Part 7
The gunpowder explosion was immense, throwing all objects floating in the water next to it some distance away. The explosion broke the grasp that Nick had on Tom’s shirt and both were separated. Eventually, Nick’s vision resulted to a quiet black world. A short time later, he awoke, feeling burning pain all over his body. Nick attained the major force of the explosion to protect the already wounded Tom Pike. The explosion was the cause of burns all over his body. The ocean water was harsh on these burns causing them to sting as the small waves rushed up against his body. Nick’s clothes were torn and now resembled dirty rags, just hanging onto his skin by dried blood from his wounds.
‘I need to find something to float on, cause I don’t know how long I can stay awake before help comes,’ thought Nick logically.
He quickly scanned the floating debris until he saw a rather large board floating about fifty feet away.
The pain in his back was excruciating, but what was causing it. As Nick continued to swim closer to the board, the pain shot up his back as if someone was placing a pitchfork into it. Nick screamed in pain as he tried to reach the board that would serve as his temporary lifeboat. His breaths came shorter and required more muscular power at each moment. He hauled himself out of the water and onto the board.
At that moment, Nick saw what was giving him so much pain. It was a piece of metal embedded in his back.
‘Must of come from the explosion,’ thought Nick nervously. Nick quickly pulled out the family picture of Plumfield and unfolded it. The ocean water had destroyed most of the picture, except for the smile on Jo’s face. Nick stared at that smile for a long time, memories of the past year coming back before his eyes as he started to drift off into unconsciousness. Those memories were….
Nick was kneeling down, hammering a nail into a piece of wood for the chicken coup fence.
“Thought you had a boat to catch?” Jo said as she walked up behind Nick.
“I make it a rule to finish what I start,” Nick said matter of factly.
“Figured I’m not finished here yet,” Nick said while standing up.
“Lots of things still need mendin, the….the barn door,……paddock,……” Nick said while counting the chores on his fingers.
“Chicken coup,” Jo added.
“Exactly,” Nick said confirming that item while turning towards Jo. Nick looked down, then back at Jo during the moment of silence between them.
“Well, with all that work to do it looks like you may have to stay for a while,” Jo said with a hopeful face.
“Suppose so,” Nick said as he turned away from Jo and went back to work for a moment.
“Well, since you’re here, would you like to come in for Thanksgiving dinner?” Jo asked while hoping that he would agree.
Nick looked at Jo undecided, not sure that he was welcome.
“I insist,” Jo added.
Nick looked back at Jo, still not quite sure of his answer.
“Alright,” he said while nodding his head and a triumphant smile on his face.
“Good,” Jo said with a conquering look.
‘Jo made me feel so welcome, insisting that I come in for Thanksgiving. She made me feel like a part of the family. It had been a long time since I had that feeling, taking part in such a huge family tradition, since losing my parents when I was young.’ Nick battled the pain of his wounds as he laid on the floating piece of wood, the only living creature in the vicinity.
“So, teach me,” Nick said determined while handing a book to Jo.
“Nick, you can’t start off with this. It’s much too difficult,” Jo said while putting the book back on the table.
“We’ll start off with this chart to learn the alphabet,” Jo said while pointing to the chart of letters.
“Then we’ll move onto this reading primer to learn small words and sentence construction,” Jo stated while handing a book with the title “The Pretty Kitty” to Nick.
Nick touched his face, a disgusted look appearing upon it.
“It’ll be fun, you’ll see,” Jo tried to reassure Nick.
“This is an “A”,” Jo said while pointing to the alphabet chart.
Nick looked at the book that Jo had given him, “what does that say?”
“The pretty kitty,” Jo interjected.
Nick opened the book to a page and pointed while giving Jo an annoyed look.
“The pretty kitty is soft.”
Jo gave Nick a determined look. Again, Nick turned the page of the book.
“I love the pretty kitty,” Jo repeated the words on the printed page for a third time.
“I don’t think this is going to work!” Nick said disgustedly as he got up from his chair.
“Nick, come on. You have to start off simple,” Jo said while standing up along with Nick.
“The pretty kitty?,” Nick said, stressing the despicable words.
“I’m sorry. It was designed for young children. Look, we won’t use the primer, how’s that?,” Jo apologized.
“Now, please….sit back down, sit back down,” Jo reassured him while putting her hand on his shoulder to sit down.
Nick sat back down in his chair, followed by Jo in her chair.
“Alright, watch this,” Jo said with an idea.
Jo pulled out a slate along with white chalk. She wrote an “N” on the slate.
“This is an “N” as in …..navigate.”
Nick looked bored, his right hand holding up his head from the boredom.
Jo wrote an “I” on the slate. “Ok,….this is an “I”…..iceberg.”
“ “C”…….uh…..cannon,” Jo said while writing a “C” on the slate.
“And this last one is a “K” as in kettle,….kitty,” Jo said while noticing that Nick was very annoyed after the last word.
“No, no, no, but look, look, when you put these letters together, that spells Nick,” Jo said while underlining his name on the slate. The site of his name got his attention. He lifted his back off of the chair with interest.
“Nick,” Nick said with pride.
“That’s your first word,” Jo said with a triumphant smile.
‘I remember that moment. It was not funny at the time, but now that I think about it I laugh. Now I can read pretty well, still need some practice though. Jo took her time to help me and I will never forget that,’ Nick thought with a small chuckle at the memory. Nick almost fell into unconsciousness, but upon his head resting on the board, he again awoke.
Outside the window, the wind was howling with snow blowing all over. Nick was on a strange bed, blood dripping from his gunshot wound. Jo fixed a bandage on his lower abdomen.
“Don’t worry, Lucius will be back with Dr. Pierce very soon,” Jo said as Nick was about to drift into unconsciousness.
“Nick! Nick! Stay awake!!,” Jo said while taking Nick’s chin to awake him.
“Come on! Don’t fall asleep,” Jo said while putting a pillow behind Nick’s head.
“Come on, come on, keep talking to me. Keep talking to me!!,” Jo yelled to a groggy Nick.
“Nasty bump ya got there,” Nick stated exhausted, barely able to lift his hand to point to Jo.
“Guess we both have seen better days,” Jo noted.
“Yeah,” Nick agreed.
“Nick, the children?,” Jo asked in a worried tone.
“Franz is with them. They knew the storm was coming and had a head start to secure the house. They’ll be fine,” Nick managed to get out before slipping into unconsciousness.
“Thank you for coming for me,” Jo said sincerely before Nick was unconscious.
‘Yer welcome Jo, I know that I never got to tell you that, but I always meant too. I wanted to come for ya, and always will when you need help, that is why I will get to Plumfield somehow because ya need my help right now. I should never have left ya,’ Nick thought about this past memory.
‘I remember the pain of that night. Jo was so strong and she saved my life that night. I need her now, to get me through this, but I guess she is here in some form, she will always be with me in spirit,’ thought Nick as the metal in his back felt more pronounced and pain shot up his back. ‘Jo, as you were there then, you are now as well and no matter what I will never forget what ya have done for me, I will always love ya,’ Nick thought.
At the moment, Nick is sitting in the kitchen enjoying a bowl of Asia soup.
“Hi Nick. You’re eating late,” Jo said while walking into the kitchen.
“Just got back from town. I finished up at the store,” Nick said. Jo is standing behind Nick, pouring a cup of tea. “Oh, good.”
“I…..um…..I wanted to tell you that uh…..huh…this is real awkward…..,”Jo said while looking down at her feet. Meanwhile, Nick has stopped eating his soup and put down his spoon on the table while he listens.
“…..um…..when you started working in town at the store,…it made me realize how accustomed I have become to having you here everyday. I know you have any right to pursue any relationship…,” Jo finally blurted out the words.
Nick interrupted Jo with a grin and turning around said, “Jo, I’m not interested in Charlotte.”
“I saw you kissing her just this morning, completely by accident,” Jo said while reassuring that it was an accident.
“First of all…., she was kissing me. That woman came after me like a…freight train. But I told her she was aiming for the wrong man,” Nick said while sipping his tea.
“Still….one must admire her for how direct she can be with her feelings,” Jo said in a relieved tone.
“Don’t matter if she’s direct when they’re feeling ya don’t share,” Nick blurted out quickly and certain.
This part of the conversation was followed by a moment of silence in the room.
“I wanted to tell you…..um….I have certain feelings. Hin…ints of feelings really, but still ….they’re real. I just don’t know how long it will be before I can express them.” Jo sat down next to Nick with her tea.
“Lucky for me, I’m in no rush to go anywhere,” Nick said as he turned his head towards Jo’s direction.
“Lucky for me,” Jo said as she returned his glance. They look at each other for a split second, Nick smiles, then each take a sip from their tea cup.
‘I never thought that Jo could have feelings for me. I love the fact that she was jealous, but I hate to think that I could have almost lost her over another woman. I always wanted Jo from the moment I saw her, I know that now, but I wish I could let her know that now at this very moment. “I love ya Jo, I am so sorry that I never told ya that sooner, but I am coming to tell ya. Ya will hear it,” Nick yelled out to the open sky, hoping somehow that Jo could hear him. Nick touched the metal in his back, but pulled away quickly as the pain again shot up his back.
Nick was busy making pads for his hands. Jo walked into the barn, but Nick was so busy that he did not notice who had entered the barn.
“Almost done here Nat. Just making some pads,” Nick said without looking up.
“Pads?,” Jo asked questioningly.
Nick looked up with surprise and noticed that it was Jo that had entered the barn and not Nat. “Uh…yeah, for our skiing lessons. Make it easier for when I fall.”
“I don’t think you will be falling anymore Nick. You’ve really improved. I think you will finish the race on your feet,” Jo interjected in an amusing tone.
Nick looked up at Jo with a face of disbelief. Jo stepped closer to Nick. “You want to hear something amazing? Ever since you have agreed to be Nat’s father in the race, his confidence has soared,” Jo explained to Nick.
Nick looked at Jo with an interested glance while still sewing his pads.
“I heard that he captured the flag in a snowball fight today,” Jo said while sitting down beside Nick. Nick looked happy at the boy’s accomplishment.
“And just now Emil tried to take his scarf. Nat demanded that he give it back, and he did. Emil backed down,” Jo repeated the earlier event with an air of pride.
Nick looked at Jo, then back at the glove to avoid her look of pride towards him.
“All these years, Nat’s been yearning for a father’s influence,” Jo examined the reasoning for Nat’s transformation.
“I’m just playing the part Jo. I mean, I like to think of myself as a friend to these boys, but.…I wouldn’t go calling myself much of a father,” Nick reacted to Jo’s words.
“I would,” Jo said with certainty.
‘Even then Jo felt that I would make a wonderful father, and I would not believe her. I knew that I was keeping a lie from her so I could not feel as strongly as her. Jo was so proud of me then, she supported me, I felt like she really wanted me to be the father to those children. Then I up and left, definitely not being a father, but I will change that. I will be back and never leave Plumfield again,’ Nick thought about his past error. He was now beginning to struggle to stay awake, the only thing keeping him awake at this moment was the pain.
Jo was sitting on a bench in the middle of the field some distance from the Plumfield house. The wind is lightly blowing her hair around. Nick walked up the hill towards Jo on the bench.
“I just want to say I’m sorry about what happened in town with McBride,” Nick apologized.
“I know you were angry Nick, I was angry too, but assaulting him wasn’t the answer,” Jo agreed with Nick.
“I know. It’s just…..back on the ships…guys didn’t have lawsuits and lawyers. If ya had a problem with somebody you settled it right then and there with your fists,” Nick explained his past.
“That’s the way its been for me, for as long as I can remember,” Nick said while taking his hat off and running his left hand through his hair.
Jo looked up with a mood of understanding.
“Listen, Jo. Coming here, working for you, the school. It’s been good for me. You and the kids made me feel wanted and I thank you for it, but I think maybe its time I should leave. I think it would be best for the school, might even help with the lawsuit. Me being here has only made things worse,” Nick said while kneeling down in front of Jo.
“I’m the one that hired you Nick. That newspaperman was right. No matter what you do, right or wrong, ultimately it comes back to me. It’s my responsibility,” Jo quickly responded to Nick.
“Exactly, which is why ya will be doing the responsible thing by getting rid of me. Might send a message to the judge that you are cleaning this place up,” Nick interrupted.
“Uh….cleaning this place up?,” Jo said in a disappointed tone to Nick’s statement.
The wind is more forceful now, really blowing her hair back and forth.
“To the eyes of the judge I mean. Listen,….think about it, let me know what ya want to do,” Nick interjected.
Jo nodded affirmatively, but not really wanting to.
Nick walked away while putting his hat back on his head, having finished what he had come to do.
‘The school was in jeopardy, I had to do something, besides, my reputation was only going to ruin her chance at her dreams of keeping the school open. I did not want to ruin those dreams, she would never be the same person without those kids running around causing trouble. She was trying to protect me and take all the blame for my reputation, but I was not willing to let her lose her dreams for me. If I was the reason for the school closing, then I would have left. To tell Jo that I would leave was the one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, because really I did not want to leave, Plumfield has been the first time I felt like I belonged to a family, no longer having to wander the world in order to be happy,’ Nick thought fondly.
As the feelings of belonging to a family tumbled around in Nick’s mind, the exhaustion of his condition finally overwhelmed him and all the memories tumbled away …..as Nick entered the black world of unconsciousness.
Tom was beginning to get frantic, but, finally, at a distance he saw a man floating on a large piece of wood. Tom swam towards the man. As he got closer, a realization came to Tom’s mind.
“Nick, is that ya?,” Tom yelled.
'I believe it is Nick, but I can hardly recognize him,’ thought Tom as he steadily swam faster towards Nick.
Finally, Tom reached the floating piece of wood and confirmed his thought that it was Nick.
‘He looks bad,’ thought Tom. Nick’s clothes were burned, the flesh on Nick’s arms were raw from the explosion as well.
‘He must have pulled himself from the water onto this here piece of wood and then could not stay awake any longer,’ Tom figured in his mind what had happened.
Nick had lacerations across his neck, arms, back and chest. A piece of metal was lodged in Nick’s back, it jutted out with blood dripping from the jagged end.
“I don’t know how ya made it to this here piece of wood in that condition my friend, but if ya hadn’t, I don’t think ya would have lasted this voyage,” said Tom aloud even though Nick was obviously unconscious and could not hear him.
Tom quickly took hold of the floating wood and started to swim while hauling it along. It took a while for Tom to reach the life boat where the other two men had remained.
“You found him!,” the uninjured man yelled in astonishment as Tom came into view.
“Yeah, without yer help. We need to get the boat turned over and get in it and start rowing. We need to find a ship fast before Nick here dies on us,” Tom barked out the orders.
Tom let go of his grasp of the wood and helped the other man turn the boat over. Their attempt was successful and they got into the boat, making sure to be delicate with Nick. They placed Nick on his chest so that his large wound in his back would not be bothered by the hard surface of the boat.Nick was still unconscious and was losing a lot of blood from his open wounds.
Meanwhile, back at Plumfield, Jo just stared out the window, no emotion or thought obvious from her facial expressions. Her face was somber, but expressionless. Since the news that Meg and Amy had brought, Jo had remained in this state. She had not eaten in two days and everyone was beginning to become worried with fear that she might not come out of this state.
Meg and Amy had come by Plumfield this day to see if there was a change in Jo. They remained in the doorway of the parlor, where Jo was again at her lookout point staring out into the open fields and sky, as if communing with Nick’s spirit.
“We have to find a way to bring Jo back to us Meg,” Amy whispered so that only Meg could hear her.
“I know Amy, but how?,” Meg asked uncertainly.
“We’ll figure something out Meg. I know that I don’t have the brains in the family, but between the two of us I think we can think of something,” Amy whispered with confidence.
“Maybe we can get the children and Asia together to help us,” asked Meg.
“We need all the help that we can get, along with some divine influence,” said Amy in a final tone.
In the Plumfield kitchen stood Asia, Meg, Amy, Laurie, and all the Plumfield students. They were attending their secret meeting, hoping to materialize a plan to help Jo with her loss.
“Why don’t we get something for Mrs. Jo?,” asked Nan.
“Nah. It’s not an object that she needs, its something else, but what?,” said Dan.
“We need to do something that could celebrate who Nick was,” Nat said with his eyes lighting up with an idea.
“That’s it, we could have a memorial for Nick, and everyone say nice things about him at it,” said Dan.
Rob was standing next to Dan and Nat. “I think Ma would like that!,” said Rob with enthusiasm for the idea to help his mother.
“I think the memorial is a great idea,” said Amy with acceptance of the idea.
“We could also have a celebratory supper in his honor after the cemetery memorial,” said Meg while still in thought of the whole day that was currently being scheduled.
“Great idea Meg. That should brighten up the sorrowful event that has overcome Jo’s great spirit. We must remind her that Nick would want her to live the rest of her life having that great spirit,” Laurie said in agreement while adding another idea of his own.
“When should we plan this day? I need to know so that I can have the food prepared for the supper,” said Asia questioningly.
“Since it is Friday, I recommend two days from now,” Amy confirmed the day for everyone.
“That would make it Sunday,” Tommy said in a final tone, knowing he had the correct answer.
“Now, what are we going to tell Jo? We all know that we cannot tell her the truth, because then she would not come,” asked Laurie, knowing that this was going to be a hard task and was wondering who was going to be assigned this near difficult task.
“We’ll just take her after church, because that is the only time she leaves Plumfield now, right?,” Amy asked without being certain of Jo’s schedule since Nick’s death.
“But, someone has to talk her into going to church, she might not want to leave the house,” Nan said confirming Laurie’s thought aloud to everyone.
Every individual in the kitchen agreed on all the details of the event and the person who was to talk Jo into going to church that following Sunday.
The next day a carriage came to Plumfield, carrying the person to convince Jo into attending church on Sunday. Again, Jo was in the parlor, this time she was cradling a picture of the Plumfield “family.” This was the very same picture that Nick treasured in his coat pocket before the shipwreck. Jo just stared into the picture, seeming to see live memories before her own eyes. Those memories were those that included Nick, either happy or sad.
“I guess this means you’ll be missing your boat,” Jo said rather quickly.
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Nick said with a grin on his face.
… “Who knows, we could even be friends,” Nick said assured of himself.
“I don’t think that’s possible, Mr. Riley,” Jo said with complete manners.
“My name is Nick,” Nick said enforcing each word, especially his name in her mind.
“Nick,” Jo repeated after Nick.
“See, we’re already off to a good start,” Nick said ending the conversation.
Tears began to well up in Jo’s eyes. ‘I never figured that Nick could even be my friend, let alone mean more than anything to me in this world.’
Nick asleep at her bedside when she had come down with the measles during the quarantine. His head was about to fall off his hand, that hand being the only thing supporting the weight of that burden.
“Nick……Nick,” Jo said louder but still with a weak voice.
Nick awoke his head almost slipping from its perch.
“I fell better. Did I scare you?,” Jo asked while looking at Nick.
“Yeah, you did,” Nick said.
‘He had saved my life even then, in the very beginning to get that laudanum.’
“You’re going to leave without saying goodbye?,” Jo asked with a glare.
“I’m not real big on goodbyes,” Nick said.
“Well then, don’t let me hold you up,” was all Jo could say. She was about to leave with the wagon.
“Thank you, for everything,” Nick said.
“Good luck,” Jo said rather quickly.
“You too,” Nick replied.
Nick nodded the front part of his hat to Jo like a gentleman, then left for what Jo thought was final.
‘I never imagined that he would return that time. I almost lost him then and a part of me then wanted him to come back, I just did not know how to say it. When I heard hammering on Thanksgiving day, I was so happy, Actually it had been one of my happiest times since Fritz’s passing that year.’
The memory of snow falling outside and as we all entered Plumfield there was one of the most beautiful Christmas tress we ever had at that house. Nick was standing beside the tree, having just finished lighting the last candle. As I walked into the room I looked at the tree with such a huge smile and then my gaze moved to Nick, who was already looking over at me with that “smile” of his.
‘And of course the first time there were sparks between us. How could I forget that? He had agreed to help me build Noah’s Ark for little Rob. We were in the barn….
“Well, it’s probably not going to be as big as the real one,” Jo said laughing. She looked over at Nick, who was laughing right with her.
“Probably not,” Nick said while grinning.
Quickly, Jo read out of the Bible, “300 cubits it says in here, so…cubit was?”
“Use the inside of yer arm. From here to… there,” Nick said as he took his fingers from the inside of Jo’s arm to her fingertips.
“So…, one cubit?,” Nick asked, not at all nervous.
Meanwhile, Jo is captivated by this moment, “What?”
“The Ark for Rob, about one cubit?,” Nick asked again.
“Oh yeah, sure,” was all Jo could say while looking back at Nick, now hard at work.
"…I have…certain feelings. Hin…ints of feelings really, but still…they’re real. I just don’t know how long it will be before I can express them.” Jo sits down next to Nick with her tea.
“Lucky for me, I’m in no rush to go anywhere,” Nick said as he turned his head towards Jo’s direction.
“Lucky for me,” Jo said as she returned his glance.
They look at each other for a split second, Nick smiles, then each take a sip from their tea cup.
‘That was the first time I alerted Nick to my feelings towards him.’ The memory of how hard it was to blurt that out came back to Jo, because she had never been so nervous as at that time.
….the memories faded away.
As a single tear ran down her cheek, the picture slipped from her hand to the floor. Suddenly, someone from behind her chair picked up the picture and set it up on the shelf above the fireplace.
“Hello Jo. How are you today?,” Laurie asked in a cautious tone.
Jo’s reaction was that of silence.
She quickly wiped that one tear from her cheek as she got up from her chair. She walked over to her usual window as of lately and just stared out yet again. Laurie quickly followed her to the window.
“You can’t keep going on like this Jo. You will make yourself sick. Please, come to church with us on Sunday,” Laurie pleaded with Jo.
She continued to stare out the window, not acknowledging Laurie’s pleas.
Laurie walked away, his failure clear to him.
Jo remained in front of the window, unknown to her that yet another visitor had entered the room. The new visitor walked up to Jo and tugged on the sleeve of her dress.
“Ma, please come to church with us. I want you to come. Nick would want you to come to church with me ma,” Rob pleaded with his mother.
For the first time, Jo acknowledged the presence of a visitor. She began to sob as she knelt down next to her son. Rob immediately took his mother into a hug, knowing he would be the only one to reach his mother right now.
Jo walked out of the church while holding her son’s hand. Rob smiled with relief that his mother had finally relented to come this day.
All plans were ready to be implemented. Amy, Laurie and Meg were going to meet everyone at the cemetery. They did not want to alert Jo to their plans.
Dan stopped the wagon in front of the cemetery. Meg, Amy and Laurie could be seen standing there awaiting the arrival. They were ready to see how Jo was going to react to this event.
How will Jo react? Will Nick survive until the arrival of another ship? The future holds very interesting consequences that will result from decisions to be made in the present.
Read Part 8 to find out!!!!
Part 8 Coming Soon!!!!!
Please email the writer at Minuet26@aol.com and tell her what you thought of her story!!!!
