Angela's Hope (Wildflowers)

by Banicki, Leah

  “No harm done Ted. You look tidy enough.” Angela consoled him. She hadn’t realized she had taken his arm as he approached her. She didn’t want to be too forward but also didn’t want to pull away and make him feel like she didn’t want to be near him.

  Ted gave her a smile and glanced at her arm wrapped close to his elbow. He clasped her hand with his other arm for a moment in a gesture of protection. It calmed her right down.

  Ted and Angela kept busy talking and Angela half-hearted tidied up a few shelves while Ted held her left arm. It was a funny way to work. Ted teased and Angela blushed and laughed as they strolled through the store. Gabe and Amber finished up with the last of the customers and they all did a quick round of cleaning, Amber had a sleepy Silas in a sling around the front of her. Angela let go of Ted and went to the back for the bucket and rag. She wiped down the wooden counter, used a little bit of oil to shine the wood to a gleaming polish. Ted took the broom away from Gabe with a laugh and set about sweeping the floor. He got the job done quickly but his eyes kept sweeping to the pretty lass at the counter. The place was tidied in short order.

  Ted got his wish when he was invited to dinner. They were waiting for Clive to come from the warehouse when they heard a commotion across the street.

  Angela turned and saw three men running from the bank, all in a half crouched position. She heard the crashing but the sound didn’t register in her mind right away. Glass from the bank windows exploded outward. Finally she realized with certainty that the cracking sound was gunshots. Her body was pulled down just as she saw another window break and then the glass of the store window exploded next to her. The glass was everywhere. Angela felt the scream leave her throat. Amber, Ted, the baby, and Gabe were all with her in this chaos. Ted had thrown her down and landed on her. She heard Ted groan and hiss as he grabbed his leg. He’d been shot.

  * * * * *

  She lay in a heap of bodies, glass grinding into her arms and her bad leg had taken a nasty thud on the floor. The ache of the deep bruise made her want to cry out as a panic filled her. In the split second since the world exploded around her she saw blood on Ted’s leg and she couldn’t see anything else. Where were Amber and Gabe? The baby?

  “Ted is hurt!” Angela said weakly. Ted was draped over her side. Still protecting her.

  “Amber, Gabe…!” Clive ran in from the back door, his boots pounding on the wooden boards.

  “We are fine! Behind the counter.” Gabe grunted. “I think Ted is hurt.”

  Everyone stayed on the ground. Not sure if it was safe to get up.

  “There was a robbery across the street. Two men shot up the place. I think they ran off toward the square.” Clive said and his voice rose in agitation. He was crouched low and Angela could tell Clive was closer because his boots were crunching on the shards of glass.

  “I am ok.” Ted said. His voice was thick.

  “You are bleeding!” Amber stated emphatically.

  “The bullet got me in the leg.” Ted was trying to downplay. “It grazed me.”

  Clive was soon on the floor next to Ted and Angela. He grabbed the edge of Ted’s pant leg and ripped it open about six inches about his right knee.

  “It was a smidgen more than a graze but the bullet went through. The bullet is in the floor over there.”

  Angie sat up a little, her arms stinging from the glass embedded in a few spots. Her eyes followed Clive’s pointed finger and she saw a silvery gleam. Her eyes went back to the blood on Ted’s leg and it stayed there

  .

  * * * * *

  Angela was overwhelmed with feelings. There were layers of thoughts running through her brain. Wishing she was more like her friend Corinne, who could take care of Ted’s wound. Angela tried to sit up after Clive had moved Ted. The throbbing ache from her old leg bruise was stealing her attention. Then she felt guilty when she was thinking about her pain when Ted had been shot.

  I am such a fool. Angela thought to herself.

  What if Ted gets an infection? He could die. Her mind went to the worst-case scenario. She felt so out of control.

  I should be more like Corinne, she thought to herself. Corinne would know how to take care of Ted’s wound and keep him from getting an infection. Clive’s hand on her shoulder interrupted her thoughts.

  “How are you Red? You are looking mighty pale.” Clive asked as he helped Ted and Angela off the floor. Ted was already standing and leaning on Gabe. They were headed toward the door. A bench was out front. Gabe had mentioned it as a good place to get Ted cleaned up.

  Clive lifted Angela from the glass-covered floor. As she put weight on her leg she cried out, and if Clive hadn’t been holding her she realized she would have fallen. She gritted her teeth through the pain in her leg and stood. She sagged against Clive’s side. She panted from the surprise pain.

  “Were you shot Red?” Clive asked, his voice nearly yelling with his concern.

  “No, no.” Angela said quickly. “My leg, the old wound.” She tried to let go of his arm and put her full weight on the offending leg. The pain was excruciating. She knew she needed help to walk. She willed herself not to cry out.

  Amber must have been watching the exchange because she had a stool there and Clive was lowering her into it.

  “Are you hurting anywhere else?” Clive asked.

  “Just some scrapes and a few cuts from the glass, nothing too serious.” Angela said weakly.

  * * * * *

  The working doctor that was down the street was busy with a bank teller that had been shot. He referred them to take Ted to the hospital. No one was excited about the prospect but Ted was loaded into the wagon and rode through town slowly.

  Clive and Amber tried to convince Angela to stay at home but she insisted she go along. She plunked money on the counter for a cane from the store’s stock. Gabe and Clive knew they had lost the battle. Angela would go alone if they didn’t take her along.

  The hospital was a sprawling building on the west side of town. It was not anything impressive to look at but had a few doctors and nurses working. The place had partially burned and been rebuilt after the first fire but the haphazard rebuild made for a slightly functional place to take care of sick people.

  Angela remembered the sprawling brick hospitals in Boston. The newspapers were always boasting of the miraculous lifesaving surgeries that doctors were doing. They still had to battle infection and disease with vigor but the shiny corridors and clean rooms seemed a better place to fight the battle than the thrown together building she was in now.

  The doctor on the floor found a bed for Ted to sit on. He took a look at the wound and tisked.

  “The bank shootings have done too much damage today. I heard one of the bank tellers is dead. Wait here, I will clean and stitch this up. You were lucky.” The doctor left them all in the hallway.

  “Well I guess getting stitched here is better than nothing.” Ted said. Clive laughed but Angela was still pale. She wasn’t amused by any of this situation.

  “You are looking peaked, Red.” Clive stated and harrumphed.

  Without her permission Clive grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up on the hospital bed next to Ted.

  “Stop being ridiculous, Clive.” Angela said, she was trying to hide the irritation in her voice, but she knew she had failed.

  “I want the truth now, Red. How bad is your leg?” Clive’s penetrating stare made her uncomfortable and she dropped her chin in defeat.

  “The old deep bruise is very unhappy.” Angela confessed.

  She looked up at Ted and saw his concern. He didn’t know anything about the accident. She hadn’t even mentioned it to Amber or Gabe. She wasn’t trying to hide it from them, but she didn’t want to be a complainer. The training from her years as a servant were well ingrained, never complain, always be efficient work hard and stay hidden.

  “You may need to be off it for a few days.” Clive suggested.

  “I know. I shouldn’t have come. I am sorry
I was so stubborn.” Angela’s voice was subservient and apologetic.

  “I know you were worried for your friend, you do not need to be sorry. Your body has been through so much. You need to be careful of having setbacks is all.” Clive grasped her hand. The sympathetic gesture was so kind that Angela let her emotions show a little. Two fat tears escaped down her cheek.

  “I will take it easy, once I can get myself back to the store. Gabe will have to do without me for a day or two. I remember the ice trucks would come through the streets of Boston. A wrapped chunk of ice would feel so good on my leg right now.” She grinned wistfully and she wiped away her two brave tears. “Well, it would feel good and terrible at the same time.” She laughed a little.

  The doctor came back with a scrub brush and a basin of water and a tray full of items. Angela climbed down when the doctor asked Ted to lie down to make it easier to clean and stitch the wound.

  Clive found a chair down the hallway that wasn’t in use and set it next to Ted. The doctor had swung the bed around to allow Angela to be on the opposite side.

  “I am here for you, Ted.” Angela held his hand through the next forty minutes. First the doctor had to remove pieces of fabric and glass that were still in the wound. The first real challenge that Angela had was when the scrub brush and basin of soapy water was put to use. She relived her own pain in the wagon when Corinne and Chelsea had clean her deep shoulder wound that way.

  Ted’s sandy blond hair was plastered to his head with sweat and he gritted his teeth. Angela gripped his hand in both of hers and kissed it several times to comfort him and also herself.

  “Deep breaths Ted, you are doing good.” Clive said in a soothing voice. He had a grip on Ted’s shoulders to keep him steady. He also knew the pain of scrubbing an open wound.

  Angela was given a damp cloth by the doctor and she wiped his face down. Ted’s face was more relaxed when the cleaning was done. Angela kissed him gently. She knew it wasn’t really the proper time, but she was overwhelmed and just wanted to comfort him any way she could.

  “She might just be the best pain medicine on earth, hey Ted?” Clive said in jest.

  “I wish I could bottle her up.” Ted said, his voice was weak but his smile was big. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her close again, wanting another one of her kisses.

  “Ok, enough of that, I am going to start the stitching, I need you to be still.” The doctor said but he was smirking. Even he was not immune to young love.

  Ted kept his eyes on Angela through the stitching, he winced and took a few deep breaths but the pain wasn’t as bad as the cleaning had been. Angela’s green eyes kept him thinking of better things.

  * * * * *

  Later that day the decision was made that Ted would be bunking with Clive in the boarding house two buildings over. He had a spare cot that Clive insisted on using. Ted was to get some rest and use crutches for a few days. The stitches would pull if he overdid it. Angela shared some lavender oil and Clive gingerly dripped it straight over Ted’s wound and wrapped it. Only a few drops filled the room with the scent that had Angela missing her friend.

  “With the good scrubbing the doctor gave the wound I am not as worried about infection, but it will help it heal. Your leg will have an ugly scar. But I don’t suppose too many folks will ever see it, depends on how you do your swimming.” Clive laughed and Ted did blush a little.

  “Ted, you get some rest, I am going to get Angela over into Gabe and Amber’s care. She needs to get off that leg and I think I see a few little pieces of glass still sticking out of her sleeve. I want Amber to get a good look at that. Angela may need a stitch or two as well.” Clive left Angela and Ted alone for a minute as he puttered around in his small kitchen, the door was open but the two were glad for a moment to talk alone.

  “I am sorry that I cannot hold your hand while you are being taken care of.” Ted said sincerely. He held her hand as much as he could today. He felt lucky that she allowed him the privilege.

  “I will be okay. This pain is nothing I cannot handle.” Angela said bravely. She smoothed his hair away from his forehead. “You promise me if you feel any inkling of a fever you will let Clive know. He isn’t as skilled as my friend Corinne, but he knows a lot.”

  “I really enjoyed spending time with her and her family.” Ted admitted.

  “I am glad, I was hoping that Oregon made a good impression, as well as the folks there.” Angela kissed his hand that she held again. Her heart was full of care for this young man. Today proved to her how much she felt.

  “There are a few reasons that Oregon is becoming something I think of often. The reasons I work so hard, and save every nickel I make.” Ted said while staring into those green eyes again.

  “You do like farming then? For Oregon is good for that.” Angela asked. It was time to start delving into the questions she had. He was a captive audience at the moment.

  “I do, I enjoy the tempo of a farm, the seasons changing and the animals. My father and his pestering brother were always moving, thinking the next place would be better. But every place was good, I think somehow certain people feel the need to move about, my mother called it wanderlust. I want to settle down in one place, become part of a community.” Ted shared.

  “You are a good man Ted, I see how much stronger you are than your uncle and your father.” Angela said. “I hope you understand I mean no disrespect to them. I pray for your mother and her loss. I know she will be so devastated at losing her husband. I remember when my father died. Though, I was young. My mother was so very sad. It was hard on her.”

  “My father was too easily influenced by my uncle, they had the strangest competitiveness. When my father started courting my mother his brother soon after was dating her sister. They were known as the prettiest girls in the county. I am hoping to save enough here to get us all a fresh start; my mother, my aunt too, and my sister Sophia. It is a strange feeling, knowing I am the man of the family now.”

  Angela could see a flash of pain cross Ted’s forehead and she knew that he needed some rest.

  “I should go, but you rest. If I cannot visit in the next day or so I will send a note. I will pray for your speedy healing.” Angela kissed his hand one more time.

  “Thank you, my Angel.” Ted said as he watched her leave, she was leaning hard on the cane and her limp seemed quite pronounced, it caused him to worry about what had caused her original injury. He was tired, and the throbbing pain in his leg was becoming distracting. He was trying to put together the pieces of conversation between her and Clive. Something had happened to her, he was clueless to what exactly. But the words of Clive earlier, ‘Your body has been through so much…’ made him think. He hoped when Clive returned that he could get more information. The thought of Angela being hurt was not a pleasant one to dwell on. He knew he needed to rest so he spent some time in prayer. Remembering to pray for his family, for himself and a special prayer for Angela. Soon he found sleep, he woke often with the pain throbbing through him but he was able to find some rest. Talking with Clive would have to wait.

  Chapter 20

  Angela’s day started bad and continued on with an equal unpleasantness as Amber set to work on Angela’s arm. Her leg was throbbing progressively worse by the hour but when Amber began prying the pieces of glass from her arm she forgot about her leg for a little while. Silas wanted his mother’s attention and Gabe was trying to keep the boisterous Silas out of the way. All in all it was a bit of chaos until Angela had her wounds cleaned and wrapped. Angela and Amber talked about Portland and its prospects the entire time. They heard plenty from Clive and they kept talking to keep Angela’s mind occupied.

  She was exhausted before the sun was setting. She gladly wrote a note for Ted and went to bed early. The day had done her in.

  * * * * *

  The next day was a better one for Ted. The throbbing was easing to an ache with the occasional stabbing pain. It wasn’t pleasant at all, but healing never really was. Clive wan
ted a look at the wound and to give it air.

  Clive had a pair of thin linen pants he got from the laundry, who sold the left behind clothes for half pennies. Clive snipped one leg short so the wound would be allowed to get air.

  “I will keep it warm in here, so you won’t freeze yerself.” Clive helped Ted out into the small sitting room, where a cushioned chair was waiting near the fire.

  Ted got himself into the linen pants with a few interested moves and jumps. One always takes for granted being able to use your limbs in the way they were meant to. Clive and Ted laughed heartily at the silliness it took to get Ted into those pants,

  The wrap was tinged a dark brown with dried blood. But had no telltale signs of green or yellow along the edges, which sometimes spelled out infection. Clive had a basin of water and used the water to loosen the bandage once it proved that it had stuck a little to the wound itself. It was slow and slightly painful but they got through it. Clive was encouraged once he saw the wound. It was puckered around the stitches but the redness was normal, no angry streaks or smell of any festering. Clive added more lavender to the site of the stitches but told Ted he should let it get air.

  “It feels much better today than yesterday. It isn’t throbbing as badly.” Ted claimed.

  “That’s good, you want to stay by the fire?” Clive asked.

  “Yes, please. You leaving to get some work done?” Ted asked.

  “I am feeling like sticking around today. You want to play some checkers? I could pull up a table.” Clive nodded to the folded table in the back corner.

  “That would be grand. I warn you. I am pretty competitive at checkers.” Ted laughed a little. He was pleased to get some time with Clive. He had some topics he wanted to discuss with this wise man who knew Angela so well.

  “Challenge accepted. Let me make some sandwiches. Gabe brought a basket of goodies over this morning. Oh yes, Red sent a note. I will let you read it while I putter in the kitchen.” Clive rustled around for a minute and brought the note.