

### The Unforgettable Journey

BY

### Ian Macdonald

Copyright 2013 Smashwords Edition

***

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my friend Ray Armstrong for his continued assistance, encouragement and support regarding this book and my other literary endeavours. His suggestions, editing abilities and overall help were invaluable. Thank you my friend.

Cover Designer:

### Rita Toews

Cover Picture"

### Courtesy of VIA Rail Canada Inc.

### Chapter One

***

It was a most beautiful morning, the sun was just climbing up in the almost cloudless sky and the birds were chirping away merrily. As he stood on the balcony outside his bedroom, John's mind drifted wistfully back a few years. He had indeed come a long way from his covert military career, his devastating loss when his first wife had been taken from him suddenly, and all the dramatic events since. His mind then reflected upon that fateful cross country train journey that Brian had persuaded him to take. That trip had changed John Canon's life. It came at a time when he was at the lowest point in his life and it had transformed him. The sorrow and despair he had been feeling now morphed into optimism and hope. He took in the sweet smells of the morning air as he was idly gazing at the Toronto skyline in the distance. He suddenly realized that Pam would be so happy for him now if she were looking down upon him from heaven. He was a happy and contented man now – something he never thought he would achieve again after Pam's death. Yes, John, you are a lucky man and things have worked out for you despite your earlier misfortune he thought to himself.

He and Pam had not been married very long and they were blissfully happy together. The future was filled with untold promise and delights as they planned their lives together. Then out of the blue came that fateful day when Pam discovered a lump in her breast. She had poked and prodded herself in disbelief and then called John to examine her to see if he drew the same conclusion. He did, there was definitely a lump there of some kind and it needed to be looked into. Pam made an appointment with her doctor and he in turn arranged a consultation with an oncologist. Once Pam was diagnosed all their collective efforts went into beating this dreaded disease. John never considered for one minute that they would not overcome this. Pam was a fighter and she was determined to beat this pernicious disease, after all she was young and fit and in good health generally. She had psyched herself up and was ready for the battle ahead. The oncologist had suggested a lump-ectomy rather than a mastectomy and everything seemed to have gone very well with the surgery. The surgeon was quite confident that he had removed the lump itself and the surrounding tissue and he was quite positive in his prognosis. He had of course given the standard caveat that all surgeons do in such cases. He had said that there was always a slight chance of a recurrence, but he felt that the chances of that were minimal. Both John and Pam were encouraged by that news and they thought that they had dodged a bullet on this one. As John was now painfully aware, that prognosis, however well intentioned, was overly optimistic. Everybody had been devastated by the news that the cancer had returned and even more so by its accelerated and aggressive progression. John barely had time to notify everyone that Pam was ill before he was making the dreaded call to the Funeral Home.

The family and friends had all gathered around and offered their support; it's what families do at times like this. Despite their well meaning gestures, John simply could not be comforted. He was totally inconsolable and consumed by his grief. The love of his life had just been ripped away from him as far as he was concerned. He wanted to crawl into a hole and hibernate – but his best friend, Brian, wouldn't let him. He saw what was happening to John and he knew that he had to do something to ease his friend's pain. It had been six months since Pam had died, but to John it seemed like yesterday. Brian could clearly see that John was suffering her loss each and every day. He was surrounded by Pam's presence everywhere he went in the house, and while it was comforting in one respect, it was perpetuating his grief in another.

John had been a Special Forces soldier when he first met Pam. He had gone to visit a wounded friend who was in a local hospital. While it had not exactly been a "Love at first sight" situation, it came quite close. The initial attraction had been there, but both parties were somewhat reserved and sort of playing things cool. Pam appeared to be aloof and distant while John seemed to have an air of indifference about him. They would exchange the odd glance and occasional smile, but other than that one would assume that they were unaware of each others existence. One day as John was entering the ward to see his friend Paul, Pam was coming out. They collided, and Pam dropped the towels and sheets that she was carrying. John bent down with her to help pick them up and offered his apologies. A brief dialogue took place and their attitude towards each other changed. Pam went about her duties and John went in to visit Paul. Once inside he grilled Paul on the nurse and asked what she was like. Later that day he made a point of being there when she came off duty and he asked her out. They were married within the year. Paul was one of the ushers at their wedding and his brother Brian had been the best man. Their life had been idyllic during that time, filled with fun and laughter, and then in a flash it was all gone.

All of this seemed so long ago now. It was way back in the distant mists of time somewhere and yet in reality it was quite recent, only a few months ago in fact. John was simply not functioning properly at all. His emotions were all over the map. He was still talking to Pam at home when he was on his own. He simply refused to accept that Pam had gone – or so it would appear. John gained comfort from these ghostly chats even though they were one sided. The denial phase of his grief was in full swing. He would break down and cry occasionally and at other times he would fly into a rage for no good reason and smash dishes or throw whatever was close at hand. Yes! It was safe to say that John was still hurting and his friends knew it. Actually being able to help him through this ordeal was another matter altogether, but they had to try. They knew that the path he was on would lead to self destruction eventually and they wanted their friend back the way he used to be. With that in mind they all got together to see if they could find a way to get John back on track. They didn't want him to forget Pam – just get things a little more into perspective so that he could begin to heal and eventually move on with his life. It fell to Brian to pay John a visit and try to sell him on their collective and remedial therapeutic idea.

"John, you need to get away for a while – somewhere different, a place that you have no memories of and no ties to the past. A place where you can gather your strength and perhaps see the world in a different light. At home here with family and friends you will forever be reminded of your loss. A strange place with new people around you just might be the answer. Pam was a lovely girl, John; she worshiped you and loved you to pieces. She would not want you to suffer like this and if she is looking down on you right now she will have tears in her eyes seeing how much pain you are in. Ask yourself this: if the roles had been reversed what would you have wished for Pam? You too are a caring and compassionate man, how would you feel knowing that Pam was suffering like you are now?"

John thought for a few moments, carefully weighing his response to Brian's question.

"I would want to ease her pain as much as I could, Brian."

"Of course you would, John, that's who you are. Nobody wants to see a loved one suffering the way that you are right now. Pam most certainly wouldn't want that for you. That's why I think a brief spell away from all your familiar surroundings just might be cathartic for you right now and I'm sure Pam would approve. It won't heal you – only time can do that – but it just might deaden the pain. As I recall, you always said that you wanted to take a train trip across the country, why not take it now? I remember you saying to me right after you met Pam that that trip would have to be put on the back burner for a while. Well now would be the ideal time to take it in my opinion. It could be just what you need and you will certainly see lots of new places and sights that you will not find around here."

"I don't know, Brian, I'm not too good on my own at the best of times and right now I feel even more isolated."

"You know, John, Brian mused, it's been my experience that you won't be lonely for long on those trains. There is always someone that will start up a conversation with you. In addition, you can also stagger your trip; you know, stop off in different places for a few days and then catch the next train and continue on. You can meet all kinds of people on them, some going short distances, others all the way to the coast. I met some very interesting people on the trains when I was in college, John. They come from all walks of life and they are all there for a reason. If you engage in a conversation with them they may tell you that reason and right about now I think that is just what you need. I heard some very interesting stories on those trains, John."

"Well I don't want to burden them with my problems, Brian. They will no doubt have their own to deal with."

"Of course they have, John, we all do. However, in listening to someone else's troubles, it takes our minds off our own sometimes, and you could use that right now, John. Oh! and by the way, not everyone on the train will be weighed down by misery and depression you know. I met a lot of happy people on my travels and we shared many laughs together. They were going home for family reunions, attending weddings and going on leave from the forces, they were really happy people. If you meet happy people they will boost your spirits; if on the other hand you meet sad people, then perhaps you can boost theirs. Give it some thought anyway, John, if nothing else it will allow you to take the train ride that you always wanted to go on. You may never get the chance to do it again – so take it now while the opportunity is right here."

John went home that night and thought long and hard on what Brian had said. It made a lot of sense. Right now he was waking up in the morning to an empty house surrounded by Pam's treasures. Her influence was everywhere and he hadn't changed a thing – nor did he want to. Their home was now a shrine to her memory. He gained great comfort from having her things around. One day he knew he would have to go through them and deal with that issue – but not just yet. Yes! Brian's idea of a cross country train ride might just be the answer. He certainly wouldn't be reduced to tears every morning looking at all of Pam's things – that would be a positive start at least. John had no idea of just how life changing this journey would turn out to be and the epiphany he was about to experience. The people he was about to meet and the stories they would disclose to him he would remember forever.

There are no short cuts to the grieving process and everyone has to go through the five stages, only time can dull the pain – the timing however may be variable depending on the individual. Psychologically John was aware of that process, but when you are the one involved, it just sort of seems like an abstract concept and that was how he was feeling. However he resolved to go ahead with this trip as he felt Pam would have wished him to fulfill that long time desire of his. The next question was which train trip to take? As John lived in Toronto he could go in two directions, well three actually, but travelling up north didn't really appeal to him. He could go east to Halifax and the Atlantic coast via Montreal, or he could go west to Vancouver and the Pacific coast via Edmonton. Faced with this decision he went on to his computer and checked out which would be the longest and cover the most. In the end he chose Vancouver. He ordered his tickets on line and he was all set. In fact John now found that he was looking forward to this trip, Brian had been right. Booking this train ride had given him something to look forward to and he now began to realize just what that meant to him.

"Well, Brian, I've booked my seat."

"Good for you John, when do you leave?"

"We roll out of Union Station at 9:00am sharp on Friday."

"Keep me posted John, I'm sure you won't regret this trip; I never did when I used to ride the trains. The scenery is just fantastic out west, the prairies are pretty flat and less interesting, but beyond them it is magical. Feel free to call me on your cell phone if you need anything."

John laughed at that.

"What could you do from there if I did?"

"Well if you left a tap running, or a light on, or you forgot to lock a door or window – I could help out then."

"Yeah, I guess, I hadn't thought of that, Brian."

"Well now that I've reminded you, you can go around and make sure that you don't do those things."

John now spent the rest of the day packing, cancelling newspapers and setting the timers on his lights. Selecting his clothes for the trip was the hardest part; Pam usually did all that for him. Still he managed it all and he was now ready to set off on this cross country odyssey.

He arose bright and early on the Friday morning and set off for the station. He arrived there at 8:30am and decided to have a coffee in the café first before boarding the train. One or two people are sitting in there also having coffees or reading the morning paper and the commuters are rushing past outside on their way to work. As he watched the world going by outside that window he realized just how frenetic a pace people are living by these days. They seemed to be rushing by like ants on a mission and none of them have a second to spare to talk to anyone else. There were business men and women, clerical workers, tradesmen, all of them hell bent on getting wherever they were going as quickly as possible. Nobody had the time of day for anyone else – this was modern life in the big city. There were no smiles to be seen anywhere. Everyone wore a determined expression on their face and they had a definite purpose in their step as they strode by, totally unaware of his or anyone else's existence. Even those people in the cafeteria were either engrossed in a newspaper or staring into space oblivious of the world around them. All of them lost in the complexities of their lives and whatever turmoil was uppermost in their minds presently. It was an absent minded observation, but John had registered it all the same. He looked around the room and idly wondered just who, if anybody, would be taking the same train as he was. It was just idle curiosity really as that train would have numerous carriages and lots of passengers in each one of them. He glanced at his watch, it is now 8:45 am and time for him to board and take his seat. The carriage is already pretty full and he stowed his suitcase and sat down. He had requested a window seat so that he could enjoy the scenic beauty later on during the trip, seeing the suburbs of Toronto when the train pulled out of Union Station held somewhat less appeal. There was a choice of two sleeper options, the deluxe private suite or the semi-private berth. John had chosen the semi-private option. While price was not really a consideration anymore, isolation was and this trip was all about meeting and talking to people. Having a private suite would tend to defeat the object and besides, Brian would have been most upset. That fact alone would have deterred John from making that decision. He is idly glancing around at his fellow passengers when he feels a jolt. The train is now on the move. He can hear the distinctive roar of the diesel locomotive as it picks up momentum and slowly pulls the train out of the station and begins its odyssey to the West Coast and ultimately Vancouver. John didn't know it yet, but this would turn out to be one memorable journey – one that he would never ever forget.
Chapter Two

***

A few miles to the east of Toronto in the town of Bellville an elderly man has been feverishly packing his suitcase too. It is Thursday now and tomorrow he will be taking the same train as John and travelling up to Northern Ontario. He had received news that his brother was now living up in Thunder Bay. They had both come to Canada during the war from England. They had been orphaned by the bombing and placed in an orphanage home. As a result, they were subsequently sent off to Canada as it was deemed to be safer there than in war ravaged Britain. The two brothers had packed what little clothing they had and the odd toy or stuffed animal that they had taken into the air raid shelter that fateful night. They didn't have much in the way of clothes, some of it they were told they would grow into later. Those suitcases held everything they had in the world – except for each other that is. They were then sent by train to Liverpool and taken aboard the SS Maghull which was due to sail across the Atlantic Ocean bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia. The two young boys had no idea what they were headed for, or whether they would ever return to England. They had a chaperone, a Mrs. Pinkerton who was to accompany them and several more children on their voyage across the Atlantic. The boys had never seen a big ship before and to them this one looked huge. In a way it was a sort of adventure for them – at least that was what the orphanage had tried to sell them on. The two boys watched from the ship's rail as they steamed away from Liverpool, but once past the Mersey Bar none of the children were allowed on deck, it was considered too dangerous for them.

That voyage had been particularly dramatic. The Atlantic Ocean can be rather inhospitable at times and it certainly was on this voyage. The seas were rough, whipped up by howling winds that made the bitter cold seem even worse. The white tops could be clearly seen out of the portholes, but nobody ventured out on deck for a clearer view. It was far too cold for that, however the wind did die down later into the voyage and this calmed down the ocean a little. It was not exactly a mill pond but the ship was no longer pitching and tossing like it had been earlier and fewer people were getting sea sick as a result. Some of the passengers now ventured out on deck, but they were all well wrapped up. The sun had come out now, but even so, it was not exactly balmy, although it had lifted up everyone's spirits. After being cooped up below decks and tossed around by the ship's rolling this was a most welcome change. They had dodged the German U-boats all the way across the Atlantic and they were almost safe when suddenly they were struck by a torpedo. The boys heard this tremendous explosion and then pandemonium broke out. Mrs. Pinkerton told all of the children to get their cases and get up on the deck to the lifeboats. She was quite cool and self assured and this reassured the children. The two brothers Frank and Billy grabbed their little cases and headed up on deck to look for the lifeboats. They never saw Mrs. Pinkerton again. There was bedlam and panic everywhere as everyone was fighting to get on one of the boats. There were enough boats for all, the Titanic disaster had seen to that, but the panic was everywhere. To make matters worse the ship directly astern of them was torpedoed next and it was almost blown out of the water – it sank very quickly. This did nothing to sooth the nerves of the passengers on Billy's boat and merely increased the anxiety levels to little short of hysteria. Children were screaming and running around aimlessly, there were very few adults to supervise them and those that were there were more concerned about their own survival. They left the children's welfare to the ship's officers and crew. The ship's crew did an admirable job of lowering the lifeboats and loading them and it was all done in an orderly fashion – women and children first. At the end of the day everyone secured a berth in a lifeboat, but in all that confusion Billy and Frank became separated. They had held each others hands for as long as they possibly could so as not to get lost, but once they let go they were simply swept away by the tide of survival obsessed passengers. The convoy could not stop when U-boats were present and the naval destroyers were busy trying to find them and sink them before they could cause even more mayhem. The convoy lost three of the ships that day and it left the survivors in a rather somber mood. Many of them had lost someone close to them, be it family, friend or fellow crew member. Once their personal survival had been secured –then the grief would be felt. They were all out on the ocean now in a cold and bitter wind and bobbing up and down like corks. Each of them could now reflect on what they had lost as their ship finally sank beneath the waves taking with it all they had in the world in some cases. They clung to each other for warmth, stranger hugging stranger in a desperate bid to stay alive and defy the howling wind and spray that engulfed them all.

The lifeboats stayed relatively close together, but one or two had drifted away during the night, Frank was on one of them. The following morning at sunrise when Billy awoke, he could no longer see any sign of his brother's lifeboat. A sea mist had formed during the night and he could see very little now. He had seen Frank being put on the lifeboat and then it rowed away from the sinking ship to join the others. Billy was only seven years old and now it seemed he had not only lost his parents but his older brother too. Fellow passengers and crew members assured him that Frank would be picked up and they would be reunited soon. Around mid-morning they are picked up by a Canadian minesweeper returning to Halifax. They docked there late in the afternoon and all the orphaned children were gathered together. Billy tried to tell them that he had a brother who had not arrived yet, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Everything was chaotic on the docks due to the war effort. Ships were being loaded and convoys were being formed and the docks were simply humming with activity like bees in a hive. Billy was jostled from pillar to post and finally found himself on a train to Smith's Falls, Ontario along with several other children. That was seventy years ago now, but he had never given up his search for his brother. Tomorrow he would be catching a train in Toronto that would reunite him with Frank once more.

***

Frank had arrived in Halifax one day later than Billy. He had been shipwrecked twice. The first boat that had picked them up was also torpedoed and once again he was forced into the lifeboat. This time however they gained some comfort from the fact that the destroyer escort did in fact sink the U-boat with its depth charges. Frank was watching from his lifeboat as the huge plumes of water rose up from the ocean as the charges exploded. Then on one of them, up came masses of oil and wreckage and several bodies. That boat was now at the bottom of the Atlantic. All the rescued passengers and crew cheered wildly when they saw that the U-boat had been sunk. It would no longer be sinking any other ships – although it had plenty of brothers and sisters who would continue to plague the North Atlantic and cost the lives of many brave souls. They were all lining the deck waving like crazy at the destroyer in a gesture of thanks and admiration for their efforts.

The destroyer then came back and picked them up and took them into Halifax. Upon his arrival Frank tried desperately to find Billy. He went around asking any official he saw if they knew anything or had seen his brother the day before. Nobody had and they could offer no help. There were simply too many orphans coming through and documentation was chaotic at best. Some families even changed the names of the orphans to correspond with their own – a sort of adoption in fact. It was a nightmare trying to reconcile who went where and with whom. Frank went frantic looking for young Billy – but he was lost forever. No record of him could be found and Frank didn't know for sure that Billy had actually landed in Halifax; he could have been lost at sea. For nine year old Frank this was a really devastating blow, Billy was all he had in the world and now even he had been taken away from him. All of that happened seventy years ago – but it was still fresh in Frank's mind. He had endured all manner of hardships during his life, and now, finally, he had retired. He was a grandfather now and his grandson was currently running the farm. Frank still lived in the old farmhouse that he and Amy had bought fifty years ago and raised their boys in, but he no longer ran the farm. It's time for them to earn their keep he joked. I'm going to sit back now and let them take care of me for a change.

It was Amy who took the phone call from Billy and she was too choked up to speak when she realized who he was. Tears were running down her face as she handed the phone to Frank, her hand trembling. Words failed her right then and Amy was seldom lost for words as her family well knew.

Frank just looked at her with that quizzical look of his and wondered what the hell had gotten her so upset. Seconds later they were both sobbing in each others arms. Their son Danny then picked up the phone and tried to carry on a conversation with his Uncle Billy who was also choked up and in tears. Between the long pauses he managed to figure out that his uncle would be up to visit them in a few days. He would be riding on "The Canadian" from Toronto and it was leaving on Friday morning. His father was beside himself with joy, but he couldn't stop sobbing. He hadn't seen or heard a word about his brother in seventy years and now, not only is he alive, he is coming to visit. Amy knew just what this meant to her husband and she was so happy for him. He had often told her the little things he could remember about Billy when he was a little boy, the things that they had done together and the mischief they had gotten up to. He had told her how they were in an air raid shelter when their house was blown up and that they were put in an orphanage a few weeks later. He had never gotten over the loss of Billy and he felt guilty for being separated from him on the ship.

But this news was way off the scale and Frank was over the moon with joy. He just couldn't believe it, little Billy was alive, he did survive after all. He was getting his little brother back – even if he was 78 years old.

As John was settling in and the train was just starting to move, an elderly man came and sat down beside him. He was gasping a little from having dragged his suitcase all over the station and John offered to stow it for him.

"Oh thank you," said Billy "even with wheels on them they seem to weigh a ton. I guess as you get older the cases get heavier. I'm Bill Byrne by the way."

"John Canon" John responded, "and that case is quite heavy, sir, for anyone at any age and that includes me. How far are you going?"

"I'm going up to Thunder Bay to see my brother and his family."

"Oh very nice, do you visit them often?"

"No this is the first time."

"When was the last time you saw them."

"Well I've never met his family, but the last time I saw my brother he was in a lifeboat in the Atlantic and that was seventy years ago now."

John was incredulous at this statement and his face obviously registered it. Billy had seen the expression of surprise on his face and he then went on to explain.

"Frank and I lost our parents during the war and they placed us in a Dr, Barnado's orphanage back in England. There were lots of orphaned kids in there back then due to the blitz. Anyway they decided that it was in our best interest to be shipped over to Canada and Frank and I got separated before we arrived. From there I was sent to a farm in Smith's Falls and I was then put to work."

Wow! Exclaimed John, "that's quite a story, when did you find your brother again?"

"Last Monday" replied Billy.

Once again John was dumbstruck.

"What! You only found out about him last Monday"

"Yep! That's right."

"That's incredible" said John, "you two will most certainly have a lot to talk about - seventy years worth to be exact."

"Yeah I guess we will, but you know I'm a little scared too."

"Why is that?"

"Well we really don't know each other anymore, not after seventy years."

"That won't matter, sir, trust me. You are the only family each of you has, the war took the rest and Frank will be as delighted to see you as you will him."

"What happened exactly?" enquired John.

"Well that's a long story and I don't want to bore you with it."

"You won't be boring me with a tale like that \- it's fantastic and I am so pleased for you – I can't wait to hear the whole story."

Billy settled down in his seat and unbuttoned his jacket. The train had picked up some speed now and it would be some time before it stopped again. All the passengers were now relaxed, some produced books, others magazines and some simply snoozed off as the gentle drum of the wheels on the tracks lulled them to sleep. Now that Billy was settled in for the trip he began his story.

"When I got off the boat in Halifax we were all herded into a warehouse on the wharf. Nobody knew who we were as all the records got lost when the ship sank. We were divided up into groups and led away to be asked questions. They wrote our names down on lists and then assigned us to various locations and different parts of the country. They did try to keep family members together, but it was not always possible due to the numbers involved and the requirements of particular families. Anyway, I was sent to a family farm in Smith's Falls. It was a pretty small farm as farms go in Canada, but it seemed huge to me at the time. The sons had gone off to Europe to fight in the war and this had left them short handed, myself and another boy were sent to replace them. Tony and I stayed there for several years doing farm work and driving tractors etc. We were treated quite well, just like family members, but it was hard grueling work. Farming is tough and you have to be up and running at the crack of dawn. I was only seven when I started. I would be up bright and early, collecting the eggs that the hens had laid, then milking the three cows and slopping out the barn. There was no shortage of chores to be done around a farm. As we grew older, Tony and I were given more adult things to do. We were among the fortunate ones though – we actually went to school. I learned later that some of the orphans never got that chance. Well not a formal education anyway. Tony and I actually went to high school; and graduated too, sort of, so we were among the lucky ones. I made lots of friends in school and had a pretty normal childhood I guess, well for a farm kid anyway. They all lived on farms too and had the same kind of chores that I did so it all seemed quite natural to me. We had a small creek that ran through our farm and Tony and I used to go fishing there or just play about in the water once our chores were done. We had a lot of fun down at the creek back in those days. Tony and I would make boats out of twigs and race them. One day we found a couple of frogs and we placed them on two pieces of wood and tried to race them down the stream. It didn't work though, they both jumped off into the water soon after we let the wood go. Still we had fun all the same. Mr. & Mrs. Tremblay were nice kind people and also hard working, but they recognized the need for young boys to have free time and to be able to play make believe and simply be boys." Bill's mind drifted off a little at this point as if he was remembering something from long ago. "You know, I still have that beat up old ragged dog that I brought from home all those years ago. It used to be Frank's but he gave it to me when he outgrew toy dogs. It's funny the things that you keep. That's my most treasured possession, even though it's worthless: it's in my suitcase right now."

"I can certainly understand that Bill, I most definitely can, no money in the world could ever replace that ragged old dog. It isn't worthless, Bill, its "priceless" and I can very well see why it would be precious to you. I think it is wonderful that you still have it and treasure it so much – I would too. Anyway, please continue with your story."

Bill then collected his thoughts once again and continued.

"When Mr. Tremblay died his wife sold off the farm. It was too much for her to run on her own and neither her sons nor Tony and I were interested in taking it on. Farming is a tough life and it simply didn't appeal to either of us. As a result, Tony and I moved into an apartment in Bellville together and began looking for work."

"How old were you then?" John enquired.

"We were sixteen at the time. I got a job in the local hardware store and Tony went to work as an errand boy and then he got a job at the local post office."

"I bet that must have been pretty tough on you both having to fend for yourselves at such a young age."

"Well yes and no, don't forget we had been living on a farm for most of our lives so we were pretty self-sufficient."

"Yes I imagine you were" said John reflectively.

"Tony moved away to Ottawa and got a job with the postal service a year later. He was quite high up in the Canada Post organization when he retired – manager for Eastern Canada or something I think he said he was."

"So what did you do then, Bill?"

"Well once Tony left I signed up for some night school courses and later on I signed up for some University courses and eventually I became a social worker."

"That was fantastic" said John, "why did you choose that field?"

"You know," he said hesitatingly, "I have often asked myself that very same question. The truth is I don't really know for sure. I guess I was drawn to it in a way – possibly due to my being separated from my family maybe. I just wanted to help people and I guess I knew a little about pain and suffering so this field seemed to fit me quite well."

John pondered this for a few seconds and then replied.

"I think you would be ideal in that position Bill, you could certainly empathize with people after what you had been through."

"Oh it wasn't all doom and gloom" said Bill. "I had quite a few laughs and a lot of personal satisfaction in being able to bring comfort to a lot of people's lives. When I retired I was in charge of the social programming for Ontario and my office was in Queens Park."

"So you worked for the government then" said John.

"Yes," he said with a wide grin on his face, "I was one of those overpaid Civil Serpents the taxpayers love to hate. I was a deputy minister when I retired."

"That is simply fantastic Bill and I truly mean that sir. What an achievement. Is that how you came to discover your brother, or get on his trail anyway?"

"No" he said, "I retired many years ago and only recently did I learn about Frank's existence. That in itself is another story, but I won't delve into that. I'll just give you the Reader's Digest version. One of the kids I had helped out years earlier had become a police officer. During his travels he came across a young boy who was getting himself into trouble and mixing with the wrong bunch – just as he had years earlier. One thing led to another and when the officer checked his background and delved into it deeper Frank's name came up. Upon further checking he began to realize that this Frank Byrne just might be related to me as I had told him my story years before. The rest as they say is history."

"Did the officer tell Frank about you?"

"No, I asked if I could do that and he happily obliged me. I hope to see him too when I get to Thunder Bay. He was a good kid – he's a Sgt. now in the Ontario Provincial Police."

"Wow", said John, "you will really have something to talk about when you get up there, I suspect that will be some reunion."

"Well that's my story" said Bill, "how about you, where are you headed?"

John had been so engrossed in listening to Bill's story it never occurred to him that Bill might be interested in learning a little about him. Bill's request came right out of the blue as far as John was concerned and it staggered him a little.

"Um er! Well," he stuttered, "I'm going to Vancouver. At least in the end I am anyway, I may stop off along the way to see the sights and do a little local exploring."

"Oh you are just going sightseeing then, you are not visiting people out West."

"No I am just going for the ride. I always wanted to see the country by train and I figured this was as good a time as any to do that."

"Well good for you" said Billy, "I always wanted to do that and I never did. I went to the Calgary Stampede once when I was younger, but we flew there on Wardair, they don't exist anymore as you probably know. A group of us went from the office. That was before I remarried – we had a terrific time out there too. I had a little more life in me then, he said with a glint in his eye."

"Yes Bill, I'm sure you did."

John thought for a few moments deciding as to whether or not to tell Bill his real reason for taking this trip. He then said to himself why not, what harm could it do?

"I lost my wife to cancer a few months back and my friends thought that this trip might be beneficial for me."

Bill just looked at John knowingly and said,

"It sure is nice to have good friends who care isn't it? I am so sorry to hear that about your wife, John, and you have my sincere sympathy. It was for that same reason my good friends took me to Calgary. I wasn't really in the mood to go as you can probably imagine – but looking back it was the best thing for me. Hopefully this trip will achieve the same purpose for you, John. I won't try to give you any homespun wisdom, but this much I will say – you can't experience life through the rear view mirror."

John pondered that statement for a few seconds. There was profound wisdom in it and it came from a man who knew what he was talking about.

"I guess I was feeling a little sorry for myself, Bill, but listening to your story has uplifted me in a way. It has shown me a glimpse of the potential that the future may hold. Your meeting with Frank after seventy years is an example of that – now that is truly awesome. You have given me back a positive sense of the future whereas I had been reliving the past and dwelling on old memories."

"Oh that's normal, John, we all do it, it's not productive, but it is to be expected. The future, however, contains promise and hope, John, something the past can never give you. I always dreamt that one day, through some miracle, Frank and I would meet up once more. It took over seventy years John – but tomorrow that miracle comes true. I get to see my big brother again."

John's eyes misted over at this point as he conjured up a visual image in his mind of two young boys adrift in the Atlantic. They were both calling out for each other as loud as they could, but their plaintiff cries were simply being swallowed up by the bitterly cold ocean wind. They never heard the reply that they so desperately needed to hear as they drifted farther and farther apart. Tomorrow they would get to hear each others voices once more. Yes indeed, that was a miracle and the future took on a whole new dimension for John now. He suddenly realized that he did in fact have a future – a revelation that was both heart warming and very uplifting.

It was getting late now and time to turn in for the night. John had hardly noticed the time flying by as he had been so engrossed in Bill's tale. It had continued in the dining car all through dinner and now it was bedtime. Bill's story had been enthralling and captivating, but it was the man himself that impressed John the most. Here was a 78 year old man who had had a traumatic childhood and difficult teenage years and yet he had achieved so much in life. In addition, he was also humble and genuine. As John reflected upon these things, he opined that when he reached that age people would have similar respect for him.

They met up again for breakfast the next morning.

"Good morning, Bill, did you sleep well?"

"Not really" he replied. "I guess I'm too excited about meeting Frank. I kept imagining all kinds of things and yet I have nothing to base them on. I won't even recognize him at the station, not after all these years."

"Oh yes you will" said John, "even I will know him. He'll be the one grinning from ear to ear with tears running down his face. You won't be able to miss that, Bill."

Bill just looked at him.

"There's just so much that I don't know" he said.

"Of course there is Bill and Frank will feel the same way. You have seventy years of memories to share, things that you have done places you have been and of course your families. The topics are endless, Bill, and will keep you going for quite a while. Neither one of you will be bored. To be reunited with a long lost brother is a magnificent gift and one I cannot possibly begin to imagine."

"I keep seeing him as he was back then," said Billy. "I've had those images engraved in my mind."

"That I suspect is quite normal, Bill, but in a few hours time you will get your big brother back, plus his family. The stories that you two will have to tell each other will be mind boggling and glorious."

"Well let's hope that you are right, John."

At that point they both settled down to eat their breakfast which the waiter had now placed before them. Today would indeed be an auspicious event in Frank's and Billy's life and a hearty breakfast was a good way to start it off.

Amy had felt her husband toss and turn all night long in bed. Frank was so excited he just couldn't settle down. He was going to meet up with his little brother tomorrow and his excitement was just too much to contain. He was up at the crack of dawn and ready right then and there to drive to the station even though the train was not due in until 11:40 am. Amy had gotten used to lying in bed a little longer now that they had retired from actively running the farm – but today was special and so she too got up early. Frank was prancing round like a dog with two tails. He had lain awake trying to conjure up images of what his baby brother would look like and thoughts about what kind of life he had led. Had life been kind to Billy or had he suffered a tough life with ungrateful and brutal people. All kinds of scenarios passed through his mind, together with the inevitable what ifs.

Frank was all over the map with his thoughts and he was about to be pleasantly surprised. Around 10:00 am both Frank and Amy set off for the station. Amy had been running around all morning making sure Billy's room was aired out and ready for him. Extra blankets were on hand just in case and the fridge and pantry had been stocked to capacity to accommodate his culinary preferences. This was a fatted calf situation so far as Frank was concerned and every effort was being made to make Billy's stay a memorable one.

After breakfast Billy and John had returned to their seats and exchanged names and addresses together with phone numbers. John was surprised to learn that Billy had an e-mail address too; it was something that not every pensioner of his age had. They got chatting about that for a while and John was really impressed with Billy's knowledge of computers. His grandchildren it seemed had instructed him and kept him up to date on all the latest fads.

At 11.45am the train pulls into the station at Thunder Bay and there would be a fifteen minute wait there. This was to allow for certain cargo items to be unloaded and others loaded aboard. John had offered to take care of Billy's suitcase for him.

"You just go and say hello to your brother, I'll bring your suitcase for you."

There were several people on the platform awaiting the arrival of the train, but Frank stood out like a sore thumb. His enthusiasm shone like a beacon and Amy was trying to calm him down. As Billy stepped down from the train he knew exactly who Frank was, his antics were quite distinctive and they both rushed towards each other. John followed at a more leisurely pace pulling Billy's suitcase behind him. As Frank and Billy embraced each other, Amy introduced herself to John and he responded in kind telling her who he was. Billy then turns and introduces John to Frank and introduces himself to Amy almost in one movement. The two brothers are totally beside themselves now and all sense of protocol was totally ignored. When John glanced at his watch, as it was getting close to departure time, Billy piped up saying,

"John, why not stay here a few days, you're not in any pressing hurry are you?"

"You'd be more than welcome to stay with us" said Amy.

"Oh I wouldn't think of putting you out like that on such short notice" said John.

"Nonsense" said Frank, "go and get your case, any friend of Billy's is more than welcome in my home."

"All aboard" yelled the conductor.

"Just one minute" shouted John as he jumped back on the train to retrieve his suitcase. It now rather looked like he was going to be spending a few days in Thunder Bay. It was totally unrehearsed and right out of the blue – but then that is what this trip was all about – new experiences.
Chapter Three

***

As the train was pulling out of the station en-route to Winnipeg and beyond, Frank, Amy, Billy and John were headed to the parking lot and Frank's SUV. It was not a long journey to their farm, but John found it to be an interesting one. It passed by an Indian reserve and John couldn't help but notice the difference in the lifestyles that they led compared to the others in the vicinity. Their homes, and the general area around them, were not in the best of condition and it was obvious that money was in short supply. John commented on it to Frank.

"Those Indians seem to be in need of a few things, don't they Frank. It looks kind of bleak over there."

"Oh sure" he replied, "they always do, but they always waste what they are given. In addition, the chiefs and the elders take whatever grant money is given to the tribe and they squander it on themselves. What little money the rest receive is spent on booze. It's a vicious cycle, they can't find work because they are drunk, and they get drunk because they can't get a job and there's nothing else to do. Plenty of government types have come and gone trying to break that cycle – but they all go home broken themselves and totally frustrated because they simply couldn't solve the problem. Mind you, one or two do manage to escape the cycle. Julie, my granddaughter has an Indian friend who went to college with her to train to be a nurse. She managed to get out and live a normal life."

"Oh, where is she now? asked John.

"Well right now she should be on her way back here for her break. Julie said that they were coming home and that they should be here later today.

"Oh that's nice; you'll get to see her as well as Billy then."

"That's right; it really is a beautiful day today isn't it?"

They continued on to the farmhouse. Billy and Frank were gabbing away a mile a minute and Amy and John were trying to catch the odd word here and there. It was a daunting task and so they both gave up in the end. John continued to look out of the car's window and take in the local scenery. It was sad to see the Indians on that reserve looking so defeated and lost. Their clothing was untidy and for the most part in need of washing. The children were barefooted and yet they seemed to be happy playing with each other. Their mothers however did not share the same carefree attitude to life. They were worried as to where the next meal was coming from. The men drank to drown their sorrows, but it was the women who really paid the price. All of this showed on their faces. These once proud men now looked dejected and their women simply felt that their lot in life was hopeless at best. Regardless of who was to blame for all of this, it was a depressing sight to see. There was considerably misery to be found on that reserve and John had picked up on it simply by observing the things he saw while driving by. Some people really do live desperate lives he thought to himself.

When they arrived at the farm Frank's son Danny and his wife Brook had prepared lunch for them all - and what a spread it was too. To John, it looked like it had been professionally catered by a leading quality hotel. Brook had done it all herself and it looked like a delicious and appetizing feast and most certainly fit for a king. Introductions were made all around and John was then informed that the rest of the family would be there for dinner and a proper meal would be served instead of a snack to tide them over as this was considered to be. They were quite serious about it too. They were not being pretentious or trying to impress anyone, they genuinely felt that this lunch was Spartan compared to what would be served for dinner. John was dumbfounded by this – but he found out later that they were in fact correct. The dinner being served that night could be confused with a medieval banquet, both in quality and quantity of food and the numbers attending. To John it appeared that half the town had shown up for this feast, but it was only their immediate relatives - then again I guess they could constitute half the town. It was only a small community when all was said and done.

It was at this dinner that John was introduced to Frank's Granddaughter Julie. She was a beautiful girl in her mid twenties with long flowing blonde hair. Her Friend Cheyenne was equally beautiful but with jet black hair which was in a pony tail on this occasion. They had been brought over to John by Frank who told them to look after Uncle Billy's guest. John certainly had no problem with that. Who would, they were both gorgeous.

"So, you met grandpa's brother on the train" said Julie.

"That's right I did," said John. "We had quite a long conversation too regarding how he had been separated from your Grandpa and how he had tried to find him all those years ago."

"Grandpa tried to find him too" said Julie, "but he wasn't sure that Uncle Billy actually survived."

"Yes, I know" said John; "it must have been a nightmare for them. All they had was each other and even that was snatched away from them and at such a young age."

"It must have been heartbreaking," said Cheyenne. "I can't begin to imagine it."

"Neither can I" said Julie.

"Well Billy's story kept me enthralled for the whole journey. That was quite the tale and I hope to hear more of it before I resume my travels."

"Oh so where are you going?" questioned Julie.

"Vancouver eventually" replied John. "I had always wanted to take a train ride across Canada and this just seemed like the perfect time to do it."

"Oh really, why is that?" asked Julie inquisitively.

"Er! Well," John stuttered, "my friends thought it might do me some good. My wife had died a few months ago and they thought this trip might be beneficial to me. Having met Billy I think they were right."

"Oh I'm so sorry John," said Julie, "I had no idea. Please accept my apologies and of course my sympathies for you loss."

"You don't need to apologize, Julie, you didn't know."

"Please add my sympathies to Julie's" said Cheyenne. "I am an orphan now so I think I can understand a little of what you may be going through."

"Thank you for that Cheyenne and at the same time, please accept my sympathies over the loss of your parents."

Julie quickly changed the subject and John caught on to that fact immediately. There had to be more to that story he thought and he decided to follow up on that when he had the right opportunity.

Frank and Billy had everyone enthralled with their tales of their childhood back in Coventry, England. The voyage across the Atlantic was barely mentioned. It was a painful episode in both of their lives and everyone knew the story by heart anyway by now. What Billy didn't know was what Frank had suffered when he first went to Sault Ste. Marie and the brutal people he was housed with. The Tremblays could be compared to the Cleavers in their treatment of Billy. Frank's hosts were a little less hospitable. His food was rationed, he was beaten and punished for the most trivial infraction of the rules – and there were plenty of rules to be observed. In addition he was worked like a dog – and so were the other boys and the farm's horses. There was no downtime on this farm for anybody. Illness was not tolerated and the chores had to be done whether you were sick or healthy. No excuses were tolerated and a beating would ensue if you dared to offer one. Frank had run away several times, but each time he had been picked up by the RCMP and returned home. Once he reached sixteen he ran away for good with a brother and sister who also worked on the farm. All three of them got menial jobs, but it was enough for them to get a roof over their heads. They managed to get a sub-let apartment and between them they made a go if it. Frank got a job in the mines at that point along with the girl's brother. The pay was not too bad, but the conditions left a lot to be desired. Some time later Jack Carter, Melody's brother, took ill with a lung infection and died. That just left Frank and Melody now to face the world together. It was pretty tough as neither of them had anyone else to care for them. They were not romantically drawn to each other as they were basically brother and sister in essence. Frank took it upon himself to protect Melody and look out for her. At times Melody resented this, but she knew where Frank's heart was and that he was only looking out for her. However, she was growing up now and taking an interest in boys. One thing led to another and Melody's choice in men, which was questionable in Frank's eyes, ended up as predicted. Melody got herself pregnant. Frank tried to talk her into having an abortion or failing that to have the baby adopted. It was of no use. Melody was all alone in the world; the baby would give her that sense of family that she craved. As Frank pointed out later, who was he to take that away from her? Thereafter they slowly drifted apart and Frank subsequently moved to Thunder Bay. He managed to get a job on a farm and he quickly worked his way up into a chargehand position. It was while he was working on that farm that he met Amy. There was a dance in the church hall one Saturday night and Frank and some of the farm hands had attended that shindig. Amy had begged her dad to let her go and promised to be home by 10:00pm. Frank had seen Amy arrive and he had been smitten by her as soon as she had walked into the room. She looked so fresh and clean and her hair had a silky luster to it. He went over to her and asked her to dance and she said "Yes". As Frank was dancing with her Amy had laid her head on his shoulder and the smell of her hair captivated Frank. He was mesmerized by Amy and her understated beauty and he had only just met her. Amy was embarrassed when she told Frank that she had to be home by 10:00pm but Frank said that was alright, he would walk her home. Amy was surprised by that thinking that he would want to stay and dance with the other girls that didn't need to go home so early. Frank saw her to the door and actually said "Good Evening Sir!" to her dad when he opened the door.

"Who was that young man" he asked.

"His name is Frank" said Amy, "he's Mr. Palethorpe's chargehand, at least I think that's what he said when I asked. He seemed like a nice boy and he offered to walk me home – he could have stayed as the other girls didn't have to leave so early."

"Well he seems to have some manners about him" said her father. "As for staying out later, it doesn't seem to have interfered with your enjoyment of the evening in any way Amy. Judging by the look on your face I would say that you had a good time wouldn't you?"

Amy blushed at this as she knew what her father was hinting at.

"Oh Daddy! It was only a local dance. I only had about six dances and three of them were with Frank."

"Did he ask to see you again by any chance?"

"Yes he did as a matter of fact – on Saturday afternoon to go to the movies."

"Ah," said her dad smiling, "it seems that you are like your mother then Amy. One night out and the poor man didn't stand a chance, that Irish charm worked its magic once more did it? I'd better warn Mr. Palethorpe to be on the look out for a replacement chargehand soon then."

"Oh Daddy behave, I've only just met the boy."

"That's what your mother said to her dad too – but she soon reeled me in didn't she? The poor man's doomed."

With that he turned around and left the room leaving a still blushing Amy to sit and imagine what promise lay in store for her on Saturday afternoon at the movies and perhaps a little later into the evening. Although she had only just met Frank, Amy sensed there was something special about him, something that she wished to fully explore, despite her father's teasing her about him. As it turned out he was right and a year later Amy and Frank were married. It was only a few years after that, they bought their own farm, the one they now live on and things then significantly improved for Frank. He still had minor setbacks from time to time – crop failures, market slumps etc. but overall Frank now prospered and turned his farm into a far larger enterprise. It was one that now makes the whole family a very comfortable living. Frank, like Billy had triumphed in the end. The two brothers had started off with very little, but through hard work and perseverance they had carved out a future for themselves. One that each of them, and their families could be justly proud of.

John had listened to Frank's tale along with Billy and he had been engrossed in it. Then it was Billy's turn and they all waited eagerly to hear about his family and his life to date. Billy then went on to explain about his second wife and their family back in Bellville. He related how they met and fell in love and all the details about their children, their careers and of course their grandchildren. John meanwhile was more interested in getting Julie to one side to ask her about Cheyenne. There was just something about that girl that intrigued him and what intrigued him even more was the fact that Julie had immediately redirected the conversation when the subject of her family came up. There had to be a story attached to that and John wanted to know exactly what that was, preferably in fine detail. When Julie excused herself to go to the bathroom, John got up also, ostensibly to stretch his legs after all that sitting. Nobody questioned that at all. As Julie emerged from the bathroom, John just happened to be walking by.

"Oh! Hi Julie, I wanted to talk to you. I noticed that when we were talking before and I mentioned Cheyenne's family you changed the subject rather quickly. I gathered that it was not a subject that should be discussed and I just wanted to know why? I don't want to put my foot into it if I can avoid it."

"Well it's a long story, John, but I guess you should know the details seeing as you will no doubt be seeing Cheyenne around here quite often. Her father murdered her mother and then killed himself. He was drunk at the time and it was considered an accident. Nobody ever questioned how that was determined, but it meant that the insurance company paid out on the Life Insurance policy he had. They do not pay out on suicides as you probably know."

'Wow, I had no idea, no wonder you wanted to change the subject. Cheyenne must be pretty sensitive on that subject."

"Oh there's much more to it John. Cheyenne was fifteen at the time and she then moved in with her aunt and uncle. Her uncle was also a drunk, but he was less violent. He was a member of the tribal council and also a womanizer. He never bothered Cheyenne, but he was well known on the reserve for having a roving eye, shall we say. Life on the reserve was pretty tough back then, not that it's much better now" she added. "Her father was a member of the tribal council together with her uncle and they used to drink heavily. Anyway, rumor has it that Eddie; her father's brother was secretly having an affair with her mother. That was the rumor that started it all anyway. Everyone on the reserve thought this was the case, at least at the time. Eddie was known to spread his wings a little from time to time and so it seemed reasonable to assume this was the case. Eddie was not a man to be refused and he can be quite brutal at times. Anyway, to cut a long story short, Eddie had raped Cheyenne's mother twice, they were not having an affair. She just hadn't told her husband for fear of the consequences. In this instance she had been quite right not to tell him – but someone else did. He then confronts Eddie and comes off the worst for wear afterwards. Then he goes home thinking that his wife had been unfaithful to him with his brother. He then shoots her and then himself. It came out later that Eddie had raped her and that she had done nothing wrong. The tribal elders turned a blind eye to all of this, he was one of them after all and their behaviour was less than stellar. They wouldn't want people poking their noses into their private lives so it was all swept under the carpet. When the police came round to investigate, they all lied like rugs so to speak."

"That must have been tough on Cheyenne seeing all of this going on."

"It was and she came to stay with us here for a while. I mean she had been used to living in a violent home, most on the reserve are that way due to the booze problem, but it was tough on her. Anyway the money from the insurance policy allowed her to go to school and get a decent education. That of course didn't sit too well with the tribal elders who felt she was trying to distance herself from them – being better than them if you like. She went back to living on the reserve for a while, but then she was accepted into nursing college and moved to Toronto with me."

"That sounds like a good plan, are you both in the same program at the same college?"

"Yes we are, Seneca College, and this is our last semester, we graduate in June."

"Well congratulations then Julie, that's terrific and I wish you the very best. Do you have any job opportunities lined up yet?"

"No I don't, but Cheyenne does. The medical clinic on the reserve needs a nurse and they have offered the position to Cheyenne seeing as she is one of them and knows the score there."

"Well I can see the sense in that, I guess" said John. "Does she have to reside on the reserve?"

"I don't think it is a requirement, but it would be more convenient," replied Julie.

"Yes I can see that – and perhaps the elders may be a little more favorably disposed towards her too if she chose to live amongst them once she had qualified as a fully fledged nurse."

"Cheyenne hopes that they will too, she just wants to help the people. Tribal politics she wants very little to do with. Alcoholism is the big problem and the effect it has on family life. She knows she won't be able to cure it, but she hopes to be there to help the victims of it – the women and kids basically."

"Is there a physician that visits regularly?"

"Not exactly, there is one she can call in case of emergency, and what constitutes an emergency is very narrowly defined. Other than that they have to call an ambulance and go to the local hospital ER. Once Cheyenne gets set up in there she will be able to handle a lot of the stuff that the ER has to deal with right now."

"Well thank you for filling me in, Julie, I appreciate the information and I'll know how to act now when Cheyenne is around."

***

Cheyenne had left earlier to go home to the reserve. Brook had walked part of the way with her as she wanted to go home and check on her kids and make sure that they had gone to bed on time as they had promised. Danny had stayed behind to hear about Billy's past exploits. When Brook turned off down the road to her house, Cheyenne kept on walking towards the reserve. Her uncle had been drinking in town that night and was now driving home in a stupor. The local police knew all about him, but they turned a blind eye to it all. He drove past Cheyenne, all over the road as usual and then on home. He staggers into his house and falls asleep on the sofa. His wife certainly had no complaints about that. If he was asleep down there he was not bothering her with his sexual demands – and he was not a man to be refused. Cheyenne came in a few minutes later and started getting ready to go to bed. The house was peaceful now. As Cheyenne got into bed she could hear the sounds of arguments coming from some of the other homes and the familiar screams and yells – but tonight, her home was not one of them. The following afternoon was a very different story. Her uncle Eddie was drunk yet again. He had attended a morning council meeting and tea and biscuits were seldom served on such occasions, especially when they had duty free liquor available. Eddie had come home in a rage about something and he was hell bent on taking it out on someone, Shawna being the usual victim. However, today was her day to visit her mother in town and she was not available. Cheyenne however was still at home. Eddie had stormed in looking for his wife and was most annoyed when he found out she had gone to see her mother. Cheyenne then became the focus of his attention. She was after all a beautiful young filly and definitely worthy of his sexual attention. With that observation on his mind he set out to gratify his lust and give Cheyenne the benefit of his expertise. He had sampled her mother, now it was her turn. Cheyenne had seen this brewing and had fled out of the back door. She had run across the fields to Brook's house as that was the closest. Eddie had seen this from the kitchen window and he was most upset. He then stormed on over to Danny's house to drag her back. Danny was at home at the time, but that didn't deter the drunken Eddie. He goes roaring over there looking for trouble. Danny tried to reason with him, but it was no use. A fight broke out and Danny got the worst of it – he was no match for the much larger man who was also in a drunken rage. Cheyenne then fled again, this time to Frank's place. She was totally out of breath when she arrived and in quite a state. Julie answered the door and she practically collapsed in her arms. John was in the next room when all of this commotion was taking place and he had heard most of it. Frank and Amy were in there too and they were worried.

"What if he comes on over here?" Amy asked.

"Well I have my shotgun" said Frank.

"You can't kill him, Frank; they'll lock you up, even if he does deserve it."

"There's no reasoning with that man" he said, "what else can I do?"

At this point, John butted in,

"Perhaps I could have a word with him and calm him down. I do have a little experience in that area."

"He won't listen to reason", said Frank.

"Oh I think he'll pay attention to me" said John.

Just then a truck came barreling up the drive and skidded to a halt and out of it staggered Eddie. Frank was about to go out, when John stopped him.

"I'll deal with this, sir, just let me handle it."

With that John got up and went outside to intercept Eddie.

"Who the f**k are you?" he snarled.

"I'm a friend of the family."

"I want my Cheyenne"

"Well she is busy right now, but perhaps I can give her a message if it is important."

"Now you listen to me A***hole, I want to see her right now and you ain't f***ing well going to stop me alright."

"I'm afraid I will have to, Sir, if you take one more step. You are trespassing on Mr. Byrne's farm and he wants you to leave, go home and sober up." "Screw you" growled Eddie and he lunged forward. That was a mistake as he soon discovered. He was writhing in agony on the floor instantly. John had hold of him by his wrist and he was applying pressure with his thumb, Eddie was now screaming in pain.

"I did warn you, Sir," said John. "If you come here looking for trouble then you will have to deal with me. This time I am giving you a warning and letting you walk away. Next time, if there is a next time? you will not walk away; in fact in all likelihood you will never walk again. Have I made myself clear? The Byrne's are my friends and so is Cheyenne. Harm one hair on that girl's head and I shall be paying you a personal visit - and trust me – that problem you don't need. Now take Mr. Byrne's advice and go home and sober up."

To emphasize that point, John applied an arm lock that threatened to dislocate Eddy's shoulder from its socket. The pain was intense as John applied the pressure using both hands now and Eddy was screaming in agony and John's facial expression told him all he needed to know about this man. Eddie took the advice and left. He was not a very happy man, but he recognized power when he saw it and that guy was someone to be afraid of despite his polite manner, of that he was quite sure. He sensed immediately that this man was not one to tangle with. He had that self assured air about him and one that instilled fear. This man could be lethal and Eddie certainly believed his threat to cripple him. He had already experienced how quickly he had put him down and the pain he had caused him, and it had been expertly done. No this man was one to respect he felt, messing with him could be life threatening.

"Well now John that was impressive" said Julie, "who are you, Rambo's brother?"

"Nah! his cousin actually" he said laughing.

"No seriously, John, that really was something, everyone around here is afraid of Eddie. He won't take kindly to being treated like that."

"Well he better change his ways then," said John.

Julie just looked at him,

"Just who are you really, I don't recall you telling anyone what you do for a living?"

"Right now I am a sightseer who rides on trains, Oh! and I rescue damsels in distress en-route."

Julie poked him.

"I'm being serious, John."

"Yes I know Julie, I'm sorry. Actually I'm sort of between jobs right now. I used to work for the government, but then I came into some unexpected good luck and I resigned. As of right now I don't know what the future holds for me."

Julie looked at him quizzically.

"You don't come across as a pencil pusher John, what exactly did you do in the Government?"

"Oh a little of this and a little of that and as little of anything as possible – you know how it is."

"Yes and I know BS when I hear it too. You are ex-military aren't you?"

"Well I could tell you, but than I'd have to Kill you" he joked.

This time, Julie paused.

"You know, John, that is probably closer to the truth than anything else you have said. I won't push it further I promise" said Julie. This time John just smiled at her, put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

Julie now had a pretty good idea of what John used to be and she had seen first hand his capability in dealing with unsavory individuals. Eddie had definitely walked away humiliated, if not downright afraid. That was not something you see every day, and certainly not where Eddie was concerned.

She now had considerable respect for John in addition to her already liking him. Cheyenne too fell into the same category. To her John was her knight in shining armour and she now came out to join Julie and to thank him at the same time.

"Thank you, John; it was very good of you to do that."

"Aw Shucks ma'am twas nothing much – glad to be of service"

He said this in his best western drawl and it drew a smile from both girls.

"Seriously, John, I mean it, you didn't have to get involved and Uncle Eddie can be pretty mean when he is drunk."

"Yes I can see that, but I suspect he will leave you alone from now on. If by any chance he does not heed my advice, then you call me."

"What will happen when you leave? I can't call you then."

"Oh yes you can and I'll make Uncle Eddie aware of that fact. Air travel these days is very convenient; I can be here in a few hours, Cheyenne. Once Uncle Eddie is aware of that I'm sure he will respect your right to privacy."

"Yes I'm quite sure he will" chipped in Julie. "I don't think you have too much to worry about now, Cheyenne. Eddie will think twice about bothering you after John's motivational talk."

Julie said this sarcastically with a huge grin on her face and John just grinned at her. Cheyenne just looked at John with sheer admiration in her eyes. She had never met a man like him before. He was kind and gentle and generally unassuming, but he was fearless too and obviously could handle himself very well. His manners were impeccable and yet he had a sense of humor about him and that made people feel relaxed around him. She had been told he had lost his wife recently and he was grieving her loss still. However, that also told her that there was no other woman in his life – at least not yet. Cheyenne then decided that she wanted to be that woman as and when John was ready to start dating again.

Over the next few days John had learned more about the local community and seen the joyous reunion between Frank and Billy blossom. He could see the love in their eyes as these two old men reminisced about their childhood and filled in additional details about their subsequent lives and adventures. It had taken his mind off Pam completely and that had been the idea behind the trip. John had not really thought about it, he had simply been enthralled in what was going on around him and the tales being told. Then of course there was the distraction of Uncle Eddie and his remedial therapy. On top of that was the mystique of that raven haired beauty, Cheyenne. She had definitely made an impression on John, one he just wasn't fully aware of yet.

She had been around on the farm most days as well as the reserve and Uncle Eddie had not posed a problem or even mentioned that prior incident. It would appear that the problem had finally dissipated, well, at least as far as Cheyenne was concerned. He certainly was not bothering her at all. As for Shawna and the kids – well it was business as usual there she suspected.

The following day as John is walking in the yard on his way to the barn he sees a car driving up the track. It's a police car with the insignia of the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) on the side and roof. It pulls into the yard and a middle aged police sergeant steps out. Frank had seen the car coming up the track and he had now emerged from the farmhouse.

"Is that really you George, he called out."

"Yeah it is, I'm here to you arrest you for vagrancy – we've received some complaints. They said some old bum was roaming around and being a nuisance. I should have realized it was you, you old goat."

Both men embraced each other with tears in their eyes. It had been a long time since they had seen each other. To Sgt. George Parker, Frank was the nearest thing to a dad that he had ever known. He had guided him down the right path when he was younger and in constant trouble and he was responsible for him now being a police officer. The affection they had for each other was obvious and it was George that had brought Frank and Billy together. George was on duty right then and could not stay for very long, but he was invited for dinner the following night together with his wife, Betty. Frank had never met her and this was something George wanted him to do and so did Frank.

The following evening another family banquet took place, this time with George and Betty Parker as the celebrities. Everyone was regaled with the tales of how rough and tough George used to be and the mischief he would get himself into. He had them all in stitches one minute and in the next they were almost in tears. Frank had straightened him out and for that he would be eternally grateful. It was because of him that his life had turned out so well. He had been to the police college, he had met Betty and they were deliriously happy. All of it due to the help and guidance he had received from Frank. It was patently obvious to all at that table how much those two loved each other and George was simply over the moon at being the one that brought Frank and Billy together. It was a kind of repayment for everything Frank had done for him. Until then he had not been able to do anything for Frank in return. This pleased him to no end and seeing the joy on Frank's face today now that he was reunited with his big brother was beyond measure. John and everyone else at that table learned a great deal more about Frank that night. Things that he himself would never have mentioned, what he had done for George went way beyond his social work duties. It was perfectly clear why George loved him now – he had almost been a father to him and at just the right time too. George didn't have much of a future; Frank gave him one and George didn't squander that gift. As John looked at the two of them together, laughing at the former antics that George had got up to, he felt a glow inside himself. Frank was an old man now, but he was well loved by many people. He had a family at long last, and George was definitely a part of that family now. Billy had landed in Canada with nothing but a suitcase and a ragged old toy dog, a dog that when it was produced and shown to Frank reduced both men to tears on the spot. That instance John would cherish forever. Seeing those two old men recall the memories attached to that ragged old toy dog after all they had been through was awe inspiring and to John - priceless. He considered himself fortunate indeed to have seen all of this and to have been a part of this celebration. It had been an emotionally charged visit but uplifting and heartwarming and he was thankful he had been invited to be a part of it. The rest of his journey would now be rather dull after this he thought – he was certainly wrong about that as he would soon find out.

One evening when they were all sitting together having just finished dinner, John announced that it was time for him to resume his journey. They all knew this day was coming, but it was sad news all the same, especially for Cheyenne. Julie too was upset by it, she now considered John a close and valued friend. She would drive him into town the following morning and organize his ticket for the next stage of the trip. The day after that John would set off on his travels once more. This first stage was now drawing to a close, but it had been an awesome one. The people he had met and the saga that had unfolded right before his eyes was simply indescribable. He then recalled Brian's words to him; "I met a lot of interesting people on those train rides" – now he had to agree with them. Brian had been one hundred percent correct on that score. He had made arrangements to stay in touch with all of the Byrne's and Cheyenne had given him her e-mail address, and he could facetime her on her I-pad too – if he wanted to? That was how she had worded it. John didn't pick up on the implication, but Julie did.

"Cheyenne, do you have feelings for John? You do don't you." She had asked and answered her own question. Cheyenne had reddened; she had not expected to be caught out like that.

"Yes" she stammered, "but he doesn't know it and he's only just lost his wife."

"I see" said Julie, "he certainly is a nice man, Cheyenne, you could do far worse. Don't give up, keep in touch and if it is supposed to be, it will happen. You certainly have my sincere best wishes. Just keep me in mind for a bridesmaid OK."

Cheyenne just turned to her with her eyes all teared up and gave her a hug.

"You'll be my first choice, Julie. How could I not choose my best friend?"

Cheyenne was definitely drawn to John. She had seen him in the barn one morning working out without his shirt on. He had strong powerful shoulders and arms to match. His waist was trim and his stomach muscles were rock hard it seemed as he was pulling himself up into the beam. She realized that he was in pretty good shape and must attend a gym on a regular basis. I better get myself in shape in that case she thought. Although he was built like a Greek God he had a certain simplicity about him. He was handsome but not conceited and he was very personable and easy going. In addition he had this air of self assurance and as she had seen already, he was not a man to be pushed around. However, despite all that he had this gentleness and a sense of caring about him. To Cheyenne, John's personal magnetism had her polarized. She was determined to get closer to John if she could, he was her knight in shining armor now, but as yet only Julie knew that. John shook hands with everyone before he left for the station with Julie; Cheyenne was going along for the ride – ostensibly to keep Julie company on the way back. He had given Frank and Billy a huge hug and promised to stay in touch with them both. He thanked Amy and Brook for all of their efforts and their magnificent hospitality and they too received hugs. It was then time to leave and they set off for the station in Thunder Bay. The train pulled into the station a minute early and John went on board immediately to find his seat and stow his suitcase. He then went back onto the platform to say goodbye to the girls. Julie said goodbye first and John gave her a big hug and kissed her goodbye saying he would keep in touch. Then it was Cheyenne's turn to say goodbye and this she was not happy about. She was definitely going to miss John, more so than anyone would realize; with the possible exception of Julie. Cheyenne was rather shy at first and quite hesitant, but Julie gave her a prod..

"Go on Cheyenne, say goodbye to John properly. "With that she threw her arms around his neck and hugged and then kissed him, her tears falling down his neck. It had surprised John to experience the display of affection shown by Cheyenne and the warmth with which it had been delivered. What surprised him even more was his response to it. He had wrapped his arms around her unconsciously and retuned her affection with equal zeal. The connection was there and now they both knew it. Where it would lead in the future – only time would tell? Right now John had a train to catch.

### Chapter Four

***

Once the train pulled out of the Thunder Bay Station John settled down for the trip. The first leg had turned out to be an unexpected and most enjoyable venture. He had met some wonderful people and made many new friends. He had all their respective phone numbers and e-mail addresses and he was determined to keep in touch with them all. As the train trundled on giving out that familiar drumming sound of the wheels John's mind drifted off. He was gazing idly out of the window, but his mind was elsewhere. He couldn't seem to get Cheyenne out of his thoughts. That farewell hug and kiss that she gave him kept coming to mind. Why was that? After all, he hardly knew the girl, or Julie for that matter. As he reflected on this he thought of Pam. Yes, he said to himself, Pam would have liked both of those girls. Apart from being nurses like her, they were just very nice people. He had helped Cheyenne out of a difficult situation with her Uncle Eddie and Pam would have approved of that he thought. Nobody needs to be treated like that and Pam too would have opened her arms to Cheyenne just as Julie had. John now told himself that he had done the right thing and that was why Cheyenne had been grateful. He told himself that – but somewhere deep inside he knew better. That goodbye kiss contained something more than simple gratitude and it was this that his subconscious mind couldn't forget. Over the next two thousand miles he would have many more visions of Cheyenne as this odyssey continued.

Julie and Cheyenne had left the station and then gone to the mall to do some shopping as they both had a few things that they needed to pick up. It was clothing mainly and a few toiletries. The prices up in Thunder Bay seemed to be cheaper than in Toronto and saving a few dollars was definitely something they were interested in on their meager income. They walked around for some time just window shopping and working up an appetite. As it was more or less lunchtime they decided to stay in the mall and have lunch there in the fast food court. The pair of them walked up and down the food kiosks seeing what fare was on display to give them an idea as to what they felt like eating that day. It was hardly the feast that the Byrne's would provide, but they had to choose something. Julie picked out a Chinese meal and strangely enough Cheyenne came back and sat down opposite her with a Japanese meal. Obviously Asian cuisine was in vogue with both of them that day. This was something that the Byrne's did not have on their menu the other evening and perhaps that is why they subconsciously selected it.

The subject of John and his journey was the main topic of discussion. Julie knew that Cheyenne was smitten with John and she was digging to see just what Cheyenne intended to do about it. She also knew that she was rather shy and on the reserved side; that much she knew from living with her at nursing college. Julie was determined to make sure that Cheyenne didn't blow this and let John slip off the hook and get away. She had made up her mind that Cheyenne and John would make a great pair. Pam's recent death was a complication, but not an insurmountable one; at least not in Julie's eyes. They both had to return to nursing college to finish their studies and take their final exams, but once they had been completed she intended to get down to business as a matchmaker. If John and Cheyenne didn't become an item and subsequently get married it certainly wouldn't be Julie's fault. John was still idly gazing out of the window when a middle aged woman approached him.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked.

"No ma'am it is all yours if you wish"

"Oh thank you" she replied and she went to retrieve her suitcase from its former location three seats behind his. When she came back with it, John helped her place it in the overhead stowage bin.

"I hope you don't mind me coming to sit beside you. The man sitting next to me made me feel a little nervous, he was drunk and he had obviously neglected his personal hygiene. I know that makes me sound a little snooty, but I simply didn't feel relaxed sitting next to him"

"That's quite alright ma'am, I don't mind at all, in fact it will be nice to have a little company for the trip. How far are you going?"

"I'm travelling to Edmonton and then on to Fort Wainwright to visit my sister. We haven't seen each other for some time and now would be a good time to catch up with each others lives. She has a lot on her plate right now and she could use a little support."

"I see" said John, "well I'm sure she will welcome your support. That's what families do in times of need, they gather round and offer to help."

"Yes they do, I just hope I can be of help and don't add to her problems. I certainly don't want to poke my nose where it is not wanted. She has enough headaches already."

"Oh I am sure she will find your visit helpful, anyone as considerate as you appear to be is hardly likely to add to the problem. You seem to be a very caring sister and certainly not a busy body type, or for that matter a gloater. You know, one of those people who take a delight in telling others - I told you so."

"Well I'm not one of those, but as I said we haven't been all that close in recent years."

"I have just spent a few days in Thunder Bay with two gentlemen who were separated seventy years ago" John explained. "They were absolutely ecstatic to see each other. Family Reunions are like that. Many people drift apart for a variety of reasons and in some cases pride stops them from reaching out when they need help. I feel quite sure that your sister will welcome you with open arms even if this reunion is long overdue."

"Thank you for your encouraging comments, they are just what I needed to hear, I feel a little more relieved now. I'm glad I chose to sit next to you."

It was getting close to lunchtime now and John turned to the woman and said,

"I am just going to the dining car for lunch would you like to join me?"

"That would be lovely" she replied, "are you sure it is no imposition, I don't wish to impose myself upon you for the remainder of the trip."

"Not at all, ma'am, I welcome the company, it is no imposition whatsoever."

The woman then accepted John's invitation and they both ventured off to the dining car. They got to know a little more about each other over lunch and John learned that her name was Marion Sharp and that she was a teacher, in Raleigh North Carolina. She was a rather attractive woman and John estimated that she would be in her early fifties – give or take. She was well dressed, well groomed and obviously took pride in her appearance. Her hair was rather short but there was a luster to it and just a faint and subtle whiff of perfume could be detected now and then. He was about to learn that there was a lot more to this woman and the reason for her trip than he could ever have imagined.

The train was rolling along at a fair clip now and John and Marion had returned from the dining car and were now sitting back in their seats. The drumming sound of the wheels and a full stomach had a calming effect on John and he began to doze off with his head against the seat back. Marion had produced a book and was now reading it. John had been dozing for some twenty minutes or so when something jolted him back to reality. He wasn't quite sure what had wakened him, but he was wide awake now. He glanced across at Marion and noticed she had put her book down now and tears were flowing down her face.

"Are you alright Marion?"

"Oh I'm sorry John, I thought you were asleep"

"What's wrong, is there anything I can do?"

"No John, it's a little too late for that now and it's a rather long story."

"Well in case you hadn't noticed ma'am we are on a train and I'm not going anywhere; for a while at least, and I just love stories."

"Yes well this one is no Fairy Tale and there is no reason for us both to be depressed."

"You know, Marion, you're quite right. However a friend recently pointed out to me that sharing ones troubles often sheds a different light on them. That doesn't mean that they will go away – but they may feel a little less intense. He also pointed out that telling a stranger who was not directly involved could be therapeutic. You have shared your grief but you have not burdened the other person simply because they are not party to the problem. They can simply listen and say nothing - in which case you may feel better for unloading the weight off your shoulders. Or on the other hand they may offer a different perspective that may enable you to see things a little differently. That friend was the reason behind my taking this train trip and I now know from personal experience that he was one hundred per cent correct in what he said. If whatever it is has you this upset Marion, then please feel free to relate it to me. I don't wish to intrude on your private life – don't misunderstand me, but I am a good listener. As they say, a trouble shared is a trouble halved and I am more than willing to listen and offer any comfort I can if you'll allow me that privilege."

"You are very kind and thoughtful John, but it's a sad story in one way and embarrassing in another."

"No one is judging you on this train Marion. It's just a train not a courthouse. I seem to recall a biblical quotation that says something like; "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone". Well ma'am given that edict I am in no position to be casting stones and I doubt anyone else on this train is either. In addition, you won't be telling any of them, only me. However, it's up to you, Marion, if you feel like talking then I am more than willing to listen."

Marion dried her eyes, settled back in her seat and gave a faint sigh. Her eyes sort of glazed over as she looked up at the carriage roof. John could almost see her collecting her agonizing thoughts and putting them in order so that she could relate this saga accurately and yet he could almost feel the pain that she was in as she was doing so. Whatever this story entailed there was a lot of anguish attached to it; and that was clearly etched on Marion's face. What John was now about to hear would make soap opera producers green with envy - as they say, fact is indeed stranger than fiction.

"I'm not really sure where to start, John, so I guess I'll just go right back to the beginning and take it from there."

"Well that seems like a reasonable place to start – as a general rule anyway. That way people have a more complete picture in their minds," replied John.

"It all began thirty years ago when Jane and I were still young girls; well Jane was anyway, I was just in my early twenties. We were both single then but we did have boyfriends. Needless to say we were young and foolish and doing all the wrong things that young people do, smoking, drinking and experimenting with Pot etc. We would go out on double dates to the movies or to a local bar and have some fun. Jane was the pretty one and all the boys loved her. Unfortunately that included my own boyfriend. They were sneaking around behind my back and I was totally unaware of it. This had been going on for months and several of my friends suspected it even if they didn't know for certain. I found out purely by accident one day when I had returned home unexpectedly. Jane made some excuse and left, but Rob of course stayed behind. His jacket was draped over the back of the chair and when he went into the washroom I noticed something sticking out of his pocket. Ordinarily I wouldn't have paid any attention to something like that. However, this particular item was Pink and that was not a color one expects a boy to have hanging out of his pocket. I became curious and went over to have a closer look – it was Jane's underwear. I knew it immediately, it was quite distinctive; and to make matters worse, I had bought it for her birthday.

That really shook me up, I was heartbroken, but I never told her that I had found out. I continued seeing Rob for a few more months and then it all fell through. I never told him about my discovery either. I was seething mad and jealous of my sister back then and I set out to pay her back. She had just recently got engaged and my parents threw a party for her. I decided that night to get my own back on her. Everyone was drinking and having a great time, including my sister. Jane was floating around that room like a princess. I then decided to vamp myself up and go after Sam her fiancé. He had been drinking, but he was by no means drunk. I came on to him, and him being a man, he couldn't resist when it was offered to him on a plate. I didn't like Sam at all, in fact I hated him really, but I wanted my revenge. I was a real bitch, but I was hurting and I just wanted to get back at her. Well it backfired on me – Sam impregnated me. I thought I was safe, but I obviously miscalculated. I gave birth to my son nine months later. My parents threw me out at that point and my sister never spoke to me for years. She forgave Sam and married him some eighteen months later. They had two children together a boy and a girl. Then Jane found out that Sam was still playing around, this time with her neighbor's daughter. Apparently she had just moved back home after her divorce and she was on the prowl. Jane had welcomed her to the neighborhood and invited her into her home. Well the woman repaid her hospitality by sleeping with her husband every opportunity she got. After all she was recently divorced and quite needy so it seemed. Anyway, Sam got her pregnant too, he was not too keen on condoms wasn't Sam and this woman had an agenda. Oh, she said she was on the pill and it must have failed, it can you know in certain instances. This was her story anyway, but Jane had had enough by then and she divorced Sam and changed her name back to Mitchell. He subsequently married this girl; her name was Donna I think. Sam was not the sharpest knife in the draw and he married Donna without knowing too much about her or why she was divorced in the first place. Well it turned out that she too liked variety and she had several admirers in tow at any one time. Jane said that she looked like a trailer park tart, good figure, no brains and always ready to party. Not long afterwards she became HIV positive and went downhill fast, hitting the bottle and then doing drugs. The Children's Aid people came and took away their little boy and put him in foster care. When Sam got tested initially he was deemed to be clear, it was a false negative and he received no treatment. He died a few years later. It was a horrible death and even Jane didn't wish that on him. I didn't either; he was the father of Danny my son. My parents had still not forgiven me for sleeping with Jane's fiancé. Down there in the Bible belt, John, such things are not taken lightly you know. Their social prestige had been tarnished by their Jezebel like daughter and her capricious behaviour. This was simply not acceptable. Anyway I had moved to a small town on the coast called Southport and secured a teaching job there. I met my husband George, there; he was the deputy principal back then. He took a shine to me and he accepted Danny as his own. We later had two children of our own, a boy we named Ted and a girl called Emily."

"Where are they now," John asked, "didn't they want to come with you?"

"Oh yes they did, very much so, they didn't want me to face this on my own.

However, I insisted that this was something my sister and I had to resolve."

"I see," said John, "I'm sorry to interrupt, please continue."

"Anyway, George and the kids are back home in Raleigh right now but they are going on a trip to London and Paris tomorrow. I could have gone too, but when this came up I knew I had to come up here and try to set things right. Jane never remarried and now her life has blown up in her face and I felt I just had to make the effort. In the last month her son has returned from Afghanistan in a wheelchair and her daughter has been diagnosed with Leukemia."

"Oh wow! She certainly does have a lot on her plate"

"Yes she does and I want to be there to help her, however, I'm not the one who can, my Danny is. Right now he is not kindly disposed to Jane and her kids and he's reluctant to be tested as a potential donor of bone marrow. Jane had said some less than flattering things about him recently when he got himself into a spot of trouble with the NASCAR officials."

"Is he a race car driver?" asked John.

"Yes, but he got into some trouble when he banged into another car and the driver lost control and died as a result of his injuries."

Suddenly John realized who she was talking about. It had been all over the papers. Danny (the needler) Neidlemeir had caused the death of Tony Drake by aggressive and dangerous driving on the track. He had been ultimately cleared by track officials, but fellow drivers would no longer get on the track with him. Effectively that had ended his career. He had a reputation for goading people into making errors by needling them as they were racing around the track at one hundred and eighty miles and hour. Tony Drake was a popular driver and well respected by his colleagues, Neidlemeir on the other hand was despised by the other drivers.

"Oh now I remember" said John, "is Danny's last name Neidlemeir? I seem to recall reading something about that in the papers. He was cleared of all the allegations in the end if I recall correctly."

"Yes he was" said Marion, "but Danny is no saint and I am well aware of it. He's a lot like his father, Sam, in many ways. Jane was quite correct in what she said, but it was still very painful to hear and Danny won't forgive her for it."

"What was it that she said?"

"That I am certainly not going to repeat, John; let's just say it was not ladylike. However, she was right in saying what she did and Danny knew it.

Then things went from bad to worse. Jane's daughter Melanie was in fact engaged to Tony Drake. I don't think that Danny knew that at the time of the accident, but that was the case all the same. Tony had made some remark to Jane that Danny was a loose canon on the track and dangerous to be around. Motor racing is by its nature a dangerous sport and at the time Jane paid little attention to it – until the accident that is. Then all of those remarks came back to mind and she blasted Danny and accused him of doing it deliberately and robbing Melanie of her future out of pure malice just to spite the family. Right after this flared up, her son Randal was blown up in Afghanistan and lost one leg totally and the other below the knee. Jane was not a happy camper at this time. Last week the final straw came, Melanie had Leukemia, it was now official. The doctors suspected it, but needed additional tests to confirm it. Jane was dreading those results and her worst fears were realized. Jane and Randal were tested immediately to see if they were a match, but sadly there were not. That just left Danny and he hates Jane now."

John just looked at Marion and slid his hand over hers and squeezed it.

"Yes you do have your hands full, Marion. However, having listened to that, I feel it safe to say that Jane will welcome you. Despite your history and previous differences you are her big sister and right now she needs you – big time. Her whole life has just exploded, both of her children are hurt, one has just escaped death, the other still faces it. This is not a time for petty squabbles. Oh I don't mean to belittle the things that have taken place in the past Marion, but Jane needs you right now. The last thing she will do is reject you when you knock on her front door. She needs all the comfort she can get and you are the one person who can give it to her. As for your son – well that's another story perhaps. On the other hand, if he sees his mother reaching out like that to someone that had hurt her so badly, then he just might see the light and do the right thing in the end."

Marion just looked at John with a look that suggested that he had just saved her dying dog.

"Do you really think that is possible, John?"

"Possible yes, how likely it will be is another matter altogether. Human beings and their emotions are difficult to understand at times. They are capable of the most heinous acts one minute and the most selfless acts of compassion and heroism the next. I cannot account for Danny's opinions of Jane or for that matter any contrition he may or may not feel towards her. You have forgiven her, Marion; perhaps with a little encouragement from you, Danny might also? The pain that Jane must be suffering right now is incalculable, you feel it Marion, that's why you are here. Danny might have a change of heart too and put the past behind him, such things do happen."

"I'm so glad I sat next to you John, you have no idea how much you have raised my spirits by your comments. You have made me see things a little differently and also put a few of them into perspective. How did you acquire such wisdom at such a young age?""Life experiences I guess" said John, "I've had a few knocks in my time and had to deal with one or two unpleasant issues. I guess that changes ones perception of life and what really matters and what doesn't. Family feuds are nothing new and from time to time most people encounter them in one form or another. However, you must remember one thing, Marion – only those that you love can get to you. People you barely know, if you know them at all, don't matter to you, why then would their opinions matter? It's just the way it is, family really does matter, unknown fellow citizens just don't fall into the same category. The press is full each day of calamities and sadness, but we seldom dwell on those items – they are happening to other unknown people. When it happens to family it's a whole new ball game, Marion, and that's what makes the difference."Marion sat back in her seat and contemplated on what John had just said. It made a lot of sense, but she just hadn't given it any thought before. As she reflected back over the years she realized just how trivial and silly their squabble really was and how much of their lives had been wasted agonizing over it. John was right; it was time to put this behind them and start to mend those fences. Hopefully, Jane would share that opinion. If not, Marion now felt she had the strength to stick with it and try to change Jane's attitude to things; much the same as John had changed hers. That at least was her goal and she was determined to pursue it.

### Chapter Five

***

The train was now just pulling into Winnipeg station where a brief 15 minute stop was scheduled. John now took this opportunity to stretch his legs and walk up and down the platform to get some much needed exercise. Marion now pulled out her cell phone and called Jane to see how she was and if she had any more news regarding Melanie's health. John had gone over to the newsstand and picked up a newspaper, he always liked to keep abreast of what was happening in the world. It was something he had always done and being ex-military he liked to keep in touch with world events.

Jane had been in her kitchen when the phone rang, she was in the middle of loading the dishwasher and her hands were wet. She had cried herself to sleep the night before and this phone call was not coming at a convenient time.

"Hello," she snarled into the phone.

"Hi Jane, its Marion, I'm in Winnipeg right now, we have just stopped for a few minutes and I just called to see how you are."

Jane modified her mood a little now, she was still not overly warm and fuzzy towards Marion, but she was less hostile lately.

"I'm doing okay; well under the circumstances anyway. Melanie has had her breakfast and she kept it down this morning and Randal is out on the patio doing his exercises. I was in the middle of loading the dishwasher."

"Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting you then" said Marion.

"No that's alright, Marion, I needed the distraction, my mind is all over the place these days."

"Yes I would imagine that it is, Jane, you have a lot on your plate right now."

"Have you managed to contact Danny yet?" Jane asked.

"Yes I have contacted him,"

"He doesn't want to know; right?"

"I'm working on him, Jane, you know how he is."

"Oh I know how he is alright, Marion, I just wish I'd kept my damned mouth shut. Melanie needs that bone marrow and he's the only one who can help her."

At this point Jane broke down and cried.

"It's not your fault, Jane" said Marion trying to ease her sister's pain. "You know very well what Danny is like, that's why you blasted him in the first place – and you were right, Jane. His current attitude has nothing to do with that outburst. Don't take that on your shoulders, Danny is just Danny, let me see if I can get through to him, he can't be all bad."

Neither Marion nor Jane believed that statement. They could hope - but they both knew that Danny marched to his own drummer and helping his Aunt Jane was a long shot at best; he hated her and he had for a long time.

Marion and Jane chatted for a few more minutes about this and that and then it was time for Marion to get back aboard the train. Jane thanked her for her call. To Marion that was like a lottery win. There was no hostility, no pointed jibes or sarcastic comments or any other attributes that usually punctuated or concluded their conversations. Jane was very subdued, almost humble and this had not escaped Marion. John was right; her sister did in fact need her right now. Whether she was prepared to admit that was another matter, but her demeanor was more one of depression now and not feisty riposte. It was perfectly understandable of course, her daughter was dying and her son had been crippled – what mother wouldn't be anguished by that? That would be classified as a nightmare scenario in anyone's book and when you threw in the nephew from hell who could perhaps be a donor and wouldn't even get tested – well it just went off the scale right there.

When Jane put the phone down she walked over to the chair in the corner, sat down, put her head in her hands and sobbed. She felt so helpless - her kids needed so much and she could give them nothing. Melanie came in first and did her best to cheer her up.

"Come on Mum its not so bad, a donor will turn up. Danny could still change his mind and if not there will be others. I do have some time you know, it's not like I'll be dead by next week."

Actually, Melanie was putting a brave face on things and both she and Jane knew it. Without that bone marrow transplant, Melanie wouldn't have much longer to live. Randal then came in from the patio sweating from his workout. He too tried to put a positive spin on things. They were good kids and they were doing all that they could to ease their mother's pain and ignoring their own anxieties. Melanie knew that she was on borrowed time right now and Randal knew he had a long road ahead before he was comfortable on his new legs.

When Marion sat down in her seat John was still reading the newspaper. He now put it down, looked at Marion and asked,

"Well, how did it go?"

She looked at him quizzically,

"How did what go?"

"Your phone call to your sister," replied John.

"How did you know I called my sister?"

John just smiled at her.

"Didn't I mention that I'm omniscient, a regular Carnac in fact."

"So it would seem," replied Marion.

"Well actually I saw you on the phone and it wasn't a stretch to figure out to whom you were talking."

"You should have been a policeman, John. Actually the call went very well. I was quite pleased with it, there were no insults or fighting this time and my sister actually thanked me for the call."

"There you go then, Marion, things are starting to look up already."

"Well time will tell, she asked me about Danny and I had to tell her that there was no change in his attitude. He is her last hope; neither Jane nor Randal are a match."

"That's a real blow, I guess you aren't either otherwise you wouldn't be asking Danny."

"Well if my sister isn't a match then I won't be, she is her mother. Danny is her half brother."

Correct me if I'm wrong here," said John, "but you are Jane's biological sister aren't you? You will both have the same genes. Danny would be a better bet as he would have your genes and his Dad's – but that doesn't rule you out Marion. You should get tested; it's just possible that you could be a donor – assuming that you would be willing of course."

It came to light later, that during Melanie's tests, Jane had suggested that she was an only child and the doctor mistakenly had picked up on it. At the time; Jane and Marion were not on the best of terms and during the course of her conversations with the doctors she had given them the impression that she had no siblings. She had not said so directly, but the implication was apparently quite clear. As a result of that the doctors were unaware of Marion's existence. Jane on her part figured if she wasn't a match then Marion wouldn't be. It was reasonable assumption, but not necessarily and accurate one.

When John had asked Marion about her being tested, Marion had been genuinely surprised. John's explanation made sense to her, she did have similar genes to her sister, they both had the same parents. What if she could be a match? This thought had never occurred to her, but John's question threw her for a loop. He seemed to know what he was talking about, he'd been in the military and seen plenty of injured men and visited numerous hospitals. He'd come up with that question immediately, to him it was a foregone conclusion that Marion would be tested and he was surprised when she had not been. Marion was now determined to get herself tested in Edmonton as soon as she arrived there. It was an outside chance at best – but it was still a chance. Her spirits were immediately perked up by this thought and the possibility that she just might be suitable as a donor. She picked up her Cell Phone and began to dial Jane's number while she still had service. The train had picked up speed now and she would soon be out of range. Marion then put the phone down. What if I raise her hopes and then have to dash them again? I have only recently re-connected with Jane; a negative match could set us back again. On the other hand, it would offer her some hope; and right now there was precious little of that around so far as Jane was concerned. Marion picked up the phone again and this time she got through to her sister.

"Jane, I have just been talking to my companion on the train and he tells me that I too might qualify as a donor. We are sisters and we had the same parents. That means that we should have the same genes. He said that Danny would be a better bet as he had my genes and his fathers, but that didn't rule me out as a possible donor. He seemed to think that there was a chance that I could be a match. Anyway, as a result of this I am going to be tested in Edmonton when I arrive. What I'd like you to do is to phone your oncologist there and ask him to set it up as soon as he can. I can wait around for a few days if I have to. However, in such an urgent case I think they will process me immediately so that If I am a match, Melanie can be treated right away. I know it's a long shot, Jane and I don't want to get your hopes up too high, but I just had to tell you."

"Oh Marion it's the best news I've had in a while. It never occurred to me that you could be a donor – especially if I'm not suitable. However if you could be it will be wonderful. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, you have just made my day Marion. God I hope you are suitable, that would be fantastic. That was the best news you could have given me."

"Well like I said, Jane, it's a long shot."

"Maybe, Marion, but as of right now Melanie has no shot at all, now we have a glimmer of hope. I'll phone the hospital right now and if I can't reach you later, call me as soon as you arrive in Edmonton."

"Yes I will certainly do that, Jane, Bye."

"Well, John, I guess you heard that conversation."

"Yes ma'am, I certainly did."

"I feel good about doing that, I just hope that I am a suitable donor."

"You are now on the road to finding that out, Marion and I wish you all the best with that endeavor."

The remainder of the journey to Edmonton was uneventful. The countryside was flat and hardly picturesque. The drum of the carriage wheels and the uninspiring scenery had John dozing for most of the time. His thoughts had drifted back to Pam, but in between there were visions of Cheyenne. There was just something about that girl, he couldn't put his finger on just what that was, but she intrigued him. When he arrived back in Toronto he would make a point of looking her up in college – and Julie of course he told himself. He now began to realize that Cheyenne had been in his thoughts quite often and he questioned it. Why was that, I have only just met the girl and I hardly know her. Well that may be, John, he told himself, but she is definitely under your skin now. Yes, she certainly was he mused and the thought of meeting her in Toronto held a considerable amount of appeal.

As the train was rumbling along John suddenly remembered an old military friend who lived in Edmonton. He had been a few years older than John and had returned there to settle down with his wife and kids. John now thought about giving him a call and he wrestled back and forth with do I or don't I give him a call. In the end he decided to call Ben and see what he was up to these days. He waited until he found cell service and then he called him.

"Hi Ben, its John Canon, I hate springing this kind of surprise on you, but I will be passing through Edmonton tomorrow and I wondered if you will be around."

Well as I live and breathe, John Canon himself, how the hell are you John?"

"I'm fine Ben, I'm just taking a train trip across the country and as I'm going to be in your neck of the woods I thought I'd give you a call."

"You did right, I'd be really pissed if I'd have found out later and you hadn't called and so would Helen. She'd skin you alive if she found out. How long are you staying?"

"I haven't decided yet, Ben, I'm not on a fixed timetable. I just stop off here and there and look around then jump back on the train."

"Have you booked a hotel yet?"

'No I'll do that when I arrive."

"Like hell you will, you are staying with us, I insist. There would be no living with Helen if she found out I let you stay in a hotel."

"Are you quite sure it will be alright, this is kind of short notice, Ben?"

"Trust me, John, we have a guest room and it's rarely used and Helen will be delighted"

"Are you on your own or is Pam with you?"

"Pam died six months ago from breast cancer, Ben."

John heard a sharp gasp on the other end of the line followed by a pause.

"Oh Shit! John, I'm so sorry, I didn't know. How are you holding up?"

"It's a day to day thing, Ben, but I'm hanging in there."

"Well you most certainly have our deepest sympathies John, I'm so sorry. We will meet you at the station, John; the kids will love to see their Uncle John again too. They will be so excited when I tell them."

Ben Edwards was now an executive with one of the major oil companies. He had joined them right after he had retired from the military. He was a chemical engineer by profession, but in his younger days he had signed up for the more adventurous life that the military had to offer. He and John had served together in a special unit known as Section Five. It was a select group of thirteen men and women who were recruited from the Special Forces branch of the military. They reported only to one man and he had direct access to the Prime Minister. They were euphemistically called "Problem Solvers" and officially they didn't exist. They could and did operate outside of the law and they did indeed solve a lot of potentially embarrassing situations. They occasionally operated in foreign lands as well as at home here in Canada, on many cases abroad Canada would deny all knowledge of their existence should they be caught in the act so to speak. Ben and John and the other team members were fully aware of the risks involved and also that the government would deny all knowledge of them should they be captured. It went with the territory and all of them accepted it as an intrinsic part of the job. However, it was a single man's job and not one for a married man and a father. When Ben had met Helen he knew his days in Section Five were numbered. It was John who had introduced him to Helen. She had been a young lawyer working in Toronto for one of the major banks. It was love at first sight for both of them and so Ben had been obliged to resign from Section Five. Helen had been aware that Ben worked in a secret part of the government and that John did too, but what they really did she didn't know. On top of that she didn't want to know. She had a fair idea that it was something illegal and possible deadly as both men were black belts and super fit. No, the finer details Helen didn't wish to dig into. That was one Pandora's Box that was best left unopened.

When Ben put the phone down from John, he was just placing it in its cradle when Helen walked into the room.

"Who was that on the phone?"

"You'll never guess; it was John Canon."

"Oh! How's he doing?"

"Well he's doing just fine and he asked about you. He's passing through Edmonton later tonight and he just wanted to touch base I guess. I said I'd go and meet him at the station."

"The kids have school in the morning; we can't keep them up that late, Ben."

"I hadn't intended to, I was going to go on my own."

"What!" Helen exclaimed, "You were going to see John on your own and leave me here?"

"Well as you said it is a school day, Helen, and it was rather late," said Ben smiling.

"It's not funny, Ben, I would have liked to have seen John if he is passing through."

"Oh didn't I mention that I was bringing him home, he's staying with us for a few days."

"You" said Helen and she launched herself at Ben.

"I could kill you for that, why didn't you tell me up front that he was staying."

"Now what fun would that be?"

"Just look at the response I got by delaying that little tit bit."

"Yeah, well you better make the most of it, that's all you're getting tonight mister after that prank."

Ben just laughed at that, "Promises, promises, where have I heard that before?"

He ducked just in time as the wet dish cloth flew by his head.

"I'll get you for that Ben, just you wait and see."

It was late at night when the train finally pulled into the station in Edmonton. John had helped Marion off the train with her suitcase and they were walking out to the taxi rank when John spotted Ben.

"Hi Ben, I'd like you to meet Marion Sharp. We have been travelling together since Winnipeg."

"Pleased to meet you Marion" said Ben. Did you have a pleasant trip – despite being sat next to John?"

"Oh Nice" said John, "you see the kind of friends I have, Marion."

Marion just laughed.

"Yes Ben it was a pleasant trip and John made it even more so."

They both then walked Marion to a taxi and John promised to call her on her cell phone in the morning to see how the hospital visit went. The taxi then drove off and Ben and John walked to the parking lot. They had a lot to catch up on and fortunately they had the time to do it. The drive to Ben's home was not a long one, about twenty minutes or so. John just gave Ben the bare bones about his trip and told him that it was basically Brian's idea as he felt he needed the distraction after Pam's death. Ben thought that was a good idea also. In addition he pointed out that Helen and the kids would just love to see their Uncle John. John failed to point out that due to his being distracted he had forgotten until the very last minute that Ben lived in Edmonton. A fact that was now troubling him – how could he have done that, he thought to himself? He concluded that he was more distracted than he had thought he was. He would have to get a grip he now chided himself. He had lived with this man, been on missions with him and shared some really close experiences with him. They had both held each others lives in their hands at times and yet here he was forgetting he lived in Edmonton. It was inexcusable and John was really upset by this revelation. Pam's death had hit him hard - but forgetting Ben Edwards and Helen was unforgivable. It now made him realize just how distracted he had been of late and that he now needed to focus on the future and get back some clarity in his life.

### Chapter Six

***

Helen wrapped her arms around John's neck and almost hugged him to death when he walked into the house. Joey and Jennifer were asleep in bed and Helen had made up John's bed once they had fallen asleep. Ben had produced a bottle of Rum and they were now sitting in the family room putting quite a dent in it. They were reminiscing about the old days – which were not that long ago in reality and some of the antics they had got up to. These were the edited versions and contained no classified details, or their sexual exploits, just the humorous parts. Ben had explained to Helen the reason for John's trip and outside of expressing her condolences over Pam's death; her name was not mentioned again. It would come up from time to time in relation to other subjects, but Helen made a point of not bringing her name up if she could avoid it. John's pain was quite evident and she was not about to add to it. Ben handed out another round of drinks and he asked John how his trip was going so far. John then related to story of the Byrne brothers. He kept both Ben and Helen enrapt as he related all the details of that story.

"My God, that was a real miracle" said Ben.

"Oh those poor men" said Helen, "living that kind of nightmare for seventy years, it really is wonderful that they have found each other again."

"Oh Yeah, you should have seen the look on their faces when they saw each other for the first time" said John. "Its something I will never forget and I feel privileged to have been a witness to it."

He then went on to explain the finer details of Frank's and Billy's lives after they arrived in Canada. Julie and Cheyenne were also casually mentioned as was the incident with Uncle Eddie.

"Wow you have had quite an eventful trip so far, John," said Ben. "It certainly hasn't been dull. You only imagine stories like that in fairy tales. It sort of renews your faith in humanity when you hear that people like that do still exist. [He was referring to Billy and the help he gave to George Parker as a boy.] I see that your armour hasn't been tarnished from lack of use either he jibed. I'm sure that girl's Uncle Eddie will be toeing the line from here on thanks to you. A regular Sir Galahad still, I see."

Ben was laughing and teasing John as he said this, but he knew John very well. If John had needed to get involved, then Eddie obviously deserved to be put straight as Ben saw it. John was not one to poke his nose into other peoples business unless it was necessary. Having heard the reason behind it Ben concluded it had been necessary and Eddie had in fact got off lightly in the circumstances.

"Well its bedtime now, we can resume your tales in the morning, John."

The following morning John awoke to the smell of fresh coffee. When he finally arrived downstairs after shaving and showering, Ben and Helen had eaten their breakfasts and Helen was in the middle of cooking his bacon and eggs.

"As I recall you like your eggs sunny side up, John, is that correct?"

"Yes Ma'am it sure is" he drawled in his best cowboy accent. "You needn't have gone to all that trouble Helen. I could get by with a bowl of cereal."

"Oh I'm sure you could John, but on your first day I'm going to spoil you. Tomorrow you can do all the cooking and spoil me for a change" she said laughing.

"Hey I could do that."

"Yes I know you could, John. Then again I don't want you poisoning my kids, so I'd better forget that idea; it was a nice thought though."

"Oh Nice," said John, "and I love you too Helen."

Helen just burst out laughing and told him he could wash his own dishes. It was then that Joey and Jennifer came in from outside. They had been playing in the yard and now they had come rushing in when they heard John's voice.

"Uncle John" they both cried out and they ran towards him. John picked both of them up, one in each arm.

"Well now what have we here, are you taking in strays now Helen? These two can't be yours they are far too big."

"They are mine alright; they are eating me out of house and home."

John then bounced them both up and down in his arms.

"Then this huge hunk must be Joey then" and he gave him a squeeze.

"Well that must mean that this little princess must be Jennifer, right?"

"Oh Yeah, she can be a real princess at times too" said her mother.

"Really", said John, and he put his lips to her neck and blew a raspberry on her neck that made her giggle with laughter. She just loved it when Uncle John did that to her. Anyway, the children had to get ready for nursery school, well Joey at least, and Helen had to drive him there.

"You can eat the rest of your breakfast in peace now John" said Helen.

Ben was only working until noon that day and was taking the rest of the day off. He and John were going golfing, but John didn't know that yet. He was just about to settle down and read the morning paper when his Cell phone rang.

"Good morning John, its Cheyenne, I didn't wake you up did I?"

"What a nice surprise, Cheyenne, and no you didn't wake me up. I have eaten breakfast and I am now relaxing and reading the morning paper. What are you up to this fine day?"

"Julie and I are going into town this morning, I have a dental appointment and Julie wants to do a little shopping."

"Well that sounds like you'll be having fun anyway."

"If you call going to the dentist's fun it might be."

"I didn't mean that part, you ditz, I meant the shopping part."

"I know what you meant I was teasing you, John. So, where are you now and what are you up to?"

"I'm in Edmonton and I'm staying with an old army friend for a few days. He and his wife Helen invited me to stay over and I accepted. They probably just wanted a free babysitter."

"Oh I'm sure that was not the reason, John," said Cheyenne immediately.

They talked for a few more minutes, but John never mentioned Marion and the trip from Winnipeg to Edmonton and the story she had told him. Cheyenne said she had phoned to say thank you once again and that she missed having him around. John for his part told her that he had enjoyed meeting her and was looking forward to seeing her in Toronto when she returned to Seneca College. That little snippet of information sent Cheyenne's heart racing. He is looking forward to seeing me in Toronto she told Julie later. She responded by telling her that John was obviously aware of her beauty and was beguiled by her.

"Take your time Cheyenne, he's only just lost his wife, just reel him in slowly."

"Oh You," Cheyenne replied, "I'm not out to trap the man."

"Of course you are, dear, and I'm going to see to it that you do. He's a great catch and you two would be good together, we just have to take it nice and easy. Softly, softly catchee monkey remember."

"Oh Julie, I know John was in the army, but we don't need to mount a military campaign to get him interested in me."

"Well time will tell, Cheyenne, but if that's what it takes, then that's what we shall do."

John had clicked off his phone and picked up the paper once more. He read the same article three or four times, his mind was elsewhere and none of it sank in. His thoughts were consumed by Cheyenne and how nice it was of her to call him. She really was a nice girl he thought. At the same time he could imagine the smell of her hair and how silky it was and also how she smelled. What was that perfume called? He had asked her and she had told him, but right now it just slipped his mind. Yes, he was certainly looking forward to visiting her in Toronto and he went back to reading the paper. He still had not fully realized just how much of an impact Cheyenne had made on him – but he would soon.

Right after Lunch Ben told John that they had a 2:00p.m. Tee time at the Golf Club. He had arranged it that morning with a few friends and they were all set for a foursome and eighteen holes followed by dinner at the club. Their wives would join them there at 7:30pm for cocktails.

Ben made the introductions in the clubhouse prior to going out to the first tee.

"John, this is Clive Murphy, Dave Fields and this paunchy fellow is Al Cloke. Guys, this here is John Canon a good army buddy of mine."

"Pleased to meet you John" said Al extending his hand – "who's the "Stick Insect" that you brought with you?"

"Play nice now, Al," said Ben and they all laughed.

A brief banter then took place, the usual pleasantries and enquiries as to who did what and for whom. Once that was concluded they headed for the tee. They were not the finest golfers in the land, but they could all break one hundred on most outings. Today would be no exception. The weather was beautiful. It was quite sunny and fairly warm and just the slightest trace of a breeze could be felt. That removed all excuses for slicing the ball and blaming it on wind drift. Clive, Dave and Al were all employed in the same firm as Ben ["Alberta Oil Conglomerate"] but in different areas. Clive was a lawyer, Dave was a geologist and Al was an environmental engineer. He explained to John how sensitive the company was to political pressure regarding potential pollution problems and its impact on the local "Flora and Fauna" not to mention public sentiment about their being there in their backyards so to speak. Ben had told them a little about John's journey and the experiences he'd had to date. When Danny Neidlemeir's name came up Dave Fields picked up his ears.

"I know him" he said, "I met him at a meeting down in Daytona a few months back. It was right after that incident he had on the track. We were one of his sponsors at the time; we still are come to think of it."

"Oh Yeah, I remember that incident" said Clive, "that was a nasty crash. He was cleared of all wrongdoing in the end wasn't he?"

"Yes he was, but his fellow drivers refused to share the same track as him from then on. That ended his career basically. He was a bully in effect. He had the skill and most of these guys are fearless, but to them he was dangerous. The sport is risky enough and they need to have one hundred percent faith in their fellow drivers. They did not have that faith in Danny. After that accident that did it for them – he was a liability to them and to himself even if he was cleared. They would no longer get on the track if he was in the field. That finished him as a NASCAR driver."

"He was not a happy camper after that" said Dave. "I remember talking to him regarding that incident and he felt that he was being victimized over it. As far as he was concerned the other guys were just wimps and Namby Pambys who needed to grow up. Apparently the tribunal saw nothing wrong with what he had done and they cleared him of all blame. His fellow competitors however saw it differently and that was that."

Dave then went on to question how John knew him, and John then related the story as told to him by Marion.

"Why won't he have himself tested at least?" questioned Clive. He had been listening in on this conversation while the men had been waiting for Ben to find his ball. He had bogeyed the last two holes and now he had sliced his second shot and sent it into the rough. He had to find it; he was not going to forfeit this one. He was in enough trouble at it was.

"Well" said John "he and his aunt don't get on and after her overly candid remarks about him that just put the Top Hat on it."

"I see" said Clive, "but a young girl's life is at stake here is it not?"

"That would seem to be the case, Clive."

"Dave, what do you think about this?'

"I think it stinks quite frankly."

"So do I and given these facts I find it distasteful to be sponsoring such an individual and exposing our good name like that."

"Yes indeed, Clive, this just might tarnish our image if it became public knowledge. As our legal representative I think if behooves you to have a word with Danny and see if a change of attitude is possible. Given the sensitivity of the public in such matters this could impact our sponsorship decision don't you think?"

"Oh most definitely, Dave, I'd be remiss in my corporate responsibility if I were to overlook such a potential liability. I'll look into that right away and see how things stand."

This was a turn of events that John had certainly not expected. The fact that they even knew Danny had surprised him to no end. This was something else again. They were not only aware of Danny's existence they were now going to lean on him to get tested. Oh it would be done subtly – well maybe not so subtly, but Danny would be left in no doubt as to the consequences of a refusal. John was blown away by this gesture, but he decided to keep it to himself for now. Telling Marion and having it all fall apart was stress she didn't need at the present time. Had John told her she just might relay that information to her sister and get her hopes up too. If it all went south from there that would not be good for any of them, so John decided to keep mum for now.

They played the rest of the round with little of importance coming up. They all broke the hundred on their scorecards, but none of them were particularly pleased with their game that day. Then again, that is by no means unusual for golfers. Once in the clubhouse the post mortem began and the beer flowed freely. This was life and death stuff and an autopsy was performed on every hole they failed to get par on. The subject of Danny never surfaced in the clubhouse – but it would be dealt with as the first order of business in the office tomorrow. The ladies joined them soon after and the golf talk ceased. They now just ordered their cocktails and allowed the women to catch up with each other and the upcoming social events and charity functions.

Meanwhile Marion and Jane were getting to know each other a little better and both were doing their best to patch up their tattered relationship. Melanie and Randal were doing all that they could do to put things back on track between the two sisters. Despite their own personal circumstances they were more concerned for their mother and her fractured relationship with her sister. Jane needed her sister right now and both Melanie and Randal knew it. Marion could see quite clearly just how hard those kids were trying to ease their mother's pain. It brought her almost to tears see the lengths that they would go to make her happy. Marion herself was doing the same thing, or at least trying to. Jane had a lot on her plate and cheering her up was not an easy task. She kept making furtive glances at the telephone hoping against hope that someone would call with good news; perhaps a donor had been found, or a miracle treatment had just been discovered. She would take any good or uplifting news right now. It was soul destroying living like this and Marion could clearly see her sisters pain. She had been on the phone to her son for over an hour trying to get him to change his mind, he was resolute. "No way in Hell will I ever do anything to help that bitch" were his last words on the subject. Marion had tried to explain that he'd be doing this for Melanie and that she hadn't hurt his feelings or done anything else to upset him. It was of no use, Danny couldn't care less. As with everything else in his life, if it wasn't for Danny or to his advantage, then he didn't want to know. He really was a self absorbed brat and as a result he had few friends. After all, who would want to be friends with an animal like that?

When Marion got off the phone with Danny she just sat on her bed and sobbed. How could I have given birth to such a monster she thought to herself? Jane knew Marion was talking to Danny, but she couldn't hear the conversation. She also knew that Marion was in tears at the end of it. This was not unexpected as far as Jane was concerned. She knew that Marion had to try one more time, but she would have put money on how that conversation would end and she'd have been right. Marion was devastated and Jane pretended not to know; that would have upset Marion even more to know that their last hope had gone and her sister would be crushed by such devastating news. Melanie was running out of time now and things were looking pretty bleak. There was of course the off chance that Marion could be a match, but the results from the lab test had yet to come in. It was a slim chance at best, but right now it was the only chance they had. Everyone was praying that Marion would be a match and Melanie would be given a second chance of life. They all realized that even if she were a match the odds were that Melanie would have a valiant battle to fight despite the anti-rejection drugs she would need to be given. The odds of Marion being a perfect match were pretty slim and anything short of that would result in Melanie having the fight of her life to stay alive.

The meal at the club had been delicious and after a few after dinner drinks they all decided to go for a walk to work off the extra pounds that dinner was sure to have added to their waist lines. It was a pleasant evening filled with the fragrance of Lilac and numerous other aromatic plants. The breeze had been consistent all day and it was a little cooler now than it had been earlier, but it was still warm enough not to warrant a jacket or stole. The wives were all intrigued by the Byrne brother's story and they were enthralled as John related it one more time. The women were particularly upset by the imagined drifting apart in the lifeboats at night and both young boys crying out for each other. All four of them had tears in their eyes. John had tried to gloss over that aspect – but it was something that they automatically latched on to. Being mothers probably had something to do with that. They could all imagine their own children in that situation and it resonated with them. It was a tragic story, there was no doubt about that, but John tried to concentrate on the reunion. This was the joyous part and just how happy everyone was. The two brothers had found each other again. He described that part in greater detail and stressed how delighted they all were now. It had a fairy tale ending and the wives were pleased about that at least. It was always better to leave an evening on an upbeat note and tonight everyone had enjoyed themselves. Marion's name had been mentioned in passing, but her story had not been a topic of conversation. This was an ongoing saga and as yet there was no happy ending in sight – not a suitable topic of conversation for an evening like this John concluded. They came back from their walk suitably refreshed, had one last drink and then they went home.

The following morning John phoned Marion to see if she had heard any news regarding the lab test. Apparently he had called a little too early and the results were not back yet. They had a brief conversation about this and that and John signed off by saying he would call back later.

Across town at the Abocon offices things were getting done. Clive had been on the phone to Danny's office and he had had quite the conversation with him, his manager and his crew chief. The tone of that discussion had been something less than cordial, but threats and menaces were not a part of it either. Clive was merely seeking clarification on certain points regarding a rumor that had come to his attention. It was a rumor, that on the face of it, if it were true, could impact unfavorably on Abocon's public image. Clive had advised them all that as corporate counsel for Abocon he would be delving deeper into this to verify the details prior to taking whatever remedial action those investigations warranted. The manager and the crew chief had no idea what Clive was getting so hot under the collar about. The only problem they were aware of regarding Danny was with the NASCAR officials and that had been satisfactorily resolved. Their personal opinions on that subject remained just that – personal. Jobs in that industry were hard to come by and they were not about to jeopardize their careers with foolhardy comments and opinions. They had no idea about Clive's supposed rumor and paid little heed to it. Danny on the other hand knew very well what he was referring to. How the hell he found out about it was what was mystifying him and he was not a happy camper right now. Clive had been subtle and non-threatening, but Danny was no fool. If this story got out Abocon would drop their sponsorship like a hot potato. Danny had no doubt about that and if they did he would be doomed in any category of auto racing not just NASCAR. This was a sobering thought and one that was now causing Danny some concern. He knew his mother was in Edmonton right now visiting that cow Jane, but she couldn't possibly know Clive Murphy. He was a big shot oil executive and would not be mixing in the same circles as his mother and even less, Jane. No something else was in play here and it was seriously bothering him. This situation had to be defused before it got out of hand. With self preservation in mind, he now picked up the phone, dialed a number and told the receptionist who answered to connect him to the appropriate department. This was life or death to Danny; he was only now beginning to comprehend how Melanie must be feeling. It was a sobering revelation and it was long overdue. However, even now he was only thinking of himself, Melanie Mitchell was merely coincidental and of no real consequence to him. Racing was in his blood, not compassion; that was for the wimps of the world. He was a winner not a loser and winners did what they had to do to stay ahead of the game. Motor Racing was not a sport for those with weak stomachs or Nervous Nellies who couldn't hack it. The sad part of this was that Danny actually believed all that claptrap. He may well have been a capable race car driver – but he was a dismal failure as a human being.

### Chapter Seven

***

John telephoned Marion after breakfast the following morning to enquire as to how Melanie was doing.

"Oh she's not too bad John, well that's what she is telling everyone anyway. Between you and me I think that she's just putting a brave face on it for all of us."

"Well I guess that's to be expected Marion. From what I know of you I suspect that you would do the same thing under the circumstances."

"Yes, I suppose I might John, but it's hard to watch. Both she and Randal are doing everything that they can to ease their mother's pain and they are totally ignoring their own."

"That says a lot about their character, Marion. Jane has obviously done a good job of raising them."

"I hadn't quite thought of it like that John, but I guess you are right, they certainly are good kids. Anyway John, please don't think me rude, but I don't want to tie up the line, Jane is expecting the hospital to call anytime now."

"I fully understand Marion; call me when you get some news. Bye."

John then hung up the phone and went into the garden to play with Joey and Jennifer. The children just loved playing with their Uncle John, but it was a toss up as to who enjoyed it more, them or him. Helen could hear nothing but giggles and laughter coming from the backyard and it lasted for most of the morning.

"I can see that you'll make a good dad one day John, you certainly have what it takes," Helen commented.

The second she said it she hoped the ground would open up and swallow her. How on earth could I have been so insensitive, the poor man had just lost his wife and here I am making statements like that about kids and fatherhood? She changed the topic immediately. Thankfully Ben had not been around to hear that comment she thought, he would not have been too impressed by her thoughtlessness. John on the other hand had not seemed to take offense at the remark and simply said "One day perhaps" and he left it at that. Helen vowed to watch it in future; she would never make that mistake again. As it was getting close to lunchtime Helen tried to make amends by asking John what he fancied for lunch.

"Oh anything will be fine by me Helen, don't go to any trouble, I'll have whatever you decide to have. I can even make lunch for you if you like – that is assuming you have a tin of something like Salmon or Tuna and a can opener. I am a master at that, that Army training wasn't a total waste."

"Ah Yes, I have had experience of Ben's culinary expertise and his military delicacies. With all due respect, John, I'll make lunch, but thank you for the offer."

John just laughed, he knew very well what Helen was referring to as Ben had been telling him only the other evening about his experiments in the kitchen. It had been a disaster, but he had tried to camouflage his mistakes and that made matters worse. Adding dish washing detergent instead of lime juice just didn't go down too well. So much for candlelight cuisine – he would keep the lights on in future.

They had just finished their lunch when the telephone rang, it was Marion. The hospital had just called to tell them that her blood test had been contaminated and they needed to redo it. They profusely apologized and said they would do a rush job on the spot in lieu if she could come in immediately due to the pressing urgency of this case. Marion said that she was leaving right then and would call back later with the result. Somewhere around 4:00pm in the afternoon the telephone rang, it was Randal and he asked to speak to John.

John picked up the phone and said "Hello this is John Canon"

"Good afternoon Mr. Canon, my name is Randal Mitchell and my Aunt Marion asked me to call you and tell you that she was not a match. She's kind of upset right now and she asked me to call for her."

"Thank you Randal, I can't begin to imagine how sad your Aunt Marion must be right now, not to mention the rest of your family. I am so sorry, Randal. This must be devastating news to all of you and I really do appreciate the phone call, thank you so much, I'll keep you all in my prayers."

John spent one more day with Ben and Helen and then decided not to impose further on their hospitality – not that he was in their eyes. However it was time to resume his odyssey and this next part was the most beautiful in terms of scenery. He was really looking forward to seeing "The Rockies" and the majestic views along the way. People who had made the trip previously had all said the same thing – it was simply breathtaking in its beauty. John just hoped that it wouldn't be anti-climactic after all his high expectations. Sometimes people exaggerate he thought; let's hope they hadn't in this instance.

The whole family was going to take John to the train station. They all wanted to be there to say goodbye to him. The kids especially didn't want him to leave, they were losing their playmate. Ben was particularly sad as John and he were very good friends and had shared some very intense experiences together. It could be some time before they had another opportunity to get together like this. Ben had to stop in at the office on the way to the station to drop off some papers he had been working on. He would not be going into the office the following day and these papers were needed for a meeting that morning. It was a special treat for the kids to be taken on a jaunt this late at night and they were dressed in their pajamas. They would be awake on the way to the station perhaps, but certainly not on the way home, at least Ben and Helen hoped not anyway.

They left a little earlier than necessary in order for Ben to drop off his papers. The roads were relatively quiet at this time of night, well until they reached the airport section anyway. One could certainly hear the roar of the jet engines as the planes took off. They drove along quite close to the fence line at one point and John saw a corporate jet quite clearly as it passed an overhead arc lamp. He noticed the Logo on the side – it said Abocon.

"Is that your corporate Jet, Ben" asked John.

"Yes, it's on its way to Vancouver right now and then on to Dallas tomorrow morning."

"Is that what you fly in when you go on business trips or do you use scheduled airlines?"

"Both, depending on circumstances," replied Ben. "If I am on my own I use scheduled flights, if there is a group of us we use the corporate jet."

Ben and John now knew where the plane was headed, what they didn't know was where it had flown in from on its previous trip. It had been diverted from Atlanta to Fort Myers and the South West Florida Airport to pick up a passenger. That passenger was Danny Neidlemeir. He had been flown up courtesy of Abocon to have his bone marrow tested and if necessary to be on hand as a potential blood donor also. Clive Murphy had kept it all under wraps until they knew for sure that he would be a match. He did not want to get people's hopes up only to have them dashed if it didn't work out. He had approached his CEO who then gave the go ahead and the plan was set in motion. When Danny got off that plane he was whisked smartly into the hospital to be tested. Marion had gone in around lunchtime; Danny had entered the hospital about 6:00 pm in the evening. The lab had given this a priority one rating as they had been made fully aware of the time element here and how little there was of it.

Ben was in and out of his office in less than ten minutes and they then headed down town to the station. "The Canadian" was on time and John boarded, stowed his suitcase and came back out to say his goodbyes properly. Hugs and kisses were given all round and there were no dry eyes there that night. The conductor shouted "All Aboard" and John was reluctantly released by Helen from her bear hugging embrace and quickly boarded the train. The train's engineer sounded the horn giving one short blast; it was still loud enough to waken the dead and it left all their ears ringing. It was exactly at the same time as that horn sounded that the telephone rang in Jane's house, it was a call from the hospital. They had a match for Melanie – it was her half brother. Jane collapsed in a heap on the spot sobbing. Melanie herself then took hold of the phone and the doctor told her the good news. She was in tears and all choked up, but she understood everything the doctor was telling her. The most important part of which was getting herself down to the hospital for 6:00am in the morning. Randal had picked up the extension in the bedroom and assured the doctor that she would be there on time and he added his profound thanks to Melanie's for all the hard work they had done on her behalf. At this point Abocon's involvement had not been mentioned at their request. They were not looking for glory or positive PR kudos from this benevolent act. This was just something they could do to help in a difficult situation and they did it. The story told that day out on the golf course had not gone unheeded. They were all good men and their hearts were all in the right place. A little arm twisting here, a subtle suggestion or two there and a minor adjustment to a flight plan meant that a young woman now had a chance to stay alive. John was totally unaware of what he had set in motion. He only found out about it a day later when he called Ben on his cell phone to thank him yet again for his generous hospitality. Ben then told him that Danny was a match and that Melanie had been given the transplant and now all they could do was wait and see if it worked.

Once John knew all of this he telephoned Marion to see how she was doing. This news would no doubt have a most beneficial effect on her relationship with her sister. It had, Jane was a whole new woman now, one filled with hope instead of despair. Danny on the other hand was still Danny. He did not wish to see Jane, even to accept her thanks for him doing this. The same applied to Melanie; he did not visit her or enquire as to how she was doing. He really was a miserable specimen of humanity. Marion was a wreck on the strength of this. Her son had finally come across and donated his bone marrow – possibly saved Melanie's life in doing so, but he wanted nothing to do with any of them in that family. The joy in knowing that Melanie could now be saved was diminished by his behaviour and his rejection of them all. It was hard for Marion to come to terms with this, but it drew her sister even closer. Jane knew the agony Marion was in over this, and she would do whatever she could to ease her sister's pain. After all, that is what Marion had tried to do for her in her time of need –that's what sisters do for each other. Over the next few months Marion and her sister rebuilt their relationship to what it used to be when they were children. The squabbles were forgotten and they now fully appreciated how much they needed each other. Recent events had shown them that and they now realized just how important a part they played in each others lives. Melanie was hospitalized for some time, but did make a full recovery. It was difficult at first as they tried to counter the rejection factor, but they did correct the doses finally and everything worked out just fine in the end. Randal too learned to cope with his new legs and after prolonged physical therapy he returned to the military in a non-combat position. The Mitchell family was drawn even closer together after this traumatic period. Jane felt like a brand new woman now that she saw that her children now had a future. A short while ago she had been faced with the prospect of losing both her kids and her sister's kid wouldn't even offer to help. Today, her children had bright futures and she and her sister were closer than ever. It made Jane realize just how fleeting and fickle life can be and that forgiveness can be cathartic. It was a lesson that Danny had yet to learn – but then he was still young. Jane had carried a grudge too at his age and to some extent she could understand his position. She had sort of forgiven Danny now and no longer thought about him much. Her sister however did not enjoy that luxury. Marion still agonized over how Danny could behave like that and how he could be so hateful. She and Jane were as close now as they had ever been, but Marion felt ashamed of her son and that is a hard cross to bear. She knew that Jane had forgiven Danny, but she herself had some way to go in that area. Who knows, one day Danny just might see the light himself and turn into a decent human being. It seemed like a stretch right now – but one day, it could happen.

As John took his seat he reflected on what Brian had told him prior to his embarking on this memorable odyssey. He had told him that he would meet many different people and hear many different stories. Well, Brian had certainly been right about that. What Brian had failed to mention was the fact that these people would forge unforgettable memories in his mind long into the future. He had been instrumental in obtaining a life saving bone marrow donation for Melanie and he had provided considerable comfort to Marion in her time of need. It suddenly made him realize the impact one can have on the life of another by simply just being there. When he boarded this train in Toronto he had been in a sorrow filled state. Now as he looked forward to the remainder of this trip he was filled more with contentment and satisfaction. He still felt Pam's loss, but he had found solace in the fact that he had given hope to others and been of help to them in their hour of need. He was well aware of the old saying; "It is better to give than to receive" but now it took on more significance and depth. Brian had been right again when he said that he might be able to give an uplift to people who were sad. John now felt that he had accomplished that in Marion's case. He had also given some comfort to Cheyenne in terms of her personal safety. The train was picking up speed now and the drumming of the wheels had lulled John into this state of unconscious reflection, but it made him bask in its warmth all the same. It was always a good feeling to be of help to others, his military experience had taught him that much. The doom and gloom that had preceded this trip had now been replaced with hope and optimism. It was just then that images of Cheyenne flashed into his mind once more. He couldn't put his finger on just why she would come to mind, more so say than Julie, but she had. They were both beautiful women and he had known them both for an equally short period of time and yet something about Cheyenne intrigued him. Julie on the other hand was quite straight forward, equally beautiful, but with a somewhat less exotic persona. John would go to sleep that night trying to determine whether it was her Indian heritage that beguiled him so – he failed to reach a conclusion on that point.

Cheyenne meanwhile, when not consumed with idle thoughts about John, had now started working part time at the reserve medical clinic. She was not yet qualified and therefore had to limit her activities to things that she was allowed to do. It would be good experience for later she thought and it would give the people a way of getting to know and to trust her before she started there full time next month. The clinic itself was relatively modern, but some of the equipment was in need of considerable TLC (tender loving care) in order for it to work effectively. The women and children had no problem going to the clinic and being treated by females, the men however were not yet that way inclined. They had to preserve their masculine image at all costs and letting women prod and poke them around was inconsistent with that they felt. They were warriors, men of honor and stature; they were to be respected by their women. How could they maintain that image if some squaw was consulted every time they needed a band aid. Traditionally the tribal "Medicine Man" or Sharman had performed this role. There was no place for women in that role as far as the men were concerned. One or two of the men were a little more enlightened in that respect, but they ran the risk of being ridiculed were they to be seen attending the clinic. Some of them did actually go there, but the majority would rather suffer or go to the ER. Having to suffer the indignity of having a shot of penicillin or other injection in the buttocks was bad enough – having a woman do it was simply unthinkable. Life on the reserve had not yet caught up to the twentieth century let alone the twenty first. Cheyenne knew only too well that it would take time to win their trust and for them to have confidence in her abilities. To them right now she was little more than a kid who used to live on the reserve and had gone to live in the big city for a while. She had now come back among them, but so what, she was still the same kid to them and it would take time to change that thinking. Cheyenne did have one advantage however, she was one of them, previous nurses were not. They were hired by the province and they were not of Indian extraction and in some cases had little respect for, and understanding of, their culture. This would not be a problem for Cheyenne. She had grown up amongst them and would automatically respect tribal ways and traditions, outdated though they may be. Once she had become established in that clinic it was hoped that things may improve. Cheyenne wanted nothing more than to make a positive difference in their lives. She was not there to subvert the women and children with exotic tales of life in Toronto thereby encouraging them all to leave and seek their fortunes off the reserve lands. The elders were currently of this opinion and were somewhat skeptical of Cheyenne's motives. It was not without cause given her relationship with her Uncle Eddie. The elders knew very well what went on within the confines of the reserve and that Eddie was a problem. However, he was one of them and a council member to boot. Just how far would Cheyenne go? It was a vexing question for the elders. Cheyenne had assured them that she had no agenda here and merely wished to give back to her people and help them medically. They had sort of accepted that, hence offering her the position, but reservations still remained. As they saw it, they would give her enough rope to hang herself and if she stepped over the line then they would act. The tribal Chief however was one of the enlightened men and he was a supporter of Cheyenne. Her Uncle Eddie had been a headache for him for years, but he would not allow him to be one for Cheyenne and her clinic. The people needed this clinic and it was of vital importance that it be allowed to function properly. Vaccine shots, children's inoculations, ante natal visits and the minor treatment center were essential to the welfare of the reserve inhabitants. The Chief would let nothing and nobody interfere with that and he had assured Cheyenne of that much. He was not a fool however and he had also told her that the realities of the reserve had not changed since she had been away. As such it would be expected of Cheyenne to respect the privacy of all the people living there and to maintain their confidence in all matters discussed within the confines of the clinic. In other words "keep your mouth shut". Cheyenne assured him that she would and quoted the tale of the three wise monkeys "See, Hear and Speak no evil". This was to become her mantra once she became the official reserve nurse. Both she and the Chief were now on the same page.

Uncle Edie was still the same man he always was. He would drink and make a nuisance of himself regularly. He would cavort around with any woman who would tolerate him and Shawna never batted an eye. She was often thankful that they had taken him off her hands for the night. Drunkenness was rampant and so was depression. If dalliances such as that took the edge off, then so be it. At least that was the general opinion. In reality, it was actions such as that that caused the depression in the first place or was a contributing factor at least. Cheyenne could do little to change such behaviour, but she could provide contraception and advice on their use. The women in particular were in need of this. The men were somewhat averse to condoms and the women often paid the price. Having the women see the doctor and getting a prescription for the pill would prove to be beneficial all round. It might be easier said than done, but Cheyenne was determined to try. There was a lot to do on that reserve and she had some creative ideas on how things could improve. However, there was John in the picture now and this was an added complication. She had quite a few creative ideas regarding him too. Her mind had been consumed lately with thoughts of John and whether or not they might have a future together. She certainly hoped so, but then, was she being realistic here. John was a real catch, why was she so special, he could have any girl he wanted. She had expressed these doubts to Julie and Julie had jumped all over her for having such doubts in the first place.

"Cheyenne, what is wrong with you, you are a beautiful girl. There are lots of men out there who would love the chance to date you."

"Perhaps, but is John one of them?"

"Well now let's examine the facts here. He has just lost his wife; he's on a cross country train ride and he is e-mailing you enroute. Is that about right?"

"So far" replied Cheyenne.

"What do you mean "So Far" Are you thinking of stopping sending him e-mails?"

"No of course not – Oh so he has said he doesn't want to send you anymore is that it?"

"He hasn't said so yet, but then he is very polite."

"Oh come on Cheyenne, get a grip. You and I both know John has a lot on his mind. However, he still has time to write to you despite that. You must be on his mind, Cheyenne; John is not a man to string you along for the fun of it. He may not realize it yet, but you have your hooks into him. Why else would you be on his mind? He could easily e-mail you when he got back home – but he chooses to write to you enroute. Why do you think that is? Could it be that he actually likes you as much as you do him?"

"Really, Julie, do you think he might?"

"Cheyenne you have to think positively, from what I have seen of men, they wouldn't do what John is doing if there was no interest there. However, as I told you before, reel him in slowly, he's still getting over his wife. It will take a while for his pain to subside, but that is where you come in. You can simply be there to offer support. You don't have to throw yourself at the man – just ensure that no other woman does. The seeds have been planted, Cheyenne, just keep the water sprinkling down gently and let nature take its course. Oh! As I mentioned before, when it comes to bridesmaids???"

"Yeah, yeah I'm way ahead of you on that; you'll be my first choice. Thanks for straightening me out, Julie; you really are good for me. I couldn't possibly wish for a better friend, I feel much more relaxed now."

When she went to bed that night she slept like a baby and was totally relaxed. That chat with Julie had put her mind at ease and she was happy now. Perhaps she and John together was not so outrageous an idea after all, Julie certainly didn't believe it was, and that was most comforting.

### Chapter Eight

***

John had only been settled in his seat for a short while when a young mother came by with a young child. She was pulling her suitcase along on its wheels and was struggling with that and the child. Her fatigue was plain to see, she was clearly exhausted. John, being John, immediately offered to help her get settled and it was an offer she readily accepted. John could tell by the condition of the clothes she was wearing that she was not an affluent woman. She was very nice and extremely pleasant and well mannered, but he could see that she was worn out. Her little boy appeared to be about two years old or so and he had curled up on the seat and was now fast asleep. Like his mother he too was exhausted. John introduced himself to her and she told him that she was on her way to Kamloops where her parents lived and her name was Margaret Butler, but people called her Meg. She extended that privilege to John. Prior to Meg walking by, John had been considering going to his sleeping compartment for the night. However, he now felt kind of awkward in leaving this woman to sleep in her seat while he had a berth all to himself. He and Meg chatted for a while and it soon became obvious to John that she needed his berth far more than he did. As a result he suggested to her that she and her young boy should use it instead of himself. Meg naturally refused this most generous offer from a complete stranger. It had been her experience that when things like this were done for her they came with strings attached. This she didn't need, not anymore. John however had anticipated this response and made up a tale about having two berths, but his friend had taken ill at the last minute and couldn't come. That compartment would be vacant now and it had already been paid for and it was silly to remain unoccupied when they could readily use it. This was the tale that John spun her and he persuaded her in the end to take advantage of it. After all she was dead beat as was her little boy and a good night's sleep would be beneficial to them both. He then picked up the sleeping child and led his mother down the corridor to their compartment. He laid the child on the bed and immediately bid Meg goodnight.

"Here you are Meg, I'll see you and junior here in the morning, sleep well."

With that he turned and walked out. He wanted Meg to know that there was no ulterior motive in his inviting her to sleep in a bed that night. This way she would see that there were no strings attached to this noble gesture.

"Thank you John, I really do appreciate this. I'll see you in the morning, Goodnight, and you sleep well too."

Meg now realized that John was a gentleman and he merely wanted to help her, he had no other agenda here. Meg was aware that such men existed, her father was one of them, but there were precious few of them around anymore. In fact they were as rare as Unicorns in her experience. There were certainly none of them in the world she had been living in of late. It was most refreshing to learn that such men did exist and they were not quite as mythical as the Unicorn. She would have been even more impressed had she realized that John would be sleeping in his seat that night and had actually given up his bed for her. John for his part saw that the woman was in real need of a good night's sleep and to him it was a no brainer. He hadn't viewed this as a chivalrous act it was just something that needed to be done and so he did it. Having been in the military he had slept in far less salubrious conditions and the drumming of the wheels would soon lull him into a deep sleep. The following morning at breakfast, Meg's tale would really wake him up. When Brian had told him that people may share their stories with him, he had no idea regarding the caliber of those tales; riveting didn't even come close to describing them. He was now about to learn of another such epic.

Meg had dated her husband in high school and it continued when she went off to college. Her boyfriend didn't apply to college as he was going to work in the family business, construction mainly, but a little renovation work on the side made it a growing concern. After a few years the business had flourished to such an extent that they decided to expand. Her boyfriend's father then decided to open a subsidiary in Florida and moved down there. Meg and her boyfriend stayed up in Vancouver and ran the current construction operations. They got married a short time later and everything seemed to be falling into place quite nicely. It was then that the father became ill and was no longer capable of running his business in Sarasota, Florida. This meant that both Meg and her husband either sold up and moved to Florida or they sold the Florida business and moved her in-laws back to Vancouver. After some heated discussions, the Florida option won the day and they all moved down there. The business in Vancouver was sold, as was their house and off they set for Sarasota. They soon became settled there and the business never missed a beat and in fact it started to flourish even more now. Meg was basically the brains of the outfit and she looked after the marketing end and all the promotional work. Wade did all the physical work and hired the contractors and labourers etc. The business was growing at a fairly substantial rate and they were doing very well financially now. However, apparently they were doing a little too well and the local Mob decided that they wanted a piece of the action so to speak. They had dropped in one day and pointed out the benefits of complying with their suggestions – health benefits that is. Wade told them to take a hike and it all went down hill from there.

John and Meg were sitting in the restaurant car having breakfast at this time and the story was just about to unfold. John was already enthralled by it and as yet nothing of any consequence had been said, although he sensed the level of intrigue and his interest piqued on the strength of it.

"Would you like more coffee, Meg?"

"Yes please" she replied.

"Would you like some more toast and marmalade perhaps?"

"Oh no thank you, John, this is quite sufficient for me right now. I don't usually have a large breakfast in the morning and this is a feast already."

"Well you won't mind if I indulge myself I hope."

"Not at all John you go right ahead."

"Well, while I'm gorging myself here you can carry on with the rest of the story, Meg. I can't wait to hear the rest of it."

"I think I have said too much already, John. If the wrong people found out I could soon be in trouble."

"Oh is it that bad? Do you think these people might come after you?"

"I don't think so given what happened, but you just never know with some people."

"In that case I won't push you to tell me, Meg. On the other hand sometimes it helps to tell a stranger, it often relieves the pressure. A trouble shared is a trouble halved so they say. For what it is worth I am ex-military and I can keep my mouth shut, Meg, but it's up to you."

"I guess I do owe you some explanation, John, you did give up your bed for me."

"Like I said before, Meg, that was a spare berth that my friend – stop it John, I know it was yours OK. You can stop the BS now. It was very kind and noble of you and I really do appreciate the gesture. I really needed a good night's sleep. For doing that for me, if for no other reason, I'll tell you about some of the events that followed; you deserve that much at least.

"Once Wade told them to take a hike, things started to go wrong. Little things at first, but they gradually got worse as time progressed. The Mob would make periodic calls to see if we wished to change our minds, but Wade was resolute. There was no way he was going to submit to their pressure tactics. The Mob did not take kindly to this and decided to send in some muscle to add a little more impact to their proposal. Wade was beaten up pretty badly and threatened with far worse if he failed to acknowledge the benefits that the Mob had so generously proposed. It was also pointed out that we were operating in Florida solely under their permission and this privilege could be withdrawn at any time. They further pointed out that businesses could be plagued with strikes, trade embargos and of course customers could be persuaded to take their business elsewhere. These were the more subtle threats, others were far more direct. Physical harm was the number one threat, but Wade was a hothead. He knew the Mob wouldn't hurt women and children and so he ignored their threats. He firmly believed that they would never kill him as there would be no business without him. Well it turned out that he was right, they did need him to run it. They killed his father instead and his mother ended up in hospital as collateral damage. Wade now had little choice and he realized that I was no longer off limits to these goons. I was pregnant with Damien at the time and so Wade finally acknowledged the advantages of accepting their terms, it certainly beat the alternative. Right from the start we suspected that there was far more to this than we were being told. Initially we ran the business as before, minus the unearned commissions that we were obliged to donate to the Mob's bagmen.

Gradually things began to change and the money laundering began together with the drug smuggling. It was done in limited quantities at first so that they could perfect the procedures and test out the system and the routes involved. Suddenly we found ourselves in the export business, ostensibly selling garden gnomes and other figures together with ornate fountains and a multitude of garden embellishing features. It all looked good on paper and we appeared to be a prosperous and growing concern. It was about then I lost my position as bookkeeper, an associate of theirs was parachuted in to perform that function from that point on. I could only guess what was going on, but accurate and generally accepted accounting principles would not be among them. Money was not a problem for us, the Mob made sure that Wade was well paid for his services, too well paid in fact. I knew we were not making that kind of profit from our business. We had been doing well, but this was way over the top. It was around this time that Wade started to change; he was no longer the man I had married. It was as if the money had gotten to him and he began to live a very different lifestyle. Whereas he had been fighting against the Mob initially, now he seemed to embrace them and they now had embraced him. The business now had to be the fastest growing garden supply business in the state; at least it would seem so based on invoices and bank transactions. A forensic accountant however might just question those assumptions, I know I certainly did. Wade had changed and I now had to keep my mouth shut. He had become moody and irritable and had very little time for Damien; he was a changed man now and not one that I liked. The Mob was aware of our marital problems and set out to worsen them and in the end they succeeded. Wade and I became separated soon after and he moved out. I stayed in that house until quite recently. I saw very little of Wade, but he would drop by periodically to drop off some cash. Financially I was fine, Wade saw to it that I was not short he was good in that respect. He would drop by, and be out the door within minutes, he never even had the time for a coffee. We never discussed the business anymore; just the odd pleasantry here and there and then he would leave. Occasionally some of his cronies would drop by instead of Wade and drop off the cash. They would stay longer than he would and even have a coffee or two. They would have longer conversations with me than Wade, although at times I got the impression they were fishing to see just how much I knew. I knew absolutely nothing and eventually they drew the same conclusion and stopped asking. Wade had not told me a thing and now they knew that, I was no threat to them or the organization – I was just Wade's ex and totally clueless as to what they were into. I was too, I didn't have a clue, well not until later on anyway and even then it was by accident. I had suspected right from the start that the concrete gnomes were hollow and contained drugs etc. Not all of them mind you, just some of them, and they were chemically treated to confuse the sniffer dogs. I figured that they had put something in the paint to neutralize the scent and this would throw the dogs off the trail. I never knew the details, but this is what I suspected. I never let on to anybody that I suspected anything at all was going on. I knew the Mob had their hands in the till and they knew that I knew that much – but that was it. As far as they were concerned, that dumb broad knew nothing and suspected even less. It certainly suited my purposes to let them believe that, I had little Damien to consider and I didn't need any headaches from them. One day I had to visit the dentist and so I left Damien with a neighbour. When I came out I went into a local plaza for a coffee. I am sitting there drinking my coffee when who do I see but Wade with this blonde bombshell on his arm, bleach blonde that is, wearing a tiny mini skirt and legs up to her armpits. She looked cheap and probably had an IQ around room temperature. I thought to myself that Wade has really dropped his standards if this is what he is dating these days. I found that hard to swallow knowing Wade as I did, so I decided to follow him and this bimbo. He went down to the intercoastal waterway and they boarded a cabin cruiser moored alongside the jetty of one of the houses that lined that high priced street. Wade then got off the boat and it took off out to sea. This now made a little more sense to me, that woman would have been someone else's piece of candy and Wade had either just bumped into her somewhere or picked her up for somebody else. At least that is what I thought at the time. How wrong I was. Upon my second visit to the dentist I again visit the café and once again in came Wade, this time with a different woman. She was a blonde and had a good figure and she looked to be little more than eighteen or nineteen. Idle curiosity made me follow them again and the same result ensued. She got on the boat and went out to sea, Wade just took off. Now as luck would have it, I had arranged with my neighbor to meet once I had finished with the dentist and she in turn had a friend who lived four houses away from where the cabin cruiser was moored. It was here where we left her car and drove off in mine with the kids. My mind went on to other matters and we just went shopping as planned and did the usual things. However, when I drop Sandra off at her friend's house later, that cabin cruiser is just docking at its mooring. Two men get off but there is no sign of the woman. I found this a little curious but at this point that was all. It was a few weeks later that Sandra and I went to a barbecue at her friend's house and during the course of idle conversation it comes out that the people who own the house four houses up the street are a little strange. They associate with nobody. One man lives there, several others visit from time to time and he has a procession of blondes coming and going. That was the general consensus. Upon rather delicate questioning, I managed to learn that these blondes were all seen coming, but in reality nobody saw them actually going. They just assumed they had because they were no longer there. Adding two and two together I figured they were being taken out to sea in the Cabin cruiser for one of two purposes. They were either being murdered or they were being sold to a human trafficking ring. Blonde sex slaves carry a very stiff price in Northern Africa. I concluded that this would be the most likely scenario, but I kept that information to myself for obvious reasons. Letting people know what I suspected could have serious health implications."

"Wow" said John, "what made you suspect murder or human trafficking right off the bat."

"It was the first thing that crossed my mind. I know it sounds crazy, but it was the first thought that came to mind. When I saw Wade with that bimbo it simply didn't add up in my mind. She was not the type he would be attracted to. Was that reaction one of jealousy? I asked myself that question later and to be honest I wasn't sure. It might have been, I still had feelings for Wade despite all our differences."

"I can certainly understand that Meg, he is the father of your child after all. It would be unreasonable to assume that all your feelings could simply disappear over night."

The drum of the train's wheels was constant and in a way John found it to be quite soothing. So much so that he had not kept track of time. They had eaten breakfast, had drank several cups of coffee and the waiters were now clearing up. Well they would have if Meg and John had not remained behind at their table.

"I think the waiters would like us to leave now, Meg. we can continue this back in our seats."

"Oh I'm so sorry, John, I didn't mean to keep on spouting off like that."

"Oh that's fine, Meg. I was riveted by that story and I was so engrossed I lost track of the time. You can't stop telling me the rest now – I'd be haunted for weeks trying to figure out the remainder of your tale."

With that they both rose from the table and walked back to their seats. Once they were comfortably settled and Damien was playing with his assortment of toys, Meg Continued with her story.

"Where was I, ah yes," said Meg. "A few weeks after all of this I spot Wade with another woman and this one really piqued my interest. She was dressed like a bimbo, but the body language didn't fit. There was just something about her that didn't ring true. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was off here. I followed them into a small bistro that had an outdoor patio and I watched them. They went outside and I stayed inside near the rear door in case I had to escape quickly."

"Did you need to use it" asked John.

"No I was not spotted by either of them. When they were joined by another man I noticed an immediate change in the woman – she was certainly a tramp now. Wade appeared not to have noticed the change, but I most certainly did. Her body language was completely different when that man showed up. This now puzzled me, I mean she looked like a tart and she was now acting like a tart, but there was just something about her that wasn't quite right. After their lunch they both drove off in Wade's car and I went back home. About ten days later I am downtown one morning when I see the self same woman walking down the street. She had on different clothes, still cheap and shoddy looking and most definitely sluttish. I immediately decided to follow her and see what she was up to. She walked down the street a short distance and entered a boutique, a high end boutique. This was not the type of store a slut would visit, well not generally anyway. When I enter the store she is nowhere to be seen. I then go up to the assistant and casually enquire if my friend had arrived yet as we were due to meet there. She politely told me that nobody else was in the store right now. I accepted that as I didn't wish to arouse anyone's suspicions and picked out several outfits to try on. I go into the changing room area to try the outfits on and discover that in one of the booths is a door at the rear with a keypad entry system. There was a notice on the cubicle door saying that the lock was defective and to please use the other changing cubicles. Needless to say I found this to be curious to say the least, but I was in no position to say anything to anyone about it. So I try on the outfits and I actually buy one of them, it was cute and I looked good in it, so I purchased it. As I am leaving the store a car pulls up and a man and a woman get out and the man holds open the door for me. I think nothing of it, apart from thinking that he was a gentleman, when I notice something on the back seat of his car. It was a file folder and it was partially covered by his jacket, but the insignia on that file was unmistakable, it was FBI."

"Well your suspicions were justified then, Meg."

"Oh Yeah! But I had no proof and I could hardly confront them. For all I knew they could be husband and wife out shopping and either of them could be an agent and the other merely their spouse."

"So what happened next?"

"Well I went back into the store a few minutes later and asked for a gift receipt. I apologized for my forgetfulness, but the assistant was very helpful and pleasant and asked if I had found my mythical friend. I told her that I had and I simply walked out of the store. There was no sign of that couple and all the cubicles were empty. That told me all I needed to know. That store was a front for the FBI. The slutty tramp was obviously an undercover agent and that is why I picked up on her body language change. She was playing a part and when she wasn't she automatically reverted to being her normal self."

"What did you say your name was again? Agatha Christie was it?"

Meg just laughed at that reference to the detective novel writer.

"Well I was just curious and I had to find answers, things just didn't add up. First I see Wade with a real bimbo and now I see him with an FBI undercover agent. What the hell is going on here? I ask myself. Does Wade know who she really is? Which particular aspect of Wade's shady activities is she investigating? The more I learn the more questions keep appearing. I knew Wade hated the Mob initially, but then he seemed to be in bed with them. God alone knows what schemes he had gotten himself involved in. The FBI was looking into something, but what? I couldn't make my mind up as to whether it was the drug smuggling, the money laundering or the human trafficking. It was all pretty serious stuff so far as I was concerned. Then I had to ponder the possibility that Wade knew she was FBI and he was playing along. He could be either misleading her on behalf of the Mob, or squealing on the Mob in order to gain immunity. This was getting too scary for me. You don't rat on the Mob and survive. Retribution would be forthcoming and I wanted no part of that. Right now the Mob knew Wade and I were separated and he couldn't care less about me or I him. If I were to warn him or to contact him and they found out things would change in a hurry. So I backed right off and l kept my mouth shut tight. As long as the Mob thought I meant nothing to Wade they would not use Damien and Me as a weapon against him. If he couldn't care less about us we had no leverage benefit to the Mob. As a result they had no further interest in us."

"So what did you do, get out of Dodge as fast as you could?"

"I thought about running, but then I decided against it. I figured it would be better for me to stay around locally and feign ignorance of anything and everything. If I were to run they just might figure I knew something was up and I was trying to protect myself and Damien. If I stayed around and played dumb they would conclude I was not in the know and they would leave us alone."

"Yes. I can see the logic in that, Meg. I guess that worked for you seeing as you are here right now."

"Yes it most certainly did."
Chapter Nine

***

Wade Butler had always been a hothead, he was a very likeable guy, but he did like to do things his way. He always said that marrying Margaret was the best thing that he ever did. She keeps me grounded he used to tell people. When his dad took ill he was conflicted as to what to do. The business in Vancouver was thriving and in expansion mode, but then the Sarasota company was also doing well. The Floridian weather proved to be the deciding factor as it was more beneficial to his Dad's health. So this meant that he and Meg would sell up in Vancouver and go and start over in Sarasota. It wouldn't exactly be from scratch as his father had a thriving business going on down there. All Wade had to do was to learn the ropes and take it from there. Everything was going just fine until that day the local Mafia showed up. They had been watching this business expand and now they wanted in on it. Their business plan had a few holes in it as far as Wade was concerned and he declined their offer. Needless to say these boys were less than impressed and they did not take kindly to rejection. Their second visit was even less cordial and numerous threats were made and backed up with physical force with a little vandalism thrown in just to emphasize the point. Still Wade would not be cowed into submission. He figured they wouldn't hurt his wife – the Mob never went after the women. He also figured they wouldn't hurt him too much as they needed him to run the business. Well he was right on both counts – but wrong at the same time. His father's house apparently had a gas leak and blew up killing his father and seriously injuring his mother. The next time the Mob paid Wade a courtesy call he was all ears and fully compliant. They had achieved their goal; he would cooperate from now on. Wade did exactly that, what choice did he have, he went along with everything they proposed. The money they were slipping him was an unexpected bonus and he could now have a luxurious lifestyle. Meg was a conventional girl, but now he had access to all manner of exotic women. Women that were all too eager to cater to his every whim. Things like that can go to a man's head, which was exactly what the Mob wanted. When things started to sour with Meg, the Mob moved in quickly to pour gas on that particular fire and ensure their relationship fell apart. They soon saw that their tactics had paid off. Wade and Meg separated and Wade had moved out. The Mob kept a watchful eye on both Wade and Meg for a while, but then this surveillance petered out once they realized that the relationship was over and Meg had moved on with her life. Slowly but surely Wade was drawn into the fold deeper and deeper. Just to play it safe they made sure that Wade was complicit in numerous felonies and that way ensured his keeping his mouth shut. They had him shipping out the drugs, handling the laundered cash and enticing innocent women out for a pleasure cruise never to be seen again. Wade for his part seemed more than content in his new role and certainly enjoyed spending the new found money they were feeding him. Yes, the Mob was quite happy, they had him hook line and sinker now – or so they thought. Wade however was still a redneck at heart and he hated the Mob for killing his Dad. He was not about to let that go unpunished. He called the FBI one morning and explained his predicament and they were quite appreciative of the information he had imparted to them. He now had to continue to play the part until they had sufficient on them to make the bust stick. Meg had no idea of what Wade was up to and this would keep her safe. He could explain it all to her once it was over, but for now keeping her safe was the number one priority. The FBI would be keeping an eye on her and Damien and so Wade was not too concerned for Meg's immediate safety. He simply had to maintain his role and to go along with the job. The booze and the women were just something he had to suffer- tough as it might be. During this time he provided the FBI with shipment dates, volumes, cash deliveries and rendezvous' with freighters out in the gulf. He wore a wire on several occasions and soon had the evidence piling up. The FBI now had sufficient to make their arrests, but being cautious they needed a little extra time to consult with their lawyers to ensure they had forgotten nothing. They hadn't and they were good to go. However, one minor detail had been overlooked. It is a well known fact that the more people that are privy to sensitive intelligence the greater the risk of leakage. In running this by the lawyers, other eyes saw this information also, albeit by accident and the Mob were now secretly informed. They could not do anything to stop the arrests; they had no time for that. They could however take action against the rat that sold them out. A contract was immediately taken out on Wade and there would be no shortage of takers for that kind of money. Wade's chances of appearing in a court room had now dropped dramatically. The question was did the FBI know this information had been leaked? Meg was totally in the dark on this and had no idea that Wade was an informant for the FBI. She would only learn about it in the papers and by then it just might be too late. Although still separated from her husband and disgusted by his current actions, she had no desire to see the father of her son killed and this was now a distinct possibility.

John was now totally into this tale. He felt that he was actually living in a detective story. Meg had so vividly described everything that John felt he was right there.

"So what did you do with yourself after discovering that Wade was either involved with or being investigated by the FBI?"

"Well at first as I mentioned, my first instinct was to run, but where to? I was pretty settled there in Sarasota. I had friends, I belonged to a few clubs and overall I had it pretty good there. In addition, I was supposedly ignorant of what was going on, so why would such a person pick up stakes overnight and leave town. I decided it would be safer to stay and that's what I did. A short time later I read in the papers that the FBI had made a significant dent in the local Mafia's ranks, landed a huge haul of drugs and cash and other illegal activities had been curtailed. That I assumed to mean the human trafficking, but they were keeping that one quiet for some reason. They also mentioned that they had an inside informant who provided all this data but who would remain anonymous for security reasons."

"So, Wade was actually working as an informant then."

"Yes he was. Apparently he approached them and explained his situation and he was granted immunity on the strength of his informing for them."

"So in reality he had been putting up a front to protect you and to get back at the Mob for killing his Dad."

"In essence, yes, but Wade was not the same man anymore, and we had drifted apart. I could not get past all those bimbo's he'd been with, even if it had all been part of the job."

"Yes I can understand that, having an affair is always tough to forgive, but a series of them one after the other, now that is hard to swallow."

"Yeah, well I thought so anyway and I stayed away from the courtroom when it came to trial. The case lasted for several weeks and the Mob had a legion of lawyers and they kept filing motion after motion but in the end they lost. The security in and around that courthouse was unimaginable, John. There were cops, undercover agents from various bureaus including the secret service and screening devices were everywhere. A fly would have a hard time getting in to that courthouse. I tried once to get in to see Wade, but I couldn't."

"Was that wise, given the circumstances, Meg?"

"Well I figured that the Mob wouldn't read anything into that, I was his wife after all and even if we were separated a wife would go to court, either to offer her support or to see the man sent down. I just thought that they would ignore my presence there."

"How did they react, did they ignore it?"

"Yes, John, they did. They saw me try to get to talk to Wade and they saw me be refused. They also saw Wade look at me like something he stepped in on the street and needed to wipe off his shoe. I never saw him again. He's in the witness protection program now and we shall never see him again. The U.S. Marshal's have him now and one of them came to see me and he gave me a message from Wade. He told me that he had done what he had to do to keep me and Damien safe and that he was sorry for everything that had happened. He felt that this was the only way he could live with himself as these men were pure evil and had to be destroyed. The price was high and he hated leaving me and Damien, but he just had to do it and to please forgive him. The marshal then went into some detail as to just what it was that those men were into and that Wade was a real hero for doing what he had done. He looked down at Damien and ruffled his hair and said; "One day son you'll learn just how much of a hero your Dad really is." He then put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze and said to me, I'm so sorry it had to end this way Ma'am and so is Wade, but this is how it has to be for your protection, never doubt how much your husband loves you, Mrs. Butler."

"Wow that was quite the story, Meg. Where do you go from here?"

"Well I'm going home to my parents right now and from there who knows. I am alright financially, Wade saw to that and the U.S. government set up a trust fund for Damien and me to tide us over."

"You are an incredibly brave woman Meg. I have no doubt at all that you will do just fine from here on. Anyone as resourceful as you will make it anywhere."

"Thank you for your encouragement, John. I simply can't believe that I told you all of that."

"It stays with me Meg, I will tell no one about our conversation or that I even met you."

"Thank you, John, I hope one day, when I am ready, that I can meet a man like you, you are a rare breed, John Canon, and I know what I'm talking about on that score."

"Aw shucks Ma'am" said John in his inimitable Western drawl, "you'll be giving me a swelled head thar right soon if you keep talkin' like that."

Meg simply laughed and turned to play with Damien. He had been playing quietly on the seat beside her with a toy car as she related her story. It was now time for Meg to lavish some attention on her son and John just stared out of the window and watched the scenery fly by as the train sped onward towards Vancouver. When he boarded the train in Toronto he knew that this trip would be one to remember, but he had never imagined this. Brian had said that he himself had been impacted by some of the tales he had heard on those train rides he had taken in his college days, but John never imagined the power and emotional depth of these stories. In fact he never thought much about it at all prior to this trip. He was just living his own life and seldom gave a thought as to what might be going on in somebody else's life. It made him realize how shallow and self absorbed he must be if he paid so little attention to the needs of others. On the other hand, he certainly didn't wish to become intrusive into other peoples lives either and he now paused to contemplate the difference between the two.

John was now beginning to see Meg in a different light at this point. She was a little older than he was, around the early to mid thirties he guessed. She was attractive in appearance, but right now she looked rather fatigued and worn out. This was hardly surprising considering the ordeal she had been through these past few years. She had distinct air of compassion about her and her devotion to her son was obvious. The clothes she was wearing while not new anymore were of good quality originally and so were her son's. Her disposition was one of nervousness he thought and she flinched easily at the unexpected. This young woman had indeed led a traumatic and anxious life lately judging by her reflex actions. She was in a similar situation to him in the respect that she had lost her spouse too. Under completely different circumstances perhaps, but the loss still caused the same gut wrenching agony. She and Damien now had to go it alone in the world and knowing that Wade was still alive somewhere made it far worse than his own pain he thought. Pam's death was an act of God and by no means voluntarily imposed upon him. In Meg's case Wade had chosen this path. The nobility of the cause and his reasons behind it were all academic. Meg was now effectively a widow and a single parent and in her mind unnecessarily so. Once the Mob got involved, their marriage had deteriorated and Wade had changed because of it. He had changed back again later, but it was too late. Yes he had done the right thing in accepting the witness protection program, after all that had transpired he had little choice. Meg however was still paying the price. The only consolation was that she and Damien were still alive but they now had to rebuild their lives on their own. As he looked at Meg now he had considerable respect for her accomplishment and her spirit. She was sitting beside him and giggling as she was playing with Damien. For now at least the troubles had subsided and she was sort of relaxed and John caught a glimpse of how Meg would be if given the chance. There was a sparkle in her eyes that he had not noticed before. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was almost home and among people who cared about her. John just sat there and watched her and her son play together. After the tale she had just told him he found it most gratifying to watch this simple act of playing with her son. He tried to conjure up in his mind what turmoil she must have been in down in Sarasota when all this was taking place around her. He concluded that he didn't even come close. He knew courage when he saw it and this young woman certainly had that. She was smart, there was little doubt about that after the decisions she had made regarding her behaviour concerning the Mob. She had done the right thing and reasoned out every move beforehand. In addition she had been effectively running that business administratively prior to the Mob muscling in on it. John clearly felt that this young woman would make a go of anything she turned her hand to. He hardly knew her in actual fact, and yet he felt that he did. She possessed a certain character, an indescribable aura, he determined, but one that exuded potential and capability all rolled into one. She would be financially secure, courtesy of Wade and the FBI and she could now rebuild her life. John made a mental note to follow up on that at some future point to see how things were working out for them. The scenery had been rolling by and John suddenly realized that he had missed so much of it due to being engrossed in the story. Actually it was raining outside and misty too, so in fact he wouldn't have seen too much of it anyway. This was some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere and he was missing it. I guess I'll just have to come back he told himself. This was the reason that I came and I've been too busy listening to stories. Riveting though they were perhaps, but it still detracted from the purpose of this trip. On the other hand, it had achieved one purpose. John was no longer as depressed as he was. He had come to realize that other people's lives contained problems and traumas far in excess of his. It was an epiphany for him when he realized this and in a way he found it to be cathartic. He still felt a sense of loss over Pam's death but the agonizing pain had subsided a little now. Having listened to the pain being endured by Marion and Jane over Melanie and Randall, not to mention the anguish caused by Danny and then added to that was Meg's tale. Now these good folks had real pain to deal with and John had been chastened by it. Yes he was in pain and suffering Pam's loss, but he shouldn't let it consume his life and he now realized that he had. Billy's words of wisdom now rang clear and true "You can't live your life through the rear view mirror." As he looked over at Meg that message came through loud and clear. She and Damien were starting over and with far less than he had in terms of opportunities, he should now do the same.

The rain on the mountains was now flowing down in rivulets and the streams at the bottom of the mountains were now raging torrents. As he was watching he saw a stag struggling to get across one of those streams. It lost its footing at one point and got swept away downstream a short distance before it regained its footing. John swung his head round the back of his seat to watch that valiant struggle as the train carried on forward towards its next stop in Kamloops. The stag did manage get himself across the stream finally, he would have been exhausted, but he made it all the same. It was yet another sign to John that life's struggles carried their own reward; in that case it was survival.

"What has you so interested, John? I saw you spin round and look behind."

"Oh I was just watching a deer fight its way across a stream. It was having a tough time of it, but he made it in the end. He was tired I guess but he just shook himself off and ambled away slowly. "

"Are you a nature lover, John?"

"Well I wouldn't go so far as to call myself that exactly, but yes I do like the outdoors, Meg. I tend to associate the term "Nature Lover" with avid environmentalists, tree hugger types and the like. I am certainly not one of them, but I do like nature and the beauty that God has given to us. While I am not an activist on the subject, I do not like pollution or the damaging of the environment when it can be avoided. In fact a few days ago I was having a meaningful conversation with an environmental engineer from Abocon on that very topic. He enlightened me on quite a few things. Those guys really do go out of their way to protect the environment."

"Forgive my ignorance, John, but what is Abocon?"

"Abocon stands for the Alberta Oil Conglomerate" it's a sort of abbreviation."

"I have heard that name before, but not the abbreviation."

"Well Meg now you have and you can dazzle all your friends with your in depth knowledge of the Oil Industry as, when, and if the subject comes up."

Meg and John both laughed at that thought. Damien had now crawled up on his mothers lap and fallen asleep clutching a little red car in his hand. He looked so peaceful and contented. Meg saw him looking down at him and said,

"It's so nice to be their age and trouble free isn't it?"

She said this as she herself was looking down at him and the joy in her face was unmistakable. She looked up at John and just beamed a smile at him. For that moment at least, Meg was happy and content and it showed. John could almost feel the radiated heat that smile had produced. There was considerable warmth in this woman and she deserved to be happy now and live a life of security instead of the fear and anxiety she had endured these past few years. She had criss crossed the U.S. been given a new passport and changed her name and now she was on the final leg of her journey home. John was going to keep an eye on Meg and Damien just to make sure they were okay.

When John had left the employ of Section 5 only they knew the reason why – he had won the lottery and received an eight figure cheque – before the decimal that is. Nobody knew just how wealthy John really was, nobody but Pam that is. The men he left behind in Section 5 knew but they would never reveal his secret. The Lottery Office usually makes a big publicity splash over its winners – but not in John's case. The government stepped in smartly and killed that on the spot due to his sensitive position. That win would simply disappear and appear on the books in some other form. The name John Canon would appear nowhere. The money had been paid out to a foreign bank for now and John had total access to it. John himself had decided to keep his windfall a secret for now – all kinds of hangers on came out of the woodwork once they knew you had that kind of money and at the time he had no idea what he was going to do with it all. This train trip had opened his eyes to a lot of things and he now knew of several ventures he would spend some of that money on. While Meg had a trust fund and some cash besides, it was not a fortune and she would have to watch her expenditure. Once she got herself settled in John intended to pay her a surprise visit, assess the situation and if necessary provide a little extra to ensure that Meg had what she needed. As he smiled back at her now she had no idea what was going through his mind and how big an impression she had made upon him. He had no intention of becoming an intrusive element in her life – but he could become an anonymous benefactor if it were deemed necessary. Meg would never know, but until she regained her footing in life, John would be her guardian angel.

The train's intercom then gave out the message that the next stop was Kamloops and they would be arriving there in fifteen minutes. John then made a point of getting Meg's address there in Kamloops – ostensibly for Christmas card purposes. He also gave her his Toronto address and phone number in case she ever came to town. Meg then gently wakened little Damien and got him ready to meet his grandparents who would be waiting to meet him at the station. As the train was pulling into the station Meg shook John's hand.

"Thank you John for everything you did for us; giving me your berth, listening to me prattle on, and for making this journey so pleasant for us."

"Meg it was my pleasure and I was pleased to meet you – not that I did and I never heard a word you said."

Meg just smiled, still holding John's hand, he then put his other hand on top of it and said, "God bless you Meg – Welcome home."

He then helped her carry her suitcase off the train and onto the platform. He was briefly introduced to her parents, Claire and Roy Duquesne, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then he boarded the train again. The rain had stopped now but it was still overcast, however as he watched Meg's Dad wrap his arm around his daughter's waist and her mother carry little Damien to their car, John knew Meg would be well taken care of here. She had come home to people who loved her and she would be safe here. She and Damien deserved nothing less and John felt quite happy knowing that.

### Chapter Ten

***

Cheyenne woke up early that morning and the sun was already up and warming up the flowers in her window box. As she stretched her arms to waken herself more she thought that this was going to be another lovely day. She lay back on the pillow for a few more minutes taking it all in. There was a beautiful Red Cardinal sitting on the branch of the tree outside her window and it was watching its mate feed their babies in their nest. He cocked his head to one side and looked at her for a moment and then returned to watching his mate. A little lower down the tree was a bird feeder and the gold finches were already attending for breakfast and chirping away merrily. The sky was blue with the odd puffy white cloud here and there, but there was a little nip in the air at that moment. The sun would undoubtedly take care of that as the morning wore on. The leaves were barely moving on that maple tree as the air was quite still that morning. The window was open slightly and Cheyenne could hear the birds singing quite clearly. As she lay there she was trying to distinguish the individual calls or songs of the birds. She managed to identify the Blue Jay's the Cardinal's and the Robin's voices easily enough and perhaps the finches' high pitched tweets, but the rest she just couldn't get. The birds too were happy that morning she concluded. Well I'm not getting much done lying here she thought, I'd better make a move and with that she swung her legs out of bed. She went into the bathroom, locked the door and then took a shower. The rest of the house was quiet; nobody had stirred out of bed yet. Shawna would be the first one to stir as she had the get the kids ready for school and make their breakfast. Uncle Eddie would be the last one to rise and they would all be gone by then. Cheyenne would be at the clinic, the kids would be in school and Shawna would be at the local store. Whether she actually needed anything there was another matter, but she would be out of the house and that was all that mattered. By the time that Cheyenne emerged from the bathroom Shawna and the kids were all up and downstairs having breakfast. One of the children however was not yet out of bed and Shawna went up to get him out of bed. The child didn't want to get up that morning and he said he was not feeling well. Shawna had dealt with this problem before and no way was she falling for this routine.

"Out of bed right now mister or you'll be sorry."

As a general rule such a threat would have produced an immediate response, today it didn't. The boy barely acknowledged her existence and this was certainly not customary behaviour for him. Shawna now took a closer look at the boy and felt his forehead, he was burning up. This child was sick, there was no doubt about that now.

"Cheyenne come here, Max is not feeling well, he's burning up, come and have a look at him."

"Hi Max, I hear you're not feeling too well this morning."

Max never raised his head or even tried to respond and this was not like him at all. Both women now knew they had a sick child on their hands.

"What do you think it is Cheyenne?

"Well it could be just about anything; kids come down with all kinds of things at this age. It's probably some sort of virus that's going around, just keep him in bed today and keep him hydrated with lots of drinks. He probably won't want any food, just give him drinks. Soup would be good if he'll take it."

Shawna then bent down and gave Max a kiss on his head and wrapped him up well in his blanket.

"Shawna, has Max complained about anything in particular?"

"No he hasn't spoken at all, he just lays there. He doesn't have the energy to speak it would seem."

"Keep a close eye on him, Shawna, and if he gets worse call me."

"I don't think it's anything to worry about at present and his temperature will probably subside soon – I've seen this sort of thing before. Occasionally it can turn out to be a little more serious, but as of right now Max is only showing signs of fever and none of the other more serious symptoms. I expect he will have a headache and possibly a stomach ache, but if he starts to throw up or he becomes jaundiced call me right away at the clinic. It's probably nothing to worry about, Shawna, as I said, but mothers tend to freak out when their kids are involved. That's perfectly normal. It's also normal for kids to pull stunts to get out of going to school - but that isn't going on in this instance. Max is sick; Shawna, but his symptoms so far do not signify anything serious. These viruses keep showing up and knocking people out for twenty four hours and then they are fine again. Let's hope that this is the case here. As I said, if he seems to get worse call me at the clinic."

Both women then left the room and they let Max go back to sleep. Cheyenne then went and had her breakfast. Before leaving for the clinic she checked in on Max once more. He was still asleep and his temperature seemed about the same so Cheyenne concluded he was no worse than before. She was just about to walk out of the door when she had second thoughts and she went back into Max's room and this time she put her stethoscope on him. He seemed fine, his heart was regular and his lungs seemed normal. Despite this

reassurance Cheyenne felt uneasy about leaving Max in the house. While she had told his mother he was probably fine, she was now starting to have doubts. Max had not displayed any of the more serious symptoms, but she felt that it was early yet and he just might display them later and she needed to be on the alert for them. She daren't alert Shawna to them as she would freak out on the spot and it just might be unnecessary anyway. With that she walked out of the house and down the road to the clinic. Before she reached the clinic she could see the patients lining up to get in. She immediately felt good about that thinking that she had been accepted by these people after all. When she got there she realized that was not the reason for the numbers. Oh they trusted her alright, but fear had brought them out in such numbers and not respect for her bedside manner. It was parents bringing their children and their symptoms now had Cheyenne worried. While each child was at a different stage of this illness, there were striking similarities. Cheyenne called Julie to come over to give her a hand and Julie duly came. It soon became obvious to them both that this was no ordinary flu bug. They were taught in college the age old adage that when you hear hoof beats you think of Horses not Zebras. This meant think of the most likely cause rather than the most exotic possibility. Well initially they had, but now it was more than likely that they were dealing with something far more serious than a simple virus. Based on the symptoms displayed, Mononucleosis was the favourite bet. Then again not all the kids had jaundice or abdominal pain. Meningitis then became a possibility, but in this many kids and so quickly, this didn't quite fit either. The two young nurses now realized that they were dealing with a major illness here, one way outside of their knowledge and experience. The local doctor was called and he too was of the opinion that one or the other of those diseases was likely the cause based on the current symptoms. However, he then added one more possibility. He had never experienced it personally, but Legionnaire's Disease presented with symptoms similar to what they were now seeing. In young children it was seldom fatal, just debilitating similar to the flu but with additional side effects. The doctor decided that the most advanced cases should be transported to the hospital immediately and he made that call. He congratulated the two nurses on their diligence and he told them he would be there with them as soon as he could. This was one instance that constituted a personal visit. From that point onward he and Cheyenne enjoyed a certain rapport. She never called him unless it was urgent or well beyond her expertise, but when she asked him to come he never refused. It was a mutual respect that they shared and the tribal Chief could clearly see it and his respect for Cheyenne would grow on the strength of it.

The epidemic of Legionnaire's Disease on the reserve provoked a Provincial response immediately. They were concerned about mould in the buildings, the air conditioning filters and stagnant water tanks. All manner of inspections took place, together with promises to fix all defective areas. All of it drawn to the attention of the local TV stations and the press and suitable photo opportunities arranged accordingly. One or two things did improve and the source of the Legionnaire's was found and rectified. Other than that, life on the reserve didn't change too much and Max was now back to his mischievous self once more. The politicians had appeased themselves that they had done their duty and then some regarding this outbreak. The voters could clearly see that they were diligent in getting right on top of this outbreak's cause and putting it right. That after all was the most important point to be made. The welfare of the reserve was incidental – public perception on the other hand was all that mattered. The chief was paraded in front of the TV cameras and obliged to answer the previously prepared questions, all of which were complimentary to the government officials and local politicians. In return he was promised certain items that the reserve was in need of – a portable community center being one such item.

Julie and Cheyenne now returned to being themselves. The epidemic was now over and everyone had returned to good health, well what passed for good health on the reserve that is. In a few days time they would both be heading to Toronto and back to Seneca College to finish their course and graduate as registered nurses. It had been four years of hard work but they would now have their Bachelor's degree in Nursing and be able to place R.N. after their names. Both of them were rather pleased about that as one might expect and they had every right to be, it was a significant achievement. Julie had several résumés out there, but as yet had received no offers of interviews, although she remained optimistic. These were difficult times as the world was struggling with economic turmoil and employment opportunities were few and far between. However, health care was now on most politicians' agendas due to an aging population caused by the baby boom after WW11 and Julie felt that she would not be unemployed for too much longer.

### Chapter Eleven

***

John had settled into his seat now and the train's horn sounded announcing that they were about to depart from Kamloops on the final leg of his journey to Vancouver. Seconds later he heard that distinctive roar of the diesel engines as the engineer cranked up the power to haul the train out of the station and down the track to Vancouver. He was alone with his thoughts now as he gazed out of the window at the passing landscape.

"Well John," he said to himself, "you came on this trip to see the Rockies and all the beautiful sights surrounding them and you have missed it all. You'll just have to come back and take this trip again one day."

It was quite true; he had been so engrossed in Meg's tale that he had missed the best and most beautiful part of the trip. On the other hand he had been mesmerized by that tale and the drama that it contained. It had made him realize the complexity of other peoples lives and the struggles that they endure in their every day living. The loss of Pam had sent him into a tailspin, but having heard these tales he had come to realize that his feeling sorry for himself was totally pathetic compared to what others had to suffer. Meg's tale was a case in point. That poor woman had really been through the mill and it wasn't over yet. One day, hopefully, she may settle down again and find the happiness that she so richly deserved. Right now she was back with her parents and on the road to rebuilding her life. John had vowed to keep an eye on Meg and her son and he would too. However a further surprise awaited him down the road in that respect. He had met only briefly with Claire and Roy, Meg's parents, and very little other than pleasantries had been exchanged. It would soon come to light who Claire was, or more to the point who her mother was. This information would stun John when he discovered just who Claire's mother was and her connection to the past. Yes the world really is a very small place. All of this would be revealed to him in Vancouver quite dramatically and purely by chance.

The train had picked up speed now as it headed south and the huge trees of the forests were on both sides of the track now. The wild life within those forests would be awesome he thought to himself. One could certainly lose oneself in there forever if the desire took you he thought. The peace and tranquility in there would be most soothing, but then one would have to be a real recluse to enjoy that level of solitude and a misanthrope he most certainly was not. As he glanced over to the other side of the compartment he noticed a young teenaged boy and girl sitting quietly together. He had seen them board the train in Kamloops and they had very little in the way of luggage with them. He had only glanced at them casually, but as he was looking at them now he sensed that there was something not quite right with this picture. Their clothing, while not exactly home made, was definitely out of style and the pair seemed awkward and unsure. As he watched them he got the sense that they were really uncomfortable here and he found that troublesome. In his experience teenagers were full of themselves, happy, generally, and usually rather talkative. This was not the case here. This pair seemed apprehensive, unsure of themselves and quite frankly they were acting as if they were from another planet. John was about to dismiss them, when the girl broke down in tears and the boy tried to comfort her and then he too broke down.

"Hey guys, is everything alright" asked John. "What can be so bad that it has you both so upset? The sun is shining, it's a beautiful day and you are going on a trip somewhere. Are you headed to Vancouver?"

The boy pulled himself together now and John could see that he was making a determined effort to be strong for the girl's sake.

"Yes Sir, we are going to Vancouver."

"That's good" said John, "so am I. Are you going to visit relatives there?

"No Sir, we don't know anybody there."

"Oh I see, this is a sightseeing pleasure trip is it?"

"Not exactly, Sir we just needed to get away."

"Get away from what exactly?" John enquired.

"The prophet and his disciples" replied the boy.

This revelation rocked John back a little; he had not been expecting anything like this.

"Were you guys living in a commune or something?" he asked.

"What is a commune?" asked the boy.

John considered his response to that question very carefully before he answered it and then he went on to explain what it meant.

"Yes Sir, I guess we did live in a commune then."

"Why did you choose to leave now?

"Well I will be sixteen tomorrow and Ruth will be sixteen next month and we love each other."

"I see" said John "and that is obviously a problem because ????

John then waited for the boy to answer.

"At sixteen all the boys are sent away from the valley to go and live on their own in the outside world and the girls are assigned to an apostle as his wife."

John now took a closer look at these two kids now, totally shocked by what he had just heard. He had heard about these religious cults and their communes, but he had never actually encountered one or met a cult member before. This was scary what they were saying. The boy at just sixteen was being thrown to the wolves in effect, sent to God knows where and told to survive on his own in a hostile environment. It was hostile enough to kids who had grown up in the city and who were street wise – this kid had never seen the outside of his commune. Was it any wonder he was terrified and in tears? His girlfriend was about to be given to a fifty three year old man as his newest sex slave and he simply couldn't allow that to happen. She was afraid of this man and the boy was about to be thrown out of the family for good – they had to act now and they did. They ran away together. They sneaked onto the train not knowing that the ticket inspector would come around asking to see their tickets. They didn't even know what a ticket was let alone what a ticket inspector was. These two were babes in the wood and would be crucified in Vancouver if left on their own. Ruth had dried her eyes and was looking out of the window; she was too shy to look directly at John. These two kids were terrified and rightly so. They had been told that only evil existed beyond the communes walls and the devil and his disciples were everywhere just waiting for them. John could clearly see the fear in the young girl's eyes. The boy displayed more cautious apprehension than outright fear, but it was still terrifying for him also. They were on their own now and facing God knows what in a world they were unfamiliar with and one in which only evil existed. At least that is what they had been led to believe. John now had to try and disprove that myth, but not totally. There were evil people out there that would take advantage of these two if given the chance and they had to be taught the difference.

"Okay" said John, "have you eaten anything today?

"No Sir" said the boy.

"My name is John Canon, what's yours?"

"My name is Simeon Rodgers and my girlfriend is Ruth Harris, Sir."

"There's no need to call me Sir, Simeon, John will do just fine. Now that you are outside of the commune people are generally called by their first names. I know this may be strange for you, but trust me, you will soon get used to it. Well the first thing we need to do is to get you something to eat in the dining car. You are both hungry I assume?"

"Yes Sir – I mean, John, but we have no money"

"Don't worry about that Simeon I'll take care of that, you and Ruth just tell them what you would like."

With that, John led them to the dining car and ensured they left there with full stomachs. These two kids were as green as grass, but they were lovely kids, well mannered and respectful and totally naïve. They simply could not be allowed to venture out into the world on their own like they were; they wouldn't last five minutes before they were preyed upon. John made his mind up on the spot to ensure that these two were going to be properly looked after. He would take them shopping once he had something organized with social services and kit them out with more suitable attire. He felt for these two kids - they only had each other now and John was going to damn well see to it they didn't lose each other like Billy and Frank had. When they went back to their compartment Simeon and Ruth now sat with John and told him a little more about their lives in the commune. It was quite illuminating for John to learn all that was going on in that commune. Overall it was quite the enterprise they had going there. They owned hundreds of acres of land and a river ran through it. At the far end of the property was a sawmill which the men ran on their own, the men being Prophet Paul and his apostles. The boys would all report there after school and they would be assigned tasks to perform. The ladies were required to perform money making activities also. They were obliged to manufacture quilts, embroidery and sewing items i.e. table cloths and the like and also bake pies for sale. Their prices were modest, but local merchants bought them up en-masse and sold them for a considerable profit in nearby towns. The merchants failed to disclose the origin of that merchandise for fear of being cut out of the loop – which of course they would have been once it became known. There was this unwritten code between the Prophet and his gang that they would allow the merchants to buy these items in return for keeping their mouths shut as to what the commune was all about. The merchants respected that with no apparent difficulty. They were making a tidy profit; why should they care that young girls were being molested by elderly men – it was none of their business. To them these people were religious fanatics and nothing more. The Prophet himself was a very charismatic individual and his word was law. He had certainly captivated the hearts of all the women and they adored him. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the Holy Bible and he quoted from it regularly. However, he was rather selective in the quotes he voiced and frequently placed his own personal interpretation on them. The actual number of apostles varied from time to time, but right now Simeon thought that there were between fifteen and twenty. Each of them had their own home and their own wives. However, while the women lived with one man in his house, monogamy was not always practiced. The men had the right to impregnate any woman as the bible pointed out that they should "Go forth and multiply." A point the Prophet made repeatedly to ensure everyone got the message. In general though, the men stuck to their own, unless one man was away or ill or incapacitated in one way or another. A pregnant woman was revered and catered to by all – hence the desire to get pregnant by all of the women. However, once a male turned sixteen they could be turned out to fend for themselves as they were now considered adults by the province. This meant that the commune could not be held responsible for them and charged with abandonment. It was also the age of consent for young girls to agree to have sex. At the onset of puberty the young girls would be assigned to an apostle in a simple ceremony. She then moved into his house under the wing of a sister wife. On her sixteenth birthday or soon thereafter the apostle would take her virginity and continue to sleep with her exclusively until she became pregnant. Teenage boys were thrown out so as not to represent competition for the elderly men. The religious services were little more than continuous brain washing sessions to keep the women in line. The women could and did leave the compound, for medical, dental and shopping purposes, but always with their man, never alone. They could not be drawn into sin by the devils disciples who were lurking outside those gates just waiting to pounce. Their men were there to protect them. This was the story told to them anyway. The truth of the matter was that those women were too far gone to stray now. The brain washing had seen to that, they were fully committed to the cause and besides, they had nowhere else to go. They had stopped communicating with their families years ago and all they had now was each other. The men were not brutal to them and they were all good family men and this was just how it was for them now. To all intents and purposes they were quite content living this way. Ruth's mother was by no means averse to giving her daughter to a fifty three year old man, its how they lived. The sawmill and the craft sales made them all a comfortable living, well the men at least. The women saw very little of that money. The men would buy new trucks and other toys they needed but they would also buy sewing machines too to keep their wives contented. The compound itself was a thriving enterprise and outside interference was discouraged. The road in was gated, but the perimeter was not totally fenced and this was how Simeon and Ruth had escaped. Both kids were afraid that they may send someone after Ruth, Simeon they didn't want, but Ruth they did. She was a child bearing machine and they needed them in the compound to keep the bloodline going. John had heard stories about compounds before, but this was riveting. Simeon had related all of this in a prosaic, matter of fact manner but with crystal clarity. It was totally mind boggling to hear and John was not going to let Ruth be drawn back in to that life.

As they all sat there quietly looking out of the coach window, John's mind was racing. How was he going to get things organized in Vancouver, who would he need to contact first. Child Protective Services was one option, the RCMP was another or perhaps the Vancouver Police Service. They all had to know who was best suited to take care of these two kids. One thing he did know, he would not allow them to be separated. They had to go together wherever it was; he had absolutely no doubts about that. They had calmed down now. John had told them that once they arrived in Vancouver he would get things organized for them. This had taken a great load off their minds. They had no idea where they were going to stay that night, they had no money and very few clothes beyond what they were wearing. They had each other, but they were still scared kids and they were now on their own. Well almost, John now took it upon himself to ensure that these two kids were going to be taken care of. He wasn't too sure of how just yet, but they would not be thrown to the wolves, that much he did know. He glanced across at Simeon who now had his arm around Ruth to comfort her. This boy had rescued her from that compound, but he was ill equipped to deal with the world and the evil it contained. He was a well built youth, tussle haired and blue eyed, but his innocence shone through like a beacon. His attentiveness to Ruth was plain to see, he adored this young girl and she idolized him. The look in her eyes said it all when she looked at him. She had total faith in this boy and felt safe with him. The prospect of her being a baby factory for the foreseeable future had terrified Ruth, and rightly so. Who in their right mind would want to live in a situation where any man could have sex with you at his will simply to impregnate you and contraception was not permissible. John had seen some things in his time when on military service – but this, this was something else again. The thought of this sweet young girl being ravaged by that old man made John angry. He knew that there was little he could do about it – others had tried and the courts had upheld the commune's rights to practice their religion as they saw fit. Each apostle had only one legal wife, the rest were sort of sister wives with no legal standing, but they were there at their own choice. Living common law with half a dozen women as mistresses was not a crime – socially distasteful perhaps, but not a criminal offence. The same applied to wife swapping, it was their own choice to engage in this activity and as long as they were of legal age no crime was being committed.

John's mind was racing along with the train. The legal system was flawed and would hand over Ruth in a heartbeat as she was not yet sixteen. They could even lay kidnapping charges against him for spiriting her away if they were so inclined. The commune had the legal right; well her mother did anyway, to bring her back into the fold. The law was on their side and once they got her back they would ensure she never escaped again. He had to think and he had to be very careful now as to what action he took. His mind went all over the map conjuring up numerous scenarios that may await them once they arrived in Vancouver. His furtive military training would soon come in extremely useful he thought. He now tried to place himself in the Prophet's shoes and to figure out just how much he knew and what he might do about it. This was a precedent setting move by Simeon and Ruth, one the Prophet could not allow to be successful. If this got out others may be tempted to try and that prospect terrified him. He had spent years building up his flock; he couldn't allow it to fall apart now. He had to act and act quickly to stop them, the question was how? John came up with several ideas as to how he might try to stop them. The Prophet was not dumb; he knew the law was on his side, so knowing that, John made several assumptions. His original idea of going to the police was no longer an option. He may go by himself and ask some obscure questions to get one or two referrals, but he would not expose Simeon and Ruth. All of this subterfuge may well be unnecessary; he didn't know for sure that the Prophet would come after Ruth. However, having listened to Simeon's story John felt deep down that the Prophet would pull out all the stops to get Ruth back. He didn't want to alarm these kids by telling them his thoughts, but he was now concerned for Ruth's safety. Just how much did the Prophet know? Had anyone seen those kids get on the train, or hitch a ride to the station? They may have been spotted and the Prophet may now be aware of that and have taken appropriate action. He could have alerted the RCMP to be on the lookout for them when they arrived and have a lawyer on hand also. This was a distinct possibility, if not an actual fact. There was only one option now; they had to get off this train in Abbotsford. Once they had done that he would figure out what to do from there. At least this would buy him some time he figured. Ruth being only fifteen complicated matters legally, but it was a risk worth taking in John's eyes.

When the ticket collector came by John purchased two tickets to Vancouver for Simeon and Ruth. Hopefully he would not notice them get off the train in Abbotsford. With a little luck he would be too busy with his other duties to pay any attention to them. They should be able to pull it off, but it was another unknown. John would do his best to see to it that they were unobserved getting off, or at least leaving the station. People do alight from the trains to pick up magazines and cigarettes etc. That in itself would not cause people to notice, doing so with your luggage just might arouse curiosity. He had to find a way around that possibility. The kids themselves had next to no luggage with them and John had a large suitcase on wheels with a pull out handle. He figured he could place their luggage on top of his and pull it all. This way people could see him leaving the train in Abbotsford, but on his own. Nobody would pay any attention to that. The kids could simply get off and visit the newsstand or coffee stall singly and slide out later unobserved. It should work and if it did they were home free. However, there was always the possibility that someone may have noticed in which case there was an outside chance the RCMP may find out if they made enquiries. John could not afford to make mistakes here. He would now conduct his movements like he was on a covert military rescue mission. He had been on many in the past so this was hardly new to him.

It was Simeon who brought up the topic of them being followed.

"John, do you think Prophet Paul will come after us and try to get Ruth back?"

"Yes, Simeon I think he just might try to do that. In fact I have been thinking about that possibility for a while now and I believe I have a solution."

"What is it, Sir, I mean John?" he stammered.

"Well we are going to get off the train early. I am going to take your luggage on top of mine and you and Ruth are going to the newsstand and the coffee stall. We will do so separately; we shall not be seen together. I will get off the train and go outside as any normal passenger getting off there would do. One at a time you two will follow me outside. This way we lessen the possibility of arousing anyone's curiosity. Once the train leaves we can then decide what our next move will be. Right now I haven't got that far yet."

"Do you think it will work?"

"It should do if we stick to the plan. There's no reason to suspect it wouldn't, but I am going to assume that the RCMP may find out about it later and we are going to take appropriate actions to avoid their finding us. Simeon, you have to trust me, I have done this before when I was in the Armed Forces and I will keep you and Ruth safe. All of this is based on the possibility that Paul will come after Ruth and alert the police – but he may not. Personally I think that he will. Its Ruth they want not you and they know that you two are travelling together. My involvement may or may not be known. Right now I am taking nothing for granted. Here's what we know right now. You and Ruth left the commune, hitched a ride to the station and boarded a train bound for Vancouver. Who saw you? - the man that gave you the ride for one; plus whoever was at the station. Then we have the people on the train. They may or may not register the fact that you actually exist due to their being consumed by they own business. We also have the ticket collector. Now let's examine the worst case. The Prophet alerts the RCMP that you are on this train. He also hires a lawyer to ensure that they hand Ruth over to his custody as she is under sixteen. However you are no longer on the train, which means you got off somewhere. Who saw you get off and with whom? They will then investigate from there and try to track us down. My job is to make sure that they don't find us, and trust me, they won't. I may have to leave you on your own from time to time in a coffee shop or something – but a boy and a girl having a coffee will hardly arouse people's suspicions. Once Ruth is sixteen we win, there's nothing the Prophet can do to get her back."

"Will the police come after me for kidnapping her?

"I find that highly unlikely, Simeon, given the circumstances"

"Let's just take this one step at a time shall we. I will protect you both one way or the other. Of that you can be quite sure. The Prophet will never get his hands on Ruth again."

Just prior to arriving at the Abbotsford station John goes over the plan one more time to ensure everyone is on the same page. The two kids were anxious, but they knew what they had to do and they would do it. When the train stopped, John got off and walked straight out taking their luggage with him. A few minutes later Simeon got off from one carriage and Ruth from another. Simeon went to the newsstand and Ruth went into the café for a coffee. Simeon joined her in the cafe a few minutes later but did not acknowledge her. To the casual observer they would appear to be strangers. A few minutes after the train pulled out they casually walked out one at a time and rejoined John. While he was waiting outside the station John came up with a plan. They would now board a bus to Langley and then on to Fort Langley. Once there they would go to Coquitlam and John would rent a car there. This was the plan; all they had to do now was execute it. Ruth and Simeon were very apprehensive about it all, but they went along with John's suggestions and they boarded the Langley bus as a threesome. To the casual observer it would appear that John was their elder brother or possibly their uncle, at least it was hoped that's what people would think. Nobody seemed to give them a second glance; they were all wrapped up in their own thoughts. To the rest of the world John, Simeon and Ruth were just there, part of the scenery and nothing to concern themselves with. Were the police to enquire about them it was unlikely anyone would have noticed them at all, not that the police would be looking on that particular bus. In Fort Langley they stopped for a bite to eat and a visit to the washroom. They sat there and enjoyed their meal and chatted for a while and gradually the level of anxiety in the two kids began to subside, well to more acceptable levels anyway. They were still afraid of the unknown and how their lives would play out in the future, who wouldn't be unnerved by that degree of uncertainty.

The next part of the trip took them to the Coquitlam Bus terminal and train station, just across the road from which was the Coquitlam Mall. John saw the name of a store alongside a coffee shop and told Simeon to go there with Ruth and wait for him. He then took off to find a car rental agency. He didn't have too far to walk, a quarter mile at most. John was in and out in a few minutes and all the paperwork was completed in the usual mundane manner. He then drove back to the Coquitlam Mall and parked the car. All of their luggage was now in the trunk and would no longer draw attention to them. John was pretty confident he had left no trail behind, but one could never be totally sure. They took off now headed towards Vancouver via Port Moody and it was here that John stopped at the side of the road to drop in to the local police station. He was greeted by the desk sergeant and they had a general chat. The theme of this discussion was Child Abuse primarily but they touched on spousal abuse also. What John wanted to know was whether or not Coquitlam had facilities to handle such matters. He was assured that they did and one or two addresses of shelters were provided. John now thanked the sergeant for his information and went back outside and made a few phone calls. The sergeant had absolutely no reason to link John to Simeon and Ruth.

One of the calls that John had made was to the local women's shelter. He was rather vague over the phone but he managed to get an appointment with the director. His admission to the building was handled very carefully until they verified his intentions. Once inside the director's office he outlined a hypothetical situation and sought her guidance as how best to handle such a case. The director listened intently to John's story and realized immediately that this was in fact real and that John was genuine.

"The girl is currently fifteen, is that correct?"

"Yes, ma'am, she'll be sixteen in a few weeks"

"You are of the belief that this so called Prophet may come after the girl"

"Well yes, given the story I have been told, I consider that to be a distinct possibility."

"Why come here with such a tale, we are a women's shelter?"

"Well ma'am to be honest I was hoping that you could put me in touch with someone; like the Underground Railroad so to speak. I know that quite often shelters have arranged for women and kids to fall off the grid, unofficially naturally and I had hoped you might help me."

"I see" she said slowly. "You do realize that I would be breaking the law in doing such a thing."

"No ma'am, I don't see how you could be. You have not advised me to do anything, you have not harbored any runaways, you certainly have not seen these hypothetical children and we have never had this chat. Given that I fail to see how you could be in any trouble. As I see it we can proceed in one of two ways. I can be given an address to go to or you can contact your person, give them the facts and let them decide. I shall give you my cell number and you can call me later with the answer. Failing that perhaps you could refer me to someone else who might be in a position to help – not that I would acknowledge where I got their name."

The director looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"You really are quite serious about this aren't you Mr. Canon?"

"What is your relationship to these two children?"

"I don't have one other than what I have told you."

"Do you really expect me to believe that, Mr. Canon?"

"Yes ma'am I most certainly do, it happens to be the truth."

"Well you say it is, but how do I know that."

"You don't, you either trust me or you send me away."

"Can I meet the children at least?"

"I can let you see the boy, but not the girl and no names must be mentioned and I must be present at all times."

"Why can't I see the girl?"

"Because that would give you legal exposure and if questioned you could be compromised by that and possibly be charged. This way you have deniability. It is the girl that they are after, they couldn't care less about the boy – he is already sixteen and they are not running a stud farm – not yet at least."

This brought a smile to the edges of the director's mouth. She was warming up to John now and beginning to believe he was genuine and trying to do his best to find a home for these kids. She then excused herself and went out of the room to make a call.

"Mr. Canon I have made a call to an individual who may be in a position to help you and she has agreed to meet you here in one hour to meet the children."

"Like I said ma'am the boy will be fine but not the girl."

"This person insists on seeing both children together."

"That's not going to happen until I'm sure that I can trust both you and them"

"I see. Are you prepared to compromise a little Mr. Canon?"

"In what way?" John asked quizzically

"Well, what if the boy came in first and if you are satisfied the girl could be brought in later. That's assuming that you are comfortable with that at the time. We are not being obstructive Mr. Canon, but we do have to be careful. I'm sure you can understand that."

"Yes ma'am I certainly do understand that and I am equally sure that you can understand my own position regarding the welfare of these kids."

"I do indeed Mr. Canon; I think we both have their best interests at heart. I'll look forward to seeing you in one hour."

### Chapter Twelve

***

After Simeon and Ruth's escape was discovered Prophet Paul lost no time in getting on their trail. He and his apostles went into town and asked everyone they saw if they had seen the pair. One man had noticed a truck driver drop off a couple of kids on the outskirts of town and another had seen a pair of kids go into the station. From this Paul deduced that they had boarded a train and the only one coming and going in that time frame was the Vancouver bound train. He contacted a lawyer in the town and sought his opinion as to what to do to rescue this minor as he put it. He learned that the mother needed to sign a formal request for him to have the authority to have the child turned over to his custody pending her return to her mother. The finer details of the commune and the cult's practices were never mentioned. Paul then went back to the commune in a hurry, collected Ruth's mother and brought her back to sign the papers. It was now cut and dried so far as Paul was concerned. He would fly to Vancouver, meet the train with the RCMP and simply take custody of Ruth courtesy of the lawyer and return her to the commune. At this point John's presence had never been mentioned, presumably because they didn't know of his involvement. Paul and his lawyer then chartered a plane to fly to Vancouver to meet the train and hopefully catch the runaways. Upon landing they immediately contacted the RCMP and explained the situation - sort of. No mention of the religious community was made, just her mother's fervent wish to have her daughter returned from the clutches of this sixteen year old boy who was portrayed as a subversive influence on her daughter. It was this evil Svengali that had led her daughter astray and duped her into eloping. That was the official tale anyway. The picture they had painted made them out to be saints whose sole purpose was to rescue this poor young girl from a fate worse than death. When the train arrived in Vancouver they were there to meet it together with an RCMP officer. Needless to say the runaways were not on the train. Paul was furious and demanded that the Police now mount a formal search for the pair. The officer then pointed out that officially they could not be classified as missing until 24 hours had elapsed since they were last seen. As this was not yet the case the police would not become involved. These teenagers could very well return home later in the day, it had been known to happen and quite frequently too. That being the case the police would not commit manpower to a search at this time, come back tomorrow and if they are still missing then we shall conduct an investigation the officer had explained. This did not sit well with Paul at all. He knew very well that these kids would not be returning. They could be anywhere between Vancouver and Kamloops and that was some distance to cover. He was frantic now and racking his brains as to what to do next. He needed a coffee to clear his brain and so he and his lawyer went into the restaurant to plot their next move over a coffee. It was in there they caught a break, sitting at one of the tables were a couple who had just got off that train and they too were having a coffee. It was the lawyer who had spotted them and he went over to enquire as to whether or not they had seen Simeon and Ruth. Yes they said they had seen them. They had been sitting with another young man. They saw him get off in Abbotsford, but they didn't see the pair get off, in fact they didn't see them after that at all. Whether they got off the train before or after Abbotsford they were not sure. They just knew that they didn't see them afterwards. Paul and his lawyer now race back to their plane and head out to Abbotsford. It was a long shot, but it was all they had right now. Further inquiries revealed that the pair had boarded a bus with another young man heading for Langley. Paul felt he had them in his sights now and he tracked them to Coquitlam, but here the trail ended abruptly. The bus driver had seen the boy and the girl go across the road to the mall, but they were alone. He was seething mad now, he had come so far and this was the end of the road. Those two could be anywhere. Why here? he asked himself. They couldn't possibly know anyone in Coquitlam; then again they didn't know anybody anywhere. Perhaps that young man on the train was going here and this was as good a place as anywhere to stay. They would at least know him if nobody else. His mind started working overtime now. Suppose that young man wanted to help these two kids, what would he do? He could take them home with him, in which case he was screwed, he'd never find them in time. On the other hand, he might try child services or the local police perhaps. This was the most logical option he felt and so he set off to make the appropriate inquiries.

***

John and Simeon duly returned to the woman's shelter one hour later and were greeted by Mrs. Curran the director. She led them to her office and seated there already was another elderly lady. She rose to her feet when John and Simeon entered the room and extended her hand. I'm Em Cee she said, please have a seat. Mrs. Curran said that you have a slight problem and that I might possibly be in a position to help, so if you would care to explain I'm all ears.

John said, "Thank you Ma'am, I'll let Simeon here do the talking if that is alright with you and you can ask him any questions directly."

"That will be fine Mr. Canon"

"You can call me John ma'am I am fine with that."

"Thank you John."

"Now young man let me hear your story and I'll see if I can help you and Ruth out of this particular difficulty."

Simeon then told Em Cee the whole story and added a few details that he had omitted before. John could see the look of horror on the faces of Mrs. Curran and Em Cee as Simeon was outlining his story. He explained how close he and Ruth were and that they just had to be kept together. Once she was sixteen they wouldn't bother anybody and they could go out on their own together. Both women looked at each other and then at John, who just smiled back at them. It was obvious to John that these two women wanted to help – they were horrified by this tale, but they needed to hear it from Ruth herself.

"John, do you think I could have a few words with Ruth at this point asked Em Cee?"

"Yes ma'am that will be just fine, Simeon, would you go outside and fetch Ruth please."

"Thank you John" replied Em Cee.

"I thought it best for Simeon to go and bring her in; Ruth is very shy and super nervous right now. This is a hostile and devil filled world to both of them – their brain washing has been intense and they trust nobody."

"I can understand that" replied Em Cee; "I'll try not to frighten her."

Simeon then walked back into the room with Ruth and John rose up out of his chair and went over to them.

"Ladies, this is Ruth Harris, and understandably she is rather anxious and afraid. I have explained that she has nothing to worry about, but given the circumstances I'm sure you will appreciate her delicacy in this matter."

Ruth stood there in tears, her head bowed and physically shaking with fear.

Without a word, Em Cee got out of her chair and walked over to Ruth, wrapped her arms around her and gave her a hug and kissed her forehead.

Everyone in the room could feel the warmth of that embrace especially Ruth. She then beamed down at the girl with a smile that lit up the room and said,

"I don't bite, honey, I had a daughter just like you once, but she's all grown up now. I just want you to tell me why you left home with Simeon and that you do in fact want to stay with him and not return home to your parents."

John then said to Ruth,

"Sit down, honey it's alright, just tell Em Cee why you and Simeon did what you did. She will then know whether or not if she can help you, she is on your side Ruth."

Ruth had already decided that for herself, that hug did it for her. She could sense the warmth in that woman and she just knew instinctively that she was to be trusted, just like John. She then related how she felt and why and how all of this came to pass. John had his eyes opened in certain places as this was the first time he had heard Ruth tell her side of this saga.

At the end of this story Em Cee asked if the kids could just wait in the other room while they discussed the situation.

"John this is heartbreaking, it really is. I can take them and I will, but I need certain assurances from you first."

"Okay, what do you need from me?

"Your absolute discretion, you don't know me, we never had this meeting and you will not try to follow me or contact me ever again. Should you need to contact me, Mary here knows how she can get hold of me. You contact her and she will contact me. Can you live with that?"

"I thought I had left all of this covert activity behind me when I left the military" said John. "I can certainly live with that and I will not betray your confidences, you have my word on that. I would like to know that the kids are doing well and if they are in need of anything you can call me and I'll see to it that Mrs. Curran is provided with whatever it is they need. One more question, can the kids contact me? Once Ruth is sixteen she can't be hunted, but I recognize the fact that phone calls are traceable. Could they perhaps e-mail me down the road sometime if I gave them laptops? Of course you'd have to teach them how to use them I guess. It's just a thought Em Cee, but I have kind of grown to care about these two kids."

"Mary had told me before you arrived that you seemed to have taken these two under your wing and that you really did care about them. I can clearly see that for myself now, John. Yes I will let them have a laptop and allow them to contact you. However, I will not let them give away their location, even to you."

"I can live with that Em Cee, I wouldn't expect them to do that and compromise your operation. One more thing, well a couple really. How many people can you handle in say one month or so - and if you had more funding what would your answer be then?"

This completely rocked Em Cee back on her heels, she had not expected anything like that from John.

"I have never thought about it why?"

"It occurred to me that this is a very valuable service that you provide to people off the books so to speak. I know of certain people in Ottawa who could use your kind of anonymous exploits and make similarly anonymous donations to your account. Would you be interested in such a thing? If not I'll drop it and it will never be mentioned again."

"Oh I don't want the government involved at all" she replied, "that I certainly don't need."

John just laughed.

"Oh I can appreciate that, Em Cee who needs that kind of bureaucracy and interference."

"Exactly" she replied.

"However, that is not what I had in mind. I know you help people to slide off the grid and in helping them to do so you are saving their lives. What I'm asking is could you handle one or two more such people if you had more resources? I don't want you to answer me now, just consider what I have said. The branch of the government that I didn't mention doesn't exist and like you they cannot be contacted. However occasionally certain situations arise that just might be in your line of work, or at least need your services to resolve them. As I mentioned all of it would be off the books, they don't know you and you don't know them. That's how it would have to be. I have not approached Ottawa on this as yet to ascertain whether or not they would be interested, but I shall tonight. I will seek your answer tomorrow, Em Cee. If you say No, then it all dies on the spot and your existence remains secret. If on the other hand you would like to hear more, I will arrange for you to meet a ghost. I call him that because to all intents and purposes he will be. He and only he will be in contact with you and between you you'll work out the details as to how your association will work etc. If Ottawa says "No" to this, then we never had this conversation, ladies."

"Wow" said Em Cee to Mary; "I thought we were cloak and dagger, just who are you John Canon?"

"I am a simple traveler who encountered a situation and sought your help to resolve it. What I used to be and what I am now are two different things and as far as you two ladies are concerned what you see is what you get. You took a chance on me and I have now done the same with you, well sort of. I am no longer an active field operative. I just happen to still have a few connections and I believe you could offer help and comfort to more people than you are at present. Trust me when I tell you that before today I didn't know you existed, I stumbled upon you by accident. I will honor my pledge to you to deny your existence if you decide to pass up on this proposal. Your identity will not leave this room. Should you wish to hear more you will not be obligated to follow through and the ghost will also protect your secrets and identity. That however is another issue, let's get back to the kids."

Simeon and Ruth are then brought back into the room and Em Cee begins to outline the situation to them.

"Okay kids, you are both coming to live with me for the time being. You will be safe and secure there, but you cannot contact anyone for a while. In order to protect you we have to keep you safe and hidden until Ruth attains the age of sixteen. Once you are sixteen Ruth things will ease up a little. You can both return to school and live a normal life. I know of several families that would just love to have you, but I may decide to keep you for myself as my kids have grown up now, assuming you would want to stay with an old woman like me. Do you think you could handle that?"

"Oh Yes, Ma'am" said Simeon immediately, "we would like that very much."

Em Cee beamed at that response and glanced over at Mrs. Curran and John. Both of whom simply smiled back and nodded their agreement. A few minutes later John hugged Simeon and Ruth goodbye and they left with Em Cee to an unknown destination. Mary Curran and John exchanged a few more words and phone numbers and John then left. He had not been there and they didn't know him and that was how it was to be from that point on. However, although John was going to contact his former boss, Barney, in Ottawa and perhaps set up a meeting with Em Cee if necessary, that was going to be the end of his involvement in the matter. He had handed off the issue to Em Cee and she would now take the responsibility for the two kids and their future welfare. This was John's plan anyway, but future events changed that plan and even more so when John discovered what Em Cee's initials stood for.

Prophet Paul had reached the end of the road. He had been to the police in Coquitlam and the social services department and drawn a blank. Nobody had seen anyone resembling the two runaways. He had tried the car rental agencies and several had rented cars and vans, but no teenagers had been seen. They had no idea as to how John looked except that he was about thirty years old give or take. Most of the rental agencies had numerous guys who fitted that description within the stated time frame. He had tried to get their home addresses, but the agencies were having no part of that for fear of privacy breaches and lawsuits. In addition, he didn't really know if that man had rented a car, he may actually live there. Short of bumping into them on the street he was doomed he thought. Then again, "the street" he thought. These kids had no money; they may just hangout on the street. He then retraced his footsteps back to the Mall and began asking every kid he saw if they had seen the pair. It was no use; they had vanished off the face of the earth. Paul fully realized that he only had three weeks in which to find Ruth and after that he had lost her for good. As of right now he was fresh out of ideas, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, a very big haystack. He sent the lawyer home at this point as he saw no reason to keep paying him for what now was becoming a futile search. Paul would stick around the mall for a few more days in the hope that he might find them – but he knew it was a remote chance at best. A few days later he returned home defeated. John had indeed covered his tracks, just as he said he would. Paul now knew only too well that Ruth was now lost to him forever. All he could do now was ponder on just who that mysterious stranger had been.

John meanwhile had been busy on the phone. He had contacted Barney and laid out his predicament in detail. He also told him about the operation that MC was running. The way John laid it out she was a one woman witness protection operation with the Underground Railroad network thrown in for good measure. Barney liked what he heard and asked John to set up a meeting for Bill Stewart of Section 5. John said that he would contact Bill and set things up from there – assuming of course that MC was agreeable to this idea. They exchanged a few more pleasantries and Barney enquired as to whether John had been to Vegas and blown all his money yet. He knew damn well that he hadn't, Barney knew John too well. John had worked for him for several years in Section 5 and he was sorry to see him leave. It was inevitable once he fell in love with Pam and married her that his time in Section 5 would be limited and when he won the lottery that sealed it – he resigned almost immediately. Barney understood, but he was still disappointed to lose such a good man.

John had checked himself into a nearby hotel and was now lying on his bed thinking. Some train ride that had turned out to be, way beyond anything he had expected and he hadn't even seen the scenery that he was hell bent on seeing. That was after all the primary reason for taking the trip and he'd been too engrossed in tales that would make your hair curl to see any of it. He had heard stories that were almost beyond belief, rescued a damsel in distress and finally helped Hansel and Gretel escape from an ogre. That however was no fairy tale; that was most definitely real. Yes indeed, this had been one hell of a trip and it was not over yet.

John now dialed Cheyenne's number - this should relax him he thought. Unfortunately she didn't have too much time to spend in idle chit chat; she was up to her eyes in an epidemic and she and Julie were really busy. She did promise to call him back when she had more time. He had no sooner put the phone down than it rang again, it was Bill Stewart.

"Hi John, how's things?"

"Oh I can't complain Bill, well I can but nobody gives a damn so why bother?"

"Amen to that brother. I know how it is."

Both men burst out laughing as neither one of them had anything to moan about.

"I was just talking to Barney and he said that you were going to call me and knowing how much of a cheap bastard you are I decided to save you a dime."

"Well that's very noble of you, Bill, the cost of phone calls these days being what they are."

"Cut the crap John you always were a miser, now you are a wealthy one. What's this Underground Railroad deal? If it's genuine John I think we can use it."

John then went on to explain what he knew and how Em Cee had been very cautious initially but had come across in the end and helped those two kids out of a real jam. I asked her if she would consider working with an off the books agency and told her to think about it. She could use the money, but that the thought of government interference terrified her.

"I like her already" said Bill. "I too hate government interference. Where do we stand right now then John?"

"I told her to go away and think about it and I'd get her answer tomorrow. If she was agreeable I would arrange a meeting through Mary Curran with you and her to see how the land lay in that respect. I also explained that if it didn't work out, then the meeting never took place and neither of you knew each other and would never contact each other again. I know it was pretty one sided at this point as you are simply a ghost so far as she is concerned. Once trust has been established then things will no doubt be different, Bill."

"Well let's see how it all plays out shall we. Call me tomorrow John and we can take it from there." The conversation changed at that point and more personal details were discussed and memories re-lived. Both men had travelled all over the world together and held each others lives in their hands. They were very close friends and always would be. John told Bill he had spent a few days with Ben and Helen and explained the circumstances involved. Ben had been part of their group in the early days and was well known to Bill. After he hung up the phone John watched Law and Order on TV and then turned in for the night. He'd had a hectic day and he was mentally drained. He fell asleep within minutes.

Em Cee and the two kids had left the women's shelter and were now in Em Cee's house. The house itself was quite secluded and was up in the mountains. It had a beautiful view of the snow capped mountains and a stream ran right through the garden it on its way down the mountain to the river below. Hers was the last house on the street and it was at an angle and some distance from the nearest house. She could come and go and nobody would be in a position to see who was with her, not that they would be looking. Most of the neighbours were at work all day and for the most part they all minded their own business. They all knew her as Em Cee and this suited her just fine. She had been addressed this way forever people thought, none of the neighbours thought anything about it. One neighbour had some mail incorrectly delivered one day and they read the last name as Carver. Well that made sense, MC yes that could well be her name, but nobody really cared what her name was. They all liked her, she would do anything for them and they in turn would do it for her and that's just how it was. Simeon and Ruth could be passed off as grandchildren and nobody would question it.

The kids were asleep in bed now as they too were mentally exhausted. It had been one traumatic day for them. John had helped them and now Em Cee was helping them, but they were on their own in this world now. Over the next few weeks and months that would change, but as of right now their anxiety level was quite high. Trust had to be earned and it would take time to establish that. They both liked Em Cee and it was obvious that she cared about them – but only time could get them to relax. Em Cee knew that and she was more than prepared to give them the time. However, she now had John's proposal to consider. Just who were these people, these so called "Ghosts", just what did they have in mind and how involved were they going to get? It was a vexing question, but it was intriguing too and the prospect of additional funding piqued her curiosity. It wouldn't hurt to find out a little more and John Canon had assured her anonymity. As Em Cee went to bed that night she had a lot to think about. She would call Mary in the morning with her answer.
Chapter Thirteen

***

John awoke refreshed after a good night's sleep and went down to the restaurant for breakfast. He picked up a free newspaper on the way and read it while he was in there. There was nothing of any particular significance in the paper that day. He looked at his watch and saw that it was only 8:15am – a little too early to call Mary to find out what decision Em Cee had arrived at so he decided to go for a short walk. The sun was out, but there was a nip in the air all the same and a jacket was required. There was snow on the mountains and as he looked around he saw just how beautiful it was out there in British Columbia. Toronto was drab in comparison, it had its good points, but nothing like this he thought. The pace of life seemed slower and the people were less stressed and more friendly he thought to himself. Yes indeed this was a good place to be and one day he may like to settle down here. He ambled around the streets for a while, gazed in a few shop windows and then crossed over the railway tracks into Rocky Point Park. The birds were singing and the tide was in so he walked out to the end of the pier. One or two boats were out on the river, but the rest were moored alongside the dock. The air was fresh and invigorating and this John was very happy with. He sat on a bench taking in all of this beauty and then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Good Morning, Mary, its John Canon"

"Oh Good Morning to you too, John, it's a beautiful day today isn't it?

"Yes ma'am it sure is, I'm sitting here in the park just taking it all in. I was phoning to see if Em Cee had given you her response to my proposal yet?"

"Yes she has, John. She has agreed to meet your friend to learn a little more – but on an off the record basis and her identity must remain secret. That was what you promised wasn't it?"

"Yes, Mary, that was exactly what I said and it will be honored. I also said that should Em Cee decide not to pursue the matter once she learned more about it then both parties walk away not knowing of the others existence."

"That was Em Cee's understanding too, John, and she is prepared to meet under those conditions."

"I will phone my former colleague, Mary, and he shall contact you to arrange a mutually agreeable time to meet. He will assume the name of Bill Smith and mention my name to verify who he is when he calls. From that point on it's between the three of you, Mary. I will not be a party to anything after that should you all agree to pursue the matter further. I may call you from time to time in relation to Simeon and Ruth, but nothing else. As of now this will be my last phone call to you for some time, although I do have to organize a couple of laptops for those kids. I just want to thank you for all of your efforts and for trusting in me, Mary. I really do appreciate what you did and for introducing me to Em Cee. Once I hang up this phone I don't know you and I have never visited you. If I call back in the future it will be as a stranger. However, Mary, should you ever need my help you have my number. As you are aware I know one or two people – If you need my help you will have it."

"Thank you very much John, I can't see my needing a Marine beach landing, but it is gratifying to know."

"Thanks again Mary and god bless you – keep up the good work. Mr. Smith will be in touch shortly, possibly later today. Goodbye Mary."

John hung up on Mary and then immediately dialed Bill's number. When Bill answered he filled him in on what had been discussed and then went back to taking in the scenery in Rocky Point Park. As he was walking to the public washrooms a little later in the morning his cell phone rings. It was Bill on the line.

"Hi John, I have just spoken to Mrs. Curran and she in turn phoned MC to set up a meeting. MC had agreed to meet with me, but only if you are present."

"Well I don't have any problem with that. Bill."

"No I didn't think that you would. I set it provisionally for 4:00pm this afternoon if that's alright with you John."

"No Problem, where is the meeting exactly?"

"It's at the women's shelter."

"Really, is that wise?"

"It's where they wanted it, I think they feel safer there, at least for now."

"Yeah I guess that makes sense when you think about it, they don't know us and it could seem kind of sketchy to them at this point."

"Could be, John, but let's meet at four and see how the land lies at that point. I'll wait outside in my car and we can go inside together."

John then put his phone back in his pocket and continued into the washroom. If he was going to go back that afternoon he might as well kill two birds with one stone so to speak. He had promised to buy the kids a laptop each so now he could drop them off that afternoon seeing as he was going to be there anyway. John then walked back to the hotel and got in his car and went to the mall. He had two laptop computers to buy. Just how computer savvy those kids would be remained to be seen, but they had attended school in the valley so they may have some computer knowledge. Still, he could always pay for private lessons if they were necessary and he was more than willing to do that.

At 4:00pm John arrived outside the women's shelter and drove around the corner to park his car. As he was walking back Bill got out of his car and they chatted for a short while before they rang the door bell. Once inside they were ushered into Mary Curran's office, MC was already in there. John introduced everyone and the usual small talk started to lighten the mood somewhat. John then handed MC the two computers that he had promised and after a few more minutes of general chit chat Bill then got to the point.

"John explained to my boss what you good ladies have been doing and he in turn has asked me to visit you here today to see if you would be willing to help us out from time to time. We would of course provide you with the resources in order for you to do that, plus a little extra perhaps for your general use in your other activities. As John explained to you, this is a voluntary involvement and one that you most certainly can refuse. In that case we simply walk away and forget we ever had this meeting. My boss in Ottawa, myself and John here, will be the only people that will ever know of our arrangement should you agree to it. Although you will be unofficially government funded from time to time, only the people in this room and my boss will know that, your identity will be unknown to anyone outside of that group and impossible to trace."

"What exactly do you want us to do" asked MC.

"Exactly what you are doing now; no more no less. I shall refer ladies to you and you will do what you do now – make them disappear and set them up elsewhere."

"I see and just how many women are we talking about?"

"Well that I don't know, I certainly don't have a string of potential clients all lined up," replied Bill.

"As, when and if I encounter such a situation I would like to know I have an avenue of escape for these women; an escape that is off the grid and totally unknown to anyone. There are spies everywhere and informants can be bought to tip them off. The more people in the loop means that the more security breeches are likely to occur. After today only four people on the planet will know who has been rescued and sent into your system, they will be, my boss, myself and you two good ladies. John will not be a party to anything after today. He will however know how to contact me – you will not. If you need me call John and I shall call you back."

"What if we can't reach John or he's ill or out of the country on vacation?"

"Oh I'll know if John is off playing somewhere and make the necessary arrangements. You will not be left swinging in the wind MC. You and I will use code words to verify our dealings with each other. If, in the unlikely event those code words are not used, then you ignore the request from the person who made it. What we have here is a bona fide women's shelter and nothing more. Mrs. Curran will run it as such and nobody will know differently. I will notify Mrs. Curran if I intend to send someone to you and provide her with certain code words to verify that she is who she says she is. Yes I know its a little cloak and dagger MC, but we have to play it safe here and security is uppermost."

"I see no problems with that and in the overall proposal itself. I think Mary and I can assist you from time to time if the numbers are reasonable. I'm sure you can appreciate that we couldn't handle a busload of refugees at a moments notice."

"That is something that you won't have to worry about, I have yet to encounter a situation where more than three people were involved. I say people because sometimes children are involved. Given your recent dealings with John's travelling companions I don't think that will be a problem for you."

"Not at all I" – she broke off in mid sentence as a loud crash occurred in the hallway and yelling broke out. An irate husband had managed to worm his way into the house and was trying to find his wife. Mary rushed outside to try to calm the man down but he pushed her aside brutally and she fell to the floor. Bill and John were out of their seats in an instant and soon restrained the man and they were not too gentle about it. The man was now in considerable distress and Bill was applying even more as John was pointing out the error of his ways. They managed to persuade the man not to return and that doing so could be a health hazard. He most certainly got the message. The man was now under the impression that this woman's shelter had some serious security staff who didn't tolerate male visitors at any time and even less those that raised their voices. He did not try to come back again after that. Mary Curran and MC now had absolutely no doubts whatsoever as to who Bill and John were, or more to the point, "what" they were. That big brutal man was subdued in seconds; and they both got the impression that he should consider himself lucky that he was still alive. Under different circumstances they could clearly see that these two could have killed him instantly without flinching had they needed to. They were complete gentlemen under normal circumstances, but as they both had just witnessed they were highly trained and skilled commandos too. Thank god they are on our side, thought Mary.

"Thank you gentlemen" she said when they all returned to her office, "That could have been nasty."

"Glad to be of help ma'am," said Bill, "now where were we?"

"We were discussing the possibility of children being involved said MC."

"Yes well it does happen occasionally" said Bill. "Sometimes they come as part of the package and they need to be protected and spirited away to somewhere safe. You guys are well equipped and experienced in this field obviously. I will not compromise your organization or expose you to risk. If I think that a client will not comply with my terms you will never see them. I shall also take every precaution to ensure they are not followed or traced in anyway. They will be scanned for electronic bugs before you get to meet them. Once in your system they will fall off the grid and only you will know where they are."

"Mr. Smith, you do realize that once they leave my care and protection I may not know where they are."

"Yes MC I am aware of that. My involvement ends once you have them. However, each victim is given an emergency number to call if they feel endangered. It's a sort of 911 deal. As of right now that number has never been called."

"So all the previous victims are now safe in their new lives"

"That's our presumption, yes"

"What other interpretation would you put on it?" asked Mary.

"They could just be dead. Until now we didn't have your network to help us. We did the best we could, but we just couldn't be sure that those women were safe and secure. It is our fervent hope that they are, but we just don't know for sure. With you we feel that we will be sure. The arrangements will be more watertight and fewer people will be in the loop and even those who are won't know the identity of the victims. It should be pretty tight this time – assuming you agree to help us that is, ladies."

MC looked across at Mary and she in turn looked back and winked.

"Well Mr. Smith I think we can help you out as and when you might need us. It is a little cloak and dagger, but if it saves innocent lives we are in."

"Thank you ladies I appreciate it and look forward to working with you at some future date – hopefully not too frequently, but these things are out of my hands as you can no doubt understand."

With that Bill now produced a pen and piece of paper and began to write down MC's bank account number and also the Woman's Center account. He also collected the phone number of the center and also MC's personal number. This was something she never thought she would do for a stranger, but Bill and John were different, she could just tell. These two were good men and she had seen that for herself.

"Okay why don't I take you all out for dinner tonight" said John.

"Well there's an offer you won't see too often ladies, you had better grab that while it's on offer. You may have to dodge the moths in his wallet though when he opens it – they haven't seen daylight in a while."

"Play nice Mr. Smith." John replied.

"I guess you two have known each other for some time then" said Mary.

"Yes we go back a long way" said Bill.

"He's the reason I left the team - now perhaps you can understand why"

"Now who is not playing nice?" and they both laughed.

It was quite obvious to the women that these men were close friends and they trusted each other completely.

"Well it was very nice of you John, but I have Simeon and Ruth to feed."

"I have my teenage daughter to feed too," said Mary.

"Well surely they can look after themselves for a few hours. They won't be leaving the house. You can go and feed them and then come out to dinner."

Both women looked at each other and then Bill jumped in.

"Well that's settled then, The Bohemian Beach at 8:00pm Okay ladies?"

"That's rather expensive" said MC.

"I'm not sure I can afford that" said Mrs. Curran.

"What is this!" exclaimed John, "you guys aren't paying, I am."

"Oh we wouldn't expect you to do that," said Mary.

"Well whether you expect it or not that's what is happening and that's that."

"Trust me" said Bill, "John can afford it, he could buy the place if he chose to, so just relax and enjoy the evening."

They all met again at the restaurant at 8:00 pm. It was a beautiful place elegantly decorated and crisp table linen with sterling silver cutlery and table pieces. If you dropped a crumb on the tablecloth a busboy was right there with a miniature brush and pan to sweep it up for you, well almost. He would wait until the dishes for that course were cleared and then he would pounce. Bill was the wine connoisseur so he had the privilege of selecting it. Both women had dressed up for the occasion and they cleaned up well too. The men both wore suits. The conversation was flowing along nicely when Bill asked MC what her initials stood for.

"Melody Carter" she replied.

"Melody Carter" John repeated thoughtfully, "that's a lovely name."

"You sort of looked surprised by that," said Bill; "do you know someone by that name?"

"No, but I had heard it recently in connection to another story up in Thunder Bay. You wouldn't know a Frank Byrne by any chance would you?" Now it was MC's turn to be shocked.

"Yes I knew a Frank Byrne a long time ago" and her eyes misted up.

"I was staying with Frank on his farm recently and that's when your name came up. He told me about the story of the three of you and how he lost touch with you."

"Did he mention that I was pregnant?"

"Yes. MC he did, he cared a great deal about you as you probably know."

"I know he did. He tried his level best to look after me but I was too rebellious and went off and did my own thing. That was a different time and things were pretty rough in those days. Once my brother Jack died I kind of went off the rails. Frank did his best, but teenage girls are not easily restrained. I had a daughter a few months later, her name is Claire, she lives in Kamloops now and she has her own daughter now named Margaret."

The look on John's face must have registered the amazement he felt as he heard that news and it prompted Bill to question it.

"What is it John you look like you have seen a ghost," said Bill.

"Your daughter's husband wouldn't be Roy Duquesne by any chance?"

"Don't tell me you have been staying with them too" Bill joked, but MC was stunned by John's question.

"Yes his name is Roy Duquesne, how did you know that?"

"I travelled on the train with Meg and her little boy Damien and I met her parents on the station in Kamloops when she got off there. I only spoke to them briefly but they were introduced to me as Claire and Roy Duquesne."

"How is Meg doing?"

"Well she is doing just fine from what I could see."

"Did she tell you why she was moving back home and the reasons leading up to it?"

"As a matter of fact she did fill me in on some of the details."

"Poor girl" said Melody, "nobody should have to live through that."

"Well she is putting her life back together now" said John, "she has to for Damien's sake."

"What was your honest opinion, John, is she really Okay?"

"This is not something one can deal with overnight MC, this is a class one nightmare and something you may have to experience personally in the near future. It is this kind of thing that Mr. Smith here has to contend with occasionally and as of now so will you. Meg had the FBI to help her; up here in this area we have Mr. Smith and now Mrs. Curran. Meg will be fine based on what I saw, but off the record I will be checking up on her from time to time – although she will never know that. She'll soon get back on her own two feet MC. She is a very capable and resourceful young woman. Rather like her grandmother I suspect."

"How did you come to know Frank?" asked MC

"Well it was through his brother really."

"You know Billy?" MC exclaimed joyfully, "he's alive?"

"Yes ma'am he's alive and staying with Frank right now as a matter of fact, that sure was one family reunion I can tell you. I considered it a privilege to have witnessed it. The Byrne family are truly lovely people. I have their phone number if you would like it MC, I'm sure Frank would just love to hear from you."

"Oh John I would really appreciate that very much. I shall call him tomorrow."

John then went on to explain how he came across Billy and the story he had told him about being bombed in Britain and his coming over to Canada and being torpedoed. Bill and Mary Curran were spellbound, and John was giving them the abridged version. He did not however, tell them about Marion and Jane and the saga that had gone on there. They only needed to know about the things that concerned them, well MC at least.

"This train ride of yours has turned out to be one hell of a trip, John. You meet half of Canada, rescue damsels in distress and find a home for desperate kids with nowhere else to turn," said Bill. "A regular super hero no less, ladies, that's who we have here it would seem."

Bill was joking, but the two women didn't consider it a joke at all. To them John was a saint and they had cause to think that having experienced first hand how he was with those two kids. Now in addition they had learned about his other encounters on that train. Yes, Bill's assessment was spot on; this had been one hell of a trip. One that John would never forget.

At the end of the meal they all said their goodbyes. All of them went their separate ways home. Melody was determined to call Frank the next day and renew their acquaintanceship once more. She deeply regretted losing touch with Frank, outside of Claire and Margaret he was the only family she had ever known. It was a relationship that would flourish over the coming months and bring considerable comfort to them both. The Byrne farm would also become home to two other former farm dwellers soon – Simeon and Ruth. Melody considered it would be more suitable for the pair to be raised on a farm in a more conducive atmosphere – it was what they were used to and they would be a thousand miles away from their former abode. They would be more than welcome at Danny and Brook's home and perfectly safe there. What lay ahead in the future for those two, only time would tell – but now they would indeed have a future, and one that was filled with promise. Melody was quite happy about her decision to send them there; it was the right thing to do.

### Chapter Fourteen

***

Cheyenne called John back and apologized for not having had the time to talk to him when he had called earlier.

"Oh John, it has been chaotic here lately, we have had an outbreak of Legionnaire's disease on the reserve and my brother Max came down with it too. Everything has been returned to normal now, but it was hectic for a while. Max is as right as rain again now and up to his old mischief. Julie came over to help me and I don't know what I would have done without her help."

"Well, how are you holding up in all of this kiddo? its sort of getting thrown into the deep end isn't it, on the job training so to speak."

"I guess it was really. I hadn't thought of it like that, but then I didn't have time to think of much really. My head was in a spin and I didn't want to make a mistake – this was a major outbreak and I'm not yet a qualified nurse. If I messed up they may change their mind about hiring me."

"Nah, they wouldn't do that Cheyenne, they know a good thing when they see it. That's why they hired you in the first place. It's plain for all to see that you are a caring and dedicated human being. They obviously saw it too and hired you because of it and now they also know you will make an excellent nurse too. You have already proven that to them beyond all doubt. I have every confidence that you will make an excellent nurse and be a shining example to other young girls in your community. You may even inspire some to follow in your footsteps and also take up nursing as a career."

"Well thank you very much for that compliment John it was very nice of you to say that. A girl could get a swelled head listening to such glowing remarks."

"I meant every word Cheyenne, you are just as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside and people can readily see that quality in you."

Cheyenne's heart was racing now as she digested what John had just said. Not only had he complimented her on her abilities he had said that she was beautiful too, both inside and out. He must like me after all then thought Cheyenne; Oh I'm so glad I called him back.

"Well talking of positive qualities John, you have a few of your own don't forget. You certainly came to my rescue when I needed it, which is something I shall never forget. You're my hero now, you do know that right?"

"I'm flattered by that, Cheyenne, but you may change your mind when you get to know me better. Only time can answer that, but when I drop in on you in Seneca you may not see me in quite the same light."

"Oh I don't know John; you seem pretty straight forward to me. I know what a jerk is; I've seen plenty of them in my time. Its men like you that I have not seen too many of and hopefully I can remedy that in Toronto, assuming that you have not written me off by then for one reason or another."

"I rather think that is an unlikely prospect Cheyenne. I have yet to see anything in you that I dislike. I know I haven't known you long and that women can disguise things quite well – but I just don't see that deceptive trait in your character. I always found you to be fresh and honest and I like that quality in you. My wife was like that, not that I am comparing you to her."

"I would not take offence even if you were, John, I'm sure Pam was a lovely woman and one that will not easily be replaced – not that you are looking to replace her" she added quickly.

"That's true Cheyenne, but this journey has opened my eyes to a few things. I was wallowing in self pity before and I can see now that I need to move on with my life. I have met some interesting people on this trip and had my eyes opened to many things, things that I never even considered before. Pam was a lovely woman and she would not wish me to be miserable for the rest of my life. I hadn't given a thought to seeking her replacement or even going on a date. However, I will make you a promise right now. When I get back to Toronto, you will be the first woman I ask out on a date, how's that?

I know that's a little presumptuous on my part, Cheyenne, and you can certainly say no. I won't hold it against you if you do."

"On the contrary I'd be delighted, John, and I'm already looking forward to it – so don't you dare change you mind Okay?"

Cheyenne's spontaneous acceptance took John by surprise, but he found himself to be rather pleased by it. When he had made that suggestion it was done without too much thought, a casual remark almost. However, as he looked back on it now he could see the merit in taking Cheyenne out on a date. There was just something about her that made him tingle and that was worthy of further exploration. Only Pam had been able to accomplish that in the past, but Cheyenne was now having the same effect on him and this puzzled him. He hadn't known her very long, why then was he so obsessed with her? Romance was the furthest thing from his mind and yet Cheyenne's sultry beauty and charismatic smile had definitely had an effect on him now. As he pondered this he realized that he too was looking forward to taking her on a date and No, he certainly wouldn't be changing his mind.

Mary Curran was sitting at her desk in the office when the telephone on her desk rang.

"Mrs. Curran please" the voice on the other end of the line said.

'This is Mrs. Curran"

"Oh Hi Mary, this is Bill Smith. I have just made a token deposit to your bank account by way of a retainer if you will. You can spend it as you see fit, Mary, there are no strings attached to this. If the shelter is short of something then go ahead and buy it. I will be in touch periodically and if you are desperately in need of something let me know. I can't promise to fulfill every wish, Santa Clause I'm not, although I suspect you already know that. If an emergency crops up please call John, he will not find it an imposition, Mary. He will then contact me and I shall call you immediately I get his message. Once again, it was a distinct pleasure meeting you and I shall look forward to seeing you again at some future date."

Melody Carter meanwhile had phoned Frank Byrne earlier that morning and had a lengthy and emotionally charged conversation with him. Between the two of them they would have used up a box of Kleenex. She was on the phone for almost two hours and the outcome of that conversation was that she was now going to go up to visit them in Thunder Bay. Frank was simply overjoyed to receive that call and Melody just couldn't wait to go up and get reacquainted with Frank and to meet his family. They had both come a long way from where they had been when they had last seen each other. Just as with Billy, Frank would have a lot of catching up to do with Melody and they were both looking forward to it. During the course of that conversation the topic of Simeon and Ruth arose. Melody had explained their predicament in passing; it was not intended as a ploy to get Frank to become involved. However, Frank immediately saw a parallel to his situation with Billy all those years ago and he jumped on it right away. He suggested that as they were used to rural life, the farm would be the ideal place for them; a place where they could feel safe and secure and at the same time be in familiar surroundings. Large towns and cities could be intimidating places; the bucolic atmosphere of the country would have a pacifying effect on them after what they had endured. Melody had to agree with that assessment and she said that she would ask the pair what they thought. The thought of these two innocent kids ending up on Hastings or being drawn into any of the dives that thrived along that street, just terrified her. It was most unlikely, but stranger things had happened and Simeon and Ruth were certainly not street wise. Frank's proposal had considerable merit to it and Melody now realized it and would try to sell it to the kids.

To Simeon and Ruth the idea of going back on a farm appealed to them, it was what they had been used to. On the other hand, they liked and trusted Em Cee as they called her, what if they didn't like these farm people? Melody could see their dilemma and came up with a compromise. "Okay guys, how does this sound? We all go up to Thunder Bay for a few days and you can get the lay of the land. At the same time you can meet all the people and see if you get along together. You can also check out the local school and maybe meet some of the local kids. Then when I am ready to come back here you can make your decision – stay up there on the farm, or return here to Port Moody."

Simeon and Ruth thought that was a good idea. They would still be together and the farm life appealed to them, but they really liked Em Cee and felt safe with her. However, Em Cee had said that Brook was also a very nice woman and so was her husband Danny. If so, this was going to be a rather difficult decision. The fact that they didn't have to make this choice, sight unseen as it were, was a distinct positive. They would go up there with an open mind and see for themselves. They would soon be able to tell if they would fit in up there or not and whether they would be accepted by the local kids. On that note they resolved to wait and see what happened once they were up there. If they liked it up there then perhaps that is where they could settle down together once they had finished school. To them this was the logical next step. Most folk would pay little attention to the hopes and dreams of two young lovers like Simeon and Ruth and write off their feelings as purely the product of teenage infatuation. In normal society they would probably have been right. However, these two kids were not the product of a normal society. They were all each other had in the world and neither would even think about leaving the other. In all likelihood they really would become husband and wife at some point in time and John and the others who cared for them would have no problem with that. In fact they may even be envious of the love and trust they both had in each other. Every marriage should be blessed like that – but few are in real life unfortunately.

John now decides to take a trip up to Whistler Mountain to do a little skiing. He had missed out on the scenic splendor that this trip should have provided so he felt a little diversion was in order. When he telephoned Bill he tried to persuade him to take a few days off to join him, but it was not to be. Bill had been summoned by Barney and he had to go. John never asked any questions, it was all on a need to know basis and he didn't need to know. John mixed in with a pair of German travelers and he had some fun with them for a few days. The chair lifts and the ski slopes are a kaleidoscope of color during the day and the snow glistens in the sunlight. The skiers are all dressed in brightly colored snow suits and this creates a most uplifting atmosphere and everyone is happy and seemingly carefree. In the evening Whistler village comes alive and the partying then begins. It was an ideal place for the skiing community to relax and enjoy life and they did just that. The German couple certainly knew how to enjoy themselves and John joined in all the fun with them. After Whistler they went and explored Vancouver and all the sights that the city had to offer. The scenic backdrop and those majestic mountains certainly made an impression on the Germans and John himself found the whole thing to be quite impressive. He vowed that he would come back here again one day and also take that train ride again – perhaps not the whole trip, but certainly from either Calgary or Edmonton and through the Rocky Mountains. Next time he wouldn't take his eyes off the window and engage in chit chat, he was quite sure about that. He would not repeat that mistake, the magnificent scenery was too good to miss and next time he wouldn't.

As John was casually walking around Stanley Park and basking in the warm sunlight he began to reflect on the events of the past couple of weeks. Prior to this rail odyssey John now realized just how wrapped up in his own misery he had been. When he compared his woes and sorrows to those of others he had recently met he found that they paled into insignificance. Pam's death had been devastating, but he would recover from it. Randall's loss was not so easily overcome and no doubt Marion would have trouble getting over her son's inhumanity to others. Ruth was facing a life of perpetual pregnancy and being abused by any man who wanted her whenever he was in the mood. Simeon was being thrown to the wolves at sixteen and he was totally unprepared for what lay ahead for him in the outside world. Then of course there was Meg – her husband in the witness protection program and never quite sure if the Mob was coming after her. These were hardly mild headaches – they were monumental and skull crushing migraines. As he contemplated how much more those good folks had to deal with he found himself becoming ashamed of himself and his self absorbed and self pitying attitude. If nothing else, this train ride had made John fully aware of how fortunate he really was. Oh yes, it was an epiphany alright and John now knew that things had changed for him. Brian had suggested a change of scene might be beneficial, but even he had no idea of just how cathartic this journey would turn out to be. When John returned back to Toronto and related all these tales to Brian he felt that he too would be surprised by them.

***

As he sat on the bench idly thinking about all the people he had met on this trip he was also watching the ocean going ships that were entering and leaving the harbor area. All manner of cargo ships that were carrying a variety of items from Containers, Ore Carriers, regular Freighters, Timber Barges, Cruise Liners and of course the tug boats buzzing around like angry wasps. This patch of the waterway was certainly a hive of activity and John was fascinated by it all. It was a beautiful day and he was just soaking it all up. Tomorrow he had to fly home to Toronto and this memorable odyssey would come to an end. Later that afternoon, John would return his car to the agency in Coquitlam and then take the train back into Vancouver. There was a direct rail link to the airport terminal and it was far easier to do that than wrestle with returning cars and facing traffic backups. However, that was tomorrow, right now he was lost in the moment right there in the park. John was enthralled just watching the float planes coming and going. The pilots were all skilled aviators and they made it all look easy as they skimmed across the water in their clearly defined channels. He tried to conjure up an image in his mind as to exactly where they were headed. Some would be carrying hunters; others sightseers, while others might be ferrying vital supplies to some community or other. John could clearly see the planes touching down in some remote area, inaccessible by road and surrounded by a huge forested mountain range. The plane would glide gently over the lake and barely make a ripple on the placid lake water as it came up to the jetty carrying life saving supplies or medications. Well that is what he imagined anyway. What the truth was he would never know. One thing he did know, these bush pilots were highly skilled men and widely respected by the communities that they served. Some of them had gone on to major airline service – Air Canada for example. In fact some of them actually still drop in and fly in their off duty hours from their airlines. They just love the exhilaration that they get from a float plane that they actually have to fly. The big commercial jets, the 747's and the A340's etc. practically fly themselves with automatic this and automatic that. Those Twin Otters and Beavers had to be flown manually and by someone who knew what they were doing. This was real flying so far as the airline boys were concerned. It may not have been so heavily regulated, but it was not a slap happy operation all the same. These guys took it seriously and safety was paramount. However, flying a 747 carries with it a huge responsibility and its pilots are constantly checked out and physically and medically examined. There are no cowboys in those cockpits. Those buzzing float planes – well now that was perhaps a different story. They were skillful most definitely; staid, cautious and risk averse – not so much. John could sit there and watch all this for hours, but he had to return for lunch and reluctantly he left the park and went back to his hotel. He was in his room packing just after lunch when his telephone rang, it was Melody.

"Oh I'm glad I caught you before you left, John, I just had to thank you for giving me Frank's phone number. We had a lovely long talk and the outcome of it all is that I am going for a visit up there on Friday."

"Are you going alone" asked John and the surprise in his voice was not lost on Melody.

"No of course not, John, I'm taking my young friends with me. Frank and I discussed it and his farm might be a more conducive place for them to be raised. In view of their former environment that is, city life is perhaps not quite the right atmosphere for a pair of innocents."

"I totally agree MC, however flying up there and outfitting them with clothes for the journey won't come cheap. I would like to make a small donation in that regard if you will allow me that privilege. I have to drop my car off in Coquitlam later, but I could drop by the shelter and leave something there for you."

"That's very thoughtful of you John, but you don't need to do that."

"I know I don't need to do it MC but I would like to. It will just be a small contribution to your trip and those two certainly need a few new clothes. I shall leave an envelope for you with Mary. I am also delighted that you and Frank are getting together again, that is wonderful news and I am so happy for both of you, MC. You will certainly have a lot to talk about."

John dropped into the women's shelter later that afternoon and gave Mary Curran the envelope for MC. When MC came by later to collect it both she and Mary were staggered by the amount John had given to her by way of a small contribution – it was a certified cheque for ten thousand dollars made payable to MC personally.

"This is what he calls a small contribution?" questioned MC.

"A small fortune maybe" replied Mary.

"Bill did say that John was not a poor man, but this I never expected" said MC. "He really is one of the good guys isn't he."

"Well he certainly seems to be MC, both he and Bill are indeed good men and their actions speak for themselves. When they say something they mean it and that is a rarity in today's world."

"This will take care of the whole trip, their clothes and their school needs up in Thunder Bay. I should call him back and thank him."

"Let the kids send him an e-mail thanking him personally, MC, I'm sure John would just love to hear from them."

"What an excellent idea Mary. He really would appreciate that wouldn't he considering how fond he is of Simeon and Ruth? I am so glad you suggested that Mary."

"I have a sneaking suspicion, MC, that John Canon will be keeping an eye on all of us one way or another. I know he will be keeping tabs on Meg because he said so. He also now knows where Simeon and Ruth will be living and he certainly knows all about this shelter. I have a feeling that if we ever hit hard times John would be there for us as he was for Simeon and Ruth."

"Well having just received this overly generous donation, Mary I can hardly argue with your logic. I don't know what branch of the government they work for and I don't wish to know, but they are both very good men."

"Not too shabby looking either" said Mary.

"Settle down Mary you are married and way to old for them."

"I was just sayin' is all" replied Mary.

"Yeah! Well the glint in your eye said a lot more" said MC and they both laughed.

The following day MC went out and bought a whole array of clothes for Simeon and Ruth. They were in serious need of regular everyday clothes and footwear. Once up in Thunder Bay she could take then shopping in person as there would be no risk factor up there. Right now she could take no chances just in case they were spotted by a lurking cult member. The two kids were overjoyed by their new clothes and thanked MC profusely. MC then informed them that it was John who had bought them, and she said later that the look on their young faces was absolutely priceless when they learned that. It was inconceivable to them that a stranger would do that for them. They had been led to believe that there were no good people outside of their commune. This generosity was now leading them to believe otherwise and they were duly grateful and overawed by it. This stranger they had met on the train had done so much for them and yet he didn't know them at all. The prophet had mentioned the "Good Samaritan" story in the bible, but added that it was false and planted in there by the devil to dupe people. This now seemed to be incorrect as far as Simeon and Ruth were concerned. If the farm people up there in Thunder Bay were anything like John, then they were going to love it there. They were most certainly going there with an open mind now and they would be pleasantly surprised when they learned what lay ahead for them.

### Chapter Fifteen

### ***

The skies were filled with fliers as usual that day, but today was a little out of the ordinary all the same. Today, Melody, Simeon and Ruth would be headed up to Thunder Bay via Winnipeg. Cheyenne and Julie would be Toronto bound from Thunder Bay and John Canon was due to depart from Vancouver headed to Toronto. Melody was going to a joyous reunion with Frank and to meet his long lost brother Billy. Simeon and Ruth were going to start a new life in Ontario and one of promise and untold opportunities. Julie and Cheyenne were heading back to college and the rigors of final examinations, but Cheyenne had her mind on other things also, namely a date with John. They had all boarded their flights and were in the air before John had even arrived at the airport. John would be landing very late in the evening on account of that. He had booked a direct flight and as luck would have it there was a strong tail wind that day. The flight would take a little over four hours that day and in John's case it would seem to be over before he even started. His mind was filled with all the things he had to do when he arrived home. He would have to call Brian first and update him, and then he would have to organize the disposal of Pam's things among her friends. This he was not looking forward to. He knew very well that he was going to get very emotional giving away Pam's clothes and prized possessions. There were certain outfits that Pam looked amazing in and then there were the accessories that went with it. In addition there was the jewellery and the special gifts that he had bought exclusively for her. Giving them to someone else just didn't seem right and yet he knew deep down that Pam would not object to him letting someone else enjoy them. Despite the logic behind it all, John knew he was too emotionally attached to all of this. He would have to rely heavily on her sister Cynthia in that regard. She had been a rock at the funeral and the reception afterwards whereas John had been a basket case. Yes; Cynthia would be the one to organize that. In fact she would have first choice on anything she wanted of her sister's things. John would have no problem with her having anything she wanted. Cynthia and Pam had been very close. Whatever she wanted of Pam's John would let her have – it's what Pam would have wanted and John knew it. Cynthia realized this also, but she also knew that John was attached to certain things as well and she would ensure that he retained possession of those items. Cynthia, like her sister had a very good heart. John had considerable respect for Cynthia and treated her like she was his own sister; she too was a lovely girl and one soon to be married herself.

John arrived at the airport by train from downtown and he wheeled his suitcase into the terminal building and straight to the check in counter. He was processed within a few minutes and given his boarding pass and told which gate to go to. He then went into the restaurant for some light refreshment prior to the flight – airline food being what it is he felt this to be a prudent move. As he still had some time to waste he wandered over to the bookstore and casually perused through their selection of crime novels. When he found one he liked he went over to the cash desk and paid for it. He was now ready for the flight to Toronto, he had a full stomach and a book to read –what else could he have wished for. The flight itself was uneventful. John had an aisle seat and there were two elderly women sitting next to him. They too were avid readers and hardly spoke a word to him during the flight as they were engrossed in their own books.

Upon arrival in Toronto John simply walked off the plane and walked and walked and walked to the baggage claim area. He felt like he had walked from Vancouver instead of having flown by the time he finally arrived at the correct carousel. It was idle at the time and everyone was jockeying for position so that they could snatch their luggage off the conveyor as and when it arrived – assuming that it did arrive. John had no trouble that time. His case did in fact arrive and he soon rescued it from the carousel and the pounding it had received en-route. All things considered it had stood up to the trip quite well, but then it was a sturdy piece of luggage. Some of the other baggage, for want of a better term, would boggle the mind in terms of their construction. There were cardboard boxes, held together with a variety of items – string, duct tape, electrical wiring, you name it. Other items were merely plastic garbage bags held together with twist ties and jam packed with clothes. It was an education watching all of this and how others travelled. Some suitcases didn't have locks and they were held together by leather straps. Their age suggested that they must have been family heirlooms and their battered condition was testament to their obviously vast experience in global travel. It was simply staggering to witness all of this as you wait for your luggage to arrive down the shute. Some folk just travel differently, John concluded, but he was amused by it all the same. When he walked into the terminal building he soon spotted Brian who had come to pick him up in his car. Oh Boy! Do I have a few tales to tell him John thought to himself, Brian has no idea of just how true his words were and how prophetic they would turn out to be when he was selling me on this train ride idea. Not the faintest idea, he thought, and he was right. They walked out of the terminal building and into the parking garage and then set off down Highway 401 to home. The traffic was light at that time of night and they made the trip in twenty minutes.

"So how was the trip?" Brian had asked when they met up at the airport.

"You have no idea, Brian. So much happened on that trip it would take a week to explain it all. Right now I'm dead beat – but I'll fill you in on all the details tomorrow."

"That sounds fair enough to me, but the real question is did you enjoy that trip. Did it turn out to be the dream trip that you expected?"

"It most certainly did, but not in the way that I expected and I shall have to go back and do some of it again as I missed a lot of the mountain scenery."

"What! You missed The Rockies?"

"Yeah kind of, it's a long story and like I said I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."

"Well I can hardly wait to hear about this tale if it made you miss half the trip, John. Why don't you drop in tomorrow afternoon and stay for dinner, Wendy would love to hear this tale too."

"Its kind of short notice, Brian, will Wendy be okay with that."

"Oh she will in your case, you are considered family and there is no fuss involved. Had it been my boss or my mother she'd have killed me."

"In other words I no longer rate the fatted calf treatment."

"You got it my friend, those days are long gone. Wendy knows you love her anyway no matter what she serves you."

"Oh Yeah, she had me washing the damn dishes the last time I came over."

"Now that's what I call acceptance" said Brian, "which tells you that you are family now. In fact you can consider yourself lucky that she didn't invite you to come over early – you could have been given an apron and told to peel the potatoes."

"How lucky can a guy get" replied John and they both roared laughing.

They had now arrived at John's home and as it was rather late Brian simply dropped him off and went on home. Normally he would have gone inside and had a nightcap, but John was too tired tonight and in need of a good night's sleep. He'd need to be fresh tomorrow if he was to deliver the narrative on his trip, it would keep them as enthralled as it had him. His vocal chords needed to be in fine form and a sound sleep was a good start.

Tonight as he looked around his bedroom he was more relaxed and not so sorrowful at seeing all of Pam's treasures. That trip had been therapeutic. John now realized that he was coming to terms with the loss of Pam. He wasn't totally there yet, but he was no longer as distraught as he had been. Slowly, John was recovering and the healing process was now well underway. John slept like a baby that night.

The following morning John was up bright and early and full of vim and vigor. The apartment was just as he had left it, plus a few specks of dust here and there, but nothing to get excited about. John, being ex-military always wanted his place to be spit and polished in terms of cleanliness and it was. Everything was in its place and it was all neat and tidy. The apartment was not overly furnished as he had been waiting for his home to be built and both he and Pam had decided to wait until it was finished before deciding on what furniture to buy.

The home John was having built was in the town of Markham just north of Toronto. He had purchased a parcel of land that had a small spring fed pond on it and he commissioned a local builder to build his dream home on it. The house itself was not too ostentatious, but it was elegant and tasteful. One could drive past and not even know there was a house there behind the dense tree lined road. The driveway came directly off the main road, but it angled sharply right some twenty yards from the gate and disappeared behind the dense trees. It then rose up the hill to the house which overlooked the pond and the local farmer's fields and the panoramic view of the Toronto skyline and its distinctive CN Tower. At night it would prove to be a wonderful display of the illuminated city and yet be totally peaceful and devoid of any traffic noise. John had shown Pam the plans for the house and shown her on the map where it was to be located; but he had not taken her to the site to show her the views. This he wanted to keep as a surprise until later. John would go up to the site periodically to see how things were coming along, but he never told Pam. He wanted her to be blown away when it was all finished - and she would have been. John himself was impressed by the workmanship of this builder, no detail was too small to be overlooked and it was coming along perfectly. The mansion itself would be finished first, then the swimming pool, which had an indoor feature attached to it and finally the landscaping. Overall it would be a truly lovely home once it was finished. It was not overly large, about six thousand square feet or so, but it was beautifully built and very impressive to see.

As John looked around the apartment his mind drifted off to the hillside in Markham. Pam would never get to see that palace now. He quickly brought himself back down to earth. Well maybe Pam wouldn't see it, but one day he'd find someone to share it with. This thought then subconsciously brought Cheyenne to mind fleetingly. It was just a passing flash in his mind and it reminded him of his promise to take her out on a date once he was back in Toronto. He had yet to register just how much of an impact Cheyenne had made upon him. He then turned his mind back to the task at hand, which was disposing of Pam's things to those who could use them. He then picked up the phone and dialed Pam's sister's number.

"Cynthia, its John, I arrived back in town late last night and I need to talk to you about Pam's things."

"Oh Hi! John, how did you enjoy your trip, that scenery out there is gorgeous isn't it."

"Well I missed a good part of it, but I'll explain all that later when we get together."

"Sure, that will be fine with me, where and when do you want to meet?"

"I was hoping that you would be free this morning, say around 11:00am and we could go out for lunch later, if that works for you?"

"Yes that will be fine with me and I'd love to hear about your trip, you have stirred my interest now saying that you missed most of the scenery. I'll see you here at eleven then, John."

"Thanks Kiddo, I'll be there at eleven."

John then hung up on Cynthia and he redialed Brian. However, it was his wife Wendy that answered the phone.

"Good morning John, recovered from you trip yet?"

"I am getting there, Wendy, but these holidays can be wearing you know."

Wendy laughed at that response.

"Yes it must be tough having to relax on a train and see all that beautiful scenery. In fact I want to hear all about it. Can you come round tonight for dinner John, or do you have other plans?"

It was now obvious to John that Brian had forgotten to tell her that he had himself invited John to dinner. John did not want to get his friend in any trouble and so he acted as if it was all new to him.

"Well I don't actually have anything arranged but..."

Wendy cut him off in mid sentence.

"That's settled then, John, be here at seven okay."

The commanding way that Wendy had said it made it perfectly clear to John that he was to attend and that it was not in any way an imposition on his part. He knew that they would want to hear about his trip and that they would be blown away by his revelations. Professional Raconteurs would love to have material like this to relate – their audiences would be entranced for hours. Brian and Wendy would certainly not fall asleep listening to these gripping tales. He hung up the phone, went into the kitchen and cleared up his breakfast dishes. Once he cleared the bills he had stacked up on his desk he would be ready to set off to Cynthia's apartment and the discussion that he was in no hurry to have - but he knew it had to be done. Once this had been done a date could be set for Cynthia to come over and go through all of Pam's things and earmark them as to who was going to get what. John wanted no part in that. He trusted Cynthia completely and she knew which items John wanted to keep for himself, the rest she would distribute amongst other friends and family members. When that fateful day came, John planned to make himself scarce and find something else to do. Cynthia knew this already and had no problem with it whatsoever. She knew only too well that John simply couldn't handle doing this himself. She had been close to Pam and John and she had seen clearly the pain he had endured – this she could do for him. Left to John, nothing would be given away and they both knew it. John had told her what he wanted; the rest was hers to do as she wished with. She had questioned him as to whether he would have a problem with her wearing anything that once belonged to Pam and him seeing it on her – but he said no he wouldn't. In fact he'd be pleased to see her wearing it and getting pleasure out of it – especially as it was her. She was Pam's sister and they were very close. John had told her straight out that seeing her in Pam's clothes or jewellery would not be a problem for him. For anyone else to be wearing it – possibly, but not for you, Cynthia, he had told her.

John arrived at Cynthia's apartment building right on time and she buzzed him in immediately. He then took the elevator up to her floor and walked down the corridor and knocked on her door. Cynthia was waiting for his knock and opened her door before he could deliver his second knock. She gave him a hug and a kiss in the doorway and then allowed him to enter.

"So tell me all about this trip of yours" she said. "You made it sound so intriguing over the phone and you have me all fired up now, so please put me out of my misery and tell me all about it."

"Well now, Cynthia, I'm not sure I should bore you with such minor details right now, perhaps it could wait for another time."

"Don't you dare try to back out of telling me and right now – do you hear me."

John started laughing so much he almost choked.

"Oh you are so like your sister, I was just teasing you and you fell for it just as Pam would have. Its no wonder I love you Cynthia, you two were like peas in a pod."

"Yeah, well I'm not as ladylike as Pam –so if you don't tell me that story and right now I'll murder you, okay."

"Well if you make me a cup of coffee I might just be tempted."

"Is that to drink or to wear?" Cynthia fired back.

"Okay Kitten you win, I'll tell you.

"Good, in that case I'll make us both a coffee seeing as you are going to be a good boy and behave yourself."

John was laughing to himself right now; Cynthia had reacted exactly as he suspected she would to his teasing, which was exactly as Pam would have under those circumstances. They were so alike in their responses and attitudes. Her boyfriend David was a lucky guy. They were due to be married later in the summer and John had already received his invitation for himself and a guest. At this point John had no idea whom that might be but that was how it was worded.

When Cynthia re-entered the room with a tray filled with chocolate coated shortcake biscuits John's mouth just salivated looking at them. Now it was her turn to tease him.

"If you behave yourself, John, I'll let you have one or two, but only if your story is a good one, okay."

"John was almost panting like a dog looking at those cookies; they were his favorite as Cynthia well knew and she was now exacting her revenge on him.

John then sat on the sofa and began to relate the essence of his trip. He glossed over a few details, but it was basically the whole story. He did not mention MC or Mary Curran's participation and Cynthia was left with the impression that the two teenagers were left with the Children's Aid Society in Vancouver. John didn't actually say that, but he didn't correct her assumption either when she mentioned it. Cynthia was enthralled by all of these revelations. John had down played certain aspects of each story so that she didn't get too upset emotionally. Like Pam, Cynthia had a good heart and would feel others pain and react accordingly. John sanitized his portrayal accordingly in order for her to be spared the emotional aspects of his tale. She was delighted with the happy outcome in each case – but there were certain omissions that John felt were superfluous to the story as a whole. Cynthia was spared those more graphic elements as he did not wish to upset her.

"Wow, John that was quite the experience that you had. I bet you never expected anything like that to happen on a train ride did you."

"How right you are, Kitten, (which was a nickname he had always called her by) I did not. However, on looking back on it all, it has opened my eyes to a few things. I learned quite a lot about myself on that trip and just how good my life really is compared to some folks. That reason alone made the trip worthwhile."

"Tell me about the two nurses you met up in Thunder Bay. Are you going to see them here in Toronto and will I be able to meet them?"

"Well now, let me see."

Cynthia knew immediately, that John was going to tease her again.

"I shall be seeing them here soon, they don't know anyone here apart from fellow students. As for exposing them to a vixen like you ???? Well that needs careful consideration. These two are nice country girls, well mannered and pure as driven snow. To expose them to, how can I put this....."

"Very carefully if you wish to get out of here alive," quipped Cynthia.

"Yes, Kitten I'll make sure you will meet them both. They really are lovely girls and I think you will like them both."

"Oh, they really must be nice then" said Cynthia fishing for some sort of acknowledgement from John and perhaps a clue as to whether he found either of them to be attractive. She learned nothing; John gave a flat response that told her nothing about his feelings for these girls. From this she concluded that John was not romantically interested in either of them. She was neither happy nor sad about that. However, Cynthia would be taking it upon herself to vet any potential replacement for her sister. She was extremely fond of John and he was a real catch. Unfortunately there were all kinds of gold diggers out there and all manner of predatory women all of them with angles and seduction techniques that were honed to perfection. She would not let anyone of that brigade get anywhere near to John. He was a nice kind and gentle man and could easily be taken advantage of – but she was not going to allow that. Pam would turn in her grave if she let John get snagged by a tramp. John for his part was not all that slow either, despite what Cynthia thought. He was well aware of her protective instincts towards him. Yes he was a little naïve when it came to women, but he knew what he liked. On the other hand, he also knew that Cynthia only wanted the best for him. If she gave the thumbs down to a woman, he would be wise to listen to her. Jealousy was not an issue here, but feminine intuition was not something to be ignored easily. If her claws came out, he would do well to drop that woman pronto – she had good instincts that way did his sister-in-law.

Once he concluded his story, and most of the cookies too it would seem, it was time for lunch. Cynthia went into the bathroom to freshen up and when she came out they were ready to go. During lunch they discussed all the issues regarding Pam's clothing, jewellery and other items of interest to family members. John had left no doubt in Cynthia's mind that she had first dibs on everything. He had told her what he wanted to keep personally, the rest she could distribute as she saw fit. There was a lot of "Class" about her and John had total confidence in allowing her to handle this difficult situation with her usual skill, tact and diplomacy. The date would be set by Cynthia, once she had come over to John's and taken a sort of inventory of the items to be disposed of. It was not a pleasant task and she was not looking forward to it, but there simply was no one else. Thankfully she didn't have to make that decision today, soon, yes, but not today. They finished their lunch and outside the restaurant they hugged each other once more and kissed each other goodbye. They both had a few errands to run and John wanted to pick up a bottle of wine for tonight's dinner at Brian & Wendy's.

### Chapter Sixteen

### ***

John arrived at Brian and Wendy's promptly at 7:00pm his military training more or less compelled him to be on time and not a minute earlier or later. This in fact applies to most former military men it would seem. Brian answered the door and John gave him the bottle of wine to take into the kitchen. Wendy then came out to greet him and after the usual hugs John gave her the bouquet of flowers he had bought for her.

"Oh John they're gorgeous" purred Wendy. "Perhaps you could give Brian a few lessons in how to charm a woman."

Brian then chimed in from the kitchen.

"Yeah but he should be careful. Look where it got me."

"I know what it will get you if you keep that up shot back Wendy."

"Hey guys, enough already, I've seen enough combat overseas – I don't want to start a domestic war between you two love birds."

They were all laughing now at John's comments and the snide remarks ceased. Brian and Wendy were deeply in love and all three of them knew it. A few years ago when they thought that they might never have children of their own they had adopted a young boy with special needs. Then a year later they had twins of their own. They were all one big happy family now. All three kids called John "Uncle John" and he himself had a lot of fun playing with them whenever he dropped in. Today was no different. He would play with the kids first and after dinner he would relate his story to Brian and Wendy. As he was playing with the children he noticed that Jimmy, the special needs boy, was a little off that day. It was nothing he could put his finger on but he just didn't seem to be himself somehow. John just shrugged it off and didn't mention it to either Brian or Wendy. After dinner he regaled them with his tales of his trip, minus the involvement of Mary and MC. Brian and Wendy were absolutely staggered by this revelation.

"Wow" said Brian; "I've heard some stories on trains before like I told you – but nothing that comes close to this John. Never in my wildest dreams could I have pictured anything like this."

"Are you going to see those two girls again, the two nurses up in Seneca College?" asked Wendy.

"Yes I said I would be in touch with them once I came back here."

"How about Simeon and Ruth, will you keep in touch with them or maybe go and see them sometime?"

"I will definitely keep in touch with them Wendy, as for going to see them up in Thunder Bay I'll have to wait and see how things go. I'll take my cues from the Byrnes and follow their directions."

"Well if you want to bring those two nurses down here for a visit at anytime John, just let me know."

"Oh here we go," said Brian, "Madam Lasagna is back in the matchmaking business I see."

"No I am not, Brian, I was just being neighborly and offering John a place to bring those two girls if he was stuck for somewhere to go with them."

"Yeah Right," said Brian in a tone that contained copious amounts of skepticism. He knew exactly what Wendy was up to and she knew that he did too. Her denials would be useless and so she offered none and merely changed the subject. They chatted about this and that for another hour or so and then it was time for John to bid them goodnight and go home. It had been an excellent meal and he really enjoyed their company. They were in fact his best friends. Both he and Brian and Wendy and Pam all got along well with each other and they felt Pam's loss almost as much as he did himself. However, John now knew it was time to move on, but he also knew that as and when that time came his future bride would have to go through serious scrutiny from Wendy and Cynthia. If he hadn't been aware of it before, he most certainly was now. Both women were like clucking hens and John was their chick in dire need of protection from the big bad wolf – one masquerading as a woman it would seem. He smiled to himself as he conjured up an image of that in his mind. Yes, any so called predatory female would be put through the wringer by those two for sure and neither of them took prisoners. They say that the female of a species is more vicious than the male and John had seen enough to agree with that statement. Right now though there were no potential candidates for those women to sharpen their claws for he thought. Then he smiled to himself as he conjured up yet another image – this time both women were sat at a grindstone putting a scalpel like edge on their claws awaiting the hapless victim who had her sights set on John. These ferocious and feral felines could really scare off potential mates who failed to measure up and he would have to be careful as to when he would expose his dates to this level of intimidation. He was still smiling at all of this as he pulled into his parking spot.

The following morning he had some shopping to do, groceries mainly, with a few incidentals thrown in for good measure. Wendy had casually mentioned a restaurant in Don Mills and John decided to check it out before he would take anyone there. He drove up the Don Valley Parkway and turned off on Lawrence Avenue and meandered through to the Shops of Don Mills. It was a pedestrian friendly environment and contained some high end boutiques, restaurants and jewellery stores. He had his lunch there and concluded that this was not a bad spot to bring a date. A little upscale perhaps, but not too ostentatious, he thought. As he was half way up town already he decided to give Cheyenne a call. It was only another few minutes drive up the parkway to Seneca College and he could perhaps have a coffee with the girls if they were free. They were just walking back to the residence after a lecture when John's call came through. Yes they were free and would meet him at the main entrance hall in fifteen minutes. Both girls then flew up to their rooms, changed clothes, freshened up and then came back down. The main hallway was buzzing with students and nobody was paying particular attention to Julie and Cheyenne. That is until John pulled up in his Bentley. Heads spun round quickly and the look on Julie and Cheyenne's faces was priceless. They had not been expecting this at all. Who was this guy? – he drives a Bentley. Their fellow students would certainly be impressed by this and they would certainly get a grilling later that night or tomorrow – primarily to enquire if he had a brother perhaps.

"You take the front seat Cheyenne and I'll climb in the back" said Julie.

"Well hi there girls" said John, "I was in the area and thought I'd stop by to see you guys."

"Just who are you John Canon, is this car yours?" questioned Julie.

"Yes, Julie it is mine, I came into a little money sometime ago and this is one of the toys I bought."

"Wow!" said Cheyenne, "its gorgeous John; the leather is so soft and creamy."

"Yes the Brits know how to make quality cars and I fell in love with this one when I drove it on a test drive."

"I'll bet you did," said Julie, "it's a beautiful car, you can buy a house for less that this would have cost you up north."

As she was saying this the thought crossed her mind that perhaps he lived in a palace and she was actually dreaming all of this.

"If this is the kind of car you drive, where do you live, in some huge mansion?"

"No Julie, well not yet at least, I have an apartment downtown. This is my only indulgence at present."

"I have never ridden in such a beautiful car before" Cheyenne said, "I feel like Cinderella in her coach sitting in this car."

John just laughed,

"Well I'm glad you approve, ma'am. After all I did promise to take you on a date and this is my mode of transport. I could of course come on my tandem if you prefer. I don't want to spoil you."

Cheyenne quickly responded,

"Oh I think this will do in a pinch, I've been on dates in worse."

John roared laughing once more as he pulled out onto Finch Avenue.

"It's good to know that you won't be embarrassed to be seen out with me, Cheyenne, I was kind of nervous about how you might react."

Cheyenne just poked him and said "Behave yourself or I might change my mind."

John and Julie just laughed and then Julie added,

"Yeah, right! I'm sure John is really worried about that happening."

"So how was the rest of your trip John?" enquired Julie.

"Oh it was pretty good all things considered. I'll fill you in over coffee, Is Tim Horton's okay with you guys?"

"Tim Horton's will be just fine, John, we practically live in the one near the college."

John pulls into the parking lot of the plaza and all three of them get out and walk over to the Tom Horton's in the corner. Coffee and doughnuts are ordered all round and the girls carry the items over to a corner booth as John pays the bill. Once they are all settled John relates his story from the time he left them. He glossed over certain aspects, but in essence he told them the main highlights. The girls felt really sorry for Meg and her troubles and they were horrified to learn about the fate that awaited Ruth prior to his intervention. Julie was really pleased to learn that Melody and Frank had re-connected. That was really good news as she knew her Granddad often thought about her and what had become of her. Now he not only had his brother back, he had Melody back as well and that would really make him happy. As for Simeon and Ruth, Danny and Brook would love to have them there and so would she. It was simply unimaginable what they would have had to go through had they not run away.

John glossed over the story about Marion Sharp and her son and Jane's daughter's predicament. It riled him up to think a human being could act like Danny did – so he left that part of the story out. He did however go into great detail about his time up in the mountains in BC and his time with the German couple in Whistler. Bill Stewart was never mentioned. Mary Curran was simply referred to as the woman who ran the shelter, her name was not used. Both girls were enthralled by this tale and more coffees were ordered before it was concluded. The consensus being that it had been an eventful excursion. John did not disagree with that conclusion. He then drove them back to the college.

"What are you guys doing on Saturday night?" he asked.

They both responded that they had nothing planned, apart from some last minute studying perhaps.

"Good" he said, "I'll pick you both up at 6:00 pm. Assuming that you like the theatre that is: Mamma Mia is back in town again for a limited engagement and I have four tickets. I am taking Cynthia my sister-in-law out to dinner and I'd like you to meet her and then we can all go to the show, if that's okay with you, of course."

Both girls replied at once saying that they would really love to go out to see that show on Saturday night. They had both wanted to go and see it, but they simply couldn't afford the ticket price. That problem was now solved.

As he was pulling up to the main entrance he turned to Cheyenne and said.

"Well we have Saturday all sorted out, what are you doing on Friday evening, Cheyenne?"

"Nothing really, why?"

"I promised you that you would be the first girl I took on a date and so I am asking you out on a date tomorrow night if you are free."

"Yes, I am free, but I don't have anything fancy to wear, John."

"Don't worry, Cheyenne, I won't be taking you anywhere lavish, and if I did, I'd warn you first and make sure you had appropriate attire. Trust me on that. What I am thinking is the more traditional dinner and a movie if that's okay with you and to prove what a saint I am you can choose the movie."

"In that case John, that would be lovely. What time do you want to pick me up?"

"Well the movie will start around 8:30 to 9:00 pm so lets say I call for you at 7:00 pm - is that alright for you?"

"Perfect," she said, "I'll be ready."

Julie then chipped in.

"I'll bet you will, being whisked off in a golden coach by a handsome prince and taken to dinner – who wouldn't?"

"Hey Julie don't get her hopes up, I was thinking of McDonald's"

"I don't care," said Cheyenne, "it's a date and I haven't had one of those in a while. The problem is if I kiss you will you turn back into a frog?"

"Well you will have to find that out tomorrow night I guess" said John laughing. With that both Julie and Cheyenne got out of the car and to their surprise so did John. He went up to them both and gave them a hug and a quick kiss.

"I'll see you tomorrow Cheyenne and both of you on Saturday at 6:00pm." With that he got back in his car, waved them goodbye and drove back home. That evening would be spent doing laundry and there was plenty of it to do. His apartment was a penthouse with two levels and the laundry area was upstairs. John found this to be quite convenient as he could hang up his shirts more or less as he finished ironing them. The wash and wear items too were simply hung up right out of the drier. Military life had made John quite domesticated and self sufficient where household chores were concerned, an attribute that Pam had really appreciated. His kitchen skills were limited, but he could produce an acceptable meal if asked. In fact he had impressed her the first time he invited her to his apartment for dinner. Pam had not known exactly what to expect when he told her he would be cooking the dinner that night. He took her coat, ushered her into the living room and offered her a drink. As she looked around she could see the table laid out in the dining room, it looked very appetizing. She could see the rolls and the condiments and the silver goblets and the silverware all correctly positioned. A few minutes later he called her in to the dining room and had her sit down. What a feast he had prepared. He instructed her to help herself to the vegetables while he himself carved the roast beef at the end of the table. She was really impressed by all of this – but then that was the general idea as far as John was concerned. He wanted to let her know that there was more to him than being a simple soldier. It worked. John was reflecting on all of this as he was putting his last load in the washing machine. Yeah, he thought, that was a cool move inviting her to a home cooked dinner, far better than a restaurant. The thought then crossed his mind that he should do that for Cheyenne one night. It then slowly started to dawn upon him that he really did like that girl, there was just something about her. He couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was, but he was now becoming aware of his feelings towards her. He liked Julie too – but Cheyenne had a special quality to her and one he now vowed to learn more about and explore fully.

The following evening John picked up Cheyenne as arranged and he took her out to dinner at a steak house. He had already sounded her out as to whether she was a red meat eater or not, so he was safe there. A nice juicy and flavorful steak washed down with a fairly good red wine should prove to be enjoyable. In fact it turned out to be very good indeed and John was very pleased about that. Sometimes one can order a steak a certain way and it is not quite the way it should be when it arrives on your table. It is not bad enough to be sent back, but it just isn't quite right. Well tonight everything was perfect. Cheyenne thought everything was just lovely, but then she would be quite happy with McDonald's so long as John was there as Julie knew only too well. However, Cheyenne did appreciate everything and thanked John profusely for the meal. They then went to the local cinema to see the latest movie in the twilight series about Vampires and Werewolves. It was a classic chick flick, but John found himself drawn into it all the same. Needless to say Cheyenne was totally engrossed in it. After the show they went for a quick nightcap at a local piano lounge and then John drove her home. They had both had a wonderful evening and they had learned a great deal about one another. The goodnight kiss and embrace just before John drove home had electrified them both.

'Well, Cheyenne, I don't think I'll turn back into a frog just yet – I really enjoyed that."

"Me too" she said, "Can I have another please?"

"I was hoping you would say that. It will be my pleasure. Ma'am"

John then gave Cheyenne a much longer and more intense kiss that left them both breathless. It was then that John began to realize that he did indeed have deep feelings for this girl. He may have been uncertain before but not anymore. Cheyenne excited him and he obviously had a similar effect upon her. As he drove home his mind was racing. Could he be falling in love with this girl? Was it too soon after Pam's death? What would people think? All of this had crept up on him suddenly and yet as he reflected back he realized that it was not all that sudden, he had been thinking about her on the train. He thought then that there was something about her – now it had merely been confirmed. She really was a beautiful girl.

Julie was wide awake when Cheyenne came home. She would have waited up till god knows what time to hear how this date went – going to bed before Cheyenne came home was not an option. She was given chapter and verse about the dinner, the conversation and the movie that followed. If Julie only suspected before, she knew for certain now, Cheyenne was smitten with John. His wealth was not a consideration at all. It was a bonus of course, but totally unimportant as far as Cheyenne was concerned and Julie knew it. As she was climbing into bed after listening to all of this her mind was picking out bridesmaid's dresses.

Cynthia was ready and waiting when John knocked on her door and they quickly summoned the elevator and went downstairs to the parking garage. They had given themselves plenty of time to drive uptown to pick up Julie and Cheyenne and so they were in no particular hurry. Cynthia was eager to meet the two girls, but she was unsure of what to really expect. Men had a totally different perspective in her opinion and any descriptions they gave could very well be slanted. Still, she told herself, "keep an open mind Cynthia," and this she was now determined to do. When John pulled up to the main entrance, the girls were there waiting for him. He got out of the car and opened the door for them and they both slid into the back seat. Once he got back inside he introduced everyone. As he pulled away the women were all chatting to each other – he couldn't have gotten a word in edgewise even if he had wanted to. He sailed down the Don Valley Parkway effortlessly and pulled into the parking lot close by the theatre. The restaurant was only a few steps away also. It was an Italian restaurant and the food there was exquisite, at least that is what John had been told. He had never dined there before, but Brian's recommendation was good enough for him. It turned out that Brian had been right – the food there was indeed excellent and everyone enjoyed their selections. The table conversation consisted of all three women getting to know each other better. Cynthia certainly liked the girls based on first impressions, but she was not prepared to give her seal of approval to anyone after only one brief encounter.

After the meal they walked outside to the theatre. As they still had a few minutes to spare they decided to have a quick walk around the small park nearby. Cheyenne casually took hold of John's hand as they were walking around the park and it was quickly noted by Cynthia. Ah! she thought, now I know who to concentrate on. There was no malice to this statement, just simple mother hen protectionism. Once inside the theatre they are ushered up to their box by a young girl. It was the third one up from the stage and offered them a very good view of the stage and just behind them was an exit door. This would make it easier to leave once the curtain came down at the end of the show. Both John and Cynthia had seen the show previously when it had been playing here a few years ago. They had no trouble watching it again – it was that good. Julie and Cheyenne had always wanted to see it, but they never had the chance to. This was a real treat for them and both John and Cynthia registered the excitement that the two girls were showing. They were just like a couple of schoolgirls and it was good to see. They were totally enrapt once the show started. During the intermission in the foyer both girls were babbling a mile a minute and John and Cynthia were just smiling. There was no doubt how much these two were enjoying this show. When John offered to get some cocktails from the bar both girls refused and said they were fine, a small Perrier would be nice though. Cynthia made a mental note of that. They were not gold diggers – they could have had any drink they wanted, but they were not taking advantage of John.

Then again it was early days yet and Cynthia would give them enough rope to hang themselves before she came around to accepting them. The second half of the show was just as good as the first and the audience was fully involved at times even getting up and dancing in the aisles occasionally. The music was electrifying and the whole atmosphere in the theatre was charged. It was a most uplifting show. After the show John took them to the Sheraton Hotel's piano bar for a nightcap. He had the Perrier this time as he was driving. The nightcap turned into three in the end. John just sat there watching the three women and he felt a warm glow inside. They all seemed to be getting on well together. Cheyenne was so happy and it radiated out of her like a searchlight. John wanted to drop Cynthia off first to save her the trip uptown, but she said she would keep him company on the drive back down.

"You don't have to do that Cynthia, I'll be just fine."

"I know, but I'm not tired yet anyway, so I may as well keep you company."

Julie then quipped, "it will help to keep you awake and fend off the withdrawal symptoms."

"What withdrawal systems?"

"The ones you'll have once we get out of the car and silence descends. It has been known to drive men crazy you know."

John and Cynthia both laughed at that and he argued no more. John then dropped off the girls. He gave them both a goodnight hug and kiss, but Cheyenne's had a little more intensity to it and he told her he would call her tomorrow morning. On the ride back home, Cynthia gave him her first impressions of the girls. She also gently inquired as to how John felt about them both, particularly Cheyenne. When they reached her apartment building Cynthia had a pretty good idea about where John stood. While not totally convinced yet, Cynthia had nothing negative to say about Cheyenne. They were both lovely girls and Pam would have been friends with both of them had she known them. As Cynthia reflected on that she began to realize that she too could be friends with them both – they really were nice

### Chapter Seventeen

### ***

John had really enjoyed himself last evening – it was the first time in quite some time that he had done that. In fact since Pam's death he couldn't remember a time that he had enjoyed himself as much. It was the company of those three women that had been the cause of his rapture. They all got along well together and seeing the sheer delight on their faces during that show was refreshing and uplifting in itself. Cynthia's boyfriend was originally planning to attend, but an illness on the surgical staff obliged him to do double duty for a while. David was a surgical fellow in a large trauma center and he was kept pretty busy even without the double shifts. John liked David, he was a really nice man and while he was lucky to have Cynthia, it was definitely a two way street. Cynthia was deeply in love with David and they made a delightful couple. Whereas David was a little less boisterous, Cynthia was the one with the repartee. That did not make David dull by any means, he was just that little bit quieter than she was. Brian and Wendy really liked the pair and had readily accepted them as friends upon the wedding of Pam and John. Now that Cynthia had met the girls that just left Wendy and Brian. As he was sitting in his apartment alone with his thoughts the telephone rings.

"Good morning John, did I wake you up?"

"No madam you did not," he replied to Wendy.

"What ever would make you think such a thing, I'm surprised at you."

"Well I hear that you escorted three ladies out on a date last night – and that must be tiring even for a stud like you."

"Bite your tongue lady," John responded and Wendy was roaring with laughter on the other end.

"We had a perfectly innocent evening and I was a thorough gentleman as usual. We just went out to dinner and then on to see Mamma Mia."

"Oh I know all about it, John, I was just talking to Cynthia."

"Wow the jungle drums are quick around here aren't they?"

"Faster than the internet anyway" responded Wendy.

"The way I heard it everyone had a really great time. Of course, having ones sister-in-law along could be construed as cramping ones style. Threesomes are one thing but four??"

"Now here's me thinking that you were a refined lady of exquisite taste and all of this flows out of your mouth with apparent ease. You should be ashamed of yourself, Wendy,"

"Oh indeed I am John, can't you tell."

"Yeah Right! I can feel the heat from those blushes right down the phone line."

Wendy had tears in her eyes now from laughing so hard.

"The reason that I called, John, beyond giving you a hard time for last night, was to invite you and the girls over next Saturday for dinner."

"What? After all that abuse and character assassination you expect me to bring a pair of truly refined ladies into your company. What kind of a cad do you think I am? – what time would you like us to arrive?"

"Seven would be fine John if that works for you."

"That will be fine, Wendy, we shall be looking forward to it."

John was tempted to enquire about Jimmy, but decided not to at the last minute. He was probably wrong anyway, so why raise concerns unnecessarily. When he hung up on Wendy he called Cheyenne and told her that they had been invited to dinner at Brian and Wendy's and could she and Julie make it. Cheyenne responded immediately that they would love to go. As they had their final exams on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, John could not see Cheyenne until Thursday. He suggested that he could wait until Saturday if she preferred, but he was free on Thursday if she was. Cheyenne said that she was definitely free on Thursday and couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the end of her exams. It was the way that she said it that electrified John. When he hung up the phone he realized just how much this girl was beginning to mean to him now. Could he possibly be falling in love with her, was it too soon after Pam or was it merely a rebound reaction. John wasn't quite sure, but one thing he knew for certain, she was definitely under his skin big time now.

John's week simply dragged by as far as he was concerned, but Thursday finally arrived. He picked up Cheyenne and took her to dinner, it was nothing very fancy, and then went for a walk through Edwards Gardens. This is a scenic trail beside a meandering river and its quite picturesque. They were just strolling along holding hands taking in the beauty of the trail. There were chipmunks and squirrels darting about and young lovers making out on several of the park benches – some not so young too. At the end of their walk John asked if she would like to go back to see his apartment and Cheyenne agreed. Once inside the apartment John took her coat and hung it up in the closet and then walked into the living room and asked her if she would like a drink. Cheyenne replied that she would, but that she would also like a kiss first.

"Well, I certainly think I can manage that without any difficulty" he replied and he walked over to her purposefully only too willing to oblige her whims.

Cheyenne simply melted into his arms as he drew her close to him. Those powerful arms now wrapped around her like a warm blanket and made her feel so safe and secure. She could feel the hardness of his body and at the same time she caught the faint whiff of his cologne. This now acted as an aphrodisiac and sent her passion meter sharply up the scale. John lowered his head and brushed her lips lightly with his giving her a hint of what delights lay ahead. Cheyenne instantly responded and placed her hand behind his neck and pulled his head back down again, firmly. The intensity of that embrace and the heat generated by it, now sent Cheyenne's passion soaring. John sensed it and acted accordingly. He swept her up in his arms and carried her upstairs and Cheyenne clung to him and kissed him all the way to the bedroom. Once there John began to undress her slowly, caressing every inch of her body as he did so. His gentle touch was electrifying her skin and her body was now tingling all over. Cheyenne had never experienced anything like this before. She was naked now and John started at her neck and shoulders and worked his way down using his lips and tongue in all the right places. Her erogenous zones acted like a magnet to John's mouth and she was left breathless as he proceeded to work his personal brand of magic on her. Cheyenne was in heaven, her whole body was now sensitized to his touch and his oral expertise sent her sensuality and desire right into orbit. John swept her up once more and lay her down gently on the bed and continued his oral gymnastics. Cheyenne was moaning softly now as the sensations began to flow over her igniting a lustful craving that she had never ever felt before. John continued his administrations and Cheyenne's breathing now intensified and her moans became louder. Those wondrous sensations were coming more frequently now and Cheyenne's body was screaming out for fulfillment. John knew exactly what he was doing and he continued to drive her crazy with lust and desire. Then suddenly Cheyenne exploded with volcanic fervor as her orgasm swept over her like a tsunami of ecstasy, she could contain herself no longer. Her squeals of delight filled the room as John continued his magic and her fingers dug deep into his back. It was then that he entered her, gently at first and then more purposefully. The sensations Cheyenne was feeling now were off any known scale and her responses to them were electrifying in themselves. Her whole body was thrusting upwards to meet John's in a lustful frenzy. She did not want this to end, but John's exhaustion finally ended it. Cheyenne then relaxed and lay back in total rapture. She was just simply lying there now wrapped in John's arms fully content with the world and everything in it. John was gently stroking her back and whispering in her ear as he nibbled on it softly. She couldn't believe just how lucky she was to have found such a kind and gentle man. Their sexual compatibility was awesome and absolutely wonderful as far as Cheyenne was concerned. John had surpassed her wildest imaginations as to how a dream lover should be and she fervently hoped he was similarly satisfied with her abilities. She need not have worried about that. John felt like a dog with two tails after that encounter. Not only was Cheyenne gorgeous, her sexual responsiveness was magnificent and totally off the scale. Her reactions to his touch and her sensuality had stimulated him to perform at Olympic level and she had reacted in kind and left him in no doubt whatsoever as to how she was enjoying what he was doing to her. Cheyenne was one beautiful woman, both inside and out and John Cannon was the luckiest man on the planet to have her in love with him. A few minutes later they were both fast asleep with their arms wrapped around each other. It really had been a truly magical evening. The stroll through Edwards Gardens had set the tone; it was a romantic setting, especially the little Japanese bridge across the stream. Cheyenne had never been to this park before and she had fallen in love with it on the spot. John for his part was no longer trying to analyze what his feelings for Cheyenne were or whether they were appropriate. He was in love now, right this minute, and that was all that mattered. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind – he was deeply in love with Cheyenne and no outsider's seal of approval was necessary. If it was given, then so much the better, but he didn't require it. Pam and Cheyenne were two different women and John was not about to make comparisons. Each had their own unique characteristics. It was still early days with Cheyenne and he had a lot to learn – but he knew how he felt and he also knew how she felt about him. She was one beautiful woman who was as crazy about him as he was about her – what else mattered he thought.

John awoke first the next morning and went into the kitchen and put on the coffee. He then went into the cupboard for the cereal bowls and dishes and placed two slices of raison bread into the toaster. He had tried to do this quietly, but Cheyenne had heard him and was now walking down the stairs in his bathrobe.

"Oh that coffee smells good, its just what I need to make me wake up from this dream."

"It's no dream, Kiddo, what you see is what you get around here. What kind of cereal do you like?"

"Do you have any Shreddies?"

"Sure do, coming right up ma'am."

"Do you like raison bread?"

"Yes I love it."

"Would you like to try it with honey on it?"

"Yes please that would be lovely, thank you."

Without further ado John made the coffee, gave her a bowl of cereal and placed a piece of honey covered raison bread on her plate. He himself had the same except his cereal was corn flakes. Cheyenne knew she would be given the third degree by Julie when she arrived back at the dormitory and she was practicing her responses all the way up the DVP (Don Valley Parkway) as John drove her home. As soon as she walked in the door Julie was all over her pressing for details. Certain aspects were glossed over, but Julie got the main picture and she was delighted for her friend. As she had a shift at the hospital that afternoon; Julie just hoped that Cheyenne would arrive before she had to leave. Her wish had been granted and her curiosity had been satisfied.

She would be in the surgical wing today, but when she arrived she didn't know which particular assignment she had been given. It could be pre-op, post-op or actually in the operating room. She would have to read to notice board to find out. She did that as soon as she walked in and she found out that she was on post-op duty that day. This entailed monitoring patients right after their surgeries and ensuring that they came out of the anesthesia on schedule and with no undue side effects or complications and noting everything down on the chart. She would also have interaction with family members and provide encouragement or soothing condolences as required. Some of the surgeons have what is known as a God complex. They are so full of themselves that they fail to even acknowledge the existence of lesser mortals like nurses, orderlies and in some cases patients or family members. Surgeons of necessity need to have an air of self assurance about them. They have to be confident in their abilities, it goes with the territory. You simply cannot have a ditherer wielding a scalpel. He has to have confidence, skill and the assumption that the outcome will be as predicted. They go in without hesitation and fully confident in their ability to cure the patient and they demand that everyone else shares that sense of confidence. Everyone around the table has to be on top of their game and know what the surgeon will need often before he requests it. However, occasionally, the unexpected occurs and the outcome is less than desirable. In other words the patient is not cured or worse, dies during the operation. There can be numerous reasons for this, many of them unforeseeable, but each surgeon reacts differently. This afternoon a newly certified fellow in Obstetrics / Gynecology was performing a routine C Section on a pregnant woman. At least that was what was scheduled. Exactly what happened nobody knew for certain but the woman experienced a Placental Abruption prior to the actual surgery. She was immediately rushed into the operation room for emergency surgery, but it was unsuccessful. The hemorrhage had been massive and the team could not staunch it in time, they lost both mother and child. Dr. Wetherby, the young surgeon was most distraught. This should not have happened, he had examined this young mother only yesterday and everything was just fine. What had he missed? He was mad at himself; he must have missed something, but what? The truth was that he hadn't missed a thing, although rare, such things do happen and even brilliant surgeons cannot change that. As he was walking through the swing doors, Julie was passing by in the corridor. When the door swung open it banged into her and then bounced back hitting Dr. Wetherby.

"Be more careful nurse" he growled, "you should watch where you are going and be more alert."

He then stormed off in a foul mood. Julie just looked at him stunned. Usually Dr. Wetherby was one of the good ones – well as far as surgeons went anyway, but not today. When one of the other nurses emerged from the O R she asked them why he was in such a mood. The nurse then told her what had happened and that Wetherby had fought like hell to save her even thought it was a lost cause from the start. She then added,

"If ever I need an Ob/Gyn he's the guy I want. Cut him a little slack today Julie, he's just had a bad day that's all."

With that, Julie simply put it out of her mind and went about her normal duties. She had completely forgotten about it by the time she was signing out at the end of her shift. As she was walking across the parking lot to the bus shelter a car pulls up. The driver lowers his window and says,

"Nurse, do you have a minute? Look I feel bad about my behaviour this afternoon and I wish to apologize. It wasn't your fault and it has bothered me ever since. Could I make amends by driving you home perhaps – I know I can't take it back, but it's the least I can do."

"Oh you don't have to do that Doctor," said Julie.

"Perhaps not nurse, but I don't have to yell at nurses either and yet I did. This at least will make me feel a little better about myself, so please hop in."

Julie duly slid into the front seat and he drove her home. They chatted briefly on the way home, but nothing personal was divulged. Neither knew the others first names and both felt it was probably more professional that way.

The following evening John called round to collect the two girls and then proceeded to Brian and Wendy's house for dinner. As far as he knew they were the only guests that evening. However as he pulled into the driveway he saw a white Volvo parked there. He did not recognize it, but he was curious as to who it might belong to. The mystery was soon solved. It was David's new car and he and Cynthia had been invited at the last minute. John introduced everyone to each other on a first name basis only. He wanted to keep things light and informal. During the course of the evening more would be disclosed, but for now that was sufficient. Both Cheyenne and Julie offered to help Wendy in the kitchen, but she gracefully declined their help and said everything was under control, but she thanked them for offering. They were all sitting around chatting in the living room when the subject of next week's charity ball comes up. This was a fund raiser at the golf club and it was an annual event. It was a formal affair, but it was lots of fun all the same. It was automatically assumed that Julie and Cheyenne would be in attendance. At least it was until Julie pointed out that they did not possess the appropriate evening attire. John jumped in on that one quickly.

"Leave that to me, I know a place that can fix you up for the evening, so I will look after that. You can go and pick out something one day next week."

He had deliberately let them believe that they were going to rent out dresses for the event and Cynthia had caught on to it and played along. She realized that the girls would have refused to go and they would not let John buy their dresses for them. They were not going to sponge off him that way. Yes she thought, they really are nice girls. It was Wendy who brought up the fact that this was a couples event.

"David, do you think you could persuade Grant to come along that night to even up the numbers" asked Cynthia. "Why don't you go into the other room and give him a call now rather let him get booked up."

With that David went into the other room and made the call. When he came back he said that Grant was not at home and that he had tried Paul instead but he was busy. He said he had left a message on Grant's answering machine and asked him to call him back. Half way through the dinner David's phone rings. It was Grant returning his call and yes he was free and would like to go. Julie blushed when David told Grant that he would not be disappointed in the lady he would be escorting and he gave her quite the build up.

"I hope he isn't too disappointed when he meets me after that glorious build up" she said.

"On the contrary" said David, "I thought I down played it, don't you guys?"

"Without a doubt" said John, "Absolutely" said Brian and Julie blushed even more then.

"Behave yourselves you guys" said Wendy, "leave the poor girl alone and stop teasing her." "Aw cum on nah Wendy" said John in his western drawl, "where's the fun in that."

"A few more jibes like that and you guys will be cut off – if you catch my drift."

The guys all looked at each other and winked – the teasing abruptly ended. They knew when it was time to quit, and that time was right now. Normal table conversation resumed. After the meal was over the table was cleared for card playing. The guys all went outside to see David's new Volvo while the girls loaded the dishwasher and stacked the second batch for later. Liqueurs were then handed round and the playing of Bid Euchre began. Prior to everyone going home coffee was served to keep them all alert on the drive home. Brian, being a policeman in the RCMP, was making sure everyone was in good shape to drive. It would not look good if any of them were pulled over or involved in an accident having visited his house and he then let them drive in an unfit state. However, with this bunch he needn't worry. The women may be a little tipsy, but their men certainly were not. John drove both Julie and Cheyenne up to the college where he dropped Julie off. He and Cheyenne then returned back down the DVP to John's apartment.

The following morning John received an e-mail from Simeon and Ruth. They were now up in Thunder Bay and were staying on the farm with Danny and his wife Brook and apparently loving it. They thanked him for their clothes and for everything that he had done for them. Melody was staying with Frank and Amy, but Billy had left yesterday to return to Bellville. They described the farm in great detail and what duties they had there. It simply leapt right off the page how happy they were now. They now felt safe and secure and in no way threatened with untold horrors. The local school had accepted them and the students there had too. They were all farmer's kids and therefore lived the same kind of life and had the same chores. The inevitable questions were asked about their former school and where they lived, but the commune wasn't mentioned. They simply said that they had just moved from Port Moody. This was a perfectly accurate statement. The school principal however had been given the total picture and he could now keep a watchful eye on the pair to ensure that their integration was a smooth and carefree one. As of right now this was the case. Simeon and Ruth had been readily accepted by their peers. Their shyness had helped in this respect. Loud mouths and know it alls they were not and the locals really appreciated that and accepted them because of it. Simeon was quickly involved with sports and Ruth became involved in the synchronized swimming club. Their enthusiasm for their life up there just jumped right out at him and John was delighted. Upon reading this he decided to pick up the phone and give them a call. This he now did and he spent quite some time talking to them all including Melody.

Frank was overjoyed to hear from John and reminded him that he was welcome there at anytime. John knew this of course, but he thanked Frank all the same. They chatted about this and that and then Frank outlined the kind of life that Melody had had right after she had parted company from Frank way back in the old days. That in itself was quite the story of how young Melody and her baby daughter Claire had survived. She had not had an easy time of it by all accounts. However, she stoically refused to give up her baby and slowly but surely she carved out a new life for herself and her baby. She had a variety of low paid jobs, until one day she landed a job as a waitress in a café. Things now started to change for the better for Melody. She met her future husband in that café and they lived happily together for thirty years until he died from a heart attack. They had no children together, but he had accepted Claire as his own and she always called him Daddy. Upon his death, Melody took a part time job in a baby wear store. Eventually when the owner wished to retire, she took it over and carried on running it until she herself retired. She sold the business and then went part time again, this time in a women's shelter. It was here where she became involved with the underground network. A few years later she moved to Port Moody and became involved in the women's shelter there and met Mary Curran. That friendship blossomed and the underground network became far more proficient and numerous women benefitted from it. As John was listening to this he realized that he was getting the abridged version. Frank was merely giving the gist of the tale and glossing over some of the more unsavory details. Melody was quite the lady; she had certainly paid her dues in life. She was now at a time of life that she should settle down and be happy. Then again she was happy – she was helping others and that made her happy. However, she was no longer a young woman and time was now beginning to take its toll. Melody herself was fully aware that she couldn't do this for too much longer – she needed to train her replacement.

### Chapter Eighteen

### ***

After the late night at Brian and Wendy's, John and Cheyenne decided to lie in that morning and recover slowly from the festivities – well Cheyenne did anyway. John was in good shape as he hadn't been drinking all that much. He made breakfast and served it to Cheyenne on a tray while she was still in bed. John then had a shower and went downstairs to read the morning paper. At around 11:00 a.m. or so Cheyenne came downstairs having pulled herself together and she was now ready to face the world.

"What would you like to do today?" asked John.

"I hadn't given it much thought, John, but it is a lovely day out there, it would be a shame to stay in and waste it."

"I agree; how about we take a trip to Center Island, rent a couple of bikes and just ride around the Marina and Wards Island and grab a burger in the café there later."

"Oh that sounds wonderful, can I get away with just jeans?" asked Cheyenne.

"Well I suggest that a T shirt may come in handy, Honey. Its not all that hot and going topless may attract some unwanted attention. I mean it's up to you, but I don't want to be punching guys out all day for ogling you."

"You know very well what I meant – it would serve you right if I did just wear jeans and nothing else."

"That day I would love to see" said John roaring with laughter. Cheyenne was far too shy to do anything like that and they both knew it.

"Yeah, jeans would be just fine. They are better for cycling and far easier for sitting on the grass and not having to worry about your posture."

With the teasing all done, Cheyenne changed into her jeans and she was now ready to go. They would spend a very pleasant day simply cycling around getting lots of fresh air and looking at the quaint cottages on Ward's Island and all the luxury yachts in the marina. In addition to which it was very good exercise and it would help to keep the weight off. That was something Cheyenne was very conscious of having eaten far more then she should have last night, in her opinion at least. She had been used to college fare prior to meeting John, lately the menus had been a little richer in calories and exercise was a must if she wished to remain in shape. She actually had an hour glass figure and she wanted to maintain it for as long as she could. Students could not afford to refit their wardrobes too often and certainly not for reasons of weight gain. When they went out for dinner later that evening Cheyenne ordered a salad, minus nuts and no mayo in the dressing.

On the following Monday evening John took Julie and Cheyenne to a boutique for their supposedly rental dresses. They took quite a few selections into the changing rooms and paraded outside to get John's approval. They themselves actually made the selection, but they still wanted John's approval, especially Cheyenne. The dresses were lovely and they fitted the women quite well. One or two minor alterations would be required to make them fit perfectly, but overall they looked breathtaking in them. When they returned to the changing room John took care of the bill. The alterations were included. The girls were absolutely delighted with those dresses and they said so.

"I'd just love to own a dress like that" said Julie.

"Me too" said Cheyenne "it's absolutely gorgeous."

John just smiled at this and Cheyenne immediately picked up on it.

"These dresses are not rentals are they John, you bought them didn't you?"

Julie's mouth dropped at this suggestion,

"John you didn't – tell me you didn't."

"Let's just say that Santa came a little early this year, you have both been nice, right?"

As John was driving at the time they couldn't really express their appreciation for this gesture apart from saying thank you. Once he got out of the car they left him in no doubt as to what they thought about it.

On the Thursday evening John took them back to the boutique for their final fitting. Everything was perfect and both women looked like a million dollars in their dresses. Cheyenne's dress was a sky blue color and that just happened to be John's favorite color. When she walked out of the changing room in it his heart skipped a beat. She looked absolutely stunning. He knew right then that every man in the place on Saturday evening would envy him. Julie's dress was a shot silk one in a burgundy color that changed according to the angle of the light. She too looked gorgeous in her dress. When they took them back to the college there were Oohs and Ahs from their fellow students – not to mention questions as to whether John had a brother or two anywhere. Their friends were totally blown away by those dresses.

Julie for her part was now more concerned about who her date was going to be on Saturday night for the Charity Ball. All she knew right now was that his name was Grant. Julie was really looking forward to this event and to wearing her brand new gown. She felt like a queen in it and she hoped that her date would be suitably impressed when he saw her in it. She owed John big time for buying it for her – not that he expected anything in return.

It had been decided that they would all meet at the Golf Club at 7:00 p.m. rather then meet at Brian and Wendy's house and so that was now the plan. John had collected the girls from the college and they were now only a few minutes away. It was a beautiful warm evening and wraps were certainly not needed – but several of the women had them anyway. As luck would have it, Brian and Wendy pulled into the parking lot at the same time as John and the two girls. David's Volvo was parked a few cars down the line in front of theirs. The tables were all set out in the main dining room and place cards denoted who was sitting where. The tickets themselves told people at which table they were seated and the tables were all clearly numbered. A local TV celebrity was the host for the evening and she was also deeply involved in the charity on whose behalf this event was taking place. Needless to say one could easily be dazzled by the glitter of diamonds and other trinkets on display that evening. This was one well heeled crowd and a sizeable amount of money would be raised this evening. There was to be an auction later consisting of bids for other celebrities as dinner companions – and of course the bragging rights that would go with that. All in all it should be a most entertaining evening as well as a worthwhile one.

They all mingled in the foyer at first and cocktails were handed out as required or provided at the bar for the more particular palate. John and Brian went up to the bar and ordered the ladies drinks, David and Cynthia already had theirs by then. They were all standing talking near the appetizers table and really enjoying the varied selection too it would seem. Julie was standing there with her mouth full of sausage roll and a drink in her hand when Grant joins the group. She nearly died when she saw who he was, it was Dr. Wetherby from the hospital, the one who had yelled at her and then driven her home to make up for it. He was equally taken aback when he realized who his date was. David introduced him as Grant Wetherby and Julie was introduced as Julie Byrne. It was Julie who spoke first.

"Good evening Doctor," she replied when introduced.

"No Julie, there's no Dr. tonight I'm just Grant, if that's alright with you?"

Julie just smiled at him and said,

"Yes, Grant, that will be fine with me."

Over the course of the meal Grant and Julie relaxed a little more. In fact they were getting along rather well together and talking quite freely. When the dancing started later they spent a fair amount of time on the dance floor together. This fact did not go unnoticed by Cheyenne, Wendy or Cynthia. The men of course were all too busy putting the world to rights to even notice, but the women were attuned to this type of activity. The mandatory trip to the powder room by all the women at the same time proved to be most illuminating. Julie was grilled by them all and she grilled Cynthia about Grant and his past history. When they all emerged from the powder room they were all on the same page. The consensus was that they were right for each other, whether they knew it yet or not. Wendy and Cynthia were now going to see to it that Grant and Julie became an item. Grant needed a good woman in his life – and Julie certainly fit the bill in their book. Julie, for her part had been very impressed with Grant. He really was a nice guy and not full of himself like so many other doctors. In addition he seemed to like her too and not look down on her for being a lowly nurse. When they talked he listened and he did not try to ram his point of view down her throat. Even when they disagreed on an issue he accepted that and did not dismiss her ideas as silly or ill-informed. Yes, there was something about Grant Wetherby that needed further exploration. The question was whether she would be given the opportunity to explore it. This after all was merely a make up the numbers kind of thing – not a real date. Whether he would be interested in taking her out after this evening was another matter altogether.

When the girls all tripped off to the ladies room, Grant was all over John with subtle questions about Julie. John filled him in as best he could given his limited knowledge of her past. He did however give her a glowing report. He could see that Grant was interested in Julie and he certainly endorsed her as a potential match. He pointed out that she and Cheyenne were quite similar and that he could do far worse. She really was a lovely girl. Nothing further was said as the women were now headed back to the table. At the end of the evening, Grant asked Julie how she was getting home that night. She told him that John would take her home first and then come back down the DVP with Cheyenne. Armed with this information he then approaches John and asked if he could drive Julie home and save him the trip uptown and back. John said that was fine with him if Julie agreed. Grant then put that suggestion to Julie, pointing out that John had signed off on it if she agreed to it. Julie then went up to John and told him that Grant had offered to take her home. John for his part simply gave Julie a hug and said "God bless you Kiddo – he's a nice guy, I like him." That approval coming from John made Julie feel all warm and cozy. She didn't know why exactly, but it did all the same. John was a nice guy himself she thought; anyway his endorsement must mean that Grant was also. It was an opinion that Julie had already formed for herself, even after only one evening. However, she didn't want to get ahead of herself. Dr. Wetherby may be taking her home that evening, but that could be the end of it. He may not ask her out again and if so there was no point in speculating as to what may lie down the road. It turned out that Julie's fears were groundless. Grant was as intrigued with her as she was with him. Their relationship blossomed over the coming weeks, a fact that had not been lost on Cynthia and Wendy. Cheyenne knew exactly where Julie stood on this matter. They told each other everything – well almost everything....

It was now getting close to the end of the college year and the exam results were to be published this week. That also meant that Cheyenne and Julie would have to return back home to Thunder Bay. Both girls together with Grant and John were less than ecstatic about that. All four realized that it was necessary, well for now at least, but they all hated the thought of leaving. The next weekend would be their last together for a while and so a party was arranged to mark the occasion. It would be a double celebration in effect, one for graduating from Nursing School as fully fledged RN's and secondly as a going away party. John was to be the host for this shindig and nobody need bring anything other than themselves. He would have it all catered so it would all be taken care of right down to the last detail.

On the Tuesday morning he and Cheyenne are in the middle of breakfast when his telephone rings, its his builder. Apparently an issue had arisen regarding the color scheme in the master bathroom and the style of tiling to be used. John said that he would be up there that morning to take a look and make his selection.

"Where are you going, John? I thought we were going out this morning."

"We are honey, just not to the same place. There's something I want to show you."

"What is that?"

"Oh you'll see when we get there, it's a surprise."

"Won't you give me a clue at least?"

"No, it wouldn't be a surprise then would it."

Cheyenne didn't push it any further; she knew John would not give her any more information. She showered and got herself ready and they left an hour later. John drove up the DVP past the usual turn off to the college and then out into the countryside. He slowed down seemingly in the middle of nowhere and then turned onto a dirt pathway. He followed the winding track and there stood before her was this beautiful home. John pulled up to the front door and stopped the car. Cheyenne then got out and was simply awestricken by the exquisite view. It was a beautiful day and the only sound she could hear was that of the birds singing.

"Oh John, this is absolutely gorgeous; whose house is this? Are they friends of yours?

John just smiled at her.

"In a manner of speaking you could say that."

Cheyenne just looked at him puzzled.

"Well are they or aren't they? Just look at the view, its beautiful."

"I guess you like it then."

"Of course I do who wouldn't, it's magnificent."

"Then I made a good choice then did I?"

Cheyenne just looked at him quizzically and then the penny dropped.

"This is your future home – the one you are having built?"

"Yes Cheyenne, this will be my new home once its finished. There is still a fair amount to do plus all of the landscaping and of course the roadway."

This had simply taken Cheyenne's breath away.

"John, this just defies description it is like a fairytale castle."

"Would you like to see inside and have a guided tour?"

"Oh Yes Please! I can hardly wait."

It simply never crossed her mind that one day she could be the lady of this house. In a few days time she would be headed back to Thunder Bay and her new career as a nurse on the reserve. While John was her boyfriend and would visit her periodically and she would come down to visit him – the thought of marriage had never entered her mind. Julie was on the same page with Grant. She too was headed home and thoughts beyond that had not been entered into.

When Cheyenne came outside again she was simply staggered by it all.

"You know Cheyenne; I never got to show this to Pam. It wasn't this far along then of course, but I never got the chance to show it to her and then I lost her. I was not taking that chance again with a woman that I love. I know its early days for us Cheyenne, but I do love you and I think you know that. Anyway, I don't want to lose you the way I did Pam and if showing you this house can prevent that - then here it is."

Cheyenne's jaw just dropped. She had not been expecting this at all. Yes she knew John loved her, he had told her that many times. Men often did that, but then again they didn't always mean it. What John had just said removed all doubt from her mind.

"Oh John you know I love you, I'm not going anywhere, I'm yours."

"Yeah well I'm not taking any chances. This way there can be no confusion. Like I said if we can still tolerate each other down the road the way we have so far – we could raise our kids here."

Cheyenne just threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

No further words were necessary from either of them.

Out in British Columbia Meg Butler was settling down a little now. Kamloops had provided her with the peace and tranquility that she needed along with the love and caring of her parents of course. Damien naturally had adjusted very quickly to his new surroundings and the doting of his grandparents. He showed no signs of trauma and was back to being a two year old and into all the mischief that two year olds get into. Meg had not yet been looking for gainful employment, but she was aware that she would need to get her act together very soon. This so called sabbatical had been cathartic, but it was just not Meg. She needed to do something worthwhile with her life and sitting at home doing virtually nothing just didn't cut it with her. In addition to this she knew nobody in Kamloops apart from her parents, but then that had its advantages also. She was not obliged to open up to anyone about why she was there or where she had come from and explain her past. On the other hand, she was really a big city girl and needed a little more activity than Kamloops had to offer. It was fine while she was recuperating, but Meg knew that she could not stay here indefinitely. Her parents knew it too. They would always be there for her, but they had no intentions of clipping Meg's wings. They could see the change taking place gradually as Meg began to feel more comfortable and relaxed. One day at breakfast Claire asked Meg if she had given any thought as to her future and what did she want for herself? Meg replied that she had been giving it some thought, but as yet had not come up with anything concrete. Claire then dropped the subject. Meg was on the right track, she had been thinking about her future and that was enough for Claire and Roy.

A few days later, Claire is talking to her mother and she mentioned her conversation with Meg about her looking for a job in the future. She also pointed out that Meg was getting restless and needed the life of a large city and all it had to offer. Melody thought for a moment and then told Claire that she just might have the solution to Meg's problem. Melody was now thinking of moving up to Thunder Bay and of retiring from the shelter and her undercover work. Meg would be an ideal replacement for her – assuming she would take the job. It didn't pay all that much, but there was a lot of satisfaction in it and her past experiences would be invaluable. She could most definitely empathize with her clientele – she had been there. Melody then ran the idea passed Claire.

"What's your opinion Claire, do you think Meg is ready to handle something like this or is it too soon?"

"Well to be honest I'm not sure. She is improving daily and she seems to be getting back to her normal self. On the face of it I think she might be interested, Mom. Having just gone through this horrid experience I think she will feel for these women and want to help them. As I said I'm not sure, she may feel as if she isn't ready yet, but there is one way to find out, Mom."

"What's that?" asked Melody.

"Why don't you ask her yourself and explain things to her. That way she will be able to judge for herself whether she is ready or not and whether she would like to replace you."

"Well I guess you have a point there, Claire, I guess that would solve the problem now wouldn't it?"

Claire then called Meg to the phone and Melody outlined her proposal to her. She explained that she was getting too old now to do this anymore and that she was thinking of moving up to Thunder Bay and more or less back to her roots. Meg considered the proposal very carefully, but she determined that she couldn't afford to buy her grandmother's house. The money that she received from the house in Florida would not cover the cost of this house in Port Moody. Melody soon dealt with that issue,

"We'll work something out Meg, don't worry about that. Apart from that do you see any other problems with my idea?"

"No Gran I don't and I'd love to do it. In fact its ideal for me, I think I might be able to help these victims having been one myself."

"That, Meg, is precisely the reason why I suggested it."

"I think you are uniquely qualified for the position and can bring an appropriate level of empathy and compassion to the job. You will not be judgmental or condescending and your desire to help will come across to them and ease their stress and anxiety. Having been there Meg you know how traumatic their lives have been and trust is in very short supply. I don't think that I could find a better candidate for the job Meg."

"You won't have to look, Gran, I'll do it. Just give me a little time to get organized and I'll come down and you can train me, if that's alright with you of course?"

"That will be fine with me Meg. Just let me know when you will be coming so that I can arrange for you to meet Mary and the staff."

When Melody hung up the phone she was absolutely delighted. She could not have found a better replacement for herself. Meg had all the right qualities and her past experiences would be invaluable. She would be a tremendous asset to the shelter and a reassuring mentor to her clientele in their hour of need. A week or so later Meg had moved to Port Moody with Damien to begin her new job and undergo some training under her grandmother's tutelage. She was introduced to Mary Curran and the staff and was now ready to learn the ropes of how the Women's Shelter ran.

Julie and Cheyenne only had a few days left before they had to depart and head back home. The exam results were posted and they had both passed with honors. This of course was not exactly unexpected; they had been getting excellent marks throughout the course. Now it was official and definitely worthy of celebrating. Leaving Grant and John behind was viewed with somewhat less enthusiasm, but it was a necessary evil and they both accepted it – for now. They both tried to fill their remaining few days with as much activity as they could fit in. The party at John's on Saturday night was to be the highlight of the week and they were all looking forward to it. The function was scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. and everyone was punctual that night. While it was a happy occasion in many ways, it was also sad because Julie and Cheyenne were leaving to go home. It was a pretty casual affair with a buffet style meal and there were plenty of choices. Nobody would go home hungry that night. The bar had been set up on the corner of the room and it too had a wide selection on hand.

The group was all sitting around laughing and enjoying themselves when John's cell phone rings, it was Barney on the other end. The others immediately saw John's facial expression change from a grin to a grimace.

"Who is it on the line?" Cheyenne asked Brian.

"Its Barney his former boss" replied Brian.

"John looks so serious."

"Yes, well when Barney calls it usually is" said Brian. "Over the years we have learned not to ask too many questions about John's government work – but I thought that was all over with now, apparently not judging by John's face."

John continued the conversation in the other room and the rest of the group carried on as normal, well except for Cheyenne. She could see that John was upset by that call and she wanted to comfort him. Brian had told her not to ask too many questions, but she was concerned about him. When John came back into the room He tried to act as though nothing was amiss. However, they were all his friends here and they knew differently.

"Barney needs you, right!" said Brian, "I thought that was all finished with now."

"Yeah well, he has a situation and my friend needs my assistance – but he would never ask me. Barney on the other hand...."

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Can you at least tell us where you are headed?"

"It's a domestic issue out West, but that's all I can tell you. This is a one off situation and I am not going to get dragged back into that life again. However in this particular instance I need to do this for my friend."

"Can I talk to you outside for a minute?" asked Brian.

The two men then walked outside onto the patio. Brian knew that this had to be a dangerous assignment and that someone was in serious trouble for them to get John involved. He was officially retired; they must be desperate to drag him back. Brian knew from his police background that when this sort of thing happened it was pretty heavy stuff.

"Okay John level with me – well as much as you can anyway. Why did they have to drag you back?"

"I can't get into the details Brian, but my friend is in a lot of trouble. His partner has been grabbed and he needs my help to free her. It's a complicated issue and as yet her abductors, for want of a better word, don't know who she really is or what she is. If they ever find out they will kill her. Bill needs help and Barney has nobody available to give him. He's desperate, Brian, and that's why he asked me. He told me that I could refuse of course but I knew that already – however we both knew that I couldn't walk away from Bill when he needed me."

"You take care out there, John. If you need any unofficial RCMP assistance just give me a call okay, I have a few friends out there."

"Thanks Brian, now let's try and enjoy the remainder of the evening shall we."

When they walked back inside Cheyenne was all over John and asking him all kinds of questions that he could not answer. He did reassure her that he would take good care of himself out there and he was not in any danger – it was kind of secret, but there was no danger involved. Whether Cheyenne bought that or not, John wasn't sure, but that was the impression he had tried to give. He didn't relish the fact that he had to lie to her, but he consoled himself with the fact that it was for her benefit that he had done so. She would be worried sick had she been aware of the truth. The timing of the flights was such that John could take Julie and Cheyenne to the airport with him to save them the expense of a taxi. He had reassured Cheyenne that he would fly up to Thunder Bay as soon as he could and he didn't anticipate that this jaunt would take too long to resolve and besides he would call her regularly. John stayed with them at the airport until their flight was called and then he kissed them both goodbye and walked to his own gate.

When he arrived in Vancouver, Bill was waiting for him at the baggage carousel. He gave him a brief rundown on what the problem was and John saw immediately that this was a two man job at the very least. His partner on this occasion was a young Mexican immigrant whom he had recruited for this particular mission. She had her own reasons for volunteering and she wanted revenge on the people who had killed her family. However, the drug cartel members there in Vancouver had no idea who she was when they had persuaded her to act as a drug mule. I say persuaded, she was coerced with all manner of threats and non-compliance was not an option. Initially it was relatively simple –go to Mexico, smuggle the drugs back across the border and that was it. That was all that Maria was expected to do. She on her part would gather as much knowledge as she could and feed it back to Bill. Then things began to change. One of the cartel thugs took a shine to Maria and she was now expected to perform additional duties. These would be performed exclusively at first, but Maria knew very well that once the novelty wore off she was fair game to them all. That prospect terrified Maria far more then the drug smuggling, but she was trapped now and escorted almost everywhere. She could still contact Bill using secret codes and drop boxes, but she couldn't get close to him. Bill for his part knew it was time to rescue Maria and get her to safety before they caught on to who she really was. Taking on these goons on his own was not a wise move, even with both John and himself it would not be a cake walk. It had to be done and soon, Maria's life could depend on it.

John grabbed his bag off the carousel and he and Bill then headed to the parking garage. On the way to Bill's apartment John is filled in on all the details and just what was at stake here. Drug running was only a part of what these guys were into and Maria now knew too much. They knew that she did too. The only thing saving her was the sexual favors she was performing for the number two man. Once they ended she would become expendable immediately. The RCMP organized crime unit was fully aware of what these guys were into; gathering sufficient evidence to prosecute them was another matter. The odd body would turn up periodically, but they could prove nothing. It was a sophisticated operation, but Maria had provided Bill with some vital intelligence, much of which had found itself in the hands of the RCMP. The police had no idea that Bill existed or where this information came from – but they were delighted by it all the same. They suspected that the government was behind it, but at the same time doubted that CSIS had a hand in it. They seldom handed over such information and they were never shy about accepting the kudos for arresting such people, generally with as much publicity as possible. This type of evidence they would never give up – at least that was the general belief within the RCMP. They were not too concerned as to who was behind it; they just welcomed its continuance.

"How the hell did you get yourself mixed up in this, Bill? This is not Section 5 activity."

"Ordinarily no, but in this case there were mitigating circumstances."

"Like what exactly?"

"Like identity theft, human trafficking, mass murder and political corruption."

"What these guys are into all of this as well."

"Oh Yeah and there's quite the body count to back it up."

"They have several politicians and even judges in their back pockets. They are a force to be reckoned with and the two leaders need to be taken down."

"That is our main mission here, plus rescuing Maria – but that sadly is secondary to getting these two bastards. They have now reached their personal expiry dates. We cannot allow them to continue their activities. Too many innocent victims are paying the price and the law can't touch them – but you and I can, John. This is what we are going to do and as soon as possible. We just have to devise a plan, so let's get down to business."
Chapter Nineteen

***

The Cartel operated out of Juarez, Mexico which is but a stones throw from El Paso in Texas. It was a family run business and they were totally without compassion. Dr. Josef Mengele was a saint compared to these good folks. It was their way of maintaining fear in all who might oppose them and it certainly was very effective. They were very well connected down there with all manner of officials in their back pocket and bribe money to spare. They were virtually untouchable and although they were feared, the locals accepted them grudgingly for the prosperity that they brought to the area. Poverty is a most unpleasant condition and anything that can relieve that is considered to be a positive – regardless of its social implications and moral rectitude. Putting food on the table was considered to be their number one priority and drug running was considered a minor infraction when viewed in that light. The cravings and indulgences of the wealthy Americans were of no importance to them and it served them right anyway – "at least we can eat" was the way that they saw it. The cartel was a necessary evil and therefore reluctantly tolerated, but it was not universally embraced. One or two citizens were working behind the scenes to bring them down. However the cartel had spies everywhere to thwart this activity and that is what happened to Maria's family. Somebody had sold them out to the cartel's thugs and they were then tortured and killed as an example. Their slaying was brutal in the extreme and designed to deter others. It was a compelling argument and apparently a very effective one. Local resistance seemed to evaporate from that point on. However, Maria was unknown to these thugs and she was hell bent on avenging her family. She had emigrated to Canada a few years earlier and when Bill approached her she willingly volunteered.

The cartel's Canadian operation was headed by two cousins, one of whom has his sister with him; this brother and sister team was the pair who actually headed the operation and they were lethal and totally devoid of all humanity. They did not take prisoners and nobody has ever crossed them twice. They torture their victims unmercifully and they all die in a very painful manner. The other cousin is the one that Maria is involuntarily involved with. He too is a brutal assassin and he shows no mercy to anyone, he is a real psychopath and he actually enjoys torturing people. Maria has good reason to be afraid of this man, he is evil personified. All three of these demons are guarded around the clock by heavily armed thugs. Getting to these two men would not be an easy task.

Careful planning would be required and no doubt flawless execution of it would be essential if they were to walk away from it alive.

"So Bill, do you have any bright ideas on how we might be able to do this?" asked John.

"Well as a matter of fact I do have something that I would like to run by you. I think we could pull it off, but we need to do some fine tuning first."

"Okay, I'll bite, what do you have in mind?"

"Carbon Monoxide poisoning."

"Oh really, and how exactly do we employ it and where?"

"Well Carlos and his sister Juanita are regular church goers."

"What! Exclaimed John, they actually go to church and pray."

"Yes Sir, every Sunday like clockwork, together with their thugs."

"Well I'll be damned" said John.

"Now they are guarded 24/7 but their armoured limousine isn't. I managed to get the blueprints for that car, well Barney did actually."

"Yeah I can well believe that," said John.

"Well the rear compartment is sealed off from the front by a window. It can be raised and lowered if required, but these two always keep it up, they trust nobody. Given that fact, if we can get that Carbon Monoxide into the rear compartment our problem is solved."

"Can we do that, Bill?"

"Yes I think we can based on the blueprints and it shouldn't be too difficult. That's the easy part; disabling the guard in order to do it may provide more of a challenge."

"How many guards are there?"

"That varies, usually one but sometimes two."

"These guys really are paranoid aren't they?"

"Oh Yeah, that's why they have lived so long, but we are about to change that."

"The Russians have wanted to get their foot in the door in this area for some time and the Cartel knows it. We are going to set this up as if the job was pulled off by the Ruskies. The resulting range war should thin out the herd a little don't you think?"

"Sounds like a plan to me, Sir" replied John. "Let's hope the logistics pan out."

The equipment to be used for this operation was all of Russian manufacture and design. A diligent effort had been made to remove all serial numbers and anything that would identify it as being Russian. In doing this it was hoped that it would convince the Mexicans that the Russian were the ones responsible and they were trying their best to conceal that fact, which in fact they would have done under the circumstances. Making it look obvious would have made the Mexicans smell a rat. These things are always covered up or made to look like something other than it is. The Mexicans would have to dig to find all of this out – but they would figure it out in the end. That was exactly what was required in this instance. The limousine was armour plated and impervious to minor blasts from underneath the car as well as bullets from the side or top of the vehicle. The only vulnerable part was inside the vehicle itself. The trunk was isolated from the main body just as the driving compartment was; the seat however was left unprotected. If the cushion was lifted up, there was just enough room to accommodate a cylinder of Carbon Monoxide (CO). If both rear seats had one of these cylinders placed beneath them and a small hole drilled in the bottom of the seat baseboard it should release enough CO into the cabin to do the job. The operative word being "should". Expert opinion would need to be sought to determine the volume of the cabin, dispersal rate of the gas and the length of exposure required to accomplish the task at hand. It was a relatively confined area, so that would not be a problem, but the time frame just might be. They had to be kept in that car for a longer period than normal. Bill had given the statistics to Barney and he had run it by his lab boys and come up with the figures. The dispersal rate would be pre-set by valve adjustment and the valve would then be sealed shut. An electronically controlled timer would release a corrosive acid onto the cylinders seal which would eat through it and release the gas. The testing of this had shown that it took three minutes to eat through the seal and another six to fully empty the gas into the car. The question then became how long would they take to succumb to the gas? There were several variables involved in this calculation. What was their personal tolerance level? Would they crank up the air conditioning and potentially weaken the mixture? These were unknowns. It was estimated that fifteen minutes should be sufficient to accomplish the task, but a significant margin for error needed to be in place due to the variables. The ride to the church took on average fifteen to eighteen minutes as a rule. This was cutting it way too fine. They had to find a way of delaying the car or perhaps re-routing it. A call to Barney would no doubt have that taken care of. He would have the Vancouver Police service pull a stunt or two to delay that vehicle for the required time. Yes, it was all coming together nicely. There was just that little detail of having to get into the Cartel's garage and install the device undetected. Apart from that triviality they were good to go.

Cheyenne and Julie had arrived safely in Thunder Bay and were now settling in. Julie had two new friends to meet, Simeon and Ruth; and Cheyenne had a clinic to set up and get used to. On their first evening back they had been invited over to Frank and Amy's for dinner along with the rest of Julie's family, plus Simeon and Ruth. Frank then filled the girls in on his meeting with Melody and he told them that he had persuaded her to come back and retire up here. He also explained that Melody had persuaded her granddaughter to take over her duties in Port Moody and that it just worked out to be beneficial for everyone. Melody needed to retire, her granddaughter needed a purpose in life and in addition she just loved Vancouver. Julie and Cheyenne just listened to all of this and at the end they agreed that it was the ideal solution for them all. Frank glossed over most of the hardships that Melody and Claire had to endure and concentrated on the positives she had when she married Roy. He felt that if Melody wanted others to know about those things she would tell them herself. It was a sound philosophy and one that had gained Frank considerable respect over the years. He was not known for being a gossip or one to disparage people and the locals knew that and admired him for it.

Julie had taken to Simeon and Ruth immediately and they to her. It was their innocence that touched Julie the most and it was most refreshing to see. Having been in Toronto and seen the difference in the teenagers there, coming home to Simeon and Ruth was eye opening. They were both hard workers, were doing well in school, but they were still rather shy. This of course would change in time, but for now they were quite reserved and very respectful. It was this latter quality that Julie noticed most. One would be hard pressed to find such a quality amongst the teens in most areas of Toronto. Simeon had found himself a job in the local McDonald's for the summer, Ruth was still looking. Julie herself was still circulating her resume and awaiting replies – very few responded anymore. They used to – saying thank you for your interest etc. but now they simply didn't bother. It was a sign of the times and a reminder that the usual civilities had gone by the wayside in today's frenetic world.

Cheyenne had gone back to staying with Shawna and Eddie and was now working at the clinic on the reserve. Eddie barely looked at her these days. The word had somehow leaked out that she was John's girlfriend now and that had a rather sobering effect on Eddie. As desirable as his niece might be, messing with her boyfriend was definitely off the table. That man was dangerous and Eddie needed no further telling, he was secretly afraid of John. There was just something about him – he had this quiet unassuming air and he was very polite in his manner – but he had cat like reflexes and he was unbelievably strong. His eyes were steely blue and you just knew that he meant what he said. Eddie just sensed instinctively, as any animal does, that this man was one to avoid – his health and well being could depend on it. Eddie was the least of Cheyenne's problems now. She had her hands full with the clinic. The Chief had provided her with funds to stock up her supplies of essentials and in general the clinic was not in bad shape. The pharmaceutical Reps. had called in and dropped off some samples, some under the table, i.e. they were only available by prescription usually. Cheyenne would never abuse that privilege and the Reps knew it. As of right now that clinic was up and running and doing a fairly steady business. Some of the older men still had a problem attending for, shall we say, the more sensitive procedures, but they would now get their flu shots at least. That was a distinct improvement and a positive start. The women and children had no problem whatsoever in attending the clinic and many of the women now attended the hygiene classes that Cheyenne ran in the evenings. Domestic abuse was still a huge problem on the reserve as was Alcoholism, but these were things she could do little about. She could offer sympathy and treat their injuries, but other than that she could do very little. Reporting the abuse to the police was out of the question. The Chief knew what was going on, but he too turned a blind eye to it. He did try to counsel the responsible party, but the harsh realities of reserve living and the unemployment issues lent an air of sympathy and understanding to the situation. Throwing the man in prison was not the solution here and would in many cases worsen the situation and certainly lose him the respect that the Chief now enjoyed. Cheyenne was all too familiar with this reality, she had grown up with it and Shawna was still living with it. Cheyenne was obliged to look the other way in order to treat those that she could help. She had to keep her mouth shut and in so doing she would herself gain the respect of the tribe and also their trust. It was less than ideal, but it just had to be that way.

***

Bill and John were now ready to execute their plan. They had tranquilizing darts, chloroform pads laced with a nerve agent and their regular 9mm semi automatics. They hoped they would not have to use these items but they were prepared just in case. They even planned to bring with them some air freshener. This was to camouflage the smell of burning should it be necessary to use the thermic lance to put a hole in the seat baseboard. It should just be regular metal – but if it was armour plate, then the thermic lance would be needed to burn through it. A minor detail perhaps, but it's the little things that matter in such operations. They were fully equipped, now all they had to do was go over there, disable the alarms, and / or create a loop on the CCTV cameras that would keep repeating the same clear picture. Once that had been accomplished they could then creep in, immobilize the guard, install the CO dispenser, set the timer, double check everything and then leave. Hardly a challenge at all – well not when it was said quickly like that anyway. As both men knew very well, Murphy's Law was always a consideration and all manner of things could go wrong. They had to be ready for anything at any time and being from Section 5 they were.

While Bill and John had been preparing for this clandestine raid Maria had been sent to Juarez once more. On the face of it the trip was to be just a routine pick up and delivery. She had done this many times before and this trip was no different from the others. Maria was calm and poised and her air of self confidence convinced the customs agents she was who she said she was and they usually waved her through without question. This time, things would be different, but Maria was totally unaware of these recent developments. Somehow the cartel had discovered the listening device that Maria had planted and they were not happy campers. They were not too sure as to just who had planted it – but they were taking no chances and they were going to eliminate all those who had access to that room and were not gang members. Maria was one such person. Thankfully the second device that she had planted was not discovered as Bill had turned it off once he knew they were sweeping the room for bugs. After they had finished their search he turned it back on and then learned of their plan to eliminate Maria once she returned. He was not about to let that happen and a second plan of action was then set up to rescue Maria once she touched down at the Airport on Sunday morning.

Bill and John drove out to West Vancouver late on Saturday night to plant their lethal device in the Mexican's car. Their home was like a fortress with a high wall surrounding it and with locked gates at the front. There was no gatehouse and armed guards patrolling – that would have drawn too much police attention to the place. However it was obvious that a rich man lived there and one who wanted privacy. Inside the grounds was a totally different story and guards and listening devices were employed to secure their safety from surprise attacks. John and Bill however had electronic jamming equipment to render those items useless. All they had to do was temporarily disable the guard and then set up the device. Climbing over the wall was the easy part. Splicing in the tape onto the CCTV loop was a little more challenging and took far longer than they thought it would. Once that was done they dropped down into the grounds and activated their jamming devices.

"Have you spied the guard yet Bill?"

"Not yet, but I just know that there will be one, these guys are paranoid."

"Well we better keep our eyes open and be quiet too."

"Amen to that."

"Does that garage have a back door Bill?"

"It doesn't look like it; I think it has one into the house instead. It may have a side door though."

"You stay here and I'll go and check."

John crept away silently leaving Bill crouched down behind a rose bush.

"There is a door there Bill, but it has a lock. It had glass panes in the door, but if we break one it will tip them off. Our best bet will be to try and jimmy the lock."

"Okay, let's give it a try; we have nothing to lose by trying."

Both of them this time crept off towards the garage. Just as they got there the side door opened and an armed man stepped out. Bill instinctively fired his dart gun and John made a dive for the door before it swung shut again. The guard fell to the ground and Bill checked him out to see if he had any other devices on him or communication equipment. He didn't. He and John then dragged his limp body inside the garage and sat him down. There was a table in the corner with TV screens showing all the various areas of the grounds and inside the house also. Presumably that is where he had been since they had arrived and he was now about to walk around the grounds to ensure that everything was as it should be. They positioned him at the desk with his face on his arms thus giving the impression that he had fallen asleep. This would be ideal for Bill and John. They could carry out their task with impunity now and they did just that. Everything worked like clockwork and Murphy never put in an appearance at all. The guard would wake up with a headache, but he certainly wouldn't say anything – stupid he wasn't. Admitting to falling asleep was a death sentence and he certainly wasn't that dumb. Bill and John climbed back over the wall, removed the loop circuit from the closed circuit TV line and went back home. All that they had to do now was wait. Meanwhile they had other duties at the airport to attend to.

Maria had boarded the plane in Juarez with no trouble. She would have to change planes in L.A. but that would be a formality. She held a Canadian passport and her purpose for the trip had been vacation, a visit back home to see her parents. This was never questioned. Maria was well dressed, educated and she had an air of self confidence about her. She was attractive, but not exactly glamorous, but she had a very pleasant personality. To a customs agent she did not come across as a potential drug mule, such women were usually very nervous and skittish. Maria appeared far too calm and carefree to be under duress and forced to smuggle drugs in. She did in fact look exactly as she was supposed to and her behaviour was consistent with her story and therefore raised no red flags. Maria was most surprised when she arrived in Vancouver and was quickly whisked away through a side door by the RCMP. They explained to her that her cover had been blown and that she had to remain there for a while until they were satisfied that the area was secure.

Outside in the baggage claim area were three ugly looking cartel thugs. They had been identified immediately they set foot inside the terminal building. The RCMP now surrounded them using plain clothes officers. In addition Bill and John were also there to lend a hand. They would be the ones to take Maria away, but not until these thugs had been dealt with. A trap had been set using Maria as the bait, one that Bill and John were less than enthusiastic about. It was a huge risk and definitely exposed Maria. Bill had told the RCMP that both he and John would shoot to kill immediately if they felt Maria's health was jeopardized. The RCMP Inspector said he had no problem with that at all. Bill and John got the distinct impression that he would have welcomed the idea should it prove to be necessary. Maria was to be paraded past the baggage carousel and into a side office towing her suitcase. This would give the cartel boys an ideal opportunity to slide in the sliding exit door when someone walked out, hold the customs agents hostage, snatch the suitcase and kill Maria. It seemed reasonable, but the minute they tried to sneak in they were looking down the barrels of six sniper rifles. One of the thugs tried to back out and Bill and John grabbed him. All three men were armed and would now be charged under the terrorism act. It was all captured on film and no slick lawyer would be getting them off. In addition, should they try, Barney Lawson would persuade them otherwise, and he was very persuasive.

Carlos and Juanita meanwhile were on their way to church to seek absolution for their numerous sins. On this occasion they were growling to each other about the unusual delays on that particular trip. A traffic accident had closed one of the roads, road works was another source of disruption and the subsequent detour added the best part of twenty minutes to the trip. The RCMP had tipped Bill off the moment that car began to move and he then activated the timer. It worked flawlessly and the cabin was soon filled with lethal undetectable gas. Their chauffer simply thought that they had fallen asleep in the back seat and he was not concerned. He could see them in his rear view and he was quite pleased that they were asleep – they would not be yelling at him or complaining about these annoying delays. When he finally opened the rear door to let them out at the church he discovered that they were not asleep. Carlos and Juanita would not be causing anyone else to suffer pain or torture anymore. Manuel would now be in charge – but given what had happened to his cousins he was a worried man. Whoever had done this was serious about getting rid of people – he could well be next. Then in addition to this there were those arrests at the airport also. Someone had tipped off the police and this was not good. Manuel was on his own now, he still had a few thugs floating around, but he now felt exposed. It would take time to regroup and the authorities would be taking a keen interest in his activities –in addition to those who killed his cousins. Maria topped the list of suspects and she had to be disposed of and quickly, but she was not the only one involved. This exercise had the Russian Mob stamped all over it –who else would be this ruthless? His ranks had been diminished temporarily and therefore he could not strike back immediately, but he was already plotting his revenge. The Ruskies were certainly not going to get away with this. Yes the gang war was about to heat up and with a little luck the local criminal element was about to be reduced as the body count grew. Few citizens would lose any sleep over these statistics once they were published.
Chapter Twenty

***

Once the RCMP had removed the thugs from the airport, Bill and John took Maria to the Women's shelter in Port Moody. Maria was justifiably nervous about all of this now. Her life as she knew it was about to change and all the friends that she had made would now have to be left behind never to be seen or contacted again. John could see the fear in her eyes and he tried his level best to reassure her that things would work out for her. Bill explained where he was taking her and that the women there were very nice and they would take very good care of her. Despite all this reassurance Maria was still scared and this was perfectly understandable. She was totally alone in the world once more, only this time Mexican assassins were after her. Maria had indeed good reason to be terrified and both Bill and John knew it. Once Maria was out of this area she may calm down a little, but it was going to take time before she would really feel secure and safe in her new home.

Bill had advised Mary the previous evening that they would be coming. She in turn had advised MC and when Bill and John arrived with Maria they were waiting for them. Bill and Maria walked in first as John was parking the car. Maria was introduced to Mary and MC and both women made her feel welcome. When John strode through the door a few minutes later the look on Mary's and MC's faces was priceless. The just stood there dumbstruck.

"I never thought I would see you here again said Mary."

"I thought you had retired from the spook business?" chipped in MC.

"He has to all intents and purposes, but this was a special situation. I needed assistance on this task and my boss had nobody available. He called John and John came as a favour to me. Don't get used to his handsome face though – this will be his last visit. Well last official visit anyway."

"When Bill told me that I would be seeing you two lovely ladies again I just had to volunteer. Who else would give me such a warm welcome?"

"John Canon you certainly know how set a woman's heart a flutter, you haven't lost your charm I see" MC purred in a take off of Eartha Kitt.

Mary just folded up laughing and was quite surprised at the same time. She had never seen MC let her hair down and flirt like that before. That trip to Thunder Bay had done her the world of good, it had taken years off her and Mary was delighted for her. Just then Meg walked in from the hallway and it was now John's turn to be surprised. Meg was taken aback also, she knew that Bill was coming with Maria, but John's name was never mentioned. Mary then introduced her to Bill and Maria.

"Wow Meg, just look at you" said John, "you look like a million dollars. The last time I said goodbye to you in Kamloops you looked wiped out. Now you are a changed woman, you look absolutely beautiful doesn't she Bill?"

Bill was taken by surprise by John's remark. He had already noticed just how beautiful Meg looked in that floral blouse and flowing skirt and having to give a verbal endorsement in public had him tongue tied.

"Er Yes she looks very nice" he stammered, "very nice indeed."

John caught on immediately and pounced on it.

"You see the effect you have had on Bill, Meg, and he is not one to be drawn to just anyone. That's how good you look, if you have tongue tied Bill here, trust me, you must look amazing."

"Behave yourself John and stop teasing them both. Meg, would you please take Maria and show her around the house. Oh! and take Bill also so John won't embarrass him any more."

"You're no fun Mary, I was enjoying that."

"Yes I could see that, John, however, Meg's red face raised the room temperature to an uncomfortable level and besides we need to talk."

John, MC and Mary then sat down and discussed recent events, in particular MC's visit to Thunder Bay. Mary then started teasing John about Cheyenne by way of avenging Meg's embarrassment. Maria's details were never discussed and never would be. She would stay at the shelter until Meg had set up her escape. MC would keep an eye on things, but Meg was actually doing things on her own now and quite effectively too by all accounts. Meg and Bill came back on their own, Maria was settling into her room. John was now watching Bill and Meg closely but pretending not to. Each of them were snatching the odd look at each other when they thought the other wasn't watching. This observation was not confined solely to John, Mary and MC had picked up on it also.

"Well I think its time for us to depart John; the ladies can handle it from here. It's been nice seeing you all again and thank you for taking care of Maria."

"You won't be calling back? questioned Meg"

"No Honey, replied Mary, once the client is dropped off Bill fades back into the woodwork. We can only contact him through John."

The look on her face was one of unmistakable disappointment and John could see that Bill was not too happy about it either. MC and Mary both looked at John together as if to say what are you going to do about this.

"Can I have a minute alone with you please Mary?" asked John.

"Of course you can John."

With that they both got up and went outside. Mary knew instinctively what this was all about. The agreement with Bill was that once he dropped the woman off he was gone and would not show up at the shelter again for security reasons. This was non-negotiable. However, should he call Meg at home, well that was a completely different matter. John and Mary discussed this and then John suggested that he have a word with Meg too before he left. Mary thought that was an excellent idea, especially if he got her home phone number and slipped it to Bill. All of this was assuming that both parties were in fact interested – but that seemed obvious to all. John then had a chat to Meg and secured her home phone number. He promised her that he would let her know Bill's reaction and whether or not he would respond. He also promised to withhold that phone number if Bill showed no interest at all. They all then said their goodbyes and Bill and John headed for their car. It was only a short walk, but John had ascertained where Bill stood in his opinion of Meg before they reached the car. He was smitten, but he didn't know exactly how to go about taking things further.

"God she's beautiful John, but you know the rules."

"Indeed I do, Bill, but that only applies to the shelter remember."

"Meg does have a private life and also a private phone number. One I just happened to secure on the promise that I would get you to call her. Now I don't have to give you the number if you are not interested – but I do agree with your assessment – she really is a beautiful woman, Bill. In addition, if you think the outside looks nice – that's nothing compared to the inside. She has a little boy named Damien and he's real cute too."

"Yeah, she did mention that, John and that she was divorced from a guy in the witness protection program."

"She's been through the mill, Bill, but she is not damaged. She managed to survive all of that and she emerged just that little bit stronger because of it. What she needs now is a good man in her life and to be able to settle and live a normal life. Give her a call Bill and trust me, you won't regret it, Sir. She really is a lovely lady."

With his mission completed, John could now return home. However, seeing as Cheyenne was up in Thunder Bay that was where he was now headed. He had spoken to her and told her he was coming and she was now over the moon. Julie too was delighted and she had told Frank and Amy together with Simeon and Ruth. Those two kids were ecstatic at the news that John was coming up there. The joy on their faces had to be seen to be believed. He had been solely responsible for setting them on their new path in life. In a few short weeks their lives had changed from one of despair to one of hope and infinite possibilities. It would be a toss up as to who would be more delighted to see John – Cheyenne or those two kids. His reception at the Byrne's farm would be a warm one for sure. Frank couldn't wait to tell John about Melody's visit and that she had decided to move back up there to end her days among long lost friends. He would also be taking a look at the clinic on the reserve – if Cheyenne needed anything there he would make sure that she had it. Uncle Eddie would make himself scarce for the duration no doubt. He would be a model citizen during John's extended visit, he may even cut back on the alcohol a little – but that might be a bit of a stretch.

Upon arrival in Thunder Bay, John's first task was to visit a car rental agency and rent himself a car to get him around. He had told them that he would be arriving that day, but he did not tell them at what time. This way half of Thunder Bay would not show up to greet him i.e. The Byrne family, Simeon and Ruth and of course Cheyenne and possibly George Parker too if he was around. John walked into the first car rental agency that he came across and they gave him a Ford Focus with less than a thousand kilometers on the clock. It still had that distinct smell of a new car. He would be quite happy with that for the length of time he would be up there. It was only going to be a fleeting visit as he had things to attend to back in Toronto regarding the new house. He would of course spend time with the Byrne family and drop in on the clinic to see if Cheyenne was in need of anything. He was also keen to see Simeon and Ruth and to observe first hand how they were settling in to their new home. Needless to say, Cheyenne would be occupying most of his time when she was not on duty at the clinic.

John drove from the airport directly to the Byrne's farm and pulled into the driveway that led up to Frank's house. He had no sooner turned his engine off than he was surrounded. They all poured out of the house at once, Simeon, Ruth, Danny, Brook, Amy, Julie, Cheyenne and finally Frank. It certainly was a warm and unexpected welcome. Oh, he knew that they would welcome him, but this display of excitement he had not experienced before. Royalty would not have been given a warmer reception. Brook and Amy had been busy in the kitchen preparing yet another feast and John could smell that distinct aroma of a country kitchen the minute he walked into the house. His mouth began watering almost immediately as he conjured up images of the meal that would be served that day. Julie and Ruth had offered to help, but they had been given minor roles, i.e. setting the table etc. This was John Canon that was coming to dinner – that meant the meal had to be perfect and therefore prepared by experts. No second stringers would be permitted that day. He was royalty to them after all that he had done for them. John himself didn't see it that way and he was totally surprised by all this lavish treatment. The Byrnes however saw things quite differently. John had tamed Cheyenne's Uncle Eddie, he had introduced Melody back into their lives and also brought Simeon and Ruth into the fold. Oh Yes, John definitely merited the fatted calf treatment and they made sure he received it.

The meal itself was excellent as usual as was the chatter that went with it. Questions were going back and forth as everyone caught up with the activities of everyone else at the table. John was answering questions that were being fired at him from all sides like they were from a machine gun. It was Julie that stepped in on one occasion.

"Hey! Guys, give John a break here, let him eat his meal in peace. It is not very nice to invite someone to dinner and then not let them eat it."

This was said in a forceful and scolding manner and it brought everyone up short. Julie was perfectly correct and they all suddenly realized it.

"Julie is quite right" said Amy, "let John enjoy his meal without us all grilling him with questions – we can do that later," she added to take some of the sting out of Julie's rebuke. They didn't actually sit there in silence after that, but it was somewhat quieter. John now did have a chance to put some food in his mouth and enjoy it. Towards the end of the meal it was back to normal again – but John had almost finished his meal now. A short intermission would take place to allow the dishes to be cleared away and the table prepared for dessert together with coffee / tea etc. Frank took this opportunity to take John into the den for a quiet chat; he also had a bottle of Glenfiddich in there for special occasions – this was one of them. As John was staying at the house a few smooth Scotches would not be out of line at all, he was not going to be driving anywhere that night. Danny had told Cheyenne that he would drive her home with them and she could stay the night. Cheyenne needed no convincing.

Frank told John all the details that Melody had shared with him about her life up to this point. It was quite the story. Melody had certainly been through the mill one way or another, but she had been tough enough to survive. Frank told John that he had managed to persuade her to sell up and move up here to spend her remaining years amongst friends. We grew up together in Sault Ste. Marie so this is like coming home to her really, it isn't too far away. John then explained to Frank what it was that Melody had been doing in Port Moody. She had told Frank some of the details, but John added a few more and Frank's admiration for Melody grew on the strength of it.

"She told me that she worked in a women's shelter, but she didn't mention exactly what she did. Those poor women, I expect they really liked Mel and trusted her with their lives didn't they."

"Yes Frank they did and now her granddaughter has taken over that role. It can never be mentioned of course as lives could be at risk, but Meg will do a great job."

"Oh I'll never mention it, John, not even to Amy, but I'm so proud of Mel and Meg for doing what they do."

"So am I Frank, so am I. I have seen first hand just how valuable a service they provide to women in desperate circumstances. They really are life savers. Melody has saved countless women from lives of torment and abuse and possibly even death. Meg will now do the same thing. Like her grandmother she brings to the job an element of personal experience and that is priceless. It gives her a unique perspective of the victim's plight. She can now bring a greater depth of understanding to the situation and offer the support and comfort necessary to calm the victim's nerves a little. When she speaks it will be from personal experience – this is not from book learning or psychology classes – this is from bitter experience. That carries far more weight in those women's eyes. Encouragement from someone who has been there always means more than platitudes from someone who hasn't."

Frank now looked at John with a strange look on his face.

"You know John; you have wisdom beyond your years. I suspect that you too have seen things that have shaped your mind during your time in the military. Young men of your age do not think the way that you do – they lack the necessary degree and depth of perception that you have. I can't quite put it into words, John, but you are a good man."

"Well thank you Frank"

"No I'm not saying that to butter you up, John. There is just that intrinsic goodness in you that I can see so clearly, yet I can't fully describe. Melody saw it too and so does Julie. Cheyenne simply can't help herself, John, she is head over heels in love with you, but you know that."

"Well Yes Frank I do, but it is mutual you know."

"Oh I know that well enough, John. I was watching you during dinner and the looks you were giving each other. I was like that with Amy sixty years ago, I still am come to think of it."

"I know that Frank, I saw that when we first met when Billy arrived here. I hope Cheyenne and I are that happy sixty years from now."

"Have another drink, John," said Frank handing John the bottle. "You will be son, you will be" he said slapping John on his knee. "You two deserve each other, and I wish you both every happiness life has to offer."

"Well thank you Frank, I really do appreciate that."

"I meant every word of it John and it's not the Glenfiddich talking."

"I know that Frank, I know that it is heartfelt and that is why I appreciate it so much."

Just then Amy called out to announce that the dessert was now about to be served and for everyone to be seated.

After the dessert and the liqueurs John spent some quality time alone with Cheyenne. That is not to say that he ignored Julie and Simeon and Ruth. He did spend a little time with each of them; he just spent more with Cheyenne. Over the next few days he would spend far more time with all of them. When John got Julie on her own he wanted chapter and verse on her relationship with Grant Wetherby. Julie had not yet leaked this information to her Mom and Dad; Cheyenne was the only one who knew. John was teasing her gently, but Julie knew he wouldn't blow the whistle on her. He learned that the relationship was going nicely, but that Julie was nervous. She liked Grant, but she was afraid of getting hurt. He seemed to like her, but was he just playing with her and saying what he needed to in order to get her into bed.

"So Julie, have you been to bed with him yet?"

The question stunned her; she was not expecting that from John.

"Er. Yes, a few times" she stammered.

"Well then, Honey, given that he is still around then I think you are a little more than a notch on his bedpost don't you?"

Julie just looked at him.

"Do you really think so John?"

"Yes I most certainly do think so, Kiddo."

"Men like Grant have little to prove and they are not out to make conquests all over town. They have integrity. He proved that when he apologized to you for being overbearing in the hospital that time. You are not some casual piece of fluff he just happened to pick up. You were introduced to him by friends, people he respects. Stringing you along was never a consideration. Had he not liked you off the bat, there would never have been a second date. That way he would not have offended his friends or you – it just meant that you didn't mesh and that was all. By continuing to date you that meant he saw something in you that he liked and wished to explore further. Trust me Julie you are a truly beautiful girl and Grant Wetherby knows it. He certainly gave me the third degree when you all tripped off to the powder room."

"Did he really, John or are you just saying that?"

"Come on Julie, you are gorgeous, of course he did, who wouldn't. Why are you so doubtful and insecure? Trust me, Honey; Grant isn't playing games with you. From what I've seen he is as taken with you as you are with him. Just let things play out, Julie, but don't be afraid. From where I am standing Grant sees in you what I see in Cheyenne and you don't think I'm playing games do you?"

Julie didn't say a word, she just got out of her chair, came over to John, sat on his lap and threw her arms around his neck and gave him a huge hug.

"Thanks, John, I needed to hear all of that, I really did."

"Well it's the truth Julie; I wouldn't just say it to make you feel better."

"I know you wouldn't and that is why I feel so much better now, John. You have just made my day."

"Glad to be of service ma'am."

Julie gave him another hug and then stood up and asked if he would like a cup of coffee. John said that he would and they both went into the kitchen to make it.

In Port Moody, meanwhile, Cupid had also been performing his duties there with his customary skill. Bill had called Meg at home one evening and invited her out to dinner. However, Meg could not get a babysitter for that night and so she offered to have Bill round for dinner instead. He said he would be delighted to come to dinner and that they could go out to dinner another evening. Meg said that would be lovely and it all started from there. Damien took to Bill like a duck to water and Bill was really taken with him too. On that first so called dinner date Bill felt he had spent more time with Damien than he did with Meg. He sat on the rug in their living room playing with Damien's toy cars and fire engines for what seemed like hours. Meg had to intervene in order to put Damien to bed. Bill had really been enjoying himself and Meg could clearly see that. Bill was in a world of his own here. He was no longer involved with the troubles of the world; this was a place of calm, fun and enjoyment. It was something he had not seen too much of these past few years. Meg could see the change in him immediately. He was relaxed, full of fun and Damien's giggles were music to her ears. Yes this was a man with possibilities she thought and she began to let her guard down just a little. Today all her reservations had disappeared. Bill had captivated her heart and she his. They both could now clearly see a future together, but they didn't want to rush things seeing as there was a child involved. Damien had really adopted Bill and neither Meg nor Bill wanted to cause Damien any grief by him becoming close to the boy and then walking away and leaving him devastated. The thought of another male figure leaving that boy's life was not something to take lightly and Meg and Bill both knew that. When John called Bill, Meg was all he could talk about. That told John all that he needed to know about how Bill felt towards her and Damien. He was very pleased about that and he felt sure that Meg would warm up to Bill over time. He had no idea at this point that she already had. When Melody phoned Frank a day later, John had a quick word with her. it was then that he learned just how Meg felt towards Bill. Those two were getting along like a house on fire and Melody was absolutely delighted. She had seen for herself how Bill had taken to both Meg and Damien and she had seen the change in her granddaughter because of it. Bill was a fine young man and she knew from personal experience that he would take good care of her and Damien. On the other side of the coin, Meg had a lot of love to give and Bill could use all the TLC he could get in his line of work. Melody was definitely all in favour of that relationship and she let John know it in no uncertain terms.

John spent a few more days up in Thunder Bay and on one of those days he paid a visit to the local Health Sciences center. He was quite impressed with what he saw there too apparently. He spoke to the hospital administrator and the chief of staff although the topics of conversation were never disclosed. The reserve clinic and its facilities was one topic that was mentioned. It was not for some time that people would become aware of what conversations had taken place that day and their potential benefits to the community. John had seen the school that Simeon and Ruth were now attending and he had met some of their friends. They were settling in nicely there. Cheyenne was settling in to life on the reserve and the people had now totally accepted her in her capacity as their nurse. Julie would help out on occasion and they were getting to accept her too to a certain degree. John now had to return to Toronto, but he promised to come back up soon. He just had a few details to clear up in Toronto regarding his new house.
Chapter Twenty One

***

As soon as he arrived back in Toronto, John contacted his builder and arranged a meeting for the following morning. He drove up to the site and met with the builder and had a productive meeting with him. The house was almost completed now, but the landscaping and the roadway had yet to be started. The swimming pools were finished, but needed some finishing work before they would be ready to be filled with water. All the filtration pumps were installed as was the automatic chlorination and chemical balancing unit. The outside lighting had been roughed in, but it too had to be installed. The house itself just needed a few trimmings here and there and these items were the things that John was now deciding on. He made his decision on which styles and designs he liked and he used his cell phone to take photos and forward them to Cheyenne to garner her opinion. Once he had received her seal of approval the builder could go ahead. Cheyenne was on the same page as John in this instance and thought his choices were perfect – the builder could now go ahead and install them. All things being equal, the house should be ready by Christmas. The roadway and its lighting system would be the last thing to be completed and he had just now chosen the style of street lamps to be used. John had always been fascinated by the "Olde Worlde" fashions of old London Town and that is what he had selected. The originals were of course gas lamps – but John drew the line at that, these were electric lamps.

While he was discussing all of these items with the builder John's phone rings. It was Wendy on the phone asking him if he was free this afternoon to visit Jimmy's school to see him play in a baseball game. After the game the team had planned to go for Pizzas and burgers and he was cordially invited to attend that too.

"Well now Wendy, how could I refuse such a nutritious meal and to wash it down with a coke no less. Only a fool would pass that up."

"I'll take that as a "yes" then, John. The game starts at 3:00p.m. Brian is coming but he may be a few minutes late."

"That's fine; we can save him a seat."

When John arrived, Jimmy's team was out on the field warming up. They were throwing the balls around to each other and John was quite impressed with the accuracy of those throws. They lacked the speed of the MLB players (Major League Baseball), but who knows – in a few years time they could be playing in that league. Their accuracy was certainly up to par. Jimmy was really enjoying himself and John could clearly see that. He saw no signs of the sluggishness in Jimmy that he had seen before. Today he seemed quite normal in fact and John dismissed his earlier fears and put them down to Jimmy just having an off day. A great deal was riding on this game and if Jimmy's team won then his team would advance to the play offs. Well the team did win and Jimmy was over the moon. That meant that he would now be in the play off series and the first of those games was on Saturday morning. Jimmy came running up to his Mom and Dad just full of the Joys of Spring after that game. His enthusiasm was infectious and soon they were all feeling it. Their next stop was the Pizza parlour where they could all indulge in that most appealing meal of diet conscious cuisine. Still it is good to enjoy these things every now and then and they all did that day.

John was up bright and early on the Saturday morning as Jimmy's game started at 8:30 a.m. Wendy and Brian were already there when he arrived and Jimmy was once again out on the field throwing the ball. Jimmy was having a great time out there and they could all see how much he was enjoying himself. Once the game got underway they could see that Jimmy's team was in for a hard time against these boys. They were very good. The first two times that Jimmy was up to bat, he got nowhere, but he got to first base on his third attempt. His confidence soared after that and the next time he was really ready to kill that ball. He stood there at the plate now and he was ready to hit that ball right of the park. His stance was solid, his bat raised and the pitcher then let fly. Jimmy slammed that ball with everything he had and that ball just flew over the fence. It was a home run, but Jimmy didn't move. He just stood there as if frozen to the spot and then slowly crumpled at the knees and collapsed. The umpire immediately went over to him and yelled for someone to call an ambulance. Brian and Wendy leapt out of their seats and jumped over the barrier and raced to his side. Jimmy was just lying there unconscious. Brian had checked his pulse and although it was weak it was there. When the EMS team arrived they gave Jimmy oxygen and threw a blanket on him to keep him warm but that was all they could do. Wendy drove with him to the hospital and John drove Brian there a few minutes later. The ER doctor came out and said that they were doing numerous tests but he didn't wish to speculate as to just what it might be. Brian and Wendy were going frantic with worry. They had no idea what was wrong with Jimmy. John had seen similar situations in Afghanistan where head injuries were all too common. He was not about to make that suggestion and freak out his friends even more. An hour and a half later they were given the news that Jimmy had an aneurism in his head and it was pushing up against his brain. He was in no immediate danger so long as he remained calm and inactive, but he needed to see a neurosurgeon as soon as possible. The ER doctor said that he could refer them to the hospital's neurosurgeon, but he had no idea how booked up he was and how long it may take to get Jimmy in to see him. Upon hearing that John walked outside into the corridor and picked up the phone to Cynthia and explained the situation to her. Within a few minutes David was on the phone asking John all of the details. He then asked if he could have a word with the ER doctor and John dutifully found him and handed him the phone. He and David chatted for a minute or so and then the phone was handed back to John. The outcome of that conversation was that David would try to get Jimmy seen by a friend of his up in his hospital as soon as it was possible to arrange. He was a good man and the trauma centers top neurosurgeon. He was a very busy man, but David felt that in an emergency if a cancellation occurred he just might be able to fit Jimmy in far sooner. Armed with this information John re-entered Jimmy's room and told Brian and Wendy what David had said and that he would be in touch as soon as he had spoken to his friend. The relief on Wendy's face had to be seen to be believed. A lottery win could not have produced a finer response. Brian too was ecstatic at this prospect.

"Thanks, John, that is fantastic news, and thank David for doing this too."

"I already did that on your behalf, Brian. David will do what he can to help you and his guy is apparently top notch in his field. He's the trauma centers chief of neurosurgery, they don't come any better than that."

Wendy just threw her arms around John and gave him a hug. She just clung to him and never said a word. She didn't need to; John just hugged her back and said nothing also. Words were totally unnecessary between them.

The following morning David calls Brian on the phone.

"Brian, Isaac has an opening Thursday morning next week. However, if he can fit you in before then he will. Keep a bag packed and be prepared to come in at a moments notice okay."

"David you have no idea what this means to us, thank you so much."

"Oh I have a pretty good idea Brian and I'm delighted to be able to help."

"I know for a fact that if I needed you to help me out you'd be there for me."

"Well yeah, but that wouldn't be life or death."

"I might think it was, Brian. I don't have many dealings in your world and the thought of being arrested terrifies me."

"Yeah, like that is likely to happen."

"Well I hope not, but if it did, I'd know who to call and I know you'd be there for me."

"You can certainly count on that David lets hope it isn't necessary then Eh!"

With that Brian rushes in to give Wendy the news. Jimmy will be getting the treatment he needs far sooner than they expected and by a top man in his field too.

Brian and Wendy were totally overjoyed knowing that Jimmy was going to get the treatment he so desperately needed. Thursday couldn't come soon enough for them. Finally it did arrive and Jimmy was taken to the hospital very early in the morning. Dr. Stern performed the surgery at 7:30 a.m. and it lasted several hours. Brain aneurisms are difficult to treat and the utmost care must be taken to prevent additional brain injury. In this instance Dr. Stern had opted to use the coiling procedure using a tube and coils of platinum wire to staunch further blood flow to the aneurism. This was a delicate procedure, but an effective one. This of course would be followed by a period of medication and subsequent follow ups. In Jimmy's case everything went according to plan. The operation was a total success and Dr. Stern came out afterwards and told Wendy and Brian that Jimmy was now going to be just fine again. They would be keeping him in the hospital for a few days to monitor his progress, but everything so far looked to be very promising and he could go home soon. Both Brian and Wendy thanked Dr. Stern profusely for saving Jimmy's life, but he merely said he was happy to be of assistance. His humility surprised them both. They had heard that such people had this God like complex, but Dr. Stern, despite his position in the hospital he certainly didn't suffer from that malady. However, he had withheld certain aspects of Jimmy's condition. Although Jimmy was now going to be fine he could have died at any time during those past few days. It was a far more dangerous situation than they had admitted – but they didn't want to alarm the parents seeing as there was nothing anyone could have done about it anyway. However, the future looked rosy again for Jimmy and he could look forward to a normal life from now on. The anxiety suffered by Brian and Wendy would now subside and they too could return to normal life. David had dropped by between surgeries to see how things had gone and he too was thanked again for arranging all of this. It was a happy ending to an agonizing few days and everyone involved had been uplifted by the result.

John meanwhile having resolved all of the builders concerns was now ready to go back up to Thunder Bay. However he had a stop to make first, he had to drop in to see Dr. Wetherby. The hospital where he was working now had several Ob /Gyn's and his services, while not exactly superfluous, were perhaps wasted there and could perhaps be put to better use elsewhere. With this in mind he went over to see him.

"Grant, I have a proposition for you, if you would be interested in hearing it."

"What kind of proposition?" he asked.

"Well it's more of an opportunity really. There's this Health Center up north that is developing a new Obstetrical wing that is attached to a larger facility. The area needs Ob/Gyn's as there is a shortage up there and the position I'm thinking about will need you to assist in the larger facility in an "on call" basis from time to time."

Grant was already smiling; he knew what John was going to say next so he beat him to the draw.

"Would I be right in assuming that this facility is up in Thunder Bay."

"Well it just so happens that it is, well very close by anyway."

"I had sent my CV around to all the hospitals locally and I have received no response."

"Ah that's locally, Grant, Thunder Bay is a little off the beaten track I'll admit – but it does have its attractions."

Grant was laughing out loud now.

"Oh and just what might they be might I ask?"

"Well one might be inclined to learn a little more about the local culture up there and its indigenous people. I hear they have a medical clinic up there and in the not too distant future the nurse running that clinic will be leaving to return to Toronto. Now I have it on good authority that her friend, whom I believe you may be acquainted with, could well take over her job. Given those facts it occurred to me that your talents could fit in rather nicely up there and be deeply appreciated also. In fact you would be warmly welcomed in other areas too I suspect."

Grant howled with laughter now.

"John, you are one hell of a salesman. Did Julie put you up to this?"

"No Grant, she has no idea about any of this, and neither does Cheyenne. I would never put you on the spot like that. Officially I have no idea as to your feeling towards Julie. I am basing them purely on my personal observations and I could be way off."

"No John, you are spot on. I do indeed have very deep feelings for Julie and I think she does for me too."

"You don't need to "think" that, Grant, I'll confirm that right now. She loves you as much if not more than you do her."

"Well your offer sounds terrific, but how do I know the hospital will hire me or the Health Center for that matter."

"Grant that is already done, all you have to do is agree to it. I set all of that up before I came down here."

"When do I have to be up there?"

"That depends on how long it will take you to clean up your affairs down here. Once you have done that you can call the shots. When you tell Julie is up to you, but remember she has no idea right now. She will go ballistic once she finds out so be warned."

"Thanks, John, for setting all of this up, I owe you."

"No Grant, you don't, it is my pleasure. This will enhance your career and it will be beneficial to your relationship with Julie. Trying to conduct that from Toronto with your schedule would be tough to do. I'd like to see the pair of you together one day, Grant, I like you and I'm equally fond of Julie. I am in a position to offer a little assistance and that is what I have done. You will be just as busy up here once you become established – but you won't have to go home to an empty apartment at the end of a tough day."

When John went home that evening there was a phone call on his answering machine, it was from Julie. Grant had obviously told her the news and she was totally beside herself with joy and said that she would call back later. He could almost feel her enthusiasm pouring out of the phone and forming a puddle on the floor. That also confirmed in John's mind what Grant really thought about Julie. He was indeed head over heels in love with her; why else would he have called her immediately. He had no sooner listened to that message than the phone rang again, it was Julie. She was sobbing down the phone and thanking John for what he had done. He had just totally made her day now. John had told her that Grant cared for her, now she knew without a doubt that he loved her and John had set it up. John asked her to keep it to herself for now as he had not mentioned this to Cheyenne yet, but he was too late. The second that Grant put down the phone Julie called Cheyenne. John now thought Oh God! I'm in trouble now, but he wasn't. Secretly Cheyenne was over the moon. The thought of moving to Toronto and that beautiful home was nothing to baulk at. She would miss Julie, but she would have Wendy and Cynthia as friends and Julie was only a phone call away. Knowing that Julie was running the clinic was comforting also, Julie knew the score and she was known to the local people too – everything was going to work out just fine she thought.

A few weeks later, Grant Wetherby flew up to Thunder Bay and was met at the Airport by both Julie and Cheyenne. Julie could contain her enthusiasm no longer and threw herself into his arms. Cheyenne felt as if she could have read a full length novel in the time that embrace took to unwind. However, the look on Julie's face made it all worthwhile. Grant too looked ecstatic and he was in no hurry to release Julie from that embrace either. Grant would be temporarily housed with Amy and Frank until he got his own place. Brook and Danny's house was full now with Simeon, Ruth and Julie taking up valuable real estate. Frank and Amy were close by and they had lots of room so it was easy for them to accommodate Grant. That evening another Byrne banquet was given and it was Grant's turn this time to be blown away by it just as John had been months earlier. John had given him a brief rundown on the family, but Grant had taken that with a grain of salt. He had thought John was exaggerating things just a little to encourage him to go up there and give it a try. Well now he knew better – John had been very accurate in his portrayal of this family. They really were lovely people. Kind warm hearted and very giving. Over the following few days they and Grant would get to know each other better and they were all rather pleased at what they learned. While it was early days yet, Danny and Brook had little trouble imagining Grant as a future son-in-law. Grant for his part had no fears about having them as in-laws either. All things considered, Grant could now see himself settling up there in Thunder Bay. As John had pointed out, it had a lot to offer.

When he went over to the hospital he was very warmly received there and the same went for the Regional Health Center. Ob/Gyn's were in short supply there and there was certainly no shortage of patients. Many of those patients were from the reserve and so he could actually see some of them at the clinic during the early stages of pregnancy. The clinic was now fully stocked with supplies and it had all the basic equipment it needed in order to function effectively. Grant was quite impressed the first time he saw it. He didn't really know what to expect as he had never been on an Indian reserve before – but he certainly wasn't expecting this. It was a new building and it had examination rooms and treatment rooms in addition to the waiting room and its supply room was fully stocked. Cheyenne had given him the guided tour and Grant was duly impressed by all of it. They even had a filing system and computer records in the outer office and a small office was available for a physician should one be called in an emergency. Grant was smiling to himself when he saw all of this. John had known very well what his reaction would be once he saw the facilities up there and he was right. He would have no trouble at all settling in amongst these lovely people. If he needed a cultural fix every once in a while he could always fly down to Toronto. After all he did know one or two people down there and so did Julie. Yes he had made up his mind – he was staying.

Just up the road at Danny and Brook's farm Simeon and Ruth were now quite at home there. Their lives had completely turned around and their futures looked bright. They had joined the local 4H group, were avid members of the local church and Ruth was now a member of the choir there. They had adapted well to their new environment, but their academic progress was something less than stellar. Their previous schooling left a lot to be desired and as a result they had a lot of catching up to do. Ruth was coming along just fine, Simeon was struggling. Whether he would catch up later on was an unknown at this point. However, university at eighteen was out of the question for him. Ruth may have to wait an extra year, but she did have the potential for university. That said, whether she would leave Simeon behind to actually attend university was a completely different matter. Those two were as close as ever still. They were both saving themselves for marriage so to speak, but they were inseparable and their affection for each other was enviable. As Brook commented to Amy and Melody – "We should all have love in our lives like those two have." Nobody argued with that statement. Simeon loved the outdoor life and he was quite knowledgeable in terms of farming, crop rotation and yield factors. Danny had taken him under his wing as he had his own son and one day Simeon would make a good farmer. He was quite handy with tools also, the commune had given him that much. They had taught him well in the trade of carpentry and Simeon was quite good at it now. This was one subject that he did shine at in school and his teachers were well aware of it. When Frank and Amy went over there for dinner one night, they both saw the improvement in those two kids. They had come a long way in a very short time. Their stress and anxiety had now gone. They would willingly do anything that Brook or Danny asked them to do and without griping about it either like most teenagers would. They were really nice kids. Frank and Amy also noticed how Danny and Brook were with them – they were deeply attached to them and it showed. They treated them exactly as they would their own two kids. Julie and Bruce were treated no better when they were this age. Bruce ran his grandfathers farm now and that kept him very busy and Julie had only just returned back from college. Frank was a very happy man these days. Everything was working out just fine. Bruce would inherit his farm and Simeon more than likely would take over Danny's one day. Julie would marry her doctor more than likely and that only left Ruth. Frank just smiled at that point – Ruth would be just fine down the road he felt. There were a lot of good people who would see to that – including John Canon. That man would not let anything bad happen to that girl, of that he was quite certain. As he sat on his porch with Amy by his side watching the sun go down over the corn fields he was a contented man. He had found his long lost brother, been re-united with Melody and he was surrounded by his loved ones in his final years. Life doesn't get any better than that, Frank, he told himself. Very few would disagree with that sentiment.
Chapter Twenty Two

***

As Christmas was drawing closer and closer John was hoping that his new home would be ready on time. Unfortunately due to delays and back orders on certain items it now looked a rather remote possibility. The builder was full of apologies, but John knew that it was not his fault. John had secretly hoped to bring Cheyenne down for the holidays, but it was not going to happen now. The apartment just didn't cut it – the new house in snow covered grounds would have been magical. Given that this was now off the table John decided to spend Christmas this year up in Thunder Bay with Cheyenne and the Byrne family. He had never spent Christmas on a farm so this would be an eye opening experience for him he thought. How right he was – although at the time he had absolutely no idea of the wonderful festivities that lay ahead.

Christmas is a magical time of year, but the religious aspect now seems to take second place to commercial greed. The celebration of the birth of baby Jesus gets lost in the shuffle somewhere and more emphasis is placed on the giving and receiving of gifts. However, in the rural communities things are slightly different. Nature is not taken for granted and the religious aspect of Christmas in not forgotten. The church services and nativity plays are strongly attended in these communities. The children all look forward to Santa Claus of course, but the birth of Jesus is very much the main theme over the holidays. Sadly in some communities Santa Clause sometimes fails to show up. Perhaps he simply forgot about them – maybe he ran out of presents that year, or he was just as poor as they were this year. The excuses were legion. The bottom line however was that kids didn't get any toys and many of them saw precious little food too. The food banks and toy drives did a tremendous amount of good work to alleviate these shortages, but there were always some who fell through the cracks.

The Byrne family had always helped at the Church on Christmas Eve.

People who were in need of some assistance, but too proud to ask for it, were all taken care of. Food hampers were mysteriously delivered along with red Santa Sacks with several toys or books inside. Every child in that community had a full stomach and a gift of one kind or another. The villagers that had – shared with those that had not. All of this was done anonymously to prevent embarrassment to the recipients. After all – "There but for the Grace of God go I" was a reality in the farming community that they were all very much aware of. They were not wealthy people by any means, but they would all share what they had to help out those in need. The church hall held a banquet every Christmas Eve and everyone was invited. All anyone had to do was show up – the food was ostensibly free. The truth was that while the needy were at this free meal, Santa's Elves were at their homes delivering the hampers and toys. The haves were sitting alongside the have not's and nobody knew the difference, they were all there to enjoy the spirit of the season followed by the Midnight carol service.

When John had arrived back in Thunder Bay, Frank had told him of the plans for Christmas and how the Rotary Club and the Lions Club joined in to make the season brighter. John then decided to become involved himself. He had asked Cheyenne just how large a problem it was on the reserve and how many families were really in need as opposed to those who simply wasted what they had. Armed with that information John then approached the Chief. He didn't wish to cause offense to anyone as he explained to the Chief, but he felt that he could make Christmas a little brighter for some families. It was with this in mind that he approached the Chief seeking his wisdom on how to accomplish that. The Chief knew all about John by now and he listened with an open mind. He determined that John was indeed a good man and not one looking for hero status. In fact John had wished to remain anonymous and simply provide the provisions for the Chief to distribute as he saw fit along with the toys. The Chief knew now that John was aware of tribal pride and that he didn't wish to embarrass anyone. He genuinely wanted to give these people a good meal and a few toys for their kids and he wanted nothing in return. At first the Chief was skeptical – men like this were rare indeed, Rocking Horse manure was more plentiful. However, having been told all about John by Cheyenne he agreed to John's proposal. For the first time in years the whole tribe would benefit this Christmas, all would be well fed and the children would all get a gift of one kind or another. This was one community Santa would not forget – not this year anyway.

The Byrne's family Christmas was truly a magical event. The whole family attended at Frank and Amy's home for Christmas Dinner and what a feast it was. The smell of good old farm cooking permeated the whole house. A more welcoming aroma one would be hard pressed to find. It started off at brunch with all the eggs and bacon, sausages, tomatoes, toast and various fruits. The men were the ones primarily involved in this activity. They would be the ones doing the actual cooking and frying. John and Grant were not excused duty either. Grant was cooking the peameal bacon and John was in charge of the eggs and omelets of choice. Danny and Bruce were doing the sausages and tomatoes and Simeon was doing all the toast and buttering. The women were involved in setting the table, pouring out the fruit juices and getting all the jams ready. It was quite the production but it all ran like clockwork. The dinner later that day was a similar operation. The women would prepare the vegetables, some of them before hand and stuff the bird. As there were so many attending this year a sit down meal was more or less out of the question. The food would be laid out on the kitchen table buffet style and seating would be on a first come first served basis. You grabbed whatever seat you could find. After dinner games were played and everyone joined in the fun and it really was a lot of fun. Ruth and Simeon had never experienced anything like this before and they had a marvelous time. Frank had hung Mistletoe on the light in the hall and it certainly saw its share of activity that day. Just about everybody stopped by and more than once in some cases. As far as John was concerned this really was a magical Christmas. Cheyenne was simply ecstatic that John was there to share it with her and Julie was feeling the same about Grant. Frank would have liked Melody to have been there to see all of this, but she would be there in the future. This year she had decided to spend it with Meg and Damien in Port Moody. Claire and Roy were going to come down for the holidays and Melody wanted to spend this Christmas with her whole family. It was expanded by one this year too. Bill Stewart was also going to be there. Claire and Roy had not yet met Bill. They had heard about him from both Meg and Melody, but they had yet to meet him.

Christmas in Port Moody that year was another joyous event. Santa didn't forget them either. The women's shelter had a lovely dinner that year and all the children received something from Santa. Mary had some money left in the kitty, but an anonymous benefactor had deposited a little extra that year. This allowed her guests to decorate the place and make it a little more festive and less institutionalized. She had not seen Bill since Maria had left, but he had called a few times to make sure she was doing okay and didn't need anything. Meg of course was seeing him regularly and Mary was now keeping her eye on the local dress shops in case a suitable wedding outfit appeared. She wouldn't say anything to Meg of course, but it didn't hurt to keep an eye out for a bargain – one never knows when it might come in handy.

Claire and Roy took to Bill immediately. They could clearly see why Meg was taken with him and Damien adored him too. Melody had told them a little about Bill and his official line of work, but not very much. However, none of that mattered. They could see first hand how much he cared for their daughter and her son and that was good enough for them. Meg had been through the mill previously and had come away in a fragile state. She was still in one piece, but she had not emerged unscathed. Looking at her now they could clearly see that she was back to her normal self. He self confidence was back, she could smile and laugh once more and she was so relaxed now. She lit up the minute Bill touched her or nuzzled her neck as he walked by and they knew that Bill was the man for her. They could see how much he loved her and he would most certainly look after her and Damien. This was one Christmas they would all enjoy together and that hadn't happened in a long while. John had called Bill on Christmas Eve to wish him all the very best over the holidays. He also had a brief word with Meg and Melody too. They were both very pleased to hear from him. John knew how Bill felt about Meg and that meant that he would not be a member of Section 5 for much longer. Barney knew it too, but neither he nor Bill had actually come out and discussed the issue. It was inevitable and they both knew it just as John did, but they both wanted to delay it for as long as they could. Barney was hoping that he could keep Bill until he got married – but he daren't hope for too much. With John he had hoped that he would stay until Pam got pregnant – but that lottery win scuttled that. Meg already had Damien so the best he could hope for was until Bill got married. However, Barney knew how Bill felt about Meg and that marriage could come at any time now. No, the subject of Bill's impending departure from Section 5 was not one he wanted to enter into right now. On the other hand, he had already lined up another position for Bill as and when that fateful day came. Bill was a very good man and losing him was out of the question – he had a position that Bill couldn't refuse when that time came. He would be rewarded with a sizeable pay raise and be based in Vancouver in a purely administrative capacity- well sort of anyway. There may be a little field work here and there, but nothing dangerous would be involved. You simply can't chain men like Bill to a desk, they need to be stimulated and Barney knew that much. However, the prospect of losing a man with the experience of Bill was unthinkable. John's loss was bad enough, but losing Bill was something Barney was not going to let happen. He was feeling quite pleased with himself this Christmas knowing that he had contingency plans in place. The Women's Shelter in Port Moody and Mary Curran and Margaret Butler had been checked out thoroughly. They themselves were totally unaware of it, but it had been done. It was Barney that had arranged for the extra Christmas bonus to be given to them to brighten up the shelter for the holidays. Barney gave the impression that he was a hard nosed individual - but certain team members knew better. One had to be tough in that position as life and death decisions had to be made – sometimes involving your own men. This was not a job for the faint hearted. However, that didn't mean you had to be heartless and Barney certainly wasn't, although he did his level best to hide it. John and Bill knew Barney well and he knew that they did too. They kept this knowledge to themselves as they respected Barney and the difficult job he had to perform. Bill would soon have first hand experience on just how tough a job that could be once he took on that new job that Barney would offer him. Having a good woman behind him would be invaluable. There is nothing quite like going home to a loving wife and an adoring child to take away the stresses of the day – and there were going to be plenty of them.

The New Year's celebration at the Byrne's was just as elaborate as the Christmas festivities. They even included Danny being thrown out and having to come in carrying a piece of coal. The drinks flowed freely and few were feeling any pain that night having been duly anaesthetized by the copious amounts of booze that they had imbibed. Frank and Amy were pillars of sobriety, but the rest would be reaching for the Aspirin in the morning. Cheyenne, Julie and Brook were all giggly that night and Ruth looked on in amazement. She had never seen women in this state before, men, yes, but never women. This would have been unthinkable back in the commune. It was all part of her education though as she travelled along the road to a normal life among normal people. Letting one's hair down and having fun was not taboo. It most certainly was not the devil's work and enjoyment was to be embraced and not considered to be a sin and discouraged or punished as the apostles saw fit. In time Ruth and Simeon would learn the difference – but it had only been a few months so far and they still had a way to go. They had come a long way from the timid and shy young kids that they were when they arrived; but sixteen years of brainwashing does not get eradicated overnight. It was encouraging to see them trying to join in though and they were included in all the activities and games. John figured that this time next year their rehabilitation would be nearing completion. They were truly terrific kids and they most certainly deserved this wonderful opportunity to return them to a normal lifestyle. If that led to marriage in a few years then so much the better – nobody would have a problem with that.

The subject of marriage was on the minds of several people now. While formal proposals had not been presented, certain parties had an understanding shall we say. It was sort of understood that proposals would be forthcoming, or at least something that would equate to a proposal anyway. Julie, Cheyenne and Meg Butler all had such dreams in the back of their minds. John, Grant and Bill did too; they were just waiting for the right opportunity. This would not come as a surprise to any of the women as they all knew where they stood with the men in their lives. The only question was who would be first. That honor went to Meg; much to Barney's dismay. She and Bill were to be Married in March, Julie and Grant followed in April and John and Cheyenne held off until June. John attended all three weddings. He was Best Man at Bill's, an Usher at Julie's and of course the Groom.

When he went to Port Moody he had not yet drafted his speech. There was so much he could have said, but he wanted to make it perfect. He wrote at least three drafts and threw them all away. The guest list included several military colleagues and Barney too would be there with his wife Gwen; he just had to get this speech right. The wedding went as expected and Meg looked beautiful in a cream coloured dress and young Damien was the ring boy. One of the young women from the Women's Shelter was her Maid of Honor. Meg had befriended her and the woman had been so thrilled that Meg had asked her. John had secretly bought that woman's dress through Mary when he learned that she had very little money of her own. That gesture would remain secret and only Mary knew about it.

The reception was well attended and a live band was playing all the familiar tunes and some not so well known. Then the speeches commenced. John stood up first, pulled sheaves of paper from under the podium, then put them back again. He then simply spoke from the heart and he had the whole room holding their sides from laughing. Then right at the very end they were all reaching for their Kleenex as he told Bill how much he meant to him and how lucky he was to have found Meg. It was powerful, emotional and truly heartfelt. Bill himself had to reach for his handkerchief and wipe his eyes as did his bride. Gwen Lawson came up to John later on and poked him.

"That's for ruining my make up with that speech of yours, John. It was beautiful, but I should have known better seeing as it was you that was going to give it. How are you by the way? I haven't seen you in a long while. Barney tells me that you will be next to walk down the aisle."

"Well I don't know about next, Gwen, but I could be I suppose."

"Is she here with you?"

"As a matter of fact she is here somewhere, Ah! There she is. Cheyenne, come her a minute, I want you to meet someone."

"Cheyenne, this is Gwen Lawson my boss's wife."

"Good evening Mrs. Lawson, it's so nice to meet you."

Gwen shook Cheyenne's extended hand and then poked John again.

"You did that deliberately didn't you?"

John was almost doubled over laughing.

"It's simply Gwen, dear, not Mrs. Lawson – John was playing with me."

"Aw come on Gwen, I had to do that, how else would you know it was me."

Cheyenne stood there not quite sure of what to make of this performance.

"Barney, come here called out Gwen."

"This is Cheyenne, John's fiancée."

"Ah at last" said Barney. "I wondered when I would get the opportunity to meet you. I had heard so much about you and how beautiful you were, but I never expected this. You are even more beautiful than I had been told."

With that Barney gave her a hug.

"I was introduced as Mrs. Lawson, can you believe that, said Gwen?"

"Oh Yeah, I can believe that, he always was a joker."

Cheyenne was relaxed now. Barney may have been John's boss but it was now obvious that he and his wife were very close to John and he to them.

"So when do we get our invitation to the house warming asked Gwen?"

"Well it isn't quite finished yet" answered John, "its almost ready, but a few minor things still need to be done."

"Have you seen it yet Cheyenne?"

"Yes it's gorgeous."

"I'll bet it is" she replied.

"So John have you set a wedding date yet – I need to get my calendar in order?"

Cheyenne nearly died on the spot at Gwen's outspoken remark.

"We are not actually engaged yet, Gwen, Cheyenne stammered."

"Oh that's a mere triviality, dear, isn't it John?"

"Men always dither about such things, they need a prod every now and then, don't they Barney?"

"Hey leave me out of this one I'm not touching that subject."

"See what I mean" said Gwen laughing. "You get off that backside of yours John and start looking at dates, my calendar is going to get booked up otherwise."

"Yes, Ma'am I'll get right on that –we can't have your calendar get filled up now can we?"

"Just you remember John, I had absolutely nothing to do with that okay. It was all Gwen and her nosiness, I was just on the side lines," said Barney.

"Oh Yeah and totally disinterested right?"

They all laughed at that and John put his arm around Cheyenne and gave her a squeeze. "They can't get me married off quick enough can they? Do you think anyone would have me, Kiddo?"

"I might be convinced" she said laughing.

"Well now John, there you have it – if you ask her nicely she might just consider it," chirped Gwen.

"Well in that case, Gwen I guess I could risk it."

With that he turned directly to Cheyenne and said,

"Would you marry me darling and get these creeps off my back."

"Oh Yes, John I would, but not for that reason" she said laughing.

"John Canon you certainly know how to sweep a woman off her feet. What a romantic proposal that was – who could possibly say No to that," retorted Gwen.

"John was always good at expressing himself," Barney threw in.

"Yes I can see that quite clearly" said Gwen laughing now. "You see dear, that's how you get them to pop the question."

They all now howled with laughter at Gwen's attempt to get John to propose officially. It had all been in good fun and the four of them knew it. On the other hand Cheyenne now knew for sure that this was going to happen. It was no longer an obscure dream. John had asked her and she had said Yes. They were engaged now despite the weird way it came about. Gwen and Cheyenne had quite the detailed conversation later in the evening. Gwen opened Cheyenne's eyes to many things that night and her respect for John grew stronger on the strength of it. Cheyenne liked Gwen and it was mutual. Over the years they would become very close friends.

John and Bill had a lengthy conversation that night on numerous topics, one of which was the new promotion he had been given. John had added his endorsement to the job for what that was worth, but Bill had already accepted the post. He would be the chief intelligence officer for the Pacific coast and Western Canada. It was quite a jump up in pay and it removed him from the field. There would be the odd occasion for field activity and he would need to stay in shape, but he would also be home every night. He would take up this new position once he returned from his honeymoon. John had paid for the wedding reception and the honeymoon as his wedding present to Bill. Bill had baulked at this saying it was way too much – but John had insisted and he won that battle. Where Bill was concerned, John would do anything for him. Cheyenne knew that too now as Gwen had enlightened her on a few things. Neither woman knew anything about their field activities, that was classified, but they knew plenty about relationships. Gwen had told Cheyenne that John had introduced Bill to Meg and that he felt they would be great together – this wedding proved he had been right. John is pretty good at sizing people up, Gwen had pointed out. It was in fact a back handed compliment to Cheyenne and Cheyenne knew it.

Julie's wedding was quite traditional and it was held up in Thunder Bay. The Byrne's hosted it in the local community center and the hall was jam packed with guests and well wishers. Julie looked fabulous in her flowing white gown. It had been a present from John, but only Cheyenne and John knew that. She had been receiving compliments all day about just how beautiful that dress was. On one of the weekend visits to Toronto John had taken both Julie and Cheyenne to a Bridal Gown store in Markham and let them loose in there one Saturday afternoon. A few changes her and there and a few fittings later the finished garment looked fantastic and Julie was totally delighted with it. John told Julie that this was to be her wedding present and she was totally happy with that. In fact she considered that to be overly generous. What she didn't know was that he had also told Grant that he was paying for the honeymoon. Grant could not afford the caliber of honeymoon John had in mind as a wedding present for the happy couple. It was a one month tour of Europe. It included trips to Paris and London, a boat trip down the Rhine to see all the castles and villas and a Mediterranean Cruise. Bill and Meg had done something similar on their honeymoon, but in the South Pacific. John had also given Melody the balance of what was owed on the house after Meg had given her what she had as a down payment. Bill had argued that one too, but again John won. Bill and Meg were both truly grateful and told John so, but he already knew that. These were his friends and he was in a position to help them out. Had the positions been reversed they would have certainly done the same for him and he knew it. In Julie's case it was slightly different. Property prices in Thunder Bay were far less than in Vancouver and so Grant and Julie could handle it on their own with the money they had saved. John simply bought them a new car each. They were both floored by that and neither expected anything from John. He had already been overly generous to them they thought. However, as he explained to them, he had been fortunate in his life and he wanted to share it with people he cared about. It could take away a little of the stresses of day to day life, he couldn't help everyone, but he could help his friends. That is what true friends do after all, and besides he couldn't spend all those millions on himself. He just had to give to others in need and there was no shortage of them – he just had to be selective and it started with friends and family. Now that Bill was established in his new position He and Barney decided to maintain the confidentiality of The Women's Shelter and tell nobody else. Bill and only Bill would have communication with Mary and that was how it would remain. As and when a situation arose Bill himself would deal with it, no other field agents would have access to Mary and certainly not Meg. This was just how it was going to be from that point on. The fewer people who knew about the underground activities of that center the better it would be for all concerned. Maria had not been heard from since Melody had put her in the system so obviously the system was working. She had been given a new Social Insurance Number prior to her departure, but only Barney knew what that was. He could of course check into that if he chose to, but that was a remote possibility, Maria was now on her own.
Chapter Twenty Three

***

Now that John had been press ganged into proposing to Cheyenne his mind had now turned to engagement rings and wedding dates. Sooner was preferable to later and so after due consultation June 12th was selected. Thunder Bay was once again chosen to have the ceremony as this was Cheyenne's home and where her family resided. Initially Cheyenne felt uneasy about having certain members of her family attend the wedding, but John put her mind at ease. His side of the aisle would have no objections to her family whatsoever. It was of course expected that they would attend in a sober state – they would be offended if they all turned up drunk. John knew that was most unlikely and besides the chief was going to be there. He would not tolerate any member of the tribe spoiling Cheyenne's wedding and they all knew it.

On her next visit to Toronto, John took Cheyenne to a jeweler friend of Brian's. Saul was an excellent craftsman and his workmanship was exquisite. Cheyenne selected the style and setting she liked and a wedding ring to match and they were good to go. One week later she had a beautiful ring on her finger. It was not a huge rock, it was elegant and tasteful and beautifully made. Ostentation was not a part of Cheyenne's make up. She liked nice things, but that didn't necessarily mean expensive things. The wedding ceremony in Thunder Bay John had nothing to do with. The Byrne's took care of that and once again it was to be held in the community center. Cheyenne had sent out all the invitations and all of them had replied positively. The Chief had quietly had a word with certain parties pointing out that although it would be a free bar, he would not tolerate unruly behaviour and that there would be consequences for any such transgressions. Uncle Eddie needed no such reminder; he didn't want to get on John's wrong side. Julie had come down one weekend with Cheyenne and they had paid a visit to the bridal store once more. John would of course buy the dress for his bride, but he just couldn't see it prior to the day. He couldn't even get a clue as to what it looked like. Neither Julie nor Cheyenne would tell him anything about it.

Finally the day came and John and Brian his Best Man were stood patiently waiting at the front of the church. It was standing room only that day. It was not an overly large church, but the whole reserve had turned out for Cheyenne. She was one of theirs and also their nurse and confidante and they wanted to be there for her. Cheyenne was very moved by that. When the wedding march started every head turned towards the rear of the church to see the bride. There were Ooh's and Ah's everywhere. Julie and Ruth had preceded her down the aisle but John was not ready for this vision coming towards him on the Chief's arm. John was totally blown away by what he saw. He was in total wonderment as this beautiful wraith floated down the aisle towards him in the most beautiful wedding gown he had ever seen. Cinderella would have looked drab by comparison. It fitted her like a glove and her skin was totally blemish free. Her face was covered by the veil and her hair had been swept up and back in a sort of swirl. Cheyenne was a beauty on any day of the week – but what was gliding down the aisle towards him defied description. Both John and Brian were speechless and Julie smiled at both of them as she saw this for herself. They were totally mesmerized by her and Julie was so pleased to see this. All morning Cheyenne had been a bag of nerves wondering if John would like her dress and how she looked in it. The expressions on their faces said it all and Cheyenne saw this for herself as she drew closer and she relaxed immediately. One look at John's face told her all she needed to know. The ceremony and the ensuing reception went according to plan. The toasts and speeches went off well, with Barney and Bill having everyone in stitches with the tales they told. Brian on this occasion was a little more restrained. When Frank got up to say a few words, he had John almost overcome with emotion at what he said. Frank told them all just what a true gentleman John was and how much he had helped people including strangers. It was quite the speech, despite its brevity. Wendy, Melody. Gwen and Meg had all told Cheyenne how gorgeous she looked and they all passed comment on how John had reacted to seeing her. Gwen was teasing Cheyenne regarding how she had got him to propose – which was all Gwen's doing anyway. When Cheyenne started to point that out, Gwen just dismissed it and the other women just laughed. Then Gwen pointed out the obvious.

"You know, Cheyenne, John could have chosen any number of women, he's a great catch. He chose you; the rest never had a chance. While you are getting a good man, Cheyenne, be aware that it's a two way street. John is getting a great catch also and he knows it too, Cheyenne. Trust me on that. I've known John for years and I've never seen him light up like he did when you walked down that aisle today. Barney and I couldn't be happier for the two of you. She then added, maybe we can get an invite to see your new house sometime – god knows I've been angling for that for quite a while now." Cheyenne howled at that one, "I promise Gwen. When we come back from our honeymoon we will have you and Barney over. That is of course assuming your calendar isn't filled up by then."

Gwen just howled at that dig. Meg and Julie had no idea what that was about, but it sure tickled Gwen.

The honeymoon was quite similar to Grant and Julie's but with a longer stay on the continent and a more detailed trip around Britain. Cheyenne had never been outside of Canada before and she was really looking forward to this European excursion. When they came back they would move in to the new house permanently. It was a truly beautiful home now. The roadway had been laid and was now tree lined and illuminated by those antique street lamps of old London town. Julie was to assume the duties at the clinic and the Chief had totally agreed to that. A few months after they came back from Europe John and Cheyenne took a flight out to Calgary and boarded the Rocky Mountaineer. This time John would experience that train ride of a lifetime and see the true majesty of the Rockies in all their glory. Both he and Cheyenne were awed by the beauty of it all, it truly was magnificent to sit up in the domed cars and see all of this drift by as the train rolled along. This trip was very different from the first one – but equally rewarding all the same now that Cheyenne was beside him. There is beauty all around us if we take the time to see it – but the views from that train were awesome. Canada really was a beautiful place to live. John had travelled all over the world in his Section 5 days and he knew what he was talking about. Those sparking lakes and the rippling trout streams were a sight to behold. When you added the snow capped mountains, the wild bears and the white tailed deer it adds a whole new dimension to it all. He had finally achieved his goal of taking that trip and totally enjoying it. Doing it with Cheyenne simply doubled the pleasure.

The following year, Cheyenne gave birth to their daughter Helena and she was a carbon copy of her mother. She melted the hearts of everyone who saw her. The next year their son James was born and they decided to leave it at that. They had the ideal family now as far as they were concerned. They had moved into the house, right after the honeymoon and they did have the house warming party that Gwen so wanted to attend. The house was now lived in and it was in fact a home now and the giggles and laughter of children made all the difference. When John got out of bed one morning he walked outside to the balcony before going downstairs to make coffee. Cheyenne was still sound asleep in bed with her lustrous jet black hair splayed out over the pillow. As John stood on the balcony outside his bedroom he found himself reflecting on days gone by. He realized just how fortunate he was now and back then he could never have envisioned what lay before him now. Pam would definitely have approved of how far he had come since her death. John then remembered something that Brian had said to him at the time. He had said: "You know, John, if Pam was looking down on you right now she would be so sad to see you suffering like this – she would only want the best for you." He clearly remembered Brian saying that now - it could have been just yesterday. Then, in that instant, he knew – Pam was indeed looking down upon him and guiding him along the right path. She was his guardian angel and she was looking out for him as he travelled along the highway of life. He realized now that she was the one who had chosen Cheyenne to replace her in his life. Who would know better what a lovely person she was, what a good mother she would make and just how happy she would make John. John had never given this much thought before, but he was absolutely certain now. Pam had been looking out for him all these years and she had chosen wisely. She had been the one who had introduced him to his fellow travelers and given him the wisdom and ability to offer them comfort and assistance. How else could he have accomplished that? He looked upwards now towards the beautiful morning sky and whispered softly into the warm morning breeze – "Thank You Pam". Just then his three year old daughter Helena ran joyfully into the bedroom. John put his finger on his lips signaling Helena to be quiet and not wake up Mommy. She ran right over to him and John dutifully picked her up. Helena instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him

"Why are you crying Daddy," she asked.

"Oh I guess it's because I am so happy to see you," he replied.

"Well you can see me every day, silly, I live here."

The simple logic of a child always brings adults up short, they state the obvious in such a way that totally beguiles us with its clarity and Helena did it to John with that simple remark.

"Yes darling you do and it's a beautiful day outside, let's go and wake up Mommy and Jimmy so that we don't have to waste any more of it."

John wiped his eyes at this point, he was indeed a very lucky man and that was indeed an unforgettable journey Pam had sent him on not so long ago – "Thanks Pam! - for everything."

