Christmas at Grey Sage

by Phyllis Clark Nichols

  They trudged through the snow, inching closer to the house. After a moment Beth turned around to Daniel. “What was that? I heard something.”

  They both stopped, motionless and straining to hear. Daniel held the gun at his shoulder. “It sounds like a whistle, and I see three lights over near the bridge. They’re coming to help us, Mom.”

  Beth looked in the direction of the creek bed. “It’s Silas. They’re coming by foot. Let’s hurry and get your dad to the house. I can see the lights.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Pull, Mom.”

  Alo had led them through the pines and cedars to the creek bed. Snow had already covered most of the rocks along the creek’s edge, and he was certain that areas of the creek would be frozen. They hung on to the railing and crossed the creek on the footbridge. Once across, he turned to Silas and Kent. “We’re over halfway. Just the climb up now. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” Silas responded.

  Kent agreed. “Let’s climb, and I’m here to push.”

  “We’ll zigzag, but always heading west. Their house lights should be visible in the clearing shortly. Let’s go.” He started the ascent, blowing the whistle rhythmically every fourth step. He used his flashlight to spotlight landmarks in the distance, a particular tree or rock that he remembered.

  A forty-five-degree incline stared at them as they trudged, facing a strong headwind that whirled snow around them at times. Alo felt a sudden jerking on the rope in his hand. He looked back. Silas had fallen, but Kent was already there, preventing a nasty slide back down to where they’d started.

  The drifts were piling up, and it was getting harder to pull their feet out of their knee-deep tracks. Silas shined his light so that he could step in Alo’s tracks. The Klingmans’ barn lights were visible now.

  As they reached the backside of the barn, Alo spied something in the snow. He kept his flashlight on it until they reached it. They stopped.

  “Shep, the Klingmans’ dog. Wolves got him. Something scared them off, but they’ll be back.” He motioned for them to keep moving.

  Kent yelled over the wind. “Want me to get Shep? I can carry him. It’s not far.”

  Alo paused. “No, not now. We need to take care of Jedediah. It’s too late for Shep. Don’t mention the dog when we get there.”

  They kept slogging toward the house.

  “We made it, Mom.” Daniel propped the gun against the outside wall of their adobe house.

  “Let’s get him inside. I couldn’t do this without you, Daniel. You’re such a brave boy.” Beth removed the rope from around her waist. “Get the door.”

  Daniel opened the kitchen door as wide as it would open and turned to his mother.

  She handed the rope to Daniel. “It’s been fairly smooth across the snow, but we have to be careful over the threshold. No jarring.” They moved in unison and dragged the sled carrying Jedediah through the kitchen door. “Over in front of the kiva. The floor will be warm there until Silas gets here.” They continued pulling until they had crossed the kitchen and into their living space, where an adobe fireplace sat in the corner.

  When they had pulled him close to the fire, Beth said to Daniel, “I’m so proud of you, son. I couldn’t have done this without you. Now, please go and get me a warm washcloth.”

  Sending Daniel off, Beth knelt on the floor and looked at Jedediah. His face was pale. She called his name and patted his cheeks. No response.

  Daniel returned with the warm cloth and handed it to his mother just as the phone rang.

  “Answer it, Daniel. It’s probably Maude.”

  Daniel answered the phone. “Mom, it’s Miss Lita.”

  “Tell her we’re inside and safe.”

  Daniel reported to Lita. “Yes ma’am. We’re inside, but Dad’s not waking up.” He paused. “I think they’ll be here in a few minutes. We saw their flashlights in the distance and heard a whistle.” He paused again. “Yes, ma’am, I’ll have Alo call you when they get here.”

  They said their goodbyes.

  “Now could you get me a bowl of hot water?” Beth began bathing her husband’s face and noticed his eyes fluttered. “Jedediah. It’s Beth. You’re safe. Would you talk to me? Please talk to me.”

  Just as Daniel returned with the bowl of warm water, her husband opened his eyes.

  The Unlikely Christmas Party sat quietly in their chosen seats in Grey Sage’s gathering room, each praying, some with their eyes closed and others staring into the fire. Lita entered.

  “Finally got through and spoke with Daniel. He and Beth were able to get Jedediah back inside, but it sounds like he’s unconscious.”

  Maude immediately asked, “What about our men?”

  “Daniel said they had seen their flashlights and heard the whistle, so they must be near.”

  Ted, who had hardly said a word all evening, asked, “What about getting him to a hospital? If Alo chose to go on foot, then he must think getting the injured man out of here by vehicle is impossible, and I don’t think airlifting him would be a possibility either in these winds.”

  Lily grasped her shawl and pulled it tighter around her shoulders. She stood and paced in front of the fireplace. “Oh my, what if I have brought this group here and something terrible happens?”

  Maude was reassuring. “Silas will handle it, Lily. We’re used to emergencies in these parts, and we’re accustomed to handling them. And besides, it can’t snow forever. We can check the roads at the first sign of light.”

  Ted persisted. “But if it was a wolf attack, then they’ll need specialized medicine and time is of the essence. I doubt Silas carries those medicines in his black bag.” He stopped short of using the word rabies.

  Lita responded. “We don’t know if it was a wolf attack, but having lived in these parts for the last forty years, Silas is prepared for most anything.”

  Greg intervened. “Sounds like progress is being made and we have something else to pray about.”

  Beatrice stood up from her place next to Reba on the sofa. “I don’t like this. I don’t like it at all. I’m headed to bed. I just cannot bear to think about such things anymore. Tomorrow is a new day, and everything will be better. I’m absolutely certain of it, and I’m not certain about many things anymore.” She moved blithely across the room and disappeared into the hallway.

  Maude said, “Let’s hope Beatrice is right. We should hear word before long.”

  Silas, Alo, and Kent removed the looped ropes from their wrists, dusted off the accumulated snow on their jackets and hoods, and stepped through the kitchen door.

  Alo called out. “Beth, it’s Alo, and Silas and Silas’s guest Kent are with me.” He removed the makeshift backpack and handed Silas his medical bag.

  “In here, next to the kiva.”

  Silas removed his jacket, his eyes already making a visual assessment of his patient. “Has he come to yet?”

  “Just opened his eyes a minute ago and closed them again.”

  Silas knelt beside Jedediah and make a quick physical check. “Good. You have him in a warm spot right here. Doesn’t seem to be in any noticeable pain.” He quickly assessed Jedediah’s legs for broken bones, and then his arms.” His alarm grew when he saw the red-tinged water in the bowl. “Where’s the blood coming from?”

  Beth pointed. “Right here on the side of his head.”

  Silas looked more closely. “I see the gash.” He looked up at Alo. “Help me, here, and let’s get his gloves and jacket off.”

  Alo quickly stepped in, and they removed the jacket and gloves with minimal movement.

  Silas never moved his eyes from Jedediah but asked, “So, do we know what happened?”

  Beth answered. “I was in the kitchen putting some dishes away, and Jed wanted to check on the animals in the barn one more time, and Shep went with him. It couldn’t have been more than two or three minutes before I heard horrible barking and howling, and then I heard Jed scream.” She put her arm around her son. “And Daniel was thinking
faster than I was. He grabbed his dad’s gun and ran out the door. A few seconds later, I heard the shot. Before I could get my jacket on, Daniel yelled that his dad was hurt. That’s when I called Maude. I knew we would need your help.”

  Alo turned to Daniel. “Hey, Daniel, can you fill us in on your details?”

  “Yes, sir. I heard the barking. It was loud. Then I heard my dad shouting. Dad didn’t tell me when it happened last week, but I knew the wolves got the barn cat, so I figured the wolves were back and they might get into it with Shep. I grabbed my dad’s gun and ran outside. I couldn’t see too good, but the outside barn light was on, and I ran toward it. The sound was really scary. When I got to my dad, he was already on the ground next to the tree. He had dropped the flashlight, and it was still shining. I saw three of them and Shep. I fired the gun and started screaming, and the wolves ran off. Shep went after them, but he didn’t come back.”

  His duty done, Daniel started to cry.

  Alo calmed him. “It’s okay, son. You’re only seven years old, and you did the job of a brave warrior. Looks like your quick thinking saved your dad.”

  “But Shep. Where is Shep? I couldn’t save him.” Daniel’s tears rolled from his cheeks.

  Leaving Alo to handle the boy, Silas reached in his bag for his stethoscope. He checked Jedediah’s pulse before listening to his heart and lungs. “Respiration’s good. Pulse is a bit slow, but that’s to be expected given the time he’s been in frigid temperatures.”

  Jedediah roused again.

  Silas touched his forehead. “Jedediah, can you hear me?”

  Jedediah opened his eyes and tried to lift himself up.

  Silas kept his hand on his Jedediah’s chest. “Not just yet, buddy. I need to check you out.”

  Jedediah rolled his head a bit and grimaced. “I’m fine, just have a bad headache. I want to get up.”

  Silas looked at Alo, who returned quickly to kneel beside Jedediah. “I think we can help you with that. Alo and I will help you sit up first. Then maybe we can get you to bed.” Silas turned to Beth. “Can you get the bed ready? He’s rousing, but he’ll need to lie down for me to examine him.”

  Silas and Alo raised him up to sit.

  Jedediah asked, “What am I doing on your sled, Daniel?”

  “That’s how Mom and I got you back inside.”

  Jedediah squinted his eyes from the pain and to focus. “Smart son I have.”

  Silas asked, “Can you move your arms and fingers?”

  Jedediah lifted his arms and wiggled all his fingers.

  “That’s good.” He turned to Alo. “Can you get his shoes off?”

  As soon as his shoes were removed, Silas asked, “Now how about your legs and toes?”

  “All good, doc. All my parts are moving.” He looked up at Silas and smiled.

  “What about pain? Do you hurt anywhere?”

  “My head.” Jedediah lifted his hand to the gash in his head.

  “Do you remember what happened?” Silas asked. The rest stood waiting to hear.

  “Yeah, I remember. I was headed to the barn to check the animals. Shep was with me. He started barking like there was no tomorrow. Then the wolves . . .” He paused. “The wolves—I think two . . . no, maybe three—came out of nowhere. One jumped me, and I fell back real hard. He must have been eighty to ninety pounds of pure force. And then I don’t remember anything until a few minutes ago.”

  “That’s good, Jedediah. That’s real good.” Silas knew that wolves went for the victim’s head and neck, but he had less fear of that now. He needed to see the wound for a firm diagnosis. He had no rabies serum if needed, and that was a concern. “I’m thinking you must have hit your head on something when you fell. A tree limb or a rock, something that has given you a concussion. But I need to look. It’s good that you’re awake and you can remember. But you’ll be having a headache like you’ve never had before.” Silas motioned for Alo and Kent. “Okay, men, let’s get this cowboy to the bedroom and get these heavy clothes off him, and let me check his hard head.”

  They moved Jedediah slowly into a standing position. Once to his feet, Jedediah was able to hold himself upright. “I can walk, fellows.” He tried a step and wavered a bit. Kent and Alo gave quick support.

  “Where’s Shep?” Jedediah looked at Daniel. “Where is he, Daniel?”

  Daniel began to cry again.

  Silas took Jedediah’s arm and directed him to the bedroom. “Beth, would you make us a pot of coffee? I’ll check Jedediah’s head, and then I need to check Daniel’s hands and feet for frostbite. He was in the cold without a coat or gloves.”

  A few minutes later, Jedediah was lying down, and Silas had pulled the stool from Beth’s dressing table and was beside the bed. “Let me see what we have here.” Silas pulled on his latex gloves and began the examination. “Well, I was concerned the wolf might have gotten you here, but it’s as I thought. Just a nasty bump. I think a few stitches and a cold compress off and on through the night will do the trick.”

  Silas went to work, opening the wound and cleansing it multiple times before suturing it. “Your son and Shep saved your life, friend. Daniel heard the commotion, grabbed your gun, and found you. By the time he got to you, you had been attacked and were out cold. Amazing that wolf didn’t get to you after he knocked you down. Daniel saw a bit of the struggle with the wolves, but fired the gun and they ran.”

  “And Shep?”

  “Sorry, friend, but Shep didn’t make it. We found him on the back side of your barn down the hill a ways. Shep was a good friend, loyal to the end. Without him, we’d be looking at something very different here tonight.” He continued the suturing with precision. “Oh, and we haven’t told Daniel about Shep yet, but the boy’s smart about such things. I think he’s already figured it out. You two did get that rabies vaccine I recommended last summer, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, sir. Daniel and I both got it when you told us we should. And the vet took care of giving it to Shep too. We roam these woods, you know, and we’re always running into wild animals.”

  Silas finished the suturing and cleansed the wound one final time before putting on the bandage. “That’s good. You’ll be fine until the weather clears, but we’ll want to get you to the hospital for a booster as soon as we can just to be absolute certain. But you’re not to worry. The only thing you should worry about is whether or not Beth has a bag of frozen peas.”

  “Frozen peas?” Jedediah rolled over onto his back to look at Silas.

  “Either peas or an ice pack. That’ll help with the swelling. Oh, and don’t plan on getting much rest for the next several hours. No sleeping through the night. You have a concussion. You can take some short naps, but one of us will be waking you periodically to check on you.”

  “Did you and Alo walk over here? And who’s the other guy?” Jedediah fluffed up his pillow and lay back down.

  “Yes, we walked. We were afraid we couldn’t get here if the roads were too bad. And when Beth called, she didn’t really know what had happened. We just knew to get here fast, so walking was the most expedient thing to do. And the other guy is Kent. He’s one of our guests. You’d like him. He’s a fine young leader just home from serious injuries in Iraq.”

  “Please thank him for me. And thank you, too, Doc. I’ll have to find some way to repay you for your kindness when I can get moving again.”

  “Oh, we’ll think of something. We’ll be staying the night. Weather’s too bad for us to get back home, so the three of us will be here to talk your ears off.”

  Silas got up, pulled off his gloves, and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. That done, he went to the kitchen and gave a report to those who waited. Relief replaced the worried looks on their faces.

  “Now, let me check out this young hero.”

  Daniel shyly came to Silas. “Mom says you want to see my hands and feet. I had on shoes and socks, but no gloves.” He held out his hands to Silas.

  Silas looked at his pal
ms and the backs of his hands, then checked his fingers and his ears. “Looks good. A little on the red side, but just a mild frost nip. Nothing that a warm soak for a few minutes won’t fix. I’ll give your mom some ointment that will help too.” Silas looked at Daniel’s feet, and they appeared normal. He instructed Beth on how to prepare a warm bath for her son’s hands.

  “Alo, how about giving Maude and Lita a call, and let them know what’s going on over here. Be sure to tell them it’s too bad they didn’t get invited to the spend-the-night party we’re having. Tell them we’ll see them in the morning, and that all is well.”

  Maude returned from the kitchen with Lita and Lily. She knew her broad smile gave instant relief to her guests. “It seems that Beatrice was right. All is well.” Maude gave them a full report of the incident with an update on Jedediah and Daniel. She recounted how Silas, Alo, and Kent had fared on their eleven o’clock hike across the creek in an almost blizzard.

  When she finished and the gaggle of listeners had expressed their thanksgiving that all had ended well, Lily extended her arms, looking like a winged creature as her royal blue, fringed shawl spanned her arms. “To bed, people. It’s been a long day, and it’s almost tomorrow. We can sleep soundly knowing that we’re safe and warm, and we’ve already had two Christmas miracles. Tomorrow is another day, and it will be Christmas Eve. Good night, my friends.”

  With a chorus of goodnights, the guests followed Lily down the hall to their rooms.

  Maude and Lita headed to the kitchen. Maude made sure the lights were on and candles were burning in the windows. Lita began unloading the dishwasher. “Maude, I need to borrow a nightgown. I had no idea we’d have such an eventful day, and I didn’t come prepared to stay the night. Although I think you could hang me on a nail and I could go to sleep.”

  “I’m fresh out of nails to hang you on, but I’ve already put everything you need in the O’Keefe Suite. I think we can both sleep now that we know all is well.”

  “I have one more thing to get ready for in the morning, but it won’t take long. You go to bed. It’s been a long day.” Lita put away the last of the clean dishes and walked toward the pantry.