“Would you like to bathe in the tub? I promise you’ll enjoy it if I help you,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
And, he did.
In the early morning light, Laura stretched like a feline. She remembered the night with Talon in her bed. He had been gentle but passionate. Such pleasure they had shared. She turned to look at him in sleep. He seemed to be content and it pleased her.
She slipped out of bed to prepare the morning coffee. As she did so, Talon opened his eyes as the corn shuck filled mattress made noises when she rose. He watched her from the bed as she moved slowly about preparing the coffee.
“I have something for you from my mother,” he said as he rose to go to his backpack still on the floor by the door. Retrieving it, he handed her a gift from his mother wrapped in soft deerskin.
“From your mother?” she asked pleased to know she had sent her a gift. He nodded.
Laura pulled back the deerskin covering to discover a large necklace made from bear claws. “These are from the bear you killed. My mother fashioned a necklace for you. I gave her small gold nuggets and turquoise stones to go with the claws. The bear hunter is honored with her talisman of courage,” he explained as he placed the necklace over her head and around her neck. She was speechless. He kissed her tenderly.
He gave her a large bundle of dried leaves tied with rawhide as well. She turned it this way and that, trying to figure out what it could be. “What is it?”
“This is Scared Sage and it is used to ward off evil spirits from your home and family. It is a gift from my sister, Willow, to her friend, Laura,” he said with a gleam in his eyes.
Laura gasped. “Willow is your sister? How is she? Where is she? Please tell me everything about her. I’ve worried so much about her. When can we go see her?” she spoke the questions in rapid fire.
He pulled her to him, telling her everything he knew about what had happened to Willow.
Now the weeks seemed endless. There were days they were able to leave the cabin, but Laura had to be careful of icy spots. She never ventured far. Talon cared for the livestock. His actions were so funny as she taught him to milk the cow. He told Laura it was beneath a warrior’s dignity to do so, but he did it for her. She had figured out how to carefully handle the cow, but was glad to let Talon do it. His love of butter and honey on his hot biscuits outweighed his warrior’s pride.
One clear day, he left early to travel to the hidden valley, taking with him as much milk and butter as he could carry. He returned exhausted by nightfall, reporting all was well with his family and that Willow was even larger than Laura. Laura hoped Willow was not that large, because she was becoming more miserable as the weeks went by.
When Christmas Eve came, Laura asked Talon if he would cut down a small spruce tree and bring it into the cabin. She sensed he thought her request strange, but did as she asked him. She placed the tree on a small table and began to decorate it with colored paper and hand painted ornaments she took from a large chest. She explained she always put up a tree to acknowledge Christ’s birthday even though she did not have any presents to put under it. She told him about Christ and the Bible, which was as important to her as his belief in the Great Spirit was to him. They talked about their strong faiths and drew closer because of the sharing and understanding.
During this time, he taught her more about the herbs she had drying on the corner shelf. He showed her how to mix them for better effectiveness when treating illnesses. They learned from each other ways to treat various ailments.
Talon showed her often how much he cared for her. She began to learn to trust again. However, when he talked of her becoming his wife, she would withdraw from him. She had a fear she could not bring to the surface about being controlled again by a man. Time would tell if she changed her mind. Although she loved him with all of her heart, she would not marry him.
Chapter Twenty-Six
When the New Year dawned on a windy and snowy morning, Laura rose from her bed with a happy heart. Her child would be born in a few weeks, and then her life would change forever. She would become a mother, she thought to herself, as she went to start a pot of coffee. When she bent over to stoke the coals and add more wood in the cook stove, a sharp pain sliced up her middle. She grasped and moaned. Talon was out of bed and by her side. “Is the baby coming?” he asked fearfully.
“I’m not sure. Let me finish preparing the coffee and we will wait to see what happens next,” she said, trying to sound brave for him. However, as she placed the coffee pot on the stove to boil, another pain more intense than the first shot through her. She felt a wetness running down her legs, soaking into her socks and house shoes. Bloody tinged water ran out and onto the floor. Fearfully she said to Talon, “Yes, the baby is coming and coming quickly I think. Now what do we do?”
“You are asking me? I have never had a child before either. Come sit down. No, maybe you should lie down. Or should you walk? I have seen Indian women walking around the campsite before their children were born.”
Another stabbing pain gripped her as she stood there. She had not recovered from that one before another came. She had not expected the pains to hurt so bad and to come so fast. “I think something might be wrong.”
“I will go for my mother, but you must lie down while I am gone. I do not want you to fall.” He spread blankets and sheets onto the bed and helped her lie down. He placed drinking water near the bed and several cloths for her to wipe her face.
Dressed in his winter gear to begin the long trek to get his mother, he kissed her goodbye as he hurried to the door. Putting on his snowshoes, he latched the door and left the cabin sprinting.
The level of pain continued to intensify. She could no longer control her screams. She heard a wolf howl. Silver had come to let her know she was not alone. At least she felt a little comfort. Then another pain grabbed her and she cried out again. Deciding she needed a cup of soothing hot tea, she willed herself to roll over on her side so she could push up.
When she managed to rise from the bed, she hurried to the stove to put the kettle on. Another ripping contraction assailed her.
After preparing the tea, she struggled back to bed. She drank the tea and lay back down. The contractions were becoming never ending. She wiped her face with a cool cloth and used it to muffle her cries. Time seem to stand still. She was locked in unending agony.
Reality faded for Laura as her mind filled with nothing but the hurt. Why did it have to be this way? Why do I always have to be alone? Why? Why? Why?
A cold cloth bathed her face, and soothing words of comfort were whispered to her. She was no longer alone. She must be dying. She knew nothing but ripping and pulling. She was dying and God had sent another angel to help her to Heaven.
“What? What are you saying?” she whispered. Is someone speaking to me?
She was lifted up and a cup held to her lips. She sputtered, as she tasted the bitter drink. “Why does it always have to be bitter herbs?” she thought. Or did she say it?
“What? Open my eyes? Hurts too badly. Can’t open eyes,” she whispered.
“Yes, you can Laura. Open your eyes and look at me.” The voice was louder this time.
Laura looked into the scarred face of a dark stranger. No wait. It was the face of...the face of....“I know you from the trading post when Tuffy attacked me, but not your name.”
“Call me Marty. I heard you crying and I’m here to help. Will you trust me?” Marty asked her.
“Yes. You helped me once before. I know you won’t hurt me. But do you know anything about birthing babies?” she asked.
Marty assured her. “I know all there is to know. Will you trust me, Laura?”
Laura nodded, sucking in a breath.
“Let me help you up. I want you to walk and breathe in deeply. It is good for you as well as for the baby. Do you understand?”
Not waiting for Laura to answer, Marty pulled her up to a standing position and walked her up and down the width of the
cabin.
A wolf howled.
“Why is a wolf howling outside your door?” Marty asked nervously.
“Oh, it’s Silver. He’s my protector and he doesn’t like it when I scream. Please don’t be afraid. He won’t hurt you unless you hurt me.”
“I will stay inside as long as he is near.”
After a few more trips back and forth, Laura’s legs would not hold her up, though her pains did become less intense as she walked. “I feel something wet between my legs,” Laura cried.
“It may be the baby’s head. Lie down on the bed and let me see,” Marty ordered.
“I will not. I will not allow you to see my private parts. You’re a man!” Laura declared.
Marty stepped back smiling. “It seems to me a man got you in this shape. And you are refusing my help because I’m a man?”
“Sounds pretty stupid at a time like this, doesn’t it? Alright. What do you want me to do?”
“Lie back down on the bed and let me see if the baby’s head is pushing out.”
Marty helped her to lie down and peered between her legs. “Well, I don’t see the head yet so it will take more time. I have birthed Indian women before, and they have a unique way of making it less painful. At least it’s what I’ve heard. Are you game to try?”
“Anything to make it easier.”
Helping her to rise again from the bed and taking her hand, Marty led her over before the fireplace and placed a quilt on the floor. “Now get down on your knees and prop your head and your arms on this chair seat. When you feel one starting, begin to rock back and forth on your knees.”
Laura managed to get on her knees with Marty’s help as another series of contractions began. As each one ended, another stronger one took its place. Marty fixed her another cup of soothing tea.
As Laura drank the tea, Marty knelt down beside her. “I want to check on your progress. May I feel to see where the baby has moved to?” Laura nodded. “Indian women tell me Mother Earth helps them pull the baby from their bodies in this position. Can you feel the difference? Lying in bed made you feel more pain and you had to work harder. This way you are more comfortable and working with the pains instead of against them.”
“My back already feels better since I am not lying on it.” She tensed. “Something is moving!”
“Yes, yes, it is working already. Soon you will be a mother!”
“Well, well, if this isn’t a cozy picture!” said a hate-filled voice from the doorway.
Startled at the sound of an unexpected voice, Marty and Laura looked up to see Tuffy Sawyer standing inside the cabin door, pointing a long-barreled pistol at both of them. His mouth widened in a toothless grin.
Laura screamed. The monster was in her cabin and she was helpless to do anything about it. Her growing concern now was for the safety of her baby.
Marty straightened up beside Laura, towering over Tuffy.
“What did you do with that squaw whore you stole from me?” Tuffy demanded.
“Aponi was not a whore. But she was captured by a son of a whore who starved and beat her,” Marty replied with hatred.
“The whore had a name, did she? Well, I am sure you enjoyed her as much as I did.”
“Aponi means Butterfly. After I rescued her from you, I took her back to her people to die. She is now a free spirit and a true butterfly.”
“She’s dead? Another good Indian.”
“Before she died, she became ill from a disease she had gotten from you or other palefaces,” Marty said enjoying the look of terror that took over Tuffy’s face. “I do not know the name, but the symptoms are not very pretty.”
“Symptoms? What kind of symptoms?” waving his gun nervously at Marty.
“First it burns to pee and then large sores appear on your manhood and other places. Then yellow stinking puss oozes out of your cock before it rots off.”
Tuffy grabbed his crotch.
When his attention changed, Marty flew through the air and brought them both crashing to the floor. Marty may have been taller, but Tuffy was strong and solid. They rolled and tumbled about the cabin knocking over furniture as they struggled over the gun.
The loud explosion of the pistol brought everything to a halt. Laura screamed in fear when Tuffy rose from the melee.
“You killed him!” Laura whimpered.
“So you and your mulatto lover are having a baby. Isn’t that interesting?” Tuffy came toward her with blood splatter on his face and clothes.
He grabbed her hair dragging her upward to face him. She screamed in terror and fear. He slapped her hard across the face as he released her. She hit the floor and struck her head.
Swirls of haze circled before her eyes. Realizing she was swimming up to consciousness, she tried to open her eyes to see where Tuffy was. He had tied her spread eagle on the bed. Another searing pain tore at her as the baby tried to push out, but now she tried to keep him in to protect him.
Tuffy stood over her.
“You can’t get loose now, you whoring bitch. I am going to slice you open and let you see what you created with that mulatto before you die. If the baby lives, I will raise it to be just like me, or pimp it out if it’s a girl,” he enjoyed seeing the terror he created with his words.
“Why do you hate me so? What have I ever done to you?” Laura managed to get out.
“You ruined my business when you came in flirting and wiggling your ass around making me want to mount you. The word spread about what happened with you and Abner, and folks quit coming in. Then when you brought in those nuggets, I paid you with money I had stashed. Someone followed me and discovered all the places I had my money buried. They stole it. I know it was you!”
“But I didn’t do any of that to you. You want to blame me for your troubles. How did you find me?” She bit her lip to keep from screaming, she tasted blood.
“When I had you tailed, the trail was always lost in this area. I came searching, watching for smoke or the smell of wood burning. When I smelled it, I followed it into this valley. I knew I’d found the right place when I heard you screaming your head off.”
“But I didn’t do anything to you,” whimpered Laura as another pain tore through her.
“I’m not going to argue with you about it. I know you did it,” He cut her bloody nightgown from top to bottom revealing her nakedness. After a few moments, he drew the sharp tip of his skinning knife across her belly as if he was preparing to cut a watermelon. He nicked her in places, causing blood to ooze out and slide down her sides soaking the bed. Laura screamed in terror and agony.
“Tuffy, I beg you. Please don’t do this. You may hurt my baby,” she whimpered.
He grinned.
“Milford Crouch, what do you think you are doing to that woman?”
Tuffy’s knife froze in midair as he heard a voice say his birth name.
Behind him, Marty held a gun pointed at Tuffy’s heart. Blood dripped from a mangled face, flowing down his cheek and neck.
“How do you know me, friend?” Tuffy asked.
“I’ve told you before, I’m not your friend. I am a ghost from your sorry past, you son of a whore. You don’t remember me do you? Perhaps this will remind you.” He pulled long black hair from the bloodied left side of his face.
A jagged scar ran along the man’s left cheekbone and into the hairline.
“Well, well, well, Martha Lane. You bitch! I thought I killed you long ago in that fire. Now I get the chance to do it right this time.”
“The fire. Yes, I nearly died after you hit me in the head with a steel rod and left me in that burning building. But you also got burned, judging from the scars on your scalp. Shame you didn’t die in the fire as well. I have something for you. I think you’ll remember how this works,” Marty pulled a small doll out of her pocket.
Tuffy gasped, “A voodoo doll.”
“When I knocked you out in the trading post, I cut off some of your hair for the doll and I took one of your dirty shirts to mak
e it some clothes. Don’t you think the gris-gris looks like you?” Marty removed a long straight pin and began chanting in French.
“You damn voodoo queen! I tried to kill you in New Orleans and it didn’t happen. But now I’ll make sure you’re dead.” He lunged for her, but she sidestepped.
Taking the pin, she plunged it into the left thigh of the small doll. He plunged his knife into his left leg and shrieked. Pulling the pin out again, she plunged it into the left arm of the doll. He jabbed the knife into his left arm, then jerked his hand away. The blade clattered to the floor.
Laura watched the events unfolding and was relieved when the knife dropped to the floor.
When Marty plunged the pin into the doll’s stomach, he bent over and grabbed his middle. As she pushed the pin between the doll’s legs, Tuffy screamed, clutching his crotch as he dropped to the floor.
“I can keep doing this all day and enjoy every minute of it.”
“Please stop! Let me leave and you’ll never see me again,” he pleaded.
“If I had not stopped you, you would’ve hurt Laura and her baby, so why should I let you go?” Marty’s tone was deadly.
“I’m sorry if I scared you, Laura. Just let me go and you’ll never hear from me again. I promise,” whined Tuffy.
“Get up and get out. We have a baby to bring into this world,” Marty said pleasantly.
“Please no more pins and dolls. I’m going,” he whimpered scrambling for his hat and coat. A box of matches fell from his pocket as he fled. Had he planned to burn down the cabin?
She was quick to bolt the door to prevent him from returning.
Marty returned to the bed and freed Laura. She examined the wounds on her belly and assured her they were minor.
Laura writhed in the next contraction. “Will this never end?” she screamed.
Marty checked her progress. “It won’t be long now. I already see more of the head than before. When you feel the pressure, bear down and push,” Marty told her.
Please let Talon return soon.
From outside, a long wolf howl ended in a human scream, but she had no time for worrying about Tuffy coming to a bad end. The bastard had tried to kill her and the baby. Let Silver punish him for his crimes.
Laura's Secrets Page 17