A Dream Unfolding (37 page)

At last, she nodded that she was ready to return to the wagon.
 
After he lifted her to the seat, she waited until he climbed up and could help her back inside.

The bottom half of her dress was soaked.
 
“Do you have another dress you can change into?”

She nodded.
 
With slow movements, he helped her change out of the wet green calico into the pale blue one—his favorite.
 
Relieved that her underskirts and bloomers were not soaked through, Drew wrapped his wife under layers of blankets.
 
Chills shook her body.
 
Rubbing her arms and legs vigorously, he tried to help speed up the warming process.

When she finally fell back asleep, he remained only a few minutes before leaving.
 
He had to get some firewood.
 
She needed a hot fire and some calming tea.

A circle of men stood in the center of camp.

“Looks like the sky is clear today,” Eli Jacobs said.
 
“Most of the men should head up into the mountain to hunt elk or some other game.
 
You, you, and you,” he said pointing to a few of the governor’s men and Drew, “will lead the young boys in searching for firewood.
 
We need to gather enough for several days.”

When Eli finished, the men split up for their various tasks.

On his third trip back up the mountain, Drew took in the beauty.
 
Peaks rose high above burdened with heavy snow.
 
Aspen and pine trees poked through the blanket of white, offering some variation.
 
As he climbed further up the mountain with some of the governor’s men, he turned and looked back down at the valley below.

The wagons were in their typical circle formation, with the campsites on the inside of the circle.
 
There was little activity at the camp, as most of the travelers were bundled inside their wagons trying to keep warm.
 
They ran out of firewood days ago and were grateful the snow stopped.
 
Turning his focus back to the task at hand, Drew picked up several nice sized branches from the ground.
 
It would be difficult to burn while wet from the snow, but it was better than no fire at all.
 

As he worked he thought of Hannah.
 
She was not doing well and he could not think how to best help her.
 
Thinking through the symptoms might help.
 
Each morning she would wake and before she could finish preparing breakfast, she would run aside and lose the contents of her stomach.
 
By dinner time she would start to feel better and managed to eat at least one meal.
 
His doctor instincts told him something was definitely wrong, but…

Why didn’t he think of it before!
 
She must be pregnant.
 
He thought for a moment and calculated how long since they were in Santa Fe.
 
It was six or seven weeks ago.
 
Yes, this was definitely morning sickness.
 
He would ask her when he returned to camp, but he was certain she was with child.

Relief that it was not something more serious filled him, quickly followed by joy—overflowing and overwhelming.
 
He was going to be a father!
 
At last!
 
He wanted to shout and dance and share his news with everyone.

He longed to have a child.
 
They both did.
 
Drew’s excitement rose.
 
If it was a boy, he would teach him how to fish, if there were fish in the
Hassayampa
River.
 
If it was a girl, he would spoil her so much.
 
He hoped she would be as beautiful as her mother.
 
What names would they choose?
 
Maybe Alexander after his father?

He remembered the brief image of his mind from weeks ago—the one where he saw Hannah with a toddler balanced on her hip.
 
The picture held new meaning now, for it would soon be reality.
 
He would have that son or daughter.

Thank you, Lord, for this long awaited child.
 
Please let him grow to be healthy and strong.
 
Keep Hannah safe and strong.
He felt like dancing, as he continued to search for fuel.

Drew saw Lieutenant Harrison off in the distance to his right higher up the mountain.
 
He was with the group of men hunting elk to feed the settlers.
 
Since Harrison taught him how to shoot at Fort Wingate, Drew improved considerably, though not enough to join the hunting party.
 
He changed direction away from Harrison to keep a safe distance from the hunters.
  
Shots rang out, echoing off the mountain walls, as Drew reached a clearing.
 
Someone must have hit their mark.

Soon the eerie quiet of the mountain turned to a low rumbling growing louder and more ominous by the second.
 
Drew’s heart started pounding in reaction to the unnatural sound.
 
He saw drifts of snow start to give way beneath him as he realized the danger.
 
Looking up the mountain as he started to run, he knew it was too late.
 
His feet started slipping from beneath him, unable to gain traction.
 

The wall of snow hit him full impact mid-stride, knocking the wind from his lungs.
 
He was up then down, tumbling over, being tossed around by the force and helpless to make it stop.
 
His leg struck something, a rock or perhaps a tree.
 
The pain that shot through his body was fierce agony.
 
Drew felt his body being carried away out of his control.
 
He knew he was not going to get out of this without help.
 
Panic seized him.
 
Was he going to die on this mountain?

Then without warning, the motion ended abruptly.
 
Drew felt the heavy weight of snow crushing his chest.
 
He tried to open his eyes, but he could not.
 
Everything was icy and cold and confining all around him.
 
His throbbing leg became numb.
 
He willed his arms to move but they were pinned underneath a heavy, immovable weight.
 
He tried to take a breath, but no air refilled his desperate lungs.

The impossibility of the situation hit him full force as the lightheadedness clouded his thoughts.
 
Lord, please take care of Hannah and our child.
 
All went black.

Chapter
20

Lieutenant Joshua Harrison could not believe he just witnessed the death of his dear friend, Drew.
 
One moment, he saw him gathering wood in the clearing.
 
Rifle fire from further up the mountain reverberated loudly through the forest.
 
He saw the avalanche start, just seconds before he heard the deep rumbling.
 
Before he could blink, or even call out for his friend, the snow engulfed Drew in a mighty white wave.

Once the snow settled, he ran toward the last spot he saw his friend, hoping against fear that there might be some way to rescue him.
 
As he got closer and closer, all hope faded.
 
There was no way to tell how far Drew had been swept away or how deeply he was buried.
 
He could dig for days and never find him.
 
The aftermath of the avalanche spread over several hundred yards.
 
Standing atop it, he realized his vantage point was at least six to ten feet higher than it had been before, without climbing in elevation.
 
Falling to his knees he prayed if there was a way, that God would spare his friend.

The tears falling from his eyes froze before covering much distance down his face.
 
He already knew the answer—the man who saved his life just lost his own.

Images of Drew’s kind face filled his vision.
 
The laughter as Joshua made some joke.
 
The sincere concern when he changed Joshua’s bandages.
 
The hidden moments Joshua let him think he was sleeping, as the doctor prayed over his wound.
 
The courage and fear that filled Drew’s eyes when he tried to teach him to shoot a rifle.
 
The deep conviction when he spoke of matters of his faith.
 
All of these things would be just memories of a friendship cut too short.

Joshua was not sure how long he knelt there before
Bixley’s
hand on his shoulder stirred him.
 
One look at the sergeant told him he also witnessed the terrifying scene and had come to the same conclusion.
 
Standing, Joshua led the way back down the mountain.
 
Both men remained silent in reverence for the fallen doctor.

With strong determination, Joshua entered the inner circle of the wagon train.
 
Ignoring all the questions from the other travelers, he headed straight for Hannah.
 
She looked confused and scared.
 
He did not want this dreadful task.
 
How does one deliver the news to his best friend’s wife that she is now a widow?

---

Hannah heard the shot and assumed the hunting party took victory.
 
She smiled at thought of how good fresh meat would taste, now that she seemed to be regaining her appetite.
 
Hopefully Drew would be back with some firewood soon.
 
She was tired of the constant freezing and longed for the warmth of a fire.

Then, hearing a terrifying thunderous sound, she hurried out of the wagon and looked towards the mountain, placing her hand above her eyes to shield them from the brightness of the sun reflecting off the snow.
 
A giant swell of snow was coursing down the side of the peaks, swallowing everything in its path.
 
Her heart leapt to her throat.
 
Drew was out there and could be in danger!

As quickly as the avalanche started, it faded away long before threatening the camp.

She wasn’t sure how long they all stared at the mountain before some men grabbed shovels and headed toward a different group of men coming down.
 
The men coming down did not even stop to converse.
 
They were walking with purpose—straight for her.
 
Her heart lodged in her throat.
 
The man leading the way was Lieutenant Harrison.
 
His face was pale and his blue eyes had lost their laughter.
 
His gaze connected with hers for the briefest moment, then quickly darted away.
 
He stopped directly in front of her.
 
Looking up, Hannah felt the breath rush from her lungs in fearful anticipation.

“Mrs. Anderson,” he stated, reaching for her hands.
 
“Hannah, I’m sorry, but,” his voice catching as she numbly tried to pull her hands back.
 
Tightening his hold and regaining his control, he finished “Drew was directly in the path.
 
There is no possibility of survival.”

Hannah heard a loud shrieking wail pierce the silence with heart rending grief.
 
As her knees started to buckle, she realized the sound had come from her.
 
She barely felt Lieutenant Harrison grasp her arms to keep her from falling.
 
Sobs poured forth.
 
Wailing erupted from the depths of her soul.
 
Her body shook uncontrollably.
 
He could not be gone.
 
He was her love, her life.
 
God, how could you take him?
 
I love him so.
 
I need him.
 
I cannot possibly live without him.
 
He is a part of me.
 
Why?

---

Joshua steadied Hannah and allowed her to cling to him as if her own life depended on it, her grip powerful and cutting into his arm.
 
He was aware of the growing crowd and their questions, but he knew he needed to get Hannah to calm down.
 
The broken shrieking sounds erupting from this formerly quiet, gentile woman, shredded his already broken heart.