Faithful Heart

by Al Lacy

  Breanna thanked Olson again and proceeded down the hall to Dottie’s room. When she walked in, she saw Dr. Matthew Carroll sitting beside Dottie, who was in a chair. Both turned and smiled at her. Breanna smiled back, but it was for Dottie, not the doctor.

  “I’ve just come from the asylum,” Breanna said. “Jerrod’s about the same.

  “I appreciate you doing that, Sis,” Dottie said. “Dr. Carroll has kept me informed about Jerrod and says the same thing. Oh, I’ll be so glad when I can go see him.”

  The doctor rose to his feet and said, “Well, I’ve got to get back to my office and see some patients. Flora will have my head if I’m late for that first appointment.”

  Matthew Carroll prayed as he drove his buggy from the hospital to the office. I feel as though I’m carrying a torch inside me, Lord. You know I don’t want to sin against You in this. Lord, help me. Please help me.

  Breanna sat down next to her sister when Dr. Carroll left the room. “I just talked to Dr. Olson,” she said. “He says he’s starting you on therapy tomorrow, and if you respond well, you can go home in another week.”

  “Oh, yes!” said Dottie, almost laughing. “Won’t it be wonderful? I’ll get to see Jerrod when I come to town for my therapy … and it will be so good to be in my own home with James and Molly Kate!”

  “Oh, Dottie, I’m so glad for you,” Breanna said, taking her sister’s hand.

  Dottie had not been with her sister for ten years, but she knew her well. The look in Breanna’s eyes did not match the happy moment. She fixed her with a steady gaze and asked, “Sis, is something wrong?”

  “Of course not. I think it’s wonderful that you’re doing so well and can look forward to going home. I only wish I could stay and take care of you, but I do have a job, and I’ll have to get back to Denver before much longer.”

  “Oh, so that’s it. You’re worried about what’s going to happen to me after you’re gone. You needn’t worry, Breanna. I’ll be all right. I have Will and Maudie, lots of friends at church who’ll look after the children and me, and neighbors who’ll share in taking care of my crops. Don’t you worry now, you hear? The Lord will see that we’re taken care of.”

  When Dottie’s words did not remove the look in Breanna’s eyes, Dottie squeezed her hand and said, “Okay, big sister. There’s something else bothering you. Out with it.”

  Breanna looked her in the eye, then at the floor, then in the eye again. “Oh, it’s … it’s nothing. On your part, at least.”

  “On my part? What on earth are you talking about?”

  “Honey, it’s Dr. Carroll.”

  “What about him?”

  “Well, the way he looks at you.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Dottie, I’ve been in this world long enough to recognize love in a man’s eyes. I see it in Dr. Carroll’s eyes every time he looks at you.”

  “What? Oh, Breanna, you’re mistaken. He’s just a kind and compassionate man. He’s a Christian, and a very dedicated one, too.”

  “Yes, and he’s also a married man. I saw in his office a wedding photograph of him and his bride. And there was another of her taken in a studio. It was signed, ‘To my darling husband.’”

  “Would you feel any better if I told you Dr. Carroll is a widower?”

  “Oh, well, perhaps. But you’re still a married woman, Dottie. He ought to—”

  “Breanna, let me tell you something. You already know how I feel about Jerrod. We’ve discussed that.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I have never seen what you saw in Dr. Carroll’s eyes. And he has never made any kind of a move that would make me think he’s any less than a gentleman, or has designs on me. I mean it … never.”

  “Well, I’m sure he must be a very lonely man,” Breanna said. “I can’t blame him if he has fallen in love with you.”

  “Maybe what you see is nothing more than admiration. He’s told me a few times how much he admires me for the way I’ve stayed by Jerrod through all of this.”

  “I know he admires you for that. He told me so himself. But when he looks at you the way I’ve seen it here in this room, it’s not admiration. It’s love.”

  “Then he’ll just have to get over it,” Dottie said. “As long as Jerrod is alive, he alone will have my heart.”

  There was much rejoicing at the Reeves home that evening when Breanna picked the children up and told them the good news. James had told his mother about his new wagon, but he was eager for her to see it. Molly Kate had also told her mother about the doll, but she wanted her to see it at the upstairs window, looking down at her when she rode into the yard.

  The next day was Sunday. During the church service, Reverend Yates’s sermon was interrupted by a mild earthquake that lasted less than half a minute. Yates paused during the tremor, then went on with his sermon.

  When the last prayer was offered, and the congregation began filing out the door, they found Sheriff Max Donner standing in front of the church. He was telling a group of townspeople that he had just received word by wire that the quake had hit the downtown area of San Francisco hard. Several buildings had been seriously damaged, and had it not happened on a Sunday morning, there would have been a great many more people injured and killed. The wire had not given any count of the dead and injured, nor had it identified any of the damaged buildings.

  Donner’s words quickly passed among the worshippers. When Breanna heard them, she turned to Will and Maudie and said, “I’ve got to go see about Dottie! I must know if she’s all right.”

  “Of course,” Will said. “Maudie can drive our wagon home with the children. I’ll go with you.”

  “Oh, you don’t need to do that, Grandpa Will. I’ll make it fine.”

  “Breanna, I hate to say it, but what if you get there and find out … well, find out that it’s bad news? You’ll need someone with you.”

  Breanna bit her lower lip. Nodding, she said, “All right. Let’s go.”

  Will Reeves was at the reins in the Harper wagon as he and Breanna raced toward San Francisco. As they neared the outskirts of the city, they came upon two wagons that stood back to back in the middle of the dusty road, blocking traffic. Teams were still hitched to the wagons, and one saddle horse stood close by.

  “Looks like they’re keepin’ folks from goin’ into town,” Will said.

  “Oh, Grandpa Will,” gasped Breanna. “Do you think the quake was that bad?”

  “We’ll soon find out,” he said, the strain in his voice revealing his apprehension.

  The old man slowed the team, and as they drew near the roadblock, the four lawmen who manned it stepped forward. There were two sheriff’s deputies and two policemen. One of the deputies raised both hands, signaling for Will to stop. Will drew the wagon to a halt, and the deputy who had raised his hands stepped up on Will’s side of the wagon.

  “I’m sorry, sir, but we can’t let you through. You’re aware we just had a bad quake?”

  “Yes, deputy,” Will said. “We were in church in San Bruno when it happened. Felt it pretty good for a few seconds. Understand it did some damage downtown.”

  “Yes, sir. Real bad. There are buildings that are still standing, but might collapse. There’s no danger in the residential area between here and downtown, but we’ve got to keep curiosity seekers out of the area. We’ve got fire wagons and ambulances racing up and down the streets, and we don’t need people in the way.”

  “I can understand that,” Will said. “This young lady has a sister who’s a patient at City Hospital. Can you tell us if the hospital was damaged?”

  “The hospital escaped any serious damage, ma’am. No one there was hurt. I’m sure your sister is fine.”

  “Oh, thank the Lord,” Breanna said.

  “Folks weren’t so fortunate just a few blocks east,” said the deputy. “There were four square blocks that were hit pretty hard.”

  Will’s face lost color. “Was the mental asylum damaged?”


  “Yes, sir. Real disaster at the asylum.”

  “Do you know if anyone was injured or killed?” Breanna said. “I ask because I know someone who’s there.”

  “Well, Sergeant O’Neill just rode in from that section, ma’am. He was about to tell us what he knows about it when we saw your wagon coming.” He turned around and said, “Sergeant O’Neill, what can you tell us about the asylum?”

  O’Neill stepped forward. “The asylum was damaged real bad. One whole wall collapsed and fell on some of the inmates. I think they presume something like ten to fifteen are dead. Others are injured. I don’t really know how many. That’s about all I can tell you.”

  Breanna covered her mouth with her hand and squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Now let’s not panic before we know the facts,” Will said, putting an arm around her shoulder. Then looking at the lawmen, he asked, “Do you gentlemen have any idea how soon we’ll be allowed to enter the city?”

  “It’ll be a couple of days at least, sir,” Sergeant O’Neill said. “It really depends on what the building inspectors tell us about the extent of damage to the structures that are still standing. Right now, every road into the city has been blocked. Come back day after tomorrow, and we’ll know a whole lot more than we do right now.”

  “All right, Sergeant,” Will said. “Thank you.” He gave Breanna a tight squeeze, then took hold of the reins with both hands and wheeled the wagon around. “Best thing right now, Breanna, is for you and those two little kids to be together. You can tell ’em for sure their mother’s okay. Thank the Lord for that.”

  “Yes,” Breanna responded. “Thank the Lord for that.”

  Dottie Harper was sitting up in bed with her Bible in her hands. The quake had hit an hour earlier, and all she knew about the damage at City Mental Asylum was that it was severe. A nurse had told her that much. No one else in the hospital knew any more.

  Was Jerrod all right? What about Dr. Carroll? Had he been on duty when the quake hit? She knew that sometimes he had to be there on Sundays.

  She gripped the Bible and closed her eyes. “Oh, Lord,” she whispered, “You’re the Maker and Ruler of this universe. Nothing can happen to any of Your children unless You deem it so. I don’t know whether Jerrod is dead or alive. If … if You’ve seen fit to take him home to be with You, help me to accept it, and give me the strength that only You can give. If he’s still alive but injured, I ask You not to let him suffer. I love him so much, dear God. Please—”

  Dottie’s prayer was interrupted when she heard the voice of Dr. Matthew Carroll outside her door. He was saying something to a nurse. The nurse gave a short reply, then the door came open. Dottie was thankful to know Dr. Carroll was all right, but when she saw his face, she was afraid he was about to give her bad news.

  “Hi,” he said, closing the door and trying to smile.

  “Hello.”

  “Nurse Wilkins tells me you’ve been informed that the damage at the asylum was pretty bad,” he said, moving up to the bed.

  “Yes. Were … were you there when the quake hit?”

  “No. I was in church.”

  “Oh, I’m so glad. I was afraid it might have been your Sunday to be on duty. Have you been there? Is … Jerrod all right?”

  Dr. Carroll took hold of Dottie’s wrist, cleared his throat nervously, and said, “Mrs. Harper … Dottie … as you know, the asylum was built of stone. And—”

  “Doctor, is Jerrod all right?”

  Carroll bit his lower lip, closed his eyes, then opened them and said, “No. The entire east wall collapsed. My staff told me it teetered for about twenty minutes. They were dashing into the cells and freeing patients from the chains, trying to get them all out. They were able to get all but eleven. There was an aftershock, and the wall came down. Jerrod … Jerrod was one of the eleven buried in the rubble of the wall. It’ll be days before the city workers can get the bodies out.”

  Dottie’s eyes filled with tears and she choked back a sob. The tears spilled down her cheeks, her anguish tearing a gaping wound in her heart.

  Matthew Carroll fought his own emotions. He wanted to take her in his arms, but was afraid to let himself get that close.

  “Oh, Jerrod!” Dottie cried, and broke into heavy, heart-rending sobs, burying her face in her hands.

  The doctor could resist no more. He sat on the bed and wrapped her in his arms. “Dottie, I’m so sorry,” he said.

  Dottie took refuge in the security of the doctor’s embrace and gave in to the storm of grief. She pressed her face into his shoulder and wept.

  Dr. Carroll held her until her weeping diminished to quiet sniffles, then eased back and tilted her chin up. “Dottie … I hope you don’t mind if I call you Dottie.”

  “No. Of course not.”

  He smiled thinly. “At least you have this consolation. Jerrod’s not shackled in a padded cell anymore. He’s with Jesus. And in heaven, nobody has mental problems. His shell shock is gone.”

  Dottie closed her eyes and nodded.

  “If you want, I’ll be with you when you tell your children,” he said.

  “That’s thoughtful of you,” she said. “I appreciate you being so kind to me.”

  Carroll wanted to tell Dottie that he loved her, but knew this was not the time.

  Dottie thought for a moment, then said, “Certainly they know about the quake in San Bruno by now. Word will spread to the farms. I know what Breanna will do. She’ll come racing in here to make sure I’m all right, maybe even bring James and Molly Kate with her. I would really like to have you with me when I tell them about Jerrod, but you have things to do at the asylum. You can’t stay here just because of me. I’ll have Breanna. She’ll be a great help, I know.”

  “I’m afraid there’s another problem,” Dr. Carroll said.

  “What?”

  “On my way over here, I was told by a policeman that all roads into San Francisco have been blocked by the authorities. They’ll remain blocked until the damage in every downtown building has been assessed. I imagine Breanna has already been turned back.”

  “I hadn’t even considered that possibility. I guess we’ll just have to wait till she’s allowed to come to the hospital, and hope she brings the children with her.”

  “Seems we don’t have any choice. But if at all possible, I want to be with you when you break the news to the children.”

  Jerrod Harper’s first indication that he was still in the world was the sound of fire wagons racing up and down the streets. He shook his head and opened his eyes. There was dust in his eyes and in his mouth. When the fire wagon bells faded away, he heard excited voices close by. He tried to remember what had happened, then it all came back at once.

  The earthquake.

  Jerrod’s thoughts were invaded by excruciating pain in his left leg. Chunks of stone from the collapsed wall lay around him, making dark shadows. But there was light coming from just above his head. He tried to move the leg, fearing that it might be pinned under some massive stone. He was able to move it, and heaved a sigh of relief.

  He thought of what had happened just before the wall collapsed. Two attendants came into his cell, saying the wall was threatening to come down. They released him from the chains and were about to lead him out when an aftershock shook the wall, and it began to topple. The attendants sprang away to save their own lives, and the wall came down, breaking apart as it fell. Miraculously, the tons of stone formed a pocket of protection above and around him, and only injured his left leg.

  Jerrod lifted himself to his knees and nearly passed out from the stab of pain in his leg. Gritting his teeth, he crawled toward the opening in the rubble above him. When he stuck his head up, he looked back to what had been the interior of the building and saw attendants helping inmates out through the front doors.

  He was free!

  Jerrod climbed carefully out of the rubble and into the alley. There was noise everywhere. He could smell smoke. A building was on fire somewhere near.
With all the traffic on the streets, he decided to find a place to hide until dark. In spite of his injured leg, he would sneak to the edge of town and make his way through the ditches and fields to the farm. The fire of revenge burned in his brain. Dottie was going to pay dearly for what she had done to him!

  Limping on the bad leg, he made his way down the alley till he came to a small horse barn. Inside he saw a pile of hay in one corner and crawled in behind it. He grinned to himself in spite of the pain. “Just sit tight, Dottie. Your loving Jerrod’s coming to you. And after I kill you, I’ll find that doctor and kill him!”

  As twilight faded into night at the Harper farm, Breanna lighted kerosene lanterns in the kitchen, the parlor, and the hallway. She then went to the second floor and placed a lantern on a hall table. She told the children she was going to give the entire house a good cleaning before their mother came home in a few days. She wanted to get started on the third floor tonight. James and Molly Kate quickly volunteered to help.

  Breanna had told the children about the roadblock when she and Will returned to the Reeves place. She assured them the hospital had not been damaged and that their mother was all right. The children had asked about the asylum, and Breanna told them their father could be injured … or worse. They would just have to trust him to the Lord. They accepted that and had talked about both parents during the ride home.

  Breanna was glad the children were eager to help clean. It would keep their minds off the disaster in San Francisco.

  When Breanna said they would start on the third floor first and work their way down over the next couple of days, James told her that his mother only cleaned the third floor twice a year. They hardly ever went up there, so it didn’t need to be cleaned now. Breanna insisted they at least clean the corner turret room with the cone-shaped roof.

  The large windows were not dirty enough to bother with, but together Breanna and the children dusted the furniture, mopped the floor, and cleaned around the fireplace. Breanna was amazed at how heavy the old poker was that leaned against the fireplace. They didn’t make them that heavy any more. She noted the age of the wood stacked on the hearth and realized it had been a long time since there had been a fire in that room.