Unpublished Chapters

      The original manuscript for Yellowstone Heart Song included a prologue and several chapters at the beginning, before Aimee time travels, that didn't make it into the final book. I'm going to put them up on this page over the next few weeks.                      

Prologue

January, 1785     Rocky Mountains, A region known today as Yellowstone National Park

The wind howled fiercely, and the snow fell so heavily that the visibility was almost zero, but Zaccharia Osborne trudged on through the heavy snow. With great effort, he set one foot on front of the other, his snowshoes sinking in the soft powder. The trapper kept his head bent into his chest to ward off the icy wind that blasted him from all directions. With his rifle tucked firmly under one arm beneath his heavy buffalo robe, he readjusted the rope over his shoulder, and tugged harder. The deer he’d killed and dragged behind him seemed heavier with each step.  

Gritting his teeth, he labored on, determined to reach the shelter of his cabin before dark. The scent of a fresh kill would most likely lure hungry predators, but a more important reason to get back was Marie. The thought of his wife alone at the cabin in this blizzard renewed his efforts.  

Marie was not cut out for living in the wilderness as he had hoped when he brought her to the mountains six months ago. He had promised her he would return her to civilization as soon as the snow melted and made passage possible to reach the Roche Jaune and a way to get back to St. Louis. He would not have gone out hunting either, but they were in need of meat. She would need all her strength, what with the birth of his child so close. Had he known she was with child before the passes closed due to snow, he would have taken her back to civilization right away.  Marie had kept the pregnancy hidden for months. She’d been determined to make him happy by following him into the wilderness. Zach soon realized, however, that she was too frail to survive in this harsh and unforgiving land. Now her health and his unborn child were at risk because he had brought her here.

Zach carefully picked his way along the banks of the Little Buffalo River, about a mile from his cabin, when his keen sense of hearing picked out a noise through the howling wind. It sounded like an animal in pain. Zach dropped the rope that he was dragging the deer with, and pulled his long rifle out from beneath his robe. He listened intently, and cautiously moved in the general direction where the sound had come from. After a few steps, one of his snowshoes bumped into something on the ground. Zach glanced at a human form half buried in the snow. He quickly knelt down and pushed the snow off the body. He saw that it was an old Indian, and he looked ghostly blue and near frozen. A low moan escaped the Indian’s mouth, and his eyes opened slightly.

“Help me,” he whispered in the language of the Shoshone that lived in this area. Zach pulled the old man from the snow

 “I will do what I can for you, grandfather,” Zach told the old man.

The frail old man was unable to move off the frozen ground. Zach bent over him, and hoisted him onto his shoulder. He doubted that there was a whole lot he could do to save this man’s life, but he couldn’t just leave him to freeze to death. Most likely wolves would get to him before he was completely frozen. He picked up his rifle and the rope to drag the deer home. Marie required nourishment.

            Nearly dark when he finally reached his cabin, Zach lowered the Indian to the ground, and knocked loudly on the door. It swung open almost instantly. A small woman with a long braid of black hair hanging down her back, her belly swollen with child, greeted him. Her face lit up at the sight of him, and her arms reached up to give him a welcoming embrace.

“I was so worried. You’ve been gone so long,” she said with her face buried in Zach’s neck. He held her close for a moment, noticing her tense body. When he moved back a few inches to look into her eyes, he saw the sweat on her face and the pain in her eyes.

“The baby’s coming,” she said softly in her slight French accent.

“How long have you been in pain?” Zach asked, his face contorting with worry. His hand touched his wife’s swollen abdomen.

“Several hours, I believe.”

“I found an old Indian in the snow. He’s almost dead, but I couldn’t leave him behind,” Zach almost regretted that he had found the old man. “Go lie down and I will bring him inside. There’s not much I can do for him, and you are my more immediate concern.”

Marie stepped aside as Zach carried the man inside.

“Go and lie down, Marie,” Zach insisted, as he gently lowered the Indian to the floor. The old man moaned.

“He needs to warm up,” Marie said, ignoring her husband’s instructions. “I have some broth warming over the fire.”

“I will take care of him, Marie,” Zach said more firmly. Just then, a painful cry escaped his wife’s lips, and she clutched her stomach and bent over. Zach was by her side in an instant, and he gently ushered her to the bed that took up an entire wall of the cabin. “Here, lie down,” Zach instructed. “What can I get you?”

“It’s all right, the pain is passing,” Marie panted, her eyes glazed over with pain. Zach knew she tried to hide how much pain she was in from him. Marie eased down on the bed, and looked at her husband. “It’s alright. It’s the normal process of childbirth. I’ve seen many babies born, and once the contractions come closer together, I will need you. For now, please help this man,” she gestured to the man on the floor. “He needs your help more urgently at the moment.”

Zach searched his wife’s face for a moment. She was always looking out for others, with no regard for her own well-being. It was one of the qualities he loved about her. He once again wished he had never brought her to this wild land. She should be far away from here, in a city with a midwife to tend to her. But she had insisted on following his wild dreams of going into the Rocky Mountain wilderness to try and make his fortune as a fur trapper, rather than settle as a farmer in Philadelphia.

Zach squeezed his wife’s arm, then turned his attention to the Indian on the floor.. He removed the old man’s thick moccasins and began rubbing his feet. Then he took a wool blanket off the bed and covered the man in it. The old man moaned occasionally, and his eyes fluttered open every once in a while. Zach dipped a tin cup into the kettle containing some warm broth that hung over the fire and  gently urged the old man to drink. Every now and then, Marie would gasp and cry in pain as another contraction overtook her body.

As exhausted as he was himself from the day’s work, Zach worked tirelessly to tend to his wife as well as the Indian. As the hours wore on into the night, the old man slowly regained some strength. He was able to sit up as his frozen body warmed. In the meantime, Marie’s labor was getting worse. She was drenched in sweat, and her body contorted painfully with each contraction that came with ever-increasing frequency. Zach bathed his wife with melted snow to keep her comfortable, but he noticed she was growing weaker by the hour.

Sometime in the middle of the night, the old Indian spoke. “Your wife fights bravely, but I fear she will need help for your child to be born.”

Zack looked from the bed, to the old man on the floor.

“I don’t know what else to do for her,” he said, exhausted. “Where am I going to get help? The closest Shoshone village I know of is a half day’s walk from here in good weather.”

“You have saved this old man’s life,” the Indian said. He fumbled with a pounch hanging around his neck. “This holds the key to saving your child. If you do what I tell you, perhaps one life can be saved.”

Zach looked incredulously at the old man. “What help can you give me that will save my wife and child,” Zach asked in disbelief. The old man removed an object from the pouch. It looked like a dried up snake head.

“This is one of the Sky People’s most powerful magical object,” the old man spoke slowly. “It must be kept secret. It may save your child’s life.”

 “How is a snake head going to save my wife and child?” Zach wondered. The freezing temperature must have affected the old man’s head.

“This snake has magical powers,” the old man stared at the object in his hand. “It has the ability to transport you to another time and place. It can only take you forward in time and bring you back to your own time. It will not change your own past unless it is the will of the Sky People, but it can help you with your future. Touch the snake’s right eye, and you will travel forward in time by two-hundred years. When you want to return to your own time, touch the left eye. It is very simple.”

Marie cried out in agony at that moment, The old man slowly stood up and hobbled to her side. Zach gently wiped her sweat-soaked face with a damp cloth.

“She has but little time left, I fear.” The Indian said quietly. “Listen to me, my son, and listen carefully. I know you do not believe me, and I understand. It is not an easy thing to comprehend unless you experience it yourself. The future holds nothing good for my people. I have seen what the coming of the white man will do. The sacred mountains of the Tukudeka must be protected. Your child is the key to saving our lands. I have seen some of the miraculous things that the white man has accomplished. The white man’s medicine in the future is very powerful. It will help your child be born safely into this world. You must believe this and have faith in this old man.”

The Indian handed Zach the ugly snake head. The eyes were large and shiny red and unnatural looking.

“Why don’t you use it yourself then, and get healed?” Zach asked skeptically.

“I am an old man, and my life is coming to an end. Even the white man’s medicine in the future cannot cure that. Your son must be born into this world.”

“What do I need to do?” Zach couldn’t believe he even asked. Out of desperation, he reached for the object.  If there was even a slight chance to do something to help his wife, no matter how unbelievable it sounded, he would try it.

“Remember, the right eye moves you forward in time, the left eye brings you back. Hold on to your wife, and she will travel with you. It will take but only a moment. When you get to the future, the people will know what to do. Do not let anyone know this secret. You do not believe me, and no one in the future will believe you. Go now, your wife cannot hold out much longer. “

Zach searched the old man’s face for any sign that he was mocking him, but found none. He draped his arm around Marie, and pressed his thumb to the snake’s right eye. Instantly, the world went black. When next he opened his eyes, Zach was lying on hard ground, Marie at his side. He heard strange loud noises all around. He quickly sat up, stuffed the snake head in his pouch around his neck, and glanced around. What he saw shocked him. Nothing looked at all like the world he was used to. There were no trees, no dirt, but he was lying on hard ground not unlike cobblestones, only smoother. Tall buildings rose high into the sky all around him, but none looked like buildings he was used to seeing in Philadelphia or St. Louis.

“Hey man, are you ok?”  Zach’s head whipped around, and he stared into the face of a black man. He had seen black people before, working as slaves for some of the wealthier farmers back home. This man did not look like a slave.

“My wife, she is in labor. We need to find a midwife,” Zach said quickly. In his arms, Marie moaned, and she was  drenched in sweat.

“Yeah, she don’t look so good,” the black man said. “The hospital is a couple of blocks from here. I’ll get you guys a cab.” He moved to the side and let out a whistle, Zach noticed several other people staring at him, and the fast moving carriages going by. It was unlike anything he had seen before. He had no idea how these carriages were moving on their own, and at the moment he just didn’t care. When one of them stopped next to the black man, Zach quickly scooped Marie up in his arms. The man waved him over.

“Take these folks to the nearest hospital. The lady is having a baby,” the black man spoke to another man inside the carriage. He held open a door, and Zach placed Marie inside and followed.

“Thank you,” he said to the black man.

“Don’t mention it,” he replied, and then yelled to the man sitting at the front of the carriage. “Get a move on, or you’re gonna be deliverin’ a baby in your cab.”

The carriage lurched forward, and Zach held on to Marie for fear she would fall off the seat. Never in his life had he traveled so fast. If it had been under different circumstances, he would have enjoyed the ride, but at the moment he could only think of his wife. He knew that she was fading fast.

Moments later, the carriage stopped again, and the man in the front seat said, “Anaheim Memorial Hospital.”

Zach scrambled out after fumbling with the door handle, and scooped Marie in his arms. He ran for what he assumed were the doors to the huge building. The cab driver yelled to him, but Zach paid no attention. He pushed through the door and found himself in a huge room with many people sitting around.

“Please, I need help. My wife is in labor,” he called out. A woman dressed in blue pants and shirt approached him quickly, took one look at Marie, and said “bring her this way, quickly.” The woman led him through a double door that opened by itself with a  hissing sound, and Zach followed. She stopped by a chair on wheels, and said “Put her in the wheelchair. I will take her to emergency right away. You can fill out some paperwork on the way.”

Zach gently placed Marie in the chair, and the woman wheeled her off. Zach ran to keep up.

“How long has she been in labor?” the woman asked.

“I believe for almost a day and night,” Zach said. “I was gone from her most of the day, and when I returned, she was already having pains.”

The woman wheeled Marie through another set of doors, into a room busy with men and women dressed in the same way as she was. Two more women came over and helped Marie onto a bed. Zach was pushed out of the way. A fourth woman shoved a board with a sheet of parchment under his nose.  “You need to start filling this out while we take care of your wife.”

Zach looked anxiously at the paper, then at Marie lying on the bed, with several people hovered over her. He saw them stick things in her arm, and something around her neck that went to her nose. One woman held something to Marie’s chest and belly, apparently listening for something.

Zach swallowed hard, trying not to panic. He was more scared than he had ever been in his life. He was scared for Marie, and also scared of this strange place and world he had come to. All he had was his trust in the old Indian man that the people in this time could save his wife and child. No, he actually had not said they could save his wife, but Zach could not think of losing Marie.

Zach stared at the parchment in front of him. He read the words that were type-set on the page, but he understood very little of what he read. He was able to put down his name, and used his childhood address in Philadelphia. He had no idea what a phone number or driver’s license was. He couldn’t concentrate on the paper in front of him, there was so much noise in this place. Suddenly his head jerked up. Marie had let out a loud cry and called his name. The next thing he saw was her entire body convulsing violently.

“She’s seizing,” one of the medical workers shouted. “We need magnesium sulfate, now!”

Zach rushed over to be by his wife, but strong arms of a man in the same blue attire as most of the women held him back.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you need to stay back to let the doctors do their job and save your wife and baby,” he said firmly.

“I want to be with my wife,” Zach pleaded in desperation. “What is happening to her?”

“The doctor will talk to you as soon as we have her stabilized,” the man said.

Zach craned his neck. More people moved to Marie’s bedside, and he couldn’t see what they were doing.

One woman stepped away from the bed and walked over to Zach. She gave him a quick curious look, then said, “I’m Doctor Murdock. Your wife is having a seizure, probably due to eclampsia. We are giving her drugs to try and control the seizures, but we have to take the baby now. She needs a C-section immediately. The nurse will give you the consent forms, but we need your permission right now.”

Zach didn’t understand any of what the woman said. “Anything, just save her,” he said in a low tone, running a hand over his face.

“Set up for a c-section,” the woman called to the rest of the  workers. To Zach, she said, “We will do what we can.” She turned and rushed off.

Gentle hands ushered Zach away from the scene, and prodded him into a seat in a far corner of the emergency room. Another woman came over to him and started asking questions about Marie’s medical history, who her regular doctor was, when she had seen her doctor last, and a multitude of other questions. Zach didn’t understand any of it, and simply shook his head.  The woman patted his hand, and smiled a sympathetic smile.

After what seemed like forever, Zach heard the loud wails of a baby over the multitude of other unfamiliar noises. He sprang from his seat and rushed back to the scene of all the chaos. He could not see Marie anymore. A curtain had been drawn around her bed. Foreign noises assaulted his ears.  A woman emerged from behind the curtain with a bundle in her arms. She looked up and smiled at him, then walked over.

“You have a beautiful baby boy,” she said with a big smile on her face, and held the bundle so Zach could see. A red-faced, black-haired infant was swaddled in a white and blue-striped blanket. Zach looked at his little son in awe. He felt the tears forming in his eyes. Suddenly, the beeping noises  behind the curtain changed to a steady drawn-out beep. The woman quickly turned her head in the direction of the curtain, and Zach heard her say quietly, “oh no.”

“What does it mean?” Zach asked with a sinking feeling in his gut.  The woman didn’t say anything, but looked sadly from him to the baby in her arms.

 “Time of death 12:33pm,” someone said behind the curtain.

Zach stood motionless, staring. His wife, his beloved Marie, was gone. His eyes moved to his son cradled in the woman’s arms.  “Can I hold my son,” he asked, his voice cracking.

“Sure,” the nurse said solemnly, and gently placed the bundle in Zach’s arms. Zach gazed at the infant, and whispered, “You will be called Daniel, for your mother’s name was Marie Daniella. You will grow up to be a mighty hunter and trapper some day, this I swear to you. It is what your mother would have wanted.” He looked up to see the woman studying him. He realized he must look and sound as strange to her as she did to him. They were from different worlds, and Zach knew he had to return to his own. But he would not leave without his son and wife.

Just then, the doctor and her team of medical workers emerged from behind the curtain. The doctor walked over to Zach.

“I’m sorry, we did everything we could. Your wife had a condition called pre-eclampsia, which turned into eclampsia during her labor. It is a life-threatening complication in pregnancy. Surely her doctor told her about the proper precautions?” When Zach just shook his head, the doctor said, “I believe the seizure caused an aneurysm in her brain, and that’s what caused her death. There is nothing we were able to do to save her.” After a moment’s pause, she continued, “the baby appears completely healthy and strong. We’ll get him up to the pediatrics ward, and a pediatrician will do a full exam on him.”

“I wish to see my wife,” Zach said simply.

“Sure.” The doctor offered a sad smile. “Please take all the time you need. We can go ahead and take the baby to pediatrics.”

“No,” Zach said quickly. “I want him with me for now.”

“Okay, but only for a minute.” The doctor nodded. She gestured for Zach to step behind the curtain. Once he was sure he was alone, Zach sat on the bed next to Marie and reached for her hand. She looked beautiful, at peace, as if she was sleeping and having a pleasant dream.

“I love you, Marie. Thank you for this wonderful gift you have given me. We have a fine son. It’s time we got back home.” With those words, he reached for the snake head in his pouch, and, with one arm firmly holding his infant, and his other hand holding his wife’s wrist, he put his thumb on the snake’s left eye.

Chapter 1

Orange County General Hospital, California 2010

“Where the hell is that bloodwork I asked for?” Dr. Ashwell barked. “And why doesn’t the patient in bed two have his IV in yet? He also needs a an EKG and a chest xray.” The emergency room at Orange County General was busy tonight.

“I called down to the lab, and your blood results should be up shortly. Mrs Keets in bed four was throwing up, so I took care of that. I’m on my way now to bed two,” The young nurse answered the doctor’s demands calmly but with a firm voice. She was used to dealing with arrogant doctors who thought having a medical degree gave them license to be rude to the rest of the world.

Aimee Donovan gathered her IV tray and made her way across the busy emergency room to a cubicle with the sign that said “Bed 2”. On her way, she quickly glanced at the patient in room six, and was stopped short by a small plump woman with her hands on her hips, glaring at her. “Nurse, when is the doctor going to see my husband? He has been lying in that bed for an hour, and no one has checked on him.”

“I was just there a few minutes ago, Mrs. Wilkins. Your husband is stable. The doctor will be with him as soon as possible. We have a lot of trauma cases tonight, and we’re short-staffed,” Aimee answered patiently.

“Well, someone should do something and get more doctors and nurses in this place,” the woman said indignantly.

“Tell me about it,” Aimee mumbled under her breath.  She excused herself with the promise of returning shortly to take another look at the woman’s husband.

Aimee smiled as she entered the cubicle of Bed 2, and picked up the chart hanging at the foot of the bed. After skimming over it for a second, she looked at the man in the bed, who was staring back at her.

“Hi, Mr. Osborne, I’m Nurse Aimee, and Dr. Ashwell has ordered an IV and some x-rays for you. How are you feeling?”

“Not too bad,” the bearded man answered kindly. “It gets hard to breathe sometimes, and my chest hurts a little, but no complaints otherwise.”

“Well, this shouldn’t hurt a bit.” Aimee smiled as she pulled the stethoscope from around her neck. “Let’s have a quick listen to your heart, and then we can get to the IV.”

Aimee listened to the man’s chest, and could hear the distinct swush, swush of a murmur.

“Can you sit up for me and take deep breaths while I listen to your lungs?”Aimee asked gently. The man obediently sat up and inhaled as Aimee moved the stethoscope along various point around his back. The hospital gown he wore revealed the man’s nude backside, and Aimee caught herself staring. Many old scars criss-crossed this man’s back, and Aimee wondered if she would see the same thing on his chest if she were to check. What had happened to this man to cause all those scars? Curiosity ate at her, but she forced herself not to ask.  

“Ok, let’s get this IV in you,” she finally said.

Aimee worked quickly and efficiently, and had the man’s arm taped up in no time with a fresh IV in his vein. A she went to pick up the trash, she noticed the man’s clothing in a pile on the ground in the corner. A faded red flannel shirt, and pants that were clearly tanned leather with fringes along the sides lay in a heap on the floor. A pair of moccasins sat next to the pile.

“Those clothes look pretty authentic,” Aimee commented. “I love old west re-enactments. That period in history has always fascinated me.”

“Oh, and what time would that be?” the older man asked.
“Pioneers, cowboys and Indians, the mountain men,” Aimee listed off. “Life must have been very hard, but also exciting for these people.” She studied the gentleman’s face, and tried to picture him in the clothing on the floor. He certainly would look the part of the mountain man. His face was deeply tanned and weathered from many hours in the sun. His once brown shoulder-length  hair had turned gray in most places, and he was sporting a short beard, also grizzled with gray.

“There’s no better life than the freedom of being a trapper in the Rocky Mountains,” Mr. Osborne answered.

“Oh, you’re thinking even earlier than I was. The trapper era ended in the early 1800’s. They weren’t around that long, but I guess they were the first explorers of the west, like Lewis and Clark.”

The man snorted loudly. “Lewis and Clark were greenhorns. If not for the Indian guides they had with them, they would have been utterly lost in the wilderness.”
Aimee looked at the man long and hard. What an odd thing to say, as if he had actually been there.

“Are you a history teacher?” she asked.

“Not really.” He shrugged, and avoided her stare.

“Well, I need to get back out on the floor, and see about getting the x-ray technician in here, or Dr. Ashwell will yell at me some more.  Not that I can’t yell back, though,” she added conspiratorially.

Zaccharia laughed. “You don’t cower like the rest of these nurses, do you?” he asked, searching Aimee’s face.

“Well, it does bug me, but I’m not about to show that. A lot of these emergency doctors are under a lot of stress, and unfortunately they take it out on us nurses. I just give them back what they dish out. And no, I’m not one to cower.”

Aimee left the cubicle in search of the x-ray tech. Now why couldn’t all patients be as kind as Mr. Osborne? It would make her job much more pleasant. Aimee glanced at the clock. It was still early in her twelve-hour shift, and she was already mentally exhausted. She loved her job of helping people, but it always amazed her how rude some could be, and of course, putting up with the doctors was another matter. She was looking forward to her vacation time in a few weeks, when she and her best friend Jana would go backpacking together as they did every year. Aimee enjoyed these outing more than anything else. She loved getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city, to go at a slower pace and enjoy nature.

Every year since she had graduated from high school five years ago, her long-time friend and roommate Jana and she headed into the wilderness several times throughout the year. They had gone whitewater rafting, mountain climbing, had taken courses in back-country first aid and survival. Each year, the thing Aimee looked most forward to most was the two weeks they would spend backpacking in Yellowstone National Park. It was Aimee’s goal to hike every trail in the park. She felt a certain peace when she was there, and it always felt like a homecoming. Someday, she thought, I will live in that region permanently. For now, she needed the experience California afforded. Out of nursing school only a year, she didn’t have the years of experience on her resume that would allow her to pick where she wanted to work.

She enjoyed the adrenaline rush of emergency medicine, and there was certainly a lot of trauma patients to work on here in the city. But something just didn’t feel right to Aimee. She often felt out of place, and the people were definitely getting on her nerves.

This year’s trip was complicated a bit by the fact that she had just gotten engaged.  To Dr. Brad Bigsby, surgical resident.

 Aimee never imagined the cliché of nurse dating doctor would be her someday, but Brad had asked her out during her first week on the job, and there was no doubt she was attracted to him. All the nurses were. He was smart and good -looking, and he was going to be a great surgeon someday, she had no doubt. Three weeks ago, on their first anniversary together, he had proposed. Looking back on that evening, Aimee knew she had said yes more on impulse, and if truth be told, she just didn’t feel one-hundred percent sure about the relationship. Brad liked to wine and dine her, which just wasn’t her thing. She preferred simple things, like a walk in the woods, and definitely camping. When she had first suggested he accompany her on a camping trip, he had laughed and declined. He then promptly offered to take her to Hawaii for a week, or on a cruise to the Carribbean. Aimee figured she could always work on making Brad more of an outdoorsy kinda guy, and in the meantime, she would have to be content with hiking with Jana. Girl time was always good.

Aimee located the EKG cart, and wheeled it back to Cubicle 2.

“Watch it, Ashwell is on the warpath,” Doreen Jamison said as Aimee passed the nurse’s station.

“Yeah, I’ve already had my run-ins with him.” Aimee smiled. “Are we getting any help from one of the floors?”

“I’ve called up to ICU twice, and they are as short-staffed as we are. I’ll get us some coffee when things calm down a bit. I haven’t heard of any more ambulances coming in, so hopefully it’ll calm down a bit.” Pointing at the EKG cart, Dorren asked, “You goin’ to take care of that crazy guy?”

“What crazy guy?” 

“You know, Mr. Osborne in bed 2. That dude comes in here about every six months or so, has a heart work-up, and leaves with a prescription. No one knows for sure, but we all think he’s homeless. Always wearin’ them same silly clothes, like he came out of a wild west movie. He ain’t got no insurance, neither.”

“He doesn’t seem all that crazy to me. I think I prefer him over old Mr. Wilkins and his wife over there,” Aimee said.

“Just wait til you talk to him for a while. You’ll think he’s crazy, too.”

“Okay, well I’d better get it over with then, “Aimee said and rolled hey eyes. She plastered a smile on her face as she entered Mr. Osborne’s cubicle.

“Miss me?” she asked.

“You are a sight for these sore eyes.” Mr. Osborne smiled back.

“I’ll need you to remove your gown off your chest, so I can place these leads for  your EKG,” Aimee said.

When Zach removed the hospital gown by slipping his arms out of the sleeves, Aimee stared at his chest. The man was in his early sixties, but he was solidly muscled. Her thoughts earlier were confirmed. He did have scars criss-crossing his chest to match those on his back. As she placed the EKG leads on his chest, she noticed a couple scars that could have been from bullet holes.

“You’re wondering about all these cuts and holes, aren’t you?” Zach asked, studying Aimee’s face. Heat crept up her neck at being caught staring, but she composed herself quickly.

“Yeah, actually I was. Sorry for being rude.”

“No need, and if you want to know about them, I’d be happy to tell you.”

“Well, go ahead then, spill it,” Aimee said. “You look like you’ve been through hell and back.”

“Something like that,” Zach said. “But most of these here scars come from wrestling with bears. I got shot a couple of times by some no-good voyageurs trying to steal my cache of furs one time, and this one here,” he said, pointing at a rather large indentation, “is from a knife from one of them stinkin’ Blackfoot.”

Aimee blinked, then stared at him for a moment, trying to comprehend. “Okay, Mr. Osborne, I need you to be real still while I get a reading on this EKG,” she said, trying to buy herself some time to come up with a response to what he had told her. As she thought about this man, and what Doreen had said about him being homeless, a picture began to form in her mind. He was obviously coping with his situation by putting himself in another time and place, apparently as a fur trapper. She felt sorry for the man, and instead of trying to tell him he was koo-koo, she decided to let him live his fantasy and tell her about it.

“There, we’re done. The doctor will have to read and interpret this,” she said, but had seen enough EKG’s to know this one was not looking so good.

“I know my heart’s not strong anymore,” Zach said, studying her face.

Boy, he’s perceptive. I’d better put on my poker face.

 “So, you’re saying you’re a trapper?” Aimee asked, changing the subject. She knew a little bit about the history of the mountain men who made their living trapping beaver and other animals for their livelihood in the early 1800’s. She always thought that to be an exciting and romantic period in history. The adventure of it must have been something else. And these men were the ultimate survival experts. She was curious to hear what this man had to say, and to see if he was just full of it, or if he actually did know a bit about what he was talking about.

“I know folks don’t believe me, and I don’t expect them to. If you want to hear some stories about fur trappers, if that interests you like you said, I got lots of stories to tell,” Zach said, his eyes constantly moving across her face.

“Okay, I’m interested,” Aimee said, refusing to be intimidated by his perceptive stare. “But I can only stay a few minutes while I pretend to be working on you. Things are slowing down here and I’d love to sit  with you and hear your stories.”
“Then you go tend them other sick folks and come back when you can,” Zach said.

“How did you get to be a fur trapper, Mr. Osborne?” Aimee asked, unable to walk away.

“I didn’t want to be a farmer, like my pa, so I headed west with a Frenchman who stopped by our place. He got me hooked.”

“So what’s it like? It must be a life filled with adventure.” Aimee pulled up a chair.

“It’s got its share of adventure, yes. But mostly it’s hard and lonely work. One summer in New Orleans, I met a woman I fell in love with, and married her. She would have followed me anywhere I asked her to.” A sad, faraway look came over the man’s face. “I should never have asked her to join me in the wilderness.” Zach shook is head.

“What happened?” Aimee asked. “If you marry someone, and they love you, it’s only natural that they’d want to be with you.”

“Marie wasn’t cut out for life in the wilderness. Heck, no woman is. It’s just too dangerous and hard. The winters are bitter cold, and the rest of the year you’re fending off wild animals and wild Indians.”

“That’s a pretty broad statement to make, “Aimee argued. It always got her back up when men would say wilderness survival was something only guys should do. “There are a lot of women I know, me included, that love to go backpacking in the wilderness.”

“That ain’t the same as living there,” Zach disagreed. “The only women up to the task are the Indians. They’re hardened up for it. Heck, even most of the Indian tribes stay clear of the Rocky Mountain region part of the year. There’s only one band o’ Shoshone crazy enough to live there all year.”

“Are you talking about the Yellowstone region?” Aimee asked with renewed interest. “I go backpacking there every year. It’s my favorite place on earth!”

Zach searched her face again. “You’re either crazy or just plain dumb,” he said. “Have you ever spent a winter in them mountains by yourself?”
“Well, no” Aimee admitted. “I didn’t say I could survive an entire winter on my own, but the Indians were able to do it, so it must be possible.”
“Oh, it’s possible, all right,” Zach said. “I’ve lived there more than twenty-five years. I raised my son in them mountains, and he won’t leave. It’s in his blood.”
“Your son lives in the wilderness now?” Aimee asked, amazed at how deeply this man was immersed in his fantasy world. Zach nodded.

“What happened to your wife?” she asked gently.

“She died, giving birth to Daniel,” Zach said. His voice cracked a little.

“I’m so sorry,” Aimee said, putting a hand on the man’s arm. “That must have been really hard.”

“I took Daniel to some Shoshone women. He grew up amongst the Indians, and with me. I sent him back east for some proper schooling when he was sixteen. He came back to the mountains two years later. Sometimes I think he’s more Indian than white.” Zach chuckled. “He knows those mountains better than anyone, and everything that lives in ‘em,”

“Nurse Donovan,” a voice behind Aimee boomed. “If you’re finished with this patient, I need your help,” Dr. Ashwell glowered from the doorway. “I hope you’ve had time to get the EKG?”

“Yes, doctor,” Aimee said, handing him the EKG printout. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“Now, Nurse Donovan,” Dr. Ashwell bellowed.

“I’ll be back when – or rather if - I get a break.” Aimee smiled at Zach.

“You give him hell, young miss.”

Zach smiled after the nurse left. The way she talked, and her confident manner impressed him. Perhaps she was just the type of woman who could live and survive in the mountains. She certainly appeared strong and healthy, even if she was just a little thing. A thought started taking root in his head. It was crazy, but it was something he just might consider. He knew he wasn’t going to live much longer. The doctors had told him that the last time he time-traveled to get medical treatment. They wanted to cut him open and do something to his heart, but he was not going to let them do that. He was ready to go meet his maker, if that was the plan, and at least then, he would be back together with his Marie.

He had been careful over the years for his son’s sake, while Daniel was still a child. But Daniel was a grown man now. He hadn’t needed looking after for many years. If truth be told, Daniel took more care of Zach than the other way around.  So, now seemed like a good time to do something crazy while he was still able. He was looking forward to his next conversation with nurse Aimee Donovan.