“Ready, ladies?”
“Yes, Tommy, thank you for looking after us,” Sadie said shyly.
“We have to hold onto one another so nobody gets lost. Sadie, you take this arm and hook arms with Lizzie on your other side. Ready?” Tommy asked.
Lizzie knew he was being extra careful of Sadie, who, being the smallest, was most likely to be buffeted by the wind.
They thought they were ready, but two minutes outside in the freezing snow showed they weren’t at all prepared for the ordeal in front of them.
“Holy Mary but it’s cold,” Lizzie stated the obvious, her teeth chattering. The wind carried shards of ice, hitting their faces and making them sting.
Chapter 22
The wind buffeted them, forcing them to duck more than once as flying garbage threatened to hit them. Lizzie prayed they would get home safely. She wondered how Jamie was faring. If she had known it was this bad, she would have kissed him properly regardless of who was looking. If she saw him again, the first thing she was going to do was kiss him soundly on the lips.
They passed some cafés but they were all full to bursting. There were some saloons and other drinking establishments open, but she wasn’t desperate enough yet to seek solace in one of them. If da didn’t kill her and Tommy for doing something like that, Sadie’s parents would fleece her.
She glanced at Sadie. Her friend was obviously feeling guilty at being in the middle as she kept asking Lizzie if she wanted to swap places. Being on the outside, Lizzie and Tommy were getting the brunt of the wind. Sadie always did care too much about other people, but she loved her for doing that.
“Do you want to swap places?” Sadie shouted again above the wind.
Lizzie couldn’t open her mouth to answer, every time she did, the wind made her cough terribly. She shook her head instead.
She wasn’t sure where they were as visibility was so bad. Tommy must be worried too because he stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Lizzie shouted.
“I don’t know which way to go but I will find out. Stay here and don’t move from this spot,” Tommy instructed.
The girls huddled together. Lizzie fixed Sadie’s scarf so it was more secure around her head and ears, then Sadie did the same for her friend. The easy task was so much more difficult with frozen fingers.
Tommy came back, the look on his face meaning he had bad news. “We’re miles away from home. The policeman suggested we find shelter.”
“But we can’t. Everywhere is full. How will we get home?” Lizzie said, her voice rising with panic though she was trying to stay calm.
“Come on, girls, we have to keep moving. There is a drop of the hard stuff waiting with my name on it at home.”
“Tommy Carpenter, you better not let ma catch you drinking whiskey.”
“I don’t intend to, darling sister.”
Sadie smiled at the teasing between the two siblings. Then, just as quickly, her smile faded thinking of her own brother. Where was he? Had he got home? Although she knew he didn’t care for anyone other than himself, it hurt that he had left the factory without a care for her safety. Tommy would have walked over hot coals for his sister. But then Stan had never been a brother like Tommy. Sometimes she even wondered if they were related. There was a large age gap and they didn’t look alike. Her da teased her saying she was the milkman’s. Maybe he hadn’t been teasing.
“You alright, love?” Tommy asked her quietly.
“Yes, thank you. Thanks to you.”
He squeezed her hand tighter, the look he gave her warming her up inside despite the blizzard. They trudged on, following the people in front of them battling the weather in their bid to get back to their homes and loved ones.
Unfortunately, their route home became even more treacherous. The streets were covered in fallen poles with wires everywhere.
“Don’t trip over one of those wires,” Tommy cautioned the girls. Sadie instinctively moved closer to his side.
They fought against the wind as it blew into their faces stinging their eyes, noses, and mouths. Sadie craved warmth and shelter but not enough to risk going into one of the many saloons open on their route. They were crammed full of men and reeked of whiskey and cigars. Whether Tommy wished he could go in or not, he didn’t say. He just kept moving.
“Tommy, I can’t feel my legs. I don’t think I can go another step.” With that, Lizzie sat down on a snowdrift.
“Get up, Lizzie, you can’t lie down now. Sadie grab her other arm, we got to get her moving again.”
Sadie did as he said, but as she bent down she caught a glimpse of a hotel out of the corner of her eye. She caught Tommy’s coat and pulled it to get his attention over the wind. She pointed toward the hotel.
“It will be full and anyway it’s not for the likes of us.”
Sadie didn’t care. Lizzie might have been the first to give in but she was on the verge of quitting too. Everything ached, she was tired and so cold.
“Please let’s try. We’re still miles from home,” she begged.
Tommy looked at the hotel before looking back at her. He obviously saw she was on the point of breaking. He pulled Lizzie out of the snow, bending down to carry her in his arms.
“Let me hold onto your coat and you lead the way. I won’t let you go, Sadie. I don’t want you alone in this.”
Sadie nodded even though he probably couldn’t see her. She moved slowly toward the light shining out of the hotel. There had to be room for them. There just had to.
They were just at the door when Tommy stumbled, sending himself and Lizzie head first into a snowdrift. Sadie almost went, too, but righted herself just in time. She screamed for help and kept screaming even after men from the hotel came running.
“Miss, calm down. You’re safe now.”
“My friends fell in there. Please help them.” Sadie knew she was screaming but she couldn’t help it. Tommy and Lizzie would die if they didn’t get them out of the snow right away.
“We’ll get them. You go into the hotel,” one of the men said.
“No, I’ll wait,” Sadie said, unable to make rational decisions anymore.
“Oh no you won’t.” And without another word, Sadie was picked up and carried into the hotel. The warmth hit her body like a blanket.
“Doc Erin, got another one. She’s frozen stiff.” The man laid her on a rug on the floor before he headed back outside.
“Save Tommy and Lizzie. Please,” Sadie mumbled before she gave in to the blackness.
Chapter 23
Jimmy put his arm around Nancy’s shoulders as she stared out the window. “Come away from the window love. There’s nothing to see.”
“Our Jamie could be anywhere out there. Where’s Paul? I wish my two boys were home.” Nancy fretted.
“Your brother will look after Paul. Likely Jamie took shelter somewhere. That weather isn’t fit for anyone to be out in. Now come on woman. You got to get to bed and get some rest. Tomorrow, I’ll go down to the factory. Likely they stayed where they were when the weather turned very bad,” Jimmy said.
“Do you really believe that?”
Jimmy stared out the window. He didn’t like lying, but if Nancy knew how worried he really was she wouldn’t sleep a wink.
“Do you think Old man Carter is going to let Jamie get away from him? He can make that man money and lots of it. Now come on love. Go and make your husband a cup of tea. He’s gasping.”
Nancy sighed heavily and gave one last look out the window before going to the fire to make some tea. Jimmy prayed like he had never done before. He had a horrible feeling this storm was going to change all their lives and maybe not for the better.
Chapter 24
The wind howled outside as the roof of the shelter rattled. Jamie had risked looking outside but quickly shut the door again when some sort of debris flying past narrowly missed hitting his nose.
At least, the fire burned more solidly in the grate. Jamie kept adding small pieces of wood t
o it. “Pity we don’t have some coal,” he said rubbing his hands together over the heat of the small flame.
“Or some food,” Mitch added.
“We can survive if we keep warm and drink water. Speaking of which, you need to wash your feet.”
“You’re worse than me ma. Why do I have to wash my feet?” Mitch asked, his tone almost hysterical.
“To warm them up. Come on, just do what I say. What do you got to lose?” Jamie didn’t want Mitch to die too.
“You are only a year older than me. Doesn’t give you the right to boss me around. You sound just like me da.” Mitch grumbled but he did what he was told. Jamie turned his attention to Barry. With a sigh, he said a few prayers over his friend before he took off his outer layers.
“What are you doing?” Mitch asked, his face whiter than the snow outside.
“Barry doesn’t need them anymore, but we do. Come and help me. We need to dry them out before we put them on,” Jamie said firmly.
Mitch stared at him, a horrified expression in his eyes,“I ain’t stripping a dead man. What’s the matter with you? Where’s your respect?”
“I want to live, don’t you?” Jamie screamed. He didn’t want to touch Barry either, but he wanted to survive. “He doesn’t need them. If the shoe was on the other foot, he would do the same. You know he would. Now come over here and help me,” Jamie ordered.
Mitch reluctantly helped him take off Barry’s coat and trousers. They couldn’t strip the body completely as that would be disrespectful. But Jamie insisted on dragging the body outside the shelter. He didn’t know how long they would have to stay in the shelter and he wasn’t sharing it with a corpse.
He wished he could give his friend a proper burial but it would be suicidal to even attempt it. Instead, he said some more prayers and then hurried back inside to the relative warmth. The snow showed no signs of stopping. They had to do whatever they could to survive.
He found some old tools in the back of the shed. They were rusty and worn with age but they would help chop up the chair if it came to it. He hoped they would be found before they needed to resort to that.
“Jamie, how long do you think the storm will last?”
“No idea, Mitch.”
“I wonder if it’s affected the whole city?” Mitch asked.
“You thinking about your ma and da?”
“Aye. Da is probably out on patrol. I hope the kids are back at home. Ma is very strict about them going to school. She sent them out this morning despite it being so cold. Do you think the school would have kept them or would they let them go home?”
“I’m sure they are home, tucked up in bed, wondering where you are,” Jamie said, hoping he was telling the truth. This was no weather for Mitch’s younger siblings to be out in.
“Do you really think so?”
Jamie wasn’t sure of anything but he could hear the hope in Mitch’s voice. The very fact he was worried about the siblings he usually never stopped complaining about said a lot. He crossed his fingers hoping God would forgive the lie. “I do. Now, how do your fingers and toes feel?”
“They’re aching. It’s like pins and needles,” Mitch complained.
“Mine too. But we got to keep rubbing them to get the circulation flowing again. I don’t fancy having to have them taken off.”
The threat of frostbite was enough to make Mitch massage his feet eagerly. Jamie had no idea if it worked or not, but at least it kept them moving. He had heard staying still and going to sleep was the worst thing to do when you were cold. Jamie insisted they run around the small shelter and jump up and down. Gradually, they felt warmer, although the temperature outside was dropping. The wind howled.
“Do you believe in God?”
“Why are you asking me that?” Jamie asked, defensive. Religion was personal, between him and his God.
“Do ye? Me, I’m not sure. I go to Mass and everything but only because me ma makes me. I wouldn’t go otherwise,” Mitch elaborated as he marched around, grimacing at the pain in his feet.
“Don’t let the priest hear you say that. You’d be in for it,” Jamie warned.
“You didn’t answer the question.”
Jamie considered his answer. “I’m not sure what I believe if I’m honest. I think there is someone up there who looks down on us, but I prefer to think of him as being kind. Not the angry God the priests go on about.”
“A kind God. That’s a good thing to believe in,” Mitch mumbled as he took a seat, his eyes starting to close. Jamie wasn’t at all sure going to sleep was a good idea, but he was far too tired to argue. It might do them both some good. But before they went to sleep, he checked to make sure there was enough fuel on the fire. They wouldn’t stand a chance if that went out. He wished he knew Lizzie was safe.
Chapter 25
Jamie woke not knowing how long he’d been asleep. His heart beat faster as he moved to check Mitch was still alive. The thoughts of being left alone in the middle of the storm scared him senseless—not that he would admit that to anyone. Mitch was cold to touch but he was still breathing. Jamie woke him up. His friend needed to move around a bit or he could succumb to the cold.
“What did you do that for? I was having a lovely dream.”
“You need to move. You’re too cold. Come closer to the fire but first do some running on the spot.” At the look on Mitch's face, Jamie insisted. “It will get the blood moving around your body. You don’t want to lose a foot, do you?”
Again, the threat of amputation made Mitch move. It was hard enough to survive in New York when you were young, fit and healthy. There were no jobs for cripples. You became a burden on your family. They’d all seen enough Civil War veterans struggling on the streets.
“Do you think the girls made it, Jamie?” Mitch asked after they'd sat in silence by the fire for some time.
“Of course they did.” Jamie hoped he sounded confident. In reality, he had been worrying about the girls himself. Well, one girl. Lizzie. Why had he waited to tell her how he felt? It could be too late now.
He had been so sure that working hard and saving money was the right track. He wanted to have something behind him before he asked her to walk out with him. Now he might never see her again.
He wanted to secure his own future before he shared it with anyone. He didn’t want to fall into the same trap some of his friends had: married at eighteen with ten or more children by the time he was forty. That's if the children survived. No, that wasn’t the life for him. He wanted more. He wasn’t ashamed of where he'd come from. Both his parents were hard workers. Neither of them drank to excess, which was unusual given where they lived. His Uncle Joe was evidence of the strong hold the drink had on those that succumbed to it. Nora’s father had been a nice man until his accident took his sight and his dreams. Now he drank every day.
His ma and da, had instilled a work ethic into all of their children. But despite their efforts, the family barely survived. His ma was kind to their neighbors and helped out where she could. She couldn’t bear the thought of a child going hungry. His da teased his ma about her collection of waifs and strays but Jamie knew his da was just as bad. He gave his friends a couple of cents here and there to help them buy food or coal. Closing his eyes, he wished he knew how his family was faring in this storm. Were they safe?
His eyelids felt heavy so he stoked up the fire, added the last of their wood and curled up beside it. Mitch was already asleep. They had agreed to huddle back to back to preserve whatever warmth they could. Jamie wondered how much longer the storm would last. It was Tuesday morning. Surely by lunchtime it would be over. Maybe they could make their way home at last.
Chapter 26
Tommy Doherty wasn't sure where he was when he woke up. He was lying in some sort of big room surrounded by people in other makeshift beds. Was it heaven? No, it wasn't anything like the stories he had been listening to since he was a kid. He raised his head, instinctively checking every part of him to make sure it still wo
rked. His memory took slightly longer to return. He had been carrying Lizzie and fell into a snowdrift. It had been so cold. Colder than anything he had ever experienced. He remembered falling asleep despite knowing he should have tried to stay awake. But much as he fought it, the tiredness had won. He remembered Sadie screaming. She must have been hurt real bad to be screaming hysterically like that. Where was she now?
He put his legs outside the bed but used the covers to protect his modesty. Where were his clothes and who had undressed him? Where were Lizzie and Sadie? He said a quick prayer they were okay but as he looked around, he couldn't see his sister’s fiery red hair.
Then he realized the occupants of the beds around him were all men. Some seemed uninjured like him, but others were wearing bandages on their heads or arms and hands. Maybe there was a woman's area nearby. The place seemed big enough. It was a hotel, but nothing like anything he had seen the inside of before. The décor was lavish and expensive looking. Some of the men walking around wore uniforms, so he guessed they were staff.
He moved to get up but his legs went out under him. Staggering, he fell back on the bed. He felt as weak as a new born babe.
“Steady on there. You need to rest. Doc Erin will kill me if you get up too soon.”
Tommy looked at the giant of a man who had spoken to him. He wasn’t wearing a uniform. Did he own the hotel? Judging by his clothes, he was well off but was he wealthy enough to own a place like this?
“Where am I?” Tommy asked.
“Don't you remember? You came into the hotel late last night. You were with two women.”
“The girls. Are they okay?”
“Yes, Doc Erin is looking after them. She’s a friend of mine and a darn good doctor. My name is Aaron Higgins, what’s yours?”
“Tommy, Tommy Carpenter.” Tommy returned Aaron’s handshake. “The redhead is my sister and the blonde is my...my sister's friend.” Tommy couldn't admit his feelings to a stranger.
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