by Linda Bridey
Chapter Twelve
As Owl rode back to the hotel with Hannah that evening, they talked about the day and laughed at all sorts of things. Since their talk that afternoon, they shared a new closeness. Hannah had enjoyed meeting his family and didn’t feel apprehensive about them any longer. They had been friendly and kind. She smiled as she thought about what some of her friends from Cleveland would say if they could see her spending time with Lakotas in their camp.
Owl was thrilled with the way everything had turned out and was thankful to his family for making Hannah feel comfortable. He could tell that she’d had fun.
Owl sighed. He wished that Hannah could have stayed with him, but she wouldn’t have felt it proper. He gazed at her and was pleased to see how comfortable she looked on her horse. She had caught on to riding bareback fairly quickly. She looked over at him and saw him watching her.
“What?” she asked.
“You are beautiful,” Owl said.
She smiled and said, “I’m glad you think so.”
“I do. I work harder on English,” he said. “Want to talk better.”
She nodded and said, “I want to work on my Lakota, too. That way I’ll know what you’re saying, but also your family and friends.”
He reached for her hand and when she gave it to him he said, “It make me happy you want to learn.”
“Of course, I do. It’s only fair. Besides, I’m very curious about everything to do with your culture. It’s best that I learn so I don’t offend anyone,” Hannah said.
When they were nearing the hotel, Owl said, “Follow me.”
They turned down a street that led to the livery stable. Owl stopped in front of it and dismounted. He had Hannah do the same.
“Why are we here, Owl?” she said.
He patted her mare and said, “This your horse now. She is good horse. Keep her here.”
Hannah’s face wore a shocked expression. “Owl, I can’t take your horse.”
“You not take, I give to you. A gift. Please take it,” Owl said.
Hannah swallowed hard and said, “All right. Thank you so much. I’ll take good care of her.”
“I know,” Owl said.
Tommy, one of the livery grooms, came to take Hannah’s horse. Owl insisted on paying enough to cover the mare’s board for a week.
Once the mare was handed over, Owl walked with her and Swift to the hotel. As they drew close, Hannah said, “I’m going to have to find a place to live. I’d like to be able to cook and have somewhere more private than this hotel.”
Everything in Owl wanted to tell her she could come live with him, but that wasn’t possible since they weren’t married. Also, she was better off closer to her work. Owl knew her job was very important to the town and it would take her longer to get to the doctor’s office every day.
Instead he said, “Yes. That be good for you.”
Hannah said, “I’ll start looking tomorrow.”
They reached the hotel and neither of them wanted to leave the other. When Owl kissed her goodnight, it felt more intimate. When they slowly broke apart, it took every ounce of restraint for Hannah to not ask him to come to her room.
“Goodnight, Hannah,” Owl said with a smile.
Hannah’s heart was pounding from his kisses. “Goodnight, Owl,’ she said a little breathlessly.
As always, he watched her go in to be sure she was safe. When Owl turned towards home, his mind was spinning as he tried to figure some things out. Dean’s words kept coming back to him and he knew that he was going to have to make a decision soon about what he was willing to do to be with Hannah.
He sighed as he turned down the trail towards the camp. Owl wanted desperately to talk with Marcus about this and decided to have Claire translate a letter for him and also talk to her about what she thought about the situation.
The next day at work was very busy again for Hannah. Around one o’clock, Doc made Hannah take a break and go get something to eat. She was disappointed that Owl wasn’t outside when she left the office, but she knew she couldn’t expect him to wait for her all the time. She knew he had other things to do.
She walked over to the sheriff’s office to see if Sammi was around, but Jack told her that Sammi was out on patrol. A sudden thought came to her; maybe Claire would be at the schoolhouse. Hannah wanted to get to know Claire better and it also occurred to her that Claire would have some unique insights about her relationship with Owl.
Hannah was happy to see Claire sitting at a large desk at the front of the classroom. She looked around at the inside of the school and thought it was a wonderful building. Claire heard footsteps and looked up from the work she was grading to see Hannah coming her way.
“Hello, Hannah,” she said with a smile. “How are you?”
“Hello, Claire. I’m fine, thank you. Are you too busy to chat a little?” Hannah asked. She didn’t want to take Claire away from her work if it wasn’t a good time.
“No, I’m not too busy. A break will do me good. Please have a seat,” Claire said. “What’s on your mind?”
Hannah pulled a chair over closer to Claire and sat down. “What was it like when you and Marcus became involved? I mean, was it hard for you to get used to things?”
Claire smiled as she remembered their tumultuous engagement. “I first met Marcus when I was eighteen. I came here for my sister Maddie’s wedding to Seth, Marcus’ oldest brother. I saw him and fell in love instantly. He was so handsome with his black hair and gray eyes. I overheard him say something about me that hurt my feelings. So I became antagonistic towards him to cover my real feelings for him.”
“When I came back here for a visit three years later, Marcus was in a panic. The night before I arrived, he’d found out that he had a daughter he knew nothing about. He told me about the baby, who was three-quarters Lakota and that he was half Lakota. His brothers didn’t know about any of this. He needed help telling his family about Aiyana and he needed help raising her. I wanted to marry him so I didn’t have to go back to Pittsburgh. So we struck a deal and helped each other.”
Hannah’s eyes grew wide. “You got him to marry you that way?”
Claire laughed. “I know. It was sneaky of me, but along the way, we truly fell in love. I’d always hoped he would come to love me, but I never dreamed of how happy we would be. The morning after we became engaged, he told me that I was Aiyana’s mother now. I love her so much and I’ve always been proud that he would entrust her to me.”
Hannah asked, “Was it hard to get used to their way of life?”
“With some things, yes. The women do everything and a good wife takes offense if a man tries to help her with something. It’s all right for a woman to offer assistance and often if a man has two or more wives, they split the work and it makes it easier on them,” Claire said.
“Some of them have more than one wife? Has Marcus ever wanted to have another wife?” Hannah asked. She couldn’t help being curious.
Claire chuckled. “No. I told him long ago that if he ever tried to get another wife, I would leave him. It's never been an issue though. I know he loves me and has no interest in anyone else.” Claire pondered whether to ask a question and decide to go ahead. “Hannah, is it serious with Owl?”
Hannah said, “Yes, I think it is. I mean, you know the things we said to each other yesterday.”
Claire said, “Yes and I will never tell anyone about your conversation. I think that was the most I’ve ever heard Owl speak at one time. He’s not always very vocal. You need to think about something. His family leaves for the winter around the beginning of October and doesn’t usually return until May. You’ve just moved here and you have an important new job. Are you willing to uproot your life to go with him when they go south?”
Hannah blinked a few times. She hadn’t thought about that before. Hannah felt stupid because it had never dawned on her that Owl would leave with his family in the fall and she would be left behind. There was no way she could go with them.
; She looked at Claire and Claire saw dismay and fear in her eyes. “I’m sorry to have brought it up, but I don’t want either of you to get hurt. I love Owl and I like you. I want nothing more than for the two of you to be happy, but there are some things you need to consider.”
Hannah nodded her understanding. “Thank you. I didn’t think about them traveling south for the winter. I should have, though.” She felt stupid.
Claire was full of sympathy for her. She hadn’t been in that position with Marcus because there was no way he would ever leave with his Lakota family. It was a different story with Owl, however. It was going to be hard for Hannah to deal with the fact that any future they might have together depended on him.
She smiled and said, “I wouldn’t worry about it just yet. Just see what happens. I do know that you make him very happy and it’s obvious that he makes you happy.”
Hannah smiled. “Yes, he does. He’s so thoughtful and funny. Is Marcus like that?”
Claire laughed. “Marcus is a mess. He can talk circles around you and make you feel three different emotions in a five minute time span. It’s his high intellect. He seems to need to keep his mind busy. Marcus also tends to be more sensitive than any of his brothers. Marcus makes no secret of his feelings. He’s a wonderful husband and father. Oh, I miss him so much.”
“I’m sure you do. I can’t wait to meet him,” Hannah said with a smile.
“You may regret those words once you do,” Claire joked.
“Thank you for talking to me about all of this. I appreciate it very much,” Hannah said.
Claire said, “We should have lunch tomorrow. About the same time?”
Hannah smiled. “I’d love that. Thank you. Well, I’ll let you get back to work. Have a good day.”
“You, too,” Claire said. She watched Hannah leave and tried to shake off her feelings of trepidation regarding Hannah and Owl.
Owl was furious. He’d been attempting to shoot his bow and was not having success. He was right-handed so he had no trouble pulling back the bowstring, but his left shoulder protested holding the bow so much that he couldn’t keep it still. Therefore, his aim was off every time he shot. He must have fired off twenty shots and only hit the target twice.
Not only that, but now the area under his shoulder blade burned and throbbed. The pain extended part of the way down his spine. He raised the bow again and felt his arm begin to tremble right away. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he desperately tried to take aim. Once again the arrow went wide and missed the target completely.
With an angry roar, Owl hurled his bow into the trees and stood panting from pain and frustration. He Who Runs looked on with concern. Owl was one of the best archers they had, but it was apparent that there was still something very wrong with his shoulder. Normally Owl would have made every shot and most of them would have been bull’s eyes.
That Owl hadn’t even made one was shocking. He Who Runs’ stepped over to his brother and said, “Maybe it’s just going to take a little more time to heal and build the muscles back up.”
Owl said, “I don’t have more time. Our summer hunting season is here and I need to be able to hunt. If I can’t hunt and do my part, what good am I?”
He Who Runs said, “There’s still time. It’s early in the season. I know it has to be hard, but try to be patient. Don’t push your shoulder because you could damage it more.”
“Ok. Fine,” Owl said, but it was clear that he was unhappy. “If it doesn’t heal right and I can’t shoot anymore, what am I going to do? How am I going to provide food and protect our women and children? I have to think about it, He Who Runs. What will I do?”
His brother sighed. “I don’t know. We’re going to have to wait and see. Maybe when Silver Ghost gets back, he’ll know something else to do for it.”
“I hope so,” Owl said dejectedly as he went to retrieve his bow from the woods.
He Who Runs left Owl then. He knew that Owl preferred to be alone when he was so upset.
As soon as Hannah saw Owl sitting in the waiting room of the office, she knew something was wrong. He leaned back in a chair with his eyes closed and held his left shoulder.
“Owl?”
He opened his eyes and attempted to smile at her. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi. What’s wrong?” she asked.
Owl rose from the chair and the severity of his pain was evident in his eyes. “Too much practice. Bow and arrow.”
Hannah said, “Oh, boy. Come with me.”
Even in horrible pain Owl noticed that she wore the barrettes he’d given her. He followed her to an exam room and said, “You look pretty.”
She smiled and said, “You’re very sweet. Sit here for me.” She motioned to the examination table and he sat on it.
“Is it still up under your shoulder blade?”
“Yes. Down back, too,” Owl said.
He needed help getting his shirt off and it was slow going. Once they had removed the garment, Hannah began to run her fingers very lightly over the area. It felt swollen and hot to her. “I guess you really did overdo it. I’m going to go get Doc. He’ll be right in,” she said and left the room.
Hot tears pricked the backs of his eyes and Owl closed them. The fact that Hannah had gone to get the doctor greatly troubled him. It meant that something was very wrong.
In a few minutes, Doc came in and shut the door.
“Hello, Owl. Good to see you, but not like this,” the older man said with a smile. He liked Marcus’ brother. “Let’s take a look back here. Hannah says that you were trying to shoot bow and arrow today, huh?”
“Yes. First time in season,” Owl said. He trusted and respected Doc.
“Ok, now let me know where it hurts the most,” Doc said.
He started lightly pressing and when he got to the space between Owl’s shoulder blade and his spine, Owl jerked and slammed his right fist down on the table. Doc kept going over to Owl’s spine and started down it. Owl grunted a couple of times, but he didn’t have near as strong a reaction as when Doc had pressed a little by his shoulder blade.
Doc moved around to stand in front of Owl. “Is the pain still going down your arm?” He'd helped Marcus with Owl when he’d been injured and was familiar with his case.
“Yes. Can’t hold bow to make shot,” Owl said.
Doc nodded. “You overdid it and got it flared up. I can give you laudanum for the pain, but you’re gonna have to rest it for a couple of weeks. After that, you can start with light exercises. You have to build the muscles back up, but you’re gonna have to be careful so you don’t injure it again. I’m also gonna have Hannah bring in some oil of wintergreen to rub on the area to help with inflammation. I want to see you back next week to check it again, ok?”
“Ok, Doc. Thanks,” Owl said. “How much I owe you?”
“It’s on the house. Family discount,” Doc said with a wink at Owl.
Owl smiled as Doc left the room. It wasn’t long until Hannah came in.
“This is the oil of wintergreen,” she said. “I’ll rub some on you now and you’ll want to do it again this evening.”
“Ok,” Owl said.
Hannah applied the ointment and said, “I’m so sorry, Owl. I know this has to be frustrating for you.”
Owl just nodded and gritted his teeth as the liniment started burning. He knew it would pass, but it was intense at the moment. She finished and cleaned her hands off.
“Thank you,” Owl said.
She smiled. “No thanks needed. Now, Doc wants you to take laudanum, but you already know that you have to be careful with it.”
His mood began to lift a little and he said, “You come give it to me.”
Hannah was relieved to see his playful smile. “You mean tonight?”
“Yes. You know way now,” Owl said. “Have to do it sometime.” He was intent on making her independent and the best way to do that was to have her actually do things. “You have horse now.”
She chewed her bott
om lip as she tried to make up her mind. He shouldn’t ride while he was taking laudanum so taking it now before he rode home wouldn’t be a good idea. If he took too much it could have serious complications. Without Marcus being in the camp, there may not be anyone else to correctly administer it. Owl was right; she was going to have to get used to traveling around on her own, even at night.
“Ok. I’ll come after work. You can’t take it now and ride. You might fall off or something,” Hannah said.
Owl nodded. “Ok. We will eat.”
“Ok. I’ll come as soon as I can,” Hannah said.
Owl slid off the examination table and started putting on his shirt. Hannah helped him with it. Once he was dressed, Owl ran a hand down Hannah’s arm and gave her a quick kiss.
“See you later,” he said with a smile. It didn’t quite hide his pain, however.
“Yes. Please rest,” she said as she followed him out to the waiting room.
“I will,” Owl said and went outside.
Hannah turned to the next patient and put on a smile for them even though she didn’t feel like it.
Chapter Thirteen
When Hannah went to get her mare, there was a different groom on duty. His name was Stew and he was very polite. He readied her mount and helped her up on the horse. Hannah concentrated on her riding. She was relieved that it wasn’t completely dark out yet since the days were now longer.
She rode east out of town to the entrance of the trail leading to the camp. Owl had pointed out landmarks for her and she was proud of herself when she remembered them. Hannah kept the mare at a trot as they went down the trail. She listened to the sounds in the forest and found them pleasant.
As she came around a bend in the trail, Hannah recognized the place where Owl said she should let out a low whistle. While he used a hoot owl call, the low whistle let the sentry know that it was a friend but not necessarily Lakota. She whistled and continued onward. Hannah was relieved when no one stopped her.
When she came out of the trees, Hannah took a moment to get her bearings. There were many fires burning and people moving about. Children and dogs ran to and fro, laughing and barking. It was a happy sight and Hannah smiled as she watched the village. She dismounted and led her mare towards the holding area for the horses. She took the horse’s bridle off and let her free to graze.