.  I'm only
concerned for Christy's safety."



"As am I, which is why I think she should come home
with me.  She wants to anyway, and I happen to agree
with her."



"Why am I not surprised by that?"



"Now MacNeill, just because..."



"Stop!" Christy said, her strong voice surprising
even her.  "I didn't call you both in here to tell
you this so that you can fight over it.  My mind is made
up, anyway."



"But Christy, I just told you, you might have a fighting
chance to walk again.  But your spinal chord can't
sustain any more injury."



"Then we'll just have to be careful.  But I'm
going back.  I'm sorry Neil, but I have to go back."



Neil knew he wasn't going to win this battle, even though
it went against his better judgment.  He knew that if they
were careful, there shouldn't be any further trauma to
Christy's spine, but he had so enjoyed having her all
to himself for the past few days that he didn't want to
their time together to end yet.  But he saw Christy's
jaw set firmly, saw her eyes blaze with determination,
and knew fighting her would do no good.



"Alright Christy, but you're to do exactly as I say
on the way over, alright?"



She nodded vigorously.  She was anxious to get out of the
bed and back to a semi-normal life.



"Should I put her on Prince, maybe?  He's a pretty
steady horse."



Neil thought for a minute.  "I think the best way to
get her back would be for us to carry her.  It'll take
much longer, but I think in the long run it's better
for her."



"That's fine with me," David agreed heartedly, as
the thought of holding Christy close to him swept through
his mind.



Soon they were busy gathering the few things people had
brought over from the Mission for her, and all of the
cards and flowers the children had brought to her while
she was sick.  They shoved everything in a sack, along
with a few extra bandages and supplies, just in case.



As Neil was finishing packing, David covertly walked over
to Christy and picked her up.  "Ready to go beautiful?"



Christy glanced and Neil.  She knew that David would
not want to hand her over to Neil, and would especially
never admit that he was getting tired.  So the majority
of the trip would be spent in David's arms.  As much as
she would have preferred to travel with Neil, there was
nothing she could do about it now.



"Yes, I'm ready to go.  Neil, are you?  Do we have
everything?"



Neil checked the bag one more time.  "Yep, all set."



The trio headed out the door, David doing his best to keep
Christy steady as they descended the stairs.  "You tell
me if it gets too bouncy, will you? "  Christy shook
her head, and the three were off.



David tried to chat jovially as they walked, but after a
half hour or so, his words began to come out in shorter
phrases as he struggled to nonchalantly catch his breath.
His steps also became smaller, and soon he was falling
behind Neil.



Neil noticed, and jumped at his chance.  "Why don't
you let me take her for a little while.  We can switch
every few minutes.  You know, give our arms a rest."
He stopped, placed the sack on the ground, and held out
his arms.  But David ignored him and kept walking.



"I'm fine MacNeill.  I'll let you know when I need
a break."



Neil rolled his eyes at David's arrogance.  Even when
it came to something as important as Christy's health,
David was still stubborn as a mule.



David struggled on for a few more minutes before he
finally agreed to let Neil carry Christy for a ways.
She happily transferred arms and settled into Neil's
chest as he walked.



Before she knew it, they were at the Mission, much to
her dismay.  But she grinned mischievously to herself as
she thought Neil must have purposely carried her the whole
way back so that David couldn't.  Maybe it was to prove
his manhood, or maybe it was just because he didn't
want David to have her.  Either way, he must have been
absolutely exhausted.  Neil's forehead was beaded with
sweat, but he seemed not to notice.  Or maybe he couldn't
do much about it with her in his arms.


David opened the door to the Mission to find Miss Alice
sitting at the kitchen table.  She looked between them,
from David to Christy to Neil and then came to rest on
Christy.  Christy saw her usually calm grey eyes reflecting
her inner turmoil.  As Neil walked in and set Christy down
in the high backed chair, Alice quietly got up from the
table and walked out the door without a word.

==================== Chapter 29 ==================== 
Last
Chapter Synopsis: Neil informs Christy that she has a
better chance of recovery than someone who has remained
conscious.  But instead of keeping immobile, Christy asks
David and Neil to take her back to the Mission.  They take
turns carrying her back, but when the arrive, Alice
brushes past them and leaves without a word to anyone.
====================

Neil saw the pain register in Christy 's eyes as she
followed Miss Alice's departing figure.  Knowing Christy
would not say anything about it, Neil took it upon himself
to right the situation, even if it meant leaving Christy
in David's hands for a while.

"Grantland, can you take Christy up and get her
settled?"  he asked, but headed out the door after Alice
before David could answer.

"Alice, wait up" but the woman didn't stop.
"Alice!" he called again, as he raced to catch up
with her.  "What is wrong with you?"



Alice finally turned to face the out-of-breath Neil.  "I
don't want to speak to you either."  Her eyes flared
in anger.  "You killed my daughter.  You both did!"



Neil felt his own anger rising, but did his best to swallow
it.  Engaging in a shouting match wouldn't get either of
them anywhere.  "I know you're angry Alice, and hurt.
Anyone could understand that.  Now look, you and I have
never exactlya€|seen eye to eye.  But we've always been
honest with each other, and we've always listened to what
the other has to say, even if we've disagreed with it.
Well hear me now.  I remained faithful to my marriage even
though Margaret had left me for the second time.  But when
she left, she killed whatever feelings I had for her."



Alice began to walk towards her cabin when Neil stopped
her again.  "Listen to me Alice!  Even though Margaret
did all that, and we weren't married in our eyes,
Christy knew that we were still legally married.  I have
never even kissed her Alice.  Do I love her?  Yes.
But I'vea€|we've never done anything about that.
Christy has respected my marriage to your daughter, Alice,
whether you want to believe it or not!"



Neil turned and started to storm back towards the
cabin when he suddenly stopped.  "And she loves you
like a mother Alice, think what you're doing to her.
She's paralyzed, for God's sake Alice, and she risked
her health so that she could come here to see you."  He
saw the shock register on her face.  "That's right, she
can't walk, Alice, but she loves so much that she came
here to try to fix things with you, against my better
judgment, may I add.  And this is how you treat her?
I know you better than that Alice.  And you know her
better than to think she would ever do anything to shame
you or herself.  She loves you.  You're her confidant,
her mentor, her inspiration.  Please, Alice, don't
blame her for Margaret's death.  She had nothing to do
with it.  If you want someone to blame, you can blame me.
But don't take this out on her when she has enough to
deal with right now."



With that, he turned and walked back to the Mission.
The kitchen was empty, but he heard voices upstairs.
When he got to the top of the stairs, he found Christy and
David talking, Christy on her bed and David in the chair
beside her.



"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"



Neil saw David begin to answer "no" but Christy chimed
in too quickly.  "Of course not Neil.  We were just
talking about the children, and how much I've missed in
just the past few days!"



"That's wonderful.  But how are you feeling?  Are you
feeling pain anywhere?  Stiffness?"



She shook her head.  "Nope, I'm feeling fine, really.
I've never been one to hold things back, you know that.
I'd tell you if I was having a problem."



The three stood in awkward silence for a few seconds.
"Neil, could I talk to you alone for a minute?"  she
asked, casting a look in David's direction.  She saw his
shoulders droop that he was once again the odd man out,
but he said nothing.  He simply got up, dropped a quick
kiss on Christy's forehead, and headed out the door.
He paused in the doorframe and said, "If you need
anything, I'll be right downstairs, ok?"



"Thank you David."



When he was gone, Christy motioned for Neil to sit down in
the chair David had vacated.  He sat down, and inched the
chair closer to Christy, so that he could grasp her hand.
"What is it my love?"



"I want to know what Alice said to you."



"She said nothing.  I talked at her, but she stayed
silent."



Christy's face fell.  "I feel so horrible Neil, so
incredibly gut-wrenchingly horrible.  She thinks I helped
kill her daughter!  The thought of her being so angry with
me that she will not even talk to me makes me ill Neil."
Her forehead furrowed in her worry.  "You should never
have said you loved me!  I'm not blaming you Neil, it was
both of our faults.  We should have fought harder against
it!  We could have done that!  I owe Alice that much!
But to fall in love with her daughter's husbanda€|what
kind of a person am I?  Is that how I show my thanks to
the woman who has become like a mother to me?"



Neil took Christy by the shoulders.  "You listen to me.
You did nothing wrong!  Margaret left me letting me
think she was dead.  When you came, she was dead to me.
I started to fall in love with you from the first moments
I fell in love with you.  I couldn't have known Margaret
was still alive.  And when she came backa€|I thought maybe
we had a chance.  But once again she disappeared without
a trace.  I had had it by then, Christy.  Margaret was no
longer my wife, even if she still legally was."



He studied her face.  "But youa€|you never caused any of
that.  You didn't make her go away, you didn't make her
leave her home, her mother, me.  In fact, you encouraged
her to come back and fight for me!  You cared about me
enough to sacrifice your own happiness for me.  Don't you
see that Christy?  You didn't cause Margaret's death.
She became so caught up in the affair she thought I was
having that it consumed her.  She was always a jealous
person, but I never thought she would go to the lengths
she went to."



"But Neil, I never should have let myself love you.
It was wrong!"



"No Christy, it wasn't.  We never kissed, I've never
courted you.  Nothing Christy.  Because I respected us
and our relationship enough not to.  But can I ask you
something?  When did you start loving me?"



She shrugged her shoulders.  "I don't know really.
I had convinced myself that we were just friends.  I knew
I loved you incredibly as a friend, but I never let myself
think of us as anything more.  Then the day Margaret came
back for the second time, I had a talk with Fairlight.
I realized that day that I loved you, yes, but it was
more that I realized that I had loved for you as long as
I could remember."



Tenderness filled Neil's eyes as he looked at her.  "So
you see?  Your feelings started long before either of us
knew Margaret was alive.  How could they be wrong then?"



"It just was, Neil.  I should have controlled my feelings
more, or hidden them better, or something.  And now Miss
Alice blames me for Margaret's death.  Does she know
what happened on the cliff?"



"I don't know.  I assume David has filled her in on
the details.  Everything is going to be all right, you know
that Christy.  I told you I would never let anything happen
to you as long as I was around, I meant that.  I love you.
We can handle anything together."



Tears formed in the corner's of Christy's eyes.
"I love you too Neil.  So much that I can't believe
I have enough room in my heart left for anyone else.
But I love Miss Alice too, and the thought of her never
speaking to me again is something I could never handle.
I know you said we could handle anything together, but
this is something I have to do on my own."



"What do you mean?"



"Ia€|I don't really know how to put this.  I just feel
like we should just be friends for right now.  Put a pin
in this part of our relationship.  It's not going away,
it's just off to the side.  I feel like it's the best
for everyone."



"It's not the best for me, Christy, nor you.  And you
know that.  what you mean is that you think it's best
for Miss Alice.  Is she more important than me?"



"Oh Neil, please don't ask me that.  You know I love
you both so incredibly much.  Please don't ask me to
choose between you."



"But that's what you're doing, isn't it?  You're
putting her over your happiness, over our happiness!"
his voice was rising even as he tried to level it.



"No Neil, that's not it, that's not what I'm
doing.  I can't stand to lose either of you, don't you
understand that?  that's why I'm asking us to just put
this to the side for now, just for a while.  Not forever
Neil.  I couldn't stand that.  Please Neil."  She
reached out for his hand.



He knew she was right.  He knew he should let her work
things out with Alice first.  And he wouldn't lose
her forever.  It was just a temporary pause.  He could
handle that, right?  He had toa€|


After a few seconds of excruciating silence, he said
quietly, "All right Christy."

==================== Chapter 30 ====================
Last Chapter Synopsis: Because she's so afraid of making
things with Miss Alice worse, Christy asks Neil if they
can put their relationship on hold until things are
all right again.  Neil thinks she's putting Alice over
himself and gets momentarily defensive, but eventually
agrees begrudgingly.  ====================

"Oh, Neil, really?  You'd do that for me?"



"You've been through enough in the past few days, you
don't need me making things harder.  If you feel that
this is something you have ta doa€|then OK."



Christy reached out and took Neil's hand.  "Thank you
Neil."



He nodded and pulled his hand out of hers.  "But I'm
going ta go.  I should check on Becky O'Teale.  I was
supposed to look at her eyes yesterday, but I got a little
sidetracked."  He gave her a strained smile.  "I guess
I will see you later."



She could tell he was hurt.  More than anything, she
wanted to run to him, throw her arms around him, and tell
him there was no one more important than him.  But at the
same time, she knew this was something she had to do.



"All right Neil.  Maybe you could join us for dinner?"



"I don't know when I'll be back.  I'll try my best
though."  He turned and started to leave when she called
his name.



"Neil?"



He turned back to her.  She sat on the bed looking so
sad, he knew he was hurting her too.  His face softened.
"Don't worry my love.  This will work out, you'll
see.  And I'll be by your side every step of the way."



Christy nodded and settled down into her bed, visibly
relieved at Neil's change in demeanor.  "Rest now,
Lass.  Get your strength back."  With that, he turned
and left, closing the door behind him.



However, as he turned to head downstairs, he ran smack
into Alice.  They simply stared at each other for a few
seconds before Neil excused himself and went on his way.



Knocking lightly on the door, Alice heard Christy's soft
voice from inside.  As she pushed open the door slightly,
her heart tightened in her chest.



"Miss Alice, won't you come in?"



"Thank you Christy."  She awkwardly sat down in the
seat Neil had vacated.  Christy had never seen Miss Alice
at a loss for words and was quite unsettled by it.



"Christya€|"  "Alicea€|" they began at the same
time.



"You first Miss Alice."



Alice took a deep breath.  "I have wronged thee, Christy.
I have to admit something to theea€|I was listening to your
conversation with Neil just now.  I'm sorry, I know it
was wrong.  But that's not all either.  I blamed thee
for my daughter's death.  Blamed you.  You, Christy!
I was angry at thee, at Neil, and even at God for letting
this happen.  But I was wrong Christy, I know that now.
Thee loves Neil, but thee still respected his marriage.
My head knew that, buta€|but I needed someone else to
blame for Margaret's death all the same.  I couldn't
bear the thought of blaming Margaret, even though I knew
she was the one ultimately responsible."  She closed
her eyes momentarily, as if collecting her thoughts.
When she opened them again, Christy saw the wisdom and
inner peace reflecting in her face once again.



"And despite my harsh treatment of thee," she
continued, "thee was still willing to put your love for
Neil aside.  Thee was unselfish and caringa€|something I
admit I wasn't.  I am sorry Christy.  Can you forgive
me?"



"Oh Miss Alice, you are already forgiven!"  she held
out her arms for the woman, who bent over and enveloped
her in an embrace.



"So you're not mad at me anymore?"  Christy asked.



"No my child.  I never really was.  I was angry at
Margareta€|for her foolishness, for her selfishness, for
her irrationality.  And I took it out on thee because thee
was still here and she was not."



"I never meant to hurt her, Miss Alice, please believe
me.  Neil and Ia€|we both respected the fact that he was
still a legally married man."



"I believe thee, I believe thee."  She patted
Christy's hand reassuringly.  "And I've known of
thy feelings for Neil for a long time now.  I was just
waiting for thee to see it."  She smiled at the girl's
startled look.  "And I've also known of his feelings
for thee, long before anyone knew Margaret was alive."



Color crept into Christy's face.  "But I still
shouldn't have let my feelings grow as they did,
especially after we found out Margaret was alive."



"Does thee think that thee can turn love on and off
so easily?  Why Christy, only God can do that.  He gave
thee this love for a reason.  Perhaps thee is supposed to
love Neil in a way my daughter never could," she said
as a tiny tear formed in the corner of her eye.



"I do love him, Miss Alice."



"Then cherish him with everything in thy heart and
soul."  Her eyes smiled at Christy.



"Oh, I will, I will!  I already do."  She smiled back
at her mentor.



"I know.  I am sorry though, Christy.  I never meant to
heap all of this onto thee.  Especially not now."



Christy looked at Alice questioningly.  "Oh, that.
I seem to forget that every once in a while, oddly enough.
I don't even think it's really hit me yet.  I mean,
I'm still adjusting to being awake again, I don't think
it's fully registered thata€|that I can't walk."



She raced on.  "But Neil did say that I have a better
chance of walking because I was unconscious for the few
days after I fell.  So that's good at least."



Alice patted Christy on the hand again.  "I have complete
faith in Neil's diagnosis, but I don't want thee to
get thy hopes up."



"I know Miss Alice, Neil said that same thing.  And I'm
not, really.  I know that.  But I just can't help
feeling like I'm going to walk again.  I just know I am,
I can feel it!"  She snuggled down further into her bed.
"I can just feel it Miss Alice."


"Well then, thee best get some rest.  Goodnight."  She
stood up and left the room quickly.  She didn't have the
heart to tell Christy that even with her few unconscious
days of recovery, she still had very little chance of
walking again.

====================

==================== Chapter 31 ==================== Last
Chapter Synopsis: Miss Alice and Christy have a heart to
heart about Neil.  Alice realizes she was wrong to blame
Christy for Margaret's death, and then tells her that
she should love Neil as Margaret never did.  Christy also
confides in Miss Alice that she feels like she will walk
again, and Alice doesn't have the heart to tell her she
most likely won't.  ====================

Christy began to slowly adjust to her new life as the
days began to pass.  Neil had sent for a wheel chair
from El Pano, which, at first, Christy refused to use.
She believed with her whole heart that it would only
be a matter of time before she would be up and about.
But as time went on, and she didn't regain feeling in
her legs, she realized the necessity of the chair.



David built a ramp for her between the Mission and the
school, but he would try to carry her whenever possible
and then one of her students would wheel her chair to
the school.  She hated it, every minute of it, but there
was nothing she could do.  She was trapped in that chair
for as long as God saw fit.



Alice and David agreed that Christy could teach as long
as she felt capable.  Of course, that meant returning to
her full course load, 72 students and all.  She plunged
into her work, happy for the distraction.  The children
too, seemed elated to have her back.  Although they were
a little hesitant of her condition at first, they soon
realized she was the same old Teacher they had always
loved.



One day, during a particular noisy day, Christy was writing
on the bottom half of the blackboard, as it was the only
part she could reach from her chair.  "Sam Houstona€|"
she called, but her voice was nearly drowned out by the
children.  She rapped her ruler on the desk a few times,
which seem to quiet everyone down a little.  "Children, I
know everyone is excited because school is almost out, but
we really must everyone ready for the recital next week.
Don't you all want to put on a fantastic show for your
parents?"  Tiny heads bobbed up and down as some of the
boys hooted loudly from their seats.



As tiring as it all was, Christy took the noise in stride.
The last few days of school were always hard, with papers
being handed back and the recital to prepare fora€|it was
pandemonium!  But noise and all, Christy was glad to be
back.  How she had missed her children while she was gone!



"Sam Houston!" she tried again.  This time, thankfully,
the little boy heard her.



"Yessum Teacher?"



"It's your turn to show us what you'll be presenting
at the recital.  Are you ready?"



"Yessum Teacher!  I's been practicing in every blessed
minute!"  He bounded up to the front of the room and
stood proudly with his paper in his hand.



After reciting a poem he had written about his beloved
departed dog, Singer Lee, other students came up one by
one to practice for the big day.  Some had written poems,
some, like John Spencer, had written a song, which he and
Bessie were to perform together.  They had patched things
up after the misunderstanding with Christy, Neil, and
Bessie down by the river, and now the two were as thick as
thieves again.  Christy often caught them kissing during
recess, but no amount of scolding seemed to do any good.
They were two kids in love!



The rest of the day was filled with brush up lessons
for their final test.  As the children scurried from
their desks after Christy dismissed them, she counted her
blessings as she watched each student bound out the door
and down the steps.



She set about gathering her books and placing them in her
schoolbag when she heard David's jovial voice ring out
from the back.  "Looks like perfect timing" he said
as he strode up the aisle.  "Can I help?"



"No David, thank you, I'm fine.  I just need to put a
few things in my bag and then we can go."  She gave him
a quick smile and then set about packing her bag again.
When she had gathered everything, she looked at David
expectantly.  "Ready to go?"



"Sure am!"  he said as he scooped her out of her chair.
"So how was your day?"  he asked as they made their
way back to the Mission.



"Noisy as all get out, but it's that time of the year
again, so I wasn't surprised.  And you should have
heard some of the things the children prepared for the
recital!  I can't get over how bright some of them are!
Some of the things thata€|" she stopped talking suddenly
and looked around.  "David, where are you taking me?
The Mission is that way."



"I figured we'd go for a little walk.  We have spent
too much time together since you woke up, and I just
wanted to see you again, away from the hustle and bustle
of everyone else."



"David!"  She swatted his arm playfully.  "You know,
this can be considered kidnapping!"



"Are you complaining?"  He smiled devilishly at her
as he continued walking farther and farther away from
the Mission.



She had missed him, but things had just been so busy
lately!  She was almost glad to have a chance to sit down
with him again.  "Well, I supposed not.  But I don't
want to be gone too long or they're going to think I
fell off another cliff!"



David laughed.  "Fine, I'll have you home in a few
minutes, promise."



After setting her down on a large rock, he sat down next to
her and took her hand in his.  "You know Christy, I've
missed you incredibly.  I can't tell you how terrified
I was that whole week you were in the coma.  I thought
I'd never see you again... never be able to tell you I
loved you again."  His voice got quiet.  "And I do love
you, Christy, so much.  I know that MacNeill is trying to
win you over too, but remember what I said, won't you?
Think how much sense we make."  He leaned in to kiss
her, but she turned her head away, blushing furiously.



"David, please don't."  He looked at her with a
hurt and pitiful _expression in his eyes that made her
feel like she had just kicked him.  "You know I care
for you, so incredibly much, but a€|"



"But you care for MacNeill more, I know."  He stood
up angrily.



"No David, no.  That isn't what I was going to
say at all.  It's just thata€|I need to concentrate
on me right now.  I need to get better, get my life
back in order.  That needs to be my focus right now.
You understand that, don't you?"



"But I could help you with that!  Don't you see?
We could be partners, I would share your burden."



"I know you would David, but you have to know that I
would never ask you to, nor let you, take up my burden.
But you're such a sweet man.  You are.  And you must
know I care for you.  But I need to take this time for
myself."



"I can understand, Christy, it's just so hard being
patient.  I want you to be mine with all of my heart!"



 "I knowa€|"  She smiled at him.  "But I also know
 that my stomach is rumbling.  Would you mind taking me
 back now?"



He picked her up from off her rock.  "Of course not!
Anything for you."


They chatted lightly as they made their way back to
the Mission.  As they left the woods and entered the
clearing where the Mission stood, they saw Neil tying
Charlie to the Mission railing.  Dread sunk into the pit
of Christy's stomach as she desperately wished she were
invisible.  She knew Neil would be hurt, and David would
do nothing to quell his uncertainty.  How she wished she
could explain things to Neil before David said anything!
But as if reading her mind, David strolled up to Neil with
Christy in his arms and a smug look on his face.

==================== ==================== Chapter 32
==================== Last Chapter Synopsis: Christy tries
to return her life to normal as best she can, and that
includes teaching school again.  After school one day,
David meets her at the school and carries her off for a
walk, despite her half-hearted protests.  However, when
they emerge a few minutes later, David notices Neil
dismounting and decides to saunter over to him with Christy
in his arms...  ====================



"Neil, hello!"  David called out cheerily as he carried
a blushing Christy towards him.  "To what do we owe the
pleasure of this visit?"



"Ia€|"  he looked at Christy, lying helplessly in
David's arms.  "Well, I thought I ought ta drop by
and check in on ma patient.  But apparently she's in
good hands" he said, not bothering to hide his sarcasm
very well.



"Yes, Christy and I were just enjoying a lovely stroll
in the woods.  We just hadn't really had a chance to
visit with each other since her accident, so we thought
we'd take this opportunity to catch up."



Christy hated how David kept saying "we" this and
"we" that.  He made it sound like they thought this
up together, when really it had been all David's idea!



Neil glanced between David and Christy.  "Well, that
sounds pleasant" he said with mock sincerity.  "I only
hope you didn't tire her out with your antics."



"There were no a€˜antics' Doctor.  I took perfectly
good care of her.  And for another thinga€|"  David
took a step towards Neil, but at that moment, Christy's
stomach let out an enormous growl that startled them all.



Her cheeks grew redder as she began to laugh.  "Well,
there's no arguing with that, is there?"  Soon all
three were laughing, the tension broken.



"Why don't I get you in the house, Christy?" Neil
offered as he held out his arms for her.  But David held
on possessively.



"It's fine.  I have her," David said as he turned
and began walking in to the Mission.  Christy felt like
a bone two dogs were fighting overa€|how she wished she
could walk!  As David settled her in a kitchen chair, she
could feel the tension between them again, the lightness
from the laughter of the previous moments gone.



Neil knelt down next to Christy and looked at her with
concerned eyes.  Clearly he wasn't convinced that her
expedition with David hadn't hurt her.



She patted his hand.  "Really, Neil, I'm alright" she
answered him before he even asked her.  His eyes twinkled
slightly at her.  She never failed to amaze him!



David looked from Christy to Neil, confused at the
interaction.  When he noticed the look in Neil's eyes
as he looked at Christy, he hastily brought the attention
back to himself.



"So Christy, what can I make you?  Supper won't be
for another few hours, and we don't want you spoiling
your appetite, but I'm sure a little something won't
hurt," he said jovially.



"Actually, David, she should eat as much as she wants
when she wants it.  If she's hungry, it's her body
telling her that it needs more nutrition.  She was in
a coma for almost a week, and she's still recovering
from that.  So, the more she eats, the better."



David glared at Neil, angry that once again a mere mountain
man was showing him up.  "I knew that.  I just didn't
want her to spoil her appetite because we're having some
of her favorite foods tonight."



"Oh, David, you didn't have to go through all that
trouble!  I haven't really even been hungry lately."
David looked hurt, and Christy quickly regretted having
said anything.  "But I'm sure I'll eat everything in
sight once I smell it!" she added hastily.  "And for
right now, could I just have some applesauce?  I'm kind
of in the mood for it."



"Of course, that's easy!  You want anything on it?
Cinnamon?  Brown sugar?  Regular sugar?"



"Mmma€|cinnamon would be wonderful, if we have any."



"I think we do, but I'll check.  If not, do you want
brown sugar?"  Christy nodded and David disappeared into
the back room.



As soon as he was gone, Christy turned her attention back
to the man at her kneeling at her side.  She lovingly
brushed the stray curl out of his eye.  "You know, you
really should get your hair cut.  Doesn't that thing
annoy you?"



He pulled the curl down straight and looked at it, his
eyes becoming crossed.  "You know, you think it would.
But I guess I'm so used to it I don't even notice it
anymore."  He released the curl and it sprang back up
into its original wiry spiral.



Christy stared at the curl for a moment longer.  Suddenly
and impetuously, she leaned over and kissed Neil on the
forehead.



"What was that for?"  Neil asked, the surprise evident
in his voice.



"Just because."  She smiled at him.



Neil was about to say something when David entered the room
carrying applesauce piled high on the plate.  He cleared
his throat loudly, obviously uncomfortable at how close
Neil was to his beloved Christy.



Christy turned to him.  "Thank you so much David,
this looks delicious.  And ooh, we did have cinnamon!
Wonderful!"  She dug her spoon into the applesauce and
shoveled a heaping pile into her mouth.



"Mmm!"  Christy managed to murmur in between mouthfuls.



"You're quite welcome, beautiful.  You know I'd do anything
for you."  He pulled a chair next to her and sat down.



Christy gave him an awkward half-smile as she continued
to eat.  She hated how David always made everything
a competition.



"Christy, I'll let you eat in peace.  I have some
patients to check on anyway."  Neil said as he shot a
glance in David's direction.  "But how about after
dinner tonight I take you out?  We could go anywhere
you'd like or we could just sit out on the porch and
watch the stars.  I just think it'll be good for you ta
get out and about, you know, refresh yourself.  What do
you think?"



"That sounds lovely Neil" she said sheepishly, aware
of David's eyes on her.  Why did she feel like the rope
in a tug-of-war?



Later that night, after the dinner plates had been cleared
away, David stayed behind at the Mission making small
talk with Ruby Mae and Miss Alice.  Christy knew he was
hoping to run into Neil and stall him as long as he could.
Fortunately, when Neil finally did arrive, Ruby Mae began
her usual chatter and did not let David get a word in
edgewise.  Christy smiled inwardly as she found herself
thanking God for Ruby Mae's chatter.



As Neil picked Christy up into his masculine arms, Neil
informed Alice that they would be right outside they
were needed.  She nodded, her lips forming a tight smile.
Christy was glad Neil had decided to stay close to the
Mission.  It would be improper to go traipsing off with
Neil at night.  But even though she was staying close
to the Mission, she hoped she was not hurting Alice's
feelings by going out with Neil at all.



Christy's eyes lingered on Alice's face as Neil carried
her outside.  At the last second, Alice picked her head
up and smiled slightly at Christy, the warmth of her smile
spreading up into her gray eyes.  Christy breathed a small
sigh and let herself relax into Neil's arms.  Soon they
were settled on the porch staring into the vast sky.



"See that one?"  Christy pointed to the sky, tracing
an imaginary line with her finger.  "That's Orion,
the Great Hunter.  See?"



Neil squinted at the sky.  "No, I don'ta€|"  he
looked from her finger to the sky and then back again,
but still couldn't see what she was pointing at.



"Right there, come here."  She pulled his chair
closer to hers.  "Follow my finger.  See those three
stars right there?  That's Orion's belt.  And see
that star there, there, there, and there?"  She looked
at him.  "That's him hunting.  Like this, see?"
She mimicked the position of the great hunter and held
out her imaginary bow and arrow.  She dropped her arms as
she saw Neil's teasing smile begin to form on his lips.
"Fine Neil MacNeill, then I WON'T point any more out
to you!"  She crossed her arms in mock defiance.



"No, please, I didn't say anything!  This is
fascinating, really.  But watching you pose like thata€|I
just couldn't help it.  Show me another one, please?
Please?"



"Well, OK.  That one right there, that's Cassiopeia.
It makes an upside-down W.  Right ....there."  She traced
the constellation with her finger.  "Cassiopeia was the
beautiful wife of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia.  The queen
made the mistake of bragging she was more lovely than
the all the rest of the goddesses.  The goddesses were,
needless to say, rather insulted, and went to Neptune, god
of the sea, to complain. Although Cassiopeia was eventually
placed in the heavens by Neptune, the sea-god saw fit to
humiliate for all eternity. He placed her so that she is
seated on her throne, with her head pointing towards the
North Star Polaris. In this position, she spends half of
every night upside-down."



"Where did you learn all this stuff Lass?"



"I've always been fascinated by the stars and the
heavens.  They're so beautiful, but they hold so many
interesting stories and legends as well.  Ever since I
was a little girl I used to read everything I could on
the stars."  She continued to gaze at the sky, seemingly
lost in its infinity.



"Lass, I have something I need to say ta you," Neil
said, his voice barely above a whisper.



"What is it Neil, are you OK?"  She turned to him
with concern.



"Oh yes, it's nothing ta worry about.  I just wanted
ta ask you a question."  He reached into his pocket and
pulled out a small worn velvet box.  As he got down on
one knee in front of her, Christy's heart began to race.
But before he could say a word, she stopped him.



" Neil, please don't ask me. "



He looked at her in confusion for a minute.  "But
Christy, I'm asking you ta be my wife, ta share my life
with me!"



"Please, Neil...don't ask me that.  I won't marry you,
I can't.  I'm sorry."


====================
==================== Chapter 33 ==================== 
Last
Chapter Synopsis: David once again feels threatened by
Neil, but does his best to prove his intentions to Christy
by cooking her all her favorite foods.  After dinner,
Neil takes her outside and is about to propose when
she tells him to stop because she can't marry him.
====================


Neil stayed frozen on his knee for a few seconds, not
sure he heard her right.  "You don't want to marry me?
But I thought...I mean, this whole time...but you..." he
struggled to find the words.



"Neil, please don't be mad at me, I'm sorry, but I just
can't marry you.  And please don't ask me to explain why.
It would be too difficult right now."



"Not ask you to explain?  You owe me at least that much
Christy!  After all this, everything we've been through,
how I thought we felt about each other.  Now you're telling
me that you won't, no, that you [I] can't [I] marry me!
I don't understand any of this!"  He slipped the box back
into his pocket and stood up, brushing the dirt off of
his knee.



"Neil...please..."  she reached out for his hand but he
pulled away.



"No Christy.  If you can't marry me, and you can't even
tell me why, then this relationship isn't what I thought
it was.  I thought we trusted each other, that we could
tell each other what was bothering us.  I remember not so
long ago that you came to me for help with the delicate
subject of the Tea House.  Or have you forgotten?"
He paused and studied her face.  "Is this about Alice?"



"No, Neil, it's not.  But I'm suddenly very tired, and I
don't think I can stay awake much longer.  Could you take
me inside?"



The doctor in Neil flickered behind his eyes.  She could
tell he was concerned about her, but that he was wrestling
with his rejection at the same time.



"Of course I will,"  he sighed and picked her up.
He carried her inside and up to her bedroom, where he set
her down lightly on her bed.  Then he stood in her room
awkwardly, desperately wanting to both stay and leave at
the same time.  "I guess goodnight then" he said, as he
disappeared out her door.



"Goodnight Neil" she whispered after him, knowing he hadn't
heard her.



As she sat on her bed playing over the last few minutes
in her mind, she heard a light rap on the door.  "Come in"
she called, expecting David to be outside, ready to pounce
on the situation.  Instead, Miss Alice peeked her head
around the corner, her warm eyes calm in the flickering
candlelight.



"Christy, I owe thee another apology.  I was about to
leave to head back to my cabin when I heard Neil propose,
well, try to propose to you.  My dear, why did thee say no?
I know thee loves him, and he loves you."



"I do love him, Miss Alice.  And I know what you're
thinking...please don't think this is because I was afraid
you would be mad at me.  That is not why I turned down
his well, near-proposal.  This isn't where I want to be
in my life.  Please don't ask me to explain Miss Alice.
I don't think I could."



Alice's calm eyes studied Christy's; she could see the
turmoil raging behind them.  "The choice is ultimately
yours to make.  And I trust thy judgment, whatever thee
decides.  Why don't I let thee rest?  Thee has a lot to
sort out, and I'm sure thee would like to be alone."
She went over and took Christy's nightgown out of the
dresser and proceeded to help Christy undress.



" Thank you Miss Alice" Christy said as she eased
herself down onto her pillow.  She hadn't realized how
tired she was until she felt her eyelids began to droop
soon after Alice had left the room.  And although she
was tired, sleep wouldn't come.  Her whirling thoughts
seemed too loud, she couldn't quiet her mind long enough
to fall asleep.



After a few hours of tossing and turning, Christy finally
decided sleep wasn't to be had any time soon.  She sat up
in bed and pushed her numb legs over the side of the bed.
"If I'm going to marry someone, I want to build a home
with them, I don't want to be bound to a chair all day
where I can barely do anything!  I do love him...but I
won't build a home with him like this" she said aloud,
into the darkness of her room.



"How would I share a life with him like this?  What kind of
home would that be?"  She shook her head.  "I just can't
put Neil through that.  He deserves someone who can help
him with house calls, help him with patients...I couldn't
do that.  I love Neil, I can't tie him to me like that
when I'm like this."  The thought tore at her heart.
The thought of losing Neil was more than she could handle,
but the thought of hurting him, of becoming a burden on
him was almost more than she could bear.



"What should I do?"  she threw again into the night, at
the darkness, at God.  "What should I do?  I don't know
how to make this decision.  Either path I choose could end
in heartache for both of us.  How do I choose God?"  She
let her head fall onto her chest.  "I can't.  I can't
make this decision God.  I can't do it by myself.
Please, please, help me.  I'm putting this decision
in Your hands.  Give me guidance, comfort, something.
But I can't handle this, and I know You can."  She
opened her eyes.  There was still an awful ache in her
heart, but she knew it would work itself out, one way or
the other, like He intended.  Everything happens for a
reason, she thought, everything.



Slowly, unsure of why, she pushed herself up on her arms
as her feet touched the ground.  She couldn't feel them
touch, but she knew they were.  She grasped the corner of
her dresser with her left hand and tried to lift herself
into a standing position, her other hand leaning on the
bed supporting her.  As soon as she began to lift her hand
off the bed, testing her legs, she collapsed the floor
in a heap.  Frustratedly, she pulled herself up onto the
bed, brushing the hair out of her face that had fallen
out of its clip.  She braced herself and tried again,
and once again falling into a crumpled heap.  She felt
angry tears prick her eyes, but she refused to heed them.
Again and again she went through this sequence, falling
and picking herself back up, refusing to give up.



Finally, her weary arms simply gave out, unable to lift
her anymore.   Laying her head resignedly on her arm, she
closed her eyes as her disappointment washed over her.
She thought for sure she would be walking by now.
She thought for sure things would be going back to normal.



Her last thoughts before she drifted off was that she
should get in bed.  Miss Alice will be worried if she
finds me lying on the floor come morning.  I should....
But she never finished that thought as sleep overtook her.



The next morning, a pain in her back woke her up with its
dull throbbing, but she was grateful that at least Miss
Alice hadn't come to see her yet as she usually did
to help her dress in the mornings.  She glanced out the
window at the glorious dawn breaking over the mountain
tops, casting amber and mauve shadows on all it touched.
No matter what ailed her, she always found comfort in
her mountains.



Even though the previous night had been a failure, she
decided to try to dress herself that morning, something
she had never tried.  She was too frightened that if
she failed, she would lose hope in ever walking again.
But after last night, even the defeat that it was, she
had the courage to try this.



She somehow managed to crawl over to her closet, a
difficult task in itself.  Getting her dress down from
the hanger was quite another story.  Grabbing a broom that
was leaning against the inner wall of her closet, Christy
struggled to pry the dress off the hanger with the end of
the broom.  After battling the hanger for a few minutes,
her dress slid off the hanger onto the broom.  Even if
she couldn't finish the rest, Christy felt triumphant
in this small victory.  She beamed with pride, surprised
at how little she took for granted now.



The next obstacle she attempted to tackle was getting her
nightgown off.  It had tangled around in her legs in her
attempt to cross the room, and now she couldn't figure
out how to untangle it at the same time she held herself
up on her hands.



She was so intent on dressing herself, she didn't
hear the knock on the door.  Concerned after hearing
no response, David pushed open the door to see Christy
wrestling furiously with her nightgown.  "Oh, Christy,
here let me help" he said as he scooped her up in his
arms before she could protest.



"David, stop!  I'm not a child!  You can't continue
to treat me like one simply because I can no longer
walk!"



He smiled at her.  "Christy, I like taking care of you.
That's the man's job."



His smile infuriated her even more.  She shook her head.
"No.  I need...you......to......." Her words trailed
off as her eyes rolled back into her head and she went
limp in his arms.


====================

==================== Chapter 34 ==================== 
Last
Chapter Synopsis: Christy has decided that she can't marry
Neil because she's paralyzed, and it wouldn't be fair
to him.  Alice tries to help her see she wouldn't be a
burden, but Christy remains firm in her belief.  When Alice
leaves that night, Christy tries to stand repeatedly but
can't, and falls asleep on the floor.  The next morning
she even tries to dress herself, but is unsuccessful.
When David enters and sees her struggling, he picks her
up and she passes out in his arms.  ====================

" You see Christy, you're body's telling you it's
under too much pressure" he said to Christy a few minutes
later, as he held up her hands and showed her the ugly blue
and purple bruises that already dotted her palms.  Much to
her dismay, David had already filled Neil in on the events
of the morning before he had headed off to school early.
She had hoped to keep her quest quiet, but it looked
like it was no use now.  "You're recovering from
an extremely traumatic experience, so you're even more
prone to infection and bruising than you might normally be.
Why would you try to dress yourself this morning?"  He
looked at her with such scrutiny that she felt herself
blush.

"I...I just didn't want to have to rely on everyone
all the time.  I thought if I could do this one little
thing I wouldn't be such a burden on everyone all the
time."  She played with the corner of her sheet.

Tenderness welled up in him.  "Christy" he said softly,
"no matter what, even if you couldn't use your hands
or speak or move, you wouldn't be a burden, not to me,
not ever.  I love you."  Whatever anger Neil had had the
night before had faded, if it had really been there at all.
He hadn't asked her again for her reasoning, but she
could see that her words still haunted him.

"I just hope Miss Alice feels the same way" she said,
trying to gently change the subject.  "Is she coming to
help me dress this morning?  Isn't it getting late?"

"Yes, she should be on her way shortly.  It's not time
for school yet, don't worry.  David just left early."

That calmed her slightly.  She didn't know why, but she
felt jumpy this morning, too anxious to sit still.

"Alright, well, could you hand me my dress?  Maybe I
can dress myself after all, provided someone hands me
the dress.  I can get this off by myself, but I don't
know how..."  she stopped mid-sentence as color flooded
into her cheeks.  "Neil!  You shouldn't be here!
I'm only in my nightgown!  Oh, and David!  David saw me
like this too!"  She blushed furiously at the thought
and put her hands to her cheeks.

Neil chuckled.  "Christy, I've seen women in far less,
you forget I'm a doctor.  And you're perfectly covered.
But I guess I can understand your apprehension.  I'll
go, after I hand you your dress of course."  He patted
her hand as he stood.  "Don't forget I'm teaching
the last science lesson of the year this afternoon."
She nodded, but felt no less embarrassed.  "And maybe
afterwards we could talk?"

"I don't know Neil, I'll probably have a lot to
do with the recital so soon."  She felt like she was
avoiding him, which wasn't true.  She was avoiding the
questions he knew she had for her.

"We won't talk about last night if you don't want to.
I respect that you have your reasons for saying what you
said, even if I can't understand them."

"Well, you could help me clean up the school, you know,
decorate for the recital.  I know it isn't much, and
probably isn't the most glamorous way we could spend an
afternoon, but at least we would get to see each other."

"I guess that's true.  And I love every minute
with you, even if it's doing something as tedious as
cleaning."

"Thanks Neil," she said through a smile.  "Now shoo!
I want to get dressed.....if I can."

Neil left the room, but not before planting a quick kiss
on the top of her head.

As Christy struggled to undress, her mind replayed last
night's events.  She wondered if anyone had told David,
and what his reaction had been if someone had.  She could
see David smiling smugly as he found out, almost gleeful
that she had rejected Neil.  That's not fair Christy,
you know David wants you to be happy.  He loves you too,
you know.  Christy put her arms in the sleeves of her
dress and pulled it over her head.  The bottom half stayed
scrunched in a puff of fabric that collected around her
since she was still sitting on the bed, but so far, she
wasn't doing too badly.  Renewed by a tiny sense of
victory, she buttoned up the back of her dress.  There!
She was done!  She couldn't check her reflection in the
mirrior yet, but she didn't even care.  She could look a
mess, but at least she had done it herself!  And besides,
when Miss Alice came in, she could help Christy into her
chair and wheel her over to it so she could see herself.

Almost before Christy had finished the thought, she heard
a knock on the door and the gentle Quaker woman entered.

"Christy, look at thee!  How did thee manage that?"
Her smile lit up her serene face.

Well, Neil handed me my dress before he left this
morning."  She rushed on.  "But he was only here
because David told him to come because I fainted.
Only momentarily though, I was really fine."

Alice sat on the edge of the bed.  "Is thee feeling
better?"

"Yes, Miss Alice, I really am fine.  I just got a little
dizzy is all because I was tired."

"Well, let's get you ready for school" she said,
as she helped Christy into her wheelchair.  As Christy
piled her hair onto of her head, she tried to keep the
conversation light.  Miss Alice guessed the reason, but
went along with Christy anyway.

"That John Spencer, I can't get over what a talent he
has for producing music.  I just can't wait to see what
is in store for his life.  God must have a special purpose
for him.  And Bessie!  She has the voice of an angel!
They make a perfect pair, and not just musically either.
Speaking of that, I think I've finally gotten through
to them that they're not ready for marriage.  I heard
them talking the other day about how they're going to be
old before they marry."  Christy smiled at the memory.
"If they think they're going to be old by the time
they marry, which of course won't be in more than a few
a years, I hate to think what they think of me!  I must
be an ancient spinster to them!"

Christy happily bubbled about the presentations the
children were giving at the upcoming recital.  It was going
to be the talk of the Cove!  She just hoped everything
went smoothly.

When she was ready, Miss Alice carried Christy downstairs
and then brought the chair down.  Soon they were on their
way to the school to begin the day.

Christy was so busy she could barely make sense of
everything, and the days tumbled into one another.
But she was surrounded by her children again, and it was
the most wonderful feeling to be lost in their happiness,
their excitement.  The recital went amazingly, nearly
everyone in Cove showed up, even those who didn't have
children in the school.  It was a great social event, and
much happier than a funeral, which is what usually brought
everyone together.

Families had brought pies and cakes and jams and breads,
piling them onto a big table David had set up in the yard
for all the refreshments.  He had looked particularly
handsome in his dress shirt, pressed into crisp folds.
Neil, too, had looked handsome, although he had chosen a
shirt that fit in more with what others in the Cove were
wearing.  Brown, with a hint of wearing around the elbows,
it was still pressed and important looking.  As Christy
had looked between the two men, she wondered how she had
been so lucky as to win the affection of these two men.
So different in so many ways, yet they both loved her.
Even though only one had captured her heart, she knew that
they would both be in her heart forever.

Christy came out of her reverie with a start.  Now that
school was out and she had more free time on her hands,
she found her mind wandering more and more.  It would take
her to her favorite spot by the creek, or to the persimmon
trees she and Fairlight had found.  There were no limits
to where she could go in her mind.

Pushing herself up from the table, she looked around.
Convinced no one was around, she hesitatingly taking a
step towards her wheelchair.  Slowly she walked over to
her chair and sat down in it.  A secret smiled spread over
her face as she grasped the wheels and rolled herself into
the living room.

She had been working for over a week, every free private
minute she could find.  One night, after she had almost
given up hope, she accidentally banged her wheelchair into
the doorframe, which wasn't unusual in itself.  But this
night she felt it, she felt it!  Tentatively, she reached
down to touch her leg, the feeling of her fingers on her
skin like an electric shock.  She wanted to shout out
for joy!  But just as she was about to open her mouth and
yell for David, Alice, anyone, she thought better of it.
Wouldn't it be better to learn to walk again and then
surprise them all?  Yes!  She thought how delightful it
would be to see the look on their faces when she took her
first steps towards them.

So little by little, night by night, Christy had practiced
walking.  At first, she was on the ground almost as
much time as she wasn't, but she refused to give up.
Not when she had come this far, and what she had longer
for was within her grasp.

As she rolled into the living room, the setting sun
flickered rays of gold over the faces of Neil, David,
and Alice, who each seemed lost in their own thoughts.
No one seemed to notice her entrance, which she was
almost thankful for.   She simply sat there, staring at
the people she loved more than most things in the world.
She couldn't wait until she could share her secret
with them.

==================== Chapter 35 ==================== Last
Chapter Synopsis: Christy's recital goes smoothly as the
families in the Cove all gather together.  Days later, back
at the house, Christy secretly sits herself in her chair,
proud that she has learned how to walk again.  But she
keeps her secret from the rest of the Mission, wanting
to surprise them when she can fully walk again instead.
====================

"I never said that!" Christy exclaimed later that
night, as she swatted Neil in the arm.  "That doesn't
even sound like something I would say!"

Neil laughed merrily.  "Fine, don't believe me, but I
know what I heard!  You most certainly talk in your sleep!
I thought I was hearing things at first, but nope, there
you were, talking away to yourself in your sleep.  It was
just the other night.  I came to check in on you, but you
had already gone to bed.  When you started talking at me, I
couldn't help but laugh at you.  You sounded out of your
mind!  You were clawing frantically at your bed sheets, so
of course my first instinct is that something is wrong.
But no!  When I asked you, you looked at me, straight
at me, and said a€˜I'm digging for buried treasure!
But Neil...!  Get the chickens out of the doorway!'  I
looked behind me, wondering if I could have missed chickens
in the doorway, but no, there weren't any.  So I said
a€˜Christy, there are no chickens!' but you insisted!
a€˜No Neil, look, the chickens, the two chickens, in
the doorway.  Get them out!'"

He laughed again, recalling the night.  "So, since I
didn't know what else to do, I agreed with you.  I told
you I would take care of it.  That seemed to pacify you,
and you were back asleep before your head even hit the
pillow again."  His laugh rumbled through the room.
"You're such a crazy girl.  I didn't exactly know
what I should do, but it was scary!"

Christy swatted at him again.  "Neil MacNeill, you're
such a liar!  I don't talk in my sleep!"  She blushed.
Her father had told her on occasion she liked to strike
up conversations with herself while she was sleeping, but
she thought she had outgrown them.

"Yes you do!  And see?  See that?"  He pointed to
her cheeks.  "You know you do!  Look at you blushing!"

Alice, Neil, and Christy laughed heartily, but David
sat back and watched the scene with a mix of disdain and
amusement.  He found it funny that Christy could say such
things in her sleep, but he wasn't pleased by the fact
that MacNeill was the one who knew that.  Would he ever
leave Christy alone?  She wasn't his!


"Come on David, lighten up!"  Christy said as she
pulled him from his thoughts.  "Why so glum?"

"Hmm?  Oh, I'm not glum, just thinking.  You're so
sweet to worry about me," he said as he scooted over on
the couch to be closer to her.

"Oh, yes, well...thank you."  She smiled sweetly
at him.

"Christy, the Cobb's told me to tell you how much
they enjoyed your recital a few days ago.  They live at
the edge of the Gap and don't have any children, but
they ventured all the way over here to see everyone, and
apparently had a wonderful time.  I promised them that I
would pass on the message."

Christy beamed.  She loved hearing that people had enjoyed
her recital.  "Well on the off chance that you see them
again soon, please tell them thank you for me!"  She
clasped her hands together in glee.  "I have so many new
ideas for next year.  Not only for the year itself, but
for the recital, and for different lessons!  It's a good
thing I've been writing them down or I know they would
be going out of my head almost as soon as they came in!"

Neil watched Christy's eyes sparkle as she ticked
off on her fingers some of her ideas, and he couldn't
help but smile.  He was sure that the upcoming school
year would be even more productive than the previous one
had been.  She had already done so much good in the Cove,
he couldn't wait to see how much more she could do.
He missed a good portion of what she had been saying as
he found himself captivated by her.

David noticed this enchantment and quickly changed the
subject.  "Can you believe how big Iris has gotten?
I guess I hadn't seen her in a while.  She got so big!
And those eyes!  They look just like yours Christy, big
and blue and beautiful."  He smiled at her.

"That was very sweet of you David, thank you."  She
said, mustering up as much genuineness as she could.

Thinking he couldn't stomach anymore of David's
interruptions, Neil stood up.  "I best be getting back.
It's already dark out, and I shouldn't have even waited
this long, but the company was so inviting I couldn't
help myself.  I'll be sure to stop in tomorrow if I can.
Goodnight everyone!"  he said as he headed out the door.

Christy watched him go with disappointment.  She would
never tell him so, but she hating seeing him leave.
Every minute she spent with him was better than the last.
She loved him more than she could understand.

"I think I'll retire too.  David, could you take
me upstairs?"

"Surely Christy!"  he replied, eager to help her out.
She also guessed he didn't mind proving how strong he was
either.  He often liked to pull an arm out from under her
to scratch his head or adjust his suspenders...something
that let Christy know he could easily carry her with one
hand.  She hated when he did it, she was always afraid he
was going to drop her.  But after a few times of a safe
journey, Christy accepted the one-hand stunt as part of
his odd way of showing off.

That night, after she was tucked into bed, Christy let her
mind wander over how blessed she was to have come to Cutter
Gap.  She had children she adored, she had found a woman so
like a mother to her, and somehow, she had won the hearts
of two remarkable men.  The thought of breaking David's
heart killed her, but she knew it was something she had to
do, and soon.  She didn't know when she and Neil would
be together, but she knew they would be.  She couldn't
live the rest of her life without the man she loved.

As Christy turned over onto her side, she rehearsed all
the ways she could tell David just how much he meant to
her, without it sounding like she was in love with him.
But she knew no matter how gently she let him down, he
would still be so angry at her, so hurt.  And he had a
right to be.  She had already tunred him down once, she
couldn't imagine what would happen when she had to do
it again.  He loved her, but she simply didn't love him,
and it was time he knew that for sure.

She drifted off to sleep as different scenarios replayed
in her head.  David, you're such a wonderful man, but I
can't marry you, I can't be your wife.  David, we've
grown so close, but my heart can't love you the way
you love me, and I it would be unfair of me to marry you.
David, please understand that I think so highly of you, and
I value our friendship so much, but I can't marry you.
David...

==================== Chapter 36 ==================== Last
Chapter Synopsis: Christy, Neil, Alice and David share
a wonderful night by the fireplace laughing and enjoying
each other's company.  That night in bed, Christy realizes
that she's going to have to tell David that she's never
going to marry him.  ====================

Christy awoke the next morning eager to start the day.
She felt something big was going to happen today, but
she couldn't put her finger on exactly what.  Miss Alice
had laid Christy's dress out neatly on her nightstand the
night before for her, leaving it in reach for the morning.
She dressed quickly and then wondered how she was going
to make her way downstairs without David.  He probably
wasn't here yet this morning, so she would be trapped
in her room until he came.



"David?"  she called out, seeing if he was in ear shot.
When no one came, she figured it was safe.  She gingerly
set her feet on the floor, feeling the exhilarating rush
as the cool wood touched her skin.  Never had something
so simple felt so amazing.  Pushing herself up off the
bed, she took a few hesitant steps towards the window.
Step by step, she slowly made her way there and pulled
open the doors.  The warm morning air greeted her and
swept through her hair, blowing wisps across her face.
As she stood there bracing herself on the doorknobs, she
drank in the glory of the morning before her.



Caught up in the beauty before her, she didn't hear the
hoof beats until they were coming around the corner of
the Mission.  Panicked that her secret would be revealed
too soon, Christy instantly tried to duck down so she
wouldn't be seen.  But her still-weak legs weren't
strong enough to support her, and down she fell with a thud
so loud she imagined it had awoken people in Raven's Gap.
As silently and as quickly as she could, Christy crawled
back over to her bed, not daring to look down to see if
whoever had ridden up had heard her.



But Neil had.  No sooner had he neared the front
of the Mission, but an alarming thud from upstairs.
Fearing Christy had fallen out of bed, Neil quickly tied
up his horse and sprinted inside.  He knocked on her door,
but didn't wait for her to answer before charging in.
Thankfully, Christy had managed to pull the blanket back
over her legs just as Neil burst in.



"Christy!  Are you alright?  I heard something, and I
got worried.  What happened?"  He scanned the room.



She gave him a confused look.  "Heard something, like
what?  What did it sound like?"



"I...it..."  he stared at Christy, not sure of what
to make of the situation.  "You...didn't hear it?"



She smiled innocently at him.  "I don't know what
you're talking about."



Neil studied her.  She seemed fine...nothing seemed out
of place anywhere in the room.  "You're really ok?"



"Yes, Neil, everything is fine here. Now shoo, I have to
wash my face and get ready the rest of the way.  but before
you go, could you hand me my brush?  I don't need you
to put me in my chair."



Neil complied, but stood staring at Christy a few seconds
longer, still not convinced.  But when she said nothing
more, he shrugged and clomped down the stairs, his boots
making loud echoes through the wooden steps.



When she was sure he was downstairs, Christy hurriedly
brushed her hair and tied it back.  She stood up slowly
and shuffled to the mirror, anxious to look perfect today.
She ran a nervous hand over her dress, smoothing out the
imaginary wrinkles there.    Then she adjusted the pins
in her hair one more time.  Satisfied that everything was
just right, she quietly sat back down on her bed and called
for Neil so he could bring her downstairs.



As he carried her down the stairs, Christy noticed David
sitting at the table already, a cup of coffee in front
of him.  The smell wafted up and lingered in her nose.
She had always loved the smell of coffee, but could never
stand the taste...it was much too bitter.



"Good morning David," she said cheerfully as Neil
set her down in a chair and then sat down beside her.
She thought she saw him roll his eyes over as he took a
sip from his mug, but she ignored it.  "Are you working
on that patch of the porch today?"



"Yeah, but first I have to go to El Pano to get the rest
of the supplies I ordered.  Then I can really put some
work into it."  They lapsed into silence.  "Well, I
best be going.  I want to try to make it back in time to
put a few good hours in."



"Have a safe trip David, alright?"  He nodded.
"Goodbye Christy," he said as she flashed a charming
smile at her.  Not saying a word to Neil, he headed out
the door.



Christy looked at Neil and then down at her fingers.
"Neil, I have something I need to tell you.  Can we go
somewhere and talk?"



"Is everything OK Christy?"



"Yes, things are fine, I just need to tell you something,
and I need to tell you now, before it's too late."



Fear flashed behind Neil's eyes, but he didn't say a
word as he put her in her chair and wheeled her outside.
He stopped on the porch and began to pick her up when she
stopped him.



"No, Neil, not here.  Can we go to that clearing in
the woods?"



"Sure, Christy, whatever you want."



He picked her up and headed into the woods without a
word.  When they arrived, Neil set Christy down, concern
flickering in his face.



She took his hand before she began.  "Neil, you know
how much I love you.  I've loved you for as long as I
can remember.  You're my best friend, my confidant, my
companion, my joy, my light, my strength, my happiness.
You're more than I ever thought I could find in one
person.  When I'm with you, I can't believe how the
hours fly by, and when I'm not with you, the whole world
seems to turn so slowly.  The sun is brighter because
you're in my life.  The mountains are more glorious,
the sky is more radiant.  And all because you love me.
With every breath I take I love you more.  When you almost
proposed to me, I couldn't say yes.  I love you, but
I just couldn't.  And now I need you to do something
for me.   I need to go over there for a minute."  He
looked at her, not understanding.  "You'll see.
Just go stand over there."



He obligingly stood up and walked a few feet away.



"A little farther.  There...that's good.  Now stay
there."  Haltingly, Christy pushed herself up from
the rock.  As she made her way slowly to him, she tried
not to look at him.  She knew if she got too excited,
she'd fall, and her perfect moment would be ruined.



After a minute or two, Christy took the last step and
found herself wrapped in Neil's arms.  He simply kept
saying "Christy!" over and over, as if he couldn't
believe she was standing before him.



"I've been practicing for over a week now.  I wanted
to do this, for me, for us.  I said I couldn't marry
you before.  I wanted to be able to walk down the aisle;
I wanted to be able to make a home with you!  I had to do
this first."



"Oh Christy!"  he kept his hold around her.  "I love
you so much!"



Suddenly he dropped to his knee.  "I don 't have the
ring with me, and I don't have a fancy speech prepared,
I can only tell you what's in my heart.  From the day
you walked into my life, I knew that you were the one that
I was supposed to be with.  You lit a piece of my heart I
thought was gone, or else had never existed.  You made me
feel alive.  And I can't imagine my life today without
you in it.  Every minute I'm with you is perfect, and
every second I see you, think of you, makes me happy.
If you'll let me, I want to spend every day for the rest
of my life making you as happy as you make me."



"Oh Neil, yes!  I love you, I want to marry you!
I can't think of anything I would rather do than become
your wife."


He picked her up and spun her around, their laughter and
joy echoing through the trees.

====================

==================== Epilogue ====================

David hadn't taken the news of Christy and Neil's
engagement very well.  The morning he found out, he had set
off for Lufty Branch and stayed there nearly two weeks.
He couldn't face seeing them together, couldn't
face them being happy.  Later, when he returned, he had
turned in his resignation to Alice and packed his bags
to head back to Boston.  She had been sad to hear of
his departure, but thought perhaps it was for the best.
She knew he still loved Christy, and seeing her build a
life with another man might be more than he could handle.



The day he was supposed to leave something made him
change his mind.  He had known he didn't connect to
the people in the Cove well, but he made a vow then and
there not to give up.  Running away wasn't the answer.
So he stayed in the Cove and slowly gained the respect
and trust of the people there.  He stopped using so many
highfalutin words, and they in turn, began to let him
into their proud hearts.  It was a slow process, one that
took long hours and countless failures, but David finally
reached the stubborn souls of these people.



Miss Alice continued to work at her three missions,
riding back and forth between them.  She even found time
to help Christy with the school children now and then.
Alice, even with her hair graying, still seemed as alive
as the day Christy met her.  Alice had officiated over
Neil and Christy's wedding, and was the one to deliver
their first and child.  As she held her first grandchild
in her hands, Alice marveled at the amazing path God had
led her down.  She had lost one daughter, twice, but had
gained a family in return.  Her heart still ached for
Margaret now and again, but as time passed, those wounds
healed over with love from Christy, Neil, and their son.



Christy and Neil had married soon after he had proposed.
It felt like they had waited a lifetime to be together,
and they didn't want to wait any longer.  Christy knew
her marriage would be hard for David, but she hoped in time
he would accept it.  Eventually, he had, and they somehow
remained remarkable friends.  Christy asked him to be her
children's godfather, and he gladly accepted.  He now
understood that the Lord had brought Christy into his life
not to be his wife, but to touch him in a different way.



After they married, Christy moved into Neil's cabin.
Before long, the messy cabin was decorated with love and
had the woman's touch she had always felt it needed.
They lived in paradise for a few years, just the two of
them, until one day, Christy told him she was having
a baby.  Never before had anything made him happier.
Right away he set out adding an addition to his cabin to
make room for the baby.  He was constantly touching her
ever-swelling stomach as if to make himself believe he was
actually going to be a father.  The day Christy went into
labor was the most nerve-wracking day for Neil.  He had
always been a doctor, but to hear his own wife go through
labor and him not able to help made him want to scream.
So instead, while he waited, he paced back and forth in
his cabin a thousand times, nearly wearing a rut in the
wooden floor.



When Alice finally handed his squirming baby boy to him,
he knew that he had never experienced a love like this.
Holding his son in his arms, staring into his big blue
eyes, Neil knew he was hooked.  The two became inseparable
to the point where Neil would often take him along on his
rounds.  Then one day, just as the three began settling
into the routine of every day life, Christy announced to
him that she was pregnant again.  He was a lot calmer this
time around, but still attended to her every move, and
kept his hand almost permanently attached to her tummy.
Neil readied himself for another baby, wore another rut in
the floor, and felt for sure another son was on the way.
God obviously had another plan in mind and sent him a
beautiful baby girl instead.  Neil was beside himself!
A boy he could handle, a boy he knew what to do with,
but a girl!  A girl was a whole new experience!  She was
so tiny, he almost seemed afraid to pick her up, lest he
break this perfect porcelain doll.  It was nearly three
weeks before Neil could pick the baby up without worry.


As Christy sat by the fire one night watching her husband
playing with her son and their newborn baby daughter,
she sent a tiny prayer up to God for bringing her to
this place.  She had let Him lead her, and now her life
had more meaning than she ever could have imagined.
She had a husband who adored her, and who she in turn,
loved more than life itself.  And now she had two wonderful
children she would give her life for.  She also still had
her school children and their families now, with children
of their own.  She was amazed how much love she had come
to find in these backwoods of Tennessee.  She had dreamed
of adventure, but found so much more.

====================