Westward Dreams

by Linda Bridey

  “Hi, you must be Hannah,” Marcus said. She’s a beautiful woman. I can see why Owl would be attracted to her.

  “And you’re Dr. Samuels,” she said and took the hand that he held out to her.

  He laughed. “It’s gonna take me a while to get used to being called that. Please just call me Marcus.”

  “All right. I’ve heard so much about you,” she said. She liked his easy manner and infectious smile.

  “And yet you still showed up. You’re a brave woman, Hannah,” Marcus said.

  She laughed. “I’ve been told that.”

  He said, “I’ve been looking at Doc’s office. He said that next week we’re gonna start going through it and getting me up to speed with everyone’s chart. The place looks like a mess, but I know his system so it won’t be bad.”

  “I’m glad you understand it, because I can never seem to find the right chart. He comes along and puts his hand right on it,” Hannah said.

  “Well, I think it’ll be more practical if we update some things,” Marcus said.

  The office door swung open and Joe stepped through it.

  “Well, look what the cat finally drug home!” Joe said and he and Marcus shared a hearty handshake. “Our Dr. Samuels in the flesh. Ya’ll are lookin’ good.”

  Marcus smiled at his friend and said, “Wish I could say the same for you.”

  “Hey! Is that any way to talk to the man who funded your educational endeavors?” Joe said.

  Marcus frowned and said, “About that, you gave me way too much money. I’ll write you a check for the amount of what I didn’t need to use.”

  “No, sir, you will not. What you’re gonna do is take that money and invest it in this office. Buy new equipment, or give Hannah a raise, whatever. Use it at your discretion. I trust you,” Joe said.

  “Joe, be serious,” Marcus said.

  “I am,” Joe said. “I’m dead serious.”

  Marcus could tell that he wasn’t going to budge Joe on this. “Ok, fine.”

  “Good,” Joe said with a smile. “Now you treat my favorite nurse well.” He gave Hannah a one armed hug.

  Marcus laughed. “I see you haven’t changed.”

  “Why mess with perfection,” Joe said and then left.

  Marcus shook his head. “He’s something else.”

  Hannah agreed as their first patient came in.

  By noon it was apparent that the main reason people where coming in to the office was because they wanted to visit with Marcus. Doc and Hannah watched with smiles as Marcus teased and laughed with almost everyone who came through the door. There were legitimate patients and between Hannah and him, they were dealt with quickly.

  Doc hung back and let Marcus run the show. Marcus’ laid back style of practicing and his popularity put people at ease. He knew many of the children in the area, some he’d even delivered. That they knew him took a lot of the fear out of their office visit.

  At noon, Marcus plopped down in a chair in the waiting room and said, “Well, the day’s only half over and I think the whole town’s been through here.”

  Doc chuckled as he joined Marcus. “It’s your fault for being so damn likable. If you were a little surly now and then, you wouldn’t be so busy.”

  “Thanks for the tip, Doc,” Marcus said. “Hey, Hannah! Where are you?”

  She popped her head out of an examination room. “Right here.”

  “Get out here and sit down for a break. In fact, let’s all go have lunch. I’m starving. I miss Jack’s cooking,” Marcus said.

  Hannah was uncertain. “Oh. Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. C’mon. My treat,” Marcus said and stood up.

  Dean walked through the door and said, “I need your help,” to Marcus.

  Marcus shook his head and said, “Sorry. I don’t have a cure for stupidity.”

  Dean smacked Marcus in the back of his head. “Knock that off.”

  Marcus rubbed his head and said, “You just hit a doctor, you know.”

  “Right now you’re my brother. Where’s Lakota number two?” Dean asked.

  “Who?”

  “Owl. Where’s Owl?” Dean said.

  “How should I know? I’ve been here all morning,” Marcus said.

  “I know,” Dean said. “That’s the problem.”

  “Huh? You’re not making sense, Dean,” Marcus said.

  “I don’t know why but it somehow escaped my attention that when you got back you wouldn’t be working on the ranch anymore,” Dean said. “Cam and Marty are out on a drive and Luke and Seth are branding the rest of this week. Jack’s at the sheriff’s office and that leaves me to do everything else. I need another ranch hand pronto and Owl has been helping us out already. Do you think he’d come work for me?”

  Marcus smiled. “Let me get this right. You, who has had a grudge against my other family for so long, now wants to hire one of my brothers to work at the ranch?”

  Dean rolled his eyes. “That’s what I just said isn’t it? Was he going to camp today?”

  Marcus said, “I haven’t seen him yet today, but it’s a good bet that that’s where he is.”

  Hannah kept quiet. She knew that Owl was going to the camp, but didn’t want to say anything that would give away the fact that Owl had spent the night at her place.

  “Ok. Thanks. Nice to see you Hannah, Doc. See ya later,” Dean said, “Oh, and by the way, he’s my brother now, too.”

  Marcus could only stare after Dean as he left the office.

  Owl was shocked to see Dean riding through the village. Dean spied him and came his way. “Hey, little brother. How goes it?”

  Owl sat with Black Fox outside his tipi. Black Fox looked at Owl when Dean called him “little brother”.

  Dean saw this and said, “Yeah, chief, that’s what I said. You don’t spend six months with him in your back yard and not get close. So deal with it. Are you busy today?” he directed at Owl.

  “Uh, well, not really,” Owl said.

  “Ok. Can you come to the ranch?” Dean said. “It’s important.”

  Owl rose from the ground and said, “Sure. I’ll see you later, Black Fox.”

  “Goodbye,” Black Fox said. He was still trying to digest Dean’s remarks.

  Owl mounted Swift and followed Dean. “What’s so important?”

  Dean said, “I’ll talk to you at home.”

  An hour later, Owl watched Mikey cut calves and rope them while riding Shadow. The pony was aggressive and chased the calves and blocked their path as if he’d been born to the work. Mikey’s arm was accurate and he was strong for his age. Once the calf was roped, he was off the pony like a shot and flipped the calf and bound three of its legs together in good time.

  “Way to go, son!” Dean said. He turned to Owl and said, “Guess what you’re gonna be doing this summer?”

  Owl hung his head while Dean laughed. He felt Dean clap him on the back and then Dean said, “At least you’ll get paid for it.”

  “What?” Owl said and looked at Dean.

  “You can’t hunt, right? And they probably don’t want you on lookout or whatever they call it.”

  Owl replied, “Right.”

  “But there’s a lot of ranch work you can do that doesn’t seem to bother your shoulder too much. I need another hand since Marcus isn’t going to be working the ranch anymore. You need something to do this summer and you might as well make some money, too. That way you can buy Hannah nice things,” Dean said with a smile. “What do you say?”

  Owl mulled it over. Dean was right. What else was he going to do with his time? He could always use the money, too. “Ok. I’ll do it.”

  “Good. You can start right now,” Dean said. “Come with me.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  By the end of June, Doc retired from the practice, which greatly saddened Marcus and Hannah. He promised that he would help if he was needed, but Doc knew the time had come to hand the practice over to Marcus. His own health wasn’t what it used to be and
he needed to slow down.

  “Marcus, I want to give you some advice,” Doc said as they sat in Doc’s office on his last day at the practice. The office had been organized and cleaned.

  “Ok,” Marcus said.

  Doc’s dark eyes looked directly into Marcus’. “You have great instincts. Better than mine, sometimes.”

  Marcus smiled. “I don’t know about that.”

  Doc said, “I do. Now listen up. Trust those instincts. Practicing medicine isn’t always about the science part of it. I’ve always taught you that. That big brain of yours has the ability to see things that no one else does. Don’t second guess yourself. Don’t be afraid to use Hannah for more complicated stuff. She’s a fine nurse and her training has prepared her for the more difficult cases.”

  “I can see that. She’s wonderful,” Marcus said.

  “Good. You don’t need me to tell you that you’ve got a lot on your shoulders now. Make sure you take care of yourself, too. If you get too run down, you won’t be any good to anyone else. Don’t neglect your family. They’re too important and they depend on you, too. Trust your training. You’ve got a lot more modern schooling than I do. You have your own style of doctoring. Don’t try to be me, son. It makes me feel good to know that I’ve given you all of the knowledge that I can, but you’ve surpassed what I know, now.”

  “Doc, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be a doctor now. You took the interest in me and have supported me all these years. When I thought I could never go to college and get a degree, you found a way. Everything I am, I owe to you and I’ll never really be able to thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” Marcus said.

  Doc shook his head a little. “No, son, you made it happen. If you hadn’t kept learning and applying that knowledge, so many people would have been worse off for it. Who knows how many women or babies may have died, your sister-in-law and niece and nephew included. You’ve come up with creative ways to combine Lakota and white medicine and your practice has benefited from it. You’re the one who’s put in the work. Me getting you into Rush was a fairly simple thing. You sacrificed the time away from your home and family to go there and finish your degree, not me. If you really want to thank me, just go on and help as many people as you can. That’s all the thanks I need.”

  “I will. I promise,” Marcus said.

  Doc patted his shoulder and said, “Good. Well, it’s time I got out of here. I’m not going to tell you good luck because you don’t need it. Everything you need to succeed is in here,” he touched Marcus’ head, “and here,” he said as he tapped Marcus’ chest over his heart. “I’ll be seeing you around, son.”

  Marcus gave him an impulsive hug and said, “I better.”

  Doc chuckled, took a last look around the practice and then left the clinic.

  Marcus heard the waiting room door open and close and then let the tears come.

  Hannah had cooked dinner for her and Owl. Wind Spirit had told her how to make a traditional venison stew and had even given her the ingredients for it. It was almost ready and Hannah was anxiously hoping that it turned out well. She knew that it was one of Owl’s favorite dishes and wanted to show him that she was considerate of his culture.

  Owl had taken to coming in through the kitchen door and as Hannah laid out bowls and utensils, she heard his soft knock on the door.

  “Come in,” she said.

  When he came through the door, he inhaled the savory scent of the stew and smiled. “What did you do?”

  “What does it smell like I did?” Hannah said and gave him a kiss.

  He went over to the pot on the stove and looked into it. “You made stew for me. It smells fantastic. I can smell that you made bread, too.”

  “That’s right. And a spice cake for dessert.” She’d found out that Owl had a sweet tooth and she liked to make desserts for him.

  He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her cheek. “You’re too good to me.”

  “No, I’m not. I like doing things for you,” Hannah said as she leaned back against him a little. “We’re ready to eat so wash your hands,” she said.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Owl said.

  She laughed. “It sounds so strange to hear you say things like that.”

  Owl chuckled. “I can’t help it. I hear it all day long. The kids say it to whatever female they’re talking to and the men say it to them, too.”

  He let her go and moved to do as she’d directed him. Hannah asked, “So do you like working for Dean?”

  Owl let out a sarcastic noise and said, “Dean is the worst part of the job. Don’t get me wrong. He’s great, but he’s always at me about something. Seth keeps telling me to just ignore him, but it’s hard to. He’s impressed with my roping, though. I’m surprised by it myself. I never thought I’d have any talent for something like that.”

  Hannah dished up the stew and put the bread basket on the table. She loved cooking and was so happy in her house. Owl smiled as she hummed a little. Lakota women weren’t much different. Most of them went about their work happily and often hummed or sang. He sat down with her and smiled at her.

  “What?” Hannah asked.

  “I like seeing you so happy,” he said.

  Hannah said, “I am happy. The happiest I’ve ever been.”

  Owl nodded. “I’m glad.”

  She cocked her head at him and said, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Are you still so afraid of houses? You don’t seem to be,” Hannah said.

  Owl thought about it for a moment. It was easier for him to go inside a house now. He used to stop at the threshold and look at the house as if it would fall down at any moment. It took a lot for him to go through the door.

  Now, he still was uneasy inside sometimes, but much of that particular fear was gone. He looked around the kitchen that he’d come to like very much and said, “You’re right. I don’t think about it too much anymore. Well, when I go to Sammi’s house I do. It’s just too big.”

  Hannah smiled. “I thought it might have gotten easier for you.”

  Owl nodded. He took a spoonful of the stew and rich flavor instantly flooded his mouth. Hannah watched him anxiously as he chewed and swallowed.

  “It’s delicious. As good as Wind Spirit’s, I’d say,” Owl told her and tucked into the stew.

  She was pleased and relieved. It was important to her that she was able to make him happy. They finished supper and Hannah cleared away their dishes. When she was finished, Owl said, “Let’s go see if Joe and Jamie are at the Watering Hole.”

  Hannah said, “All right. That’ll be fun. We’ll at least get to see Sammi.”

  Owl smiled. “Yes. It’s always interesting watching her work.”

  Joe didn’t show up, but Jamie did and the bar was rowdy as she sang, but there were no real problems. At one point, Hannah went to the ladies’ room. When she came out, Clive stood in the hallway, blocking her path.

  “Well, hello Nurse Fairbanks,” he said with a sneer. “Having a good time with your Indian?”

  Hannah could tell that he was drunk. “I don’t want any trouble, Clive. Please let me pass.”

  Clive took a couple of steps towards her instead and said, “You came here to be mine, Hannah, not to marry someone like him. Why do you want a no-good Indian when you could have a white man?”

  Hannah’s anger sparked at his derogatory statements. “Owl is everything you’re not. He’s honest, kind, and loyal. He’s more of man that you’ll ever be. Now, let me pass.”

  “I don’t think so. You think I’m gonna let you insult me like that? No way. You need to be taught a lesson,” Clive said.

  He closed the gap between them and Hannah screamed as loud as she could. Clive slapped her and shook her. Hannah was stunned but fought him hard. She screamed again and hoped that someone would hear her. Clive hit her with a closed fist the next time and then wrapped his fingers around her neck and
began squeezing. Hannah still struggled but her vision was starting to darken.

  Jamie stopped singing just as Hannah screamed the second time. Owl and many others heard her. He recognized her voice right away and raced from the barroom down the hall. He saw Clive strangling Hannah. Owl didn’t think about what he was doing, he simply reacted. Someone was hurting the woman he loved and he was going to protect her at all costs. He made no sound as he pulled the knife he wore and advanced on Clive.

  Even though her brain was foggy from lack of oxygen, Hannah saw Owl and she tried to speak to him.

  Clive saw her eyes focus on something behind him. He turned and spotted Owl. Clive hauled Hannah around in front of him and said, “You stay back or I’ll slit her throat.” Clive brought a wicked-looking knife up against Hannah’s soft throat.

  Owl froze. Hannah sagged towards the floor a little, but Clive held her closely against him. Owl could tell that Clive meant what he said. A slightly crazed light shone in the man’s eyes.

  Someone came out of one of the restroom doors behind Clive and he turned towards them. As he did, Hannah slipped in his arms and more of Clive’s body became exposed. Owl took advantage of the distraction and threw his knife with deadly accuracy.

  Clive cried out and sank to his knees. Blood began to pour from the wound in his chest. The knife had sliced straight through his heart. Clive made a gurgling sound and fell forward, pinning Hannah underneath him.

  It knocked the breath from Hannah again and she blacked out. Elliot Bradbury had been the person who’d come out of the restroom behind Clive. Now he looked at Owl and didn’t recognize the man standing at the other end of the hallway. His black eyes blazed with fury and his face was settled into cruel lines. His chest rose and fell rapidly and his nostrils flared as he breathed. This was Owl the fierce Lakota warrior, not the Owl who was his friend.

  The incident had played out in a matter of a minute.

  Owl heard a gun cock behind him.

  “Hands behind your back, Owl,” Sammi said from behind him. “No trouble, now. Don’t make me shoot you.”