I stared at Neil for a long time, wondering if I should let him read the letter. His bright blue eyes cut right through me. "What is it?" He asked again.
He stood tall in the yellow sunlight. The sleeves of his olive, plaid shirt were rolled up in the manner that I was accustomed to seeing them; he wore his leather suspenders. His face had been freshly shaven; it was smooth and clean. The creases between his brows deepened when he looked at me. I loved that look. Still, I did not speak; instead, I handed him the letter. He took it from my hand and began to read. I noticed that he continued to look at it for several minutes after he had finished reading. When he finally looked up, he didn't speak. He didn't need to. He nodded with a melancholy smile on his lips, and I knew what he felt.
"Here is thy breakfast, Christy." Miss Alice broke our trance when she entered the room.
Dr. MacNeill cleared his throat. "Yes, good, you need to eat something Miss Huddleston." And with this statement, I knew that he had retreated from the scene by becoming the physician. "You can not afford to get sick. You need to take better care of yourself." The flatness of this statement stung me a little, but I nodded curtly.
Miss Alice handed me a plate of steaming French toast with powdered sugar, syrup, and cinnamon on top. "My mother used to make French toast on Sundays." I said.
"I am here to take you to the hospital when you are ready. There is a certain young gentleman that is eager to see his sister." Neil bowed, formally, put the letter on my nightstand, and left the room.
Miss Alice pulled a chair next to my bed and sat down. "Does thee mind if I sit here while thou eats."
"No, please." I said and took a bite of French toast. "Mmm, it's very good, Miss Alice. Thank you for making it for me." I ate another bite.
"Thou art welcome."
"Thee does look much better, Christy." She said. She thought for a moment and looked around my room. "Wilst thou sell this house, Christy?" She asked.
I looked around the room too. I had so many memories of my mother singing lullabies and playing dolls with me and of Father tucking the covers around me. "I haven't thought about that. I don't know."
I wanted to change the subject. The idea of making so many decisions made me feel tired. "I want to show you something," I said and reached for Margaret's letter.
She read it while I ate. A smile spread over her face. Her reaction contrasted sharply with Neil's. She touched my cheek. "Leave it to thee, Miss Huddleston. Thee is a wonder. " Her happiness intoxicated me, and I ate the entire plate of French toast.
"You are going to have to go home soon, Miss Alice. You can't stay here forever. The mission has no one there." Then a horrible thought flashed before me. "Ruby Mae? " I said. I felt sick; I had not thought about where she was or who was taking care of her.
"She is at the Spencer's, Christy. She's fine." I sighed with relief.
"And Margaret, she may need you."
She tapped her foot. "Margaret will not see me."
I got up and washed my face and hands in the wash basin. The cool water felt so good. I changed behind the wooden screen. Miss Alice had said nothing, but after I had dressed, she said.
"I want make sure that thee is okay before I return to Cutter Gap. "
********************
At the hospital, I was surprised to find baskets of flowers and many people hovering around George's bed. He was sitting up and talking to them. Many were boys that he went to school with.
"Christy--" he said when he saw me. He stretched his hands out to me.
I hugged him. "I'm sorry I wasn't here this morning, George." I said.
"Dr. MacNeill said that you needed the rest. He told me about the juice." He tilted his head in that funny way he had--his ear touching his right shoulder. "I only wish I could have been there to see your face."
"It wasn't funny at all." I said. "It was dreadfully embarrassing."
"That's the glory of it!" He said this with a grin, but his grin was not convincing. I could see that he was tired. He clenched his teeth together. The pain must have been terrible.
The young boys that stood around him spoke intensely about baseball and horseback riding. I could see George grimace at each word. The others had noticed too, and an awkward silence fell over us. I saw David's lanky frame standing in the corner. His arms were crossed. He also looked tired. Dark rings lay under his eyes. How kind it was for him to be here for me after all that I had put him through. When he caught my eyes on him, he smiled.
George tried earnestly to be brave. His eyes shone softly. I wanted to hug him again, but I feared that it would embarrass him in front of his friends.
Finally, I had had enough. "Okay," I stated. "I am so glad that you all came to visit, but I think George needs some rest now."
Everyone said their good-byes, and when they had left the room, George sighed with relief and exhaustion.
I sat next to him. "Are you in pain, Georgie?"
"Yeah, a little."
"I'll get a doctor." David called.
"What did the doctors say this morning?" I asked.
"They said that I don't have a left leg." George's attempts to be funny back fired and caused tears to fill his eyes, but he did not cry.
"George?"
"They said that with hard work and a wooden leg, I would be able to walk. Dr. MacNeill seemed to think that I should be able to ride a horse someday." His expression remained distant.
When the doctors came in, they gave him a shot of morphine. After several minutes he fell asleep.
I spent a long day by George's side. He drifted in and out of sleep. I sent David home to rest. I had not seen Neil since the morning. Miss Alice and Uncle John stayed with me. We discussed the house and assets. They both advised me to sell the house. Uncle John begged for me to let George live with him and Polly. "How could I do that," I told him. "When I promised father that I would take care of him myself."
"But your work is in Cutter Gap. And don't fib to me girl; I know that it is important to you. Your father always told me how much Cutter Gap meant to you." I felt for my gold locket.
At eleven o'clock, my head ached with stress. I could not bring myself to talk about legal papers and the estate anymore. The doctors had given George something to help him sleep. He was not resting well. They assured us that he would not wake till morning, so we resolved to go home.
Once in my own room, I opened the windows for some air. Oh how I missed the night air of Cutter Gap--I missed the mountains. A soft summer zephyr came from the window, carrying with it the scent of Mother's flower garden. I crawled under the covers and fell asleep.
************
I dreamed of the train wreck. Mother and Father were boarding. I watched them wave goodbye--but I could not speak to them. I could not tell them to get off. They were smiling. Everything moved in slow motion. I could not get to the train fast enough to stop them. I awoke as if I were catching myself from a fall. I looked up to find Neil sitting next to me on the bed. It was still dark outside. He was immersed in silver moonlight. He looked like an apparition; was I dreaming?
"Shhh, Lass--it was only a dream," he said. "I didn't mean to wake you."
"Neil?" I said.
"Yes, it's me." He whispered. "Go back to sleep."
But I couldn't sleep. I had become entangled in his gaze. I could see the moonlight reflect in his eyes. He stared at me. I must be dreaming.
After a long silence, he said, "Will you dance with me, Miss Huddleston?"
"What? Here? Now? But there is no music and…"
He scooped me out of bed and carried me over to the window where the moonlight drifted in like lapping water. He set me on my feet and gathered me in his arms. We danced closely. My face rested against his shoulder. He hummed. I could feel the vibrations in his chest. Then he sang in a hushed voice:
Down in the Valley
The Valley so low
Hang your head over
Hear the wind blow
Hear the wind blow, lass
Hear the wind blow
Hang your head over
Hear the wind blow
My eyes closed with the sound of it. I felt dreamy and dizzy at the same time. His lips brushed softly over my temple. I turned to him. He looked serene--a wash of silver and blue. He wore a tranquil, sorrowful expression. He leaned forward and kissed me gently on the lips.
"I have to go, Christy. I have to go back to Cutter Gap--tonight." He held me tighter. "I just wanted to see you one more time before I left. I hadn't planned on waking you."
My eyes ached. Couldn't he see that he was tearing me apart? I became engulfed with the idea that this was the last time he would ever hold me in his arms. I didn't want to let go. He picked me up and placed me back into bed. Then he left as though he had never been there at all.