PART 6
Almost a month later, Nan
seemed to be getting over the devastation of Emily’s death. Something still bothered her, though. Every time she went in or out of the clinic;
she saw Hank across the street, beer in hand, watching her every move. Everyone kept telling her to ignore him, but
she had a bad feeling about him. She
couldn’t ignore him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * *
“I’ll get it,” Mandy yelled
after she heard a knock on the door of the Sully homestead. The seven-year-old girl opened the door to
reveal a handsome, young man in his early 20’s. “May I help you, Mr.?” Mandy asked him politely.
“Yes. I’m looking for a Nathaniel Blake. I heard he was living here,” the young man
spoke to the little girl.
Katie walked in to join her
sister at the door. “Hi,” she said.
“You must be Katie,” he
said.
“Yes, how did you
know?” Katie asked him confused.
“I remember you when you
were four years old,” he smiled at her.
“Nat’s inside with Ma and
Pa,” Mandy told the young man. “Follow me.”
Mandy and Katie led him into the living room.
“Ma, there’s somebody here
looking for Nat,” Mandy said.
“Dan!” Nat called out to his
dear friend. He stood up and walked
over to give Dan a hug. “I’ve missed
you, Dan.”
“I’ve missed you, too,
Nat. Wish you had came west with me.”
“I would have loved to,
but…” Nat looked back to Nan. “…I couldn’t,” Nat smiled at him.
Dan nodded knowingly. “Nan?
Do I get a hug?” Dan reached out for her.
Nan came over to hug her
friend. “Dan, it’s so good to see you.”
“Did you miss me?”
“Maybe,” she smiled.
Dan greeted Dr. Mike, Sully,
Brian, Katie, and Mandy. He sat down to
fill everyone in on his adventures.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * *
“Colleen, let me do that,”
Andrew fussed over his wife. Colleen
was now 8 ½ months pregnant, and she looked it. Colleen was busy trying to stock the top shelves with medicine.
“Andrew, I can do it,”
Colleen complained.
“No, you don’t. Now sit down. You look tired.” Andrew
brought a chair over for her to sit down on.
Colleen sighed, and then sat down.
Nan had to laugh at the
scene she was observing. “Is he always
like that?” she asked Colleen.
She nodded, “Sometimes he’s
worse,” she rolled her eyes.
“I heard that,” Andrew said
as he finished stocking the shelf.
Colleen leaned over and
whispered to Nan, “But I love it.”
“I heard that, too.”
Nan laughed at the obviously
in love couple.
“You just wait, Nan. It won’t be long before Nat’s fussing over
you like this.”
“Are you two planning on
having children right away?” Andrew walked over to the women and sat down. Nobody was sick right now, so they had a
break.
“We haven’t really talked
about it yet,” Nan admitted. “We both
want children. We’re just not sure
when. I suppose whenever it happens,”
she smiled.
“I heard Dan is here for a
visit,” Colleen changed the subject.
Andrew handed his wife a cup of coffee.
“Thanks, Sweetie.”
“Yes, it’s so good to see
him again.”
“I’m sure it is,” Andrew
said. “It’s been a long time.”
“It sure has.”
There was a long pause in
the conversation as they drank their coffee.
Nan finally spoke up,
“What’s Hank like?” she asked.
Colleen and Andrew were
surprised at the sudden change of topic.
“Hank? Hank Lawson?” Colleen
asked. “Why?”
“There’s something about him
that bothers me. Ever since that
saloon-girl of his died, he keeps watching me.
I know he blames me for her death.”
“But it wasn’t your fault,
Nan. Nobody could have saved her,”
Colleen said.
“We know that, but Hank
doesn’t,” Andrew continued. “If he
does, he won’t admit it. He feels he
needs to blame something.”
“Was he close to Emily?” Nan
asked.
“I overheard him tell Jake
once that she was his best girl. What
he meant by that, I don’t know,” Andrew told her. They sat there quietly thinking, when they heard the bell ring
telling them there was a patient waiting.
“Back to work,” Andrew
announced.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*
“Dan, I have to run this
medicine over to Colleen. Apparently
Colleen needed some for a patient, so Michaela wanted me to take it to
her. Would you like to come along?”
Sully asked Dan.
“Sure, I’d like to see
Colleen and Andrew again.”
“OK, let’s go.” The two men rode off.
