Unforgettable Christmas Dreams: Gifts of Joy

by Rebecca York

  “I never heard of that,” Helen said, as she pulled on her coat.

  “Compliments of your military. They develop lots of things during wars. Especially ways to keep people alive after they’ve been shot. This wound isn’t bad. There should be no complications, unless something vital got hit that I can’t see.”

  Relieved, she followed them out to the helicopter, getting in where they showed her, where she could sit by Carlton’s side while they flew to the hospital.

  Leaning over him, she stroked his forehead, and when the medic gave her a damp cloth, she used it to comfort him with its cool dampness. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him too, and willed him to recover.

  He seemed to lose consciousness, and this worried her.

  “He’s sleeping because we added a tiny amount of sedative to the IV,” the medic told her. “He’ll recover sooner if his body rests, rather than struggling against the pain. The surgeons will fix him up.”

  They landed on the hospital roof and rushed Carlton into surgery. She was sent to admitting.

  “His name is Carlton Mann. I don’t know much about him, as I just met him a short while ago. I can give you his grandparents’ names and phone number. They would know more.”

  “Married?”

  “No.” That she was sure of. She didn’t know if he was allergic to any medications, nor his phone number, nor his permanent address. She only knew he had saved the life of her son. And that she loved him.

  Sent to the waiting room, she waited and then waited longer. Had anything happened? Something unexpected? Too many possibilities barraged her mind and she tried to watch the television to get them to stop.

  Finally a doctor appeared who called her name. She jumped up and met him.

  “He’s going to be fine. He can go home in three hours.”

  His air of confidence erased her fears. “That soon?”

  “Yes. There was less damage than we usually get in a typical car accident. If someone was trying to kill him, he might have been fooled by your man’s heavy coat. Or he didn’t have his rifle sighted in.”

  Helen nodded. It could just have been a careless hunter. “But he seemed to be badly injured.”

  “Shock. And blood loss. They said he used his glove to plug the hole, and his belt to put on pressure.”

  “Yes. He wouldn’t let me touch the belt.”

  “He still lost a considerable amount before the medics got to him, but he’ll be fine. You can stay with him in recovery.”

  “Thanks.”

  A nurse came and showed her the way. Carlton was still asleep, so she sat down to wait, pulled out her phone and called Todd with the news.

  “That’s great, Mom. Three hours. I’ll come on in.”

  “Take your time. I expect Carlton will have more forms to fill out. I didn’t have any of the information they asked for. Including his insurance. I had ours, which I gave them. I think it covers anyone on our property, but he wasn’t officially hired by me, so that might make a difference. I don’t know. You know insurance.”

  “Yes. Don’t I. I hope our new company is better than our last.”

  “Agreed.”

  “The sheriff was here,” Todd said, changing the subject.

  “He was?” She hadn’t thought he’d come.

  “Yes. Asked a lot of questions. We went down to the pond and I showed him where Carlton was standing when he got hit. The sheriff found the bullet. The shooter must have been high up on the ridge behind us, as it went into the snow almost under where he fell.”

  “That sort of removes the possibility that the shot came from a hunter,” she said. “No hunter would shoot toward ranch buildings. They are in plain view from up there.”

  “That’s pretty much what the sheriff said. He wanted to know if there was anyone I knew who wanted Carlton dead. So I described Uncle Ben. The sheriff said it didn’t match the man they picked up. So he wasn’t the shooter. That man said he was out hunting.”

  “So they let him go?”

  “No. The Sheriff said the man they picked up had several serious warrants out on him. They’re holding him on those. And he’s going to check the ballistics.”

  “Good. I was still worried about you, there at the ranch, being a target.”

  “I thought I’d string the rest of the wire, but it’s almost too late to go back and do that. The sheriff took up most of my time. I’ll tend to the stock, then drive in for you.”

  “How about the gate? Will it need to have new wires?”

  “It survived. We can reuse it. There was no tension on it, since we’d left it open.”

  “All right. Be careful, working alone. Take your cell phone with you, in case I need to call.”

  “I will. See you soon.”

  She hung up. Carlton was still asleep and she was thirsty. She hadn’t had anything to drink with her food, so she stood up and stepped past the curtains, out into the corridor.

  A vending machine was close, but better yet, a coffee pot and paper cups had been placed on a small table just a short distance away.

  She walked over and poured herself some. It was hot, too hot to drink, so she carried it carefully back.

  Someone was in with Carlton. She heard voices, stepped through the curtains, stopped.

  Ben!

  Chapter Seven

  Helen must have said Ben’s name, for he spun around and faced her as she stood amidst the hospital curtains, his features contorted with anger.

  “What have you done?” he demanded, stalking up to her, standing almost on top of her so that she took a hasty step back, separating the curtains.

  “Done?” Puzzled, her thoughts were on Carlton. She hadn’t done anything to him.

  “The mortgage. Where’d you get the money?” Ben shouted.

  “Oh. That.” She looked at this man who had frightened her so many times since Ken had died. Now she had Carlton to back her up. And his grandparents. And Todd, now almost a man. She didn’t have to be afraid of him any longer.

  “Yes, that!” he shouted, his chin thrust out.

  “I got a new loan, that’s all. A better rate.” She tried to make little of it. Carlton was not in any shape to be fighting this man.

  With a growl of anger, Ben raised his hand to slap her, and she reacted, throwing the hot coffee into his face. She didn’t think, just threw what was in her hand, with the same accuracy she used when casting a rope.

  He screamed, reached out for her again.

  She could hear footsteps running toward where they were. This part of the hospital was always well staffed. She didn’t wait, didn’t let Ben grab her.

  Focused on his thumb, she grabbed it and pulled back, just as Carlton had taught her. In her panic, she must have applied too much pressure, for Ben screamed and dropped to the floor, but she held on.

  ***

  Carlton heard Helen come in. He’d been shaken awake by Ben, who yelled at him just long enough for him to realize who was there. When Ben turned to accost Helen, Carlton fought his way out of the sheets. He managed to drop the railing and stand up beside his bed, hanging onto it for support. He saw her use the thumb hold. Meeting her gaze, he nodded. Yes. That was what he had taught her.

  She could read him as well as she had been able to read Ken. Maybe even better, because she was older now. She nodded back and kept the pressure on the thumb.

  The first person to arrive was a nurse, followed by a uniformed police officer.

  “What happened?” the nurse asked.

  “This man attacked me,” Helen said. “I threw coffee on him, to keep him from hitting me. Then, when he tried to hit me anyway, I stopped him.”

  “Do you know him?” the officer asked, looking down at the groaning man. He had his eyes shut, and was using his free hand to try to wipe the coffee off.

  “Yes. He’s my brother-in-law. Ben Ashford. He’s hit me before. Several times. This time I had a way to stop him.” She let go of Ben’s thumb at that point and stepped away fr
om him. “I’ll want to file a complaint, or get a restraining order, or whatever it takes.”

  “Ben Ashford? The sheriff wants to talk to him. I’ll take him over to get the coffee burn taken care of, then we’ll go on down to the station.” He pulled the man to his feet.

  Ben was still so angry he didn’t appear to realize the man standing behind him was the police. He yanked his arm free and stepped toward Helen, his fist raised.

  “You better be careful, out at my ranch. Accidents are gonna happen. To you and your son.”

  “Don’t you dare threaten her,” Carlton said. He had worked his way to the end of the bed, but felt so dizzy he needed to grab the rail to stay upright.

  “Yeah? Well once you’re out of the way, I’ll threaten her all I want. That ranch is mine. Not hers. I own it.”

  “No, you don’t,” Carlton said. “She does. It’s back in a trust. A new one, with new trustees. Too many for you to get rid of. Give up and crawl back into your hole. Any accident we have now will get you investigated.”

  “Says who?”

  “Says me,” the officer said. “Anything happens to them and you’ll be charged with murder.”

  Ben spun around and stared at the officer, his jaw dropping, as if just now realizing who was there. Three nurses stood there, as well as Carlton’s doctor, all witnesses to what had been said.

  Carlton could almost see the bluster drain out of him, as air out of a tire. The officer took Ben’s arm and ushered him out of the area.

  Carlton’s doctor looked at Helen. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.”

  He looked next at Carlton. “You, back in bed,” he said. “You need to wait for the drugs to clear your system, enough that you don’t fall down.”

  “Yes, doctor.”

  “Do I need to call for a security detail?” he asked Carlton.

  “Only if they release Ben.”

  The doctor nodded. “I’ll put in a call to the sheriff. I’d suggest a policeman be sent to the ranch, but a place like that is hard to protect. I assume he’s the reason for that bullet hole I just patched up.”

  “Yes. At least we think so. I don’t know what we’ll do about him, other than having the trust. If any of us die, it goes to the next trustee. We have the line too long for him to ever reach the end of it.”

  “That doesn’t help you any if you’re one of the ones killed.”

  “Agreed. That man sure has a powerful hate.”

  “Just be careful. I’ve seen too many of these family squabbles not to know that men like that can’t see reason.”

  Four days later Carlton went out with Todd to string the middle and top wires up around the pond. He and Helen had gone back to town after the New Year and made some purchases.

  Carlton took Helen to the jewelry store and bought her a wedding ring. To her delight he added some earrings as a belated Christmas present. They also applied for a marriage license.

  Today Helen came running out of the house, catching them by the barns. “You shouldn’t be trying to do this,” she protested. “You’re not well enough. The doctor will have both our hides if you tear open that wound.”

  Carlton laughed. “I already found that out, just walking this far. I wasn’t going to do anything more than hammer in the staples while Todd held the wire taunt. But I don’t think I can even swing a hammer successfully.”

  “Then come on back to the house with me. Todd can do it by himself. He’s done it before.”

  “So he says.”

  Todd stood next to her, nodding agreement. “I have.”

  “Or I’ll hammer in the staples,” Helen said. “I’ll get my gloves. You can watch.”

  “No. I’ll walk back with you.”

  He took her hand in his. “You’ll take good care of me, won’t you?” he asked, as they turned to go back.

  “Of course. You’re my reason for living now.”

  “I see why married men live longer than unmarried men, on the average.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Their wives are always watching out for them, keeping them from doing foolish things.”

  “Smart wives. We don’t want to lose our husbands.”

  She had removed Ken’s ring, and now wore Carlton’s engagement ring. “How soon do you want to get married?” he asked, touching her finger. It had meant so much to him to put it there, he couldn’t imagine himself any happier.

  “Soon. Very soon.”

  “Mom! Carlton!”

  They both turned at Todd’s shout. He was standing next to the pond, looking into the area where the ice was thin.

  “Come down here.” His voice sounded worried.

  They looked at each other, puzzled, but did as he asked. Had another cow fallen in? Carlton wondered. They hadn’t been down to see it since the day he had been shot.

  “What is it?” Helen asked as they walked up. “I don’t see anything.”

  “There.” Todd pointed. “A gun.” He paused, looking at his mother first, then Carlton. “It’s not one of ours.”

  A handgun was stuck in the ice, close to the edge of the spot where Carlton and he had fallen in. Chunks of broken ice still marked the area.

  “What is that doing there?” Helen asked. She took a step forward and Carlton stopped her.

  “Todd,” he said. “Leave the fence. Come away.”

  “But—”

  “I can see a glove in there, too,” Carlton said, his voice stern. “Sort of floating under the ice. We need to get the sheriff out here, along with some other men. With a rowboat and some axes to open the ice. We don’t want to have to pull any of them out.”

  “Why would anyone be out here?” Helen asked. “There’s nothing beyond the pond except open range.”

  “There’s nothing we can do. Come back to the house with me, both of you. We’ll let the sheriff take care of this. Hopefully all they’ll find in there is the glove and the gun.”

  “Do you think it’s Uncle Ben?” Todd asked, stating what was in all their minds.

  “I hope not,” Carlton said. “I wouldn’t wish for anyone to die. Not like that. Not even him.”

  He put one arm around Helen and the other around Todd. They walked together to the ranch house and he called the sheriff.

  “You know the pond where Todd and I were building the fence, the day I was shot? Well, we found a handgun lying in the spot where we had fallen through the ice.”

  “Not yours, I take it,” the sheriff said.

  “Not ours. I thought I saw a glove in the water, too. I’d like for you and your men to chop a hole in the ice and see if there’s anyone in the pond. It’s fairly deep, so you may want a rowboat or something.”

  “We’ve got equipment for that. Any chance of a survivor?”

  “No. The gun is frozen solid, with ice over the top of it. It’s been there one or two days. Maybe more.”

  “We’ll be out shortly.”

  Carlton hung up. “Would you like to go wait at Frank’s home?” he asked. “We can call and ask them?”

  “Not me,” said Todd.

  “Todd, a man who has drowned is no longer the same color. He’ll be blue or bluish red. Sometimes greenish. It isn’t something you forget easily.”

  “Oh.” He thought a moment. “No. I’ll wait here.”

  Carlton nodded. Eighteen-year-olds, including himself, went to war and saw much worse. It wouldn’t hurt Todd.

  “Helen?”

  “I’ll stay. If not Ben, it could be a hunter...but that isn’t likely is it? No hunter would be carrying a handgun. At least not hunting any of the animals around here.”

  They sat at the kitchen table, not talking much, each with his own thoughts until the sheriff arrived.

  “I’ll take them down,” Carlton said. “You can come if you want. Either way, we’ll soon know if it is Ben or not.”

  He followed the sheriff and his men down to the pond, realizing as he did so that the sheriff had already been there once, to look fo
r the bullet. Todd followed them, but Helen remained behind.

  They had an inflatable and a man in a wetsuit, ready to go in. They put down a long 2 x 12 board and retrieved the handgun. Then they stood on the board and chopped a hole in the ice. With the hole open, the swimmer went in.

  It didn’t take long. The pond wasn’t that large. He emerged towing a man’s body, and Carlton saw that it was Ben.

  Why hadn’t he walked around the pond area? It wasn’t that large. He even had to step over the bottom wire to walk across the pond. There seemed no reason for his actions, except maybe he was beyond reason, and acting in blind rage.

  “He grew up on this ranch,” Carlton told the sheriff. “He should have known about the spring that warmed the water where it came in. He must not have been thinking.”

  “I’ve seldom seen a man so intent on revenge,” the sheriff said, watching his men put the body into a body bag. “Also, we got ballistics back on that bullet. It was from the rifle that the so called ‘hunter’ was carrying.”

  “Are we still in danger from him?”

  “No. I’ll hold him while he faces his other arrest warrants. One of which was for murder. If he’s put away a long enough time, I might save our county some court costs, but I will charge him with attempted murder, just so that if he gets away with his other charges, this one will still be there.”

  They sat down with the sheriff and gave a detailed account of where they had been the last three days. Most was marked on their calendar, so that helped them remember what they’d done when.

  He wrote it down, in detail. “It helps to have it recorded. You never know, in a situation like this, if someone is going to come out of the mist and accuse you of killing him. I’ll make sure the coroner does a thorough work-up, to show he wasn’t punched or hit over the head or choked.”

  “Good,” said Carlton. “The more thorough the better.”

  “Had you hit him at any time, during the last week?”

  “No. Never. That’s not to say I didn’t feel like it a couple of times. I did use a thumb hold on him when he was here, threatening Helen, to force him to walk out to his car.”