A Run for Love (21 page)

The significance of a green sky spurred Tori into action. She’d seen a few of them in her time. After taking supper out of the oven, she raised her skirts and raced out the door.

“Ouch!” Large pieces of hail hit her in the face. The ice chunks bounced off the ground with such force they smacked her legs like stones.

She opened the door to the children’s house. “Michael!” Then she remembered her family was scattered all over. “Hunter!” she called again. Panic filled her chest. He should be in his room.

He came running out, his eyes wide. “A twister?”

She nodded and raced to the door, hugging the child close to her side to keep the hail from hurting him. They raced to the restaurant, yelling for Rachel before she even reached the door. Rachel, Mrs. Bonner, and her husband spilled out, terrified looks on their faces.

“The storm shelter!” Tori shouted over the wind. It whipped her hair into her face and plastered her skirts against her legs, tangling them.

They all raced to the small grass-covered rise behind the house. The storm shelter Jesse had dug a few months back. Lifting the heavy door, she ushered Rachel and Mr. and Mrs. Bonner in. She and Hunter pulled the door shut, sliding the lock into place. Mr. Bonner lit a lantern, and they all crouched in the corner.

Mr. Bonner put his arm around his wife, and hugged her close. “Where are Ellie, Michael, and Jesse?”

Tears filled Tori’s eyes. “I’m not sure.” She took a deep breath. “I know Ellie’s at Agnes’s house, and Michael’s at the newspaper, but I don’t know where Jesse is.” Her voice broke. Hunter reached out and took her hand. Rachel huddled close to her.

The hammering of hail continued. Soon heavy rain poured down, mixed with crashes of thunder. The lock jiggled and shook as the wind lashed against the door. Were she alone, Tori would be huddled in the corner, her hands over her head, crying. But being strong for the children kept her in her seat.

Where was Jesse? Blood raced through her veins, pounding in her ears in rhythm with her heartbeat. Were Ellie and Michael safe? Agnes’s family would take care of Ellie, and the newspaper had a basement. But where was Jesse? Her stomach clenched.

As soon as silence descended, Tori eased open the door of the storm shelter and peeked out. Her house stood fine, but bits and pieces of debris scattered the yard. A small tree Jesse had planted last year had been snapped in half like a twig. In the distance, echoes of pandemonium raised goose bumps on her skin. Anxiety gnawed at her spine. She climbed out and helped the others up the stairs.

Rain was now light, but steady. She turned to the Bonners. “I’m going to find the rest of my family.” They nodded and made a shooing motion.

“Wait.” Rachel shook out her skirts and followed her. “I’m going with you.”

“Me, too.” Hunter jogged to catch up with Tori, already a couple of houses away.

“All right, but hurry,” Tori shouted over her shoulder, picking up her pace. She shivered at the sounds emanating from blocks away. Terrified at what they would find, she said a quick prayer, and attempted to tamp down her fear.

Dogs howled and the air exploded with the heartbreaking sound of people screaming and crying. As she rounded the corner, the sight that greeted her turned her blood to ice.

Men and women ran down the street while others walked or limped, dazed and covered with blood. A bawling child sat next to the still form of a young woman.

More people crawled out of partially collapsed houses and businesses, crying and searching frantically, calling for missing loved ones.

The damage appeared to be centered in one place. The twister had destroyed several buildings, then moved away. But the bank building had suffered the most. She said a quick prayer for anyone there when the tornado struck.

An uninjured Michael passed buckets back and forth in a brigade attempting to extinguish a small fire in the mercantile. Tori’s chest eased a bit, and she turned to Rachel. “We have to locate Ellie and Jesse. Do you think you can find your way to Agnes’s house? Ellie’s there. There doesn’t seem to be any damage in that area of town.”

“All right, her house isn’t far. I’ll bring her back here.”

“Good.” A cold lump of fear settled in her stomach. Jesse, the only one unaccounted for, was the one whose destination she didn’t know. She turned to Hunter and grabbed his arm. “We have to find Jesse. See if you can learn if anyone saw him before the tornado hit.”

Hunter took off at a run while Tori went the other direction. She talked to numerous people, but no one remembered seeing Jesse before the tornado. Her heart thudded, and she broke into a sweat as she checked several stores, some which stood perfectly complete while others were partially collapsed.

While going from door to door, she ran into Pastor Dave with his wife, who comforted a man and little boy. Bodies were stretched out on the street, awaiting either the doctor or undertaker. Holding her breath, she checked each body, releasing a sigh of relief when Jesse’s familiar face did not appear among them.

“Tori!” Hunter shouted from across the street. He jogged over, waving frantically, gasping for air. “I just talked to Jenny McCall. She said Jesse went into the bank right as she left. A few minutes later the tornado hit.”

Oh my God, the bank?
Her heart hit her stomach. She made a beeline for it, and came to a screeching halt when they rounded the corner. A pile of rubble sat where the bank building used to be.

Black dots danced in front of Tori’s eyes as all the air froze in her lungs. The bank’s vault remained the only thing standing. As she watched, a sign stating National Bank of Guthrie slid off the top of the vault. The black and gold sign skidded to a halt at her feet. Red mud slid off the sign and oozed over her shoe. She pressed shaky palms to her forehead, squeezing her eyes closed to stop the overwhelming pounding in her head.

Fighting for breath, she turned to Hunter. “Help me. We have to dig him out.”

She fell to her knees, pulling at boards and bricks, flinging them away. Hunter joined in, and within minutes their hands were cut and bleeding. The silence coming from the rubble frightened her. How many were they even digging for? Who else had been in the bank besides Jesse? At least Paul Sommers, since the owner would be there until they closed. Other customers? The teller?

The storm had passed and the setting sun cast shadows over the two figures frantically digging through the wreckage.

Please God, let him be alive. Don’t take him from me. There’s too much I haven’t said, haven’t done. Just one more chance, please.

She swiped at her tears, feeling the slick of mud along her cheeks. She shook her head. No time for crying.

Light grew dim as strong hands gripped her shoulders and pulled her up. She met the sympathetic eyes of Pastor Dave.

“Tori, come away from there.” He shook his head. “Nobody could have survived this collapse.”

“What are you talking about?” she cried, pointing at the wreckage. “Jesse’s in there. I have to dig him out.”

“No, listen to me. If he was in there, he’s gone. The entire building collapsed. No one could have survived.” He lowered his voice. “We found Paul Sommers’s body across the street.”

Tori’s knees buckled, and the pastor caught her around her waist. Finding strength from deep inside, she straightened, trying not to wince at the compassionate expressions on those in the crowd. Hunter sat back on his heels and hung his head, tears running down his face. She yanked free of Pastor Dave and dropped to her knees, continuing to dig.

“No Tori,” he said again, touching her shoulder. “You must come away now. It’s getting late. It will be dark soon. In the morning we’ll search for bodies.”

Shrugging him off, she shook her head. “No. You don’t understand. I have to dig him out.”

Pastor Dave put his arm around her again and attempted to ease her up.

Tori flung his arm off and jumped up, slipping on the rubble. “Leave me alone! All of you. You can stop looking at me like that, too. No one is stopping me. Do you all hear me?” Her fists scrubbed at the tears running down her cheeks as she faced them.

“Jesse never gave up on me.” She pointed a shaky finger at the pastor. “He never gave up. Never! No matter how many times I pushed him away, he never, ever gave up. You didn’t know that, did you?” Her voice lowered, and she rubbed dirty, bloody hands down her skirt, her voice shaking. “I’m not giving up on him, either.” She flung her arm out. “So you can all go on home, but I’ll be here until I find him.”

She turned, fell to her knees, and continued to dig. Her fingers burned from the cuts and scrapes, her head pounded, and her lungs wouldn’t fill with air. But still she dug. Hunter watched her for a moment, then, wiping his eyes, resumed digging.

She flung wood and bricks behind her with a vengeance. Soon, out of the corner of her eye, Rachel, Michael, and Ellie knelt alongside her. One by one, Pastor Dave and most of the group joined in. Tori prayed, cried, dug, and prayed some more.

Dear Lord, please don’t take him from me
.
I’m sorry I said I didn’t want to get pregnant again. I’ll throw away the sponges and condoms. Anything, if you let me find him alive. And I never told him how much I love him. How much I need him. Please, please give me the chance to.

Darkness fell, and lanterns provided by friends dotted the area so the diggers could keep going. All around them, people shouted words of encouragement at each other. In the distance, unrelenting howls and the barking of animals added to the confusion. The moon rose, stars twinkled, and coldness crept into her bones, but Tori ignored it all and dug.

“I see a shoe!” someone yelled. Tori crawled over piles of splintered boards to where he pointed and saw Jesse’s shoe. Laughter bubbled up, along with tears as she dug furiously, pushing away debris as she uncovered his body. Her heart pounded in excitement, but terror took over at what she would find. Helping hands pushed and pulled until Jesse was completely exposed.

Dr. Hendricks nudged her out of the way, knelt, and put his fingers to Jesse’s neck. Tori’s fingernails dug into her palms, and she held her breath as the doctor leaned closer.

“He’s alive.” Dr. Hendricks stood abruptly and shouted, “Some of you men get over here and give me a hand.”

Tori sat back on her heels, panting and wiping the sweat from her forehead. Four men joined the doctor. They picked Jesse up and loaded him onto a wagon. Tori grabbed a blanket someone handed her and covered him.

“Michael,” she shouted, climbing into the wagon, “come with us. We’ll need your help. Rachel,” she said, turning to her niece, “You, Ellie, and Hunter go on home. I’m going with Jesse.”

“Can’t we go with you?” Ellie’s wide eyes moved from Tori to Jesse.

“No. The fewer people I have under my feet, the better.” Dr. Hendricks spoke calmly so as not to alarm Ellie, who already appeared on the verge of tears.

Hunter hugged his sister. “Come on home, Ellie. Let the doctor do his work.”

Tori was crying. At least Jesse thought it was Tori. He had to get up, see to her. Maybe she’d had another nightmare. So much noise and confusion bombarded him. his head and arm throbbed with every heartbeat. His cracked lips were dry, his eyes gritty. Strong hands had lifted him and placed him in a wagon. Try as he might, he couldn’t open his eyes. Soon the numbness of unconsciousness surrounded him.

The wagon rolled down the street with Tori grasping Jesse’s cold hand and smoothing his hair back and babbling promises. Anything as long as he recovered.

“Oh God, Jesse, you have to hear me, please. I’ve made so many mistakes. I never should have left you, never should have said I didn’t want any more babies. I want your babies. Do you hear me, Jesse? I want lots and lots of babies. You have to get better, please.”

She pushed her fist into her mouth to keep from screaming. He looked so white and still, his lips blue. Several scratches and a deep cut covered his face, and his arm dangled at an odd angle.

She hung onto her emotions as they maneuvered through the confusion, and arrived at the doctor’s home. His house stood in one piece, the tornado having passed by this section of town.

Dr. Hendricks and Michael lifted Jesse, while Tori hurried up the steps to open the door. Mrs. Hendricks greeted them holding a lamp high. They followed her to the doctor’s office.

“Tori, I’ll be a little while here. Why don’t you go with my wife and have a cup of tea.” The doctor spoke as he washed his hands thoroughly with lye soap.

“No, thank you, Dr. Hendricks. I’ll stay right here.”

He sighed, still engrossed in his examination. “Well make yourself useful and help me take off his clothes, but be very careful not to jar him at all.”

Dr. Hendricks removed Jesse’s clothes with Tori’s help and began a thorough examination. Tori held her breath as the doctor shook his head, poking and prodding various parts of his body. He peered into his eyes, listened to his heart and lungs.

He spoke over his shoulder. “Wash your hands real well with that lye soap and bring me that container on the counter. The one next to the sink. Then go to the kitchen and ask my wife to fill that white pan there on the table with hot water.”

She did as he asked, and after washing the blood and dirt off Jesse, they used the salves in the container to treat his numerous scratches. Then Dr. Hendricks set his arm, using plaster to hold it in place. He finished by securing the bent arm with a cloth around his neck. The doctor then retrieved a nightshirt from one of the drawers in the room and with Tori’s help dressed the patient.

“Get your nephew to help me move him to the bed in the other room. Then we’ll talk.”

Michael and Dr. Hendricks got him settled, with Tori piling three blankets on top. He still hadn’t moved, and his face remained pasty white. Tori bent, gave him a kiss, then pushed the hair back from his forehead. Her eyes filled with tears. What she wouldn’t give for a grin or a smirk from his still face. She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands and joined Dr. Hendricks in his parlor.

“Tori, I wish I could give you good news,” he started when she perched on the edge of the chair across from him. Tori clasped her ice cold hands in her lap to control the shaking.

“But I don’t have bad news, either. Jesse has some minor cuts and scratches, and the broken arm, but he also has a head injury, which we won’t know much about until some time has passed. He could also have internal injuries I’m not aware of, although I haven’t seen any evidence in my examination. As much as I hate to give this kind of news, the only thing I can tell you is we have to wait.”

Tori licked her lips, nodding her head as he spoke. Head and internal injuries could be deadly.

“You’re exhausted. I think you should go on home to your family, get some rest. You can come back tomorrow morning.”

Tori’s eyebrows shot to her hairline. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here with Jesse.”

“There is nothing for you to do here to help him.”

“Then I’ll sit here and stare at him.”

Dr. Hendricks studied her for a minute. “All right, if you insist on staying, I can have my niece draw you a bath and loan you a nightgown. I’ll bring in an extra cot I have. But I’ll emphasize again you can’t do anything for him.”

Tori thanked the doctor and sat back in the chair. She closed her eyes, the sounds of a ticking clock soothing her nerves.

“Mrs. Cochran?”

Tori jumped as Maggie entered the room. “I’m getting water hot for your bath.”

Tori attempted to focus, but the girl’s words faded in and out. Her mouth moved, but she only caught a few words.

“Here is a nightgown you can use. I have some beef stew made, and we would be happy to have you join us for supper.” She pointed toward the back of the house. “The kitchen is that way.”

“Thank you. I’m not hungry, but a cup of tea might be nice, if it’s not too much trouble.”

She followed Maggie to the kitchen. Dr. Hendricks, his wife, and Michael sat at the table, eating a delicious smelling stew. When she entered the room, Michael’s spoon stopped midway to his mouth, his gaze locked with Tori’s.

A plate of biscuits sat in the middle of the table. Despite her insistence she wasn’t hungry, Maggie set a bowl of stew in front of her. One glance, and her stomach rebelled.

“Tori, as your doctor, I insist you try to eat a little bit. You’ve had a shock. You need food and sleep, or you won’t do anyone any good. Maggie’s a great cook, you’ll see.”

Tori took a small bite. Dr. Hendricks did not exaggerate. Maggie was indeed a fine cook. Once she got the first bite down, hunger returned. She finished the bowl of stew as well as a warm biscuit. The hot sweet tea at the end of the meal restored her.

“As soon as I have the kitchen cleaned up, I’ll have your bath for you. We have a separate room for bathing,” Maggie said proudly.

“I can get my own bath ready.” Tori pushed her chair back and gathered her dishes. “But first I’ll help with the dishes.”

“No need,” the young woman said. “Have your bath and get into bed. You look like you’re ready to drop.”

Tori turned to Michael. “You can go on home. Please tell the children Jesse will be all right, but they should pray. Give Ellie an extra hug from me. She seemed pretty upset earlier.”

Michael draped his arm around Tori’s shoulder. “We’ll be fine. You get some sleep yourself. You won’t do Jesse any good if you’re laid up, too.”

Tori eased her sore body into the hot water. Thoughts of her family drifted through her mind. Not telling Michael everything Dr. Hendricks said somehow didn’t make it real.

After the tension of the day and the full belly, she had to fight sleep in the bathtub. She wearily washed off the dust and grime from the day, then dried herself with the warm towel before pulling the nightgown over her head. She smeared the salve the doctor had given her on her cut-up fingers, then tugged on the soft cotton gloves Maggie had provided.

Tori dragged her body down the hall to the bedroom where Jesse lay and the second cot sat. Her gaze went immediately to her husband, still pale and unmoving, but his chest rose and fell as he took in air. A cold lump of tension settled in her stomach, and she swiped at tear filled eyes. Would he wake up? Did he have internal injuries that would snuff out his life even as she slept near him?

She touched his cheek in a soft caress before settling on the cot. Even though she expected one long night of tossing and turning, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Jesse opened his eyes to complete darkness. Had he gone blind? His head hurt like the devil when he moved it, but he tried to pick out familiar objects to see if his eyes worked. By concentrating, it appeared he lay on a bed in a room he didn’t recognize. Flat on his back, his arm was supported by something hard. Thinking made his head hurt more, so he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

Tori’s eyes flew open. Sunlight streamed through the window over Jesse’s head. She padded to the bed, wishing for a twitch, jerk, or movement of any kind. Nothing. Discouraged, she sighed and sat on the side of his bed. His chest moved as he breathed, but he apparently hadn’t woken since they pulled him out of the rubble last night.

“Jesse, please wake up,” she said, tears filling her eyes again. She grabbed his fingers, rubbing his strong hands to give herself the strength to continue.

“I love you, you have to wake up. You promised me we could have more babies. I’m not letting you go back on your promise. Did you hear me? I want to have babies, lots of babies, your babies. Please wake up.”

She fumbled with the collar of his nightshirt and smoothed out the covers, even though they remained still. She glanced out the window. The beautiful sunshine, blue sky, and puffy white clouds soothed her. They would go on a picnic. Yes, a picnic like they did right after they were married.

The sun dipped behind a cloud, and her life stretched before her, absent Jesse. His smile, his teasing, his kindness. God, she loved him. Losing the baby hurt, but losing Jesse would crush her.

She took his warm hand between her two. Gently, she laid her head on his chest, careful to avoid his arm, comforted by the steady beat of his heart.

“How many?”

Tori jerked up. She could swear Jesse had spoken to her. But again he looked pale and still.

“What?” She bent closer to his face. Silence.

She must be losing her mind, wanting to hear his voice so much, she’d imagined it.

“How many?” His voice rasped over her.

He still hadn’t moved or opened his eyes. Was she hearing voices in her head?

“Jesse, are you awake?” She leaned even closer.

“It depends. How many?”

“What are you talking about?” She giggled, happiness rising from her toes and invading her entire body.

“How many babies, darlin’?” He opened his eyes, squinting against the sunlight.

Tori sat back, covering her mouth with both hands and tears springing to her eyes.

“You’re awake! You’re not dead.”

“I don’t think so. If I’m dead, I should be in hell because my body sure hurts like it.”